CASON Board Members: Seyi Oladimeji [President] Tomi Vincent [Legal Adviser] and Segun Shelleh [Treasurer]
The Church Administrators Society of Nigeria (CASON) has announced the need for churches in Nigeria to see the new Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 as a call to reposition themselves; improve self-regulation and entrench proper administration, rather than see it as persecution by government.
Addressing professional members, invited pastors, church administrators and members of the public at a webinar hosted online in Lagos, Nigeria Wednesday August 25, CASON President, Pastor Seyi Oladimeji said, “Understanding the law and applying it to the way churches are run is an administrative issue. That is why we seek to educate The Church today.”
Speaking at the webinar, CASON Board Member and Adviser on Legal Matters, Mr. Tomi Vincent submitted that if Nigerians embraced CAMA 2020, the law would help in building more credible businesses and not-for-profit institutions, including churches.
“The new law also grants power to the Corporate Affairs Commission with the approval of the Minister of Trade in cases of misconduct or mismanagement to suspend trustees for the purpose of protecting the property of the association or for public interest or for abatement of fraudulent administration, which also include frivolous remuneration or reward of persons acting in the affairs of the association or other frivolous administrative expenses e.g. indiscriminate honoraria for guest speakers without established policy or protocol” Vincent said.
It was noted at the webinar that certain features of CAMA 2020 provide for prosecution, fines and suspension of trustees where falsehood, misconduct, criminal negligence etc are discovered in the registration, activities and operations of a church under ‘Incorporated Trustees.’
Also speaking at the webinar, CASON Treasurer and Governing Council Member, Mr. Segun Shelleh, who is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, explained that CAMA 2020 specifies clearly, the legal framework for the registration of churches as incorporated trustees, appointment, qualification and removal of the trustees, constitution of the church, appointment of its governing body, application of its income and property, rendering of accounts, annual returns and dissolution of the organisation.
Shelleh said, “It is advisable to apply the funds of a church strictly for the purposes set out in its constitution. Proper steps should be taken to include in the church constitution, every legitimate purpose of the church that is not already in its constitution, which may include approaching the CAC to alter such constitution in line with section 833 of CAMA 2020.
“Any trustee of the church who needs to draw salaries from the organisation, should immediately consider removing himself/herself from the trustees’ body and remain just a staff of the organisation rendering his/her service to the church dutifully in compensation for every salary or remuneration received” Shelleh advised.
CASON has promised to issue a communiqué following the webinar on CAMA 2020 as an advisory to its constituents who are the founders, leaders and administrators of churches in Nigeria.
In concluding his address, CASON president, Oladimeji said: “If churches are better self-regulated, we would not need to be externally supervised by any government agency for we would function by the law. That is why CASON organized this webinar even as we get ready to host our 2020 annual conference in September.
“Our detailed professional advice to the Body of Christ in Nigeria shall be contained in a communiqué soon to be published and circulated to all our constituents” Oladimeji said.
UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has today commenced the 2020 edition of its annual National Essay Competition in Nigeria with a call for entries.
Now in its tenth year, the National Essay Competition (NEC) is part of UBA Foundation’s education initiative which is aimed at promoting the reading culture and encouraging healthy and intellectual competition amongst secondary school students in Nigeria and across Africa.
This year’s edition, which is the 10th since inception, has been modified to ensure ease of access and increased participation of senior secondary school students from the comfort of their homes through the introduction of a digital submission portal.
Taking into consideration the effects the Covid-19 pandemic has had on lives and incomes across board, the UBA Foundation has also increased the prize money for the 2020 edition of the NEC by 33 per cent as the first prize winner will get an educational grant of N2.5m, up from N2m in 2019. The second and third prize winners will now receive N2m and N1.5m educational grants respectively, from N1.5m and N1m which were awarded in the previous year’s competition.
The Chief Executive Officer, UBA Foundation, Mrs. Bola Atta stated that with the newly introduced digital submission portal, more students in secondary schools across the country will have the opportunity to scan and send in their entries and compete to win educational grants for study at any university of their choice on the African continent.
She said, “As a Foundation, which is the CSR arm of the United Bank for Africa – a fully digitalised bank, we are driven by the mantra to always innovate and adapt to our constantly changing environment. This year, we thought hard about how to ease the pains that everyone is feeling. Students have not been able to go to school and there has been a lot of anxiety in families trying to ensure that educational gaps do not emerge. It is imperative for us at the UBA Foundation that our impact programmes do not wane. We also need to design them to be as inclusive as possible so that those students who don’t have easy access to computers can still participate in the competition with a chance to win grants towards their tertiary edification.’
Atta explained that the choice of topic for this year’s edition is one that helps promote creative and analytical thinking in students whilst helping them become problem solvers. The essay topic selected is “Do you think that the lock – down during the Covid-19 pandemic was an essential measure in spite of the hardship it has brought economically? What would you have done differently and why?”
All entrants are to hand write their essays and upload scanned copies of their handwritten entries as well as ID on the digital portal atwww.ubagroup.com/national-essay-competitionbefore October 2,2020. They may also drop off the handwritten essays at their nearest UBA business office for onward submission to the UBA Foundation.
The judges who are made up of esteemed professors from reputable Nigerian Universitieswill receive all the essays on a digital drive, evaluate them and select the top 12 finalists all of who will take home consolation prizes including personal computers.
The finale of the NEC this year will be conducted virtually as the initiative rolls out across 19 more countries in Africa.
UBA Foundation embodies the UBA Group’s CSR objectives and seeks to impact positively on societies through several laudable projects and initiatives. The Foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of books to students across Africa under the ‘Read Africa’ initiative aimed at encouraging and promoting the reading culture in African youths.
Our attention has been drawn to a malicious and spurious publication by a one-man blog (nurajos.blogspot.com) on alleged schism in the board of OMSL over alleged mismanagement of $18m (Eighteen million dollars).
In the said write-up, the faceless hack mischievously alleged that our chairman, Capt Idahosa Wells Okunbo, had taken possession of the said sum from NNPC, and squandered it in alleged bribery of National Assembly members and presidency officials over the squabble with Nigeria Ports Authority on the SAA issue.
Ordinarily, we would not have dignified the faceless writer with a reply, but in the interest of unsuspecting members of the public who may be swayed by deliberate falsehood and for record purposes, we are constrained to put out this press statement
1. The write-up is totally false in every material particular.
2. No payment of $18m dollars or any such payment was received by OMSL or our Chairman, Capt Hosa Okunbo
3. No bribe was paid to National lawmakers or presidency officials in respect of SAA issue with NPA by OMSL or our chairman.
4. The concocted story could only have been in the warped imagination of the writer and his sponsor(s)
5. We believe the write-up is politically motivated to smear the reputation of our company and our chairman.
6. There is no division whatsoever in the directorate and management of OMSL.
SIGNED
1) Admiral Ameen Ikioda (Rtd)
2) Mr Garth Dooley
3) Admiral Joe Aikhomu (Rtd)
4) Mr Kunle Oyekunle
Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Friday of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.
Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side, his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press.
Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement.
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in the statement. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more- all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”
Boseman had not spoken publicly about his diagnosis.
Born in South Carolina, Boseman graduated from Howard University and had small roles in television before his first star turn in 2013. His striking portrayal of the stoic baseball star Robinson opposite Harrison Ford in 2013′s “42” drew attention in Hollywood.
Chadwick Boseman arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Boseman died on a day that Major League Baseball was celebrating Jackie Robinson day.
His T’Challa character was first introduced to the blockbuster Marvel movies in 2016′s “Captain America: Civil War,” and his “Wakanda Forever” salute reverberated around the world after the release of “Black Panther” two years ago.
“This is a crushing blow” actor and director Jordan Peele said on Twitter, one of many expressing shock as the news spread across social media.
The evil of the modern slavery that has seen many Nigerian youth end up as slaves in foreign countries, serving wicked and cruel masters is a big concern for the federal government, it is even worse as many of those responsible for such devilish transactions are still on the loose and are still luring others in the name of oversea employment.
Activities of this human trafficking racket is making genuine international employment organisations in Nigeria looks like slave trade channels and it is this notion that Rex Bamidele Jacob who is the President of Association of Recruiters, Licensed Placement Agents of Nigeria (ARLPAN), an association serving as the umbrella body of Private Employment Agencies (PEAs) is working in collaborations with relevant government agencies to clampdown on the activities of those selling Nigerians into slavery under the pretext of international employment.
The ARLPAN president who is also the Managing Director of Jj Central Capitals Ltd International Manpower Recruiters, while fielding questions recently agreed that the racket that engages in human trafficking only feeds on the gullibility of some Nigerians to sell them into slavery, he explained further that these only falls into the hand of illegal and unlicensed recruiters and that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment in an effort to curtail this terrible incident had created a Labour Migration Desk to address the associated problems with the movement of skilled and low skilled persons within and outside the country by ensuring that there are employment opportunities for Nigerians to work legally abroad without fear of molestation, exploitation or any form of inhuman treatment or being subjected to unfair labour practices.
Bamidele Jacob is of the opinion that human trafficking is a war that must be won stating that the perpetrators are illegal and unlicensed agents who are only after the money and have no care for the lives of their victims, while refuting allegation that members of ARLPAN are involved in the heinous crime, Rex Bamidele Jacob says his members are never involved and that they have been working with the government established Labour Migration Desk to make sure no Nigerian ever fall victim of the racket again.
He stated further that his association in collaborations with Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPan) are working tirelessly to make sure the Code of Conduct for Private Employment Agencies in Nigeria jointly developed by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and other social partners are adhered to strictly and that it is based on this that the Labour Ministry and HuCaPAN cleared the Licensed Private Employment Agencies of all sort of involvement in human trafficking.
Speaking on how to recognize authentic agencies, Bamidele stressed that all 35 members of the association are registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), HuCaPan and are introduced and known as an association to every government agencies, he also explained that all members of his association are issued membership certificate every year which can be withdrawn on suspicion of involvement in questionable transactions.
In other no to fall victim of human traffickers, Rex Bamidele Jacob implore every international job seekers to always demand to see the labour license of their international job facilitators after which they can confirm the authenticity from HuCapan secretariat or directly from ARLPAN.
The General Overseer of Champions Royal Assembly, Brother Joshua Iginla has reacted to the Company Acts And Allied Matters (CAMA) bill signed into law by the President Of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari some weeks ago.’
Under the law, religious bodies, and charity organisations will be strictly regulated by the registrar-general of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and a supervising minister.
Section 839 (1) and (2) of the CAMA law provides that the commission may by order, suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs where it reasonably believes that there has been any misconduct or mismanagement, or where the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently or where it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of public interest.
While reacting to this development, Iginla blamed some church leaders for creating division in Christianity, hereby allowing the government to trample on churches without fear.
He lambasted them for having unnecessary doctrinal argument when there are other issues to deal with
‘One of the reasons the body of Christ in Nigeria is having problem is because we don’t know our capacity. We have lost focus and spent time having doctrinal argument. We are the light of Nigeria.
If we want to ensure that a Christian becomes the president of this country, we have the capacity but we are so self-centered and divided that we are running to people that should be running to us, everything doesn’t end in prayer, there are things we don’t need prayer for in Nigeria. We have the capacity to strengthen things but the church has lost her tastes. We are in days when we no longer attack the devil but ourselves.
The reason people from other religion will continue to do better is because they understand their capacity.
If as a Christian leader, you are corrupt or found wanting, you should be dealt with but I disagree that someone will propound a law into a spiritual entity. Its because the church is asleep. Last year, I prophecied that the church will face persecution because the church is asleep’
Also, Iginla made his stand known on the CAMA law, explaining that the law is a coup against Christianity and that some pastors are ready to die to prevent the law from being implemented on churches.
He maintained that the church was built by the labour of pastors and appointment of trustees who know nothing about the growth of the church, the affairs of the church is highly condemnable
‘’Do you know what it took some of us to labor to grow a church up to this level and someone will say he will appoint a trustee over the Church. You don’t even know how the church came about. If a pastor is corrupt, let him face the law and go to jail but appointing a trustee? Some of us are ready to die before you do that to us, it is absolutely wrong.
Do you know why it is happening like this? Because the church isn’t feared.
How do you make a law for the church? You change the trustee and put your own trustees? When has some organization become a spiritual entity? Are you about to preach, do deliverance, in what capacity will you control the church? Make laws that prevent men of God from being corrupt and if they are corrupt, take them to court but putting your trustees is a coup against the church’’
Furthermore, He advised the government to divert its attention and energy into fight against corruption in the government
‘Sometime I laugh. Thank God for this government and what they are doing, but I must say their energy must be channeled on the right thing. Those who have looted our money and sent our children to live in penury, those governors that have embezzled money should be sent to jail. Its only in my country that those who are fighting corruption are even corrupt. Money that was spent on Covid-19 , how many got it? Those who are in charge should be sent to jail. Leave the church alone. We are not government. If any pastor is found looting with the government, send him to jail but hunting the church is the last place of priority in the fight against corruption.
The government should intensify efforts against those ones. These are people we should use as scapegoats. I am not saying they should not look into the church, look into it but appointing a trustee in the church is wrong. If anyone is appointed to take my sit in my church, except the Lord hasn’t anointed me, He or she will not live to see the next seven days’’.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu has called for a concerted effort towards diversifying the country’s export base through the promotion of non-oil exports. He made the call during a Webinar themed “Prospects of Non-Oil Export During and Post COVID-19” organized by the bank on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.
According to him, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted the demand for oil and, by extension, the price of crude oil in the international commodities market has further exposed Nigeria’s over-dependency on crude oil earnings and its susceptibility to oil-related shocks. He added that the events of the last couple of months have also highlighted the limited range of the country’s value-added products exported to foreign markets.
He noted further that boosting non-oil export is imperative in view of the opportunities that exist in the broader contexts of ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which seeks to create a continent-wide market of 1.2 billion people with combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.5 trillion and about $4 trillion in consumer and business spending.
Whilst commending the efforts of the government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to deepen the non-oil export business in the country, Onyeagwu urged players in the non-oil export value-chain including exporters and financial institutions to play their part in the drive towards expanding the nation’s non-oil export base.
Delivering the keynote address, the Director of Trade & Exchange, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. (Mrs) Ozoemena Nnaji, who commended Zenith Bank for organizing the webinar at a time like this, observed that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for the country, as it has once again exposed the over-dependence of the Nigerian economy on one product. She therefore called for a deeper policy look at the non-oil sector to find ways of genuinely improving the quality and quantity of our non-oil export goods.
Also speaking at the Webinar, the Chief Executive/Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo commended the efforts of Zenith bank in promoting non-oil export business in Nigeria, describing the bank as ‘the Export Trade Bank of Nigeria’. Speaking on the topic “Repositioning Non-oil export as a Leading Revenue Earner: Government Plans and Programmes”, Awolowo noted that the crash in oil prices following the COVID-19 pandemic and OPEC’s price war with Russia reinforced what everyone already knows – the mono-product economy of the country is not sustainable, calling for a buy-in into the Zero oil policy of NEPC.
Zenith Bank remains committed to the promotion of the non-oil export sector in Nigeria by identifying emerging opportunities which help in stimulating non-oil exports and developing robust financial products and incentives for operators in the sector. The bank l
Following the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses globally and locally, the Philips Consulting CEO Report has forecasted August 2021 normalcy for business environment in the country to fully activate and operate optimally.
Phillips Consulting Limited recently engaged 100 Nigeria business leaders on the current economic landscape and presented the insights in its “CEO Report”, which stated that 57 per cent of CEOs expect that the earliest possible time for the business environment in Nigeria to normalize will be August 2021.
According to the report, CEOs are increasingly taking responsibility for their companies, and are not necessarily looking up to the government for solutions to the problems occasioned by the pandemic.
For a greater awareness on political leadership in the country, the survey showed that as against the 79 per cent CEOs who voted in the 2019 general elections, only 67 per cent CEOs have reported that the pandemic would make them more interested in the outcome of the 2023 election.
Speaking on the CEO Report, Philips Consulting’s CEO. Rob Taiwo said, “Results from our survey showed that the Nigerian government and business leaders should pay close attention to the post-COVID19 policies and strategies of the United Kingdom, China, and the United States of America as these will have the most profound impact on the Nigerian business environment.”
He said, “At pcl., we are committed to working with our clients and partners to build and develop people’s capabilities, technology systems and processes, effective and robust strategies, and business continuity plans. Let us work with you to future proof your business in the next normal.”
On managing money matters, Taiwo said, “Our 2020 Mask in the Air report states that “the most significant impact of COVID-19 is the restriction in movement, having its direct and detrimental impact on the local and global aviation industry”.
An already bleeding hospitality industry will experience slow recovery, as 68 per cent of CEOs identified travel and tourism as their number one cost-cutting area. 55 per cent of companies are considering reducing staff allowances and bonuses, while 40 per cent and 30per cent will cut rental costs and staff training respectively.
On the matter of fiscal adjustments, only 22 per cent of CEOs have laid off staff, as most of them found proactive ways to keep their workforce engaged and economically productive. However, due to reduced cash flow, 46 per cent of companies had to roll out pay cuts for their workers. The decision to employ pay cuts rather than termination as a cost reduction strategy is advisable to ensure that culture is not diluted, talent is retained, employees are not demotivated, and the company projects an excellent corporate image, the report highlighted.
The report also highlighted challenges facing the real estate industry in Nigeria and posited that the industry may be the worst hit among others. In the report, 84 per cent of CEOs agree that the real estate industry, especially companies in the business of office rentals, will be badly hit by this disruption.
About 83 per cent and 55 pe cent of CEOs adopted a Work From Home Strategy and Standby Model Strategy respectively, and are beginning to question the need for large office spaces. Only 46 per cent of CEOs are considering retaining their current offices, while others will seek smaller and cheaper offices, shared offices, or adopt an entirely virtual working model.
In commercial cities like Lagos where massive high-rise office complexes are commonplace, real estate players must be ready for a shift in demand. They might be forced to repurpose their buildings or provide new services to suit the new mode of work.
Speaking on which industries benefit from the crisis, Taiwo, a transformational leader said, “Globally, the IT sector experienced a surge in the wake of the pandemic, as a result of the shift to remote working. This resulted in a heavy reliance (or dependence) on IT products for both personal and business purposes.
Nigeria is no exception, he stated, “From our survey, 86 per cent of CEOs reported that the pandemic led to them improving the IT infrastructure of their organizations. Our respondents predict that Nigeria’s healthcare, agribusiness, and manufacturing industries stand to benefit from the next normal.”
“They expect the professional services industry to experience comparatively minimal disruption. This is primarily due to their vast array of services, relatively low operational expense, lean and agile business model, and legacy clients.”
On the levels of preparedness for the pandemic, the Report said, only 6 per cent of CEOs reported that their organizations were prepared for the pandemic. Hence, it comes as no surprise that 55 per cent of Nigerian businesses are currently operating below 50 per cent of their operating capacity.
The 6 per cent mentioned above stated a strong leadership team as the most critical factor of their preparedness. Other important factors include having a robust business continuity plan, government support, and a well-articulated business strategy.
On forging ahead into the next normal, the CEOs Report revealed that 57 per cent of CEOs expect that the earliest possible time for the business environment in Nigeria to normalize will be August 2021.
CEOs are increasingly taking responsibility for their companies, and are not necessarily looking up to the government for solutions to the problems occasioned by the pandemic. As against the 79 per cent of CEOs that voted in the 2019 general elections, only 67 per cent of CEOs reported that the pandemic would make them more interested in the outcome of the 2023 election.
Taiwo said, “Results from our survey showed that the Nigerian government and business leaders should pay close attention to the post-COVID19 policies and strategies of the United Kingdom, China, and the United States of America as these will have the most profound impact on the Nigerian business environment.
The volume, velocity and variety of campaigns of calumny against Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo, a billionaire businessman and philanthropist, in the last few weeks, underpin the consensus among the elite and the average electorate in Edo State, that having wilfully taken on some of its illustrious sons, Governor Godwin Obaseki is an ill wind that blows no one any good and should be voted out of Government House by September 19th. Obaseki does not deserve pity of any kind, really.
He self-destructed by scrapping with well meaning apolitical but wealthy Edo sons, who are now all out to see his back. A statesman like Capt Hosa, for instance, is the centripetal force of the governorship election with just one mandate: chase Obaseki out. Prior, he would have remained in the background, because of his professed non-political stance.
But the governor and his administration had mindlessly and serially besmirched him and his businesses. For Capt Hosa, the September 19th governorship election is a battle he is committed to helping Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, win, not for any ulterior motive but the need to rescue Edo from the impostor in Government House.
Fighting needless battles with people especially those that have impacted the lives of the people for decades remains one of Obaseki’s mortal undoing. He sadly and patently epitomises and embodies the biting aphorism that no man is wise enough or good enough to be trusted with unlimited power.
Pre-2016, Obaseki was dutiful, loyal and meek; virtues that won him over to the Edo State elite, notably, Capt Hosa. For any right-thinking government, whether state, national or international, Capt Hosa is an ace in the hole – an effective adviser and sounding board for economic policies and directions that Obaseki failed to capitalise on his hand of fellowship is one of the major indicators of his administrative and governance ineptness and ignorance.
Yet, in the early days of his administration, Captain Hosa was one of Obaseki’s cheerleaders – supporting, rooting and collaborating with him to make Edo work for the generality of the people. He contended that if Obaseki succeeded, it is the people of the state that would be the greatest beneficiary and if he did otherwise, it is still the people that would bear the brunt.
Knowing Captain Hosa means knowing a man at peace with himself, humanity and his creator. Undeniably one of Nigeria’s most successful and humane businessmen with interests in diverse sectors of the economy spanning petroleum, marine, construction engineering and agriculture, Captain Hosa has given as much to humanity and his native Edo State nay Nigeria as much he has been blessed by God.
Over the years, much as he is not a partisan politician, he has always supported progressive politics and those with the passion and devotion to better the lots of the people.
Because of his commitment to making Obaseki and his administration succeed, Capt Hosa, in 2016, had a meeting with the new governor on how to make the state an investment hub to expand revenue base, drive economic growth, and lessen the financial burden on the public purse so the state government could spend even more on public works.
Believing that he and the governor were in sync, Captain Hosa sponsored him and his officials on an investments pathfinder’s trip to China, because of his firm conviction in private sector-led participation as being the key to the economic and industrial development of the state.
On another occasion, as a guest of the governor at the Edo Convention in Toronto, Canada, he announced the donation of five houses valued at N50million to support Obaseki’s housing project and earn him the goodwill of Edo people at home and in the Diaspora. Capt Hosa did all of these and more without necessarily expecting any patronage from the state government.
The eventual point of departure between him and Obaseki, according to Capt Hosa, was when he started an avoidable fight with Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the then APC National Chairman.
“At a time, I spent almost three hours of my precious time in the governor’s house, explaining to him the need to build synergy between him and in the best interest of the development of our state. He was blunt that he was not interested in any peace talk and that he was embarking on a fight to the finish with Comrade Oshiomhole,” Okunbo recalled, in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Edo people.
A man, who holds firmly that politics is about morals and values, and that nobody needs amoral friends with shitty values, Capt Hosa said he decided to hands off the matter, having done all he could do to engender a peaceful atmosphere for governance and development of Edo.
At the time also, it had become apparent that Obaseki’s style of governance was anti-people and divisive while his strong suit is demonising those who don’t share his base political beliefs. Worse, Obaseki and his rapacious crew pandered towards venality while he made a botch of the state’s economy.
They deified and enrobed him in transcendent garb without commensurate achievements or substance and he believed his own hype and turned a deaf ear to voices of reason. He did virtually nothing to assure the populace that people can stay connected and respect each other even if they differed politically.
Then, Obaseki began a reign of onslaught against Captain Hosa. First was the sponsored and sustained rumour that he was interested in the governorship seat. Despite his strong rebuttal, the Obaseki camp feasted on it. Later, Obaseki, in a press statement, blatantly accused Oshiomhole and Captain Hosa of plans to recruit thugs to disrupt the September 19th election.
Subsequently, an aide of the governor, one Marvellous Zibiri, wrote an incendiary article wherein he described Capt. Hosa as a ‘drug baron’ because he was investigated by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in 1995 and given a clean bill of health.
It bears recalling that after the NDLEA absolved him of any crime, Capt Hosa instituted legal proceedings against the agency at the Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal, Lagos, where it was established that the prosecution had not made a prima facie case against him that would warrant the tribunal to ask him to defend himself.
Thus, Hon. Justice Tijani Abdullahi, who presided over the tribunal, discharged and acquitted him on a ‘no case’ submission. It was this case that Zibiri referenced and caused to be widely published and syndicated. The article was one of many calculated attempts to bring Capt Hosa into disrepute.
Although Captain Hosa fought back, got Zibiri arrested and the young man, who realised his mistakes, openly apologised. For a man with a large heart, Captain Hosa forgave him and brought him like a son. Zibiri had since written a few articles, doting over the manner of man that Captain Hosa is.
In an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of Edo, Capt Hosa stated bluntly: “This spate of coordinated attacks, with their attendant mode of vicious execution, can best be described as the unconscionable actions by attack dogs and hirelings of the desperate Edo State Government on the watch of Governor Godwin Obaseki.”
According to him, as a good-hearted Edo son, he did not deserve the embarrassing treatment even as his pedigree will never let him to deliberately concoct any wrong against his state and Obaseki.
“I am, however, shocked, bewildered and pained to observe that despite my very sincere, robust and stated commitment to support the anticipated pace of infrastructure development, progress and other social investment initiatives through the deployment of my modest goodwill and network of capital, for which I am eternally grateful to God, alas, the response has been to paint my person with a brush of public odium that verges on mischief.”
Well, the die is cast now. The skunk at the garden party in Edo State will be marched out in September. But the honour, respect and reputation that Captain Hosa had built over the years remain immutable, no matter the antics of detractors. What more, Okunbo is set to be honoured soon on September 11 for the Best of Africa awards, a few days to the governorship election. You can now understand why he remains the ace in Edo’s hole.
– Taminu lives and works in Abuja, the nation’s capital
September 11, 2020 will mark an auspicious day for the Chairman/CEO of Ocean Marine Solutions Ltd, Captain Dr. Idahosa Wells Okunbo. He will be honored alongside prominent African business leaders such as: Dr Adeduntan Adesola, Managing Director First Bank Plc and founder and executive chairman of Online Integrated Solutions Ltd, Mahmood Ahmadu, for the Forbes Best of Africa awards.
Captain (Dr.) Idahosa Wells Okunbo, JP is a Nigerian business magnate, philanthropist and investor. Idahosa Wells Okunbo began his career as a professional commercial pilot. “Captain Hosa”, at 30 years of age he left his job as a pilot to go into business in the oil and gas sector focusing on procurement as an area of core competence.
Today, the broad range of his business portfolio spans Marine Security, Marine Logistics, Property and Real Estate, Hotel and Hospitality, Aviation, Entertainment, Energy, Power, Telecoms and Agriculture.
Okunbo has made contributions to charitable causes all over the world and is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades.
