The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday revealed that at the heat of the bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria, the United States President, Donald Trump, once asked him why he was killing Christians.
This was just as the President charged ministers and other top government officials to go “on the offensive” in defending his regime and its achievements.
Buhari said these in his closing remarks at the two-day ministerial performance review retreat held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At a point, the President digressed from his prepared speech and narrated his encounter with Trump on the bloody clashes.
He said he managed to explain to the American leader that the clashes were not about ethnicity or religion.
He said, “I believe I was about the only African among the less developed countries the President of United States invited.
“When I was in his office, only myself and himself, only God is my witness, he looked at me in the face, he asked, ‘why are you killing Christians?’
“I wonder, if you were the person, how you will react? I hope what I was feeling inside did not betray my emotion, so I told him that the problem between the cattle rearers and stagnant farmers, I know is older than me not to talk of him. I think I am a couple of years older than him.
“With climate change and population growth and the culture of the cattle rearers, if you have 50 cows and they eat grass, any root, to your water point, then they will follow it. It doesn’t matter whose farm it is.
“The First Republic set of leadership was the most responsible leadership we ever had. I asked the Minister of Agriculture to get a gazette of the early 60s which delineated the cattle route where they used meagre resources then to put earth dams, wind mills even sanitary department.
“So, any cattle rearer that allowed his cattle to go to somebody’s farm would be arrested, taken before the court. The farmer would called to submit his bill and if he couldn’t pay, the cattle would sold, but subsequent leaders, the VVIPs (very very important persons) encroached on the cattle routes. They took over the cattle rearing areas.
“So, I tried and explained to him (Trump) that this has got nothing to do with ethnicity or religion. It is a cultural thing.”
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria, in its reaction, described Buhari’s revelation of his conversation with Trump as weak.
CAN’s Vice President and Chairman of the association in Kaduna State, John Hayab, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “Buhari and his government will never stop from amusing us with their tales by moon light because what is happening in Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina , Birnin Gwari, Southern Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau and others cannot be described as a cultural thing.
“President Buhari’s weak story about his conversation with President Donald Trump further confirms why his government does not care about the killings in our country by calling them cultural things.
“Just this (Tuesday) evening, I received a report from the Kaduna Baptist Conference President about the number of their members that have been killed by bandits in Kaduna State from January 2020 to date to be 105 and our President will call it a cultural thing? All we can say is may God save our Nigeria.”
One of Nigeria’s leading and front-line Juju music act, Yinka Best has been in the news of recent, especially after a successful launch of his newly released 3 albums at a go in America, United Kingdom and Nigeria.
In this exclusive chat, the ‘Ko Gb’oge Wa’ crooner opened up on his musical career, experience in the United Kingdom and most importantly his grievances with afro juju act, Sir Shina Peters. Excerpts…
What has been happening to Yinka Best?
A lot has been happening to Yinka Best, ups and downs, hustling and bustling to make ends meet. I am also trying to promote my newly released albums.
You appear to stay out of the country now?
Not really. Although, I have been traveling around when I am needed for shows outside the country. This shuffling has been made possible with the support of God, fans, friends and family.
What are you cooking presently?
At the moment, I am working on the production of video and promotion of my albums.
With your exposure to the outside world, how would you compare Nigeria’s music industry with America and Europe?
There is no basis for comparison with Nigerian music, because Nigerian music, to an extent and on its struggling note gone far and wide and recognized all over the world. There is nothing really to worry about because Nigerian musicians are doing well. All we need is the support of the government to make things work better.
Talking about your brand of music, what exactly is happening to Juju music?
I want to correct this impression that I play only JuJu music, I also play highlife and Jazz music. And as for JuJu music, a lot has been happening. For instance, there’s no love amongst some JuJu artistes that we look up to. Some of the leaders we look up to in JuJu music are not responsible at all. The wicked amongst them is Sir Shina Peters. All the problems we are having now in JuJu music stems from him. He does not want other JuJu musicians to grow, he wants everything to be all about him alone and this is affecting the JuJu music industry. Most of my colleagues in JuJu music have one or two things to say about his attitude towards them. It high time someone spoke out. We can’t continue like this. I can only speak for myself on this issue; Sir Shina Peters has been on my case for the past 20 years, from blocking me from shows and also not allowing promoters home and abroad to work with me. Despite all these, I still try to be at peace with him and all my effort has been made futile. Imagine Sir Shina Peters saying he doesn’t want to have any dealings with someone that’s associated with King Sunny Ade when I invited him to the launch of the album I produced in honour of King Sunny Ade, for his role and contributions to JuJu music.
Personally, I feel this is highly disrespectful to the person and position of King Sunny Ade. Sir Shina Peters even went on to request for money before he could honour the invitation. Unfortunately, he did not attend the event.
How has Juju music fared in the last couple of decades?
To God be the glory we are pushing ahead JuJu music. Thank God for someone like King Sunny Ade, he has been a great support and pillar in the JuJu music.
What exactly are the factors working against the progress of Juju music?
Number one factor is jealous. Also are greed and selfishness, especially from our so called leaders like Sir Shina Peters. People we should be looking up to are the ones letting us down. There are lots of JuJu artistes that need support but they are being let down by his act of greed. He is all about himself. We need to support one another and work on copy right. Don’t wait until Yinka Best, Wale Thompson, Segun Nabi, Dele Taiwo and Tayo King release albums, let us promote originality. Another advice I will like to give to all JuJu musicians is that achievement is not about tactics, it’s about commitment, hard work and perseverance.
What efforts are people like you making to turn things around for good for Juju music?
As I said earlier, I have been working on my albums and also encouraging up coming artistes. I believe when more albums are released, it will help to lift souls and promote sanity. I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity especially, juju music. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves good music. One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain
Allegations of rigging are the standard shibboleth and apocalyptic rhetoric of an opposition party and a weak candidate especially, in this part of the world. Although it is fast becoming a norm too in some of the most civilised parts of the world, it is, however, a stale and unmelodic tune that many Nigerians no longer bob or weave to.
The reality is that it is almost always the unpopular candidate or the self-styled underdog that typically raises such fatuous and unfounded allegations while attempting to whip up sympathy forgetting that Nigerians have become wiser to this spoof over the years.
Expectedly, in Edo State, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate in the September 19th governorship election, Governor Godwin Obaseki, are beating the torn drums of electoral manipulation again. It is a way of life for them.
Immediately he jumped ship and got the ticket of the PDP to fly its flag in the election, Obaseki and his cheerleaders went to town raising fears of a potentially flawed election while taking no prisoners; everyone is in on the plot. From the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, everyone is culpable except them. How convenient!
We have not forgotten that weeks before the March 9, 2019 governorship and state assembly elections in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike claimed that the APC-led federal government had planned to use the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army to disrupt the election and had “mapped out local government areas, where they will initiate violence to ensure that elections are not conducted as they did during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.”
Wike also accused INEC of plotting to print illegal gubernatorial ballot papers that would exclude the newly registered political parties to implement the rigging plans. Despite these allegations, Wike eventually won the election and no one heard anything about rigging again.
Now, as the chairman of the PDP National Campaign Council for Edo Governorship Election, Wike is back with the oldest trick in the book. Early August, he whimsically claimed that the PDP had gathered enough intelligence report about the plan to rig the election and would scuttle it at the appropriate time.
But nobody is swayed. Even a pre-schooler now knows that his political brand depends on such inflammatory chestnuts. Therefore, no one is taking him seriously, not least, the concerned people of Edo State.
The immortal saying of late American President Abraham Lincoln that; “You can fool all the people some of the time; you can fool some of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all the time,” pretty much sums up how imbecilic the people of Edo consider Wike and PDP’s wild allegations about the integrity of the elections.
No one is blind or deaf to the fact that Wike was merely echoing Governor Obaseki’s escapist rhetoric so that when he is eventually voted out, he can conveniently claim, like other sore losers before him, that the election was manipulated in his opponent’s favour.
Well, what the PDP has failed to accept is the unpopularity of its candidate. More than any period in the history of elections in the state, there is palpable confidence that votes will be accurately counted and they would count in the final analysis. Consequently, the electorate seems extra motivated for this election. And you can’t blame them.
As far as they are concerned, Obaseki is a complete, bungling failure, who is now swinging and getting high on his puerile imaginations, because defeat stares him starkly in the face. Why would he even think that Edo people would re-elect him after presiding over the most chaotic and retrogressive four years in the history of the state?
Why would he be allowed anywhere near Government House beyond the expiration of his four year-term after mismanaging the commonwealth of the state; plunging the economy into quicksand and generally weakening the socio-ethnic and political fabric of the state? Unfortunately, neither the PDP nor its candidate is promising anything serious or substantive.
Rather, Obaseki has been ululating about Making Edo Great Again, MEGA, hare-brained rehash of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan.
Instead of campaigning on the strength of his achievements, if there were, Obaseki and his party have been distracting and deflecting from proper electioneering, resorting instead to name-calling and pointless propaganda. Whether mega or minuscule, Obaseki has proven incapable of whatever is contained in his resonantly empty agenda that was dead on arrival.
Conversely, during his eight-year reign as governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole redefined the art of governance, rejuvenated the flagging faith of the people in the system, rebuilt the infrastructure and renewed the economy. He created an Edo State that was the pride of indigenes at home and in the Diaspora. He made being called an Edolite worth its weight in gold anywhere in the world.
On the strength of the foundations he had laid, the progressive comrade lent all his weight behind Obaseki, believing that having served in his government as Chairman of the Edo State Economic and Strategy Team; he would build on his legacies. Alas, Obaseki derailed and went on wanton misrule.
Several well-intentioned attempts by well-meaning Edo indigenes to make him stay the course were sneered and scowled at. Many came to a sorry pass for even daring to offer concrete and critical interventions.
Ask the billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Captain Idahosa Wells-Okunbo. He is still smarting from the many plots hatched by the governor and his agents to bring him into disrepute for selflessly wanting to help the state and later, to mediate in the faceoff between the governor and his predecessor.
Obaseki’s warped form of gratitude to Oshiomhole and others, who gave him wings on which he flew unfettered was to betray and batter them in the media and wherever else he could and destroy and defame the same state he now seeks to make great again.
Obaseki and his cohorts should be reminded that the APC has no reason under the sun to rig the election. Apart from fielding Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, a widely acclaimed popular candidate, a true son of the soil and accomplished administrator, who has diligently served the state since 1999, the APC’s achievements in the state have opened the people’s eyes to the fact that government can work for the people.
Also, for the first time in the history of democratic governance in the state, there is religious inclusivity; Ize-Iyamu’s deputy is Malam Gani Audu, a Muslim. That is a massive bloc of votes, which the PDP can never come close to.
And with his SIMPLE (Security, Infrastructural development, Manpower development, Public-Private Partnership, Leadership and Employment creation) Agenda, which has lucidly enunciated policies and programmes that are projected to create thousands of jobs in education, agriculture and rural development, housing, electrification, fire service, industrialisation, waste management system, social empowerment, and the water supply sector within four years, Ize-Iyamu has won the hearts of the people.
What more? Rather than play dirty like the PDP, he is resolutely and remarkably going about his campaigns, selling his manifesto of hope to an otherwise harried people. Having done his homework well, Ize-Iyamu is banking solidly on the people, not any phantom rigging machinery to take over the mantle of leadership in the state. Can somebody please, wake Mr. Obaseki and the PDP up from their imminent defeat-induced slumber to smell the coffee?
The sudden emergence of Covid-19, a pandemic disease rampaging the entire world and the financial capabilities of many been obstructed with thousands of people losing their jobs and sources of income.
Globally, the experience has been so dastardly and hitching because losing one’s sources of income is simply unimaginable. Our dear country, Nigeria is not an exception as top blue-chip corporate organisations have drastically reduced their staff strength, sacking quite a humongous number of their workforce. This has brought unbearable situations into so many homes with many families at the helms of breaking apart because of the financial incapability of the breadwinner.
To avoid these aggravating pains and exasperating experience, the Publisher of one of Nigeria’s most widely read softsell TOP SOCIETY MAGAZINE’S, Isaac Ifeanyi Agwazim has decided to organize a 3-Day Wealth Creation Summit in partnership with Satoshi Africa. The theme of the summit is “CRYPTO-CURRENCY, THE NEXT OIL”. The summit will hold on Tuesday 15th, Thursday 17th and Saturday 19th September, 2020. The Three-days summit is scheduled to hold by 11:00AM daily.
The summit will focus on maximizing the enormous opportunities in crypto space. It will also educate the attendees on how to use their mobile phone to create wealth in the comfort of their homes and workspace. The Country Director of Tonoit Africa and Leader Satoshi Africa, Engr. Edward Igberaese, a Blockchain expert will take the audience on the training and impact deep knowledge on how to be successful in crypto currency faming.
This summit is organized to rescue worrying Nigerians on their financial status. A lot of people have asked questions like: how do I change my financial status, how do I take charge of my resources, how do I build a stable income at this hard time, what other businesses can I venture into? But attending this crypto currency farming summit will go a long way in solving this puzzles.
Additionally, a lot of phone users are caught up in the web of wasting their data on frivolities rather than being involved in all these, it is better to stop wasting precious times and make money without stress through this summit. It is time to convert your phones into an asset.
Some of the speakers at the summit are Modupe Adebayo a.k.a Lady Billion Dollars, Engr. Levi Johnson, Pastor Okey, Mr. Enobong.
How to register for this life changing summit, simply send your NAME & DATE (eg. ISAAC AIFEANYI AGWAZIM, THRU. 17TH SEPT. 2020) to 08180221535. The details of the summit with venue shall be communicated to you upon your registration.
You shall definitely be glad you did as the summit will give a new turn into your financial life and give you the much anticipated success you have always desired.
Covid-19 brought a huge challenge to education and literacy, First Bank of Nigeria Limited responded with a Rosetta stone of innovative e-learning initiatives that have far-reaching effects
Since 1967 that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been celebrating International Literacy Day to promote the importance of literacy and education, every September 8 had witnessed book gifting, book reading and related activities are undertaken by the UN body and its coalition of partners.
But this year is a departure as such enshrined activities are suspended and replaced with virtual meetings, a gesture that reflects the sign of the precarious situation of the world is as it is grappling with the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Education has been in a state of limbo since schools––primary, secondary and tertiary institutions––and research institutes across the world were abruptly shut down as countries enforced lockdown to contain the ravages of the novel Covid-19. The disruption, a setback for education globally, inevitably fostered a lull in the effort to enhance literacy. And in the meantime, the world shifted to an alternative learning method which, by and large, is narrowed down to digital learning.
These challenges provided the backdrop for the theme of this year’s International Literacy Day: “Literacy Teaching and Learning in the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond,” which threw open discourse on how innovative and effective education and teaching methodologies are to be adopted or adapted in youth and adult literacy programmes during the period of the pandemic and beyond. In line with this thematic direction, countries are reviewing how they have fared in the new normal, and evaluation of various initiatives by individuals, corporate bodies and governments are being undertaken to ascertain how they align with the reality and what gaps needed to be filled.
For Nigeria, the stake is higher. Burdened with a high rate of illiteracy, inadequate digital infrastructure and an economy in dire straits, Nigeria has on its hand a challenging learning situation in the of the new order. The possibility of the country being further left behind in the race to literacy was writ large, an uncomfortable fact that raised several legitimate concerns bordering on how to ensure that students have access to learning resources, how they can be fully engaged to make them competitive internationally with their peers and how such engagement can help close the gap created by the closure of all educational institutions nationwide. While a cocktail of initiatives surfaced in the past few months to address these concerns and challenges, there was none as suitable, comprehensive and far-reaching as the e-learning initiatives of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
The initiative which could as well be nicknamed “Operation Moving One Million Nigerian Students To e-Learning” is a tripartite effort between the bank, Lagos State government and Roducate, an innovative technology firm that is providing educational solutions that enable primary, secondary and university students to continue to study the government-accredited curriculum of various subjects and disciplines in the convenience of their home.
Out of the mushroom of e-learning platforms in the aftermath of the lockdown, the First Bank initiative came with a big difference: the Roducate e-learning platform is available for free at www.firstbanknigeria.com/e-learning.
Secondly, the content is boosted with value-added features such as tutorial videos, assignments, mock exam, note-taking, podcast and online games that further promote interactive learning and deepen digital skills of the learner.
Thirdly, the initiative is further reinforced with the provision of free 20, 000 units of e-learning devices for pupils, which FirstBank presented to the Lagos State government on June 11. This helped to break the barriers of data cost and device affordability as the low-end smartphones are preloaded with offline content for children who may not have access to devices or data. By all means, this initiative has been an outstanding effort and a boon to digital learning in the country.
The inevitability of the adoption of e-learning technology goes hand-in-hand with the imperative of imparting skills in emerging digital technologies. In this regard, FirstBank went an extra mile with the rollout of complementary initiatives that justifiably empowered youths with the required capability.
The Bank’s partnership with IBM, for instance, brought the benefit of the global tech company’s Digital-Nation Africa programme to youths in tertiary institutions. The online youth-focused learning programme enables innovation and skills development on emerging technologies in key areas such as Artificial Intelligence, coding, cloud, internet of things, blockchain, Data Science and analytics, and cybersecurity. A second partnership with Curious Learning, a non-profit organisation renown for providing learning apps for kids, afforded pupils in the age range of three to eight years old the use of fun, self-guided learning apps to help them with their cognitive skills at a fundamental level.
The significance of the FirstBank e-learning initiatives cannot be overemphasized. As schools are gearing up to resume soon, there are over 10,000 sign-ups on the Roducate e-learning platform. It is expected that the students have had a grasp of the nitty-gritty of e-learning which, going forward, is expected to be integrated into the country’s educational system.
For FirstBank, a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, the initiatives are an attestation to its longstanding tradition of supporting education in various ways, a commitment succinctly echoed by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Adesola Adeduntan: “The e-learning initiative aligns with our Corporate Responsibility and sustainability initiatives and falls under one of our key strategic pillars, thus Education through Support to our Communities.” Indeed, the Bank has a portfolio of projects in support of education, including infrastructure projects in 10 universities and three secondary schools, support for professorial chairs in 10 universities and teaching of financial literacy and entrepreneurial and career counselling to over 80,000 students in over 80 secondary schools in the country via its FutureFirst programme.
The e-learning initiatives further reinforced FirstBank’s status as an important stakeholder, leader and innovator in the country’s education space, a fact amplified by the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who, having noted that the “intervention by FirstBank could not have come at a better time,” went on to declared his delight that the state government “have found a real development partner in FirstBank.”
The Chairman, Ocean Marine Solution, Capt. Hosa Okunbo, has said he decided to support the All Progressives Congress candidate in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, because the party will work to develop the state.
Okunbo, who said this in an interview in Abuja, described himself as a very close person to Governor Gowdin Obaseki, but said the governor should not be allowed to get a second term.
“I still consider Godwin my brother, but I don’t consider him a leader because he doesn’t have the attributes of a good leader,” he said.
Okunbor in the interview berated Obaseki, saying, “A governor that could not manage 24 House of Assembly members from his own party – they were not in opposition, all APC. Some of us worked to make that possible for him so he could have a smooth ride but he squandered the chance.
“It’s only unfortunate that Osagie Ize-Iyanmu, who also contested against him in 2016, is out there and I am supporting him by default and of course, I want a better Edo State and that’s all I can say.”
Okunbo accused Obaseki of non-performance, saying most of the lofty ideas he floated before his election in 2016 had remained on paper without being fulfilled, while he had sustained himself in office through propaganda.
He stated, “If Godwin presents to you his plans for Edo State on PowerPoint, you will kiss his feet. It is like in the Bible when the devil said take all these and bow before me and Jesus said, ‘Get thee behind me Satan’. And as we progressed, all those packages that he presented, none was done“
I learnt most of them are all on paper and they continue to be on paper and consultancy services attached to most of them. Of course, as we speak, most of those projects are not on the ground and as for me, I can’t be deceived. Some can be deceived, but I cannot.
“A situation, where you have 600 children packed in a room and selling propaganda on social media of projects that are not there? It is appalling.
“It is the future of our children that is at stake; the liberation of our state from someone who thinks he is an emperor in this modern day is at stake.”
Okunbo alleged that Obaseki started a fierce battle against his business interests because of a rumour that was going round in the state that he (Okunbo) was planning to contest against him in the coming election.
He said, “A lot of people approached me to run as the governor of Edo State and most of the people who did will tell you that I said I wasn’t interested because I have set a trajectory for my life and over the past 32 years, I have been involved in business and before that, I was a very good professional pilot.
“At 63, my mates that ran for governorship did that in 1999 and I was not ready to start learning new things. That is one of the reasons I tried to help Godwin, because in his old age, he could not learn new things; that is why he fell a victim.”
Okunbo explained that he warned Obaseki to settle the rift between him and his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole, who was then the Chairman of the APC.
He said Obaseki refused to listen to him and follow the line of peace, adding that the governor rather warned him to steer clear of the raging battle or suffer “a collateral damage.”
‘APC stirring controversy to shift gov poll’
When Okunbo’s allegations against the governor were listed and sent to the WhatsApp number of Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media, Crusoe Osagie, he sent a statement titled, ‘APC stirring controversy to shift guber poll’.
In the statement, Osagie said the APC was stirring controversy so that the authorities could shift the September 19 governorship election.
He said, “Edo State is peaceful, the Peoples Democratic Party is committed to enduring peace before, during and after the poll.
“The APC leaders and the governorship candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, are agitated because they are not ready for the election. They are convinced that they do not stand any chance in the forthcoming election.
“They are behaving like some unserious and misguided university students, who do not read, and when faced with examinations, they engage in cult fights few weeks to the examination, so that the school authority will shift the examination.”
He emphasized that state was peaceful as people were going about their business peacefully, and urged the APC candidate and his handlers to concentrate on their campaign.
When Osagie was told later that his response did not address Okunbor’s allegations, he sent the same statement again.
From the creeks, cities and hinterlands of Edo State, there are muffled but menacing echoes of violence as the September 19th governorship election draws nearer. The on-going campaigns are pockmarked by tense and occasionally violent altercations between supporters and critics of the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki and his main challenger, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, which have renewed concerns about the spectre of violence in Nigeria’s politics.
A foretaste of this was experienced in July, when supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, clashed at the hallowed grounds of the palace of the Oba of Benin. Ahead of the flag-off of the PDP governorship campaign in Benin City, the Edo State capital, its candidate, Governor Godwin Obaseki led some governors and leaders of the party from the South-south to the palace.
There were reports that solidarity and combative songs rend the air as tempers later went beyond control, resorting in the thugs employing an assortment of weapons, including firearms, cutlasses and others. In the process, several persons were reportedly injured while others scampered to safety as some of the cars parked at the palace gate were badly damaged.
The police later intervened and restored normalcy but the message of what laid ahead had been succinctly passed that not only ballots would be counted; bodies too!
Of course, there were accusations and counter-accusations about, who the aggressor was as the APC, through John Maiyaki, chairman of its media campaign council, stated: “Booed by the people at the entrance of the Palace of our great Oba for handing the state to the PDP tax collectors, who are unconscionably feasting on our collective patrimony, Mr Godwin Obaseki, as an act of revenge, instructed the thugs and cultists he has spent the past few weeks recruiting in the state and beyond to attack the people with dangerous arms.
“This criminal and heartless action not only affirms our repeated warnings that Mr Godwin Obaseki fully intends to prosecute the election with violence and thuggery, but it also shows his lack of empathy, conscience, and respect for the lives and dignity of the people he was elected to serve.”
On his part, Crusoe Osagie, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, said the thugs were sponsored by the APC, its candidate, and the former National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who, he alleged, had engaged thugs to cause mayhem in the state before then.
Osagie said further, “We are appalled by the deployment of thugs to the sacred grounds of the Oba’s Palace by the APC, Ize-Iyamu and Oshiomhole to harass guests, who are in the state for the flag-off of Governor Obaseki’s campaign and had visited the palace to pay obeisance to His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin.
“While we respect the boundaries of politics as it relates to the palace, it is reprehensible that the APC, its candidate and their enablers would sponsor thugs to desecrate the palace, which is a clear case of desperation to score cheap points.
“This conduct is not a trait of Edo people and is condemned in the strongest possible terms, as we are courteous and welcoming to guests. It is obvious that these persons were mobilised for this task by those, who have no regard for the palace nor want the progress and development of the state.”
Between then and now, the tones are yet not conciliatory; rather, they are getting more confrontational by the day. The foregoing underscores why the recent intervention of the Oba of Benin is commendable.
On Tuesday, September 2, Oba Ewuare 11 held a peace meeting with Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu, Oshiomhole and a former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun among other party leaders at the palace, where he warned them to desist from inflaming the polity with their utterances and conducts.
Expressing his anger and sadness at the turn of events, the monarch said, “Please don’t turn the state into the city of blood. I appeal to the two gladiators and all politicians to ensure peace and stop the shooting and violence in the state. I want assurances from you people to me, and the people of the state of a peaceful atmosphere in Edo State. Your home and families are here, so give peace a chance. We are all afraid that the state will burn to ashes.”
The Oba further appealed for a peaceful election and warned them not to pay lip service to the traditional throne, which he reiterated is not partisan, and committed them in advance to bipartisan displays of conciliation at the first sight of electoral violence.
Violence is an alter ego of every election all over the world. An incumbent, who fears losing an election can use post-election violence as a means to cow election officials and judges in the adjudication of a disputed election, or even as a means of extorting a power-sharing deal when defeated.
It could also be a spin-off of spontaneous demonstrations fuelled by outrage and fear of electoral manipulation, which can drive supporters into the streets, where violence is a consequence of inappropriate or militarised police response. All of these indices are omnipresent in Edo State with the incumbent’s guns-blazing stance to remain in office despite blissfully under-performing and, consequently, eroding the goodwill that ushered him into office in 2016.
In the time past, and judging by every poling variable that points at a crushing defeat for Obaseki, the election would have been called for the opposition even before going to the polls. But things are different now.
Thanks to several electoral reforms embarked upon by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, which have erased the patchwork quilt of partisan state officers, amateur volunteers, and passé equipment to help administer elections, and by so doing, raised the integrity of Nigerian elections, there is no disputing that votes would count in Edo State.
It is not state-sponsored violence and sabre-rattling or electoral manipulation that will win the election; it is speaking to the core of what the people desire; the time-tested solutions being proffered to the myriad of challenges besetting the state and acceptability of the candidate and the party.
So, unlike the biblical quote that ‘From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force’, Edo State might have suffered violence in recent times, it would not be taken by a man that is facing an impending exile from power.
However, only Ize-Iyamu, whose SIMPLE Agenda (which stands for Security and Social Welfare, Infrastructure Development, Manpower Development, Public/Private Partnership, Leadership by Example and Employment Creation) resonates well with the people, would get their votes. Ajani wrote from Abuja
· Profits up by 22% as Gross Earnings hit N105.8bn.
Despite the economic challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, Fidelity Bank has sustained the financial performance trajectory of recent years, with another set of impressive financial results. Details of the Audited Half Year results ending June 30, 2020 for the top Nigerian lender, released on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday September 3, 2020, show strong growth in profits and other indices.
The bank recorded a surge in Profit Before Tax of N12.0bn from N9.8bn in 2019, which translated to a 22% growth. Net profits for Fidelity Bank grew by 33% from N8.5bn to N11.3bn in the reporting period. In other indices Total Assets rose by 13.7% from N2.1trillion in 2019 to N2.4trillion this year whilst Total Deposits rose by 14.8% from N1.2trillion to N1.4trillion during the same period.
Commenting on the results, Fidelity Bank CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo said the performance for the period, reflects the resilience of the bank’s business model. “Due to the global and domestic headwinds witnessed in H1 2020, we proactively increased our cost of risk as the impact of the pandemic slowed down economic activities whilst adapting our business model to the new risks and opportunities of the new normal” he stated.
According to him, Fidelity Bank, re-stated its H1 2019 figures from N15.1bn to N9.8bn to reflect the impact of IFRIC 21- Levies, which was adopted for the first time on the H1 2020 financials. “The key impact of IFRIC 21 was that our 2020FY AMCON Cost was recognized 100% in our H1 2020 Accounts rather than been amortized over 12 months as was done previously on our financials” said the Fidelity CEO”. He further revealed that, without implementing IFRIC 21, profit for the period would have been N17.9bn compared to the N15.1bn reported in H1 2019.
Fidelity Bank has been implementing a digital-led retail strategy and digital banking gained further traction during the period with 87.3% of the bank’s customers now transacting on digital platforms. The figures are up from 82.0% in 2019FY while 51.2% of the bank’s customers are now enrolled on the bank’s mobile/internet banking products.
“Though digital banking income dropped by 29.1% due to the downward fee revisions for electronic transactions in line with the new bankers’ tariff, we have continued to receive positive reviews on our digital channels. IVY, the bank’s chat box is rated as the clear leader, among virtual assistants in the industry, just as our flagship instant banking product (*770#) was also rated in the top tier category in the recently released 2020 KPMG Digital Channels Scorecard” he explained.
Retail Banking in Fidelity Bank has continued to also deliver impressive results. Savings Deposits in H1 2020 increased by 32.2% to N363.9bn with the bank on course to achieving the 7th consecutive year of double-digit growth in savings. Savings Deposits accounted for 49.1% of the total growth in customer deposits and now represents 25.9% of total deposits compared to 22.5% in 2019FY.
In reflection of the bank’s early conservative assessment of the sectors that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the bank’s Non-Performing Loans (NPL) ratio increased to 4.8% from 3.3% in 2019FY. Regulatory Ratios however remained above the required thresholds with Capital Adequacy Ratio increasing to 18.8% from 18.3% due to the capitalization of H1 2020 Audited Profits while Liquidity Ratio stood at 32.1%.
Buoyed by the H1 performance, the bank is optimistic about the remaining part of the year. “We believe the new phase of normalcy will unveil some growth opportunities. We will continue to monitor and pro-actively manage any evolving risks as the Nigerian economy gradually reopens and economic activities pick-up in key sectors” Okonkwo stated.
Two farmers, Umar Abubakar and Muhammad Sani-Abdul, have revealed how staff of Sterling Bank in Bauchi State fraudulently opened unauthorised accounts using their names and Bank Verification Numbers to apply for loans.
The farmers, in a petition seen by SaharaReporters, told the Consumer Protection Council that they started receiving messages in December 2017 suggesting opening of accounts with the bank without taking such step.
They said they were shocked to learn that the accounts opened on their behalf owed the Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending N1,291,888.00 per person.
“That we opened accounts with Stanbic IBTC Bank as part of a plan to engage in wheat farming. We are pleased to attach our Bank Verification Number. That, doing so was an attempt to partially meet the conditions for getting access to loan facility to achieve the said goal under the platform of Evergreen Cooperative Society, which was said to have partnered with a certain Madaki Agro Firm.
“That, contrary to (a) above, we started receiving alarms in December 2017, suggesting opening account with Sterling bank, a deal we were unaware of. That going by frequent cyber shady deal, we dismissed the matter (stated C above) as trivial. Because to the best of our knowledge and belief, we neither opened account nor did we authorise anybody or any organisation to do so on our behalf.
“That, in the preceding months, there were transactions in the said accounts amounting to millions of naira concerning loan facility we did not apply for. Moreover, the account was said to have been controlled by a third party. We neither know nor delegated to do so on our behalf.
“That we were extremely shocked to learn that the accounts that were purported to have been opened for us owed NIRSAL worth N1,291,888.00 per person. We have thus been exposed to danger, we strongly suspect shady deal between the two banks and possibly other parties.
“We understand this is a gross violation of our fundamental and inalienable rights as provided in 1948 universal declaration of human rights, International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), Nigerian constitution (1999), Bank and other Institution Act (BOFIA), Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007, Human and People’s Right and other enabling laws,” the petition reads.
The General Overseer, Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry, Prophet Emmanuel Omale, has sued First City Monument Bank Plc for N5bn.
Omale, who claims to be the spiritual guide of the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, said FCMB falsely reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit that N570m was paid into his church account, thereby, leading to accusations that the money was used in purchasing a house in Dubai for Magu.
The suit marked FCT/HC/CV/2020, was instituted by Omale; his wife, Deborah Omale; and the church, the Incorporated Trustees of the Divine Hand of God Prophetic Ministry.
The claimant stated that in 2016, the FCMB falsely reported to the NFIU that N570m was paid into the church’s bank account marked 1486743019 which caused security agents to put the account under surveillance for four years.
The statement of claim read in part, “Sometime on or about the 6th day of July 2020 the former acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, was arrested and summoned to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to appear before the Presidential Investigation Committee on the Alleged Mismanagement of the EFCC, Federal Government Recovered Assets and Finances From May 2015 to May 2020.
“That one of the key allegations levelled at the Presidential Investigation Committee against Mr. Ibrahim Magu, was that the 2nd Claimant (Prophet Omale) fraudulently and corruptly purchased a real estate property for Mr. Ibrahim Magu in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates with the said sum of N573, 228, 04 allegedly credited as an inflow into the 1st Claimant’s (church’s) Corporate Current Account No: 1486743019 in the year 2016.”
The claimant stated that due to the investigation and negative media reports, they were exposed to public hatred and contempt and injured in their religious calling.
The cleric said he and his wife were summoned to appear on August 10, 2020, before a Presidential Investigation Committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Omale and his wife, accompanied by their lead Senior Counsel, Gordy Uche (SAN), and a team of four senior lawyers appeared before the panel on August 10, 11, and 12 and were grilled for hours on their alleged roles in respect of the sum of N573m used in fraudulently and corruptly purchasing a real estate property for Magu in Dubai.
The cleric said they paid Uche (SAN) & Co., the sum of N15m to appear and represent them for three days before the said Presidential Investigation Committee and attached a copy of the receipt to the statement of claim.
He said they all denied the allegations of fraud, adding that he never bought any property for Magu when grilled by the panel.
Omale said the Salami panel in the course of its hearing also invited the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FCMB, Adam Nuru, who appeared before the committee and testified.
“That Mr. Adam Nuru in his testimony informed the Presidential Investigation Committee that the said N573M was credited to the bank account of the 1st claimant (church) in error and that the error was not discovered by the defendant for over four years,” the cleric said.
Omale said they paid the law firm of Gordy Uche (SAN) & Co., the sum of N75m to institute the suit against FCMB and attached a copy of the receipt for the said professional fees to the statement of claim. He said in all, he had lost N180.5m due to payment of legal fees and personal losses.
Omale, therefore, sought a declaration of the court that the FCMB negligently breached the fiduciary duty of care it owes the claimants by its false automated report to the NFIU of a suspicious credit inflow of N573m into the church account.
The statement of claim further read, “The sum of N5,000,000, 000.00 (Five Billion Naira) being exemplary, aggravated, special and general damages against the defendant for the negligent breach of its fiduciary duty of care to the claimants by its false automated report to the NFIU of a suspicious credit inflow of N573, 228, 040. 41 into the 1st claimant’s corporate current account number1486743019 with the defendant, which has occasioned grave damages to the claimants.” (The PUNCH)
