As men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS begins to interact constantly with their counterparts from other West African nations, it’s expected that they will begin to shed behaviors that brings odium to the service according to close watchers of the over 100 year NCS .
But for Comptroller Muhammed Uba Graba, the Area Controller of Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, it’s not yet late to redeem the service, regarded as one of the best in the continent, what men and officers required, he said, is regular training to meet up with their counterpart in other parts of the world.
In all, the ripple effect on the economy, the controller said will be seamless movement of goods in and out of the country’s borders as well as generating more revenue for the federal government.
Some renowned global bodies appear to be filling that gap following the training organized for top customs officers from the central and West African region and other stakeholders recently.
The training took place in the Ghanaian capital Accra last week.
The magazine learned that the workshop for West and Central African regions on One Stop Border Post, OSBP was facilitated by USAID, World Bank, ECOWAS, NEPAD, JICA and Japan International Cooperation Agency and other development partners, to promote regional integration, trade facilitation and economic development in the two regions.
Recall also that the European Union, EU recently donated scanners to Nigeria and Togo as part of effort to facilitate trading activities at the new Economic Community of West African states, ECOWAS joint border post at Seme /Krake Badagry.
Speaking on EU efforts to facilitate trade in the region, Comptroller Muhammed said the gesture will boost revenue generation of the command. Certainly.
But the worry among stakeholders is that such revenue increase may not necessarily reflect on the national purse except corrupt tendencies among some elements in the service are purged.
But as they engage from time to time with other customs personnel in the region, behaviors like these are expected to disappear giving way to modern, corrupt free customs that the nation can be proud of, critics said.
This will be in line with the dream of Comptroller General of Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) of bequeathing to the country corrupt-free and revenue savvy Service, critics say.
For instance, the setting up of a joint border post at Seme/ Krake Badagry, according to Comptroller Muhammed has brought closer the two Services of Nigeria and Benin Republic, who until now were operating as rivals.
It will also reduced to the barest minimum factors that affect the seamless clearance of goods along the borders shared by the two West African neighbors, Mohammed said.
“The border post will improve our revenue generation by way of exchange of information, sensitization and we will be working together along with the Benin counterpart to make sure that the porosity of the old system is minimize to the barest minimum,” he said.
Controller Muhammed, as one of the participants that took part in the training facilitated by international partners in Ghana told the magazine that the workshop will enhance “regional integration, trade facilitation and economic development in the regions.”
Since “Nigeria is a member of West African countries seeking regional integration for easy movement of goods and people along the Lagos Abidjan corridor,” it’s expected that a stronger regional trade community similar to that of East Africa will emerged, Mohammed said.
If you are of the Christian faith, you must be embarrassed by what happened on Sunday, December 2, at the Adoration Catholic Prayer Ministry, Emene, Enugu. On that day, the Christian Faith was dragged in the mud. And this, by a Priest of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Adoration Catholic Ministry was founded by its Spiritual Director, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka. Even though he is an ordained Priest of the Roman Catholic Church, Mbaka seems to be on his own. He has tens of thousands of adherents who believe in his alleged prophetic and healing powers.
I first heard of Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry during Dr Chimaroke Nnamani’s tenure as governor, Enugu state. A medical doctor, Nnamani and Mbaka, were, to put it mildly, very resentful of each other. It got worse after a tragic incident at the Adoration Praying ground, Enugu. Thousands of people had thronged the praying ground for a night vigil. When it ended, there was a stampede. Lives were lost. Injuries were sustained. Mbaka held the government responsible, claiming that its agents had used a kind of gas on the congregation. Shocked, the government explained that contrary to the Priest’s claims, the incident was caused by a stampede. Only one small gate was open for the thousands of people to exit. Everybody wanted to leave at the same time. And, there was no provision for crowd control. In more civilized countries, the Ministry and its Spiritual Director, Mbaka, would have been prosecuted for criminal neglect. But they got away with it.
Following that, incident, Mbaka predicted that Nnamani would never secure a second term in office. It was a prediction denied by God. Not only did Nnamani secure a second term, he became a Senator of the Federal Republic, thereafter.
That false prediction did not cost Mbaka his congregation. Afterall, he is not the only one whose prophesy and prediction had come to naught. A number of the men of God regale us with such false prophesies. The lies don’t affect their fortunes. They only cast doubt on the efficacy of the prayers by some genuine ones. And, shake our faith a little. Their adherents are brain-washed.
Mbaka has since upped the ante. His Adoration ground has become a must, almost, for political office seekers. It became more popular when he, in 2015, predicted that former President Goodluck Jonathan, was going to lose the Presidency to the then General Muhammadu Buhari. Nobody knows whether Jonathan lost because of Mbaka’s prayers, or due to a combination of so many factors. But no matter. Mbaka has since appropriated Buhari’s victory solely to his (Mbaka’s) prayers and fasting.
For the records, Mbaka was a friend of the Jonathans until they fell apart. Here is how and why.
Mrs. Jonathan had gone to Mbaka’s Church with her friends. And Mbaka praised the Jonathans to high heavens. He predicted that Jonathan would win the 2015 election. And that anybody fighting the Jonathans was fighting God. But they fell apart because, according to Mbaka, the former First Lady, instead of giving him her direct phone number, asked one of her aides to give him. The aide did. But it was a number an aide picks first, and depending on the aide’s mood, may give to Mrs Jonathan to answer or not. Mbaka said he never got to speak to Mrs. Jonathan again. Her aides, he alleged, never allowed that. For that slight, Mbaka’s prediction changed. All the prayers and blessings he had heaped on the Jonathans were withdrawn. For Mbaka, it was a case of trade by barter. Rub my back, and I rub yours.
This last Sunday, Mbaka descended to a new low as he engaged in trade by barter with politicians, inside the Church. Since then, questions have been coming like claps of thunder. Are God’s blessings now up for sale to the highest bidder? Who will call Fr. Mbaka to order? Is he still a Roman Catholic Priest? If so, is the leadership of the Church comfortable with him?
You must have read the story of Mbaka’s despicable outing in newspapers and the social media. And you may have watched the two shameful video clips where he descended into the gutter in his quest for money and material things. He used methods and words and approach unbecoming of a man who wears the Cassock. To put it mildly, the method was nothing short of blackmail.
Using the Vanguard of December 3 as a guide, here is briefly what happened.
Mbaka, like many other Priests, is in the habit of inviting politicians to his annual Harvest and Bazaar Mass. A number of them fall over themselves to be present, especially, when elections to offices are near. For Mbaka and his Adoration Ministry, it is usually a harvest of Patronages by Politicians – “clean and unclean.” They donate money, generously, and get Fr Mbaka’s blessings.
So, this Sunday of December 2, Mbaka had invited some of them, including, but not limited to PMB, the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and David Umahi of Enugu and Ebonyi states respectively. An expected rich harvest. But Mbaka reduced it to a scam.
Rev.-Father-Ejike-Mbaka
It began when he came out, microphone in hand, to invite his guests, one after the other, to harvest for his ministry. A Priest, completely enmeshed in politics and its intrigues, he knew the right speech to make. So, he first, descended on President Buhari who he had earlier, this year, predicted would lose the Presidency. He chided Mr President for not visiting the Adoration ground to show appreciation after he had prayed for him to win in 2015. He reprimanded him for not executing any project for him at the Adoration Ground. He talked about how his Ministry’s prayers saved the President from a life-threatening illness. And yet, PMB remained unappreciative. So, Mbaka warned: “Anybody who has Buhari’s ears should warn him that no one cheats God; that after he thinks he is healthy, his sickness may come in another form.” Meaning literarily: Buhari had better come and execute a project here, or another illness may be invoked upon him.
This Priest has an exaggerated opinion of himself. He attributes Buhari’s 2015 victory and his recovery from ill-health to himself alone. Does Mbaka know the number of Priests from different Churches across the country and beyond who prayed for his recovery. And I am not talking about Muslim Clerics, from Nigeria, Sudan, Mali, Saudi Arabia, and more, who prayed for Buhari’s recovery? From Buhari, Mbaka descended on Atiku, whose running mate, Peter Obi was present.
Speaking in Igbo, he said Atiku and Obi would end in shame if Atiku fails to personally visit the Adoration ground. Mbaka: “Ask Atiku if it is these steps that the cow will take to reach Umuahia. Atiku should reach out to Igbo leaders like Ike Ekweremadu and also come personally to Adoration ground and do a project for us. Otherwise, two of you will fail. You will end in shame.”
Meaning: Without a visit and a project, Atiku also goes nowhere. So you ask: Since visiting Mbaka and executing a project for him have become the gateway to political victory, what would happen if both Buhari and Atiku visit, donate money, and execute projects for Mbaka? Only one of them would win, meaning, again, that one of them would have been scammed because Mbaka would assure each of victory.
Yet, the most sacrilegious, in the house of God that day, was Mbaka’s encounter with Obi. The Priest called Obi out before the congregation. And there, Obi stood, like a sacrificial lamb before them. Mbaka began by chiding Obi for doing nothing for his ministry even though they had always supported him. Now, with Obi’s Vice Presidential candidacy, he has been caught by Mbaka’s trap. He must donate money, and also announce the project he would do for them. Obi tried to convince Mbaka that two of them would discuss the project he would embark on. Mbaka wouldn’t bulge. He wanted instant answer. And, for over 10 minutes, Mbaka was haggling like a kidnapper, and negotiating with Obi. He said Obi’s promise was neither here nor there. Mbaka: “It means you don’t want to do anything for the Lord. What you have said now is a political statement. God hates stinginess, and I’m telling you this to save your life. With the way you are going, you and Atiku will fail. The way you and Atiku are moving will end in shame.” They continued until persuaded Obi to break kolanuts. Obi did, with N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand). But that was not enough for Mbaka. The punishment: Mbaka withheld Obi’s blessings, and would only release it when Obi discloses the project he would embark on to him. He even gave him a deadline. December, 31, 2018.
This Priest is playing God. He is appropriating God’s blessings to himself and dispensing them as he desires. He brings it out for sale, and gives to the highest bidders. He is using God’s blessings as a weapon of blackmail. And in case Obi, a staunch Roman Catholic, who has a sibling as a Rev. Fr., and another as a Rev. Sister, was still ignorant of what Mbaka was talking about, the Priest pushed Governors Umahi and Ugwuanyi forward as shining examples Obi should emulate.
Mbaka: “Umahi donated 1,000 bags of rice and 1,000 tubers of yam to me but it meant nothing to me until he handed N10 million cheque to me (Please note: The donations were to him, not to the Church), and promised to build a project for the Ministry. This is the type of gesture we require from Obi.”
This Priest says 1,000 bags of rice and 1,000 tubers of yam meant nothing to him. It was the N10 million Naira cheque that meant something to him. For that amount, and a promise to execute a project, Mbaka assured Umahi of a second term in office.
For Ugwuanyi, “it is 100 per cent support for Gburugburu,” Mbaka declared, to the embarrassment of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Ayogu Eze, who was standing with them. He told Eze: I don’t know who are deceiving you, but we are standing behind Ugwuanyi because he is the best governor Enugu has had”. I hope Eze made no donation. But following, is the worst.
Remember that Mbaka had spoken on President Buhari earlier on. At the time, Buhari’s representatives, led by Senator Hope Uzodinma, the APC governorship candidate had not arrived. So, the delegation arrived late with the Governor of Kano state (Remember him, and his recent tango over bribery allegations with Jafar Jafar?), and, the Priest had to speak PMB again. Uzodinma was a good representative. He broke the kolanut for Mbaka with the sum of Two Million Naira on behalf of Buhari, and promised that Buhari would build a hospital for Mbaka. The roof literarily came down! And in the video which has now gone viral, Mbaka admitted he was just scamming Obi.
He told PMB’s delegation: “How I wish you were here when I was speaking to Peter Obi, representing Atiku. I know that Obi went out from here almost disgraced. All the people Buhari is giving allocation, what qualification do they have that we don’t have? Who among them has done for him what we are doing for him? It is because of this Buhari that we told Peter Obi all those rubbish he heard today.
“And I want to tell you this: If Buhari will remain ungrateful to this Ministry, he is going nowhere. Atiku is waiting somewhere, and the only thing that can stop Atiku is spiritual. So you people should go and come back. You should not take us for granted. I am speaking with a spiritual mandate. We are being persecuted because of him. Here we are today was a forest. We were driven out because of our support for Buhari. But he has never given us anything. But we’ll keep praying for him because of his lovely wife who sends things now and then to us”.
“Governor”, addressing Ganduje. “You people should tell him, else he will fail”.
Mbaka must have withdrawn that threat because of Uzodinma’s largesse. And for being a good representative, Uzodinma would be the next governor of Imo state, he assured.
Good. But two things here.
Even though Mbaka literarily admitted he was scamming Obi, he was serious about the project he was asking Obi for. If Obi had mentioned one project and donated more than the N500,000 he donated, Mbaka would have released the withheld Obi’s blessings. And, it would have been positive. The second is that Uzodinma should, please, not take Mbaka seriously on his prophesy. The prediction is sweet music. But he should not rely on it. Here’s why.
If the PDP’s Emeka Ihedioha goes to Mbaka with more money than Uzodinma, and promises to build a hospital and a school for him, the prophesy would change. And if APGA’s Ifeanyi Ararume visits Mbaka with more money, and promises more projects than both Uzodinma and Ihedioha, Ararume would become the favoured one.
These candidates would believe Mbaka to their own peril. Mbaka’s prophesies and predictions against Chimaroke Nnamani did not work. They were fake. They should, also, remember that Mbaka did not see the truth when Ikedi Ohakim, former Imo state Governor, was falsely accused of flogging a Priest. Ohakim explained to no avail. Not surprising, Mbaka only saw the truth the day Ohakim went to Mbaka’s Church. I don’t know if he or promised anything, but Mbaka quickly apologised, publicly, to Ohakim over the false allegation.
Dear Readers, for how long are we going to endure this deceit by some men of God? For the records, Mbaka is not the only one in this double speak and outright selling of God’s blessings. In some Churches, the Priests tell the congregation: “If you give N100,000, God will bless you more than those who will give less. In fact, they ask them to come out, keep them separately – N100,000, N50,000, N25,000, N20,000, N10,000, N5,000, N1,000. They are then prayed for, again, separately. N100 no longer matters. It attracts no blessings. These guys have commercialized God’s blessings. They have commercialized the Body of Christ. To them, money is the gateway to Heaven, to God’s blessings. They have forgotten the Biblical Widow’s mite. They have turned the House of God into a market place where they haggle, and bid, and sell God’s favours to the highest bidder. And they are scaring the poor away from the Church. The poor feels inadequate in the Church. They can’t afford the blessings. These Priests forget that one of the times Jesus Christ got angry in the Bible was when he sent people out of the Church because they were trading in God’s house, His Father’s House.
But those things no longer matter. Many Priests teach nothing. They guide nobody spiritually. Their focus is money. Any wonder several of our youths focus on nothing but money. They don’t go to Church. When they go, all they hear from some Priests is money, money, money. So, they think it is a waste of time. So, they prefer to go to native doctors, fake spiritualists and herbalists who ask them to get involved in money rituals with human beings. When they strike gold, they go to Church for blessings.
But back to Rev. Fr. Mbaka. When Mbaka saw the galaxy of politicians, he did not talk about good governance. He did not preach against rigging, corruption, kidnapping, armed robbery, ritual killings. No. All he wanted was money. He has crossed the red line. He is giving the Body of Christ, especially, the Roman Catholic Church, a bad name. He seems to be above everybody in the Roman Catholic Church. They seem helpless. When he was posted out to Emene from Enugu, he took on the Leadership of the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria. He said he was sent to Enugu out of envy. He descended on the Roman Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, the Most Rev. Calistus Onaga, for daring to transfer him out of Enugu, a place he had stayed for 20 years. He was not punished for that unfortunate outburst. Now, embarrassed by the recent scandal, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Enugu has distanced itself from him. Rev. Benjamin Achi, the Diocese’s Director of Communications, says Mbaka may be disciplined. My opinion is: Mbaka has lost it. He should be recalled to Rome for retraining.
And, millions of Christians are praying the Church would have the courage to do so.
For repenting from having an unforgiving spirit, why should God not punish former President Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo? For forgiving former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of his wrong doing, why should God not punish Obasanjo? For coming to his senses and realising that no man holds the other’s destiny and letting go all grievances, why should God not punish Obasanjo?
Why are people so eager for the God of Obasanjo to punish him for repenting from his ignoramus disposition? Why are they not happy that the prodigal son has turned from his evil ways unto good?
Which God are they referring to here? Is it Jehovah the God of the Christians or Allah the God of the Muslims? Is it Amadioha, Sango et cetera, those of the traditionalists?
The curse, revelation or prayer by the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole the God will punish Obasanjo for endorsing Atiku has continued to raise dust in the polity. He said this will happen when President Muhammadu Buhari defeats them at the 2019 presidential election.
Speaking to newsmen after receiving APC women leaders from Edo State who paid him a solidarity visit in his office in Aso drive, in Abuja, Oshiomhole who expressed shock at Obasanjo’s turn around to forgive and endorse Atiku as People’s Democratic Party (PDP) flag bearer in the 2019 presidential election reminded Obasanjo that he had earlier sworn that God should punish him if he ever supported his former deputy, Atiku, to become the president.
What is Oshimhole’s problem? Is rubbishing Obasanjo the best way of scoring political points to retain President Muhammadu Buhari after the 2019 presidential election? Why expose the deep fears of the ruling APC on the Atiku challenge?
Has Oshiomhole done so well as APC National Chairman, and has the APC also done well as a party wanting re-election? If so, why should Oshiomhole degrade both himself and the ruling party be engaging in such cheap rambling? Is this the thing Nigerians want to hear at this time, instead of strong ideas to redeem lost image?
In a chat with Goddy Egesimba, a political analyst on the issue, he said: “ Do you blame Osiomhole? What he said shows how low we can go. It shows that both he and his people have run out of ideas on how to navigate Nigeria out of the further mess the current government has plunged the country into.
“ Take a look at the crowd he made the statement to. Were they not women? Nigerian women are more intelligent than that. He wanted to play on their emotions, especially spiritual. It will not work. What about the more crisis he has plunged the APC and degrading the governors? Should God not punish him?,” he asked.
For Unyio James, a civil servant, the former Edo State governor is a rabble rouser. “ Does he think that everybody is like him with a cunning, hard and unforgiving spirit? Oshiomhole should know that it took only the Spirit of God at work for Obasanjo to forgive Atiku. This is what we need in this country now, not people or zones being punished for the sins of the dead fathers, which further stagnated development of this great country,” she stated.
Tunji Adewale, a student expressed disappointment on Oshiomhole’s curse of prayer. “Man is a religious animal, and I believe Oshiomhole is. But I don’t know which sect he belongs to.
“ The God/gods of every religion-Christianity, Islam, African Traditional Religion etc preach love, peace, unity, forgiveness, although people have through their interpretations distorted these virtues for selfish gains. From Oshiomhole’s action, I believe he is one of these people. Nigeria needs and deserves more than this. The country needs what will move us forward, not into deeper crisis,” he said.
It’s countdown to the February 2019 election. Will God punish Obasanjo? Time will tell.
Reports of the Political rally, organized by the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Sokoto, appears to have unsettled the All Progressives Congress as reactions began to trail the Rally. Investigations indicate that the rally was devoid of personality attacks but more of issue based campaign.
One of the dignitaries that appeared at the rally was former president Goodluck Jonathan from neighboring Chad, with which Sokoto has a boundary-thereby tacitly admitting the ruling party is weak in border control. But Shehu Sanni, the garrulous former APC senator, countered by saying that “if the PDP imported crowd due to proximity, the APC imported their own crowd from Sudan due to affinity” He however did not elaborate on his meaning. El Rufai has been having a running battle with Sanni over political ideologies.
But the PDP left official response to the issue to the Sokoto state governor, Amino Tambuwal
In a release made available to this Magazine, Tambuwal claimed that the Apc was shocked by the crowd pulled. “The outcry by El-rufa’i is a testimony to the fact that APC and its leadership were shocked by the gargantuan crowd the rally recorded in Sokoto, which serves as the final burial of APC government in the Northwest and Nigeria in general because of perpetual failure, bad leadership, massive corruption, failure to end terrorism and other security challenges bedeviling our nation since the inception of Buhari’s administration in 2015.”, he said.
From Sokoto, they headed to Ilorin for more rallies.
There has been palpable consternation from the APC camp since the rally. But it appears the issue based campaign is clearly an anathema to them. Adams Oshiomhole , the APC national chairman, confirmed this recently when he hosted some Apc Women Leaders in Abuja. “The two candidates are from the North and they are both Muslims. We are going to look at character”, he said. He noted that Obasanjo once called Atiku a “thief” and has turned round to endorse him.
But the glaring absence of three South east governors to the rally raised eyebrows, sparking speculations that the three governors-Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Dave Umahi of Ebonyi and Okezie Ikeazu of Abia-stayed away because of the perceived coldness between them and Atiku due to their grouse that Atiku did not consult them when he chose his running mate, Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state.
But Kola Olagbondayan, the PDP spokesperson, dismissed the notion as the figment of imagination of detractors.
“There is no sense in the insinuation since, going by the campaign time-table, the Presidential Candidate will visit all the zones, where all the governors elected on the platform of the party from those zones will be present. Abubakar’s next port of call will be Ilorin, the Kwara State capital on Wednesday where the party will hold the North Central Presidential Zonal rally which will have in attendance state governors leaders, members and supporters of the party in the zone. This is the same arrangement that we have for all the geo-political zones of the country. “The so-called shunning of the Sokoto rally by PDP governors of South East extraction was only a figment of the imagination of those peddling the wicked rumor.”
Indications are that there have been high level consultations going on to plan counter strategies to checkmate the in routes into what is regarded as traditional APC enclaves. Recently, the APC, in a show of strength, went to Kano in a rally that saw large crowds gracing the rally.
The managing Director of Diamond Bank, Uzoma Dozie will be remembered for bequeathing to the new generation bank one of the best virtual banking operations in Nigeria.
Some customers in its Awolowo, Ikoyi branch, told the magazine last week that Diamond Bank internet banking is second to none.
Indeed, this is the only good news from the bank, coming on the heels of last week’s decision by Diamond Bank’s management to shut down its UK operations.
The development has fueled speculation that all is not yet well with the bank.
The customers are right to say the internet banking may be the only legacy that the youthful managing director will be leaving behind as he exits the chief executive officer position next year.
A Weak, Unstable Bank
Apart from this, Dozie will also be leaving behind “a very weak, unstable and badly managed money lending bank” in the country, a senior staff of the bank said.
Indeed, the 2018 financial year has not been very rosy for the bank “in terms of figures and numbers,” a banking expert, Samson Osakwe told the magazine last Friday, following the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s nod to the bank to dump its international license and start operating as a national bank.
The approval came barely one month after the boardroom crisis that led to the forced resignation of its former chairman, including three directors.
Seyi Bickersteth alongside other three directors had unexpectedly thrown in the towel in what sector analysts described as unprecedented in the 28 year history of the bank.
Uzoma Dozie, Diamond Bank MD: To step down.
Biskersteth Was Forced Out
The magazine was later informed by insiders in the bank, that Bickersteth was forced out of his position due to irreconcilable differences with the managing director.
Dozie is son to the bank’s former chairman, Pascal Dozie whose family owns 14.2 percent shares in the bank.
The bank, had disclosed after the CBN’s approval that it could no longer afford to operate its offshore banks and would now concentrate fully on its operation in the Nigerian.
“By focusing and optimizing our resources towards Nigeria and the priority area of retail banking, we will be better positioned for longer term growth and greater profitability,” the chief executive of the bank said.
By that singular stroke, Diamond Bank offshore branches in the UK have been shut down, Osakwe said.
Liquidity Problem
According to Osakwe, the development has further exposed the problems facing the bank “even though the management is pretending that things are under control.”
The magazine was informed that the crisis rocking the bank is very complicated. According to Gboye Peters “the liquidity problem facing the bank is very deep. What the bank is doing is to mop up floating assets to stabilize the Nigerian operations.”
He explained that “the bank will soon face a situation where it could no longer meet its obligations to customers except something is done quickly.”
“The possibility of a takeover or merger cannot be totally ruled out in the new year,” he said, adding that this is necessary to forestall negative customers’ reaction.
Customers are reacting already to the instability in the bank.
Customers to Close Accounts
At the Opebi, Ikeja branch last week, some customers told the magazine that they are quite aware of the problem, despite the obvious cover up by the management.
According to a customer who simply identified himself as Adetola, said he’s considering “doing something about his account before the end of December to escape possible tsunami in the bank.”
He explained that “he has been using his ATM card to withdraw cash “consistently since last week and also making huge cash transfers” because news from the bank is not cheery.”
Uchena Uba, a bookseller told the magazine at its Mafoluku, Oshodi branch that ”information has spread among traders in the market that the bank is having a serious problem.”
He said he has been using the bank for more than 10 years that he’s deeply worried about the situation.
The bank had two weeks ago denied suggestions in the sector of an imminent takeover by Access Bank.
Takeover Imminent
But the magazine learned from an insider in the bank that “the buyover negotiation is currently ongoing” and that ”the books are being put in order” for that purpose.
The bank has been hit seriously following last year’s explosion in the oil sector, majorly due to falling oil prices in the international market.
It’s yet to recover from the shock, analysts told the magazine.
To Close Branches
It was further learned that the bank may be forced to shut down dozens of branches across the country as the serious problem of profitability persists.
Desperate Measures To Save The Bank
Recall that Diamond Bank sold its West African operations in Benin, Togo, Cote d’ivoire and Senegal to Manzi Finances S.A, a Cote d’ivoire holding firm last year.
The management had accepted an offer by Carlyle Group, world’s second-largest manager of investment alternatives to stocks and bonds, to acquire 18 percent stake in Nigeria’s Diamond Bank through its Carlyle Sub-Saharan Africa Fund at a cost of $147m in 2014.
Despite the multi-million dollar investment by Carlyle, the situation had failed to improve, a top manager in the bank said.
For instance, the Carlyle intervention came shortly after the bank’s share tumbled by over 21 per cent, the Nigeria Stock Exchange, NSE said.
Carlyle investment has however failed to save the bank’s stock from heading for the slope, more than four years after.
The bank’s shares had declined 3.4 percent at 1.44 naira and still struggling amid expectations from industry watchers that itwill raise fresh capital.
But the Dozie-led bank has ruled out the option in the face of decline in Capital Ratio Requirement, CAR, industry sources told the magazine on Monday.
Boardroom Crisis Deepens
Other sources also informed the magazine that the boardroom crisis that led to the ouster of its former chairman, is due to disagreement between some directors and the managing director, over Dozie’s management style.
For instance, the Bicketeth group were said to favor raising fresh capital to stabilize the bank or an “outright takeover,” a source told the magazine on Tuesday.
But the Dozie-led management is said to have ruled out this option.
Recall that Bickersteth had told Reuters, a foreign wire service that with the current financial situation, the bank needed to “recapitalize” and that to wriggle out of the problem”a right issue or a takeover” cannot be totally ruled out.
With the way things are, the magazine learned that the CBN may be forced to wade in to save situation before it’s too late.
Tension is mounting to a fearful level in the country. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is still on strike with several meetings with Federal Government to resolve the issue of poor funding of the nations universities deadlocked. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has threatened to down tools if federal government hesitates to resolve their problem. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) is still battle ready to ground the nation if government continues to waste time in kick-starting the new N30,000 minimum wage regime. Now, oil marketers have given the Federal Government seven days to pay their N800 billion subsidy arrears including foreign exchange (forex)differentials and interest rate component owed them in cash or they bleed the oil and gas sector.
In a joint statement, the marketers, under the aegis of Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and Independent Petroleum Products Importers (IPPIs) said that failure to meet the deadline will leave them with no other option but force its members to disengage their workers at the depots from fuel loading.
According to Patrick Etim, legal adviser to the IPPIs, the seven-day ultimatum became necessary as investments and assets of oil marketers were been taken over by their creditor banks, while payment of workers’ salaries remained a serious problem.
He said the marketers have asked their workers to stay at home from December 1 as their salaries could not be paid due to huge debts owed by government on subsidy.
“The only way to salvage the situation is when government pays the outstanding debts though cash option for marketers to pay workers – than other forms of payment instruments like (promissory note) – to save the intended mass retrenchment.
“As at tail end of 2018, several months after the assurances received that government would pay off the outstanding debt, nothing has been done.
“The oil marketers have requested forex differential and interest component of government’s indebtedness to marketer be calculated up to December 2018 to be paid within the next 7-days from the date of the letter sent to them,’’ he said.
Etim regretted that thousands of jobs are on the line in the oil and gas industry, as oil marketers begin a cut-down of their workforce due to inability to pay salaries. He revealed that the current administration paid part of the debts with a substantial portion of the subsidy interest and foreign exchange differential still pending, in spite of then acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s intervention and directive to the former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.
Speaking in similar vein, the Executive Secretary, Deport and Petroleum Products Marketers of Nigeria (DAPPMA), Olufemi Adewole, confirmed that oil marketers had given government 7-day ultimatum to pay all outstanding debts owed marketers including forex differentials and interest component. He said this became necessary to save the industry from imminent collapse and also help to stave off any sack of workers as marketers can no longer afford to pay beyond November 30th with such financial constraint.
He advised that DMO’s prompt response would stop the wastage of government resources, which continuous to increase in the form of interest on unpaid amounts which as at today is in excess of N118 billion.
“We urge the DMO to process and pay marketers in cash for their outstanding forex differentials and interest component claims, together with the amount already approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and the National Assembly.
“Marketers are not in a position to discount payment on the subsidy induced debt owed as proposed by DMO, the expected payment is made up of bank loans, outstanding admin charges due to Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), outstanding bridging fund due the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (Management) Board (PEF(M)B) and in a few cases AMCON judgment debts.
“We urge that the FEC approval payment instrument, the promissory note, be substituted with cash and paid through our bankers to stop the avoidable waste of public funds through these debts accruing interest,’’ he said.
The Magazine learnt that in March this year, following a 14-day ultimatum issued the federal government by DAPPMAN, to commence staff disengagement over the N650 billion subsidy debt owed it, government had requested for the appropriation of N650 billion from the National Assembly to clear the backlog of the subsidy arrears .
Subsequently, in July this year, the Senate approved the payment of N348 billion as outstanding subsidy claims to 74 petroleum marketers which included Oando, Total, Honey Well, Capital Oil, Conoil, A.A. Rano, Folawiyo, Eternal oil, Aiteo, Forte Oil, Bovas, Mobil (11 Plc), MRS Oil and Gas, among others.
The Red Chamber said the payment was to enable them update all outstanding liabilities and clear all debts, interest accrued and foreign exchange differential once and for all.
But due to a hazy settlement timing, the Executive Secretary of MOMAN, Cement Isong, cautioned government to hasten payment of the outstanding debts of fuel imports subsidy arrears owed them (marketers) because the delay in payment has severely limited their access to credit and negatively impacted their working capital leading to their inability to pay their banks and their service providers, as some have closed shop and laid off more than 90 percent of their staff.
Isong, however urged the government agencies concerned to address the bureaucratic bottlenecks causing the delay in the payment process, adding that the delay in payment of the debt has resulted in the degradation of the downstream subsector of the oil and gas industry, and affected the marketers’ business operation.
“We appreciate the efforts of the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council in approving payment but the non-payment creates a significantly negative impact on the operational efficiency of the downstream sector of the oil industry, thereby placing a severe strain on its efforts to continually invest in infrastructure and raise industry standards. We hope that the debts will be paid in full to the oil marketers as soon as possible,” he said.
The MOMAN scribe said that the debt owed MOMAN members alone stood at over N130.7 billion as at August 2018, and that once reconciliation has been done and a particular figure was agreed as debt, he couldn’t understand why settlements had not been made.
In his reaction, Executive Secretary, Deport and Petroleum Products Marketers of Nigeria, Olufemi Adewole, regretted the processes highlighted for payment by the government which he said were inimical to the operations of their businesses.
“The processes they have highlighted is killing our businesses. Immediately the banks read in the media that the National Assembly had approved, they went to court, got injunction and seized our assets,” he said.
Adewole revealed that about 60 per cent of marketers have been forced out of business as banks have taken over their depots, assets and properties due to their inability to pay back monies borrowed to import fuel.
He said many marketers were forced out of business, while others are struggling to survive due to the government’s inability to settle the subsidy arrears, saying the development is threatening investment in the downstream subsector.
The DAPPMAN scribe wondered why the marketers are yet to be paid although the Federal Government had earmarked money to clear the debts.
He noted the other challenge of payment in promissory note. Adewole said that Federal government had promised that part of the money would come as promissory note and cash. But s information gathered was that the government may pay only in promissory note.
“It means you have to go back and discount this promissory note in the bank. This means we are losing because the money has been delayed and this adds to the interest to be charged on our accounts,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said it is accelerating implementation of the Promissory Note Programme and Bond Issuance to settle the oil marketers’ arrears.
The DMO affirmed that the programme was to address inherited local debts and contractual obligations due to various categories of creditors. It also said that the programme would be implemented in accordance with the process approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
“It is to be noted that the claims by oil marketers are for accrued interest and foreign exchange differentials. These were unpaid obligations carried over from previous administrations.
“Whilst some of the issues involved in the implementation of the programme have been explained to representatives of the oil marketers, the DMO has invited them to a meeting to explain the process to them and provide a status report.”
With few days to the deadline, the Magazine’s findings show that not many are in the know of the oil marketers threat as people are going about their businesses.
According to Dele Abayomi, an oil and gas expert: “ This will be disastrous if they are allowed to make good their threat. This is because they hold the aces that can make or mar the nations economy.
“ We cannot afford to again experience the fuel crisis that happened in past administrations when oil marketers downed tools. Not this time. I believe that Federal Government has to take urgent wise steps to stop this as the February 2019 general election draws closer,” he said.
Abayomi further prayed that government should not allow more crisis to erupt now, especially as different bodies either on strike or threatening to embark on strike.
At last, President Muhammadu Buhari appeares to have heeded the call of the masses to respond to the allegation of an imposter occupying the Nigerian seat of Power in Aso Rock. In a video that is going viral, Buhari was seen saying that he is Buhari, thereby giving the lie to speculations that a body double, or Doppelganger, is occupying Aso Rock. Some claim he is a clone, which is unlikely because a clone has to pass through in vitro fertilization and genetic manipulation of a stem cell to be born a carbon copy of the object cloned.
But there has been speculations and conspiracy to the effect that a body double from Sudan, called Jubril, is the current occupant of Aso Rock.
Recall that after a prolonged treatment in the United Kingdom of an undisclosed illness by the President, the President last year April return home to a miraculous healing. He looked fifteen years younger, allegedly shorter and allegedly displayed limited ability to speak Fufulde, the Fulani language that Buhari is at home with. Various pictures appeared in social media competing to explore physical differences in the before and after pictures of Buhari. One even sought to show that he was right handed but that the current Buhari is left handed. That argument was, however, defeated when it was discovered that the picture must have been flipped in a brazen desperation to prove that the person occupying Aso Rock is an impostor.
Most of the wars for and against raged within the Social Media only, with the mainstream media avoiding the story like a plague. It was first started by a former minister of information, Femi Fani Kayode, who insisted the one in Aso Rock is an imposteor. Then the leader of the Separatist Movement, Indigenous People Of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, who was using it as a political weapon to weaken the Federal government position. Later, he disappeared in mysterious circumstances during a raid in his house by the Nigerian Military. He resurfaced in recent times in Israel and has since continued his tirade against the Nigerian Government and resurrecting the specter of Jubril.
But Buhari, i a recent video purported to have been shot in Poland, has stated that the rumor is false.
“A lot of people hoped that I died during my ill health. It is real me… I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I will still go strong,” he said.
The video background did not give out the location of the speech, but his handlers claim it was shot in Poland where he was said to have gone for a conference. According to Abike Dabiri erewa, he was at the opening ceremony at the Climatic change in Poland.
Before the current movement, Lai Mohamed, the Minister of information, had dismissed the rumors.
“It is idiotic to say the President is cloned. I don’t see any serious government responding to that”, he said. “So, the same Jubril that was cloned from Sudan or Chad is in Chad now? Isn’t that stupid?” he had asked at a press conference in Abuja. “They even said he is from Chad. Yet, the same President is in Chad as we speak. The same Jibrin is remembering what the President did while in Petroleum Trust Fund and he is also remembering what he did when he was head of state between 1983 and 1985.”
But Nigerians are querying why Buhari will always go outside the country to make important policy decisions and statements. It has been a constant of the Buhari persona since the inception of the All progressives congress, APC, government.
Besides, die hard critics insist that forensic analysis of the independence broadcasts since 2015 to 2018 shows two different individuals. They insist that using the parameters of distance between the eyes, facial expressions, oracular movements, and voice analysis shows two different individuals, 2015 and 2016 as one person, 2017 and 2018 as another.
But Lai Mohamed dismisses all these.He had wondered aloud: “(You mean) all the ministers do not know who is before them when they attend the federal executive council meeting? The President remembers memos he had seen or heard about in 1985 and we say he is cloned. So, Jubril from Chad or Sudan will now remember all of these? It is too silly for the government to respond to this. It must be ignored.”
The issue is not likely to be easily ignored in a hurry.
After its Reconciliation Committee’s visit to Imo state, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has reportedly resolved to stop offering the state governor, Rochas Okorocha, any further olive branch. Sources close to the Governor Abdullahi Ganduje led Committee disclosed that before its arrival in Owerri, the Imo state capital, the Committee explored ways of assuaging the Imo state governor’s bruised ego over his son- in-law, Uche Nwosu’s loss of the APC governorship ticket to Senator Hope Uzodinma. However, it later changed its mind when it dawned on the members that within the Imo chapter of of the party, Okorocha has become a commander without troops as virtually everybody in the party in the state, including prominent party chieftains, have abandoned him and pitched tent with Uzodinma.
The Committee was thus convinced that APC could do without the governor as far as the Imo guber election was concerned as he, (Okorocha), has totally lost the party’s structures to Uzodinma. It was on this basis that the Ganduje Committee discarded plans to make proposal for power-sharing arrangement with Okorocha’ faction.
Okorocha: Embattled
Some of the options the party had considered in trying to appease Okorocha, The source gathered, include prevailing on Uzodinma to share power with Okorocha’s faction of the party. Under this arrangement, Nwosu was to be appointed Secretary to Imo State Government in the event of Senator Uzodinma’s victory.
The outgoing governor’s other allies were also to be appointed into juicy ministries as Commissioners. Infact, some members of the Committee even made a case for Okorocha to be allowed to nominate Senator Uzodinma’s running mate.
Any idea of concessions to the Governor’s camp was to finally evaporate when the Committee met with Imo APC supporters and stakeholders at the campaign office of the party’s governorship candidate. Among the mammoth crowd who welcome the committee members there were all serving state legislators and candidates, all National Assembly members and candidates; and governorship aspirants who contested the ticket with Senator Uzodinma.
Sources revealed that seeing the crowd and the calibre of party chieftains among them, as well as speeches of endorsement for Uzodinma, members of the committee declared Imo APC crisis- free, contrary to what Okorocha had earlier told them at the Government House where a handful of government officials were allegedly introduced as APC chieftains.
Chairman of Imo APC Council of Elders, Dr. EJK Onyebuchi who spoke on behalf of the party in the state revealed to the Committee how Senator Uzodinma became the popular choice of APC members in the state.
According to Dr. Onyebuchi, it was the Elders’ Council that drafted Uzodimma to the governorship race to stop Okorocha from imposing his son in-law on Imo people.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje: His Committee is pleased with Uzodinma’s candidacy, acceptance.
“At that point we were more interested in a popular figure who can stop Governor Okorocha so we drafted Senator Uzodimma because we saw in him the man with the popularity and capacity to stop Okorocha. So Uzodimma is the candidate of Imo people. He did not come out on his own and I can assure you that Imo people will vote for him massively,” he declared.
He mocked Okorocha for pledging to remain in APC while at the same time openly working against the party’s governorship candidate by supporting his Son-In-Law to be governor under another party’s platform. “This is a clear case of anti-party activity, and I think the governor should be sanctioned accordingly”, Dr. Onyebuchi said.
Meanwhile, The source has learnt that some of Okorocha’s men who do not see Nwosu becoming governor are secretly making overtures to Senator Uzodinma’s camp with the view of securing soft landing there. “In the coming days, some Commissioners, Special Advisers and scores of Board appointees will resign from the government. They are more concerned with their political future than tagging along, in the name of loyalty, with a governor that has less than six months to stay in office”, the magazine was told.
Even though we are from the same state and zone, Imo, Owerri, I first met Ondo state First Lady, Betty Anyanwu- Akeredolu on the pages of newspapers before I met her physically this other day in Akure. Let me also disclose that we attended the same secondary school – Egbu Girls, in Owerri North LGA – but I didn’t quite take note. I was her junior, and you know, at the time, junior students held their senior students very much in awe. But our paths crossed on the pages of a newspaper soon after her husband, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, was elected a governor. I was going through a newspaper, I forget which now, when I came across an interview she granted.
You will forgive me, but I am not particularly a fan of Nigerian First Ladies. I feel many of them live what I call plastic lives. So unreal. I hardly pay attention to their various foundations, or projects. I may be wrong, but I think they have no passion for such things. But embark on them for personal gains. It is their iwn ATM. They fizzle out as soon as the First Ladies leave office. Nobody hears about the foundations and/or projects anymore. Again, I may be wrong. But for a few of them, I neither see, nor know the impact they made, and/or make on the society.
I admit that it is not general in character. A couple of them made, and are still making verifiable impact on the lives of people. Here, I acknowledge the former First Lady of Rivers State, Hon Justice Mary Peter-Odili, JSC. As a First Lady, she was solid. She had vision. Not only did she not abandon her career during her eight years of First Ladyship in Rivers State, her pet project – The Adolescent Programme, TAP – groomed thousands of teenagers to become accomplished in life. TAP gave them a gateway to their sources of livelihood. I can also confirm what the First Lady of Imo state, Nneoma Rochas Okorocha, has been doing with her widowhood foundation. Using it, Mrs. Okorocha has provided modern accommodation – two to three bedroom flats – for scores of widows who, before lived in batchers. And there are the current First Ladies of Kebbi and Niger States, both medical doctors, who are doing tremendous jobs with women and children, health-wise.
So, not being a fan of First Ladies, it was the headline of Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu’s interview that attracted me to read it. “How I survived cancer for 20 years,” it was entitled. I was intrigued. Few women in her status would admit publicly they had cancer. So, I began to read the interview, and couldn’t put it down. She revealed, in the interview, what African women, especially, Nigerian women, rarely talk about. She revealed she went through a masectomy. She said several people, women in particular, advised her not to go through that procedure of cutting off her breast because of her husband. She spurned them. She told them her husband had played enough with her breast and, if that was the only thing that would keep her marriage, she preferred staying alive to the marriage. She needed to be alive and take care of her children. The dead takes care of nobody. She couldn’t stand the thought that she died because she didn’t want to cut off her breast. They said her husband may marry another woman if she cut off her breast. And her response was simple: “Let him marry two more if he desires. But, I will cut off this breast so as to be alive for my children.” In 1997 when this breast cancer came calling, the Ondo First Lady was a young woman, only 44 years old!
The masectomy was not tge only stunner in that interview. She delved into another an almost no-go area for women. “I am older than my husband with about three years,” she said. I was stunned. But she was not done yet.
Asked how she would cope in the Ondo State Government House, being of another tribe, she was quick to respond. “I am an Igbo woman, proud of my roots, married to the love of my life, an Ondo man. We have become one. But people should be ready to hear a lot of “Dalu” in the government house.” Only a sure-footed woman, with lots of self esteem would dare say such things. This Ondo First Lady is in a class of her own.
Fragile looking. Cool. Calm. Calculated. Elegant. Soft-spoken. Petit, almost, her appearance is very deceitful. For, embedded in that fragile frame is a lady I call “A woman of Steel.” She is lion-hearted. But she is also as passionate as she is strong-willed. She holds strong in her beliefs. And Mrs Anyanwu- Akeredolu is bold and fearless when pursuing anything that has to do with the girl-child education and the rights of women.
A native of Emeabiam in the Owerri West LGA, Imo state, she was born to parents who were teachers. She imbibed the spirit of hardwork and independence from her mother who quit teaching because of the meagre salary, to supplement her father’s income. She became a trader instead. In her community then, as in other Igbo communities, it was rare to educate the girl-child. They felt it was a useless venture. Put her in school, they thought, and it would be to the advantage of another family. She would soon get married, and every effort made towards her education would becomes a waste. Her parents loss. Her would-be matrimonial family’s gain, they reasoned.
Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, Ondo State First Lady.
The young Betty’s parents saw it differently. They put her in school. According to her, she was neither seen nor brought up as a girl-child. She was a child. As much a child as her brothers. No difference. After her primary school, she went to Egbu Girl’s Secondary School in the Owerri North LGA. And later, to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she studied Zoology. In doing that, Betty became the first female University graduate in her community. It was at Nsukka that she had her first shock, and perhaps, first fell in love with the Yoruba. While she was billed to become the first female graduate in her community, she was shocked to see that her Yoruba mates had mothers who were already lawyers, medical doctors and engineers. For her, it was a different world altogether. Would that be why she married a Yoruba? Or, just destiny? She parries the question, but quickly admits that when it comes to the rights and education of the girl-child, the Yoruba are far ahead of where she came from. And she wondered, aloud, if her marriage would have lasted for more than one year if she had married an Igbo.
From when she was very young, even though she did not experience such deprivations, Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu was very much aware of the deprivations of the girl-child. Her mother was against female circumcision a done-deal then. And when her husband and his people came for her hand in marriage, her father told them: “I don’t want my daughter maltreated.” Pointing to her room, she told them: “Her room is still there for her.” And it was. And still is. To prove to her people that it is not a waste to train a girl, she is rooted in her community. Every Christmas, she goes to Emeabiam to spend it with her children. Her husband, a man very much at home with her in-laws, used to go with her, until recently. Duty calls. Tight schedule.
Her first job after her graduation and National Youth Service was at the Federal Ministry of Fisheries. But she was exposed to the real world when she went for a course in Philippines. It was there that she learnt about segregation and racism. It was a different world for her. She found out students could relate to their lecturers, freely, and eat with them on same table, argue on issues with them and, have easy access to them. These were unlike what obtained at Nsukka. There, at the time, Lecturers were like thin gods.
She also found out that, yes, blacks could perform better, academically, than Oyinbo, given the same environment and opportunities. And, she came back from Philippines a changed woman – more sure footed, lots of self-esteem, an all-round woman. Her experience helped her to be the woman she is today, especially on two fronts.
When at the age of 44 she was diagonised of breast cancer, she was, naturally, initially traumatised. But she fought back because she wanted to live for her husband, children and family. Because of her education, exposure and enlightenment, she rejected the usual primitive belief that the disease was a curse from an enemy, or an arrow, or an attack targeted at her by women who wanted to take her place in her matrimonial home. So, she rejected the pressure of going to spiritualists, prophets, native doctors, any prayer house. Before she became a victim of cancer, she had read it up. That helped. So, she focused on a hospital – University College Ibadan. There, she met many women suffering from the same ailment, but who wouldn’t discuss it thereafter, at times, out of fear that nobody would marry their daughters. But more annoying to her is the role some Churches are playing.
She is angry with those Churches and Clerics, by whichever name, who deceive women, giving them the impression that cancer is curable with the use of olive oil, white handkerchiefs or praying while laying a hand on the breast of the victim. She says they are sending many women to their early graves and urges the government to do something about such deceits. “This can’t be happening in the 21st century. Go to the hospital as soon as it is detected. Get treatment and follow-up with prayers. Nobody is after you. Cancer is not programmed. It is not an attack,” she admonishes.
Her cancer experience led her to establish a Cancer Foundation – BRECAN – long before she became the First Lady of Ondo State. With BRECAN, she has saved the lives of many women. Becoming the First Lady offered her a larger platform than she had. Now, she is partnering with many national and international organisations and institutions to fight cancer. She is sad that most times, there is no workable cancer equipment in Nigeria, even for Radiotherapy. But very soon, a workable cancer centre will be established in Ondo. She is excited about this and says: “Even if that is the only thing we’ll accomplish, it is enough for me. We need to enlighten our people. Some educated ones are not even enlightened. They believe all kinds of things about cancer.”
And, she has accomplished quite a lot within the short period of her First Ladyship in Ondo state. She founded the Forum of Wives of Ondo State Officials, FOWOSO, a platform she has used to empower women and the girl-child and, yes, boys. Every year, since she founded FOWOSO, she, along with her team, heads to every LGA in the state for talks, enlightenment programmes, and more importantly, empowerment programmes. The women are empowered with sewing machines, grinding machines, farm implements and much more. They are taught how to make washing and bathing soaps, disinfectants, body cream, hair weaving, and wigs. Many young women are taught the art of make-up and the tying of Gele. They have become self-employed. They are also taught how to take care of their children. At every LGA, health officials, including Doctors and Nurses, are present to de-worm children, give them Vitamin A, check people’s blood pressure, and give medication. They also check on, and look after pregnant women there. And there are follow-ups – all for free.
More important, using FOWOSO, she has taught both women and men to be aware of their bodies, especially, to check their breasts. And, she has simplified it by introducing a dance step, SAKEM. While one dances to the infectious rhythm of SAKEM, one checks one’s breast. It is a sight to behold watching both the young and the old, men and women, dancing to SAKEM and, checking their breasts in the process.
But by far, her most important achievement is in the area of ICT/Solar. She, in 2017, established the BEMORE Empowerment Foundation.
From all nooks and crannies of Ondo state, the First Lady brings scores of teenagers together, keeps them in a camp, feeds them, clothes them, and they learn the use of computer and other aspects of technology. At the end, each of them goes home with one Laptop and a certificate. Till date, 700 of them have benefited. And to show her community, Emeabiam, Owerri West, Imo state, that it is not a waste to put the girl-child through school; that when she marries, she does not forget her roots, Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu has also trained 50 of them and given them 50 Laptops. Meaning: 750 teenagers – boys and girls – have been empowered with one Laptop each. That automatically changes their lives. And, they are excited.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu sees her role and those of other women as that of the “softer side of government.” She is right. She is deeply appreciative of her husband for giving her the space to contribute her quota. She appreciates Ondo women and their husbands, and the youths, and especially, the girl child who see her as a role model. She tells the girls: “If I can do it, you can.” And, Ondo women couldn’t be happier than they are. In appreciation, they fondly have pet names for her. Arabinrin. Mama Aketi. Mama Digital World wide. World Class First Lady. And more.
The pet names don’t make her swollen-headed. They don’t make her grow wings. She already has them. She takes accolades in her stride. She just smiles. She is focused on the demystification of Cancer. She is focused on its defeat. She empahsises that it starts from being aware of one’s body. It starts from early detection. She is focused on the girl-child education. She is focused on the aggressive empowerment of women. She is focused on making Ondo youths digital youths. She is focused on her contribution to her husband’s regime as the softer side of government.
And, Ondo Women couldn’t ask for more. They proudly say so themselves.
A total of 2,576 customers of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) have won millions and various gifts at the end of the Bank’s reward scheme tagged ‘’FCMB Millionaire Promo Season 5’’.
The promo, designed to reward and empower customers, ran from March to October this year with four regional and zonal draws, including the grand finale, on November 28, 2018.
Of the 2,576 winners, 16 lucky customers won cash ranging from N1million to N2million, while the remaining 2,560 were rewarded with LED televisions, generating sets, decoders, tablets and smart phones. At the grand finale draws of the ‘’FCMB Millionaire Promo Season 5’’ on November 28, four customers smiled home with N2million each, just as 640 others received gift items.
The promo which targeted all existing savings account customers of FCMB with monthly account balance ranging from N10,000.00 to N50,000.00, was designed to give extra value and empowerment to customers of the Bank, while encouraging financial inclusion and savings culture.
Idi Awawu emerged winner of the star prize of N2million at the Abuja & North regional draw in Abuja, while Simeon Olanrewaju got the same amount at the Lagos Regional Draws held in Otta, a town between Lagos and Ogun state. In the same vein, Obioma Uzonwunne was the lucky winner of N2million at the South-East & South-South Regional draws in Asaba, Delta state and Ajani Mayowa won the same amount at the South-West Regional draws in Akure, Ondo state.
Speaking on the development, the winners expressed gratitude to FCMB for creating opportunities to reward and empower customers through the Millionaire Promo.
In his comment, a Director of the Consumer Protection Council, Mr. Dauda Waja, hailed the Bank for conducting the exercise with integrity and transparency. He said that FCMB followed due process from the beginning of the promo in March till the emergence of the various winners.
Speaking on the promo, the Executive Director, Retail Banking of FCMB, Mr. Olu Akanmu, said with the grand finale of the draws held nationwide, the Bank has fulfilled the promise it made to customers to reward those who participated and qualified for the promo and participated in the four draws organised during the exercise.
“We are encouraged by the huge excitement and participation the Millionaire Promo has continued to receive. Beyond the various prizes won by winners, the fact the promo has provided us with an opportunity to encourage an enduring savings culture, financial inclusion and the empowerment of our customers is very exciting.
We therefore urge members of the public who do not currently have a banking relationship with us to come on board to benefit from the various cutting-edge opportunities that are on offer by the Bank’’, he added.
Mr. Akanmu encouraged the lucky customers, particularly the star prize winners, to make wise use of their prizes, assuring, ‘’you can invest meaningfully and we are ready to offer you free advice if you so wish’’.
First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited is a member of FCMB Group Plc, which is one of the leading financial services institutions in Nigeria with subsidiaries that are market leaders in their respective segments.
Having successfully transformed to a retail banking and wealth management led Group, FCMB expects to continue to distinguish itself through innovation and the delivery of exceptional services.
