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Africa’s Number 1 table tennis player, Aruna Quadri, continues to break new grounds in table tennis and his steely journey to be the best has seen him traverse the world. But so much is being expected of him yet again following his movement from Portugal to Germany, reports OLALEKAN OKUSAN.

He is ranked 20th in the world and Africa’s Number 1, Aruna Quadri is set for a new adventure in Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) in Germany  after his long sojourn in Portugal.

His arrival in the top European League has generated huge excitement and many German table tennis aficionados cannot wait to watch him make his debut on Sunday for his new club – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell.

Quadri is already a familiar face to many German fans following his exploits at the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany and coupled with the famous win over German superstar Timo Boll at Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Many were skeptical in February when the TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell announced they had secured the services of the Oyo State-born athlete but there has been so much buzz in the last one month as many eagerly await his debut in the German Bundesliga.

Even before the kick-off of the new TTBL season, organisers of the league have admitted that the arrival of the Nigerian has increased interest.

President of TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, Stefan Frauenholz, said Quadri’s arrival would boost followership.

“TTC is confident about the new season; Quadri Aruna is a world Top 20 player. The Nigerian has not lost a game in Portugal in six years. He plays very attractive table tennis and I think fans will enjoy him a lot,” Frauenholz said.

Speaking in the same vein, spokesperson of TTBL Patrick Wichmann, noted that Quadri’s transfer to the Bundesliga has attracted the attention of table tennis fans in Germany.

“We are very happy to have Quadri in the TTBL. As a league, we have felt the national interest which his transfer has attracted, including international media response,” explained Wichmann. “Quadri is a global table tennis brand; we are very happy to have him in the TTBL and looking forward to his debut this month.

“In TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell he is replacing Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar, who played two seasons with the team. Now it will be exciting to see how fast Quadri gets used to the action in the strongest league in Europe,” Wichmann added.

But it has taken a long route for Quadri to arrive at the world stage starting from his humble beginning in the ancient Oyo town with some twists and turns along the way.

The journey from Oyo town

Aruna Quadri is the last child of his mother, a teacher, Madam Shakirat Aruna, from the ancient town of Oyo, South West Nigeria.

Children of teachers in Nigeria usually have it tougher when it comes to academic performance with the society in general often expecting them to do far better than others. Doing sports is out of it for most children of teachers as their parents somehow mistaken any sporting streak with academic laziness-which is therefore often harshly reprimanded. Such was the background from which Quadri emerged.

But he was lucky though as he enjoyed maternal support and he started playing table tennis as a kid in the ancient Town of Oyo where he was fond of watching proceedings at a table tennis hall.

A former player turned coach, Abolarin Oluwole, who is credited with discovering Quadri spoke about the humble beginning: “I knew Quadri Aruna as far back as 1998 when he used to accompany his senior brother, Femi who was also a good player to the table tennis hall in Oyo.

“Their house was beside the hall and he used to peep through the door to watch us play but when I discovered he had interest in the sport, I started inviting him to the hall to play.

“I was then an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan (UI) and I used to assign him to be in charge of the hall whenever I am not around. He was trustworthy as he took great care of the hall for me.

“Before I started training him I had to inform his mother who gave me the permission and he did not lag behind in his studies. He was very dedicated to table tennis and I saw determination in him. Whenever they were about to take examinations in school, his mother would come to inform me not to allow him to come around the hall,” Oluwole added.

Madam Shakirat Aruna picked up the narrative:  “It was his senior brother that first started playing the game. But when he started playing table tennis, I supported him too.

“The owner of the table tennis board, Oluwole, appealed to me to allow him to play. I agreed with the hope that it would not affect his studies.

“There was a time I had to caution Oluwole not to allow table tennis ruin my son’s studies not knowing that this is what will bring fame and fortune to him.

“I must say that Quadri is a promised child because nobody knew he would become famous with table tennis,” the retired teacher said.

Quadri started primary education at LA School New Durban and later proceeded to Oba Adeyemi Grammar School in Oyo Town, Quadri was outstanding in his studies.

A table tennis coach in Oyo Town, Isa Ayoola, who was also there for Quadri at the start of his career, said he was happy that his former player has excelled on the world stage.

“I never knew that Quadri could go far but I knew he was a determined player from the outset,” Ayoola told The Nation. “Whenever he lost a match he was fond of meeting older players to assess his performance and review his mistakes.”

Aruna started table tennis in 1999 in Oyo Town and his first national competition was in 2000 when he became the national cadet champion in Lagos. His performance earned him a call-up to the Oyo State team to the 2004 National Sports Festival where he claimed bronze in the men’s singles. He was also at the 2006 National Sports Festival in Ogun tagged “Gateway Games” where he made it to the final but was defeated by veteran Segun Toriola.

The feat in Ogun prompted the then Chairman of Lagos State Table Association (LSSA), Wahid Enitan Oshodi, to invite him for competitions in Lagos where he joined the Union Bank Table Tennis Club, a team that also supported his growth in the sport.

Rising to global fame

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Quadri is regarded as the most successful table tennis player from Africa at the Olympic Games.

At Rio 2016 Olympic Games, he defied all odds to defeat former world number one, Timo Boll of Germany to hit the quarterfinal in the men’s singles table tennis.

Prior to the Rio feat, Quadri had been named the World Player of the Year by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in 2014 – the first and only African player till date to have won the gong since its inception in 2013.

His victory at the 2017 Polish Open made him the first African to claim an ITTF tournament title outside Africa.

But Quadri actually announced himself to Africa in 2009 when he won the African Cup to qualify for the ITTF World Cup in Russia.

With support from Oshodi, he made his ITTF World Tour debut in 2009 in Kuwait and Qatar as a tune up to the World Cup in Russia. His sterling performance in Russia caught the attention of global table tennis kits firm, Joola, which signed him up for equipment support. Prior to his movement to Europe in 2010, Quadri played in the Iran elite league for BIPC Table Tennis club for four months.

From 2010, he moved to Portugal to play for Associacao Recreativa Novelense (ARN) in the Portugal elite table tennis league.  From their ranking as underdog, Quadri lifted ARN to finish second in the league. The next season he was snapped up by Grupo Desportivo Toledos another Portuguese club and he featured for the team for two seasons, leading them to their first league title. While at GD Toledos, he signed up for Jura Morez in the French league and played for one season.

The leading Portuguese side Sporting decided to sign the Nigerian in 2015 and for five seasons, he led the team to claim the titles in the league and he was unbeaten in the league since joining Sporting.

Quadri has made an indelible mark on the continental and world table tennis since gaining global limelight in 2014 when he became the first African player to win the prestigious ITTF world table tennis player of the year award.

Quadri’s defeat of the Frenchman Antoine Hachard in the Men’s Single final match of the ITTF Nigeria Open in August 2018 must count as the icing on the cake of yet another brilliant year in which he was also crowned 2018 Sportsman of the Year at the annual Nigerian Sports Award.

In September 2018 at the ITTF African Championship in Mauritius, Quadri proved his worth against the best players on the continent. Aside leading Nigeria to dethrone Egypt in the men’s team event, he fought his way to the final to claim the title, which had eluded him for four years.

His overall success is evidenced by the April 2020 ranking of the international Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on which the Nigerian ranked among the top 20. In the August 2018 ranking, Quadri became the first Nigerian – and the second African – to make the top 18 rating in the monthly ranking of the world table tennis ruling body, after rising from 20 to 18.

At club level, Quadri for five years represented Sporting of Portugal and contributed to his team’s impressive performance of a semi-final berth at their maiden outing in the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Champions League. He leads the Portuguese side in their second outing in the competition.

Stardom and keeping it humble

Whether playing for his club or Nigeria, Quadri’s humble carriage, graceful play and heartfelt acknowledgement of the crowd even in the most difficult moments of any match, continue to make him the table tennis aficionado’s delight as his fan-base steadily soars within and outside Africa.

Yet Quadri acknowledges the fact that he is a role model for many young athletes not just in table tennis but across all sports.

He told The Nation: “I am conscious of the kind of impact I can have on the lives of a lot of people across the world. So for me, I ensure I remain positive and a good ambassador of my country wherever I find myself.

“All these successes mean I must redouble my efforts in training and continue to compete in major competitions across the globe. I will not be carried away by my profile. I’m humbled by it and remain focused on maintaining my status in the global rating.”

A rare gem in table tennis

Former President of Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), Oshodi, described Quadri as a rare gem and a pride to Nigeria and the African continent at large.

“Quadri is humble and has this hunger to be the best,” Oshodi said: “Most top athletes have these qualities but in Quadri, I found a player who had an extraordinary amount of belief that he would make it to the top and become a national team player.

“Whenever he loses in any event, he comes back stronger. He is always willing to put in the work to learn and better himself across all spheres.

“In table tennis, school and life, he wants to keep improving. He wants to know how he could improve himself all the time. He always bounced back from every setback and never got carried away with his success. He may not be the most talented athlete of his age group but he is the most determined.”

Meanwhile, Oshodi has charged upcoming players to take a cue from the 2019 Nigeria Open champion, painstaking hard work and perseverance are ingredients for success.  “There is no shortcut to success but patience, hard-work, discipline and respect for your sport and your body allied to talent will lead to the top.

“Quadri is at the top table of world table tennis now coming a long way from Oyo; it is because he had managed to stay true to those qualities,” Oshodi stressed.

Laurels and awards

Titles

2009      African Cup         Winner

2014      Africa Top 16 Cup             Winner

2016      Africa Top 16 Cup             Winner

2016      Olympic Games  Quarterfinalist

2017      African Cup         Winner

2017      Polish Open         Winner

2018      African Championship     Winner

2018      Nigeria Open      Winner

2019      Nigeria Open      Winner

2018      Commonwealth Games  Silver

Awards

2013      Ball Sports Personality of the Year, Nigerian Sports Award

2014      Ball Sports Personality of the Year, Nigerian Sports Award

2014      Athlete of tahe Year, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)

2014      International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Star Player

2014      International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Star Point

2017      Nigeria Sportsman of the Year

2017      New Telegraph, Sportsman of the Year

2018      Nigeria Sportsman of the Year

From Bisi Olaniyi, Benin

The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, has asked politicians to rein in their “thugs” and refrain from pre-election violence in the run-up to the September 19 governorship election in Edo State.

He urged politicians to give peace a chance, saying occupying a public office should not be a do-or-die affair.

The first-class monarch spoke in his palace yesterday at a parley with the governorship candidates of the 14 parties in the election and other top politicians in the state.

He said he had been having sleepless nights for some days over violence and thuggery in the state.

The two main contenders – Governor Godwin Obaseki, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu – embraced at the Benin palace.

Also in attendance at the peace meeting were Edo Deputy Governor and Obaseki’s running mate Philip Shaibu; APC deputy governorship candidate Mallam Gani Audu; former national chairmen of APC/ex-governors of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Adams Oshiomhole.

The Southsouth Zonal Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih; Edo Chairman of APC, Col. David Imuse (rtd.) and his PDP counterpart, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi; among other top politicians, were also at the meeting.

The Oba of Benin said: “Today (yesterday) is a historic and significant day in the history of Benin Kingdom. From the ancient throne of Benin Kingdom, we appreciate your respect and we also respect you. Those who are falling short should respect the tradition of the Benin Kingdom.

“I have noted that Benin’s (Edo State’s) politics has been in the news for quite some time for all the wrong reasons. I have been having sleepless nights for some days. We are all from Edo State. We are not strangers.

“I became so worried when the conflict between Oshiomhole and Obaseki started. I have a personal relationship with almost everybody here (at the palace). I am not sure I will call (Phillip) Shaibu my son again, because of the way he (Shaibu) is going. Shaibu refused to honour his assurances to me. You do not say something to me and you go against it.

“Why do you want lives to be lost by arming thugs, who will later hide the guns? Enough is enough. Let the September 19 governorship election in Edo State be peaceful. Be mature and be proud of Edo State. Do not make Edo State a laughing stock.

“Shaibu, behave yourself. Calm down. I learnt you control thugs. Tell your boys to a ceasefire and drop their arms. Let your boys calm down. Must it be a do-or-die affair? Do not turn Benin into a city of thugs. Do not kill yourselves, because of public office. Stop the shootings. I am very sad about what is happening in Edo State. This is the worst scenario. Let us eschew violence and give peace a chance.”

The eminent monarch said there must be a violence-free environment, ahead of the crucial election, to shame people, who would want to laugh at Edo people.

He said there must be a positive change after the peace meeting, adding that emphasis must be placed on peace and tranquility.

Recalling the genesis of the face-off between Oshiomhole and Obaseki, the Oba of Benin said: “I had some memorable times with Oshiomhole as governor. People were asking me who would take over from Oshiomhole in 2016. I asked Oshiomhole to propose not to impose whom he had in mind as his successor, but he said he was still thinking about it, promising to let me know at the appropriate time.

“Two or three weeks later, Oshiomhole came back to me and said he had thought about it and gave his position with analysis. I will not bother you with the details. He mentioned three aspirants, but he zeroed in on Obaseki. Oshiomhole gave the strongest reasons in the world, why it must be Obaseki and nobody else; particularly that he was then the chairman of his economic team. I was not against Oshiomhole’s choice and the imposition of Obaseki, but I said no word.

“Halfway into my seeing off Oshiomhole that day, he stopped and asked why I said nothing about his choice of Obaseki. I told him I would give my opinion in future. Some royal members of Obaseki’s family and many other persons were against Obaseki’s choice by Oshiomhole. I am keeping some sensitive parts out.

“Again, after three weeks, Oshiomhole came to me, but I said I still had no opinion. I told him that his decision on Obaseki was not a proposal, but an imposition. That was why I had no opinion. Oshiomhole said Obaseki would do much better than him and continue his legacy projects.

“Oshiomhole invited Alhaji Aliko Dangote to speak with me on his choice of Obaseki. Dangote came to Uselu (in Benin) and he spoke with me on Obaseki for over one hour, but I kept quiet. Oshiomhole and Obaseki also visited me in Uselu, but I still kept quiet.

“Since Oshiomhole brought only one governorship aspirant (Obaseki), I had no choice. I knew Obaseki when I was in Atlanta, USA.

“Dangote stood as a guarantor for Obaseki to be of good behaviour and that if Obaseki misbehaved, I should contact him (Dangote). I still kept quiet.

“Oshiomhole and Obaseki were initially very close. What I thought was going to be a smooth ride, turned to unprecedented conflict. I tried to intervene several times and I went to President Muhammadu Buhari over the matter.

“At a point, both of them started avoiding me, but I kept praying for Oshiomhole and Obaseki for God to resolve the problem between them, but it kept deteriorating. Family members can quarrel, but there must be resolution today (yesterday). You are all Benin palace family members.

“I cannot have you fighting. I want to plead with the politicians to sheathe their swords because the international community is watching. We have done traditional prayers to avert violence before, during and after the September 19 governorship election. I am pleading with Edo politicians to control youths and their thugs.

“I do not expect John Odigie-Oyegun to be on either side, but to call both sides to a ceasefire. Enough is enough. Let the election be peaceful. Dan Orbih, please do your best to reduce the temperature in Edo State. Let there be peace and tranquility because everybody is afraid. Show respect to the traditional institution, without lip service, just to get votes.

“Odigie-Oyegun, my in-law, I will hold you responsible, if you do not use your elder-statesmanship status to stop the violence in Edo State.”

The first-class monarch said there was the need for the 14 governorship candidates and their running mates to debate, to sell their manifestos, instead of fighting, while asking the governorship candidates to give him an undertaking that they and their supporters would not engage in violence.

Obaseki said he swore an oath to protect the lives and property of Edo residents, which he noted he would always do, as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the state.

He said he would try his best to ensure peace.

Shaibu said: “I will do as you (Oba of Benin) have directed, by telling my boys to calm down.”

Ize-Iyamu hailed the monarch for the timely initiative and intervention.

He said he and other APC leaders would speak with their supporters to always give peace a chance, as they had been doing.

Speaking at 12:28 pm, he walked up to Obaseki, whom he described as his elder brother and embraced him.

Orbih said it would be in the interest of the people of Edo State to ensure peace before, during and after the September 19 governorship election.

Oshiomhole said he had been preaching free and fair governorship election, with emphasis to be placed on one man, one vote, without violence.

He described himself as a product of peaceful election, winning in the 18 local governments.

Oshiomhole hailed the Oba of Benin for the peace efforts. Odigie-Oyegun assured the monarch of a peaceful election. The one-time governor said he would continue to speak with all political actors in the state.

From Victor Oluwasegun and Tony Akowe Abuja

Nigeria and Ghana are on the part of a smooth relationship again as speakers met on Wednesday in Accra on the frosty relationship between the two countries.

Speaker of House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila said after meeting Ghanaian’s Speaker Mike Oquaye that he was optimistic of a mutually acceptable resolution of the rift.

Gbajabiamila also met with the leadership of Nigerian traders in Ghana who narrated their ordeal in the hands of Ghanaian government officials.

Ghajabiamila is on a two-day trip with the Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Buba Yusuf; Chairman, Committee on Media, Benjamin Kalu; member of ECOWAS Parliament, Bayo Balogun; Ikenna Elezieanya, Ephraim Nwuzi and Balarabe Shehu.

According to a statement by Special Adviser to the Speaker, the Ghanaian speaker said: “I trust in the next two days we will bring a beautiful reunion to our two nations.”

Gbajabiamila thanked his counterpart for the warm welcome. He also expressed optimism that within the next two days of discussions, an end to the dispute would be found.

He was quoted to have said: “Nigeria and Ghana are more like Siamese twins. Brothers will always have squabbles, healthy ones; national interest on both sides  will always come to play but it’s not the misunderstanding that matters, it’s how you resolve it that counts.

“In Africa, you cannot talk about Nigeria without talking about Ghana and you cannot talk about Ghana without talking about Nigeria. It has therefore  become incumbent on us as parliamentarians to bring to bear this concept of legislative diplomacy for fruitful results.

“The weight and burden of our international relationship rest actually on parliamentary shoulders and it is my hope that we will, in two days, reach some resolutions that will settle both countries.”

The Speaker and his delegation thereafter made their way to the Nigerian High Commission where they met with leaders of the Nigerian Union of Traders and selected stakeholders.

According to the statement, the leader of the Nigerian traders, Chief Chukwuemeka Nnaji, informed the delegation  that they had since 2007 been subjected to a lot of hardship by the Ghanaian authorities.

Nnaji told the team that despite complying with laid down laws by Ghana, they  were always the target  of harsh treatments.

He added that even when their trades are registered with appropriate agencies and their their taxes paid as and when due, the Ghanaian authorities still ill-treated them.

Nnaji claimed that the offices  and shops of some of them that paid the latest $1m trade registration fees imposed by the Ghahaian authorites, are still under lock and key.

He added that some Nigerian operators of about 250 shops locked up by the authorities had passed on as a result of losses and hardship.

While the federal government may be commended for bringing down the rate of cross border activities through its border closure in the last one year, the average businessman and communities in the affected border towns are continually praying for the lifting of the closure due to its attendant hardship on socio-economic activities at the border settlements, report, MUYIWA LUCAS, ADAMU SULEIMAN, YINKA ADENIRAN and AUGUSTINE OKEZIE, after a tour of the country’s four border posts affected by the closure

NOTHING could have been more devastating to Kenneth Agwu, a middle-aged Nigerian trader who plied his trade between Nigeria and Benin republic. For Agwu, the event of August 20, 2019, has remained a game-changer for his business and continued survival.

Agwu, who traded in second-hand clothing materials, was on his way from his business trip to Cotonou, Benin Republic, only to be refused entry into Nigeria at the Seme Border. Reason: the Nigerian border with the Benin Republic and three others out of the country’s six geo-political zones had just been closed to trade movement.

The closure, which was announced under the codename: Ex-Swift Response, was announced by the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali, a retired army colonel. The move was part of efforts to tackle smuggling and associated corruption, including spurring the domestic agricultural industry and combating the fight against crime and insurgency.

Counting the gains

For Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, the closed border has drastically reduced incidents of cattle rustling, kidnapping, armed banditry and other forms of insecurity in the Northwest.

“The drill has drastically curtailed the inflow of arms and ammunition. Bandits and terrorists are finding it hard to procure arms and ammunition, hence we have recorded a reduction in cases of cattle rustling, kidnapping and armed banditry, which were predominant in the Northwest,” he said, while leading a Federal Government delegation on a visit to Sector Four (Northwest) of the Border Drill, last December.

That is not all. He also disclosed that the smuggling of petroleum products, which had also been prominent through the borders in the Northwest, had been curtailed due to the closure of filling stations along the border.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has also said the closed borders have been a blessing to the Service and the country at large. For instance, within two months of commencement of the exercise, the Joint Border Operation Drill, Sector 3, said it has recorded gains by improving security and economy of the country in less than two months of the inauguration. Sector three of the task force covers Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Niger states of Northcentral.

The customs also claimed huge success from the border closure, announcing daily revenue of N7 billion revenue from a previous N4.5 billion daily revenue.

The President of National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero, thinks that while the border closure is against international treaties and protocols Nigeria entered into willingly, the action has proved to be the most potent approach to tackling the several years of massive smuggling of goods from Nigeria’s neighbouring countries into Nigeria and smuggling of Nigerian fuel to those countries.

Low business activities

Visits by The Nation to the various border communities affected by the closure reveal that the communities are now a mere shadow of their former selves. Across the four border towns closed, commercial activities are at its lowest ebb- a sharp contrast from what obtained a year ago. Small and middle-level businesses and owners are still feeling the heat caused by the closure.

For instance, activities at the popular Illela border, which separates Nigeria and the neighbouring Niger Republic in the eastern axis of Sokoto State, have not been the same since the closure of borders a year ago. The effect is felt more with those dealing in local ‘household’ items. At the Illela International Market, commercial activities have become a shadow of its former self. The peak period of the market, which used to be on Sund

Alli

ays when traders from both the Niger Republic and Sokoto State converge for business activities, is no longer the same- a direct effect of the border closure.

Jibia Traders who ply Katsina –Jibia road for their businesses lament the huge extortion of money from them, which they claim at times run as high as N25,000 per vehicle, by men of Nigerian Customs service stationed at the various checking points on the Jibia-Katsina road.

The Leader of the traders Association and former President of the National Association of Katsina State Students, Comrade Nasiru Almustapha Danye Jibia, while answering questions on the impact of the b

order closure on their economic lives, said the harassment of the Nigerian Customs Service personnel operating along Katsina- Jibia road have shut up the cost of operating business in the area. He said businessmen and women in the town are facing hurdles after hurdles from the Customs officers stationed on the road.

He said: “Any businessman taking his goods to Jibia from Katsina would tell you that he has to part with a huge sum of money because the Customs officers would unnecessarily ask for a bribe before they allow you to pass with the goods.

“We don’t know if there has been any new law that bans doing business in our town because it’s a border town but even if there is a law, the people should have been informed.”

Increased smuggling

While strict compliance appears to reign at the main border posts, businesses still thrive at some bush paths and sundry illegal entry points, w

here unscrupulous security operatives work hand-in-hand with smugglers to bring in contraband goods into the country.

Although official border posts are shutdown, nothing seems to have stopped as movements of goods and services through illegal routes created by smugglers in collaboration with some security operatives have continued to thrive.

For instance, when The Nation visited the Katsina State border with the Niger Republic, smuggling activities are still going on though through illegal routes every day. An Immigration official told The Nation that there are over 1000 illegal routes in the state, with more created each day. Goods worth millions of naira are smuggled into and outside Katsina State daily.

There are four recognised border posts with the Niger Republic – Magama in Jibia, Kongolom in Maiadua, Babban Mutum in Baure and Dankama in Kaita local government areas of the state. Of the four, however, the busiest and crime-prone is the Magama – Jibia. Commuters and smugglers use several sandy roads passing through rocks and farmlands to ferry people and contraband items across the border.

A visit to Kongolom and Magama Jibia borders by one of our correspondent showed that though the borders have been barricaded, with officials turning back vehicles and motorcycles, at the border in Magama Jibia, people and vehicles were moving unhindered to access the neighbouring Faru and Dan Isa towns in the Niger Republic. Settlements like Bayan Bariki, Government Day Secondary School, Magama, Dan Arau, Rainin Wayo, Alele, Korama, Gadirge, Sabon Garin Magama, Makada and Mai Dabarau, all in Jibia Local Government Area, have become common routes for smuggling activities. At Kongolom, Maiadua Local Government Area, most smugglers of rice use local routes from Maimaje, Botsotsuwa, Tsatsumburum and Yekuwa settlement, all in the Niger Republic use motorcyclists for passage.

Survival strategies

For now, with commercial activities grounded in these towns, survival has become challenging for the inhabitants. The Nation gathered that some members of the border communities are now being enlisted as informants and agents by smugglers to facilitate their illegal businesses, especially of rice.

“Things are becoming extremely difficult for impoverished Nigerians to feed. We need robust policies that can practically change the narrative to better local production of rice while the government softens alternative measure to ensure availability of the commodity,” a trader in the Seme town, Ramota Oseni, said.

A resident of Illela, who simply identified himself as Mallam Sheu, told this reporter that to survive the hardship arising from the situation, “we are forced to be involved in the smuggling business which pays more; though, it has reduced but not stopped. When the borders were not closed, things were going on smoothly without hitches. I have children and two wives that I have to feed. I can’t sit without sourcing for what to eat. It is not easy”.

In the border towns of Katsina State, the youths are also smiling to the bank daily from their illicit trading activities. Big-time smugglers and businessmen often engage youths to operate. The youths, locally known as “Rai Banza,” are paid N1, 000 to ferry a bag of rice across the border. Others get the same amount to move it from Jibia town to Katsina metropolis. They operate on motorcycles and are sometimes seen in large numbers or individually, passing through longer routes to evade Customs officers. Instead of going through the Jibia-Katsina road, they move to Batsari Local Government before linking Katsina to deliver the rice.

Security personnel, including soldiers, policemen, Customs and immigration officials, according to residents, continue to smile home with money after their operations at the 13 checkpoints from Jibia to Katsina metropolis.

A motorcyclist involved in smuggling activities said those of them engaged in the business understand the risks and dangers, though their only problem is when the security operatives refused to cooperate with them at the checkpoints.

He said: “Unless one refused to pay the bribe for each category of items or when it is time for the officials to sacrifice you as a scapegoat, they will arrest you in the name of smuggling.”

Security personnel

A source in Seme border town told The Nation that “some of the security personnel are compromised due to their familiarity with some of the smugglers. We know some of them who can easily be compromised and we bribe them to sail through. Though, we have paid agents too who inform us of the presence of security personnel on certain routes.”

Similarly, residents of Oyo border town, Saki, said the border closure has presented a huge opportunity for security operatives to line their pockets at the expense of the country’s desire to either encourage local production of rice and other commodities, as well as having bumper revenue.

In recent times, a series of clashes had erupted between suspected rice smugglers and security operatives who were accused of engaging in double-dealing with smugglers. According to sources, rather than close the border in line with government directives, the security operatives collect money from the rice dealers and allow them to bring the commodity into town, which accounts for why imported rice is still abundant in the market.

In the last couple of weeks, at least three people have died and property destroyed on account of violent clashes and reprisal attack between residents of Saki and members of the Joint Task Force attached to the region. In the most recent fracas in the area, at least two residents and one customs officer lost their lives on account of supposed border safety activities.

“The whole community is in a sombre mood as we speak. Yes, on a good day, imported rice is contraband but notwithstanding there are no serious jobs for the teeming youths in the whole region. That is the business that many people survive on. I have my first and second degree but nothing to use it for in this region. Almost all the people engaging in smuggling in Saki area are all graduates and the least of them have their NCE certificate but there is no alternative in the whole region, most of them felt that is the only business for survival,’ a source said.

Response

NCS Oyo/Osun Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Abiola Abdullahi-Lagos, said the command was not aware that its officers were receiving a bribe to aid smuggling.

President Buhari

He said “As far as we are concerned, the management is not a party to that, we do not have hand in that and we are not even in the know of such. Oyo/Osun Area Command is an enforcement area and we are trying our best to see that we enforce the law to the letter.”

He said the operatives and men of the Command remain committed to their duties of securing the borders from illegal activities.

Officials at the Sokoto Area Command of the service, which comprised Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, declined to comment on the issue.

The Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Katsina Command, Isah

Danbaba, refused to respond to The Nation’s enquiries, saying only the PRO, Customs Headquarters, Abuja could speak on the issues.

Rising concerns

But, despite the closure, Nigerians are worried that contraband goods still litter the country’s local markets. Besides, the humongous seizures being declared regularly by the Customs call for concern. Similarly, a Nigerien reportedly carrying a sack got trapped in a flooded canal which almost drowned him along the border coast in Gada local government area of Sokoto state. After he was rescued, the residents discovered that the sack he was carrying contained three arms, leading to an irate mob snuffing life out of the man whom they suspect to be a runner for bandits.

Can it, therefore, be said that the security reasons cited for the border closure have been achieved? The recent query by President Muhammadu Buhari to security chiefs on how terrorists in the North East get a supply of arms and ammunitions despite the closure of the nation’s borders with neighbouring countries remains a sore point in the closure.

August 31, 2020

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Emmanuel Uja

The proprietor of Excel Grace Secondly School Akaajime, Gboko Pastor Emmanuel Apeh has told The Nation that those who kidnapped him regretted their action.

Pastor Emmanuel Apeh was abducted by unknown gunmen on Thursday night, August 27, 2020, in his Church premises at about 8 pm, in Akaajime, Gboko, Benue state.

He was forced on a motorcycle and taken to an unknown destination.

He however regained freedom on Saturday night at about 10 pm where he was dropped along Buruku- Wannune road, near Wannune town, Tarka Local Government Area in Benue state.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Nation shortly after he regained freedom, Pastor Apeh said his adductors blindfolded and kept him in a thatched house.

“I don’t know the location they took me to but they blindfolded me and keep me in a lonely thatch house,” he said

He added, “Any time they were leaving the room, they will ask me to open my eyes, but once they are coming they will again ask me to close my eyes.”

He stated further that, the kidnappers went through his phone and discovered only #30,000 in the school account and #500 only in his personal account.

According to the Gboko school proprietor before he was kidnapped he distributed palliatives to the fewer privileges in Gboko and the kidnappers thought that he was rich and had money in the bank.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: Kidnapped Benue school proprietor regains freedom

Pastor Apeh disclosed that the food items he distributed were meant for the students of his school but found out the there was a lot of suffering in the land due to the lockdown occasion by COVID 19 so he decided to distribute the items to the downtrodden in Gboko .

“My abductors regretted their action because they found out that I was engaged in charity work and has helped a lot of people and blamed their informants for giving them the wrong information.

He said his abductors were educated as they spoke sound English saying they gave him food and he ate because he was on drugs and advised the government to create job opportunities because ” An idle mind is a devil workshop”

Pastor Apeh disclosed further after he was released” We met at pastors level and resolved that the gospel of Jesus should be extended to the rural communities so that more soul would be won for Christ and criminality discouraged.

Pastor Emmanuel Apeh

On whether he would still continue with his charity work despite his abduction “Pastor answered yes I’m more encouraged to continue to impact positively on the lives of the less privileged in the society more than ever.

“We have also prayed for the kidnappers to repent and embrace Christ and attributed his released as the handwork of God.”

August 31, 2020

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By Kelvin Osa Okunbor, Precious Igbonwelundu and Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

The Quorum Aviation Bell 206 helicopter, which crashed in Lagos on Friday, flew in from Port Harcourt to position itself for prospective hire and reward otherwise known as charter.

The chopper was flown by the late Captain Chika Prudence Ernest. The Flight Engineer was Clement Ndiok. On board with the duo was Macaulay Brownson, an aircraft fitter.

The six-seater chopper was one of the aircraft in the fleet of Quorum Aviation Limited owned by Mr Abiola Lawal.

Quorum Aviation Limited (QAL) is an Aviation and Logistics air transportation company. The company operates both Rotary (Helicopters) and Fixed Wing.

Lawal, aka Mr Boku, runs an integrated travel and destination management company.

Quorum Aviation was incorporated in 2011 as an indigenous Aviation Logistics company. The company was set up to pursue opportunities in the Rotary business primarily for oil and gas clients as well as VIP charter services.

The company was awarded the Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in 2018 to engage in commercial Aviation services.

‘We have valid air operators’ certificate, insurance cover’

• Lawal…the aircraft owner

Quorum Aviation Limited on Sunday said the helicopter had Air Operators’ Certificate (AOC) and insurance cover.

The airline, in a statement, said:  “All our certificates and approvals are current and valid as issued by the authorities following due process.”

A letter by Director, Operations and Training, NCAA, Capt. Abdullahi Maikano Sidi and dated August 2, 2020, shows that the airline’s AOC is valid till November 20, 2020.

The statement went on: “For the avoidance of doubt, Quorum Aviation Limited is a responsible corporate entity that adheres to and complies with all the rules and regulations pertaining to the aviation industry as laid-out in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (NCAR).

“The company has all the requisite certificates and approvals obtained through a very rigorous process, including inter alia an Air Operator Certificate (AOC), Certificate of Airworthiness (COA) and Insurance. All our certificates and approvals are current and valid as issued by the authorities following due process.”

Pilot breathed for two minutes after crash, says witness

One of the witnesses of Friday’s helicopter crash said the pilot, Captain Ernest Chika, breathed for about two minutes after he was pulled out of the ill-fated chopper.

Mariam Olugbile, a resident of 2, Gafari Balogun Street, who said she was one of those who pulled all three occupants from the crashed helicopter, told The Nation yesterday that Chika stopped breathing two minutes after they brought him out.

• The late Pilot Chika

She added that the helicopter hovered for some time before crashing into the fence of 16A Salvation Road.

Olugbile said people were initially scared to move close to it for fear of explosion.

“I was the one who called 112 immediately it happened. It happened at exactly 12pm but the LASEMA people got to the scene around 12:20 pm. Before they arrived, NEMA officials and one LASTMA officer were already here.

“But when the helicopter crashed, a lot of people rushed near but were afraid of going closer because of an explosion. I gathered courage and moved closer and some other people joined me. That was how we knew they were three people inside.

“The pilot was still breathing. We brought him out and he breathed for two minutes before he stopped. There was an old man beside him who was not breathing when we brought him out. Also, the third man was still alive and we heard he later died in the hospital,” she said.

Friends pay tribute to pilot

A female Facebook user, Shantel Zere Alphonsus, who seemed to have shared a relationship with the late pilot, mourned his sudden exit.

She said: “It is hurting, the pains are much Chika. This is not what you promised me, not this way. I am so helpless. What a harsh way to go. I can’t question God. I pray for your soul, our creator knows best.

“Chika, words can express the pains I am feeling. You promised to come and see me in Jos when you returned from your journey to Lagos just to receive shocking news that you were in a helicopter crash. My goodness! I can’t believe this is happening to me.”

Another friend of the late pilot, Naomi Lengmang, shared an encounter with the late pilot.

She said: “You showed me the cruise button on my Toyota Jeep and taught me how to use it. You made my driving easier, and fun. Missing you son! May God comfort your Mum and Chinwe.”

Timeline of helicopter crashes

2011:

A Nigerian businesswoman, her personal assistant and their Filipino pilot were killed in a helicopter crash in. Josephine Oluwadamilola Kuteyi chartered a helicopter to travel from the commercial capital of Lagos to the central Nigerian city of Ilorin in Kwara State. Kuteyi ran a business in the town of Bacita about 124 miles (200 kilometers) away from Ilorin.

The helicopter hired from OAS helicopters crashed in a hilly area outside Ife-Odan in Osun state about 71 miles (115 kilometers) away from its final destination killing all three occupants.

August 31, 2012:

A Deputy Inspector-General of Police, John Haruna, and three others died in a  helicopter crash in Kabong area of Jos, Plateau State. The AIB released a report  which indicated the medical certificate of the pilot of the Bell 427 Helicopter, with registration number 5NPAL, had expired as of the time of the accident, while the co-pilot was not ‘type-rated on the helicopter.’

The helicopter belonged to the Special Task Force, one of the teams in charge of security in Plateau State.

Akin Olateru, AIB commissioner, also said that the cause of the accident could not be decided due to the investigation that uncovered chains of differences and non-compliance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations.

On December 19, 2012:

A Nigeria Navy helicopter crashed on Saturday at Okoroba Village, in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa. Other victims of the crash were the governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa, and four others on board. The six occupants of the chopper were found dead.

On July 14, 2014:

A Nigerian Air Force Mi-35 Helicopter on a training mission has crashed, the Defence Headquarters said. The helicopter crashed due to technical fault at a location South of Bama, Defence spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, said.

On November 10, 2014:

A military helicopter on surveillance mission has crashed in Damare, a suburb of Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa state. A resident, Jamilu Inuwa, said he saw the chopper go down. “The helicopter crashed in Damare,” he said. “I don’t know if it is a military plane or not.”

On August 12, 2015:

A chartered Bristow helicopter, with registration No. 5NBJQ, flying from Port Harcourt to Lagos crashed into Lagos lagoon in the Oworonshoki axis of the city.

On February 2, 2019:

An Augusta AW139 Helicopter, under management by Caverton Helicopters, was involved in a mishap on landing in Kabba, Kogi State as a result of unusual weather conditions.

The helicopter, which belonged to Caverton, was ferrying Vice President Yemi Osibanjo.  Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on February 3, 2019 began probe into the crash landing of a helicopter conveying Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Kabba, Kogi State.

The NCAA said the investigation was being conducted by the Accident Investigations Bureau (AIB), the statutory agency saddled with the task of investigating such serious incidents and accidents.

By Onimisi Alao, Yola

Adamawa and Taraba States have buried a former governor, Ambassador Bafte Wilberforce Juta.

Juta, who was Governor of defunct Gongola State when Adamawa and Taraba states were together, was interred weekend at his birth place, Pakka, in Maiha local government area of Adamawa State.

Juta, who began his Government House experience as Deputy Governor from 1st October 1979 to 5th May 1983, became Governor on 6th May 1983 and remained the governor till 30th September 1983.

He died on August 15.

Interment ceremonies began for the former Governor on Saturday morning in Yola, at the Jimeta Cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN).

The funeral service was attended by Adamawa Deputy Governor Chief Crowther Seth and his Taraba counterpart, Engr Haruna Manu.

Seth described the late Wilberforce Juta as a personality whose trailblazing records would be difficult to beat.

President of the LCCN, Most Rev Musa Fillibus, said death is not the end of life but the beginning of a spiritual existence and urged everyone to live right with God.

After the funeral service in Yola, dignitaries left for Maiha where the final rights were held in Pakka where the late Bafte Wilberforce Juta was born a little over 76 years ago – 3rd May, 1944.

Juta was a trained teacher who became a headmaster, a principal and a lecturer at different times and obtained his first Master’s degree in 1971.

After leaving office as Governor in 1983, Juta became Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Zimbabwe from 1999-2003.

Agency Reporter

Karma Agagowei, Councillor representing Ward 6 Sagbama Council Area of Bayelsa State, has died from gunshots he sustained while returning from a party congress in Yenagoa.

Agagowei was attacked by gunmen along Opolo while returning from a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ward congress on Saturday night.

Agagowei was taken to two different hospitals, Gloryland Hospital and Federal Medical Centre, Yenogoa but was allegedly denied treatment for lack of a police report.

READ ALSO: Bayelsa West: Kinsmen kick against ex-Gov Dickson’s candidature

He died shortly afterwards.

Another person, who was with Agagowei at the time of the incident, was attacked with machetes by the hoodlums but fled with the injury.

When contacted, spokesperson for the police in Bayelsa, SP Asinim Butswat, said the command had not been briefed on the incident.

(NAN)

• Identities of dead crew members revealed

• NCAA, firm deny chopper wasn’t airworthy

• AIB examines engine parameters, maintenance record, crew flight history

• Sanwo-Olu visits crash site, promises to rebuild damaged structure

 Precious Igbonwelundu; Kelvin Osa Okunbor and Oziegbe Okoeki

NIGERIANS in their thousands on Saturday took to the social media to salute the pilot of the Bell helicopter 206B3 which crashed at Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos on Friday, for his courage and selflessness.

For many of them, Captain Ernest Chika, was a hero for emptying the helicopter’s fuel tank when he sensed trouble and avoiding crashing the aircraft into houses.

His action is believed to have saved many innocent souls and minimised damage at the scene of the accident.

An unconfirmed report said he dedicated his child only a week before he met his death.

His employers and operators of the helicopter, Quorum Aviation, dismissed reports that the chopper was not airworthy, while the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) continued it probe of the accident.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State visited the scene of the accident yesterday to personally assess the situation.

He pledged to repair the buildings damaged by the chopper.

In one of the tributes to Chika, Rita Umeh said the late pilot deserves Nigeria’s highest honour for taking actions to minimise casualties.

She wrote: “What a tragedy! This pilot, Captain Chika Ernest, deserves Nigeria’s highest honour. He flew the Quorum Aviation helicopter which crashed in the middle class Opebi, Lagos neighbourhood, Friday 28th August 2020.

“Captain Chika, knowing a crash was imminent, emptied the chopper’s fuel tank to avoid explosion on impact. He then crashed on a fence, deliberately avoiding the roof and houses to minimise casualties. He himself died after being rushed to the hospital.”

Imoh Umoren said Chika was a brave man who, even in the face of death, decided to minimise causalities by emptying the fuel tanks of the helicopter.

One Ifechidera wrote: “I want to celebrate this Captain Chika! He averted what would have been a bigger tragedy, emptying his fuel tank, and crashing into a wall. How many think of humanity even in their last minutes? Rest in Peace, Chika! You served well.”

Jonathan Nnamdi said: “My heart bleeds for this loss. He considered others and did all that was within his control to save other lives (within few seconds quick decision moment)…”

Ozzy Etomi hoped that the pilot’s heroic efforts to minimise the loss of lives are remembered and commemorated.

John Peter said: “What you did before that crash is heroic. You saved a lot of lives while losing yours. That’s what heroes do, and you are one. Rest in peace, Captain Chika.”

To Deolu Adefisan, the pilot’s act was legendary, brave, kind hearted. He added that Chika deserved more.

Josephine Francis wrote: “Rest in peace Captain Chika. Heard you considered others first before yourself. My condolences to your loved ones.”

An industry expert said: “The pilot was a man of honour. Eyewitnesses said he manœuvred the copter from crashing into a school.

“He must have thought about the SS3 students writing WASSCE. Eyewitnesses also said he further manœuvred the copter from crashing on residential buildings till the craft dropped and crashed into the fence in between two buildings.

“When the news broke yesterday (Friday), my mind ran wild about ground casualties but later learnt not a cockroach died on ground.

“This is so astounding when one thinks about other craft that crashed in residential areas. It’s also unbelievable that there was no explosion from the crash.

“How the pilot did that remains a mystery known to him alone. My sincere condolences go to his family and the families of the two other deceased persons. ”

A childhood friend of Chika, Gloria Ugolee, said of him: “Always looking out for others. My brother and friend since primary school said he was in Port Harcourt just this week, and now he is gone…I miss you is an understatement.

“John 11:23-25 my only consolation.”

Ugolee had claimed that the hospital where Chika was rushed to after he was extricated from the wreckage of the crashed helicopter delayed his treatment because it wanted to see police report first.

The claim sparked an outrage from many quarters.

She appeared to have modified the post later on Instagram to read: “Chika is gone. No, I cannot confirm if it was the police report or something else. I wasn’t there.

“When I asked last night about his condition, that is what I was told.

“He is gone. We are all sad that he survived the crash but didn’t make it through.

“It truly will be unfair to blame anyone out of grief. Please, let us allow the family to grief.”

The Director General (DG) Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, and the police denied the claim that Chika was denied treatment because of non-presentation of police report.

Oke-Osanyintolu said: “Does it even make sense? I was at the scene, the police and our collaborators were there.

“We work with medical workers, nurses and paramedics who operate the ambulances. So, tell me, is it possible that emergency workers will rush victims to the hospital and they will deny them treatment for police report?

“We recovered the pilot and mechanic dead. The engineer was unconscious and rushed to LASUTH where he later died. People should be mindful of the things they say in situations such as this.”

Lagos Police Command spokesman Bala Elkana said: “That is a careless and baseless lie. It is like saying the government took an injured person to the hospital and the hospital told the government to get police report. We will investigate and unravel the person behind that post.

“Our people must stop saying things that are capable of causing trouble, especially when they know such tales are false.”

The crash also claimed the lives of Flight Engineer Clement Ndiok and the aircraft technician, Macaulay Brownson.

Brownson was initially rescued alive but critically injured.

He was rushed to the hospital for treatment but died soon afterwards.

The helicopter was on its way from Port Harcourt and crashed a couple of minutes before its scheduled touch down at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport,Ikeja.

 Ill-fated chopper was air worthy -sources

Sources close to the operators of the helicopter, Quorum Aviation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Saturday dismissed claims that the chopper was declared non- airworthy in 2017 by the regulatory authority.

Sources also said information suggesting that the aircraft was used in the past by different airline operators to dupe the regulator into issuing it an Air Operators’ Certificate was not only laughable and misleading but false.

According to regulatory requirements, the AOC, which authorises an operator to carry out specific commercial air transport operations, is issued once the NCAA is satisfied that the operator has the required personnel, assets, and systems to ensure the safety of its employees and general public.

According to the regulator, an operator applying for AOC is required to have an air transport licence from the NCAA, which permits it to operate scheduled passenger or cargo air services in the country.

 Crash probe in progress

Investigation of the crash of the helicopter by the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) continued yesterday.

Its spokesman, Mr Tunji Oketumbi, said on the phone that besides examining the aircraft wreckage, the agency had also begun investigation into the maintenance history of the chopper as well as the flight history of the crew to ascertain what could have gone wrong.

Oketumbi said the AIB team of investigators was also looking into the books of Quorum Aviation to ascertain its aircraft maintenance history, crew record and other vital parameters at the regulatory body – Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) – to establish what could have gone wrong.

AIB will advance further to look into the last conversation between the ill-fated crew and the control tower to obtain useful information key for its investigation.

Although Bell 260 helicopters by weight criteria does not fall into the category of aircraft mandated to be fitted with Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorders according to requirements prescribed by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a huge row broke out in the industry yesterday over allegations of their recovery.

While personnel of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) claimed they had recovered the black box, AIB dismissed the claim.

An aviation expert said: “The Bell 206 is certified at approximately 3,350lbs, which is 1519kg, and therefore does not require a flight data recorder.”

Commenting on the accident, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, said: “We must be thankful to God that we didn’t record any ground casualty. It was a great miracle that such a crash could occur within a residential area in a city so populated like Lagos without any ground casualties.”

Nnaji, however, urged the officials of the Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AIB) and other agencies collaborating with them in investigation to do their best to unravel the cause of the accident.

He said it was regrettable that the unfortunate incident occurred just a few minutes to the final destination, which was Murtala Mohammed Airport, after flying several nautical miles all the way from Port Harcourt.

We’ll repair structure damaged by crashed chopper, says Sanwo-Olu at accident scene

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Saturday visited the scene of the accident at Salvation Road, Opebi, Ikeja.

•Lagos State governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu (left), sympathising with Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Oluwole, whose residents were affected by the helicopter crash, during his visit to the accident scene at Opebi, Ikeja on Saturday.

The governor spoke with the residents and thanked God for saving their lives

Sanwo-Olu said he was out of town when the accident occurred on Friday otherwise he would have been there immediately.

He spoke with nonagenarian Comfort Adeniyi-Johnson who was all alone at home reading her Bible when the helicopter plunged into her fence.

The governor said: “The people affected are senior citizens of this state and we have come to see them.

“We will start working on the fence and the government agencies are here to support them.

“I want to commend all our frontline workers. I have received calls from my colleagues, and I thank those who sent me messages personally.”

The residents thanked the governor for the visit and God for saving their lives when the helicopter crashed.

The glass ceiling of women in top echelon of sports administration in the world and indeed in Africa is unmistakable high. But Moroccan amazon Bouchra Hajij is at the ready to challenge the old order by bidding for the presidency of the African Volleyball Confederation otherwise known as Confederation Africaine de Volleyball(CAVB), reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

Compared to their male counterparts, very few women are in top echelon of sports administration in the world and their number is even more insignificant in Africa but Moroccan Bouchra Hajij is certainly an exemption to the norm.   The 51-year-old Moroccan is widely regarded as one of the ‘poster girls’ of volleyball  in the world because she grew through the ranks as an international player before she ventured into administration.

Overtime, she has shown that she  is indeed a woman of many parts both in sports governance and corporate leadership and she is seemingly enjoying both worlds.

Currently, she is the Human resource manager at the famous Bank Al-Maghrib (Central Bank of  the kingdom of Morocco) and also serving her second term as president of the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation.

“Sports is an unified medium and practice of sports has always brought people together and never divided them,” she told The Nation  about her close affinity to sport  right from her early days. “My religious faith has never been a barrier for me practicing sports especially volleyball at high level.

“In Morocco, we do believe in friendship and respect for others and as such, sports  in itself is a religion no matter which religious faith you do believe and practice.

“ The most  important is that you value each and every athlete in whatever sports they compete.”

Volleyball seemed to be her first love since she reportedly  started her career in volleyball as age eight  en route to playing for some of her country’s best clubs including CODM; FAR;Credit Agtricole and FUBS where she  featured in several international competitions at one time or the other  during her heyday.

Hajij,  in the meantime, combined  her love for sports and academics with panache earning a first degree in Experimental Science and Diploma in Sports Management from the Royal Institute for the Training of Youth and Sport Executives. She is also a holder of a  Master’s Degree in marketing and communication  from ISCAE ( business school).

Widely regarded for her advocacy for women’s leadership and gender equality, especially in sports.

The  amazon joined the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation as a federal member in 2012 and was elected the first female president of the federation in 2015, and is now serving her second term. She is  the first African woman to serve as a Board of Administration member for the International Federation of Volleyball(FIVB) following her election in 2016  of ahead of former Indonesia Olympic Committee President Rita Subowo.

Last May, she was re-elected  as a member of the  International Olympic Committee’s Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission and she chairs the Committee on the Development of Women’s Sport in the Arab World.

“It’s a good opportunity for African women in sport and generally for Africa as a continent,” she said of her appointments into the international bodies. “ I’m proud to be associated with organisations such as IOC and FIVB where good governance is key; I’m looking forward to developing management skills, learn about good governance and best practices to improve our game.

“We have to uphold transparency and democracy in our operations at CAVB. The various zones also need to be involved so that all member federations benefit from CAVB support.”

Early this month, the  executive board of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) appointed her  as a member of the body’s parity committee.

No wonder  Hajij admitted  she is the kind of woman  that is talented; ambibitious  and practical to  be leader  that would make a difference hence her determination  to  unseat   the long-serving Egyptian Amr Elwani in the forthcoming  polls of the  African Volleyball Confederation otherwise known as Confederation Africaine de Volleyball(CAVB).

“Instead of asking me how would I cope with my duties as president of CAVB (because of  my interesting profile),  I would want say  how my corporate experience will help in changing the face of Volleyball in Africa,” Hajij  who is fluent in English, French and Arabic languages,  told The Nation in an interview from her base in Morocco. “The Volleyball management in Africa has been for the last two decades a one man show with a president surrounded by a comfortable majority having the virus syndrome of ‘YES’ sir.

“ In 2001, there has been a change in the leadership of the African Volleyball due to the fact that there was a complete absence of collaborative management.

“ Rather  for African Volleyball to move  as a “one piece volleyball nation” CAVB has been  in bits and pieces without a proper and common vision in  the last 19 years.

“It is clear that I will use my experience and contacts in the corporate world to transform  African Volleyball  into a visionary and results oriented institution where each and every member National Federation will feel proud to belong to it.

“Just a  food for thought; today in a world where sports is mostly financed by big sponsors and media, African Volleyball has not a  single dedicated sponsor and leading media following volleyball in Africa.”

In all her years as administrator, Hajij has demonstrated  she  is a change agent with many of her interventionist policies and transparent leadership under her watch as president of the commission of the  Union of Arab Women Volleyball.

Hajij would be the first to admit that volleyball has not enjoyed the boom and enthusiasm all over Africa unlike  other sports  like  basketball  and football with huge followership. But she is not perplexed about the way out: “First and foremost, I will not benchmark at this stage what others are doing but rather looking at what our own sports practitioners need; and the very fact that there is nothing right now, it will be so easy for the improvements to be visible in a very short lapse of time.

“Our member national federations have been left on their own for many years despite the fact that our International Federation has invested huge amount in African Volleyball over the last decade.

“We have been made to understand that FIVB has contributed over USD 20M in the last 12 years in African volleyball and yet, if you look at the participation and ranking of African Volleyball nations worldwide, one would clearly understand that we are far from a performing confederation.”

But for COVID-19 pandemic, the CAVB Electoral Congress was to be held in September  but has since been shifted  to October even as the body seek a suitable host country for what would be a heavyweight presidential poll between incumbent Dr. Elwani and Hajij.

“I am not going to unveil my strategy right now because I strongly believe that the member national federations should be the first to discover my proposed leadership plan for African Volleyball,” explained Hajij who also serves as President of the Volleyball arm of the COMD Club of Meknes. “It is good to mention now that the plan is being prepared right now while listening to the member national federations’ needs and suggestions.

“However, it is no secret that we should start by a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of our cherished sports in Africa and I mean both volleyball and beach volleyball.

“You will be surprised to see with facts how huge is the gap between the 10% of African high level Volleyball nations and the other 90% of our member nations. The priority number one is to close the gap by equipping the member national federations both technically and financially.

“Nothing moves without money but the use of the money shall be efficient and effective which will be visible through progressive measurement and achievements.”

It no secret that Hajij is an administrator of no mean repute with her foots on many fronts in her country, FIVB, ANOCA and Arabian volleyball and she reckoned her leadership style would readily bring about the desired changes in CAVB if given the chance to lead the beleaguered body.

“My strength lies in my listening skills,” assured Hajij who is an FIVB executive board member and a member of the body’s board of directors.    “When you allow people to talk, you better understand their forces and challenges and as such, you can easily guide them in the most effective manner.

“My philosophy is that I value people through my belief that everyone is important and together we shall succeed.

“I hate autocratic style whereby others cannot talk and this is the existing management of our institution (CAVB) today,” she noted.

Still on the electioneering turf and amid the challenges of COVID-19, Hajij assured that sports and indeed volleyball can only come out stronger after the pandemic with strategic planning and transparency.

She explained: “It is not proper on my side to tell you that a real team sports like volleyball can become stronger after so many months of idleness in terms of practice in team.

“The back to Volleyball strategy has to be well designed and unfortunately nothing as such has been developed by our African volleyball organization to accompany our member national federations to be back on rails.

“But I am working on a plan, for instance, to fully support the national federations and their national teams to quickly forget the bad COVID-19 episode once I take office as President.”

QUICK FACT

Bouchra, a Moroccan, was born on June 23, 1969.

She was a  Moroccan national team volleyball player  and featured in several international competitions including the African Championship, African Clubs Championship, Arab Championship, Mediterranean Games and Francophone Games during her active playing years.

She  a familiar face in several international bodies and majorly Vice President of Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and doubles as a member of the body’s Board of Directors as well as being a member of the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission of the Internal Olympic Committee (IOC).

On the  domestic Moroccan scene, Bouchra hold important portfolios; and aside being the Human Resources Manager at Central Bank of Morocco,  she  has been president of  CODM Club of Meknes, Vice President of FUS Club  and organizer of the annual indoor  Arabo-African Volleyball tournament  with the last being held in March with 17 countries.

She is also the president of the female commission of the Union of Arab Volleyball amongst other prestigious offices.

Bouchra, who is also the president of the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation, is bidding to unseat long-serving Egyptian Amr Elwani in the forthcoming CAVB polls.

Smart, intelligent and charming. These are the words that aptly describes the 55th Alara of Ilara Kingdom In Epe, Oba Olufolarin Olukayode Ogunsanwo, TELADE 1V. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, the economist , talked about the journey to the throne, early life, how he joined the Lagos State Civil Service as an Inspector of Taxes in 1991 and rose to the top of his career as Executive Chairman of the revenue agency.

HOW did you emerge as the Oba?

I was selected by the Kingmakers as  the 55th Alara of the  Ilara  Kingdom, this took place due to the demise of my predecessor,  His Royal Majesty Alayeluwa,  Oba Akeem Okunola  Adesanya ll,  who joined his ancestors in October 2018 having spent 58 years on the throne. As at the time of joining his ancestors he was the longest reigning monarch in Lagos State. He became the Oba at the age of 16 and he reigned for 58 years, so he passed on at the age of 74. May God continue to bless his soul. After that in November last year, 2019 the Kingmakers requested that it is the turn of my ruling House, which is the Telade Ruling House to produce the next Oba Alara of Ilara Kingdom.

Having received a notice to jump start the process from the state government through the Eredo Local Council Development Authority then eight of us were picked as contestants and the list was forwarded to the Kingmakers in Ilara. The rest as they say is history.   I was crowned on Thursday August 6, 2020 and His Excellency, Mr.  Babajide Sanwo-Olu presented me with the Staff of Office and Instrument of Appointment  on Sunday  August 16th, 2020.  History was made that day because the community had just witnessed another installation of a new Oba after 60 years.  The elderly and the youths were all excited to see a new king being installed.

Was this an easy decision to make?

It is only God that chooses kings and when he wants to do things he makes everything perfect. So for me, I see it as another call to service having being in service of Lagos for 26 years and rising through the ranks to become the Executive Chairman Lagos State internal Revenue Service. Even my stint in the service, was also a call to duty to assist the government to get revenue for the betterment of citizenry. It is with tax money that most things are done, infrastructure, roads, education, transport, health services and so on. So when the opportunity came and I was called, I prayed about it, I consulted and I said why not, let me go and serve my people. As the Yoruba’s will say ‘Ile la bo, isi mi Oko’ all that we have  been  trying  to do in the service let us come and try it here and see how  we move this community forward.

What are the potentials of Ilara Kingdom?

It only takes a visionary leader and someone that has the passion for his people to actually want to be on the right side of history to come and change things and to ensure that the community excels in every aspect. We are blessed here with agriculture, in terms of farming and fishing. We have a lot viable land, good soil, good weather and then we are surrounded by water all over the place, up to the lagoon then to the ocean. So fishing is part of the natural resources that the Almighty God has given to this community.

There is a huge potential also for tourism here, and then we have a lot of human capital resources as well. We have capable hands; we have people that are well read.  And if we all join hands together and put our heads together, I want to believe that this community will become a mini London where everybody will want to be and the community will be very, very proud of. So part of what we intend to do is to partner with the Lagos State government, through The THEMES AGENDA  of  Mr. Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.

What plans do you have for young people?

The empowerment of youth is also very key. We will also try and see that we assist our children to continue to be educated and not only educating them but also to be self-reliant. This is because you can’t wait for the government to do everything for you. So with that we intend to create some vocational institutions where when our children go to school during the day and at the weekend they can come back to learn some things. Things like renewable energy, welding, art works since we intend to also go into tourism development, so that they will be able to create some art works that can be sold.  And we also look at areas where modern techniques of producing or providing farm products.

For instance, if you have a cassava farm, it is not only to be producing that cassava and be selling but we can have an industry, a kind of cottage industry that can use the cassava to produce garri. We are Ijebus here and all of you know what they call garri Ijebu.  These are things that we are known for even our fishing industry also, we want to see how we can micro manage it in such a way that we can preserve the fish and we can package it in such a way that we can even begin to export to other neighbouring countries and internally within Nigeria.

You have lived in the city for so long, aren’t you going to miss this?

When you came in here didn’t you see that there is a lot of peace around here away from the hustle and bustle of Lagos? Everything is fresh here, the ambiance and everything is just great, and everything is just fresh. So, those are some of the things that people don’t know that they can enjoy here. With all the road networks that the government is doing now, this will be the next place that people can actually come and live. And once the government is able to put the 4th Mainland Bridge and improve on the multi modal transport facilities: the use of water, land and by road, people can move from one end of the state to another. So many people can actually live here and be working in Lagos and it will decongest Lagos.

Why did you study Economics at the university?

I actually wanted to study accounting but when I took my JAMB exams, I don’t know how my file got to economics department and I was given that admission straight away at first batch.  As an economist, you will be a manager of resources. As if God knows that I will still get to this point of becoming a King. I even had to acquire a master’s degree in economy.  So, I have no regrets as well that I studied economy and I can tell you that economy is a bit more dynamic.

What has changed about you, now that you are an Oba?

I have been my normal self even up till now nothing has changed. A friend sent a congratulatory message to me. We attended primary school at the same time in Ibadan and he started saying things like from my young age, I have always lived and comported myself like a king. That everything about me, the aura radiates that of a king and that there is no quality that they are looking for in a king that I don’t have. Even my past experiences made me realised that this is divine.

What was it like growing up?

Actually I was born in Ibadan; my parents were working in Ibadan then, even though my dad was born in this community. I grew up in Ibadan but every year we come home for Sallah. My parents were Moslems, they were born Moslems though they converted to Christianity later. So we used to come home for Ileya just like the period that just past, and each time we come home, I remember those days, we will go to the stream to fetch water. We go to swim in the river and all those things, so each year I always look forward to it. I am in love with the community, I am very, very proud to come from this community, I love my people and I have always been coming home.  I built a country home here and I didn’t know God was preparing me ahead. So, like I said everything was divine.

Tell us about your favourite food?

I think amala is my best meal. I also like pounded yam with vegetable and I like yam and eggs as well. Maybe fried eggs or steamed one.

How do you relax when you are not working?

I enjoy traveling, I enjoy reading, I like to read a lot and I enjoy listening to music. I am more of an academic.

What genre of music appeals to you?

I like Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Orlando Owoh and I like Wasiu Ayinde.

Can we say that Kabiyesi is very stylish?

I have always been a conservative dresser.  I love to wear suits to the office as a corporate man… And when I am wearing my native I am a bit detailed about it too.

Now that you are Oba what is going to be your signature?

White is good, blue is good. White is purity and blue is peace. My dressing will always go along that line, you know white and then blue and at times you just want to mix the thing, I don’t believe in dressing expensively but I like very decent way of dressing.

Being a public person now you might have lost some privacy, how are you going to manage it?

I have always been a private person, even with the throne you can see that it is a very, very traditional stool. There are certain things I can’t do definitely anymore.  That is what the throne demands and I have accepted it.

How has the community been coping with the impact of COVID-19 ?

We held some palliative programmes, at a point even when the pandemic was really on during the lockdown. We had to come down to do some palliative for all the communities around here, and they are have been very, very grateful and I will continue to do that for our people by the special grace of God. Because you can see that it is purely an agrarian community where people have very low level of income. So while we are trying to bring development to the community we also see how we can assist, particularly the young ones, the widows and then the elderly within our community.

Recently, you were honoured with the Honourary Doctorate degree by the European-American University of Commonwealth of Dominica?

I feel highly honoured and elated to be honoured with Honorary Doctorate Degree of Arts by the –European- American University of the Commonwealth of Dominica. You don’t know that people are watching your actions or inactions and they give honour to whom it is due at the appropriate time.

The honour is what I continue to cherish for the rest of my life very because it came at a time that i just ascended the throne and will be a constant reminder of my responsibility and pact with my subjects.

Onimisi Alao, Yola

The Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yola has successfully separated a set of Siamese twins.

The eight-month-old girls looked vibrant in the hands of their mother as she fielded questions from newsmen on Saturday.

The twin had been flown by the Nigeria Air Force to Yola in January from Bayelsa capital, Yenagoa when they were only a couple of weeks old and joined around the abdomen.

The surgery to remove them was delayed due to COVID-19 exigencies.

The Medical Director of the FMC Yola, Prof Auwal Abubakar, told reporters during a farewell for the twins and their parents, the surgery which separated them was finally carried out on August 10.

Explaining the circumstances, he said: “We were getting set to do the surgery when COVID-19 came. It was a new disease and we were learning to cope with it. Many services at the hospital were suspended and even to get certain consumables was difficult…

“The separation was done on the 10th of August and there was no problem at all. We discharged them from intensive care on the third day. They are fully okay.”

He disclosed a 48-member team comprising specialist surgeons, anesthetics consultants, nurses, technicians, among others, carried out the operation with aid of sophisticated machines, some recently donated by the Nigeria Liquified Gas Ltd (LNG).

On why the conjoined twins had to be taken all the way from the sister FMC Yenagoa to Yola, Abubakar said Yola has a recent history of successful Siemens twins separations.

“This is the third separation we have done here in Yola. We did two when I was in Maiduguri (Maiduguri Teaching Hospital).

“So this makes the fifth that my team has done. In all the five, I have been the lead surgeon,” Abubakar explained.

He expressed concerns the parents of the newly separated twins are jobless secondary school leavers jobless and need assistance in the form of funds for business or employment or further education for one of them.

READ ALSO: Hope rises for Bayelsa Siamese twins

Mother of the independently functioning twins, Mrs. Ayebaekipreye Ebi, said the twin were born through cesarean operation on December 12, 2019, at the Nembe General Hospital, from where they were referred to FMC Yenagoa and subsequently to Yola.

The 25-year-old Ayebaekipreye said she and her husband, 27-year-old Ralph Raphael, were struck with apprehension when what they thought was one baby came out as two but joined together.

“My immediate reaction was ‘why me’ and I passed out and remained unconscious for three days,” she recalled.

She thanked the FMC Yola for keeping and feeding them these past eight months and giving separate lives to their children through the August 10 surgery, all for free.

She appreciated the Nigeria Air Force for lifting them to Yola and offering to take them back to Yenagoa now that they are set to return home.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who attended the farewell ceremony, said Abubakar and his team did a great job of separating the twin, adding that Abubakar deserves an award for his string of successes in separating Siamese twins.

Omolola Afolabi

Eminent global citizens and celebrities have continued to pour rousing tributes on late “Black panther”, African American actor, Chadwick Boseman, who died battling stage three colon cancer at 43.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, in a tweet, said: “The true power of @ChadwickBoseman was bigger than anything we saw on screen.

“From the Black Panther to Jackie Robinson, he inspired generations and showed them they can be anything they want — even superheroes. Jill and I are praying for his loved ones at this difficult time.

“From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more, all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy.”

His running mate, Kamala Harris, tweeted: “Heartbroken, my friend and fellow Bison Chadwick Boseman was brilliant, kind, learned and humble, he left too early but his life made a difference, sending my condolences to his family”.

Preside r of Howard University, which Bozeman attended, Wayne Frederick, said:


“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of alumnus Chadwick Boseman who passed away this evening.

“His incredible talent will forever be immortalized through his characters and through his own personal journey from student to superhero! Rest in Power, Chadwick!”

Boseman “brought history to life” with his roles, Martin Luther King III said.

“As Black Panther, he was also a superhero to many,” he wrote on Twitter. “And despite his 4 year-long battle with cancer, he kept fighting and he kept inspiring. He will be missed.”

READ ALSO: Black Panther star, Boseman dies of colon cancer

Director of Marvel Studios, the producers of Black Panther, Kevin Feigi, said Chadwick’s passing is absolutely devastating, he was our Tchala, our black panther and our dear friend, he radiated charisma and joy and each time he on screen, he created something truly indelible, the Marvel Studio family deeply mourns and we are grieving tonight with his family”.

Actor Denzel Washington, who was in very close contact with late Boseman described him as “brilliant”.

He said he was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career”.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in a tweet, said: “In 2018, I joined my children to watch the much talked about “Black Panther”.

“Chadwick Boseman was an unprecedented witty act and his excellence was consistent across his many other movies, he will be dearly missed.

Nollywood diva Genevieve Nnaji tweeted: “You left a mark that will not be forgotten, rest in power brother”.

Boseman died of colon cancer on Friday at 43 after battling the disease for years.

Medical experts have said colorectal cancer cases among younger people are going up — with cases among those under 50 increasing since the 1990s, according to a March report by the American Cancer Society.

Nwanosike Onu, Awka

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in Imo, Prof Emeka Ezeonu, on Saturday led a protest against alleged imposition of the traditional ruler of Alor, Igwe MacAnthony Okonkwo.

The Monarch of Alor is one of the traditional rulers recently suspended by Governor Willie Obiano for traveling to Abuja to visit President Muhammadu Buhari without permission.

Over 500 indigenes of Alor in Idemili South Local government area took to the streets with placards bearing different inscriptions against alleged imposition of monarch and Caretaker Committee in the community by the State government.

Some of the placards read: ‘Alor rejects the imposition of caretaker, please, Governor Obiano look into this matter’; ‘this imposition has been on for eight years’ and ‘we dissociate our community from the monarch who traveled to Abuja without permission from our government” among others.

Ngige, a former Governor, who hails from the community, called Obiano to suspend the 12 traditional rulers and banish them from their different communities for desecrating the culture and traditions of their lands.

Another group of Alor Community protesters Saturday

He said the banishment should be extended to the person who led them to the Abuja trip

Ngige alleged the traditional ruler was imposed by former Governor Peter Obi to punish his community and local government for voting against their allied forces in the 2011 senatorial election when he contested on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

He said: “He decided to punish the towns thereby starving them of any projects and destabilise their town unions starting from Alor where he dissolved the executives with a caretaker hostile to Ngige and imposed the monarch on the community as against the Constitution of the people ”

“When someone is suspended from performing functions of an office, he should be barred from even being in that vicinity.

“So, I advise Anambra State Government to relocate these 12 traditional rulers from their Communities to avoid a situation likely to cause a breach of public peace.”

READ ALSO: Suspension: Please forgive me, Anambra monarch begs Obiano

The Minister further alleged the Monarch of Alor was never enthroned but imposed on the people as a vendetta by the Obi administration for using what it called small Yoruba party ACN to defeat them.

The President General PG of Alor, Chief Uzoma Igbonwa, said the community would continue to support Governor Obiano’s administration, adding that Alor would never work against the State Government.

According to him: “We plead with the State Government to dissolve and disband the said caretaker Committee of Alor People’s Convention for working against the interest of Alor people and government of the State because their continued existence is an impediment to the peace and progress of Alor Community.”

Imo REC, Prof Emeka Ezeonu said the community would not rest until the State Government do the needful by banishing the monarch and dissolving the Caretaker Committee.

But the traditional ruler, Igwe MacAnthony Okonkwo, denied the allegation he was imposed by former Governor Obi.

He insisted he was the monarch of Alor.

After his one-year suspension by Obiano for allegedly going to Abuja without authorisation, he openly apologised for violating certain rules guiding the operation of monarchs in the state.

Sola SHITTU, Gombe

Admitting and treating snakebite patients at the Snakebite Treatment and Research Centre of the General Hospital in Kaltungo, Gombe State is a phenomenon that residents of the community as well as those of Biliri, Balanga and other mountainous settlements in Gombe State have had to live with for decades.

But there was something extraordinary about a patient that was rushed to the emergency unit of the centre recently. The doctor on duty, identified as Dr. Agom Ibrahim, was shocked to find that the patient, a victim of snakebite, was heavily pregnant and had fallen into labour at the time she was rushed in.

Sarah had been brought in from the farm by her relatives after she was bitten by a species of snake known as carpet viper, which is reputed as the most dangerous of the three poisonous species of snakes that are common in the area.

“Sarah went into labour simultaneously as she was bleeding from the snakebite, and that meant additional loss of blood,” explained Ibrahim.

The hospital was naturally thrown into panic, prompting the director of the centre, Dr Mohammed Suleiman, to be called to the emergency unit as the battle to save the lives of both the mother and the unborn baby began. Although the area is notorious for harbouring three species of poisonous snakes, namely carpet viper, cobra and pofadder, the carpet viper is regarded as the one with the deadliest bite.

It is believed that this species of snake hot tempered and can strike even without being provoked, and its bite usually results in heavy bleeding and loss of blood on the part of the victim. Unfortunately, it was this most deadly species that bit Sarah. Thus, Agom’s first task was to control Sarah’s loss of blood to save her life and deliver her of the baby.

Dr. Suleiman said: “It was a tough battle and we had little or no time to act because the poison was spreading very fast around her body.”

By the time Sarah was delivered of her baby, the doctors found that she had lost a lot of blood from both the snakebite and the process of child birth. “She had no money to buy blood and it was already late in the night, yet we had to save the life of the mother,” said Agom as he relived the experience.

But just as everyone was wondering what to do, Suleiman, the Director of the Centre, came to the rescue by calling some of the hospital’s workers to donate blood to Sarah. They responded positively and her condition was stabilised, following which the hospital commenced her treatment for snakebite.

“She received six pints of blood and six vials of anti-snake venom before we were able to stabilise her,” said Suleiman who gladly displayed the picture of the baby on his mobile phone.

Common occurrence

While the incident involving Sarah was a rare incident in the hospital, snakebite is a daily occurrence, especially during planting and harvesting seasons. It is nothing unusual in the hospital to find snakebite patients who are less than a year old.

Our correspondent’s first visit to the hospital revealed 11 patients on treatment for snakebite. The following day, four fresh victims of snakebite had reported at the centre between 9 am and 12 pm. “Our daily average record of patients is 10, especially during planting and harvesting seasons and during the heat periods,” said Suleiman.

The prevalence of snakes and snakebites in the area is attributed to the mountainous terrain which provides habitation for snakes and the rodents that serve as food for them. Farmers, however, frequently come in contact with them and suffer snakebites in the process.

Read Also: 10 students test positive in Gombe

Jeremiah Daniel, one of the snakebite patients in the hospital, described the agony that comes with snakebite as terrible. Daniel, who was brought to the hospital unconscious, said he had spent five days trying to recover from the attack. He had lost a lot of blood before he was rushed to the hospital, consequently, he had to receive three pints of blood before his condition could stabilise.

Lying on the hospital bed and looking frail, he recalled that he was going to the farm on the day the incident occurred.

“I was going to the farm when a snake emerged from nowhere and bit me. Before I knew it, I had started feeling unconscious. That was how I was rushed here,” he said.

Another victim, Adamu Ado, who was rushed to the emergency ward, said he was clearing weeds on the farm when a snake struck.

But the presence of snakes is not limited to the farms or the mountainous parts of Gombe. The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Hammed Gana, recalled how he narrowly escaped snakebite twice in one day in the premises of his house in Gombe.

He said: “It was in the morning on one weekend and I was trying to wet the flowers. I noticed a movement as I stretched my hand under the flowers and quickly withdrew my hand. As I looked carefully, behold, it was a carpet viper. I quickly picked a stick and killed it.

“On the same day, while I was trying to get water from the tap, I noticed another snake between my legs. I jumped like I had never done before and again killed it with a stick. Our people are highly vulnerable to snakebites.”

Yet most painful for Gana was the death of a young man who was bitten by a carpet viper near his farm in Gombe South. “The young man died within one hour while he was on the way to the hospital. It was so sad,” he said.

 Centre in dire need of funds

However, despite becoming a unit in Kaltungo General Hospital since 1940 and its subsequent upgrade to a centre in 2019, access to funds remains a major constraint for Kaltungo Snakebite Treatment and Research Centre.

“The patients are mostly people without voice, who cannot afford to pay for even a vial of anti-snake venom. So the state government has been the one solely bearing the burden of their treatments,” said Gana.

According to him, a vial of anti-snake venom costs as much as N40,000, and to treat a patient fully requires a minimum of three vials, amounting to N120,000.

He recalled that Governor Inuwa Yahaya have had to make emergency provision of N5 million for the purchase of the anti-snake venom produced only in one Latin American country, Costa Rica.

“We can also get them from India, but the Indian one is not as effective as the Latin America one which gives us results within one week,” he said.

“The Snakebite Treatment and Research Centre is the only one serving the six North East states of Gombe, Bauchi, Taraba, Adamawa and Borno.

“We also used to have patients from other parts of the country like Plateau and Benue states. But because of proximity, our patients are mostly from the six North East states.”

Suleiman said Taraba State alone accounts for more than 40 per cent of patients in the 150-bed hospital with just three wards for male, female and paediatric patients.

He said: “The issue of snakebite is a huge one in Gombe State because a great portion of our state is actually within that belt and we do have quite a number of incidents of snakebites literally across all the eleven local government areas of the state.

“As a result of that, previous governments thought it was very necessary that we have such a specialised hospital with facilities that take care of snakebites. But more prominently is the axis of Biliri, Kaltungo and Balanga; those hilly and mountainous areas of the state where our people, especially the farmers and rural dwellers do come into close contact with reptiles.

“Ultimately, the hospital was created initially from a department of snakebites in the general hospital at Kaltungo to a specialised treatment and research centre, doing research around different species of the snakes that we have in the areas.

“Recently, we ran short of the anti-snake venom. The state government has been doing everything possible to make sure that we have adequate stock of the anti-snake venom, but, of course, the uptake is quite high, especially at the peak of the season, when farmers are on the farm.

“Now we are in the rainy season and farmers are on the farm. And you know the processes that are involved in natural farming. Farmers come in contact with them as they come out of their holes looking for food,” said the commissioner.

•Aliru, a one- year- old

snakebite victim

The situation is further compounded by snakebite victims who rush to traditional healers for herbal treatment. While they do succeed at times, the victims see no improvement in most cases and then rush to the hospital. “But by then, it might be too late. Some come one or two weeks after the snakebite. The lucky ones do survive it though,” said Suleiman.

On the viability of the option of herbal medicine for snakebite treatment, Suleiman said: “Even the traditional snakebite medicine healers, when snakes bite them, they rush to the hospital. But they beg us not to let the people know.

“You see the problem with herbal medicine is that snakebite victims only respond to medicine produced from the actual venom of the type of snake that has bitten them. So the anti-venom is generated from the venom of the snake, and once it is given, it clears the venom from the body of the victim.

“That is why traditional medicines have not been effective for persons that we have established that there is venom in their system.

“For those who say traditional medicines work, sometimes the snake would bite but do not inject venom into the person’s body. And when they go to traditional healers and get healed, they do not know that it is not all snakebites that has venom injected into the body of the victim.”

Some members of the staff of Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State are at daggers drawn with the Rector of the 28-year-old institution over alleged sundry infractions. GBENGA ADERANTI, who was on a visit to the school, reports on the state of affairs at the federal government owned institution.

It was a clement Wednesday afternoon and the atmosphere at the Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State was calm and quiet. But behind the facade of serenity is a turmoil that threatens to shake the 28-year-old federal institution to its foundation.

The first sign of the graveyard peace at the institution emerged at the rector’s office where new security measures were adopted in respect of visitors. No visitor or members of the institution’s staff was allowed into the office with a telephone. For instance, a senior lecturer at the institution was politely told to drop his phone with a security guard attached to the office as he awaited the Rector’s arrival.

That had been the state of affairs in the school since its chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, demanded a thorough investigation of the rector, Dr. John Taiwo Adekolawole. It was a crisis that begun a few months after Adekolawole assumed duty.

A source in the school said the first thing the Rector did on assuming duty was to make some sweeping changes, including the removal of some key members of the institution’s staff. This, it was learnt, did not go down well with many of them, particularly those that were directly affected.

According to an aggrieved member of the staff, “when the rector came on board, all the duly elected deans of the schools were removed without any allegation.

“He did not stop at that; he also removed various heads of departments without any offence committed by them or an indictment by any committee.”

The foregoing was said to have resulted in a tiff between the Rector and a section of the institution’s staff, some of whom have accused Adekolawole of committing various infractions, including   highhandedness, favoritism and nepotism in the management of the affairs of the institution.

Since then, various petitions have been written, calling for investigation of the activities of the rector.

About two months ago, the School’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, in a letter dated June 8, 2020, had requested for thorough investigation of all the allegations levelled against Adekolawole.

The rector was alleged to have spent more than N2 million from the polytechnic’s purse to renovate his private residence.

According to a report submitted by a member of the ASUP in the school, “this is against the federal government regulation which forbids public servants from usingpublic funds for personal gain.”

It was also alleged that the rector used the polytechnic’s funds that could have been used on profitable ventures to procure ‘unprofitable awards.

According to the report, “within seven months of assumptions of office, how can the award of ‘Best Rector of the Year 2018’ be given in May 2018? He has been using the polytechnic’s funds to collect these awards from unaccredited organisations.”

The rector was also alleged to have violated extant Federal Government directive on procurement of TETFUND project vehicle and bus.

According to the report, Adekolawole was alleged to have failed to comply with the FG /TETFUND’s directive to procure a Toyota Hilux vehicle but procured a TATA Xenon Security Patrol Van and two TATA Xenon double cabin pick-up, being the project vehicle for 2016 TETFUND Special High Impact Project.

Again, the rector was alleged to have had TETFUND approval for the purchase of one 30-seater Toyota bus but rather went ahead to purchase a TATA 30-seater bus.  The contract was alleged to have been awarded on July 22, 2019 in the sum of N68,932,678.00.

The several appointments and recruitments made by the Rector were also alleged to have been done in flagrant disobedience of presidential directives.

Adekolawole was said to have employed his direct son, Mr. Gooodness Edeaogbogun, and placed him on the Lecturer 11 cadre, which placed him above his contemporaries in the employment of the polytechnic before him.

An official of the school told The Nation that apart from placing his son above his contemporaries, the rector was also accused of “upgrading his wife, Olukemi Adekolawole from CONTEDISS 7 to CONTEDISS 9, backdating her promotion to the date of her last promotion, which was January 2017.”

Ironically, some months before the rector assumed office, the Junior Staff Appointment and Promotion Committee in a memo: FPE/JS/692/57, dated August 1, 2017 and signed by O. Adewoyin of the Establishment Affairs for the registrar of the institution to Mrs  Olukemi Adekolawole, did not approve the promotion of the rector’s wife and advised her  to seek further academic qualifications.

A memo written to Mrs  Adekemi Adekolawole and made available to The Nation reads:  “The Junior Staff Appointment and Promotion Committee at its 50th regular meeting  held on 25th July 2017 considered you for year 2016 promotion in line with the revised 2013 scheme of service but did not approve your promotion due to inadequate academic qualifications.

“The committee thereafter advise that you seek for further academic qualification to enable you qualify in subsequent promotion exercise.”

To silence opposition, the rector was alleged to have used the instrument of state to harass those who had the temerity to question some of his decisions.

While one of the aggrieved members told The Nation that he would not comment on the incident, another source insisted that some ASUP members were invited by the DSS to their Osun office for questioning.

Another infraction committed by the Rector, according to a source at the federal institution, was manipulating the academic board to change the entry requirements for the purpose of admitting a candidate of  the rector who had deficiency in English Language.

It was also alleged that the rector changed his name from Edaogbogun to Adekolawole in order to cover his past misdeeds.

“On different occasions, he was indicted and punished for sundry offences before he became the Rector of the polytechnic.  One was where B.I. Okoji and Patrick Husseine chaired the panel. And in order to cover his past misdeeds, he changed his name to Adekolawole from Edaogbogun,” the source alleged.

Rector reacts

Reacting to the allegations, Adekolawole said they were all “dead issues”.

He said: “There are no crises here. There is only peace. I think we should focus on positive things rather than dwell on distractions here and there.

“The school has made another technological breakthrough with its innovation.

“The school has produced its own ventilator which would be made available to the market soon. While imported ventilator goes for N35,000, we are going to sell to Nigerians at N20,000. We made everything here.

“Right now, we produce face masks, hand sanitiser and other materials to assist in the fight against Covid-19.

“Everything you see here, including the printing and furniture I’m using in my office are done in this school. We just won an award for innovation in far away Malaysia.

“Those are the things we should focus on; not the crisis. We don’t have crisis in this institution,” he told The Nation.

Insisting that he was not ready to engage in press war with anyone, he said the genesis of the whole disagreement was when one of the lecturers was probed and found to have engaged in plagiarism.

He said although the school was yet to finish its investigation, the said lecturer teamed up with some other aggrieved ones to engage the Rector.

Also speaking on behalf of the rector, the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr Olusola Lawal, said the allegations levelled against the rector were mischievous.

According to him, barely six months, after Adekolawole assumed office as the rector of the institution in April/May 2018, a petition was written to the Minister of Education who set up a high powered committee of the Governing Council to investigate the allegations. At the end of the investigation, the rector was absolved of all the allegations.

Bringing up the same allegations that had been trashed in 2018 in 2020 is a rude shock.

Lawal believes that the recent allegations were the handiwork of one of the ASUP members that was being disciplined for committing infractions.

Reacting to the allegation of highhandedness, Lawal said it could not be true as the Rector takes staff welfare as a priority.

“He converted/upgraded/re-graded over three hundred (300) staff that were wrongly placed,” he said.

On the sack of HODs when Adekolawole assumed office, Lawal said: ”It was wrong for an outgoing regime to appoint command officers for an in-coming regime. More so when the outgoing regime had resolved on the Academic Board that anyone who had not presented inaugural lecture should not hold academic leadership post.  As at that time, all those elected had not presented inaugural lectures.

“So by the decision of the Academic Board, they lost their seat and the election became null and void.”

Lawal insisted that there was never a time the Academic Board  was manipulated.

”The specific case referred to was when the number of students admitted for ND 1 in the Tourism Department was far below the requirements to make the programme viable in the countdown to already scheduled Matriculation Ceremony, and the Academic Board unanimously gave a waiver that any applicant into ND 1 in Tourism Department  or willing to study Tourism with CREDIT PASS in Geography (a major requirement) but deficient in only one (1) subject requirement be given concessional admission but must make up the deficiency before graduation.”

On the allegation of appointment/recruitment, he said it was not true.

“Our Innovation Technology Centre (ITC) was set up as approved by the Governing Council.  The six (6) pioneer staff for the centre were sourced for under the scarce-knowledge-area-skills to foster the innovation drive of the institution.  The six (6) of them were sourced for, interviewed, appointed and placed on the appropriate level by the Governing Council.

“Mr. Goodness Edaogbogun was one of the six (6) that were so appointed to man the Institution’s Weather Station in addition to being a member on the Innovation Technology Centre (ICT) on merit.  At the time of their appointment and even now, there are no alternatives on ground.

“The appointments were done before the Presidential embargo on employment in 2018.”

On the allegation that the rector’s wife Olukemi was wrongly promoted, Lawal said it was one of the issues the Rector addressed on assumption of duty to douse the crises emanating from inappropriate placement of staff.

He said: “The Rector’s wife had ND 2000 (Lower Credit), HND 2003 (Pass) and was employed into the services of the Polytechnic in 2013 on Level 05 and eventually migrated to Level 06.

“Before Adekolawole became the Rector of the institution, Mrs Adekemi was recommended for promotion and she was promoted to level 7. “

Lawal said with Mrs Adekolawole’s ND certificate, she was qualified for the promotion.  He insisted that the issue of inappropriate qualification was as aberration and did not arise.

He said: “Within three weeks of the release of letter of inappropriate qualification, she received two or three other letters.  The first letter stated that her non-promotion was due to some mixed-up in the Establishment Affairs Unit of the Registry while the other letter stated that her name was omitted in error in August 2017 before the Rector assumed office.

“Her promotion was later effected but her letter was not released to her until the rector came on board as the rector of the polytechnic. Meanwhile, she obtained B.Sc. (Accounting) 2nd Class Upper in June 2017.”

The school’s image maker said it was another misinformation that the rector used the fund of the federal institution to renovate his private residence. He said contrary to what was alleged, the rector did not receive any money from the polytechnic to renovate his house.

He said: “The Rector merely saved the institution the cost of providing accommodation for him by using his house as the rector’s official residence.

“The Works and Services Department customarily carried out some renovations under the normal renovation of roads and building votes at the rector’s residence.”

Lawal said there was never a time the rector was indicted and that all the allegations against the rector were later found to be baseless.

“Therefore, the then management was ashamed of the panel and their decisions and later directed that the report should be removed and expunged from all the polytechnic’s records, because it was legally adjudged as a miscarriage of justice.

“Bldr. Hussaini and Mr. Okoji later apologised to the Management and the then Director for their role in the ignominious report.

“It is rather unfortunate that a member of staff who should have destroyed his copy of the letter now brings it up from the archives after 25 years out of mischief, especially when the principal actors are dead.”

He said the rector changed his name from Edaogbogun to Akolawole for spiritual reasons.

He said: “The restructuring of his names was by spiritual injunction and personal, and was agreed to by his late father. All the names are really his, including Adekolawole, and were given to him at birth while Edaogbogun still remains the surname.  He merely adopted Adekolawole, which is his name, as surname as customary with a crown prince above the age of fifty (50).”

The PRO told The Nation that while the rector had reordered his name, some people still prefer to refer to him as Edaogbogun. He cited a recent radio jingle of the school in which the rector was referred to as Edaogbogun. He said contrary to the belief in certain quarters, the rector did not violate any government regulation by altering his surname.

According to Lawal, both TETFUND and Bureau of Public Procurement duly approved the procurement of three TATA Xenon double cabin vans instead of one Toyota Hilux vehicle at the same price because of the high vehicular deficit in the Polytechnic.

Lawal said: “Both TETFUND and Bureau of Public Procurement duly approved the purchase of a TATA 30-seater Bus and a single cabin TATA Pick-up in place of a 16-seater Toyota bus all at same amount of N31,374,000:00 because of the high vehicular deficit in the polytechnic.  These are cost saving measures that the Rector ought to have been applauded for if not for mischief.”

While many believe that ASUP  as a body is against the rector, a source told The Nation that “ASUP members above  Level 12 are not part of the shenanigan. Those against the rector are just doing so for not just cause.”

A source close to the school told The Nation that one of the prominent  traditional rulers in Osun had waded into the matter, but whether he would be able to settle the crisis is what nobody knows.

So the question agitating the minds of many is who will stop this war of attrition at the Federal Polytechnic, Ede?  When will it all end?

It’s not the best of times for Nigerian traders\business owners in Ghana, as the authorities have in recent weeks stepped up enforcement of the $1million levy imposed on foreign-owned businesses venturing into the retail sector. This has resulted in agitations, with Nigerians, who are mostly on the receiving end of the law, petitioning their home government to intercede. Gboyega Alaka examines the issues.

WHAT is it about Nigerians that makes them attract so much hostility wherever they settle? That may well be the welling question in the mind of many observers or victims of what is currently playing out across Ghana. Non-Ghanaian-owned shops, which incidentally belong majorly to sojourning Nigerians in that country, are being shut down on account of their owners’ inability to meet up with the $1million investment registration fee/levy placed on foreign businesses.

At the last count, well over 300 Nigerian businesses- that’s according to Chukwuemeka Nnaji, President, Nigerian Traders Union in Ghana – have been shut across Ghana. Some other sources put the number at more than 400. Even as this interview went on Tuesday evening, Nnaji was quick to add for emphasis that: “As we speak, they are locking up shops in Ashanti Region and the exercise will continue tomorrow.”

Like have happened in South Africa over the past decade, Nigerian residents in that English-speaking West African country have been on the receiving end of what they have variously described as ‘economic strangulation’, ‘annihilation’ and ‘xenophobia in another form;’ and it seems that brotherly affiliation that both nationals are wont to flaunt is currently non-existent – or perhaps, never counted for much.

In a video that has gone viral, a Ghanaian shop owner could be seen pointing out Nigerian-owned shops to members of the task force in a market complex and insisting that they be locked.

In another, even Ghanaian shop owners suspected to be fronting for Nigerian businesses are being harassed and made to show proof of ownership of the business or face immediate action.

According to Chukwudi, who runs a phone accessories shop in Tiptoe Lane at Kwame Nkruma Circle, Accra, “The new law is like a sentence to hunger and death. Yes, you may say they are not attacking us physically, but is there anything that kills faster than hunger and poverty? As I speak, my shop is under lock and key and this is coming right after Covid -19 lockdown. If they want us to leave their country, they should be bold and say it outright. Where do they expect me to raise one million dollars from? Who’s going to lend me that kind of money?”

To cap it up, Chukwudi said his two relatives in the country, one in the same Tiptoe Lane complex and another in Kumasi, who may come to his aid, have also had their shops locked. Even his friend and neighbour, who operates a salon in a nearby corner street is also out of work.

According to Evaristus Nwankwo, Secretary, Nigerian Union of Traders Association in Ghana (NUTAG), “The situation is very tense and a lot of people are in a quandary. I don’t know how they expect small businesses like ours to raise one million dollars. As far as I am concerned, it is an impossible task. In fact, it is a way of saying ‘We don’t want you here anymore, go home.’”

He also said the law is sweeping. “There is no exception –whether you operate a corner shop, a grocery store, small salon, food store, or even a taxi business. For a taxi business, you are required to have five taxi cabs or more to be able to operate – because the law says the retail business is reserved for the citizens. It’s such a suffocating law, and this is irrespective of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) protocol, which Ghana is a signatory to and which grants citizens of member nations the right to go into member countries and manage enterprises.

“As we speak, Ghana is practically reneging on that agreement. In fact when this whole clampdown started, the president, Nana Akufo-Addo openly said the law is on the people’s side, even though he cautioned that they must not take the law into their hands. But he never ordered that the illegally locked shops be reopened. As I speak with you, shops are being locked in the motor parts market in Kumasi, Ashanti Region. The secretary of our traders union there just called to inform me.”

Isaac Osahon Ekhator, National Secretary, All Nigeria Community (ANC) in Ghana, said, “The problem stems from the implementation of sections 27 and 28 of the local GIPC (Ghana Investment Promotion Council) law. Section 27 stipulates the activities and businesses that are reserved for nationals; while section 28 stipulates the amount you’re supposed to come in with to embark on retail business as a non-Ghanaian, along with other provisions. The law states that if you are not a Ghanaian and wish to engage in trading and retail business, you come in with an amount not less than one million US dollars or its equivalent in equity – if the business is going to be fully owned by you.

“However, because most Nigerian businesses here are the traditional enterprise and sole proprietorship, this has constituted a big problem for our people, as the one million dollars requirement is way beyond their reach.”

Ekhator, a Banking and Finance graduate, who is into financial forecasting, technical and fundamental analysis for enterprise businesses in Accra, however said the onslaught is not new.

“In 2007, Nigerian shops were locked at Kumasi and other places. In December last year, some shops were locked around the Circle Area in Accra and they remained locked for 7 to 8 months. Unfortunately, the Lebanese, Indians and Chinese are here going about their businesses, although I’m not able to confirm if they are also paying this kind of money. If the focus is on those dominating the retail sector, then those should be the first target and not Nigerian enterprises. Clearly the law says foreign nationals, but it seems the targets are Nigerian-owned businesses.”

Ekhator and Nwankwo

Ekhator conceded, though, that this might seem so “because Nigerians have businesses everywhere.”

He also submitted that the contentious law is not in tandem with the spirit of ECOWAS.

Is the situation so bad that Ghanaians are not able to do business?

Nwankwo answers in the negative. “One thing you guys back home in Nigeria need to know is that these people don’t love us, even though we deceive ourselves with the brother tag. A lot of Ghanaians are really doing well and prospering; I mean, you go to a complex of about 4,000 shops and you find only 100 shops or businesses owned by Nigerians. The other time, the agitators went to an electrical appliances complex to shut foreign-owned shops and we could only count 31 Nigerian-owned shops, out of over 3000 shops. And some of these 31 could not even qualify for shops, as they were under staircases and on top of two-storey buildings. The question you’re therefore forced to ask, is: Where is the threat? So if you ask me, I’d say they just don’t want us around anymore.”

Alternatively, you ask. “Is it that Nigerians have exported their excessive flamboyance to that country and are outshining the indigenes and taking over their girlfriends and wives?

But Nwankwo again answered: “No, no, no. Those are minor issues and far from the truth.”

How about having a meeting with the authorities to negotiate?

To this, he gave a cynical reply: “Maybe if you’re resident here, you would understand what we’re talking about. These people don’t even regard us as humans, let alone consider us worthy of such invitation or negotiation. The only time that ever happened was when they wrote to our High Commission in Ghana that they were going to embark on an exercise and the High Commissioner went with us to meet with the deputy minister.”

Xenophobia in another form?

Pretty much, Ekhator sees this whole onslaught as ‘xenophobia in disguise.’ Although there have not been physical attacks on Nigerians, the All Nigeria Community in Ghana secretary is of the opinion that when you annihilate a people’s means of livelihood to the extent that they are not able to meet basic needs like feeding, then you’re inadvertently saying they are not wanted around anymore.”

In his opinion, that spirit of Nigerian enterprise may well be the problem. “Ghanaian traders are complaining that Nigerians are taking over their businesses. What they tend to forget or are deliberately ignoring is the fact that competition is good in a capitalist economy, because the people benefit in the long run. If you ask me, the average Ghanaian is not complaining. In fact, I’ve heard a good number of them saying the government should leave Nigerians alone. The main people behind this whole agitation are the GUTA (Ghana Union of Traders Association) people. They are insisting that the GIPC law be implemented to the letter.”

In addition to the one million dollars requirement, Ekhator says such businesses are also expected to employ a minimum of 20 skilled Ghanaians. This, he argues, makes the whole thing more burdensome. “How can a common shop owner or table-top business owner meet up with such conditions?”

Nwankwo of NUTAG also confirmed that there have not been any notable attacks on Nigerians, despite the sweeping clampdown. Nwankwo and many others credit this to President Akufo-Addo’s caution to citizens not to take laws into their hands.

“There have not been any attacks but the task force carrying out the shut down comprises the police, the immigration officers, the secret police and other officials. In the video of a previous exercise at Kwame Nkruma Circle that went viral, a policeman was seen physically dragging a Nigerian out of a shop, while a woman’s voice was heard complaining that ‘What else do you people want from us? You asked us to pay a tax, you closed our shop for eight months, we borrowed money and paid, yet you will not let us rest. I’m not coming out.’”

Initially, Nwankwo said the assault used to be over 30% tax, which was determined by a Ghanaian auditor. But PRO of the Trade Minister recently went on air to say that it didn’t matter anymore if you had met the registration and other requirements, and that any foreigner willing to do business in Ghana must come up with the One million dollars or evidence of its equivalent in equity.

President of the Nigerian Traders Union in Ghana, Nnaji, who has lived in that country since 1995, said the requirement used to be $300,000 but was raised to N1million in 2013, following a review of the law.

Asked why the implementation seems to be suddenly gaining momentum, Nnaji said, “They’ve always enforced it. The government institutions came in from time to time – at different times in 2007, 2012 and 2013, our people’s shops were closed. During those times, we petitioned ECOWAS, which sent its delegation to arrest the situation. We thought that would be the end, but lo and behold, they have kept coming back.”

Nnaji also sees some sinister agenda playing out, which he says the indigenes have used overtime to displace foreigners, particularly Nigerians of their hard-earned investments. “If you go by history, I think Nigerians have been here for over 300 years; and if you follow that story back, you’d realise that they kept chasing Nigerians out of their country after a while. In 1964 and 1969, which are recent occurrences, this was the kind of strategy they used to take over Nigerian properties. I’ve met a Ghanaian who told me that his fore-fathers’ house was built by Nigerians who left the country in frustration because of this kind of crisis. As we speak, a lot of Nigerians have invested in property in this country.”

Nwankwo toes Nnaji’s line of thought, when he said, “It’s a very small section of this country that are pursuing this agenda. They are the ones who formed this trade union. There is a document a Ghanaian lawyer friend showed me, which showed how this union used the 1969 Aliens Compliance Order to drive Nigerians away from the country in the middle of the Nigerian Civil War. I’m not surprised that they are starting this again in the middle of Covid-19, when national borders are closed and there is no business. They’re literally sentencing us to death by hunger, especially with no means of travelling back to our country.”

We respect ECOWAS protocol but we’ll not jettison our local laws – Ghanaian minister

Meanwhile, Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway says the government will continue to enforce laws governing the country’s retail business sector, despite agitations by aggrieved Nigerian traders operating illegally in the country.

Botchway

Despite being co-signatory to the ECOWAS protocol, which allows free movement by nationals of member nations in member countries, Botchway in an interview granted a local television in Accra, said Ghana, as an independent country, has its own local laws, which would not be jettisoned. She however admitted that both Nigeria and Ghana may have to dialogue to find a balance to resolve the quagmire.

She insisted that what Ghana has done, which is preserving its retail sector for her nationals is not different from what Nigeria recently did when it shut its borders in spite of the same ECOWAS protocol, citing arms and rice smuggling.

Way forward

In the words of Ekhator, the way forward is for Nigerians to begin to adopt new business models.

“We can circumvent the law – and I’m not saying we should break the law – by forming corporations, where 20, 30 people pull their resources together and operate under one business name. If you go to China mall, you’ll realise that that’s what they’re probably doing – several businesses\entrepreneurs under one name. Our people can easily adopt this, except that we just like the traditional one-man business model, where each man is CEO and makes all the decisions. Unfortunately, what this situation is telling us is that that model can no longer work for us in the 21st century.”

Besides, Ekhator is of the opinion that businesses these days are done online, and as such, his compatriots should follow the trend and transact their business online, thereby staying away from unnecessary government harassment.

He said the All Nigerian Community in Ghana as a body, is already meeting with the NUTAG leadership and selling these and other survivalist ideas to them.

“It’s either the foregoing,” Ekhator said, “or the Nigerian government intervenes through diplomacy. And if that fails, we apply the policy of reciprocity. We have Ghanaians who are into all sorts of businesses in Nigeria and this kind of law is not in existence to frustrate them.”

Ghanaians share their views on contentious law

SOME Ghanaians have also been sharing their perspectives on the issue. Bright Kofi Buami, who teaches at Tema Technical Institutes, Tema, Ghana, who says he has only listened to discussions on the matter on national television, said the government made the arrangement to make room for local traders to thrive in the retail sector and avail them of opportunities of livelihood as SMEs

“The deduction I made indicates that many foreigners, (including Nigerians) have veered off the distribution lane into retail areas, flooding the market with cheaper goods (at distributors’ prices), thereby pulling customers away from local retailers. According to a cross-section of Ghanaian traders, this renders them jobless in their home country. They also bemoan the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities in enforcing the trade bylaws, giving vent to the recent industrial action.”

That said, Buami is of the opinion that both countries need each other for positive development. Quoting popular Nigerian pastor of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, T B Joshua, he said, “No one can go it alone. You need me. I need you. God has made it this way, so no man can boast.”

He therefore submitted that Nigerians doing legitimate business being shut out, will impact Ghana’s economy negatively, as there would be no competitive pricing in the market, resulting in price hikes and severe hardship on the citizens.

Buami

Emmy Aryee, an Accra-based freelance journalist, is however of the opinion that the $1million levy, (if a levy is necessary at all) is ‘just too much.’

She however confirmed that Nigerians are fast taking over the retail business sector in the country, giving cause for concern.

“If you go to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle for instance, the majority of male traders there are Nigerians. They deal in all manners of trade, including bags, shoes and mobile phone accessories. And you know why many people, including me, would buy from them? Their wares are very affordable, compared to those sold by Ghanaian traders. Whatever item you need, you will get it from a Nigerian shop.”

When reminded that Nigerians are already seeing the onslaught as xenophobia, Emmy said, maybe, but reasoned that if Nigeria reciprocates by shutting Ghanaian businesses in Nigeria, it will also be termed xenophobic.

She submits that Nigerians being shut out completely from the Ghanaian domestic market would impact negatively on the country’s economy. As a matter of fact, she said it was already playing out. “Recently, I needed to change my phone battery. The one to fix it said he could not get a replacement because only Nigerians sell such items.”

Would this mean that the Ghanaians want Nigerians to be left to ply their trades? Aryee said, “It’s mixed reaction. Some feel it not a good idea while others think it is necessary because Nigerians are taking over all facets of the retail business sector.”

Buhari must step in now! — President, Nigerian Traders Union in Ghana

For Chukwuemeka Nnaji, President, Nigerian Traders Union in Ghana, this is the time for the president Muhammadu Buhari government to step in on behalf of Nigerian in Ghana, otherwise the old pattern of displacing Nigerians of their hard-earned investments and property may just be playing out yet again.

AS president of Nigerian Traders Union in Ghana, what steps are you taking towards resolving this One million dollar obstacle? Have you met with the authorities?

As union leaders, it is very difficult for us to pressure the government to change its law, but as ECOWAS citizens, we believe we should not be made to pay such amount if we are to follow protocol. However, the authorities here have insisted that it is their local law, and as such, bargaining with them is not something we can do. I think it is our government that should come in at this point and intercede on our behalf.

Have you reached out to the government in Nigeria?

Yes, we have written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari; we have also written to the leadership of The Senate and the House of Representatives and other top people and are awaiting their response.

How long has this one million dollar levy been in existence?

It used to be 300,000 dollars but in 2013 they moved it to one million dollars.

How come it never became an issue until now?

They’ve always enforced it. I’ve lived in this country since 1995. The government institutions came in from time to time – at different times in 2007, 2012 and 2013, our people’s shops were closed. During those times, we petitioned ECOWAS, which sent its delegation to arrest the situation. We thought that would be the end, but they have kept coming back.”

Back then when we first moved to Ghana, we never thought of opening a shop, because business was slow. All we did was give our goods to the locals to sell because of the language barrier. But it got to a time when business started booming and the locals were not showing enthusiasm to grow. Anytime we gave them goods, they just sold; some of them used the proceeds to travel abroad, while some used it to buy cars or build their houses. So some of us started renting small shops to sell our goods and soon realised it was far better than the way they were doing it. It didn’t take long before the agitations started.

Is it that Nigerians have grown so much that their hosts now feel threatened?

If you go by history, I think Nigerians have been here for ever 300 years; and if you follow that story back, you’d realise that they kept chasing Nigerians out of their country after a while. In 1964 and 1969, which are recent occurrences, these were the kind of strategies they used to take over Nigerian properties. I’ve met a Ghanaian who told me that his fore-fathers’ house was built by Nigerians who left in frustration because of this kind of crisis. As we speak, a lot of Nigerians have invested in property in this country.”

You think this might be in pursuant of an agenda to take over Nigerian properties like in the past?

Possibly; but I’m not sure it’s going to work out this time. We have Nigerians who live abroad in Europe and other places, and some of our leaders, who have houses here. This time, I think we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be bullied out like in the past.

Are there areas of business that Nigerians are dominating, that could be causing this bad blood?

Dominancy is relative. The only area we can say we have more Nigerian shops than Ghanaians is in the mobile accessories sector. There was a place called Soldier Bar, where people hanged out late in the night and crime and prostitution became rife, causing the government to move in and clear the place. Nigerians moved there to start trading. At a time, they closed over 150 Nigerian shops. But every other place, Nigerians are in the minority. At Abossey Okai, Nigerians own less than 100 shops in a complex of over 3000 shops. At Opera Square, we discovered that the shops owned by Nigerians were less than 50, out of over 2000 shops. So, where is the dominance? At the last count, about 300 Nigerian shops have been shut across the country. As we speak, they are locking up Nigerian shops in Ashanti Region. And the exercise continues tomorrow.

Are Nigerians also being harassed in the formal sector like banking or publishing?

Nigerian banks operating in Ghana are allowed a very low number of Nigerian expatriates. I don’t have the figures but I know that most of the Nigerian banks operating here have Ghanaians as staff. I think that is part of the conditions.

Do you see things getting to a level where Nigerians may be forced to star relocating home?

Yes of course. We’re just waiting for our government’s response. If nothing happens after this week, we may have no option but to start evacuating our people because our lives are increasingly becoming at risk.

Gbenga Bada

BIG Brother Naija Lockdown entered its sixth week on Sunday, August 23 after five weeks and 36 days of frills and thrills.

In the sixth week, 14 housemates got viewers’ talking and rooting for favourite housemates as Praise joins the growing list of evicted housemates that include Kaisha, Tochi, Eric, Ka3na, Lilo.

Praise’s eviction came with mixed feelings for fans, viewers, and even Praise, who also said he expected the eviction.

Here is a quick recap of the sixth week of the reality TV show that kicked off on Sunday, July 19.

Ozo wins Head of House for a second time

On Monday, August 17, Ozo emerged the winner of the Head of House challenge, hence collecting the mantle of leadership from the resident playboy, Kiddwaya. To announce his deputy, Ozo met with Biggie in the Diary room where he revealed two other possible deputies should Nengi refuse the offer. Ozo mentioned Dorathy and Vee as substitutes should Nengi refuse the offer to be his deputy. Ozo registered his name as the first housemate to win the HoH challenge twice in the BBNaija Lockdown. The 26-year-old is returning to the HoH lounge and taking the mantle of leadership three weeks after first winning it.

Ozo, TrickyTee win N1 million each, trip to Dubai

Two-time Head of House, Ozo, and TrickyTee have emerged winners of the Pepsi TurnUp music challenge. The two housemates, who belong to Team Tekno, emerged winners of the highly anticipated task af

ter impressing Biggie with their teamwork, showmanship, and accurate lyrics of the song. The winning team performed Tekno’s hit song, ‘Duro,’ released in 2015. For winning the second task, Ozo and TrickyTee won themselves the sum of N1 million each, an all-expense-paid trip to Dubai for OneFest music festival and a year’s supply of Pepsi beverages. Earlier in the day, the housemates in two per team had been asked to assemble a puzzle piece to determine which of the Pepsi ambassadors they will be representing. Team Tiwa Savage, which had Prince and Nengi, won the task.

More cash prizes for housemates

The remaining 14 housemates left in the BBNaija Lockdown house for the sixth week have continued to win cash prizes between Monday, August 24, and Wednesday, August 26. All the housemates won various sums of prize money in the Indomie challenge that saw them cooking the noodles with different special spices. The housemates won cash prizes ranging from N220,000 to N430,000. As if that wasn’t enough, more housemates won cash prizes in the Pepsi TurnUp challenge as well as the Kuda bank contest.

The ‘Ships’

As expected, the fondness among the housemates keeps growing. After the exit of Praise, Lucy announced that the only male housemate she could have had a relationship with was Praise. In the sixth week, the strongest of the Ships remain Neo and Vee’s relationship. The pair keep waxing stronger in love even after their little fights. Vee raised her fears to Tolanibaj saying she hopes fame doesn’t take Vee away from him but she has been reassured to allow things to work out naturally. Kiddwaya remains smitten with Erica, even as Erica noted that she has no other option in the house and that was why she decided to pitch her tent with Kiddwaya thro

ughout the show. Prince and Tolanibaj’s ship seems to have hit the rocks but with none of the housemates feeling hurt or bad. Getting stronger in the sixth week is Bright O and Wathoni’s ship. The two keep getting stronger even as Bright O told Biggie that he doesn’t have anything with either Wathoni or Dorathy. Dorathy has repeatedly said that she doesn’t want to be the one to block Wathoni from smitten with Bright O. In the same vein, Nengi had told Ozo that they would remain best friends for life. She also told him that she can’t and won’t date Kiddwaya because he’s just like a very close friend to her

Kiddwaya, Erica, Ozo get strikes on Biggie’s return

After a short secret vacation, Big Brother returned on day 34. While away, Biggie had instructed the Head of House, Kiddwaya never to disclose his disappearance with anyone. Biggie told Kidd he would communicate with him with a telephone line and he should be in charge of the house. On his return on today, Biggie gathered the housemates in the lounge and played video clips where the housemates flouted the house rules showing they are guilty of any punishment.

However, Kiddwaya, Erica, and Ozo were found guilty of whispering which is against the house rule and given strikes each. Erica and Kidd got two strikes each while Ozo got one strike.