A History Of Crisis: Why Stakeholders Must Rise Up & Save COSON Now

This plantain rots away, you delude yourself claiming it's ripening.

The Copyright Society of Nigeria is a 9-year-old Collective Management Organization (CMO) that has shown the potential to succeed in the all important task of intellectual property rights protection in Nigeria. Licensed by the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) to manage the collection and distribution of royalties for the commercial exploitation of musical works and sound recording, the organisation had shown significant promised until crisis broke out about a year and six months ago.
By virtue of size and the exponential growth of this industry in the last 20 years, COSON is by default the most invested CMO in Nigeria, and potentially, Africa. Therefore, the remarkable growth of COSON over the years doesn't come with a miracle tag, nor does it lend credence to the narrative of it being down to the sole effort of any particular personality. Many would argue that Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN), a far older CMO for the industry didn’t make as much progress, but existential timing is a logical explanation.

COSON came on stream at a time when the massive growth of the music industry had drawn local attention to the issues of copyright infringement. Moreso, the industry had become better organized with the emergence of quality record labels, publishing firms, artist managers and big-time international exposure. Therefore, a CMO coming at that point would naturally leverage the structure and goodwill of the industry to pursue its course under any name or management. COSON in its case, was even the result of the advocacy drive of strong stakeholders, therefore success was at a tipping point when it was licensed to operate in 2010.

Following approval, COSON kicked-off reflecting the structured position of the industry it represents, with a well-staffed secretariat, governing board and nation-wide footprints that followed quite easily. Chief Tony Okoroji, an industry veteran, famed for his efforts in copyright protection issues, became the board’s maiden chairman, a position he held until the December 7th, 2017 Emergency Board Meeting, which sacked him for his inability to clear allegations of infractions as contained in a petition founding fathers wrote to the NCC and copied the board. The petition was signed by Evangelist Ebenezer Obey, Mr. Bode Akinyemi (Ivory Music), Chief Osita Okeke (Osy Affasson), Rogers Okonkwo (Rogers All Stars), Mr. Laolu Akins, Mr Toju Ejueyitchie (Premier Music Publishing) and others.

The infractions listed in the petition were chiefly committed by Tony Okoroji and two other directors, Azeezat Allen and John Uduegbunam. It was also noted that a similar petition was months earlier, submitted to the board and board members were not informed about it. Tony Okoroji and COSON’s GM, Chinedu Chukwuji had responded to the NCC, without passing the response through the board.
The aggrieved directors went on to vote 6 against 4 for the sack of Okoroji, having rejecting the option of resignation presented to him. The board then passed a resolution that made Efe Omorogbe the chairman and banned all directors and their companies from operating as vendors or consultants to the organization. Those that voted to sack Okoroji were Efe Omorogbe, Sikiru Agboola, Obi Asika, Dare Fasasi, Joel Ajayi and Audu Maikori. Okoroji, the other two accused in the petition and Ras Kimono voted to keep him has chairman.

At the EGM of December 19, 2017, the unusual happened. The new chairman and the other 5 board members were purportedly sacked and Okoroji was reinstated as chairman, alongside Azeezat and John Uduegbunam in a process the regulator, the NCC has declared illegal.

First, the general assembly only has the constitutional right of sacking and appointing board members through votes, but no right to decide who becomes board chairman, it is the sole prerogative of the board members. The general assembly passed a resolution sacking the entire board and then then reinstated Okoroji as chairman.

After the business of the EGM had been concluded and the a formal adjournment motion had been passed, a private meeting at the boardroom of the COSON House led to the announcement of a reconstituted board implying that Okoroji and the other two directors where granted the liberty to handpick and appoint board members rather than the assembly nominating and voting in new directors. This has led to several court cases and a complete state of flux about the legal status of COSON.

For several years, Tony Okoroji had been the face of COSON. He was mainly the society’s spokesman, he told the story of COSON to all, championing its advocacy, promoting its activities across all media channels and addressing undermining or counter positions on COSON’s activities. This definitely, wasn’t without the backing of the other directors on the governing board, who were in fact rights owners themselves, making financial investments in content creation and using COSON as a platform to protect their rights.

Okoroji sold the facade that he was the one responsible for the successes of COSON, meanwhile board members managed their grievances to allow the organization keep a united front. They rallied round the chairman as the face of the course, a privilege Tony took advantage of, to get the loyalty of several members, COSON staff and other right owners, who now see him and not COSON, as their benefactor.

Okoroji’s interview on the matter was more PR-themed than explanatory. It was tailored to size with all lines and angles of good imaging of a peace-loving, focused, successful leader was ensured. While emphasizing his personal efforts in developing the COSON House (debt-free and without any government or private funding), he reiterated that in same year it was commissioned (2017), COSON Week was successfully held at the best event venues, and over N200,000,000.00 was distributed to members as royalties. He also stated that COSON accounts have always been audited every year, and a copy sent to NCC, CAC and all members of the society, and are debated at every AGM. He ascribed the success of COSON to his management style of openness and accountability.

He went on to accuse external forces for using some board members to destabilize COSON, coming on the backdrop of his fight with the attorney general of the federation (Abubakar Malami), who approved the license of a parallel CMO for music and sound recordings.

Okoroji claimed that the petition that was the basis of his sack at the EBD of 7th December 2017, was written by Toju, a bitter election opponent, whom he defeated. He also claimed that Ebenezer Obey said he was pressured to sign the document.

On the issue of the request by members for forensic audit of COSON account, Okoroji said that the aggrieved board members were trying to bring KPMG and Price Waterhouse Cooper to run COSON. He went on to disregard the allegation of unethical award of contracts to TOPS Limited, his private firm, saying he was only helping COSON to get sponsorship for her events, and TOPS has never charged COSON for the services.

As a concerned member of COSON, taking a critical look at the submissions of the parties in this fiasco brings some important queries to the bear about Tony Okoroji’s leadership of the society, which punctures all the media meandering aimed at shifting attention from the crux of the whole discord.

1. Has Tony Okoroji ever denied the allegation that TOPS Ltd has maintained a consultancy contract with COSON? NO!
2. Is it ethical to give TOPS Ltd any form of contract as the substantive chairman of the board? NO!
3. Has Okoroji addressed claims that the award of contracts for the renovation of the COSON House were done without board approval? NO!
4. Has Okoroji addressed allegations that he has illegally collected commission from licensing fees? NO!
5. Is the forensic audit requested by members the same as the yearly audit done by COSON? NO!
6. Is Okoroji the sole reason behind COSON’s successes? NO!
7. Were the the proceedings of the December 19, 2017 extraordinary general meeting that purportedly reinstated Okoroji legal? NO! The regulators have said so.
8. Is Okoroji above the the law, as demonstrated by his continued disregard of NCC’s directives? NO!
9. Is Okoroji the only suitable candidate for COSON’s chairmanship? NO!

Therefore, whatever argument the Okoroji camp is putting up is nonsensical in its entirety, because you can’t build something on nothing. As it stands, in the eyes of the law, the chairman of the governing board of COSON is Efe Omorogbe. The rightful directors remain the 11 that held the emergence board meeting of 7th December, 2017 (inclusive of Okoroji himself). Any position beyond this is an audacious kidnap of the legal structure of COSON, which Tony is leading.

The whole drama and state of affairs at COSON are not an unfamiliar trend with Chief Okoroji for those who follow the political and legal events within the industry. History shows an established pattern in every industry organisation that Okoroji has been a part of.

From the early days of the the Musical Copyright Society of Nigeria (MCSN), where as a board member, he tried foisting his will on the body and was heavily resisted. Tony would move on with some other board members to start a parallel organization in 1994. The supremacy battle between Performance and Mechanical Rights Society (PMRS) and MCSN led to the withdrawal of their approval - a move that created a decade-long lacuna in rights administration in Nigeria.

Chief Okoroji was also very much in the news for plotting a third term bid as president of PMAN, a move that was vehemently resisted by members. Okoroji's role in PMAN thereafter has left some watchers unsure of his intentions for the union until he found his way to COSON.

Okoroji is not new to controversies of this kind and the factionalization and crisis at COSON is threatening to kill the organisation.

As was the case in the past, COSON is the new baby at the mercy of his gambit, and like every other case, the organization is beginning to lose relevance, even presently operating illegally, according to the position of the regulator.The most fundamental question is, will stakeholders watch COSON go the way of PMAN after Okoroji's inglorious exit?

There is a local saying that 20 children cannot play together for 20 years. Which implies that most relationships and associations are transitory. Most often though, what changes is not the relationships, but the levels of interactions and value. So, when people stop being part of any social institution/group, they depart with a perception of the individuals they met, by virtue of their interactions. Hence their future relationship or description of those persons is defined by their previous experiences. For Okoroji, all past relationships on the boards of societies had left colleagues in bitterness, some grievances are over thirty years old. Can everyone be wrong about Tony Okoroji? The guys at MCSN? The guys at PMAN and now, colleagues at COSON?

Where two elephants fight, the grass takes the hit. In this case, the right owners are at the verge of falling into another rights collection gap, if Okoriji's intransigence forces the revocation of the operating licence of COSON by way of imminent expiration.

Okoroji has maintained that if things were being done wrongly, COSON would not be running successfully. It beats the imagination that a sexagenarian will miss to understand the concept of climbing a ladder placed on the wrong wall. An organization that a lot of stakeholders have put in years of efforts to build can keep running on reserve gas when the plugs are pulled, but not for long, the engines will fail.

Joel Ajayi, a long time finance committee chairman of COSON, who was among the board members that voted out Okoroji, spoke in an interview and affirmed he was one of the directors who acted on the petition against Okoroji and the board. This respected elder lamented that they had been complaining and overlooking Okoroji's excesses for many years until things got to a head.

The chief allegation remained that Okoroji and his cronies, executing through Chinedu Chukwuji, are mismanaging the finances of COSON. Many key stakeholders have demanded a forensic audit to clear the allegations and resolve the crisis. Falz, Mavin, Skales, Square Records, 9ice, 2Baba, EME, Brymo, Chocolate City, Premier Music Publishing, Ivory Music, Sunny Neji, Ruggedman, Vector, Timi Dakolo, Tunde and Wunmi Obe, PMAN and many more.

Some of the right owners have even written to users not to pay COSON until the audit has been conducted. This development is a gradual dismembering of COSON, its credibility and capacity to run as an effective CMO. Right users will be glad to hide under this debacle not to pay.

After the 2017 COSON Week, allegedly executed without board approval, Okoroji came back with a bill of about N26m to seek retroactive approval to TOPS Ltd, his company, an allegation he has NEVER DENIED. There is also another allegation that Okoroji received over N9m in commission from MTN's settlement without the knowledge and approval of the board, another allegation he has NEVER ADDRESSED. Aren't these valid reasons for an audit?

According to Article 61 of the COSON memo and articles of association “The Management Board shall appoint a General Manager who shall be the chief executive of the society with responsibility for the day-to-day activities of the society and to whom the Management Board may delegate any of its duties. The General Manager shall not be a member of the society”

However, Chief Okoroji has had an overbearing control of COSON, assuming a similar role of executive chairman, contrary to the provisions of the society’s MEMART. Okoroji has also been known to be involved in hiring and firing, contract awards and payments and other day-to-day running activities of COSON. Current GM, Chinedu Chukwuji who appears to run on the order of Okoroji’s is also suspected to have blood ties with him. Many financial and corporate governance questions beg for answers and it gets worrisome when the predominant messaging one gets from the organisation is evasive of the issues and demonizing of individuals.

This isn’t an "Efe vs Tony" thing. This in fact, is a COSON vs Okoroji, the music industry vs an apparent autocrat who acts like he is above questions. Will members rise up to resist the imminent destruction of a society that is now well positioned to protect their rights?

In the words of Vincent de Paul “…The downfall of most communities comes from the cowardice of superiors in not holding firm and in not purging them of the troublesome and incorrigible." The right owners are the superior, they own COSON not Tony Okoroji, who is an incorrigible piece that all truly concerned members have to purge before this community goes the way of others that Tony had been a part of.

In recognition and respect however, of the position of those who believe Okoroji is innocent of all the allegations that have been levelled against him, a full forensic audit of the account and operations of COSON under his tenure would be the basic starting point towards exonerating him. The continued dodging of the audit digs a big hole in Okoroji's argument. A big black hole COSON seem destined to drown into if immediate redemptive action is not taken by all key stakeholders in this embarrassing saga. COSON is worth the effort. Let's save it NOW.

Buhari vs Atiku: Timi Frank backs Adebanjo

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has expressed support for the decision of the leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, that President Muhammadu Buhari should not be recognised as President-elect.

Frank said until the Supreme Court determines the true winner of the 2019 presidential election, the President should rather be seen as “an illegal President-elect”.

Pa Adebanjo had expressed optimism that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), would reclaim his mandate at the court.

The nonagenarian also said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), wrongly declared Buhari as winner of the election.

Speaking through a statement he made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, Frank commended the elder statesman for his courage in speaking truth to power, adding that no matter how long it takes, the will of people would surely prevail.

“It is unfortunate that Nigeria has very few men like Pa Adebanjo, who can boldly say it as it is. Even at their very old age, hypocrisy is still a meal ticket for so many and that is why illegality reigns supreme in Nigeria.

“Under the watch of Buhari, there is no governance and that is why his appointees are taking advantage of his incompetence to loot public funds. Gen. Buhari has taken the country from bad to worse, and democracy is now getting another meaning under the nose of a failed President,” Frank stated.

He also reacted to the worsening security situation across the country and insisted that all the money meant to buy equipment have been stolen by a clique inside APC’s administration.

“Where is the motivation? All the money meant to the purchase weapons have been stolen by the APC government. The President cannot sack the tired and long due for retirement Service Chiefs because the secret of his illegal second term is in their (Service Chiefs) hands.

“A caring President cannot abandon the country when the nation is on fire. Gen. Buhari does not care and that is why he chose to travel for a private matter when his subjects are dying in large numbers to banditry, kidnapping and hunger.”

On the economy, Frank said the country is now back to recession, adding that unemployment has hit the roof with 33.5% of the total population practically begging for daily bread, adding that the government of the APC has ran out of ideas on how to take the people out of poverty.

“Nigerians should take note that the #NEXT LEVEL Buhari promised the country is now being implemented fully, where insecurity reigns supreme, where hunger and poverty stare Nigerians in the face, job loss and begging is the order of the day, and lack of respect for the rule of law has become the badge of honour for the government of the day,” he said.

Frank, however, called on leaders of thought, geniue civil society organisations and all Nigerians to speak up and act before the socio-economic situation in the country degenerate irretrievably.

Cattle rustling: Mob kills six people in Zamfara

A mob on Thursday lynched six suspected cattle rustlers at the palace of the Emir of Birnin Magaji in Zamfara State.

The Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Major Clement Abiade, who confirmed the killing, told The us that reports at his disposal did not indicate the men were cattle rustlers.

He stated, “Reports at our disposal indicated that they were Fulani cattle herders, who were at the palace alongside a Department of States Services official, to secure the release of their animals seized about three weeks ago.

“The enraged villagers, who had been at the receiving end of banditry for a long time, descended on the cattle rearers that they mistook for bandits.

“According to reports, the Fulani men took their case to the DSS, and the DSS officials accompanied them to the palace to make their case. They were not armed.”

Abiade, however, warned against jungle justice as it might lead to a reprisal, adding that perpetrators would be brought to book

But another version of the incident indicated that when the DSS officials and the suspected cattle rustlers arrived at the palace, some residents noticed the presence of a notorious bandit among them and youths in large numbers laid siege to the palace.

The residents said the emir was not in town when the incident happened and that it took the intervention of the soldiers in town to whisk away some palace officials and the DSS personnel to safety.

The DSS officer, who was shot in the hand, had been taken to a hospital for medical treatment and military personnel had been deployed in the area to forestall further violence.

Ogoni leaders want cultists to repent, swear before deities in shrines

Leaders of various communities in Ogoni, River State, have expressed worry over the activities of cultists wrecking havoc in the oil-rich Ogoni land, especially in Khana Local Government Area.

To find a lasting solution to the menace, Ogoni leaders have issued a 14-day ultimatum to cultists operating in the area to repent and submit themselves to traditional oath-taking in their respective communities.

In a communiqué issued yesterday at the end of a meeting at the palace of the Supreme ruler of Ogoni Traditional Council, Chief Godwin Giniwa at Sakpenwa, the community leaders threatened that failure to take the oath would lead to such persons being ostracised.

The meeting was attended by traditional rulers, elders, political office holders, elected representatives, title holders, religious leaders, women and youth groups.

About 60 persons especially members of rival cult groups were said to have lost their lives in the last one month in the area.

However, they threatened that any Ogoni leader who fails to expose the identities of perpetrators or fails to administer the traditional oaths on their subjects would not only be deposed but treated as accomplices.

The communiqué was signed by His Majesty, King G.N.K. Gininwa, Senator (Dr) Bennett Birabi, Chief Kenneth Kobani, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, Ledum Mitee and HRH, Godwin Bebe Okpabi, among others.

Dedicated telephone numbers were also made available across the four local government areas for people to send credible information on any threat to security in their areas.

The communique reads: “Having reviewed the current deteriorating security situation in Ogoniland, we express profound sadness over and wholeheartedly condemn the spate of killings, cases of cult wars and other criminal activities in parts of Ogoni, especially in Khana LGA, that have created a deep sense of insecurity,

“We hereby warn all those involved in such activities to put an end to such activities forthwith and surrender their arms and all instruments of violence and subject themselves to traditional oaths in their respective communities within 14 days.

“At the expiration of the 14 days, any person who fails to abide by the decision should be declared an enemy of the people and treated as such.

“Leaders of the communities that harbour these criminals or host their camp or fail to administer the traditional oaths on their subjects or fail to expose the identities of perpetrators of these crimes, would not only be deposed, but treated as accomplices.

“We also resolve to send a high powered delegation of the Ogoni leadership to urgently meet with the government to seek their necessary support to drive the peace process, and in particular, with a view to setting up a Special Task Force to track down and appropriately deal with any person that further engages in such nefarious activities.

“We further resolved to convene a meeting with all youth leaders and youth groups to get their buy in and perspectives and thereafter hold another congress, in no distant future, to reappraise the situation as well as address other issues affecting our people,” the communiqué added.

It further urged Ogonis to be vigilant and join the new spirit of unity of purpose being ushered into the land.

Osun Guber: What court decided on Senator Adeleke’s case on Thursday

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, which will determine Senator Ademola Adeleke’s eligibility in the September 2018 governorship election in Osun State, has been adjourned till May 8, 2019.

NAN reports that the appellate court had on April 25, adjourned hearing on the appeal on account of improper service.

At the resumed sitting on Thursday, a similar situation resurfaced and it forced the Justice Abubakar Yayaha led-panel to move hearing.

Yahaya said the matter could not be heard, because of a pending Notice of Appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the same matter.

“We are not going to consolidate the appeals, but it is only proper for us to hear all the appeals on similar subject matter on the same day.

“We have seen that most of the processes have been exchanged but the PDP appeal against the judgment challenging the appellant’s qualification to contest the Osun Governorship election must be heard alongside Adeleke’s appeal.

“In the circumstance, hearing on Adeleke’s appeal and the PDP’s appeal marked CA/A/326/2017 is adjourned until May 8.

“The hearing notice should by served on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” Yahaya said.

Adeleke had approached the appellate court, to challenge the decision of Justice Othman Musa of the FCT High Court in Bwari, Abuja, which invalidated his status as PDP governorship candidate on April 2.

Nigerian born British lawmaker sacked from Parliament for lying

Nigeria-born British lawmaker, Fiona Onasanya has become the first ever Member of Parliament (MP) to be removed from office following a recall petition.

According to BBC News, Onasanya, the former MP for Peterborough, was found guilty of lying to avoid a speeding ticket and sentenced to three months in prison. She was released after serving less than a month in jail.

In a statement released shortly after the recall petition votes were counted, Peterborough City Council said: “19,261 people signed the Peterborough parliamentary seat recall petition – 27.64 per cent of the number of people eligible to sign. The petition is successful and the Peterborough seat is now vacant.”

The number of signatories amounted to 27.6 per cent of eligible voters.

For Onasanya’s removal to be prompted under a recall petition, 10 per cent of her constituents needed to sign in favour of her losing her seat in order for her to be removed.

Petitions can be triggered in the event that an MP is convicted of an offence in the UK and handed a custodial sentence, including a suspended sentence.

In Parliament on Thursday, Commons speaker John Bercow relayed to MPs the outcome of the petition.

Bercow said: “Fiona Onasanya is no longer the member for Peterborough and the seat is accordingly vacant.

“She can therefore no longer participate in any parliamentary proceedings as a member of parliament.”

The former Labour Party member has repeatedly denied guilt. In March she lost an appeal against her conviction.

Onasanya, 35, who was first elected in 2017, will be eligible to stand in the by-election, which is expected to take place in early June.

Nigel Farage has announced that his Brexit Party will compete in the Peterborough by-election.

“I can confirm that @brexitparty_uk will fight the Peterborough by-election. We will give it our best shot,” he tweeted.

NBS reveals how much States, FCT generated in Q4 2018

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for fourth quarter 2018 was N324.59 billion compared to N264.34 billion recorded in third quarter of the same year.

NBS disclosed this in its IGR report at State Level for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2018 posted on its website.

The bureau said that the figure (N324.59 billion), indicated a positive growth of 22.79 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 24.82 per cent year-on-year

It said 31 states and the FCT recorded growth in IGR while five states recorded decline in IGR quarter-on-quarter at the end of fourth quarter, 2018.

The report said the net Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation in fourth quarter 2018, was put at N2.56 trillion.

Meanwhile, the report said the total revenue available to the states including the FCT was N3.74 trillion in the quarter under review.

However, it said the value of foreign debt stood at 4.23 billion dollars while domestic debt was N3.85 trillion at the end of the year 2018.

The states IGR data was computed by the NBS and the Joint Tax Board from official records and submissions by the 36 State Boards of Internal Revenue.

These submissions were then validated and authenticated by the Joint Tax Board chaired by the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

The board has the NBS and the 36 State Boards of Internal Revenue as members.

Benue, Zamfara killings: You have abandoned your duties, return home – PDP to Buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday charged President Muhammadu Buhari to end his “private visit” abroad and immediately return home to face the deteriorated security situation in the country.

PDP gace the charge while lamenting that Buhari had practically abandoned his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief.

A statement by PDP’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan described as “completely unacceptable for President Buhari to practically abandon his responsibilities, as the Commander-In-Chief, at least for now, to pursue unexplained private matters in foreign lands, while bandits, marauders and insurgents seize our nation; maim, kidnap and kill our citizens with reckless abandon”.

According to PDP: “President Buhari’s inattention has emboldened insurgents and bandits to continue to over-run communities, unleash mayhem and bloodletting on
citizens in Borno, Zamfara, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe Taraba, Kaduna, Benue, Kogi and other states of the federation, including Mr. President’s home
state, Katsina.

“While President Buhari wanders abroad, bandits are having a field day, pillaging communities in Katsina state; killing several persons and abducting the District Head of his hometown, Daura, Musa Umar; the father in-law of Mr. President’s security aide.

“Within this period, marauders invaded communities in Adamawa and killed no fewer that 26 innocent Nigerians; many more have been killed in Borno, Taraba, Benue and Zamfara states, where bandits also reportedly attacked Government Girls Secondary School Moriki, and kidnapped some school girls.

“While the Buhari administration remains virtually nonchalant, kidnappers have taken over many of our major highways, with hundreds of compatriots
held in captivity in forests along Kaduna-Abuja, Taraba-Katsina-Ala and other highways in the country.

“It is clear that President Buhari has not demonstrated required capacity to control the security situation and now resorts to cheap escapism, particularly in the face of allegations in the public space that certain individuals around his administration are benefitting from the
situation.

“This is in addition to allegations that some of the bandits arrested, in states such as Katsina, are not Nigerians but aliens allegedly imported by the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Niger Republic to assist it
in unleashing violence and rigging the 2019 general elections.

“The fact remains that President Buhari has completely failed our nation. In fact, his dereliction to duty is a clear signal that he has been practically overwhelmed, deflated and has nothing to offer.

“The situation in Nigeria today signposts the terrible condition our nation will face if the Presidential mandate is not retrieved at the tribunal to enable competent and uncompromised hands to run the affairs of our country.

“We, therefore, call on President Buhari to immediately return home and use the remaining part of his tenure to seek help instead of wandering abroad under the guise of private visits.”

Nigeria’s unemployment rate to reach 33.5 percent by 2020

The Federal Government has said the Nigeria unemployment rate will reach 33.5 per cent by 2020.

NAN reports that Sen. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment, said this while declaring open a two-day workshop on “Breaking the Resilience of High Unemployment Rate in the Country”, on Thursday in Abuja.

He said that the incessant increase of unemployment rate in the country was alarming.

According to him, the high unemployment rate of 23.1 per cent, and underemployment of 16.6 per cent by the National Bureau Statistics (NBS) of 2019 report was alarming.

“It is a worrisome status as the global poverty capital (World Bank, 2018); and concomitant high prevalence rate of crimes and criminality, including mass murders, insurgency, militancy, armed robbery, kidnappings and drug abuse, among others.

“As if this situation is not scary enough, it is projected that the unemployment rate for this country will reach 33.5 per cent by 2020, with consequences that are better imagined, if the trend is not urgently reversed.

“It is a thing of joy to note that Nigeria has not been resting on her oars over the years in terms of dedicated efforts to curb the unemployment problem,” he said.

Ngige said that various government social intervention programmes targeted at reducing youth unemployment and eradicating poverty have been implemented by different administrations since Nigeria gained independence.

The minister also said that available records showed that between 1972 to date, about 14 different programmes have been implemented.

He said that these programmes included the National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP), implemented between 1972 and 1973.

He said others were the current National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) which hasn’t been ongoing since 2017, embedded in the National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020.

He noted that yet, the unemployment rate and poverty levels are on steady paths of growth, indicating high resilience against the intervention efforts.

The minister wondered why some of the intervention efforts were not yielding expected results.

“What is government and other stakeholders not doing right?

“What changes are needed in the policies, plans and strategies?

“What action areas need priority attention? What roles should different stakeholders play and what other options are not being exploited?

“Why do we employ expatriates for jobs Nigerians can do or why can´t Nigerians do these jobs? Why do we have deficits in housing, water, sanitation, food, entertainment facilities, health care, and education, among others?

“How do we deploy our population of productive age to fill the skills gaps needed for our national development?

“How do we break the resilience of high unemployment rate in the country?’’

He said that these are some of the questions that triggered new thoughts and concepts that led to series of activities that preceded the workshop.

Ngige said that the workshop was aimed at presenting the outcome of some of government efforts and the commencement of another phase of the processes.

He, however, called for a collaborative mechanism that would yield desired results while assuring that the recommendations from the workshop would receive prompt and sustained attention.

Mr William Alo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, said the workshop was aimed at examining issues around the persistent high unemployment rate in Nigeria.

Also said this was with a view to making concrete recommendations on how to tackle the menace.

“This workshop is very important to the Ministry of Labour and Employment due to the direct relevance of the theme to the Ministry’s mandate.

“However, the fact remains that the consequences of high unemployment rate in Nigeria affect each and every one of us as individuals and as members of the Nigerian society.

“The objectives of this workshop are, therefore, to present the findings of the survey on how to break the Resilience of High Unemployment Rate in Nigeria to the peer community.

“To stimulate actions towards exploiting untapped available options for massive job creations; to chart way forward on immediate next steps that would yield measurable results”.

Clerics task President Buhari on lives, welfare of citizens

Some clerics in Lagos have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to improve the lives and security of Nigerians during his second term, and also enhance their welfare.

The clerics gave the advice on Thursday in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Amir of the Movement for Islamic Culture and Awareness (MICA) Justice Wale Abiru, urged President Buhari to concentrate more on improving the welfare of citizens.

“The Nigerian society has a lot of problem, and I think that the President cannot resolve that in one term; there are things that need to be done.

“The issue of welfare, poverty is a big problem and we need to tackle it; poverty breeds insecurity and I hope that it can be curbed,’’ he said.

The Director of Project, Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), Mr Jubri Abdullahi, urged the government to ensure that the lives and property of its citizens are protected.

“We expect a number of things from the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari on security.

“Kidnapping, banditry, cattle rustling, Boko Haram are on the increase, so we expect to see an elimination of these, because where there is no security there cannot be development.

“We commended him on the increase in minimum wage, we expect that it would be constant and consistent, and Nigerians will actually have a living wage,’’ he said.

The Chairman of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Pastor Olusola Ore, said that the issue of corruption should be looked into holistically without sacred cows.

“I think he should up his game in the area of security. The killings, both communal and ethnic killing, should stop. He should look holistically at the issue of corruption, it should not be selective.

“It might not be intentional, but that is how it seems; there are so many people in the ruling party that need to be probed.

“The President should look around him and make sure he is not smeared by the people around him.

Rt Rev Stephen Adegbite, Bishop of the Metropolitan Diocese of Ikeja Methodist Church Nigeria, urged the Federal Government to do more in the area of securing the lives and property of the citizens.

“If the present situation is not addressed, the sense of unity and togetherness of the Nigerian people from a psychological standpoint could be under threat.

“The state of the nation, particularly the level of insecurity, is a big concern. We hope that with President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election, he will do a lot better than he has done,’’ he said.

NAN

Victory for wives of slain Ogoni leaders as Dutch court rules against Shell

IT was a major victory yesterday for the wives of four slain Ogoni leaders. A Dutch court gave an interim ruling in favour the women who sued oil giant Shell.

The women, Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula, sued Shell for its alleged role in the unlawful arrest, detention and execution of their husbands in 1995 by the administration of former military Head of State, the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Shell, which was extracting oil from Ogoni, had argued that the District Court of The Hague lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit. But the court ruled otherwise.

According to a statement by Amnesty International (AI), the court yesterday issued an interim ruling in the case instituted by Mrs Kiobel and the three other women with regard to Shell’s involvement in the unlawful arrest, detention and execution of their husbands by the Federal Government.

The court ruled in favour of the plaintiffs, establishing that it has jurisdiction of the case and that this should not be time-barred.

The court also ruled that Shell should hand over some confidential internal documents to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, and that they would have the opportunity to examine witnesses.

AI’s Head of Business & Human Rights, Mark Dummett, said: “This decision marks a vital step towards justice for Esther and the other plaintiffs. It also sets an important precedent for other victims around the world who are seeking to hold powerful corporations to account, and who struggle to access justice.

“We salute Esther Kiobel, Victoria Bera, Blessing Eawo and Charity Levula. It’s only because of their courage and persistence that we’ve got this far.”

Make good use of your office – Workers tell Amaechi

Mr Innocent Ajiji, the President General of Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NUR) on Wednesday tasked the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, to address the poor welfare of railway workers.

Ajiji, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said railway staff receives the lowest remuneration among the transport parastatals.

He said that Amaechi should use his good office to review the welfare of staff, the way Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) staff remuneration was improved.

“The railway union has a lot of challenges, our workers’ welfare is very poor and that is what I keep talking about since I came on board.

“I want the minister to do what he did in NPA by improving our salaries. I want him to at least upgrade our salary even above the thirty thousand naira minimum wage,“ he said.

Ajiji said that government had improved on railways infrastructure across the country and urged it to complete all the projects for the benefit of Nigerians.

Why Ngige was absent at May Day rally, by Aide

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has explained that his absence at the 2019 workers day celebration in Abuja has nothing to do with his current faceoff with organised labour over the headship of the board of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF).

The Minister who has had series of disagreement and altercation with President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba and other Labour leaders in recent times was conspicuously absent at the annual event to celebrate workers which was attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

NLC President had in his address to workers alluded to the fact that the Minister was absent because of their disagreement over the NSITF board.

But in a two paragraphed statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Nwachukwu Obidiwe, Senator Ngige said he was absent as a result of ill health.

The statement reads: “Contrary to uncivilized attitude and barefaced lies contained in the address of the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, I wish to state for the avoidance of doubt that the Hon. Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen. Chris Ngige was absent at Wednesday’s Worker’s Day rally for reasons of ill health.

“The Minister has been down with flu since last Sunday. He met his doctors last Monday and has since been at home recuperating.”

The Nation gathered that workers had planned to boo the Minister at the event.

His address to workers was however delivered by the Minister of state, Prof. Stephen Ocheni.

JAMB speaks on crash of server, release of 2019 UTME results

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) says its server did not crash.

It said results of candidates who participated in its 2019 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination ( UTME) are intact.

The board’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

Benjamin reacted to speculations in some quarters that the board issued a press statement, explaining that the release of the UTME results was being delayed because its server crashed and that candidates should prepare for another examination.

”We want to distance ourselves from such malicious and wicked rumours by fraudulent persons, as there is no truth in them.

”We did not issue any press statement concerning crashing of server. All these are antics of desperate persons trying to cause panic and confusion among candidates and the general public.

”We are not going to succumb to such rumours as we remain focused in ensuring that we achieve what we have set out to do.

”After the examination, the board embarked on a screening to determine any form of examination malpractice and infractions by both candidates and examination centres. This is what has been delaying the release of the results,” he told NAN.

The official said that the board had almost completed the screening and would soon releaseresults of deserving candidates.

”What we are trying to do is to ensure that innocent persons are not punished, but I can assure you that we are going to punish all those found wanting,” he said.

Benjamin appealed to Nigerians to believe in the board’s ability to rid of what he described as ‘criminal elements’

According to him, Nigerians should appreciate what the board is doing as it is for the benefit of the Nigerian child and the national large.

”We want to correct so many things might have been taken for granted in the past.

”When fraudulent individuals get away with their mischievous acts, it is because the society is in a hurry to run to a conclusion, not mindful of the fact that certain acts should be pursued painstakingly to a logical conclusion.

”I want to let you know that the board has secured conviction of some UTME fraud suspects in Kebbi.

”Therefore, we equally want to seize this opportunity to thank the judiciary for doing a good job, as we urge others to key into what has been achieved in Kebbi in an effort to get rid of fraudulent persons and sanitise the system,” he said.

Benjamin urged candidates to be calm and wait for their results to be released soon.

”I want to urge candidates not to entertain any fear. Their results are intact,” he said.

Tackle poverty among disabled persons, NAPWPD urges Sanwo-Olu

The National Association of Persons Living with Physical Disabilities, Lagos State chapter, has urged the Lagos State governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to put a specific programme in place to tackle the high poverty rate among persons living with disabilities in the state.

The group noted that the United Nations had estimated that people living with disabilities accounted for 80 per cent of the people affected by chronic poverty in developing countries.

It said by tackling poverty among the physically-challenged people after coming on board, the Sanwo-Olu administration would have solved more than 50 per cent of the poverty problem in the state.

The NAPWPD said this on Tuesday in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Dare Dairo; General Secretary, Toyin Salami; and Publicity Secretary, Ojo Oluwole.

It urged the governor-elect not to address the problem by giving handouts to the people living with disabilities or promoting charity, but to empower them through training and skills acquisition.

The NAPWPD said it had realised that developing enterprise among the persons living with disabilities was the viable way of tackling poverty among them.

It said, “Last year, in conjunction with the Disabilities Foundation and Professor Awosika, we provided entrepreneurship training for some of our members in the transport business.  Based on that training and business evaluation, they were recommended to a microfinance bank.  Seven of our members got a Keke Marwa each, for which they have almost completed the repayment.   Nobody should be unproductive on account of disability.”

The group urged Sanwo-Olu to provide a concrete mechanism of inclusion for people living with disabilities to shield them from local government officials and others, who, they alleged, often frustrated them.

“Most local government authorities in Lagos State are not even aware of the disability law, or the existence of an agency like the Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs.

“Starting from LASODA to local government administration, the incoming government in Lagos State should see to it that the structure for inclusion is properly enshrined in critical areas like education, health, sports, poverty alleviation, and political participation,” the NAPWPD said.

The group said judging from his campaign promises, it had confidence that the Sanwo-Olu administration “would make Lagos State more conducive to people living with disabilities to thrive with dignity and have a sense of belonging.”

“We appreciate Governor Akinwumi Ambode for his bold initiatives in tackling poverty and unemployment among persons living with disabilities in Lagos State.  We are no less grateful to Mr Babatunde Fashola and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu before him. Their vision, compassion and good work sustain the spirit of inclusion in Lagos State that is the envy of other states in the country,” the group said.