As Nigerians celebrate Democracy Day, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo socio-cultural organization has appealed to the 2023 presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Ohanaeze urged Atiku and Obi to stop pursuing their cases at the tribunal and support President Bola Tinubu.

Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, said Atiku and Obi should support Tinubu with their ideas.

Isiguzoro said both former presidential candidates should support Tinubu in the interest of nationalism and patriotism.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Isiguzoro said: “The money that Atiku and Peter Obi are using to pursue their cases at the tribunal, we beg the two Nigerian patriots to support Tinubu because the war has ended.

“They should bring ideas to ensure that Nigerians don’t experience severe hardship.

“This is our democracy message to Atiku, Peter Obi, and Nigerians that though they have the constitutional rights to challenge Tinubu at the tribunal up to the Supreme Court, they should withdraw their cases from the tribunal in the spirit of nationalism and patriotism.

“We know it’s a decision that will be hard for them, their lawyers and supporters will not allow them; but in the spirit of patriotism and one Nigeria they should allow, support this progressive president with the ideas that will move the country from consumption to production.”

Isiguzoro also urged Tinubu to ensure that his appointments reflect federal character.

He charged the president to consider the Igbos when giving out key appointments.

He added: “In as much as we applaud him, Tinubu should look at the situation of not giving exceptional appointments that will promote ethnicity, religion, or nepotism.

“His appointment must reflect the principle of federal character and ensure that the Southeast gets strong ministries that will transform the region economically and structurally.”

He charged the president to consider releasing Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

“What we are yearning for is that Tinubu should listen to the appeal of Enugu State governor and release Nnamdi Kanu and end the Monday sit-at-home,” he added.

Mrs Olayemi Oyebanji, First Lady of Ekiti State, has commended Damilola Adeparusi, who aims to beat Hilda Baci’s record.

Damilola started cooking on Friday. She will be cooking for 120 hours to break Hilda’s record.

Recalls that Hilda Baci made a historic feat last month after breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time by an individual.

Baci cooked for 100 hours to surpass the previous record set by an Indian chef, Lata Tondon, in 2019.

While Baci continued to enjoy accolades for the feat, Damilola has so far cooked for 83 hours to beat the Akwa Ibom chef’s record.

Writing on her Twitter page, the Ekiti State First Lady urged Nigerians to celebrate Damilola’s bold pursuit.

“The last 70 hours have been about Chef Dammy @dammypas, a determined Ekiti undergraduate, who is making a bold attempt to break the Guinness World record for the longest cooking marathon.

“For me, it’s her courage and determination to stand for something positive, using her God-given talent to make a statement.

“Miss Damilola Adeparusi, surely has our love and support as she forges ahead to make this bold statement.

“I salute your courage Chef Dammy, for your decision to run your own race. Congratulations.”

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of raping Nigeria’s democracy and dishonouring the memory of the late MKO Abiola.

PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, urged Nigerians to use the June 12 Democracy Day to accentuate the demand for the entrenchment of democratic tenets in the country.

The party described as distasteful, offensive and unacceptable for the nation to observe the Democracy Day under a system that violated, desecrated and despoiled all the tenets of democracy as witnessed in brazen rigging that characterized the 2023 general elections.

Ologunagba made the assertion in a statement titled: “June 12: @inecnigeria, @OfficialAPCNg Raped Democracy, Dishonored Abiola’s Memory – @OfficialPDPNig.”

The statement reads: “The barefaced manipulations of the 2023 general elections by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), amounts to an unpardonable assault and rape of democracy and disregard for the will of the people; the very ills which Chief MKO Abiola fought and died for.

“June 12 epitomizes the struggle by Nigerians against corrupt, manipulative and anti-democratic system; against injustice, impunity and electoral fraud which INEC, under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu now represents.

“It is indeed heartrending that all the steady progress and gains made by successive PDP administrations in reforming our electoral system have been completely wiped off by INEC in the conduct of the 2023 general elections.

“Our Party, however, urges Nigerians not to despair but remain optimistic and law-abiding in their hope for a better nation which they earnestly yearn for.”

rape of democracy and disregard for the Will of the people; the very ills which Chief MKO Abiola fought and died for.

“June 12 epitomizes the struggle by Nigerians against corrupt, manipulative and anti-democratic system; against injustice, impunity and electoral fraud which INEC, under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu now represents.

“It is indeed heartrending that all the steady progress and gains made by successive PDP administrations in reforming our electoral system have been completely wiped off by INEC in the conduct of the 2023 general elections.

“Our Party however urges Nigerians not to despair but remain optimistic and law-abiding in their hope for a better nation which they earnestly yearn for.”

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has alerted Nigerians on the outbreak of Anthrax in some neighbouring countries within the West African sub-region.

Following the development, the ministry strongly advised Nigerians to desist from the consumption of hides (ponmo), smoked meat and bush meat as they pose serious risk until the situation is brought under control.

A statement signed by the Permanent Secretary of ministry, Dr Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, said the outbreak was first recorded in northern Ghana bordering Burkina Faso and Togo putting the whole sub-region at risk.

“The disease which has claimed some lives, is a bacterial disease that affects both animals and man, that is a zoonotic disease. Anthrax spores are naturally found in the soil and commonly affect domestic and wild animals.”

“People can get infected with Anthrax spores if they come in contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. However, Anthrax is not a contagious disease and so, one cannot get it by coming in close contact with an infected person.

“Signs of anthrax are flu- like symptoms such as cough, fever, muscle aches and if not diagnosed and treated early, lead to pneumonia, severe lung problems, difficulty in breathing, shock and death,” the statement read in part.

The statement further warned the general public against closeness to non-vaccinated animals with Anthrax as it can easily be transmitted to man through the inhalation of Anthrax spores including consumption of contaminated/Infected animal products, such as hides and skin, meat or milk.

Ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration of the 10th Assembly, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has reiterated that the National Assembly should be allowed to elect its presiding officers.

Recall that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had endorsed Senator Godswill Akpabio (South-south) as the president of the 10th Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau (North-west) as Deputy Senate President; and Hon. Tajudeen Abass (North-west) as the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Hon. Ben Kalu (South-east) has Deputy.

However, the endorsement of the quartet had not stopped others aspiring for various principal positions in the 10th Assembly to shelve their ambition.

But speaking during a media interaction on Saturday in Abuja, the Convener of NEF, Prof. Ango Abdulahi insisted that the constitution of the land provides for three arms of government independent of each other, adding that as such, the legislative arm should be allowed to elect its leaders.

His words: “Our constitution provides for three autonomous branches of government. Not that they should not work together, but they can work together in the overall interest of the country.

“They serve as some kind of oversight checks depending on what is happening in other branches of government. So the constitution is very clear about the separation of powers between the executive branch, the legislative arm and the judiciary.”

Abdulahi noted that in electing 10th Assembly Presiding Officers on Tuesday, the constitution should be strictly adhered to by all concerns.

Abdulahi stated: “National Assembly is an autonomous body that is supposed to decide not just his leadership, but also its mode of operation as long as it is within the larger frame of the constitution of this country.

“So, if we’re going to be honest and give advice to people who care about this country, the National Assembly members-elect should be left entirely alone to decide who their leaders will be.”

The elder statesman pointed out that the issue of the 10th Assembly was not about the ruling party, but allowing the process to take its full course.

According to him, And this course is for the members-elect to determine who the leaders will be through the process that has been agreed by them in their chambers.

Air Peace has accused the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika of misleading the public about its suspension of flights to Dubai.

The former minister appeared on Arise Tv on Sunday where he clarified allegations surrounding Nigeria Air scandal.

The minister during his presentation made claims that Air Peace suspended its Dubai flights due to lack of capacity, adding that the airline had lost $19m after leasing two Boeing 777 aircraft on a monthly lease fee of $250,000.

Sirika claimed that the two aircraft were leased before Air Peace was ready to fly.

But Air Peace on Monday said, “We watched with dismay the interview granted by former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika to Arise TV on Sunday, June 11, 2023, where he made spurious claims about Air Peace, Nigeria’s foremost airline. Air Peace deems it absolutely necessary to debunk these false assertions.

“Firstly, Sirika, in his bid to denigrate Air Peace while praising Ethiopian Airline, stated that we leased ‘two’ Boeing 777 aircraft on a monthly lease fee of $250,000, parked the aircraft for several months and incurred losses of $19 million while all the aircraft engines and landing gears became due for replacement when we were ready to fly. He went on to ask, “Who does that?”. He stated that Ethiopian Airlines would never do that.

“This is a blatant lie as we have three and not two Boeing 777 aircraft which were never leased or rented but were purchased outrightly by the airline. Air Peace never incurred such a loss, we never paid rentals contrary to his lies. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) can attest to the purchase and ownership of the Aircraft by Air Peace.”

On the claims bordering Air Peace suspension of Dubai operations, the airline called Sirkia a ‘stark’ liar over his comment.

“Sirika said the airline stopped flying to Dubai because ‘we lack capacity’. This is another stark lie,” Air Peace said.

The airline explained that it never stopped the Dubai operations because of lack of capacity.

Air Peace said it commenced operations in the UAE in July, 2019, but in October 2022, the UAE Government announced a total visa ban on Nigerians.

The airline said neither Emirates nor Air Peace is operating the Nigerian/UAE route since the ban.

It also explained how the persisting non-issuance of visas and the accompanying inconveniences necessitated the suspension of Dubai operations from November 22, 2022 till date.

Air Peace added, “For the former minister to ascribe the suspension to ‘lack of capacity’ is not only shocking but also shows how keen he is to disparage an airline which ascendancy, has defied all the commercial odds and hostile environment placed on its path to continue to serve our nation proudly.

“How could an airline that placed a firm order for 13 brand new E2-195 aircraft, a firm order of 15 Boeing 737 Max 8 & Max 10, with over 30 aircraft already in its existing fleet be accused of lacking in capacity?

“How can an airline that stood up for the entire nation during the Covid-19 outbreak, and embarked on rescue operations worldwide, evacuating Nigerians from far away China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, UK and South Africa during the Covid-19 lockdowns be accused of lacking in capacity?”

I believe this is out in the open. I pray the government could muster the will to control these leakages.

THE REAL SUBSIDIES ARE NOT FOR THE POOR, BUT THE RICH.

Globally, subsidies, whether for food, transportation, energy or housing, are part of good governance. So, the issue is not subsidies but who benefit from them. In Nigeria, subsidies are primarily of the rich, by the rich and for the rich. I will highlight a few, how they are being manipulated and how huge sums of money can be recovered not just to subsidize fuel but also provide funds for development.

1. Diversion of N40 billion from Federation Account

A company, Continental Transfert Technique had been hired by the Ministry of Interior to collect the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Alien Card (CERPAC) Fee of $2,000 per annum from every expatriate in Nigeria. The revenue from 2019 comes to an average of N40 billion per annum. This collection which violates Section 162 of the Constitution and provisions of the Immigration Act 2015, is then shared on percentages of Federal Government, 30, Interior Ministry, 7, Immigration Service, and Continental Transfert Technique, 58 per-cent.

We challenged this illegality at the Federal High Court and won the cases. The court directed the NIS to collect the funds henceforth and remit same to the Federation Account. But the contractor and the federal government appealed against the judgment and have continued to share the N40 billion per annum.

2. Additional Revenue of $1.5 billion payable to Federation Account

In July 2015, I drew the attention of the Federal Government to the fact that the 15-year fiscal incentives given to the oil and gas companies operating under the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act had expired in June 2014. When the Federal Government ignored our request, we drafted a Bill for the amendment of the law. The Bill which was adopted and sponsored by Senator T. Orji scaled the first reading in the Senate but was not passed before the dissolution of the 8th National Assembly.

However, the same Bill was modified and passed by both houses of the 9th National Assembly and assented to by President Buhari on November 4, 2019. In justifying the passage of this Bill, Senate President Ahmed Lawan announced that the new law would increase the revenue of the nation by not less than $1.5 billion per annum.

3. Outstanding royalties of $62 billion

In campaigning for the amendment of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, I requested the Federal Government to collect outstanding royalties payable by the International Oil Companies under the Act. The Federal Government admitted that the country had lost a whopping sum of $60 billion. But my demand for the collection of the huge fund was ignored.

The governments of Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States then approached the Supreme Court which on October 20, 2018 ordered the Federal Government to collect the royalties for the past 18 years. The Federal Government confirmed that the outstanding royalty withheld by the IOCs is $62 billion but has refused to collect it.

4. FG denied revenue of $500 million by a group of corrupt public officers

The international Cargo Tracking Note Scheme to protect international shipping and prevent the movement of dangerous cargo and arms shipments was introduced into Nigeria in 2010 via an agreement between the Nigerian Port Authority and TPMS, a private company. Barely a year later, the agreement was suspended. When our attention was drawn to the illegal suspension of the Cargo Tracking Note system, we protested and the suspension was lifted on May 28, 2015 only to be suspended again in 2016.

In 2022, President Buhari issued an executive order which authorized a company to operate the Cargo Tracking Note. But 5 companies sponsored by top government functionaries overruled the President and hijacked the contract. The company that won the contract has since sued the federal government at the Federal High Court. Meanwhile, Nigeria has lost at least $500 million while the security of the nation has been compromised by a bunch of corrupt public officers.

5. Sale of public assets and enterprises

Successive regimes have been selling assets and enterprises owned by the Federal Government to members of the ruling class in the name of privatisation. The buyers turned round to engage in asset stripping. According to the Bureau of Public Enterprises, between 2004 and 2002, the federal government sold 142 public enterprises to members of the ruling class.
The 10 per cent shares reserved for the staff of every privatised enterprise have been cornered by the so called “core investors” contrary to the provision of section 5(3) òf the Privatization and Commercialization Act.

6. $7 billion fixed in 14 banks

Sometime in 2006, the CBN yanked off $7 billion from the nation’s foreign reserves and fixed it in 14 commercial banks in Nigeria. The deposit and the accrued interests were not recovered from the banks. When I reported the matter to one one of the anti-graft agencies, the CBN claimed that it had forgiven “the forbearance”.

7. Sale of Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank, Union Bank and Polaris Bank by CBN

The CBN took over Heritage Bank, Keystone Bank, Union Bank and Polaris Bank, spent trillions of Naira to revitalise them only to turn round to sell them under the table. For instance, CBN invested N1.3 trillion in Polaris Bank but sold it for N50 billion!

8. Theft of Crude oil

The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has revealed that Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at N16.25 trillion ($46.16 billion) to crude oil theft between 2009 and 2020. Immediate past National Security Adviser, General Babagana said that Nigeria might lose $23 billion in 2023 to crude oil theft.

9. Theft of gold and other solid minerals

The theft of the nation’s mineral resources is not limited to crude as solid minerals are equally smuggled out of the country by highly placed criminal elements. Former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uche Ogah recently disclosed that private jets are being used by the rich for gold smuggling in Nigeria. He stated this at an investigative hearing on $9 billion annual loss to illegal mining and smuggling of gold organised by the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mines, Steel Development and Metallurgy. During his contribution at the hearing, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu disclosed that Nigeria lost close to $54b from 2012-2018 due to illegal smuggling of gold.

10. AMCON is owed N5.4 trillion by the rich

A few years ago, commercial banks were going to collapse due to toxic loans taken by members of the ruling class. To prevent the impending economic doom, the Federal Government set up the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to buy off the loans with trillions of Naira provided by the CBN. AMCON has not been able to recover the loans of N5.4 trillion from about 370 corporate bodies.

11. Indiscriminate import duty waivers

A few privileged members of the business community buy dollars at official rate while they are allowed to import all manners of goods into the country. In the last 5 years, import duties worth N16 trillion were waived for them.

12. Effort to track and monitor tankers conveying fuel sabotage by NNPC

On August 8, 2018, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the installation of technology monitoring schemes and structures under the Petroleum Equalisation Fund (PEF) for N17 billion. The technology which was designed to track and monitor tankers conveying fuel and other petroleum products was not acquired while the N17 billion approved for it was diverted.

13. N10 trillion diverted by CEOs of Government enterprises

The Buhari government revealed on December 19, 2018 that government enterprises including the CBN owed about N10 trillion in unremitted operating surplus as at August 2018. The details were provided. The said sum of N10 trillion remains unpaid.

14. N6 trillion unpaid ground rents by buyers of Government properties

On March 29, 2023, the Senate noted that since 1992, over two million houses across the 36 states and the FCT had been built and allocated to beneficiaries by the federal government without evidence of payment of ground rent on the properties. Consequently, the Senate set up an Ad Hoc Committee to recover over N6 trillion unpaid ground rents from property owners in the country.

15. Stolen crude oil valued at $29.17 billion

A group of lawyers engaged by NIMASA confirmed that 60.2 million barrels of crude oil valued at $12.7 billion of crude oil was stolen and illegally exported to the United States of America between January 2011 and 2014. This has not been recovered. Also, the House of Representatives investigated and confirmed that undeclared crude oil worth $17 billion was exported to global destinations during the same period. The affected companies are known but government seems to lack the will to bring them to book and recover the sum of $29.7 billion being the value of the stolen crude.

16. Oil theft of N16.25 trillion

The Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) revealed that between 2009 and 2020 Nigeria lost 619.7 million barrels of crude oil valued at N16.25 trillion ($46.16 billion) to oil theft. The security forces have not been able to stop the stealing and smuggling of crude oil from Nigeria.

However, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd (TSSNL), a private company discovered pipelines through which crude oil was being diverted from a 40,000 barrel per day Forcados pipeline to the high seas for export. The indicted oil companies including an IOC involved in this grand theft are yet to be prosecuted.

17. Deduction of collection costs by FIRS & NCS

The Federal Inland Revenue Service and Nigeria Customs Service are allowed by their enabling laws to deduct percentages of the taxes and duties collected by them as collection costs. Thus, the FIRS between 2016 and 2020 made N533.39 billion deductions while Nigeria Customs Service withdrew N128.64 billion as cost of collection in 2022.

The laws which allow agencies of the Federal Government to deduct collection costs are contrary and inconsistent with section 162 of the Constitution which provides that all revenues collected by the Government of the Federation shall be paid into the Federation Account.

18. Diversion of $6.065 billion approved for turn-around maintenance of refineries

Between 1993 and 2016, successive regimes spent, through the NNPC, about $6.065 billon on the so-called turn around maintenance and rehabilitation of the four refineries at various times.

It is public knowledge that the turn-around maintenance of the refineries was not carried out. Therefore, the contractors should be invited by the EFCC and compelled to refund the said sum of $6.025 billion.

19. Investment in Dangote refinery and rehabilitation of 4 refineries

The Federal Government has invested $2.7 billion in Dangote Refinery while the NNPCL will supply the refinery with 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Furthermore, the Government has awarded the contracts for the rehabilitation of the two refineries in Port Harcourt for $1.5 billion, as well as Kaduna and Warri refineries for $1.4 billion.

We are compelled to call on the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress to monitor the ongoing rehabilitation and upgrade of the 4 refineries.

20. Special salaries for top public officers, security votes, and pension for governors

Top public officers have illegally taken themselves out of the general salary structure. For instance, contrary to section 70 of the Constitution which provides that the salaries and allowances of legislators shall be fixed by the Revenue Allocation Mobilization and Fiscal Commission the members of the National Assembly are paid emoluments ranging from N13 million to N15 million per month.

In addition to their salaries the 36 State Governors are paid security votes running into hundreds of millions per month. The largesse has since been extended to all senior public officers, including heads of ministries, departments, and agencies of the federal and state governments, as well as local government chairmen. The security votes paid to senior public officers are about N241 billion per annum.

As if such subsidy is not enough, state governors have been placed on scandalous pension of billions of Naira. But due to public criticisms, the Lagos State Government has halved the pension for ex-governors while the Governments of Kwara, Imo, and Zamfara States have abolished the payment of the outrageous pension to former governors and deputies. We call on all other state governments to emulate the example of the aforementioned 3 state governments.

21. Diversion of dividend and feed gas of $33 billion by NNPCL

Nigeria LNG Limited is jointly owned by Nigeria and the OICs. The 49% shares of Nigeria in the joint venture were paid for from the Federation Account in 1989. On March 29, 2021, former President Buhari disclosed that the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) had generated $114 billion in revenues, paid $9 billion in taxes, $18 billion as dividend and $15 billion in Feed Gas Purchase to the Federal Government. However, rather than pay the fund into the federation account as constitutionally directed, the $33.9 billion dividend and feed gas was diverted by the NNPCL.

22. Diversion of trillions of Naira through fuel subsidy fund

Notwithstanding the allocation of 445,000 barrels of crude oil to NNPC per day for domestic consumption, it has been confirmed that the figures for fuel importation in Nigeria between 1999 and 2023 are as follows:

1. 1999-2006 =N813 billion;

2. 2007-2009= N794 billion;

3. 2010-2014= N3.9 trillion;

4. 2015-2023= N11 trillion.

Last week, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Mele Kyari stunned the nation when he said that the federal government still owes the company N2.8 trillion in fuel subsidy payments. But the monumental fraud that has characterized the fuel subsidy scam has been confirmed by the Buhari regime.

Thus, on March 27, 2022, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva publicly lamented the controversies surrounding the amount of petrol that the nation consumes daily, said the subsidy regime encouraged criminal activities like smuggling, which in turn impact negatively on the nation’s oil resources. He said that, “I am told the figure sometimes rise to as high as 90 or over 100 million litres. I don’t know how that happens. At this rate, I have said if anyone is looking at a criminal enterprise, look no further than the fuel subsidy.” The criminal enterprise ought to be probed by the Bola Tinubu administration.

Conclusion

It is crystal clear form the foregoing that members of the ruling class are heavily subsidized by the peripheral capitalist system while the masses are subjected to excruciating economic pains. We are therefore compelled to call on the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress as well as the progressive extraction of the civil society to mount pressure on the federal government to stop the dollarisation of the national economy, indiscriminate grant of duty waivers, theft of crude oil, gold, and other mineral resources and recover the nation’s looted wealth. In other words, these ‘subsidies’ should be recovered while the nation’s refineries are fixed so that the country can provide genuine subsidies that can make life livable in Nigeria.

The Visit’ reminds me of Adegunju’s home video and also brought to mind Klein. The similarity between ‘The Visit’ and ‘Lagidigba’ is limited to women being in control

The woman king sits resplendent on her throne. Palace guards surround her as she dishes out instructions. Chief among her words is the need for her subjects to avoid men, who, in her view, are plagues that must be stoned.

Welcome to Ilubirin.

This town is from a 2000 Yoruba home video titled ‘Lagidigba’. In it, there was a kingdom of women who resented men as a result of past sins committed against them. Everything was controlled by women in the town and men were persona non grata.

The producer, Yemi Adegunju, wrote it in protest against what he felt was men’s treatment of women. He felt women should be encouraged to participate in government.

His motive resonates with what I heard some weeks back. The Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Gender Policy Council, Jennifer Klein, said studies show that closing gender gaps in the workforce could add between 12 and 28 trillion dollars in global GDP over a decade.

“Expanding access for women to markets and finance fosters entrepreneurship and innovation, with estimates suggesting that gender parity in entrepreneurship could add between 5 to 6 trillion dollars in net value to the global economy.

“Yet, despite the clear benefits of women’s economic participation, too often, social, legal, and financial barriers remain. We know that on the average, women spend more than twice the amount of time than men do performing unpaid care work, and that the annual value of this work is approximately $11 trillion globally. We also recognise that 2.4 billion working-age women still face legal obstacles to their full economic participation, and that dismantling these systemic barriers is necessary to unlock economic gains. And we also know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on women’s employment, with devastating effects on families, communities, and economies,” she said.

Reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s ‘The Visit’ reminds me of Adegunju’s home video and also brought to mind Klein. The similarity between ‘The Visit’ and ‘Lagidigba’ is limited to women being in control. Other details are different.

Adichie imagines a spectacular world in which matriarchy wrestles patriarchy and gives it a bloody nose.

Two men, Obinna and Eze — old friends — confront the past and future and both men are made to see what women see daily.

The Amazon Original e-book retells the man-woman experience, the woman is head of family and provider and the man stays home and care for the kids. The wife sees no reason the man should work with all his academic qualifications and he agrees and obeys.

In ‘The Visit’, the author of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ takes us through the ordeal of Obinna, a once-upon-a-time poet, who is married to Amara, the managing director of a big company.

The story opens with Obinna watching CNN’s broadcast of a female American president’s approval of a law prohibiting male masturbation. Soon, he starts thinking about his life, and his friend, Eze, who is visiting from America. He also thinks about Amara constantly cheating on him and her family telling him not to make a fuss about it; after all she is providing all his needs. They tell him he should be happy she returns home to him every day. He remembers ‘fighting’ one of the boys in her life but is not bold enough to confront her about her cheating.

When Eze arrives, he asks Obinna to go with him to a nightclub. Obinna is reluctant and argues it is wrong for a married man to go to a nightclub without his wife. He also says he needs to be home to take care of their kid.

“I can’t just go to a club. I’m a married man,” he says.

Eze succeeds in convincing him to leave the housekeeper to take charge in his absence. But guilt takes over him all through their outing.

On their way back from the club, a police officer stops them and asks them where they were coming from.

“Is that why you’re dressed like prostitutes?” The officer queries them.

Throughout the story, Adichie turns the table. Men face the hassles women face daily, but she still leaves biological functions such as getting pregnant and keeping humanity going for women. But, all the insults the world heap on women are transferred to men and all the world does to discourage women from dreaming big is reserved for men in this feminist text. Even male masturbation is criminalised and scientific researchers are done using female specimens, making the outcomes not useful to men and thus compounding their woes.

Nightclubbing that men consider their right is presented as something a married man should be ashamed of doing without his wife, an obvious protest against the belief that only loose women frequent nightclubs. A police officer is made to refer to Obinna’s and Eze’s looks as not befitting of married men. In fact, she describes them as looking like prostitutes. Policemen have been known to refer to women driving home after a night out that way. The officer saying she would have respected them on account of marriage is an obvious switch of women’s experience with men’s.

Adichie tells this tale in a sleek language, so sleek even the folks she is taking jibes at will enjoy the tale before her message sinks in and cause them to grimace.

While there is no doubt that some men are a bunch of disappointments, there are good men, millions of them all over the world, men who are not intimidated by their women’s successes, men who look out for their women, men who are fantastic role models to their kids, men who are not bothered about who is the head or the neck, men who are just out for the good of all.

The ones who mess up may turn out to be the vocal minority. Since bad news sells, their bad acts get out before the good acts of the fantastic men who are partners in progress with women.

My final take: Despite biological drawbacks, women have shown brilliance in as many endeavours as possible. They are special and will always be.

* Yishau is a newspaper columnist and author.

The National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria has expressed its willingness to partner with the governor Uba Sani-led administration in Kaduna in reviving the moribund textile industries in the state.

The President of the Textile Workers Union, Comrade John Adaji, who stated this in Kaduna on Monday while congratulating the governor, noted that revamping the ailing textile industries would ensure sustainable peace and security in the state.

He also added that when the textile industries are functional, the army of unemployed youths roaming the streets will be gainfully engaged, and the state will rid itself of insecurity.

Adaji, however, expressed confidence that Governor Sani has the capacity to revive the moribund textile industries in the state.

He said, “Given his antecedents as a pro-democracy activist and wealth of experience in public administration and finance, we have no doubt that Governor Uba Sani will deepen the peace process and remarkably improve security in Kaduna State.

“However, there cannot be sustainable peace and security without social justice. Sustainable peace and security must also go hand in hand with sustainable development which must start with urgent re-industrialisation of Kaduna State and mass employment of the army of the unemployed youths.

“Our union is willing to partner with the new administration to revive the ailing industries in Kaduna State, especially the textile industries, with a view to creating jobs for the mass of unemployed youths in the state.

“As a private sector union affiliated with the Nigeria Labour Congress and a critical stakeholder in the development of the state and the country in general, we wish to pledge our support and cooperation in the great task of moving Kaduna State and indeed Nigeria to a greater height.

“Even the critics of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai will acknowledge the remarkable effort of the past administration in the area of road construction and rehabilitation across the major cities of Kaduna.

“We have no doubt that the new administration will consolidate on the past achievements and further expand the road network and urban renewal projects of the past administration.

“On behalf of the National Executive Council of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria and the generality of our members, we congratulate the newly democratically elected Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Uba Sani, on his successful election and inauguration as Governor of Kaduna State.”

[Punch]