Following the outbreak of cholera in some parts of the country, at least 21 persons have been confirmed dead in Lagos State, with 401 suspected cases reported to the state Ministry of Health, with an increasing number of severe gastroenteritis cases across multiple local government areas, LGAs, in the state.

Announcing the development in an update on the disease in Lagos, the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed that the total number of cholera cases has increased to 401 across the state, with Lagos Island, Kosofe, Ikorodu and Eti Osa recording the highest numbers.

Ogunyemi, while providing an update on the outbreak after meeting with members of Lagos State Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, PHEOC, added that the death toll had also risen to 21, an increase of six from the previously reported 15 fatalities.

She said: “The rise in cases was anticipated, following the Ileya festivities, during which large gatherings occurred.’’

She, however, noted that suspected cases were subsiding across LGAs, particularly previously affected LGAs, due to the state government’s interventions and surveillance efforts.

Ogunyemi said the Lagos State government, through the Ministry of Health and other sister agencies, was maintaining rigorous surveillance and monitoring of the situation and implementing planned programs and activities to curb the spread.

“The ministry of Health, in collaboration with the state Ministry of environment and its agency, the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, continues to collect samples of water sources, food, and beverages to identify the source of contamination.

‘’We have also intensified our surveillance activities in communities, particularly in affected local government areas, to address the situation head-on.

“We are also working with the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education as well as the Ministry of Tertiary Education to ensure all precautions are taken in our schools to protect children and scholars as they return.

‘’Residents must, however, remain vigilant, practice good hand hygiene, and participate in community sanitation activities to stop the spread of cholera,” the special adviser stated.

Ogunyemi urged citizens to seek medical attention immediately after they experienced symptoms, such as watery diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, general malaise, and fever, stressing that cholera treatment was provided free of charge at all public health facilities.

While noting that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu remained committed to ensuring that residents of Lagos received quality and affordable healthcare, the Special Adviser extended the gratitude of the state government to local, national, and international partners, including UNICEF, WHO, NCDC, NIMR, Red Cross, and others, for their support in combating the outbreak.

“Appreciation is also extended to the dedicated team of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab scientists, environmental health officers, Water Corporation officers, surveillance officers, heads of agencies, members of PHEOC, and volunteers who are working around the clock to combat the disease and keep Lagos safe,” she added.

Causes of Cholera

Cholera, a severe diarrheal illness, caused by infection with the bacterium vibrio cholerae, spreads primarily through contaminated water and food, thriving rapidly in unsanitary conditions.

As part of pre-emptive measures, following the initial alert and advisory issued by the Lagos State ministry of health, the state government, activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, PHEOC, at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.

Announcing the outbreak of the disease earlier, the state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, had revealed that the initial suspected cases of cholera were reported in 29 wards across multiple local government areas, LGAs, with 17 confirmed cases and 15 fatalities.

“The laboratory investigation and test results have so far confirmed Cholera sub type O-1. This sub-type is associated with more severe disease. The pattern of new cases per day varies across LGAs, according to our ongoing surveillance and monitoring updates.”

“The Directorate of Environmental Health of the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency of the Ministry of Environment, have collected samples of water sources, food and beverage samples in all the affected LGAs, while inspections of facilities are ongoing.

“We are pre-positioning cholera kits in health facilities across the State. Our efforts to control the outbreak also include the distribution of Oral Rehydration Solutions, ORS, public health education campaigns,’’ Abayomi had said.

No surge of cases in LASUTH —CMD

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Professor Adetokunbo Fabamnwo, yesterday disclosed that the five cholera patients admitted at the hospital last week had been discharged, adding that there was no surge of cases at the facility.

Fabamwo, who spoke to Vanguard, also urged Lagosians not to panic as the numbers were reducing, saying there was no surge at LASUTH.

“We had only five cases in LASUTH last week we do not have fresh cases and they have all gone home. As you know the trend is that even across the state the number is reducing. There is no cause for panic anymore,’’ he said.

Lagos Water Corporation issues red alert

In a related development, Lagos Water Corporation, LWC, has called on residents to be wary of untreated water in circulation, even as it initiated comprehensive measures to safeguard public health and ensure access to safe drinking water across the state.

But despite several health advisories issued by the state government, refuse heaps have continued to litter major roads of the metropolis, heightening the risk of Cholera and posing health hazards to residents.

A release by the corporation said it had commenced an extensive water sampling and quality monitoring campaign throughout the state.

Expressing deep concern about the recent outbreak of Cholera in parts of the state, particularly in Lekki and Victoria Island Areas, the LWC urged the public to refrain from consuming water from unreliable or untreated sources.

Residents were, however, encouraged to bring water samples from their homes or public spaces for testing by the qualified teams at LWC Headquarters, Ijora.

It added that the LWC water quality monitoring team would be monitoring water consumption across the state to identify and control the outbreak.

“According to the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the primary cause of the cholera outbreak has been linked to the consumption of contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.

“Every individual must take responsibility for ensuring their water is safe for consumption. The Lagos Water Corporation remains committed to providing safe and clean drinking water to all residents of Lagos State. We urge the public to cooperate with our teams and follow precautionary measures to prevent further spread of the disease,” LWC added.

PSP operators on 24hrs waste evacuation

Similarly, the state government also yesterday, directed assigned Private Sector Participant, PSP, operators to ensure a-24 hour seamless evacuation of wastes as part of measures to prevent further spread of cholera outbreak in the state.

The Managing Director of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin, who stated this, however, called on residents to observe the best personal and domestic hygiene, as well as proper waste management practices to curb the spread.

Gbadegesin said the measure had become necessary, following the increasing rate of deaths, leaving many hospitalised.

“The outbreak of cholera in the state is a serious public health concern. It is imperative that every resident takes proactive measures to prevent further spread of the disease.

‘’Ensuring proper personal and domestic hygiene, including efficient waste management, will go a long way in curbing the spread of the fatal disease,’’ he added.

Precautionary measures

The LAWMA boss suggested several precautionary measures, including: proper waste disposal; ensuring safe drinking water; frequent hand-washing with soap; food safety practices and use of proper sanitation facilities, among others.

Gbadegesin admonished residents to shun indiscriminate refuse disposal and imbibe the practice of bagging and disposing off their waste using covered bins to prevent the possible spread of the diseases by vectors, and to ensure seamless evacuation by assigned PSP operators.

“LAWMA will continue to intensify efforts at making sure that waste generated across the state is promptly and efficiently managed, with PSP service providers who are working round the clock to clean up black spots.

‘’We are fully committed to the health and safety of every Lagosian. Our teams are on the ground, ensuring that waste is properly collected and disposed off to minimise health risks. However, we need the cooperation of all residents to maintain a clean and safe environment,” he said.

Why Lagos is prone to cholera outbreaks — Analysis

Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling metropolis and commercial capital, is a city of contrasts, with crumbling shantytowns coexisting with glistening skyscrapers. Amid it all, are open drains crisscrossing the streets and people are exposed to the toxic contents of the overflowing, filthy contents.

Over the years, Lagos has witnessed a series of significant cholera outbreaks. The primary factors have been traced to the high level of migration, unhygienic living conditions, overcrowding, open defecation, and ignorance about the spread of the disease.

Cholera has a long history in Lagos, dating back to the first recorded cases in 1970, when the first major outbreak struck Lagos, causing thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths.

According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, from the 1990s to the 2000s and beyond, there have been a series of intermittent outbreaks, highlighting the persistent risk of cholera in Lagos.

Silently, cholera spreads from the dirty street vendor who wipes sweat from his forehead and the wary Lagos commuter or inhabitant who unintentionally drinks tainted water. Persons who are not strict about hand washing and personal hygiene are most at risk of the threat, and once infected, the bacteria grow and spread, creating a web of infection.

Cholera spreads so quickly around the slums as a result of migration, unhygienic living conditions, overcrowding, open defecation, and ignorance about the spread of the disease. The limited sanitation facilities in the city are a significant factor. Many Lagosians lack access to proper toilets, and resort to open defecation near the canals and drainages, leading to the contamination of water sources, creating cesspools and breeding grounds for the cholera bacteria.

In the densely populated slums and remote areas of Agege, Ikotun, Ejigbo, Ijeshatedo/Itire, Ilaje, Iwaya, Badiya and Ajegunle among others, overcrowding is a major issue. The same can be said for the floating Makoko community where the sanitation infrastructure is improper and grossly inadequate.

The overcrowding creates ideal conditions for the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera. Lagos perpetually struggles with blocked drainage systems, leading to stagnant water pools. that are breeding ground for vermin that can transmit cholera. The main routes of transmission are contaminated food and water.

The problem of unsafe water in Lagos is legendary. Unequal access to potable water forces many of the residents to rely on contaminated sources like wells or vendors selling untreated water. This can also contribute to the spread of cholera. These factors combine to create the perfect storm for cholera outbreaks in Lagos. Unsafe water sources, drinks sold on the street, and fruits that haven’t been thoroughly cleaned all contribute to the malady.

Water contamination and the spread of cholera are largely caused by widespread unsafe practices, such as open defecation and inappropriate waste disposal. The dense population makes it difficult to maintain hygiene and avoid close contact between sick and healthy people.

Public transportation, crowded markets, and gatherings all raise the risk of transmission. Healthcare systems are strained by the outbreak. For early diagnosis, case management, and outbreak containment, adequate resources, qualified staff, and well-equipped facilities are needed.

There are various obstacles to effectively combating cholera in Lagos. mainly the inadequate hygienic conditions and sanitation in densely populated urban slums where access to clean water is limited and adequate sanitation facilities are scarce.

It is essential to keep spreading the word about cholera prevention. People can learn about good hygiene habits and early symptoms through community education, risk communication, and ongoing public health campaigns. The wet season also plays a role because floods can worsen the situation by contaminating water sources and causing outbreaks.

A concerted effort involving community involvement, public health authorities, and healthcare professionals is needed to address these challenges. Effective cholera control requires giving priority to interventions related to water, sanitation, and hygiene.

[Vanguard]

I am not in the practice of crystal gazing. Something, however, told me at the time of his dethronement that he would be back. How and when my inner crystal ball did not say. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had certain things going for him: Education of the right kind, exposure and courage of his convictions. He is an activist Emir, breaking traditions. He was saying certain things that were hitting at the problems of the North, the far North which the Northern Establishment saw as poisonous arrows but which served as an awakening tonic for the emergent youths. But the Northern Establishment failed to note the power of education and exposure and they thought the solution lay in removing the carpet from under his feet and disrobing him. The enduring pronouncement of Dr. Tai Solarin would appear to have been lost on them and that is: An educated citizenry is easier to rule but difficult to ride, easier to govern but impossible to enslave. And we are talking about Aminu Kano’s vanguard in a radicalized City of Kano, and about an exposed Emir who was frequently on speaking engagements in different parts of the free world.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for his first and Master’s degrees in economics. He lectured there as well from 1983 to 1985. He had a visiting Fellowship offer at Oxford University and an honorary doctorate in finance from the University of London. At Oxford, he was asked to write a book on his years at the Central Bank as Governor. Of course, I must state that Emir Aminu Bayero is also well-educated. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication. He was at Flying College, Oakland, USA. He first served as Public Relations Officer for Kabo Air and later as Flight Engineer for the airline. But he is more on the quiet side, carrying himself with effulgent and dignifying royal majesty. So, I had this deep sensing that given the circumstances of his dethronement, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi would be back and I dropped veiled hints in this column of 12 March 2020. After all, In the Light of Truth, the Grail Message of Abd-ru shin says intuition can never be wrong. In other words, it is man who is disobedient to the admonition or warning flowing out of the intuition we all recognize as that quiet voice. When we fail to heed its admonition or warning, biting our lips, we say, “Oh, if I had known! Something within me warned me I should not go that way.” It is called the sixth sense and it is sharper in women than in men because of the special spiritual abundance they bear. What the implications of the re-enthronement would be I had no idea. I here reproduce the column run four days after Sanusi was deposed.

“In any controversy that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS) is at the centre there can be no sitting on the fence. You would either be for him or against him. Those for him love him passionately and those against, hate him fiercely. It is a mark of greatness. All who stand for something attract deep affection from some and at the same time, exceeding hate from others. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi always has strong views on issues. He does not have to be right; sometimes, there is a display of misguided patriotism; sometimes you wish for a touch of a higher degree of maturity and display of sensitivity in some of his actions and pronouncements, but you can trust he will take a stand. He is, therefore, seen as a rebel in the garb of conservatism. It is the fears of the revolutionary garb that have dogged his ascension and tenure as the Emir of Kano. In his kingdom, he is seen as a thorn in the flesh of conservatives who are in slumber and red-blooded elite circles, and outside the kingdom a monarch with an air of royal arrogance clutching some unguided missiles. It could not have come as surprise that his dethronement has dominated the headlines in both print and digital media. Step forward, His Majesty, Muhammad Sanusi 11 and take a bow.

“Lamido Sanusi is more of a Lagos boy. He started out his impressionable years at King’s College that could rightly be described as mini Nigeria. He met compatriots, mixed freely, was punished by his seniors and he made everlasting friends. It was the age seniors punished their juniors. The experiences helped him to form his views about liberalism, without losing grips of his roots. When he travels he does so with his eyes open. This has made him come to the conclusion that education is the catalyst for development and a gateway to yet other levels of education, education that opens the book to knowledge, and knowledge that leads to refinement. It does away with anachronism. It is in getting his people to throw out of the window hampering and anachronistic tendencies that has pitted Sanusi against the Northern Establishment. His downfall from the exalted Kano throne, temporary or permanent, will be seen by a great many—as a clash of entrenched retrogressive culture and reformation. One man, commenting on the Almaijiris phenomenon, for example, vigorously defended what he called the culture of the North. ‘How do you throw away your culture?’ he asked. ‘Reform, yes, but it should not be thrown away.’ That is what Lamido is seeking to do with the system. The commentator referred to can certainly not be said to have any of his children in the burgeoning community of Almaijis, so Sanusi believes.

“Two weeks ago, Emir Muhammad Sanusi 11, armed with his missiles, showed up in Kaduna, the erstwhile seat of what used to be Kaduna Mafia in the days of Yakubu Gowon and Olusegun Obasanjo, a powerful gathering of Northern elite drawn from professionals, but largely from the rank of senior federal permanent secretaries. The body is more known today as Arewa Consultative Forum after Ibrahim Babangida moved the federal capital to Abuja in 1991. This time, the gathering is to celebrate the 60th birthday of Nasir el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State. The event had in attendance prominent Emirs like Sanusi himself and several other members of the Northern Establishment, and naturally his brother governors from several parts of the country. It was the occasion Emir Sanusi decided to throw his arrows to make the desired impact in the quiet bid to fight feudalism. It was like taking the war to the camp of the “enemies” who had caged his people. From then any discerning person would know the Northern Establishment would fight back. Hear what Sanusi had said in Kaduna:

’The truth is nobody who is leader in Northern Nigeria today can afford to be happy with 87 percent of poverty in Nigeria being in the North. You can’t be happy with millions of Northern children out of school. You can’t be happy with nine states in the North contributing almost 50 percent of the entire malnutrition burden in the country.’

“He spoke on the sore issue that has been a divisive factor in the country which has been spoken openly about and in closets by other parts of the country, but by which the core Northern Establishment was unmoved: the repugnant quota system. Said Emir Sanusi: ‘If the North does not change, the North will destroy itself. The country is moving on. The quota system that everybody is talking about must have a sunset clause. As we celebrate Nasir at 60 we need to celebrate him as a public officer who is addressing the core problems of his constituency. It is education; it is child begging, parental irresponsibility, demographic growth…You need not come from the North or be a Muslim to get a job. You come with your credentials, your competence.’

“He spoke about overbreeding in the North which does not take account of the capacity of the parents to look after them. Such children populate the Almaijiri system. He also touched on the drug abuse among the Northern youths and the lingering Boko Haram insurgency. It was Emir Muhammad Sanusi’s second bombshell in Kaduna, again invited by Mr. el-Rufai on the occasion of the State’s economic and investment summit. He accused states of misplaced priority. The innuendo was unmistakable. He was referring to the Northern states. It was on the occasion he accused people of marrying more wives than they can cater for with their offspring swelling the rank of the Almaijiris who account for more than 70 percent of Nigeria’s 13 million out-of-school children.

“His home government tried to shut him up and cut him to size, accusing him of blasphemy and misinterpreting the Qur’an. The State Government tried to whittle down his influence by creating new emirates where in some cases District Heads used to be. The final straw, therefore, would seem to be the dethronement as Emir of Kano. The government is in error. The government appears to be oblivious of the fact that it is dealing with an educated, exposed and highly informed public figure. He has a rich library. He has at his fingerprints indices of economic direction around the world every split second. He is the twin brother of Peter Obi, erstwhile governor of Anambra State and a banker like him. Call up Peter Obi any time he would tell you the stock position in Texas or in Beijing even in the face of COVID-19 ravaging the country in these times. Whether in the cage or out of it Sanusi Lamido Sanusi 11 will always be Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

“Governor el-Rufai obviously considers the action of Kano State Administration deposing the emir a slap on his face. Within 24 hours he has offered two appointments to Muhammad Sanusi 11. He appointed him onto the Board of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency which is hoping to tap into what the governor calls ‘his solid reputation in global financial circles.’ A government statement quotes Malam Nasir el-Rufai as saying “Kaduna State is honoured to be able to call on the services of a man of such caliber to drive its development.” He has also been appointed Chancellor of Kaduna State University, succeeding pioneer Chancellor Tagwa Sambo, the Chief of Moro’a. Malam el-Rufai said of the appointment: ‘In public life, His Highness has demonstrated a strong commitment to education. Kaduna State Government has no doubt that as Chancellor, His Highness Muhammad Sanusi would provide symbolic and substantive leadership in raising the profile of KASU as an emerging centre of learning at the national and global levels…Kaduna State Government is grateful that HH Muhammad Sanusi continues to support and assist the realization of the governance objectives of Kaduna State Government.’

“There is also an international appointment from the United Nations Secretary-General. Antonio Guterres has named him and 16 other influential figures around the globe as Sustainable Development Goals Advocates ‘to push the agenda of the global development to a new height.’ The appointment has Mr. Nana Ado Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana; Ema Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway as Co-chairmen of the committee. And from Graca Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela, and founder of Graca Machel Trust as well as Foundation for Community came a message of solidarity. The message reads in part: ‘Your Highness we hold you in very high regard, and count on your knowledge, expertise, experience and wisdom to continue to lift the continent to higher heights. We proudly count you among the Grace Machel Trust’s International Board of Advisors and stand with you in your courageous efforts to speak truth to power. We are here for you should you feel there is something we can do to assist during the challenging time.’

“The Kano State Government accused the Emir of insubordination, the same transgression that was leveled against him by the Jonathan Administration. Jonathan was right given the recklessness in the claim that $20 million revenue could not be accounted for by the NNPC. In the end, this could not be proven. He also had a brush with the National Assembly. It would appear Muhammad Sanusi 11 has not come to terms with the doctrine of Magna Carta and years later with constitutional development engendered with the ascension of William of Orange in 1668 after James the Second was deposed. A new Bill of Rights and a constitutional agreement were passed which firmly put power in the elected representatives of the people. Since 1689 British Monarch has been a constitutional head but does not rule, although it could occasionally veto bills. It was barred from raising taxes, dismissing Parliament and forging foreign policy. Since 1911, the Monarch cannot intervene in parliamentary debate. It can only be briefed and it can deliver Speech from the Throne and invite the Prime Minister to assume office. The British are content with the Monarch setting the tone for public life and being the symbol of the British life with dignified carriage. Emir Sanusi would have been too delighted that we have such an arrangement, to be the symbol of his people, open parliament and sign bills into law. Having said all this, I hasten to state that the star of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi cannot be dimmed. Not with the glittering testimonials from the international community.

“The Emir is at home in the gathering of youths. I recall his speech at the launch of a book by Sir Olaniwun Ajayi in 2009 when he called out to them: ‘My grandfather was a Northerner, I am a Nigerian. The problem with this country is that in 2009, we speak in the language of 1953. Sir Olaniwun Ajayi can be forgiven for the way he spoke, but I cannot forgive people of my generation speaking in that language.’ He added: ‘Tell me how many governors has South West produced after Awolowo that are role models of leadership? How many governors has the East produced like Nnamdi Azikiwe that can be role models of leadership? There are only two major tribes in Nigeria: The Elites and the Masses. Once you make lots of money, you belong to the Elite tribe …youths are the worst victims of power play: they kill one another, call each other’s tribes, unprintable names, do terrible things and sometimes even lose their lives, thinking they are fighting for their rights., not knowing they are fighting for the personal welfare of someone whose children are probably safe in America or London…So youths, don’t hope on government. If you don’t have a job, create one. There is abject poverty in the South as well as in the North. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it well and never remain idle. Think clearly and deeply and you will realise that empowering yourself is the best course of action, not fighting one another. Youths, shine your eyes! Don’t always fall for these tribal and religious sentiments over and over again. Nigeria is bigger than these corrupt elites. They are the problem, not the poor masses.”

Today, there are two Emirs in Kano. The direction the pendulum will swing is hard to say. Aminu Bayero has Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje behind him with the Villa suspectingly lurking in the shadows; and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has Dr. Rabiu Kwankwoso the strong man with the youthful crowd solidly behind him, the huge crowd weaned on the revolutionary, anti-Establishment Talakawa doctrine of Aminu Kano. Yet, to ditch Ganduje in the contestation will be costly with 2027 beckoning in the horizon in a place where just 25 percent can perform magic, providing a lot of mileage on the return flight to the villa! Resolving the problem will require out–of–the–box dexterous political engineering or better still, we await the intervention of the courts!

Last December, on my last day of work before Christmas, I sat alone in my office in Abuja, reflecting on my life’s journey. I thought about my years in the media, especially the few years since I ventured into entrepreneurship. 

I remembered my post on Facebook in June 2015 announcing my resignation as Managing Editor at LEADERSHIP Newspaper and the planned unveiling of Sundiata Post as an online newspaper the following month. I thought about the people whose paths I had crossed in the media. 

I remembered the statement made by Colonel Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (Rtd) when, as military Governor of Kaduna State in the late 1980s, he said he could follow the then military President Ibrahim Babangida to war blindfolded. That was a profound statement of loyalty. Never mind that Col. Umar recanted after the 12 June 1993 election annulment in which the late MKO Abiola won. 

I thought about the people who have impacted my life and wondered if there were any of them I could follow to war blindfolded. Mr. Azubuike Ishiekwene, known as “Azu” to many of us, his admirers, came to my mind. He is a man who has had a profound impact on the careers of many media practitioners who have crossed his path, and I have been a significant beneficiary of his generosity. 

In Lagos, where I was Features Editor for several years at ThisDay, Azu set the pace at PUNCH, where he became an editor and, later, Executive Director of publications.

Our paths crossed again in 2013 in Abuja when he signed me as Managing Editor at LEADERSHIP, where he was Group Managing Director. No one wanted to miss the Management meetings on Mondays, not necessarily because of strict protocols but because of Azu’s leadership style. 

I left the meetings enriched with deep insights into newspaper management, and they paid off for me when Sundiata Post was set up. When Sundiata Post was unveiled on 7 July 2015 in Abuja, Azu, ever supportive, was the moderator at the panel discussion on “New Media and the Future of Newspaper in Nigeria.” 

The panel discussed the paper delivered by Malam Mohammed Haruna, then a syndicated columnist. Malam Haruna is a national commissioner at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).  

However, Azu is better known for his writing. A hugely respected syndicated columnist, week after week, he writes about Nigeria, its history, the state of the union, and its place under the sun. 

His commitment to excellence is well-known to anyone who has worked with him. However, his concern about how journalists and content producers can earn money and live well would appear to be a revelation. This concern has kept many media practitioners awake at night, especially in the Internet age, when content is available almost free of charge or even stolen.

Getting paid for content is an issue that media practitioners have been grappling with. This has hit online publishers as they have no physical copies to sell. In the craze for traffic, they publish content without getting rewarded. 

In this regard, Azu’s new book, Writing for Media and Monetising It, is an idea whose time has come. No other person is more suited to write this book than Azu, a media management guru, content producer and columnist who has made his mark nationally and internationally.

True, Azu didn’t set out to write a book for entrepreneurs. He is clear about the purpose of the book. He could no longer ignore suggestions from admirers to share his experience in a permanent form, having been writing for more than 35 years. 

His words: “I thought perhaps it might be useful to combine my speaking experiences with decades of reporting, editing and writing a weekly column now enriched in both audio and visual formats, to serve the needs of a younger generation of content providers, especially students and those in the earlier stages of their career, trying to find their way and also trying to make an honest living while doing so.”

He has, however, written a handbook for media entrepreneurs, especially online publishers. The Nigerian media landscape is inundated with several online newspapers, most of them in the general news category, financially challenged and struggling to carve a niche in a way that can guarantee their continued operations. 

The critical issue in online publishing is content. Other issues like search engine optimisation, digital marketing, website friendliness, and social media presence are also vital to the success and sustainability of an online media business. However, the factor that binds all these and makes a platform stand out is content. That is why Bill Gates said content is king. 

An online publisher would find chapters 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 13 and 14 helpful. In these chapters, the author offers prescriptions that, if followed religiously, could lead to tremendous success. Apart from content, the author discusses the choice of subject, style, audience, staying out of trouble, etc.

His reference to an article by his former lecturer, Dr Olatunji Dare, on stalactites and stalagmites, for example, makes the point that evergreens do far better than ephemeral content, even on social media. 

In Writing for the Media and Monetising It, Azu delves into the distinction between style and substance. He takes the reader through the efforts he made to create his style from a long list of writers he admired, from acclaimed journalists like Dele Giwa, Ray Ekpu and Yakubu Mohammed to literary writers like Chinua Achebe and Mark Twain before he settled on his unique style.

Azu deals with the subject of knowing one’s audience in Chapter 4. He writes: “Not everyone is interested in what you say. For those who follow you, however, you must find valuable ways of connecting with them in a world of many, often noisy and confusing voices.” 

The author gives tips on how a writer can build their audience and earn money from content provided for that audience. In online publishing, a platform can adapt the tips given by the author, carve a niche, focus on that niche and earn money from that niche.

 The author discusses content creation in detail, using the examples of Linda Ikeji, the blogger; Abdulsalam Idris, who has recorded tremendous success sharing content on X (now Twitter); Adeola Fayehun, producer of ‘Keeping It Real with Adeola’, and Tunde Olaoluwa Adekunle, blogger, comedian, entertainer and musician.

And hey, Azu’s book promotional videos in the last few weeks, ahead of the public presentation of his book in Abuja on June 26, is a master class in content creation!

His book is easy to read. I hardly put it down when I started reading it. The book’s strength lies in the practical examples the author uses to explain the issues discussed. He tells the reader about his own experiences, the challenges he encountered along the way, and the steps he took to overcome those challenges.

The sentences and paragraphs are short, and the design and layout are compelling. A reader can do exercises to engage or explore each subject further. In addition, each chapter has boxes, tips and reading lists for easy reading. 

Whether one is a mass communication student, a journalist, a journalism teacher, a media entrepreneur or a New Media enthusiast, there is something in the book for everyone.

This was written by Max Amuchie.

Amuchie, Founder/CEO of Sundiata Post Media Ltd, is a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers. He is also the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Abuja CBD and the outgoing vice president of public relations at the Unity Toastmasters Club in Abuja.

I wrote ‘Visit the Mortuary’ as Tola Adeniyi in my Sunday Times column [1974] and ‘Death I salute You!’ as Aba Saheed in my Daily Times Aba Saheed column in [1975]. The two articles were primarily written on the theme of Vanity, that terrible affliction which is central, nay, dominant in the pursuit of most human beings. “Visit the Mortuary” was an invitation to human nakedness in real term and time. The mortuary is a game changer. No sane man would visit the mortuary and see the parade of all sorts of men and women, boys and girls, dashing young men and charming young ladies all exposed in their stark nakedness and remain the same again. The sight humbles you beyond imagination. In fact nothing is left to or for imagination. This is you!

“Death I salute You!” was simply an expression of gratitude to Death for being there at all times to put an end, at least physical, to all the arrogance of men and women who play God. However powerful, however tyrannical, however whatever you think you are, Death is a constant reminder to you that you are a mere gas!

Vanity, which in some cases tends to consume both body and soul of some individuals, begins to fade or rather , expected to  diminish as one advances in age, say from age 60 upwards. At the age when you realise that most of the children you had invested all you had upon hardly find time to visit you or even call you on the phone, talk less of sending you presents, the age when your choice cars are gathering dust in the garage because of lack of use, the age when you could hardly climb the stairs to your bedroom and your water-bed and golden Jacuzzi are waiting to be resurrected by your successors, one comes to terms with the stupidity and thoughtlessness of vanity. One does not need the Bible, Quran, the Holy Creed of Mareism or any other religious literature to ram it into one’s skull.

Death, known to the Yoruba speaking race, as Iku, a very short three letter-word, which nobody likes to be wished for him early in the morning, is that stage in human existence when the human body loses the capacity and capability to accommodate the breath of life. The body can no longer breathe in and breathe out, a solid realisation of the almighty importance of air as the main engine of the body.

My faith, Mareism: Belief both in Olodumare the Self-Manifest Creator and In the Supreme Efficacy of the Sacred Breath of Life, celebrates the AIR as the ‘all-and-all’ of creation.

‘Whenever the body, the body- garment, the living-body which houses the Soul-Spirit is weary, weak, injured, diseased and withers and dies, the Soul-Spirit exits and hovers around the body that has been its house, until the body is interred in the bowel of the earth’ [the Holy Book of Mareism chapter 9 verse 3]

Death therefore is not the finality of existence. But that may be a subject of discussion for another day. Death as being discussed here is to examine various circumstances which can lead to the cessation of the capacity of human body to carry the burden of hosting the breath of life. We will also look into the last stages of the physical existence of life in the body and give a thought to modes of death. We have death caused by injury. We have death that is caused by depression. We have violent death caused by accident. We have painful death which may be sudden or prolonged. But by far the most dreadful form of death is the one caused by humiliation arising from torture.

There is the common saying that no one knows when death would come calling, where the termination will occur, and how it will occur. This is a saying as old as human existence and may not require over-flogging. Rather what shall be discussed is, as earlier hinted at, the very point at the end.

Injury to any part of the body particularly to the internal organs or other parts of the body that are susceptible   to gangrene will surely lead to death if not attended to or treated in time. This is not a particularly dreaded cause of death because a person has opportunity to treat that cause and give self another chance of prolonging one’s stay on the planet earth.

Depression is another cause of death. It is a gradual process which does not culminate in cessation of life in a jiffy. Depression can also be treated if the depressed seeks help or if neighbours step in at the right time. Otherwise a depressed person may simply lose the will to live and gradually give up. A most traumatic result of depression is suicide. It is difficult to say what goes on in the mind of the suicidal especially at that point when the victim gives up. Suicide by hanging or by ingesting poison will surely involve some pain at the closing moments of consciousness.

Violent death is bad. Violent death is mostly experienced during war or physical altercation or confrontation in combat. Violent death may also be a consequence of a fatal accident. Death arising from motor accident, aeroplane crash, fire outbreak, shipwreck, volcanic eruption or major hurricane may all result in sudden painful death where victims rarely have the luck of saying goodbye to their loved ones. It is a form of death where the victim comes face to face with death staring menacingly at them.

There is the main painful death arising from the excruciating pain inflicted on the body by certain diseases, the most common of which is cancer. Death brought by pain is not generally quick, it is gradual and this is where, like death through humiliation and torture, it is most dreaded form of exit from the land of the living. It is painful in several ways; the victim and their relations are forced to go through humongous expenses and both the victims and the relatives are drained physically, emotionally and even socially before the final curtain. Like death through violence, the victim who passes on through pain associated with his/her ailment is generally brought face-to-face with death. In fact such causes are called ‘terminal’ which means the victim lives each passing day in expectation and anticipation of the inevitable. Nothing could be more painful [emotional pain] and sorrowful.

There is death occasioned by gratuitous humiliation associated with cruel torture. It is the death in the hands of kidnappers and abductors. Fighters captured during wars also experience this kind of horrible and horrifying death. There is a lot attached to it; wicked suspense inflicted by torturers, the humiliation of your body and pride by being treated shabbily and inhumanly by your captor, exposing your person and dignity to the elements and in some instances subjecting the victim to lurid and extreme form of sexual abuse. Torture may include serious and severe beatings, sleep deprivation, hunger and wicked mutilation of the body piece-by-piece. It is not the best way to leave this world. It is not the best way to depart from friends, relations and loved ones. It is not the desirable way to end one’s journey, one’s activities and services on the surface of the earth. And on top of all that, being almost certain that death will come any moment!

Unlike most other causes leading to death, death by humiliation and torture is man-made. It is man who delivers the victim, in captivity, to death a la carte! And in this era of ceaseless senseless wars and global tension, this era of crass religious extremism and idiotic intolerance, this season of extreme global poverty and unprecedented criminality, death arising from torture has become most commonplace.

Nowadays, people just die. They drop down without notice and warning and just die.

We have those who are hell-bent on reducing the population of the world, those who are hell-bent on imposing a ‘New World Order’ on the rest of the world, and those who are generationally wicked and blood-thirsty and with all these idiosyncrasies combined with the shenanigans of those who hunt human beings as game, Death, yes Death, has unending open market.

By the way, I didn’t ask you my reader, which one is your preference?

You may want me to recommend the way my beautiful mother commenced her journey in the Continuum. On that bright morning on October 31, 2013, the forever young and robustly energetic lady asked for a special breakfast of moinmoin and ogi. She requested the onidiri to decorate her head with a special plait and also asked the grandchildren and daughters in-law to make pounded yam and fresh-fish vegetable stew. She chose salmon fish specifically. She treated herself to delicious lunch which was shared, and resumed her usual chitchat with the company in her living room. Within an hour, she stopped contributing to the chat and with a smile on her lips, the last breath escaped. No illness, not even ordinary headache. She was 96.

High Chief Tola Adeniyi,

Syndicated Columnist. Author. Playwright. Poet and Dramatist. Philosopher. Mystic.

The Chairman, the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, on Thursday outlined some measures civil servants could adopt to actualise the performance bonds they signed with President Bola Tinubu towards realising his Renewed Hope Agenda.

Olaopa spoke at the public lecture marking the 2024 Civil Service Week held in Abuja.

In what he called a goodwill message, Olaopa said that he was participating in this year’s civil service week as Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission. and that the last time he did, he was a permanent secretary.

Olaopa congratulated career-bureaucrats and the body of public servants in Nigeria and across the African continent on yet another annual celebration . He recalled that the African Union (AU), in designating this week as the Public Service Week in 1994 in Tangier, Morocco, has provided "an annual seminar platform to beam critical light on how we might raise the bar of professionalism and capability readiness of the civil service as the engine room of government in the delivery of transformational development policies and good governance in the African continent."

He noted that his message had two purposes . One was to congratulate Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, on her "commendable spirited and innovative reform initiatives through the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (2021-2025). I dare say that your brilliant reform programme has significantly deepened institutional reforms and system’s improvement in a measure that will sure stand the test of time."

He said that the other purpose was to 'latch on to the backdrop of those significant and irreducible innovative reform layers that constitute your legacies, to admonish and challenge your successor(s) by offering perspectives that might help us to build on those reform legacies as the next step, to reform the reform, so we do not reinvent the wheels, in a manner of speaking ."

According to Olaopa, to be in a position to build on current gains as the administrative reform progresses, "will require value-based leadership sophistication that draws from deep and nuanced out-of-the-box strategic thinking, and leadership by example."

"My contribution to crystallising the road map for next level reform of the reform therefore, while not pre-empting our revered guest speaker, will be to pose a number of seminal questions that we all have to do well to confront and answer creatively, as we reflect on the theme of this year’s civil service public lecture.

"Beyond the scholarly tone and perspectives that our erudite and renowned emeritus professor Peter Okebukola will of course eloquently provide therefore, I am saying that we also need a seminal compass for our reflection as a profession on what we have learnt from past reforms and the education that is fit for preparing the civil service, not just for the heavily volatile and confounding development management in the 21st century, but in navigating the unfolding 4th and 5th Industrial Revolutions", he said.

He therefore proceeded to pose seven quick questions that according to him "should be the focus of our reflection as policy management professionals and administrators that government is bound to rely on for problem-solving in the dynamic of implementing its Renewed Hope Agenda, going forward".

He asked why change intended by past and current institutional reformers in the Nigerian civil service has become such a "Sisyphean task that makes it appear as if reformers are rolling a boulder up the hill only to have it roll back down, again and again, in a series of motions without movement".

He said that the question merely rehearsed the famous 1849 axiom that the French satirist, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr contributed to change management philosophy when he wrote, “the more things change the more they stay the same”.

In other words, Olaopa said, "why is it that, in spite of the many spirited civil service reform initiatives since 1999, the federal bureaucracy, on balance, seems to be declining in some vital performance indicators and parameters that are key to its overall effectiveness as the engine room of governance?"

"As we make the move to institute performance management system (PMS) to activate the performance bonds that we signed with PBAT - a reform paradigm shift that has been pending since 1974 when Jerome Udoji reform Commission recommended the introduction of planning, programming, budgeting system (PPBS) as backend to management by objectives (MBO) and project management praxis in the civil service - how far have we gone to reengineer the MDAs’ ‘I am directed’ standard operating bureaucratic protocols and backend in anticipation of a launch of a full-blown PMS, so the service is sure-footed to concretely deliver measurable output-outcomes within results-based managerial framework?", he queried.

He further asked what changes public servants need to make to "resource-use efficiency, value for money concerns in the expenditure structure of government, to enable required efficiency gains for containment of redundancies and wastes, so we can help the government stem the tide of expanding but unsustainable cost of governance which is limiting real development funding and investment."

The professor of public administration noted that if civil servants get sufficiently innovative in resource-use efficiency, and they are thus in a position to enter into significant productivity bargain-enabled enhanced pay and remuneration, then "we would have gained enhanced bargaining leverage for better condition of service as motivation and incentives (monetary and non-monetary) required to attract talents and scarce skills into the service; thereby raising the prestige of our profession, and restoring government as employer of choice in the national economy."

"This in turn raises another relevant question: what would be the contingent changes to personnel policies, pay level, and operational cost ratios that are most cost-effective and consistent to achieve optimal productivity level in the public service and, by extension, the national economy?

"And what change management and capability enhancement strategy are in place to redress situations that will arise when MDAs are falling short in delivering on the performance bond that we signed with the FGN?"

According to Olaopa, from his vantage position as the Service Commission Chair, he is fully available to collaborate in addressing these concerns "through sharing and learning and strategic partnership to take current reform programmes to the next level."

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu flew to Pretoria for yesterday’s second term inauguration of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on a chartered aircraft because of the poor state of the presidential jet, it was learnt.

The President left from Lagos on Monday aboard the chartered plane instead of the 737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) nicknamed Nigerian Air Force 001, which is the official aircraft of the President.

A source in the government said the BBJ is undergoing C-Check making it unavailable for the trip.

Some years ago, while Nigeria had abundant money from oil revenue, the prosperity gospel and motivational speaking also reigned. The prosperity gospel is a theology that promises divine blessings of material wealth and good health to the one who sows seeds of financial contribution to the church, a sacrifice that must be worthwhile enough to move divine transcendent power on one’s behalf. Motivational speaking was a similar message, except that the transformation it promised was connected to more secular tactics.

In that era, charismatic preachers made good. Their lavish lifestyle made their message self-affirming. A lot has since changed. The validity of the prosperity gospel has been contested in various ways; prosperity preachers and motivational speakers are now treated with the same derision. We have seen instances of people demanding a return of their seeds from pastors when they did not get the expected miracle and in one instance, someone even reported their pastor to the law enforcement agents. Even before Daddy Freeze (Ifedayo Olarinde) began to publicly spar with renowned pastors on the issues of tithe as a route to prosperity, the public had begun to raise questions. Even worse, social media platforms commissioned an army of sceptics who have become the nemesis of the media-savvy pastors.

Like the oil boom of the 1970s when Nigeria could afford to spend lavishly without concomitant productivity, the boom cycles (up till 2014) that coincided with the reign of prosperity gospel lacked similar structural strength. There was still no remarkable productivity at the base of the money flowing, and becoming rich was mostly a matter of scoring the right odds. Someone once said Nigeria is a place where you can sleep poor and wake up rich, and that is very true, especially if you get in bed with the right person.

While we are mostly wiser for the message of supernatural prosperity, our society has not ceased looking for magical wealth. There was a time when the fad was the so-called “money rituals.” We were told some people—from babalawos to pastors to alfas, many of them living in dingy houses and barely getting by themselves—were privileged possessors of the occult alchemy that would make instant wealth. Similar to prosperity pastors who ask you to sacrifice your life savings to move the heavens to open on your behalf, these ones too asked for money before they could make such a charm for you. Even more, they also requested human sacrifices too.

Then there is cybercrime, also called Yahoo Yahoo. Not only did young people acquire the set of technological skills that would enable them defraud unsuspecting victims in a transnational ecosystem where people from different countries of the world are now joined by electrical wires, but they also purported to enhance their skills through supernatural means. The upgraded version, called Yahoo Plus, gave birth to youths at the most productive stages of their lives chasing the illusion of super-logical wealth with the same dedication their parents put into the prosperity gospel. The craze got to a point that parents even actively connived with their Yahoo children.

Some of those whose religious and moral values did not allow them to go into Yahoo Yahoo or money rituals bought into Ponzi schemes when those too reigned in the social space. Again, similar to prosperity gospellers and motivational speakers, a generation of smooth talkers also arose to promise people an impossible return on investment if they invested in some dubious agro-industrial or real estate projects. The reasonable ones among those investors promised returns of 20 to 30 per cent, a rather high margin under even the best circumstances. To outbid this set in the market of illogicality, other Ponzi schemers went as far as promising a 200 per cent ROI! People invested with the same faith with which they put money in prosperity preachers’ pockets.

Even though the Ponzi market has largely receded when too many unfortunate investors finally got wiser, the kalokalo economy has continued. People continue their quest for magical wealth through betting schemes. One can argue that betting, unlike Ponzi schemes, at least does not deceive anyone into believing the activity is supported by some legitimate investment. Betting is transparent enough—putting in money is hedging an uncertain future on the chances of instant transformation if the odds favoured one. Still, it is not unlike the gospel that asks you to sow your seeds and expect a miracle of multiplication that will transform your ordinary life overnight. Stories are replete of young men staking money they made from daily hustles like their school fees, Okada riding, and even stolen money into the game of betting.

Then came the era of crypto. On the surface, it was a new thing. In reality, it was a replay of the era of “Forex,” another hazy investment enterprise that cleaned out millions of people who thought it was their route to prosperity. Like Ponzi schemes, most of those who invest in crypto (or even Forex) barely understood its mechanisms but they traded in faith all the same. It is the latest fad, the bandwagon on which millions of youths currently hitch their hope of social mobility and economic maturation. As it is, Nigeria has the second-highest adoption of crypto in the world after India, another country with the same unenviable mix of poverty, a mass of youths, and a demographic of wild dreams that will probably not be realised in this lifetime. One can hardly blame them. With few opportunities and fewer prospects of economic empowerment, people will follow any merchant of dreams that wheels their wares into the marketplace.

So popular is crypto in Nigeria that even the Afrobeat singer Davido (David Adeleke) floated one, $DAVIDO. You might wonder what a singer knows about the crypto economy, but that is how the magical economy works. Anyone can claim expertise over any domain as long as they can razzle dazzle with celebrity power. Remember, at the height of the prosperity gospel, pastors too invested heavily in appearance—flashy cars, clothes, jewellery, and private jets. Every Yahoo boy rushes to buy the finest commodity to accessorise and mimic the respectability of a made man.

 All these routes to magical prosperity are concurrent in Nigeria, just at varying levels. On the surface, these means look different but internally they are connected. Not only do they promise wealth without commensurate productivity, but they also promise social transformation outside the purview of politics and the government for salvation. By government, I mean the domains of national politics where the policies that can actually change our lives come from. The wealth that will supposedly transform is either going to come from a transcendental being (God, spirits, and similar forces) or outside the nation space (which is also why there also is a lot of japa), especially the magical spaces where technology connects us to some other humans (that we do not see/know) or some other foreign sources whose operations cannot be readily explained but is believed to hold the key to instant transformation.

By looking away from the government for life enhancement, it also seems that many of us have given up on the faith that Nigeria’s politics—as currently constituted—is capable of ever coming up with a political arrangement that will end our poverty. Maybe that cynicism also explains why our political actions are self-sabotaging. We abjure every good sense to vote for the very people who have paralysed us with their moral corruption and will keep doing so. Our lack of conviction in the rationality of our politics to transform keeps us looking for illogical means as a source of salvation. The faith that magical alternatives—instead of politics—are what will save us, is a big reason we have given up on the government.

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said 23 local government councils in the state will operate from alternative secretariats following Tuesday’s sealing of the councils by the police.

The governor, who said this after swearing in the 23 local government caretaker committee chairmen on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, said they could operate from anywhere.

Fubara stated this as the police barred the newly inaugurated caretaker chairmen from from accessing their offices in all the 23 LG headquarters. The secretariats were barricaded with police patrol vans manned by armed policemen.

The state police command had on Tuesday announced that it had taken over all the LG council headquarters to forestall further bloodshed and to prevent a breakdown of law and order.”

A policeman and a member of a local security outfit were killed during a clash between supporters of the governor and his predecessor, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike at Eberi-Omuma in the Omuma Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

Fubara and his predecessor have been embroiled in a bitter disagreement since late last year.

The crisis led to the bombing of the state House of Assembly last year, factionalised the House while the governor survived an impeachment by Martin Amaewhule led 27 lawmakers of the House loyal to the FCT minister.

The crisis worsened on Tuesday when youths loyal to the governor dislodged some chairmen loyal to Wike after the expiration of their tenure.

The three-year tenure of the 23 chairmen expired on Monday but they had vowed to remain in office, citing the Local Government Amendment Law 2024 made by the Martin Amaewhule-led House of Assembly.

The law by the 27 lawmakers loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Wike, empowers them to remain in office for six months due to the failure of Fubara to conduct local government elections.

Caretaker chairmen

The governor after swearing in the newly appointed caretaker committee chairmen in the Government House on Wednesday, charged them to eschew violence, maintain the peace, and be guided by the Constitution.

 Fubara also directed the Auditor-General of Local Governments to commence an immediate audit of the accounts of the 23 councils, adding the new appointees could operate from anywhere

He said that the swearing-in of the chairmen would ensure seamless administration of local governments following the expiration of the tenure of elected chairmen and councillors in the state.

He warned them against any form of confrontation, insisting that such was not in his nature and style but advised them to be law-abiding as they take full control of the local government councils.

He said, “Whatever happened yesterday (Tuesday), I know and the world knows that it is not from you people. Some people caused it. So, let us not allow them to continue to make our state look bad in the comity of states.

“So, when you go back, if there is any situation, you should be law-abiding. I don’t want any confrontation. You can operate from anywhere for now. But the most important thing is that you have the control of the local governments today.”

Fubara defends appointments

Defending the appointment of the caretaker chairmen, he stated,  “What is happening here now is a defence of democracy. We will not allow the wrong precedent to be created in this country.

“It is not about Rivers State. It is not about Fubara. But if in any way this attempt at tenure elongation succeeds in Rivers State, it becomes a norm in Nigeria.

“So, we have taken it upon ourselves to say, not on our watch will it happen because it is completely alien to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” 

 Fubara wondered why the tenure of elected officers would expire, and they would want to perpetuate themselves in office against their oath of office and the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria.

The governor said such insistence to elongate the tenure of council chairmen would not happen in the state.

He pointed to the importance of knowing how the finances of the 23 Local Government Councils were managed in the last three years and directed the Auditor-General of Local Governments to begin auditing the accounts and make the report available within the next month.

He urged the new chairmen to ensure payment of the outstanding financial benefits and entitlements, including salaries of the immediate past chairmen, vice-chairmen and councillors.

He added, “I am not of the class to say that because something happened, you should maltreat them. No. Whatever is their entitlements, ensure that they get them.”

Fubara instructed the caretaker chairmen to work hard to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order in their various council areas.

He added, “Please, I want to appeal to you that when you go back, I don’t want a crisis. Just manage the situation as much as you can. God does not start and end halfway. That is the truth. Since God has started with us, He will complete His work in our lives.

“I don’t want any fight. I don’t want any life to be lost because it does not earn me anything. We know that we can overcome, and we have been overcoming.”

Reiterating that the  caretaker chairmen would soon leave office, he said, “Let me also sound very clear here that your tenures are not going to be too long because as  a matter of fact before the end of today or tomorrow, there should be a process for the commencement of elective local government chairmen in our  dear state.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led State House of Assembly loyal to the governor had during plenary screened and confirmed the nominees,

 The list of seven-member nominees per local government council was forwarded to the Assembly under Section 9 (5) of the Rivers State Local Government Law No. 5 of 2018, for screening and confirmation.

Secretariats shut

One of our correspondents who went round the state reported that the LG secretariats of Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ogu/Bolo and Ikwerre and other council headquarters across the state were under lock and key with police patrol vans stationed and fierce-looking operatives.

The caretaker  Chairman of the Ikwerre LGA, Dr Darlington Orji, said he was not able to access the council following the barricade mounted by the police. He, however, said he had assumed duties and could control the council affairs from anywhere.

Orji stated, “The police have taken over the place. When the police have taken over the place, what do you expect me to do?”

When asked if had started work, he responded in the affirmative.

Also, the caretaker  Chairman of the Ogu/Bolo LGA, Evans Bipi, who could not access the secretariat,  inaugurated other committee members outside the council secretariat and charged them to serve with diligence and honesty.

He said although the council was shut, he had assumed duties.

One of our correspondents observed on Wednesday that the Federal High Court along Azikiwe Road and the State Judiciary complex housing the State High Court were locked, although no reason was been given, but it might be due  the tension in the state.

Speaking to the correspondent on the development, the state Commissioner for Police, Olatunji Disu, said the LG council headquarters would remain shut for the time being due to the clash between the feuding parties.

Disu stated, “It is because two groups are fighting over something. Two groups are fighting over it. The other group is waiting to tackle them. We have to prevent them from clashing and killing one another like they did yesterday (Tuesday) and killed a policeman and one other person.

“So we have to prevent them from going in. We have locked up the local government secretariats. If we allow them (caretaker chairmen) to go in, other people will come out and clash. Then people will ask what are we doing as police officers?

“We are here to prevent a breakdown of law and to protect lives and property. So we know definitely if there is a clash, anything can happen. So we are doing our jobs of protection of lives and property.”

On why local government workers were not allowed into their offices, he said, “For the time being nobody should come in. If we allow local government workers to come in, others will sneak in. So it will still boil down to the same thing. How do we sit and those who are not workers sneak in?

“So it is better we lock up the place and ensure that there is peace. And that is exactly what we are doing.”

State of emergency

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in the state has called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the state, saying the governor and the police are helpless over what it termed ‘war in the state.’

The state APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, while briefing newsmen at the party’s secretariat in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said, “I have been informed that the federal and state high courts cannot sit because of palpable fear. Young men are brandishing all manner of guns, so we are in trouble in the state. We are in a state of war.

“It is because the governor is un-teachable and he does not listen to counsel, even the counsel of the President. The APC in Rivers State is asking and demanding a state of emergency. That is the way it is so that you and I will live in peace. I say so because it will be too late to cry when the head is cut off.

“The Federal Government should do what it should do to ensure that this state of anarchy we are heading to, does not degenerate for us to be seeing fire everywhere.”

 Noting the importance of the state in terms of the economy of Nigeria, he said the country would be in trouble if there was anarchy in the state.

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Joseph Johnson, faulted the APC’s call for emergency rule, saying Okocha’s comments were not worth responding to.

Johnson stated, “On Tony Okocha I don’t think that what Okocha said is worth giving any attention. We should not break our heads over what Tony Okocha said.

“The other time he said there was a cholera outbreak.  When the medical personnel visited the place they said there was nothing like that. Another day he (Okocha) said he was welcoming members of the House of Assembly who defeated the APC. What is the position today?

“He also said that he was going to ask the members of the House of Assembly to commence impeachment of the governor, what is the position today?”

On the police refusal to allow the CTC chairmen access to their various councils, the commissioner said,” I am not in a position to speak for the caretaker committee chairmen.

“I am the Commissioner for Information in Rivers State and I can only speak for the state government. The caretaker committee chairmen are in a better position to speak on the matter by themselves.”

But the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, faulted the call by the state chapter that President Bola Tinubu should declare a state of emergency in the state.

Duru, in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday, explained that there was no justifiable reason to drag the President into the crisis.

According to him, the matter is still within the purview of the law enforcement agents.

He said, “This is my personal view. This is something that lies within the purview of the law enforcement agents and Mr President cannot be dragged into matters such as this. Truly, we are in a democracy. What underpins democracy essentially is the rule of law, procedure and obedience to the relevant orders of the court

“So, Mr President cannot be dragged into isolated issues or issues that have to do with the functionalities of states such as this. That is my view.”

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered a thorough investigation into the killing of the police officer and a vigilante operative in the state.

He also directed the probe of the general violence which erupted in the state.

During a clash between supporters of Fubara and Wike on Tuesday, in Port Harcourt, a policeman and a vigilante were killed.

The Force Spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Wednesday, said the IG directed the Rivers Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, to heighten security measures across the state.

The statement reads, “The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, condemns in the strongest terms the recent outbreak of violence and subsequent breakdown of law and order at various local government council secretariats in Rivers State, where supporters of two political factions clashed over the tenure of local government council chairmen, which unfortunately led to the tragic deaths of a Police Officer – Inspector David Mgbada, and Samuel Nwigwe, a vigilante member at Eberi-Omuma in the  Omuma Local Government Area.

“In response to these heinous acts, the IGP has directed the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Olatunji Disu, to heighten security measures across the state and institute thorough investigations into the killing of the police officer and the vigilante operative, as well as the general violence which erupted in the state.”

Adejobi said Egbetokun also deployed operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team to assist the Rivers State Command in apprehending the killers of the police officer and the vigilante member.

“The IGP has specifically deployed operatives of the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to assist the Rivers State Command in apprehending the killers of the police officer and the vigilante member.

“The IGP seriously warns individuals and groups of people who have a penchant for senseless attacks and mindless killings of police officers and other security operatives across the country to desist forthwith as the fullest force of the law will be meted on them.”

In a related development,  the Peoples Democratic Party  has alleged that there is a plot by the APC   to take over the state, saying the plot has failed.

The  PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, while responding to a call for a state emergency by the Rivers State APC, called on the Federal Government and the APC’s national leadership to immediately intervene and advise Okocha (the state APC chairman) to cease his actions as they posed a threat to democracy and stability in Nigeria.

The statement read in part “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party  has been drawn to yet another hallucinating press conference by the Rivers State Caretaker Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Tony Okocha wherein he again fantasized that the will of the people of Rivers State as expressed in the governorship election which produced Governor Siminalayi Fubara can be upturned by the imagination of the APC.

“This reckless outburst by Tony Okocha further exposes the sinister plot by the APC in Rivers State which has been seeking ways to instigate crisis, forcefully overthrow a democratic order and impose an anti-democratic regime in Rivers State in clear violation of Section 1 sub-section 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

“The use of the word ‘war’ by Mr Okocha in his statement clearly shows an evil intention which has been firmly resisted and will continue to be resisted by the people of Rivers State.

“The APC in Rivers State should note that its malevolent scheme to instigate crisis and forcefully take over the state has failed. Rivers State is a stronghold of the PDP and the people are solidly behind the Government of the PDP in the state.”

[Punch]

As the nation awaits President Bola Tinubu’s executive bill on new minimum wage to the National Assembly, a host of states may need a bailout or retrench workers to be able to pay the N62,000 being proposed by the Federal Government and Organised Private Sector, OPS.

Although most of the states have been getting more allocations since the removal of the fuel subsidy in May 2023, sources told Vanguard that the increment was paltry and not enough to sustain payment of N62,000 minimum wage.

Meanwhile, the Organised Private Sector, OPS, yesterday said there was nothing like agreement in the just concluded meeting of the Tripartite Committee on the New National Minimum Wage but an alignment of interest.

This is coming as Governor Nasir Idris, of Kebbi State distanced himself from governors who gave hint of inability to pay N62,000 minimum wage.

This is even as Senator Ahmed Wadada, SDP, Nasarawa West, urged President Tinubu to approve at least N150,000 as the new minimum wage.

Currently, no fewer than 20 states are not paying any wage award to their workers to ameliorate the hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal, in spite of President Tinubu’s plea to them to emulate the federal government that is paying N35,000, in addition to the N30,000 minimum wage.

Lack of funds

Lack of funds, sources said, was the reason most of the governors are foot-dragging on the new wage negotiations, which they didn’t take active part in.

According to data on federal allocations to states before and after subsidy removal in May 2023, most of the states received between 20 and 25 per cent increment in allocations, while some others conversely, received less allocations.

The states’ gross allocations include revenues from statutory allocation, Value Added Tax, VAT, electronic money transfer levy, EMTL, Exchange Gain, and Augmentations as of when subsidy regime was in place and the non-subsidy regime in 2023.

Paltry increment in allocations

Indeed, the 36 states received N2.188 trillion from January to June 2023 before subsidy removal; and N2.305 trillion from July to December 2023 after subsidy removal. The increment is just N116.79 trillion (five per cent).

Lagos State got a 28 per cent increment in allocation. It got N130.55 billion between January and June 2023, and N167.68 billion between July and December 2023. Anambra’s increment was 16 per cent; Ondo (three per cent), Edo (four per cent), and Imo (13 per cent).

Ondo got N56.5 billion/N58.2 billion. Anambra was N46.6billion/N53.6 billion; Edo N57.5 billion/N49.97 billion; and Imo N47.08 billion/N53.4 billion.

States that received less allocation after subsidy removal were Akwa Ibom (33 per cent), Delta (26 per cent), Bayelsa (20 per cent), and Rivers (12 per cent). Akwa Ibom got N185.6 billion before subsidy removal and N125.3 billion after. Bayelsa received N138.6 billion/N110.9 billion. Delta got N244.6 billion/N180.7 billion; and Rivers received N173.6 billion/N153.1 billion.

Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states received more allocation at the first half of the year when compared to the second half of the year of non-subsidy regime due to increase in the 13% derivation at the first half of the year and reduction in 13% derivation at the second half of the year.

Why states may have issues paying

Arguing that most states would have issues paying N62,000 as minimum wage, a governor said: The issue is not about the Federal Government, which Labour makes it look. What is being negotiated is a national minimum wage, not a federal government minimum wage for its workers.

“A national minimum wage affects states, local governments and private sector employers, especially SMEs and MSMEs. The first consideration in wage negotiation is affordability and ability to pay. Can states, local governments and private sector employers afford to pay?

“It means states and local governments will spend all their federal allocation and internally generated revenue and even borrow to pay their workers who are less than one per cent of their population. What will they spend on the rest of the citizens in the 36 states who need education, good roads, healthcare, security etc?

“There is need to consider the consequences on the economy, inflationary trend and possible layoff of workers if NLC/TUC blackmailed the government to agree on a minimum wage that is not realistic and sustainable.

‘’There is a general consensus that minimum wage should be increased but it has to be within a realistic band of what all parties can pay. That is why the private sector and government are offering N60,000.”

Idris distances self from unwilling govs

However, Kebbi State governor, Idris, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, said he was not aware of any meeting where governors made their stand known on the disputed N62,000 minimum wage.

The former unionist wondered when the meeting was held because he is a member of the negotiating committee and had been mediating between the federal government and organised labour on the minimum wage issue.

“I was not part of the meeting if it was even held and I will not be part of those who will not pay the agreed minimum wage. Like I did say at different public fora that I will pay the agreed amount, I stand by that.” he said.

He explained that, as a crusader for workers welfare and better pay, he would not abandon his people in these trying times, adding “as a member of the tripartite committee, I will continue to negotiate in favour of Nigerian workers.”

While urging both the federal government and organised labour to shift grounds to reach a common, acceptable and sustainable living wage, he pledged to implement the agreed sum to Kebbi workers.

No agreement, but alignment of interest — OPS

Meanwhile, the OPS has said that alignment of interest was reached at the just concluded meeting of the minimum wage tripartite committee and not agreement.

Spokesman of the OPS and the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, at a forum with Labour Writers Association of Nigeria, LAWAN, in Lagos, also diclosed that OPS was pushing for the new minimum wage to cover employers with 200 employees and above, against 2019 Minimum Wage Act that covered employers of 25 employees and above.

According to him, OPS is made up of different sectors with the Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs. Some are paying N35,000 as the baseline, and the big ones are paying about N70,000 or N75,000.
He said it would be unfair to legislate that these SMEs pay N62, 000 for instance, adding that explained the reason OPS was pushing that the new minimum wage covered only employers with 200 employees and above.

This, according to him, is to protect the SMEs., which are the highest employers of labour and backbone of every economy. ‘’They need protection. If you kill the SMEs, you will probably kill the economy,’’ he said.

Betrayal of Labour

Speaking on the alleged betrayal of organised labour during the negotiations, he said: “To the contrary, there was no agreement reached by the committee but an alignment of interest. What the committee sent to President Bola Tinubu was a recommendation, not an agreement.

‘’Agreement connotes a gang-up. There was nothing like that. We made a recommendation to the President who set up the committee to now decide or determine the figure he should send to the National Assembly to legislate on.

‘’If anybody is not satisfied with whatever figure Mr President sends to the National Assembly, such a person or group can go to the National Assembly during the public hearing to make his or her case. The figure rests squarely with the President. The issue here is about affordability.”

The NECA DG noted that the long-term objective of the OPS was to protect labour because the more OPS employ, the more labour becomes bigger, warning that “but the more we retrench, the more labour becomes weaker as they would lose both their members and prospective members.”

He added that Nigerians must know that there was a big difference between a minimum wage and a living wage, as “what we are talking about in Nigeria is a minimum wage and not a living wage.

‘’The ILO just in March this year agreed on a living wage. The next is to make it a convention before we can be talking about a living wage.”

Wadada seeks N150,000

However, Senator Ahmed Wadada has called on President Tinubu to approve not less than N150,000 as new minimum wage for Nigerian workers.

Wadada made the call in an interview with newsmen in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State late Tuesday. The lawmaker noted that the current realities of the Nigerian economy informed his decision to propose the figure which will go a long way in alleviating the hardship faced by workers.

“I have expressed my opinion in the past on the issue and I am going to reiterate it here. For me as a person, the minimum a worker should earn is N150,000, looking at the realities of today,” he said.

Lawmakers’re willing to make sacrifices

He said he and other lawmakers were willing to make sacrifices in terms of reduction of their remunerations and allowances just to ensure Nigerian workers earned decent monthly salaries.

Wadada, who expressed confidence in the administration of President Tinubu, described it as an open, transparent and a listening government that would come up with a figure acceptable to workers.
“At worst, it should be higher than what the government is currently offering,” he said.

[Vanguard]