Nigeria’s prosperous future can only be assured by supporting the private sector to unlock wealth that will lift the populace, President, Africa Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has said.

Speaking during the BusinessDay CEO Forum in Lagos at the weekend, he said the rejuvenation of the moribund manufacturing sector and fixing the perennial power problems were key in engineering an industrial revolution for the country.

Adesina, who spoke on the theme: “The Day the Lion Roared! Making Nigeria a Global Industrial and Economic Giant”, lamented that Nigeria, despite her potential, still lags behind other contemporary economies.

He made serious case for speedy and systematic development of the economy through private sector-led initiatives.

Adesina said Nigeria must learn that simply using foreign exchange reserves to back and overvalue the naira is not a sustainable policy.

“To grow Nigeria’s economy in a transformational way, there is an urgent need to move away from solely depending on “managing a demand for forex” to “expanding the supply and availability of forex” through greater export-oriented manufacturing,” he advocated.

He said such move would extricate Nigeria from relying only on the export of crude oil for access to forex and the instability that arises from the shocks to global oil prices.

He commended the bold decision of President Bola Tinubu in removing the distortions in the multiple foreign exchange windows, which he said, would help turn the tide on foreign direct investment flows into Nigeria.

He said: “While the share of manufacturing in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has hovered around seven per cent for decades, the nation has not been able to extricate itself from a comatose industrial manufacturing sector, in sharp contrast to the dynamic and rapid performance of manufacturing in Asian countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, India, and China”.

He said Nigeria’s manufacturing sector represents only three per cent of the total revenue from exports, but accounts for 50 per cent of imports.

“Instead of being forward-looking in expanding the share of manufactured goods in its total export revenue, Nigeria focuses on an unsustainable model of import substitution. Import substitution, while important, is a very restrictive vision. It is focused primarily on survival, instead of looking to create wealth through greater export markets and value diversification. The result is a manufacturing sector that cannot even develop to reach its full potential nor compete globally. Rather, it is limited to a “survival mode,” and not a “global manufacturing growth mode,” he stated.

Adesina advocated Nigeria shifting toward being integrated into and moving up global and regional value chains, in areas of comparative advantage, specialisation and competitiveness.

“A well-developed and policy-enabled manufacturing sector, with export orientation will spur greater innovation, accelerate business and investment-friendly industrial policies to drive export market development and structural transformations of the economy,” he said.

“For instance, while Vietnam raked in $348 billion in 2020 from export and the export-led growth, Malaysia’s exports was valued at $234 billion while by contrast, Nigeria’s exports were valued at $29.7 billion. Nigeria’s total export value was a mere $33.5 billion,” he added.

He said African countries, including Nigeria, have had policies, templates and programs for industrialisation and expanding industrial manufacturing for decades.

But there is a huge gap between policy ideas and actions.

“Today, capacity utilization of factories hovers around 40 per cent compared to a desired 70 per cent. The reality, in view of several challenges facing the industrial manufacturing sector, is that firms are moving to other neighboring countries, where there is greater macroeconomic stability, more supportive enabling environments, and a better ease of doing business. To be a manufacturer in Nigeria is not an easy venture. You succeed not because of ease of doing business, but by surmounting several constraints that limit industrial manufacturing,” he said.

Adesina said major challenge facing the industry in Nigeria is the very high cost and unreliability of supply of electricity.

“Load shedding and unreliable power have made the cost of manufacturing extremely high and uncompetitive. Most of the manufacturing companies self-provide energy through a reliance on cost-prohibitive generators and diesel and heavy fuel oil. The polluting emissions, make them brown industries, not green industries,”he said.

He said that unless Nigeria decisively tackles its energy deficiency and reliability, its industries will remain uncompetitive.

“There should be massive investments in gas to provide power and to ensure stable base load power for industries, hydropower resources, large-scale solar systems, direct power preferentially to industries, and to support industrial mini grids that concentrate power in industrial zones. In addition, we should develop more efficient utilities, reducing technical and non-technical losses in power generation, transmission, and distribution systems,” he said.

Adesina said Nigeria’s industrial development is constrained by a poor state of transport, ports, and logistic infrastructure. “It costs $35,000 to export 100 tons of produce from Nigeria compared to just $4,000 in Ghana. About 90% of passenger and freight movements in Nigeria rely on roads but only 18% of the roads are paved.”

He said the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, with a collective GDP of $3.3 trillion, presents a huge opportunity for Nigeria to drive an export-driven industrial manufacturing pathway.

“Nigeria can unlock its industrial manufacturing capacities by taking advantage of duty-free exports within the zone. Doing so requires decisively tackling infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks that hamper industrial capacity and competitiveness; establishing and enforcing quality, grades, and product standards; ensuring the access of industries to land and providing investment relations management to attract and maintain investors and trade facilitation,” he said.

He also stated that the future of manufacturing will be digital. “The global digital economy is estimated to be worth over $16 trillion. The Internet of Things will raise productivity of labor in manufacturing, deploy smart machines, manufacturing platforms and systems, connecting machines and people, and using machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve speed and efficiencies of complex manufacturing processes,” he said.

In fixing the problems, Adesina recommended that Nigeria establishes Skills Enhancement Zones––new zones in partnership with industries, dedicated exclusively to skilling up Nigeria’s workforce.

“Students can be supported to be exposed to skills delivered by different industries. This will build up their vertical skills in such industries and horizontally across different industries. This will reduce the labor market skills mismatch that several industries face and allow feedback by private sector industries into the curriculum of universities and colleges,” he said.

Nigeria must also make agriculture a major wealth creating sector. It is time to take bold policy measures to drive the structural transformation of agriculture, with infrastructure and spatial economic policies that will help turn the rural economies of Nigeria away from being zones of economic misery to new zones of economic prosperity.

He said a perennial binding constraint facing manufacturers in Nigeria is the unpredictability and availability of foreign exchange.

“It also triggered a major decline in foreign direct investment inflows into Nigeria. The World Investment Report (2023) showed that foreign direct investment inflows into Nigeria declined precipitously from $3.3 billion in 2021 to a negative $187 million in 2022 ––the largest decline on the continent,” he said.

The distraught father of a two-year-old boy allegedly killed by stray bullet from operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Delta Command, has cried out for justice.

The operatives on July 13, raided a suspected den for drug peddlers at Okpanam, a suburb of Asaba, Delta State, where they allegedly opened fire.

But bullets fired at the scene allegedly hit the toddler and his infant sibling on the abdomen and eye, respectively, while they were in their mother’s shop, outside of the drug den.

The bereaved father, Fidelis Okogbe Omorhia, 40, a salesman, who expressed fears that the case may be swept under the carpet because he had no influence; told newsmen yesterday that his toddler son, Ivan Omorhia, was eating corn with his mother and two other siblings in their mother’s shop, Hillsi Cakes n More Academy, when the straybullet hit him.

He said the bullet narrowly missed his wife and four year old daughter, wondering why the NDLEA operatives would shoot sporadically in a crowded and busy area.

According to him, the operatives fled the scene after they were accosted for shooting the toddler, adding that his 18-month-old baby, Eromosele, was injured in his left eye from shrapnel from shattered glasses.

He said the straybullet pierced his son’s lower abdomen, exiting from his back and further pierced a plastic chair, shattering a glass door before lodging in a cupboard.

He said both children were rushed immediately to the Federal Medical Center (FMC), Asaba, for surgery where Ivan died around midnight July 14, after doctors battled in vain to save him.

Omorhia said: “I am a complete wreck. I cannot express my pain in words. As we woke up that fateful morning, it was Ivan who prayed for the family. I had no premonition of death at all. Even when I picked them from school, they wanted me to buy icecream, but I bought cooked corn which they were eating when he was hit.

“What really happened was that I went to my kids’ school to pick them up, and dropped them off at my wife’s shop, at a Plaza close to Sweet Spirit Hotel.

“That is where my wife’s shop is located so that I can go and meet up with my other activities. As usual I pick them up after we close for the day.”

“So, as I was going back to the house to pick up something, my house is just five minutes drive from the shop, my wife called me, sweetheart, please come! They don’t understand whether it is a bullet or anything. There is no gunshot within that environment. I then rushed back to the place, and when I got to the place, my wife called me and said that they are going to FMC, urging me to meet them there.

“It is like a gunshot because my wife said she saw my boy’s intestines coming out even the glass that the bullet penetrated, affecting my son’s eye. She held two of them and started shouting for help, that was when she then called me to meet them at FMC.

“As I was going to FMC, I said no, let me stop at the shop and know what was happening. When I got to the shop, I saw a Hilux Van, fully loaded with armed operatives of NDLEA.

“I saw another Sienna mini bus, they drove to turn at an intersection up the road and I saw another Honda saloon. The vehicles were all occupied by NDLEA operatives. So, they then parked close to my wife’s shop.

“According to the people around, they were chasing those guys that sell drugs but the guys ran away but I don’t know how the bullet got to my wife’s shop.

“So, I was trying to ask some of my neighbours. My wife just told me that there’s a gunshot that hit my boy and his intestines are coming out.

“Then one of the boys said it was the gun that was shot that hit my son. They had already parked and were trying to arrest some other boys while others ran away. The place was rowdy.

“The information I got emboldened to meet them and I was trying to take pictures and trying to take some videos. One of the operatives came out and asked why I was videoing him, asking me if I am mad.

“He then cracked his gun, I then told him that the gun you people shot has killed my son, and if you want to kill me, just kill me as I won’t leave. The guy (operative) punched me, I then held his hand. Immediately they heard that their gunshot killed my child, they immediately entered their cars and zoomed off.

“I jumped inside my car and followed them till we got to Issele-Azagba, they then stopped while I pulled over in one filling station and they came to me. I told them that the gun they shot killed my son, they said they know and they have called their Commander.

“They said I should follow them to their Head Office in Ogwashi-Uku, and getting to their office, their boss brought them out, and talked to them before coming in.

“They started pleading with me and enquired about the condition of the child and I told him that I haven’t seen him as I decided to stay around the shop to know what happened. That was when I discovered that it could be these guys who were armed.

“The Oga then said that was true. According to their Oga, he said what they told him is that they were chasing someone or that they wanted to cross the road and a bike or a vehicle hit the NDLEA guy, that was when the gun went off.

“He said I should not worry and that I should go and see my children as that is the most important thing to everybody right now and that he will send one or two persons with me. Immediately, I left for Asaba to come and see them and they told me that they were in the theatre and that they were looking for blood.

“After one and a half hour, the people that the Commander sent, then came that their Oga sent them to come and see the situation and I told them that they are trying to look for blood for him(Ivan) to survive.

“The blood they said we should donate is a fresh one and not the one they have in their blood bank. So, we were trying to look for some of my friends that came around as I could not donate because I am B positive.

“So, we then got one of my wife’s workers that is O positive who donated blood. We were running around and they were doing X-ray and all of that. About 7:00pm to 1:00am, Ivan had died because his intestines and kidneys were badly affected.

“The glass shrapnel hit my eighteen months old son in his left eye and body. They took him to the theatre yesterday at about 2:00 am and they came out at 6:00am this morning trying to ensure that the cut and wounds are treated.

“We need justice for our children. We need to take it up, it cannot just go like this. I don’t even know the condition of this one. I don’t know his fate, we need justice.

“The one that died is supposed to graduate next tomorrow. They have given the graduation gown to him,” he lamented.

State Commandant of the NDLEA, John Tunde, confirmed the incident but insisted that his men did not open fire on the kids.

Tunde said when his men stormed the notorious drug joint to raid and dislodge the place, there was a Toyota Camry parked within the precincts.

He said while the operatives were surrounding the place, the Camry “ran over one of our men while escaping. In attempts to demobilise the car, our men shot at it.

“What we cannot tell now is whether the children were inside the car at the time of the shooting. Our men did not open fire at any shop.

“As we speak now, our man who the car ran over, is at the Central Hospital in Ogwashi-Uku. Our attempt to stop the car was not successful as he escaped.

“So I can confirm that it happened but it is the true account that I have told you, we can’t be that unprofessional to open fire on a shop. I was at the hospital in the night with the father of the child. We are investigating it.”

Delta Governor, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, yesterday, condoled with the family of the slain toddler.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, the Governor said the tragic incident was regrettable and avoidable if the officers had operated based on their rules of engagement.

He urged the NDLEA authorities and the Delta Police Command to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the boy and injury to his brother, with a view to bringing the culprits to book and avoiding a future occurrence.

“This incident is tragic, painful, and grievous because of the loss of a child and injury to his younger sibling.

“I condemn this unfortunate incident because no matter the provocation, armed security men must operate within the ambit of standard procedure as enshrined in their rules of engagement.

“Any action taken outside these international best practices could be catastrophic as in this case.

“I therefore call on the NDLEA and Police authorities to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident and bring all the culprits to book,” he said.

Also, a youth group, Anioma Youth Forum Worldwide (AYF-W) in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ekwukwo Elvis, condemned the “shocking incident”, describing the action of the anti-drug agency as “reckless”.

He raised alarm over the lack of professionalism in handling firearms by security agencies in the state, warning that killings of innocent people by security agents will no longer be tolerated.

Part of the statement reads, “Such a blatant display of unprofessionalism, where firearms are handled carelessly, resulting in the loss of innocent lives, is an occurrence that has become a recurring decimal and must not be tolerated any longer.”

He added, “the wanton disregard for safety and professional best practices demonstrated by certain operatives in Delta demands immediate attention.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria(SAN), Chief Robert Clarke, has said the country would continue to linger in her socio-political problems until there is a change of the current 1999 constitution which lacks certain elements of federalism.

He said for over the years he has been practicing as a lawyer, the best constitution for Nigeria is the 1963 constitution.

He suggested that if a committee can be set up to look into the 1963 constitution and tinker with it in the light of modern developments, most of our problems as a country would be solved automatically.

Chief Clarke said the 1999 constitution has vested so much power on the president and governors, such that no one could hold them responsible for any misconduct or mismanagement of public funds while they are still in office.

“We call ourselves a Federal Republic of Nigeria, but is there any element in the constitution that makes it a federal republic? Every month, all the governors of the 36 states go to Abuja to collect (allocation) stipends and if the federal government gave them for instance, ecological fund and they decide to divert it for personal reasons, nobody may know because the funds are not appropriated.

“The constitution in section 5, aided this abnormality. For instance, it vested so much powers on both the executive president and the executive governors.

“Until a committee is set up to look at the 1963 constitution in the light of our modern development, the country may remain with current problems for a long time to come. The cost of governance is too much. We don’t need more than four or five regions with one House of Assembly because that is where all the money goes”

Chief Clarke stated this during a celebration of his 85th birthday and merger of two legal Chambers: Chief Robert Clarke SAN and Ade Oshodi Partners as a company in Lagos.

Reacting to question on the appointment of sitting judges as members of the Electoral Tribunals, the senior lawyer, who was unwilling to open up on past experiences retorted: “So far the judiciary is neither here or there. The problem of Nigeria is the people. However, federalism still remains the best option because our diversity is complex and corruption is our worst enemy and the people who dominate our public offices.

“There is need to look at the constitution as it pertains to appointment of judges. Today, if you are not a friend of the governor, you may not be appointed as a judge because the constitution has vested governors with the power to appoint judges.”

Also speaking on the occasion, Barrister Ade Oshodi, expressed his commitment to the legacy and legal journey bequeathed him by Chief Clarke. He also expressed his optimism that the judiciary would soon get over its current challenges, and still remains the last hope of the common man.

One Esther Godwin has inflicted bodily harm and severe injury on a nursing mother, Endurance Samuel, over alleged extra marital affair with her husband.

The 39-year-old food vendor reportedly attacked and poured hot water on Samuel.

The incident took place in Olofin community of Idanre, in the Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo state.

Esther has since been arrested by police in the southwestern state.

According to sources in the community, the suspect, had contacted Endurance via phone to come for the debt of palm oil owed her by her husband, Sunday Godwin.

Oblivious of Esther’s sinister plan for her, Endurance rushed down to Esther’s residence, in the hope of receiving the palm oil owed her.

However, upon her arrival, Endurance greeted with violent attack as Esther, who was spurred by suspicions and allegations of infidelity, allegedly poured hot water on her, causing severe burns.

The victim, who sustained injuries from the scalding water, was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital, where she received treatment for the severe burns

Narrating how the incident happened, Endurance, explained that “She (Esther) called me from where I was learning tailoring to come and collect the palm oil her husband is owing me. I also work as a labourer for some farmers in the town.

”I rushed out of my oga’s shop excitedly to the place, not knowing that the call was just to lure me to her own shop where she was selling food, to pour hot water on me for the offence I did not commit.”

Meanwhile, the suspect’s husband, denied having a relationship with Endurance and claimed that he merely hired her as a farm labour.

“I was surprised by this development and have been paying for the victim’s treatment at the hospital since the incident occurred.”

Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 election, Omoyele Sowore, has revealed why the Department of State Services (DSS) will not prosecute the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

The Secret Police, after a directive of the court, charged Emefiele to court for possessing one single-barrel shotgun without a license.

In a lengthy post on his Twitter handle, Sowore claimed that the DSS would eventually release the former CBN governor.

He claimed that Emefiele’s detention had nothing to do with the gravity of his alleged high crimes but that he was being held on behalf of those in power.

According to him, if Emefiele is charged to court for the alleged crimes, he would implicate a lot of influential persons in the Mohammadu Buhari-led administration as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Sowore said, “For those who may not be familiar with the modus of the @OfficialDSSNG, holding @GodwinIEmefiele had nothing to do with the gravity of his high crimes, the game is to hold him on behalf of those in power.

“If @GodwinIEmefiele was to be prosecuted for his real financial crimes, economic sabotage, money laundering, and terrorism financing involvement, FX round-tripping, etc., he would take down with him @MBuhari, and his entire family, in-laws, members of his inner circle, lots of @OfficialAPCNg leaders, state governors, Senators, media practitioners, military and police top brass and even people in @OfficialDSSNG,@officialEFCC as well as civil society. A lot would come crashing down. Right now, negotiations are ongoing. This is just the “holding charge” before they let him go!

“Above is similar to how they started with former NSA Col. Sambo Dasuki. He was first charged with illegal possession of firearms, precisely in August of 2015! The rest is now history.”

wing to disagreements arising from preparations for the recent general election, the Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been split into two. TheNation reports

UNITY is strength and a house divided against itself cannot stand. These wise sayings vividly illustrate the predicament of the Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Until two months ago, the APC was the ruling party in Plateau but has now become an opposition party due to disunity among its members.

The genesis of the party’s crisis could be traced to its primaries held in the last quarter of last year to pick candidates for the various elective positions in the recent general election.

There was a sharp disagreement among members over the conduct of the governorship primary in particular. The result of that contest, which saw the emergence of Dr Nentawe Yilewada as its flag bearer for the election, became the primary factor that destabilised the party. The other 17 aspirants protested the emergence of Nentawe, alleging that he was imposed on the chapter by higher authorities.

The inability of the party to resolve the conflict that emanated from the primary eventually resulted in its poor performance at the polls. The first sign that the party was in disarray surfaced when it lost the February 25 presidential election to the Labour Party’s (LP) Peter Obi. It also lost two senatorial seats and five out of the eight House of Representatives seats to the main opposition party, the PDP. It eventually lost the governorship election and the control of the state House of Assembly, by losing in many of the constituencies it represented during the last legislative session also to the PDP.

The Plateau APC went into the 2023 general election as a divided house; the party was split into two factions and remains so to date. One faction comprises the 17 aggrieved governorship aspirants and their supporters. The other faction is made up of members loyal to Lalong and the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Nentawe Yilewada.

It became clearer to all that after the abysmal failure in the 2023 general elections, the aggrieved faction led by Chief Amos Gizo began to launch efforts to create another party secretariat for APC since the APC leadership had failed to address their grievances and bring them back into the fold. Prominent among the new faction of APC are former governor of the state Joshua Dariye, former minister for women affairs and social development Dame Pauline Tallen, former minister of state for information Alhaji Salisu Nakande, former member of the National Assembly Alphonsus Komsol, Chief Amos Gizo, Senator Hezekiah Dimka, Sen. Nora Daduut, Lumumba Adeh, Alhaji Dasuki Nakande, Comptroller Victor Dimka, Chief Danyaro Sarpiya among others.

Those in former gov Lalong’s faction are Dr Nentawe Yilewada, Yusufu Gagdi and Senator Diket Plang. APC stalwart Alphonsus Komsol told The Nation: “The division in Plateau APC began from the presidential primary where the immediate past governor instructed all Plateau delegates to vote for Rotimi Amaechi to emerge as the APC presidential candidate. But, some of us who are die-hard disciples of Tinubu decided to vote Tinubu against Lalong’s presidential candidate. Since then some of us who disobeyed Lalong’s instruction were marked for victimisation in the party. That was where the crack in the party started. But the crack got widened and the party was messed up with the imposition of governorship candidate.”

Shortly after the recent general election in which Lalong himself lost his senatorial bid to the PDP and also failed to deliver his state for President Tinubu, some of the aggrieved members of the APC were said to have engaged in anti-party activities, and were listed up for disciplinary action. The rumour that the party was bent on suspending certain chieftains was confirmed in a recent stakeholders meeting in Jos, when the party chairman, Rufus Bature said: “The APC is aware of the desperate attempts by some members of the party to tear it apart through a wild goose chase of creating a parallel party office. We are aware of their nocturnal activities which we seriously frown at.

“The party has also watched with great dismay the activities of some self-styled leaders who have been jumping from pillar to post in search of federal appointments, especially ministerial appointments. Their embarrassing behaviour has portrayed them as people who want to reap where they did not sow.

“The party took note of their anti-party activities before, during and after the recent general election and has set machinery in motion to deal with such sundry issues at all levels. In doing so, due process would be followed and those who need to be sanctioned would be sanctioned in line with the party’s constitution. Let me advise them to bury the thought in their interest because the party would not allow such selfish individuals who are perpetual office seekers to temper with its rank and file.”

Ishaya Itse, a chieftain of the party, has cautioned Bature not to suspend any party member, because, in his view, he (Bature) lacks the power to do so. Itse called on other members of the party to disregard Bature’s warning. He added that any attempt to suspend anyone amounts to disrespect to the constitution of Nigeria.

In a statement, Itse said: “Rufus Bature is not an elected APC chairman. Therefore, he doesn’t have the right to threaten stakeholders with suspension. I am aware that Lalong has instructed APC wards and local government chairmen to suspend and expel some key members from the party. Such an attempt will fail. According to him, these are the same people that couldn’t deliver their polling units to the APC and they are now coming out with empty threats to create tension and an atmosphere of chaos to look relevant. He disclosed that Lalong couldn’t deliver his ward and that he lost the senatorial election due to non-adherence to the guidelines of the APC, which landed him in total rejection by the voters. He advised Plateau APC to follow the part of honour and work for the overall interest of all members; rather than building a wall of faction and division.

“But, despite the existence of factions in the party in Plateau APC, a member of the House of Representatives, Yusufu Gagdi insists that the chapter is united. He said contrary to rumours that members of the Plateau State APC are at loggerheads with each other, there is no division at the moment. The recent party meeting held at its secretariat, for instance, was not for reconciliation purposes, as speculated, because there is nothing to reconcile in the APC. It was the usual party meeting. I was at the meeting.”

In contrast to Gagdi’s position, a leader of one of the factions of the party, Chief Amos Gizo said there are pending cases requiring reconciliation which the APC leadership has been trying to sweep under the carpet. Gizo who was one of the aspirants that vied for the party’s governorship ticket in the recent election said: “Yes, I was in the recent APC meeting, but I worried that the party leaders claimed to have held a reconciliatory meeting. But, what transpired during the meeting does not look like reconciliation because if it were reconciliation, which factions were reconciled? What was the resolution after the reconciliation?

“Those of us that represented the other faction came even though we were not invited; no invitation was extended to us as stakeholders. It was deceptive for anyone to take that meeting as a reconciliatory meeting. It was just a meeting of critical stakeholders. If you noticed, there was no agenda for the meeting; they handpicked some selected persons to speak. If it was a reconciliation meeting, as they tried to claim, who spoke on behalf of my group? But, we were there as stakeholders. It was not a reconciliatory meeting.

“The APC belongs to all of us. The conference hall where that meeting was held was set up by me when I was chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). So, I consider myself a critical stakeholder. I came to that meeting as the leader of the other group, and I was not allowed to talk. But, Lalong understood that some of us are still aggrieved and he used the opportunity to tender an apology; that, to me, is not reconciliation.

“You cannot talk about reconciliation without talking about what caused the conflict in the first place. So, to me, the meeting was just a waste of time. There was nothing like reconciliation. They will continue to pretend that there is no faction in Plateau APC. Let them look at the APC in Nasarawa State; the people that were denied the party ticket went into the SDP and they won elections. Is that the progress of a ruling party?

“Nobody is contesting Lalong’s leadership of the party. I could not talk of contesting that position because I’m never been a governor. If there was an APC governor before Lalong, he would not have been the party leader; the constitution is very clear about it. But, it is high time they stopped pretending in the interest of the party. We have just started and we shall see how it will end.”

From all indications, there is a big problem in Plateau APC. The party has been split into two factions. The Gizo-led faction, is in the process of setting up its secretariat in a strategic location in Jos. Only genuine reconciliation will resolve the internal conflict in the APC chapter.

More details have emerged revealing what led to the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Adamu.

Naija News had reported earlier that Adamu and the party’s National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, reportedly resigned from their position on Sunday.

It was gathered that the APC National Chairman resigned to save himself from being removed from office.

A source, who was privy to the details of the resignation, told WesternPost that Adamu was forced out over many issues, which included his non-support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

According to the source, for the past two weeks, elements within the party have been calling for his resignation, threatening to remove him at the next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting if he fails to resign.

The source further revealed that the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu was one of the people who told Adamu to resign because he had become a liability to the party.

He was, however, forced to step down as the party chairman after Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, told him that if he didn’t resign, they would remove him at the next NEC meeting.

Those calling for Adamu’s resignation accused him of working against the President during the party’s presidential primaries, publicly supporting former Senate President Ahmed Lawan, failing to fully back Tinubu even after securing the party’s ticket and mismanaging the party’s funds.

Lateef Popoola, an ally of the former governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, has told the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan that the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, is plotting to strip Ladoja of his status as Otun Olubadan.

Naija News gathered that Ladoja’s ally disclosed this in an affidavit he deposed to before the court.

Popoola, who lives in Bodija, Ibadan, claimed that the alleged plot by the Olubadan to strip Ladoja of his title started after Ladoja rejected Governor Seyi Makinde’s offer to elevate Ibadan High Chiefs to crown-wearing Obas.

Recall that Ladoja had shunned a July 7 coronation ceremony where Governor Makinde elevated 10 Ibadan High Chiefs to crown-wearing Obas.

Following the elevation of the High Chiefs, Ladoja headed for court, seeking a declaration that the elevation of Ibadan High Chiefs to Oba was an illegality and an attempt to balkanise the Olubadan in Council.

In the suit filed before the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, Ladoja joined the Olubadan as the first defendant. The ten newly-elevated High Chiefs were joined as 2nd to 11th defendants. Oyo State Governor, Makinde, was listed as the 12th defendant, while the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice was listed as the 13th defendant.

Popoola is one of the witnesses to testify in support of Ladoja’s suit.

In his affidavit filed before the court, Popoola stated, “Traditionally, Ibadan is known to have only a king, which is the Olubadan of Ibadan land (the first defendant), and all the other chiefs are cabinet members of the Olubadan of Ibadan land. It is only the Olubadan of Ibadan land that is to wear a crown, while the chiefs are identified with their beads.

“It is not within the purview of the first defendant (Olubadan) to elevate any of the High Chiefs or member of the Olubadan in Council to the status of His Royal Majesty, as traditionally, the only king known to Ibadan land is the Olubadan of Ibadan land.

“At no point in time did the claimant (Ladoja) signify interest to become His Royal Majesty or to put on a crown.

“To the dismay of the claimant, he started hearing in the media that he would be crowned on the 7th day of July 2023, when he had never consented to the non-traditional act masterminded by the first defendant (Olubadan).

“Since he had made it known to the first defendant that the act of elevating any of the Olubadan in Council members or High Chiefs to the status of His Royal Majesty is non-traditional, the first defendant had started plotting that if the claimant refused to be crowned, he would be denied of his status as Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land and that he would not be permitted to ascend the throne of Olubadan of Ibadan land when it is his turn.”

In a swift reaction, the Olubadan Advisory Council has described Ladoja’s accusation as unfounded and erroneous.

In a statement to journalists by the Personal Assistant (Media) to Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola, the Olubadan Advisory Council met on Thursday and deliberated on Ladoja’s matter.

At the emergency meeting of the Olubadan Advisory Council presided over by the Olubadan and eight of the newly-crowned Ibadan Obas, they chided Ladoja over his claims, saying nobody becomes Olubadan without the nomination by the Ibadan kingmakers consisting of members of the Advisory Council from Ekerin upward.

“Assuming God decrees him to become Olubadan, as he hopes and desires, where will the present Olubadan, being alleged to be plotting against, him be? Rather than looking for a scapegoat, he should check himself as there’s no way just one person can stand against ten others. We shall meet in court as he has already initiated,” the council said.

Rising food and energy costs combined with currency depreciation has pushed Nigeria’s inflation rate to the highest point in 18 years.
Inflation rate, which stood at 22.41 per cent in May, rose for the sixth consecutive month to around 24 per cent in June, according to average projection by many analysts.

Economic intelligence reports by many economic and finance firms yesterday indicated that inflation rate had risen further as Nigerians grapple with continuing food shortage, amid rising energy costs and decline in value of naira.

But most analysts were optimistic that the ongoing fiscal and monetary reforms by the government would moderate costs of living in the foreseeable future, with the economy expected to gain a strong traction in the medium to long term.

President Bola Tinubu had last week declared a state of emergency on food security with a bouquet of direct policy interventions in food production, processing, storage, transportation and pricing. These include immediate release of fertilisers and grains to farmers households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.

The government also plans a National Commodity Board that will review and continuously assess food prices as well as maintain a strategic food reserve that will be used as a price stabilisation mechanism for critical grains and other food items. Other plans include activation of some 500,000 hectares of land to increase the availability of arable land for farming, active irrigation through all river basins to ensure all-year round farming, increased security for farms and creation of ranches among others.

Ahead of the release of the official inflation report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), independent consumer surveys and econometric models indicated that inflation remained high, driven by general increases across several baskets of living costs. The NBS is expected to release its official inflation report for June 2023 today.

Inflation rate had consecutively from 21.9 per cent in February 2023 to 22.04 per cent, 22.22 per cent and 22.41 per cent in March, April and May 2023.

Financial Derivatives Company (FDC), a leading independent economic and finance research firm, which took the lower band of the projections, stated that inflation could rise to 22.8 per cent in June, still within the highest point in 18 years.

FDC, which based its projection on time series model and survey of major retail markets in the nation’s economic focal point, Lagos, said headline inflation is now about 13.8 per cent above the upper bound of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s 6.0 to 9.0 per cent target.

According to FDC, the sustained rise in the general price level was mainly due to the spike in the food basket due to the Muslim’s festival of Eid ul Kabir, planting season effect and higher transport and logistics costs owing to the removal of the petrol subsidy.

FDC stated that its econometric model indicates that “inflation risks are elevated and an inflection point may not be reached anytime soon”.

Cordros Securities stated that it expected the headline inflation to rise by some 217 basis points to 24.58 per cent, within the range of average prediction by several analysts.

“Our expectation is hinged on the effective PMS subsidy removal and liberalisation of the foreign exchange (forex) market fueling pressure on the core basket amid the below-average off-season harvest and Salah festivities intensifying food prices,” Cordros Securities stated.

Analysts at Cordros Securities however said “government reforms and policies are expected to reap benefits in the medium-to-long term if they are maintained”.

Afrinvest Securities projected that inflation would rise to 25.04 per cent in June 2023, driven by broad-based pressure across the consumer price index (CPI) components.

Arthur Steven Asset Management Limited expected inflation rate to rise by some 200 basis points to about 24.5 per cent.

Highcap Securities also projected increase in inflation rate citing the prevailing macroeconomic situation.

Analysts meanwhile agreed that policy reforms by the new government were justifiable for the long-term benefit of the economy.

According to analysts, while policy reforms such as removal of petrol subsidy and abolition of multiple forex rates would be painful for households and businesses in the short term based on an anticipated squeeze in consumer wallets and increased production costs, the medium to long-term benefits would reposition the economy for sustainable growth.

“The subsidy removal, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), was justified by significant declining fiscal power over the years, for instance in first half 2023 budgeted subsidy spend was N3.4 trillion while baseline budget deficit estimation for the year is N11.7 trillion, and need to allow market forces hold more sway in the oil sector,” Afrinvest Securities stated.

While expecting inflation to remain elevated in the third quarter due to the lingering food shortages, currency depreciation and the impact of the fuel subsidy elimination, FDC expressed optimism on the possible positive effect of good policy reforms.

According to FDC, policy reforms play a significant role in shaping inflation expectations in Nigeria.

“With properly designed and effectively implemented policy reforms, inflation expectations can be anchored at lower levels, thereby reducing uncertainty and facilitating economic planning and investment decisions.

“In Nigeria, major policy reforms have been announced and implemented in the last month, which will most likely drive inflation expectation,” FDC stated.

The firestorm among some Christian leaders in Western Nigeria over the lyrics of a new song by Gospel artist, Tope Alabi, is in its fourth week.

She had sang in Yoruba that she is “Aboru Aboye” which translates to “I am a sacrifice which God has accepted.” This caused an uproar with some Christian leaders accusing her of introducing traditional religion idolatry into Christianity. They claimed that ‘Aboru Aboye’ is the language of Ifa priests, so she is promoting indigenous religion to the detriment of Christianity.

The charge is led by Funmi Aragabye, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Gospel Musicians Association of Nigeria, GOMAN, who in finding Alabi guilty of heresy declared: “Tope Alabi believes she is above everyone and God… She doesn’t belong to anyone; she is neither here nor there. The current state of the country is why many act the way they do. People take God for granted for being so merciful. Many people today are just worshipping God with their mouths; it doesn’t come from their hearts.”

Aragbaye, popular for her 1990’s hit: ‘Mo Gbo Ipe Olorun (Divine Call) added: “Most people preaching do not know what they are preaching about. They emerged from nowhere onto the scene.”

General Superintendent, Apostle Adeboye Ajakaiye of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, also joined the fray: “I know the devil twists the things of God for his own use… These days, you can’t distinguish a Christian from the world in all ways, from dressing, talking, use of worldly vibes in Christian songs, dancing, etc.” Tope Alabi has in the last few days risen to her own defence that Yoruba language is used by people of all faith.

Just as Hosea said: “My people perish from lack of knowledge”(Hosea 4:6), so are those attacking Alabi lacking in the basic knowledge that all peoples have their own cultures and religions. So, when new religions come or rise, they usually borrow from the local language. For instance, the Hebrews called God Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai, Tzevaot, Shaddai, while the Romans Latinized Yahweh as Jehovah. All these have found their way into Christianity. The Izon call God Oyin, among other names. The Hausas call him Ubangiji, while the Igbo call him Chineke (Creator of the Universe), Chukwu or Olisa.

 The Yorubas call the Almighty by various indigenous names but the most popular being Olorun (Owner of the universe) and Olodumare. Odu, means pot and mare means inexhaustible. Noted philosopher, Professor Sophie Oluwole explained that Olodumare, which Yorubas irrespective of religious inclinations call God, literally means: “the man who has the pot that is not exhaustible. In English, it means Almighty; everything is within it.”

So, why would the religious leaders who condemn Alabi, accept Olodumare but reject Aboru Aboye when it is the same Yoruba language?

Ironically, Evangelist Tope Alabi is no different from her traducers; she is no less a fanatic. When in 2021, rising gospel artist, Adeyinka Alaseyori, released a hit song ‘Oniduro Mi’, meaning that the Almighty is my Guarantor who never fails, Tope Alabi roundly condemned her for alleged unChristian conduct.

In claiming divine inspiration, Alabi attacked the young artist: “God is beyond being a guarantor to Man…when we receive heavenly inspiration to sing, there are some deliberations we must have with the Holy Spirit before we can bring out such a song. If we keep singing the gospel just as the Spirit-inspired, there is the possibility that we all will be singing absurdly. As gospel singers, God has given us the brain to digest, chew, and fully comprehend the inspiration given to us before we bring it to life.”

Those sitting in judgement over Tope Alabi, and she sitting in judgement over others, remind me of the admonition in the Gospel of Matthew: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the log in your own eye…You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7: 1-5)

It is instructive that while indigenous African religions have a very high level of tolerance and appreciation of other peoples’ faith, the same cannot be said of the main religions.

For instance, Yeye Ajesikemi Olokun Olatunji, who despite being a devotee of Aje Olokun, is helping to build a mosque in Ilorin, has decided to cancel the traditional Isese Festival slated from July 22 to 24, 2023 because some Muslim leaders object to holding the festival.

Although a lot of money has been spent on the preparations, guests around the country and abroad invited, and she has the constitutional and human right to practise her faith, she said: “I cancelled the celebration because I don’t want any crisis; I don’t want people to see me as a troublemaker and I don’t want people to label me as having caused a religious crisis in Ilorin.”

Explaining the tenets of her religion, she said: “God has shown each individual what they will do to succeed and enter paradise…God knows the heart of every human being and it depends on your mind and communication with your Creator. I know that God answers prayers; it depends on how you pray to Him.”

In this, she is showing a deep understanding of faith, tolerance, a high sense of civility and gumption, and a superiority of position. As the Yorubas say: your character is what portrays your religion.

While some religious adherents try to impose their faith on other people and even incinerate human beings for alleged religious infractions, others show good examples. Perhaps the most tolerant and even handed political leader in the country today is the immediate past Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. In his eight years as Osun State Governor, he elevated the indigenous religion to the same pedestal as Islam and Christianity.

At state functions, prayers were offered in the three religions, and he attended the main indigenous religious festivals in the state, including the Osun-Oshogbo, the Iwude Ijesha and the Olojo Festival in Ile-Ife. His administration also introduced a public holiday, the ‘Isese Day’ for adherents of indigenous religion. So, we do not lack good examples. Like Chinua Achebe wrote in Things Fall Apart: “You will have what is good for you and I will have what is good for me. Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch too. If one says no to the other, let his wing break.”