In one of my previous articles “Olusegun ‘St’ Matthew Obasanjo, Afe Babalola and ‘interim government’.” I had alerted the nation about surreptitious activities of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his co-travellers plotting and scheming for a self-serving misadventure – “interim government”. It should be noted that I have made several contributions, warning about the anti-democratic tendencies typically characterised by greed and self-centered mind-sets of disgruntled elements parading themselves as elder statesmen.

Admittedly, our realities showed up during the recently concluded presidential election. For those who do not know, former President, Olusegun ‘St’ Matthew’ Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo, was among those, who conceived and midwife the Interim National Government, ING, in 1993, against popular expectations for the declaration of the Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO), of the blessed memory as the winner of June 12 presidential election.

Firstly, it is important to be informed that Olusegun Obasanjo’s inglorious era laid the foundation of where we are today as a nation. Secondly, Obj is the protagonist of do-or-die politics with a mind-set of it must be “My own ways or nothing” like the saying about a runaway nun who would always speak ill of the convent; Obj predecessors, successors and would-be leaders. Obasanjo in his moment of delusion, willfully suggested truncating of a democratic process in the full glare of the whole world by advising the sitting President to abort an ongoing process through an undemocratic method which is similar to the events leading to the annulment of June 12 1993 general elections.

It is against this backdrop that this contribution will be examining series of unfortunate events and undemocratic activities of Obj’s protege and sponsored candidate in the just concluded general elections Peter Gregory Obi, of the labour party, his running mate Datti Baba-Ahmed, given their penchants for deceitfulness, incendiary comments and promoting violence.

Furthermore, it will completely align with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keya­mo, for asking the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest the flag bearer of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and his run­ning mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed for allegedly ‘riling up’ their supporters popularly known as ‘Obidients’.

Additionally, the International, Diplomatic and Intelligence communities should take note of the inevitable responsibilities of keeping tabs on the activities of the aforementioned disgruntled elements pushing for change through unorthodox means; Olusegun Obasanjo, Afe Babalola, Emmanuel Iwanyanwu, Peter Obi, Datti Baba-Ahmed, Fr Ebube Muonso and many others including the so-called movement “Obidients” which sadly have become very dangerous and a threat to the survival of Nigeria as a nation.

Sadly, the aforementioned disgruntled elements well known for anti-democratic tendencies have successfully heightened tension, weaponized the twin evils of ethnicity and religion leading to unwarranted divisiveness, spreading falsehood and deceitfulness. What is more, Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb as exemplified by the situation all around the country particularly the happenings in the nation’s economic capital city Lagos.

Finally, I like to conclude this article that focuses on the unity of our beloved country Nigeria by appealing to the conscience of stakeholders, our compatriots home and abroad, leaders of faith, royal highness and statesmen to rein in the gladiators promoting divisiveness, encouraging disobedience to constituted authorities and unwarranted attack/hateful campaign against the personality of Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President-elect Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Tony Elumelu, the distinguished birthday celebrant, climbed onto the sixth floor of life on March 22 last week. His wife, Awele, a medical practitioner, was seated beside him at the symposium to mark his 60^th birthday in Lagos. As they listened to one entrepreneur after the other, I could sense that Tony and his wife felt fulfilled as the entrepreneurs shared their success stories.

Decked in a black tie instead of his trademark red tie, Tony smiled most of the time. For a man who has witnessed several glittering and satisfying moments in life, every minute was joyful while the symposium lasted.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the philanthropic arm of Heirs Holdings, was launched in 2010. But the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme for young African entrepreneurs was flagged off in 2015. Tony is the chairman of Heirs Holdings, an African investment conglomerate.

The inspiring success stories by TEF entrepreneurs from some African countries that included Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, Liberia, Kenya, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire was proof that Africa’s economy is on the right path for continuous growth and it underscores the need for other African billionaires to follow Tony’s example.

Michael Puyi is a TEF alumnus from Liberia and CEO of Medina Farmers. He described Tony as a “mentor and the lion of Africa.” To date, the farm has sold 60 megaton of rice and supply palm oil to small-scale farmers and the government of Liberia.

Another benefactor, Yaa Aduba Asare, is a Ghanaian poultry farmer who started with 200 chickens and 2,000 eggs weekly. But today, Yaa produces 12,000 eggs weekly and employs six staff – in addition to 20 men and women engaged as casuals in the poultry value chain.

Joycee Awosika (nee Awojoodu) is the founder and chief executive of Oriki Spa, a luxury personal grooming and lifestyle brand that uses natural ingredients to create personal care products for women and men. She passed through the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme as a beneficiary of the first cohort in 2015 and I was her mentor.

I am happy to report that Oriki Spa is part of a group of companies established by Joycee that is doing well. She’s now the mother of two young boys and together with her husband, Tola, who is also a consummate entrepreneur, Joycee is building a global hospitality and wellness business across regions and continents.

In a BusinessDay interview in 2019, Joycee revealed that her passion for natural beauty products started early in life: “My journey into the world of natural oils began at the age of 12 when I mixed avocado, yogurt and olive oil together to make a mask for my hair which awed me.”

She kept the dream alive since that young age by establishing Oriki Spa when she returned to Nigeria from the UK. Joycee also launched PowerCareers, a leading recruitment and training company to bridge the human capacity gap in the energy sector.

These are the testimonies by TEF alumni that thrill Tony each time he hears them as travels round the world and he is encouraged to do more in order to expand his reach and impact. The sector does not matter, according to Tony. What is important is the idea that can be curated for exponential growth.

How do you get to be at the right place at the right time? Tony calls it “democratisation of luck” – when luck meets opportunity and you grab it with both hands. But you must work hard and build a wide network to succeed in whatever you do. You also need character, competence and capacity while not overlooking the importance of communication.

Since the inception of TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, over 18,000 young entrepreneurs in Africa have received nearly $100 million seed funds and they have created over 400,000 jobs. This is truly remarkable!

Every year, each beneficiary receives $5,000 non-refundable seed capital, in addition to training, mentoring and peer-to-peer engagement which allows them to build a formidable network and alumni.

With the increasing number of applications, TEFConnect, a digital proprietary platform, was launched and it has provided capacity building support, advisory and market linkages for nearly 1.5 million SMEs.

TEF may also grant additional $5,000 in loan or equity to some of the businesses founded by these amazing and innovative entrepreneurs. This noble initiative is due to Tony’s philanthropy, large heart and good fortune deployed to serve humanity and make other people’s lives better.

He could have left the money in the bank and earn double-digit interest. After all, he is the chairman of UBA, Africa’s global bank with presence in 20 African countries, Paris, London and New York but entrepreneurs think differently. They like sowing seeds that germinate to create wealth and when they grow their investment, people are employed. The result is an economic ecosystem that thrives.

Tony says nations that prioritised their youth will always do well because they are the future of the world. “Leaders must create the environment that attracts our young ones back home, while those who are at home should remain and prosper,” he says at every opportunity.

A lot of young Africans are travelling mainly to Europe and North America in search of greener pastures. For how long will the brain drain continue?

At a speaking engagement at Columbia Business School in the USA five months ago, Tony, as he always does, motivated and inspired the students, most of whom are keen to start their own businesses. You could literally see the excitement on their faces and the fire in their bellies.

Tony said we must solve African challenges by ourselves. Since government cannot create jobs because they don’t have the capacity to do so, Tony explained that SMEs – the engines of economic growth – are required to create jobs.

Young entrepreneurs create jobs for themselves and others. “When you graduate, you can either get a job or become an entrepreneur or support entrepreneurs,” Tony advised his young audience.

He also said that Africa, the second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia, must create 10 million jobs every year until 2030 to achieve a critical mass for sustainable growth and development of the continent.

Tony is a global icon and he has become a leading voice for Africa. Last year on March 28, he was honoured as one of the recipients of Time 100 Impact Award which held at the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

At global events such as the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland or the last climate change conference (COP27) which held in Egypt, his message is consistent and it is about investment in the continent. “Africa needs urgent investment to industrialise and build capacity,” Tony says.

According to him, close to 600 million people live without access to electricity in the continent, and to address the energy poverty, we need investment, technology and knowledge transfer. It will enable clean energy transition in Africa.

The chairman of TEF has had similar speaking engagements at Oxford University and Stanford University. He uses each forum to pitch Africapitalism which is his philosophy on how the private sector can transform Africa through long-term investments in key sectors, thereby creating economic prosperity and social wealth.

For example, Heirs Holdings has investment in the financial services, power, oil and gas, hospitality and healthcare sectors. Tony’s key message is that Africa is the next economic frontier of the world.

Apart from holding 65 per cent of the world’s arable and 10 per cent of the planet’s internal renewable fresh water source, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the largest reserves of cobalt, diamonds, platinum and uranium in the world are in Africa.

Tony was barely 34 years old when he was the CEO of Standard Trust Bank (STB) – the fifth largest bank at the time – that eventually morphed UBA in a talk-of the-town strategic merger when he was 42 years old. In 26 years since his days at STB, Tony has recorded a long list of achievements and 60 years looks so good on him. He wears it confidently and stylishly as he thinks of his next move.

For the 2023 cohort of the entrepreneurship programme, entries are on and will close on March 31.

Let us toast to Tony Elumelu – a great mind, visionary, serial investor and entrepreneur, and the shining star of Africa from Nigeria. Congratulations and may your days be long!

Braimah is a public relations strategist and publisher/editor-in-chief of Naija Times

There’s a saying: “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”

This appears to summarise section 299 of Nigeria’s amended 1999 Constitution that designates the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, “as if it were one of the States of the Federation.” That’s, if the FCT mimicks a State, then it’s a State!

This is one of the knotty issues that Justices of the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) are called upon to untie, by not mere application of the laws, but doing substantial justice to all parties before them.

The main opposition candidates in the February 25, 2023, presidential election have filed petitions in the court, to nullify the return of former Lagos State Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as winner and President-elect.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi of the Labour Party claim they each won the poll, and should be returned elected and sworn in as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Atiku and Obi’s complaints and prayers are contained in separate filings lodged on March 21 and March 20, respectively.

Atiku lists INEC, Tinubu and APC as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondents, and has option for fresh poll between him and Tinubu.

While Obi lists INEC, Tinubu, Shettima and APC as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Respondents, he urges that Tinubu be barred from a repeat election.

Hence their demands vary only in style and language, but both seem to pull the same strings: calls to cancel the prior poll, and order a fresh one, as a last resort.

Below are some of the claims in which Atiku and Obi ask the court to order the Independent National Electoral Commission to withdraw the Certificate of Return it awarded Tinubu, as winner of the election:

(1) Tinubu wasn’t validly elected at the APC primaries, as his running mate, Kashim Shettima, violated the laws as a nominated candidate for Senate and President at the same time.

(2) Tinubu wasn’t qualified to contest having been fined for drugs offences by a U.S. court

(3) For reasons of (1) and (2), the votes credited to Tinubu are wasted votes.

(4) Tinubu didn’t score majority of lawful votes

(5) Tinubu didn’t comply with the laws, as he failed to secure one-quarter (25%) of the votes cast in at least 24 States and the FCT, Abuja.

(6) INEC breached the relevant laws, regulations and guidelines by failing to transmit results from the polling units electronically, and in real time.

(7) INEC reduced the votes of the petitioners, and added votes to Tinubu’s scores, which they pledge to prove with polling unit results and Forensic reports during court proceedings

(8) The election was marred by corrupt malpractices.

In the results announced by INEC, Tinubu won the poll in 12 states, scored 8,794,726 votes, and secured one-quarter (25%) of the votes cast in 27 of 36 States – that’s three States more than the 24 required by law.

The INEC Chairman and Chief Returning Officer for the poll, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared Tinubu winner and President-elect.

But Atiku, who won in 12 states, polled 6,984,520 votes, and secured 25% in 17 states; and Obi, who claimed 11 states, scored 6,101,533 votes, and secured 25% in 15 states, disagreed with INEC’s returns.

They argue in their petitions that Tinubu didn’t meet requirements of the law, viz: 1999 Constitution (as amended), and Electoral Act 2022.

Among the issues raised is a potential boobytrap for a candidate not securing one-quarter of votes cast in at least 24 States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

What does the Constitution say about election of two or more Presidential candidates? Let’s look at section 134(2)-(4) that deals with the scenario of February 25.

“134(2) A candidate for election to the office of President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where, there being more than two candidates for the election–

(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

(3) In default of a candidate duly elected in accordance with subsection (2) of this section, there shall be a second election in accordance with subsection (4) of this section at which the only candidate shall be–

(a) the candidate who scored the highest number of votes at any election held in accordance with the said subsection (2) of this section; and

(b) one among the candidates who has a majority of votes in the highest number of States, so however that where there are more than one candidate with a majority of votes in the highest number of States, the candidate among them with the highest total of votes cast at the election shall be the second candidate for the election.

(4) In default of a candidate duly elected under the foregoing subsections, the Independent National Electoral Commission shall within seven days of the result of the election held under the said subsections, arrange for an election between the two candidates and a candidate at such election shall be deemed to have been duly elected to the office of President if–

(a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and

(b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the States in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

Going by INEC’s declaration, Tinubu secured not less than 25% in at least 27 States. But he secured 19% in the FCT, which Obi, who scored 59% there, places heavy weather on.

The implication of this is that if the court pronounced the FCT as a State, and Tinubu scored 19% of votes there, his victory would be annulled, and a second poll organised between him and Atiku, who’s runner-up to Tinubu.

In that case Obi – the second runner-up – would be out of the race. This may explain his plea to bar Tinubu from any fresh poll, so he (Obi) and Atiku would duke it out.

That circumstance would present two candidates appealing to ethnic and religious sentiments, with Atiku guaranteed the Presidency without breaking any sweat.

Inevitably, power would elude the South – and remain in the North – after President Muhammadu Buhari would’ve completed his eight-year tenure on May 29, 2023.

This brings us to the burning issue: Is the FCT, Abuja, a State – as defined by sections 2(2), and 3(1), (3) of the 1999 Constitution?

While section 2(2) states that, “Nigeria shall be a Federation consisting of States and a Federal Capital Territory,” and section 3(1) lists the 36 States (excluding the FCT); section 3(3) states that, “The headquarters of the Government of each State shall be known as the Capital City of that State…

If the FCT, Abuja, is a State, what’s the name and location of its Capital City in the Territory?

Proponents easily refer to Section 299 of the Constitution, to justify their claim that the FCT is a State.

Section 299 states that: “The provisions of this Constitution shall apply to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as if it were one of the States of the Federation…”

Section 299(a) states that all legislative, executive and judicial powers vested in the House of Assembly, the Governor and the courts of a State shall, respectively, vest in the National Assembly, the President and in the courts… established for the FCT, Abuja.

Section 297(2) vest “ownership of all lands… in FCT, Abuja in the Federal Government,” as if the area is a State, as all lands in a State is vested in the Governor.

Section 300 says that the FCT, Abuja, shall constitute “one Senatorial district…” (and not one State, as purports section 299).

Section 301 says without prejudice to section 299 in its application to the FCT, Abuja, this Constitution shall be construed as if–
(a) references to the Governor, Deputy Governor and executive council of a State… were references to the President, Vice President and the executive council of the Federation, respectively.

Ditto for (b): that references to the Chief Judge and High Court Judges of a State were references to the Chief Judge and Judges of the High Court established for the FCT, Abuja.

Section 302 says the President may… by section 147 of the Constitution… appoint for the FCT, Abuja “a Minister who may exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be delegated to him by the President, from time to time.”

Did the framers of the Constitution truly envisage a President doubling as Governor of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where Ministers and other officials act as Commissioners and officials of a State Government?

Despite the posturing, the FCT is akin to a “Protected Area” of the Federation administered by organs of the Federal Government.

Will the Justices of the Presidential Election Petitions Court arrive at a contrary decision? They certainly have their work cut out for them, to deliver substantial justice to all parties to the petitions!

A recent visit to Addis Ababa – the centre of African diplomacy and home of the African Union (AU) – triggered musings on the outlook for the continent in 2023. The concerns among “Afrocrats” in the Chinese-constructed AU Commission glass building revolved around restoring stability to the Sahel, Somalia, South Sudan, Libya, and the eastern Congo; implementing the Tigray peace accord with Addis Ababa; pushing for greater African representation on the United Nations (UN) Security Council and the Group of 20; and achieving an African Free Trade Area by 2034, built around eight subregional pillars. But, how can one square these lofty aspirations with continental realities in 2023?

West Africa: Marabouts and Militaries

The year started with elections in Nigeria: Africa’s most populous country and largest economy, with 64% of West Africa’s economic might. Despite a low turn-out of 27% amidst a chaotic change of currency and fuel shortages, it appears – barring a successful court challenge - that the veteran septuagenarian and political marabout, Bola Tinubu, will become the country’s next president. He would inherit a $98 billion national debt and widespread insecurity that led to 10,000 deaths last year. Nigeria which had led praiseworthy Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) peacekeeping missions to stabilise Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s, has now become an exporter of insecurity across the Lake Chad Basin, a Gulliver tied down by troubles that prevent it from establishing a Pax Nigeriana.

This has opened the space for coup-making colonels and captains to seize power in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso, even as instability has spread across Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire. Mali’s Colonel Assimi Goïta is struggling to contain a decade-long insurgency in which Islamic militants have taken over large parts of north and central Mali. The situation is exacerbated by a geo-political rivalry between France and Russia which has seen the expulsion of French troops and the increasing use of Russian Wagner Group mercenaries. A 12,000-strong UN force, with a limited mandate, has struggled to keep the peace. There are also reports of the presence of Wagner “guns-for-hire” in neighbouring Burkina Faso – led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré - which similarly halted its cooperation with the French gendarme and, like Mali, expelled the French ambassador from its country. Traoré has lost half of his country to Islamic jihadists, with two million people displaced. Niger – with a $100 million American drone base and military presence – also continues to suffer from jihadist attacks. Guinea’s Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has, however, largely avoided the scourge of jihadists that are bedevilling his neighbours.

Southern Africa: Limping Liberationists

Flood-hit Southern Africa continues to see dominant liberation parties stubbornly clinging to power, but losing support and legitimacy. South Africa accounts for 60% of the subregional economy. Its ruling African National Congress (ANC) has been wracked by factional fighting and corruption scandals in which state utilities have been milked as cash cows. The outcome of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm scandal - in which a large amount of dollars was stuffed into furniture on his farm – may well be a watershed moment for the rule of law in the post-apartheid era. The ruling party could dip below 50% in polls next year, and would, in such a scenario, need a coalition to stay in power. Angola’s Joăo Lourenço only narrowly won re-election last August in a country in which entrepreneurial generals are still powerful. This mirrors neighbouring Zimbabwe where a repressive politico-military complex will use any means to prevent an opposition electoral victory this July. Mozambique’s Filipe Nyusi will continue to struggle to contain an insurgency in the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province. European Union (EU)-funded Rwandan peace enforcers – backed by a Southern African peacekeeping force – will continue to lead the fight to protect the regime and Western corporate interests, resulting in muted Western criticism of Kigali’s intervention in the eastern Congo.

Central Africa: Congo, Cameroon, and Crises

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is scheduled to hold elections in December, and along with oil-rich Cameroon, accounts for 60% of Central Africa’s economy. Rwanda, however, has been accused by UN experts of fomenting unrest in the eastern Congo using M23 rebels. A staggering 5.8 million people remain displaced in the eastern Congo in a conflict that has raged for over two decades. Cameroon’s French-backed, seemingly senile, 90-year old president, Paul Biya, has now entered the fourth decade of his misrule that has triggered a separatist conflict in the West of the country. War-ravaged Central African Republic – another theatre in which Pax Russica has battled Pax Gallica - has one million displaced people, with 16,000 UN peacekeepers mostly observing the slaughter for a decade.

Eastern Africa: Conflict and Cooperation

In Eastern Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia account for half of a subregional economy still threatened by drought and famine in 2023. Conflict has displaced 4 million people in South Sudan, with Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Central Equatoria particularly volatile, and 76% of the population - 9.4 million people – will need humanitarian assistance this year. Military brass hats will continue to wield power in neighbouring Sudan in 2023, despite half-hearted efforts to transition to civilian rule. Two million people have been displaced in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti. AU troops have kept parts of Somalia stable amidst continuing attacks by al-Shabaab militants, while the AU-brokered Ethiopian peace treaty with the Tigray region has ended a destructive two-year conflict which killed an estimated 600,000 people. Amidst these crises, there are some hopeful signs of successful regional integration in 2023: Uganda and Tanzania are completing an East African Crude Oil Pipeline; Kenya and Tanzania will continue to resolve beggar-thy-neighbour trade disputes in order to bolster a $1 billion bilateral trade relationship; while the East African Community (EAC) has brought the DRC into its club, and will conclude the deployment of peacekeepers to the eastern Congo.

North Africa: Dog Days in the Desert

Finally, North Africa will continue to experience political autocracy and economic stagnation in 2023. Egypt and Algeria account for nearly three quarters of the subregional economy. Autocratic rule is firmly entrenched in Cairo under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who has stifled all dissent. Monarchical rule is also increasingly practised in Tunis under Kaïs Saïed whose dog whistle xenophobic outburst against black Africans resulted in attacks against them, culminating in mass evacuations by West African governments. Libya will continue to struggle to hold elections this year in order to unite a country divided by a dozen years of conflict following the NATO-assisted fall of Muammar Qaddafi. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI’s health will remain a concern, while bilateral relations with Algiers will continue to be tense. Algeria’s politico-military-business rulers – le pouvoir - will continue to pull the strings, backed by high oil and gas prices that will be used to calm discontent. Algiers will also continue its delicate balancing act of juggling close economic ties with the West with strong military ties with Moscow.

Africa will thus resiliently continue to muddle through in 2023.

Professor Adekeye Adebajo is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for the Advancement of Scholarship in South Africa.