THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUTH
A KEYNOTE ADDRESS PRESENTED BY Onofiok Akpan Luke, THE MEMBER REPRESENTING ETINAN/NSIT IBOM/NSIT UBIUM FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NIGERIA, AT THE 32ND ANNUAL CONVENTION OF AKWA IBOM STATE ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, USA INC. (AKISAN) HOUSTON, TEXAS
Distinguished participants
INTRODUCTION
I consider it a rare honour and privilege to deliver this keynote address at this very important forum. It is both an exciting experience and one that humbles me greatly. Let me first congratulate AKISAN for sustaining this commendable yearly tradition of flying the Akwa Ibom flag and identity even in a foreign land. Worthy of note also is the great effort put together by the present leadership of this prestigious association which has culminated in our gathering today.
Let me use this medium to specifically express our appreciation to AKISAN for the support given to us during the last election. We pledge to use the mandate to serve Akwa Ibom State, our heritage, diligently.
The theme of this year’s convention "The Role of Healthcare, Education & Technology in Building a Better Community" is apt given that our families are daily threatened in Nigeria due to limited access to quality healthcare and basic necessities of life.
It is equally very profound for a time where the social media has brought about unhealthy competitions, promoting a new dimension of bullying behaviours, which has led to the recent surge in cases of depression and suicide in an environment that such subjects do not occupy the front-burner of daily conversations. In a time we are faced with educational challenges, it is indeed impressive that we are holding this conversation at this convention.
When we shall have critically considered all these areas of concern, it will then behove on us to make collaborative effort towards tackling these issues in order to bring about a positive change.
Having given a preview of some of the challenges facing us, I will speak specifically as requested by the organizers on the topic “THE FUTURE OF OUR YOUTH.” This topic is indeed very dear to me because the youth is my primary constituency; the one I call “GENERATION NEXT.” The importance of our youth being the future is starkly captured by Eric Shikobela, a South African preacher, thus “A nation that fails to invest in the future of its youth is a doomed nation. The youth is a significant symbol of strength and persistence."
Let me state from the onset that the topic of discourse is an inexhaustible subject. Ordinarily, it spans from parenting, education, career, leadership, technology and beyond. However, for the sake of this discourse, we shall attempt to discuss this topic from four perspectives, to wit, agriculture, technology, entertainment, and leadership.
By way of giving a progress report, let me inform you that the youth of our dear state had come together to sponsor a Bill for the establishment of the Akwa Ibom Youth Development Fund. It is a Bill for a law to implement a sustainable youth policy framework. The bill crafts a legally established, independent and recognized institution saddled solely with the important responsibility of administering the programs of the fund.
The youth program framework will empower youths who will stimulate economic growth, create more job opportunities, employ others and pay taxes to government thereby making significant contributions to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state. It will drastically reduce youth restiveness and anti-social activities like armed robbery, kidnapping, and other vices.
Under my watch as the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, the 6th Assembly saw the value and importance of the Bill to the Akwa Ibom youth and passed it into law. It is my belief that the future of our youth will be better positioned with the implementation of the programmes as envisioned by the Bill.
AGRICULTURE
Ladies and gentlemen, today, the global demand for chocolate is reportedly overwhelming the production rate of cocoa (as raw material for chocolate). The government of Akwa Ibom State has facilitated the cultivation of about 30,000 hectares of improved cocoa across the state. And at the last count, about 8,375 farmers across 24 local government areas are cultivating cocoa in the state.
Available statistics have shown that the consumption of rice has outweighed that of every other common food in any locality. Hence, rice has become a global product with its demand increasing by the day. Through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, Akwa Ibom State is leveraging on the swampy terrain of Ekoi/Mbat in Ini Local Government Area to cultivate 10, 000 hectares of rice plantation.
With the above effort and more, the youth have not found agriculture really appealing due to some reasons as I would love to think. One of such reasons would be the fact that farming is still done the manual way with no access to modern equipment available or maybe the craze for suit-wearing jobs.
Godspower Tom a 30 year old farmer, feels that with access to modern farming equipment, fertilizer, hybrid species and land, he can boost his crop production, employ others and increase sales. Tractors are not even easily accessible. Fertilizers and other farm supplements are at an all-time high cost.
In a hyper-connected world, our food also brings us together more than it used to. Food production has morphed over time from a local agrarian system to a global corporate, one replete with imports, exports, and shipments big enough to cross oceans and continents every day.
Daniel Stone, a writer on environmental science, agriculture and botany is of the opinion that about 16% of the world’s population depends on food produced elsewhere. By 2050, that number will jump to 50%. With the exhaustion of farmland and the ways that climate will impact arable land half of the world’s population could rely on food imports. This is sobering. But it does not account for a few variables that could make the situation easier.
By innovating growing techniques, either with better seeds, more effective pesticides, or more efficient ways to irrigate without losing as much water, farmers can increase their yields. They can even grow in places that have traditionally been environmentally off limits to agriculture.
The farmer-herders crisis may impose a permanent shortage in animal production such as beef supply from the North. There will be need for innovative measures in establishing ranches and other facilities to cater for livestock business opportunities in Akwa Ibom State.
The Akwa Ibom State Government is building the future for our youth in agriculture. Given its drive to diversify the economy, the state government led by Mr. Udom Emmanuel has taken a step to secure the future of the state through agriculture revolution. The government is working on creating food security. The government provides to farmers fertilizers and improved planting seedlings like corn, cassava stems, etc. About 600, 000 bags of fertilizers have been procured for farmers and 1, 000 bags of special cocoa fertilizers were imported from Ghana for optimal yield.
The government has created 11, 000 hectares of coconut plantation with about two million stands of coconut already planted. It is believed that the plantation will feed raw materials to the coconut refinery, and at a full capacity, the refinery would process 300, 000 coconuts per day. This investment will provide huge foreign exchange to the state as coconut oil is a highly priced product in the international market.
The state has also achieved 2,100 hectares of cassava plantation in 15 Local Government Areas under the FADAMA programme, and also constructed 33 cassava micro processing mills. Furthermore, 48, 000 rice farmers have so far been registered under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor Borrowers scheme.
The state government is also into production of cocoa. 500, 000 improved cocoa seedlings were raised for distribution to farmers at highly subsidised rates across the 28 cocoa producing Local Government Areas in the state. The state has established Special Cocoa Maintenance Scheme (SCMS) for training of farmers and youths on pruning/shade management, under brushing, and tree care by fumigation.
In poultry business, the Akwa Prime Hatchery located at Mbiaya, Uruan, has produced and distributed about 160, 000 birds to contract farmers across the state. The Hatchery has a capacity of producing 10, 000 day-old-chicks per week. To boost mechanised farming, the government has established a Tractor Hiring Enterprise Centre with the aim of making such farm equipment available and affordable to farmers.
Agriculture is our area of comparative advantage so we need to leverage on that by getting our youth actively involved.
TECHNOLOGY
Technology has played a big role in developing the agricultural industry. Today, it is possible to grow crops in a desert by use of agricultural biotechnology. With this technology, plants have been engineered to survive in drought conditions. Through genetic engineering, scientists have managed to introduce traits into existing genes with a goal of making crops resistant to droughts and pests. This means that we do not have any excuse not to plant. We apply technology in almost everything we do in our daily lives; we use technology at work, we use technology for communication, transportation, learning, manufacturing, securing data, scaling businesses and so much more.
Technology is dynamic; it keeps on improving because our needs and demands keep on changing. We have moved from the industrial age (industrial revolution) to an information age. During the industrial age, companies with large sums of capital had the potential of employing expensive technological tools to gain the competitive advantage; small businesses had less potential because they could not afford expensive manufacturing or processing technology tools.
Our youth, with the little available resources, are doing their best in this sector. We must acknowledge the effort made by Hanson Johnson the founder of the first state-based technological hub, Start Innovation Hub, who has facilitated the training and certification of thousands of Akwa Ibom people in different areas of technology ranging from data processing, web development to graphics design.
The Onuk’s of The Roothub; Francis & Tony have also raised an army of youths in coding, robotics, 3D printing, etc. From their tracking, they have trained at least 11,000 Akwa Ibom people in collaboration with Google and Microsoft with a sizable number getting placement in some of their partner organizations.
Sadly, the high cost of internet access, lack of infrastructure, epileptic though slowly improving power supply and access to modern equipment to improve the teaching-learning experience are some of the challenges the Onuk’s will live to tell.
We also acknowledge the consistency of Uduak Inwang of Cavil Consult, a Young Akwa Ibomite who formerly was a Roadside Mobile Phone repairer at the prestigious Ibom Plaza, went into Blogging and Social Media Marketing and recently moved to the US to start a family. He uses the Digital space to earn a living offering out-of-the-box digital media and marketing solutions for businesses, government establishments and offices, not-for-profit organizations, and individuals. Uduak of Cavil Consult has trained various Akwa Ibomites on Social Media Marketing and worked in Nigeria since 2015 delivering a broad array of social media services to many beneficiaries and partners in Akwa Ibom and beyond.
It is in recognition of these efforts by our youth that I will be pursuing at the Federal parliament the need for government and private sector capital support for technology start-ups.
ENTERTAINMENT
Few days ago, Beyonce, an American-born music icon, announced the release of her new album, THE GIFT which featured not less than five Afro-pop singers from Nigeria. This is great news for Nigeria's entertainment and afro-pop in particular. Howbeit, how many of the listed collaborations had names from Akwa Ibom State? Your guess is as good as mine, NONE.
Our own Ikpa Udo is using rap music to promote the Ibibio dialect. Mc Galaxy is equally blazing the trail in music to the best of his ability. Ekemini Cultural Group is making waves and they become a delight to the public.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the industry, their effort may not be enough to shatter the ceiling, limiting them because they do not have already existing big names in the industry pushing them. We need to come together and see how we help them grow because they are promoters of our rich heritage.
LEADERSHIP
Hersey and Blanchard defined leadership as the process of influencing the activities of an individual or a group in efforts toward goal achievement in a given situation. We cannot talk about the future of our youth without talking about leadership. It is leadership that prepares the youth to get ready to embrace, take over and manage their future. We need not just prepare the youth for the future, but we must prepare the future for our youth. This, in total sum, connotes leadership.
As a member of the House of Assembly, I established the first stipendary legislative internship programme in Nigeria known as The Onofiok Luke Legislative Internship Programme (TOLLIP). Upon becoming the Speaker of the 6th Assembly, I ensured the establishment of the Akwa Ibom Legislative Internship Programme (AKILIP) in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly. The programme was institutionalised and made part and parcel of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.
My aim was simple: to prepare the youth for the future and get them ready for future responsibilities. The programme trains the youth on legislative processes and practices, leadership values and democratic tenets. The essence is to convey the youth with adequate moral character and strength for leadership.
These programmes were instituted conscious of the critical role mentorship plays in leadership. The importance of mentorship in leadership cannot be overemphasized. Mentorship creates positive impact in youth’s lives. Youth with mentors perform in leadership better than those that are without mentors. We need to continuously mentor the youth to assume leadership positions.
It is gratifying to note that the political space in Akwa Ibom State is opening up for the youth, and the youth who are saddled with public responsibilities have discharged them creditably well. Our youth are excelling in their different spheres of life and have become models for upcoming generation. Emediong Uduak Uko, a 19-year old Akwa Ibom daughter recently made history as the youngest artist in the world and first African artist to be adopted into the largest museum in the Near East region of Europe – the Cyprus Modern Art Museum with her tribute piece, ‘Lagbaja: The Masked One’; Mr Ikpe Ibanga won 2013 D-Waste Award (an official Award of the University of Leeds for MSc students with outstanding performance in solid waste related dissertations) for the best research project dissertation on “Air Quality Monitoring for Bioaerosols: A Review of the Occupational Health Risks in a Waste Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)”; Ini Ememobong a lawyer and advocate of humanity in politics, is engaging in community-based development by providing water supply to local communities, empowering the youth to be self-sufficient and building infrastructures for his communities, Use Ndon.
THE WAY FORWARD
For a state presently clamouring for the relocation of Exxon Mobil to its operational base, Akwa Ibom, the ideal future would be one with sufficient manpower to take up top management roles when the relocation finally happens. By this, it means that more of capacity building is needed for the youth.
Akwa Ibom State Government led by His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, is on course to industrialise the state. With the setting up of syringe factory, flour mill industry, metering factory, coconut refinery, Ibom Air, etc., our youth have to be ready to take charge. The planned establishment of Ibom Deep Seaport will open up diverse opportunities for our youth.
Successive Government must adopt the practice of following the blueprint planned out for the future of our state, regardless of whoever is at the helms of affairs at a given time. Over the past years, we have been blessed with leaders in our dear state who have made conscious effort in building a sustainable economy to move our state forward. The industrialization agenda of the present administration must be sustained to create wealth for the future of our youth. The syringe factory, the flour mill, metering factory and coconut plantation/refinery are all testimonies of Governor Udom’s preparation of the future for our youth; to create wealth, provide jobs and create a virile economy for the development of the state.
It is worthy to note that the industrialisation drive of Governor Udom would not have been possible without the foundations that were led by past administrations including Obong Victor Attah and Godswill Obot Akpabio. For instance, Ibom Air would not have been possible without the conceptualisation and building by the state airport by Obong Attah and the consolidation by Chief Godswill Akpabio. The success of the industrialisation drive so far is an achievement steeped in collaboration and consolidation. So to move our state forward, we have to work together with a collaborative mind-set. We stand to achieve more when working together.
On my own part, I am working with the Governor to ensure that the Ibom Deep Seaport becomes a reality by pushing for the federal government to give all necessary approvals and licences. Also, with some of my colleagues, we are pushing for a railway system that runs through Akwa Ibom State. This will ensure ease in movement of people, good and services. I am proposing the removal of items like railway, aviation, seaports, etc., from the Exclusive Legislative List so that states can be at liberty to establish and run railway system, seaports, etc.
The question now is whether we have the necessary manpower and capacity to handle and manage the available opportunities created by industrialisation. How many Akwa Ibom pilots do we have or aero-engineers? How many Akwa Ibom sons and daughters are trained in aviation law that can handle matters that may arise from this area? The Ibom Deep Seaport comes with a lot of opportunities. How ready are our youth to invest in the sector? How many professionals do we have in maritime sector to handle a myriad of matters that will arise there? If we are not prepared to take charge, outsiders will come and take over the opportunities. I know government is trying in this direction to train the youth, but we need to do more.
With the numerous untapped resources scattered across, Akwa Ibom has what it takes to become the biggest economy in Nigeria. I hereby seek the support of AKISAN in partnering and supporting the youths of Akwa Ibom in areas of entrepreneurship especially in areas of tech starts up, artificial intelligence and the growing creative industries.
The future of our youth in the competitive technological age will need technology ideas and human resources to be harnessed in an incubator and accelerator tech cluster like the Ibom Science and Technology Park.
I am anticipating a future of youth in Akwa Ibom State where politicians and owners of big enterprises will consider it fashionable to invest in indigenous start-ups like what Sifon Psimfoni Oscar is doing. It would be one where a modified apprenticeship system currently practised by our Igbo brothers can be implemented to foster shared prosperity.
Truth is, if we all have what to eat and are leading comfortable lives, issues of restiveness or insecurity as a whole would be completely buried. It would be one where collaboration would substitute competition for greater productivity.
This is possible only if the youths will refuse the sweetness and ease that comes with sitting on the fence and rise up to create wealth through the deposits that God has made for our use.
Thank you.
Monday, August 5, 2019
The Future Of Our Youth by Rt Hon Onofiok Luke
Saturday, March 23, 2019
PETER ODILI
IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US
The Matrix of Trust, Loyalty and Betrayal. By Dr Peter Odili.
"The axiom that 'You never really know a man until he has Power and Money' came truly alive since my period out of office 29th May 2007. It has been a most revealing and the instructive period of my life. People one had taken from point of street -contact and made members of family: people one had employed straight from school; people who one had no sanguinal relationship with but made beneficiaries of one's generosity in the midst of want; people who professed absolute loyalty and readiness to sacrifice anything in one's defence; people who proclaimed that their own children could not do 10% of what Dr Odili did in their lives.... The list is inexhaustible. All these, on my exit from office, instantly turned their back on me, denied being beneficiaries and indeed joined detractors and political opponents to castigate, denigrate, malign and condemn me. They denied being recipients of anything good from Odili's Government. Some even joined the chorus of 'Crucify Odili' singers. That is the nature of man and his perfidy. 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it' Jeremiah 17.9.
There is indeed no art for discerning who will stand with you to the end. It is also not a function of sanguinal relations or ethnicity. That is why the list is a mixed salad of friends, fraternal, religious, political, professional, colleagues turned betrayers, even extended family members are included topping the list are: those by God's will we single-handedly invited to occupy positions, those who could not pay school fees or transport their children to school until Odili came into their lives long before I became Governor; those who called me 'brother' and we're called 'best friends of Government' on the basis of the tremendous patronages they enjoyed from my administration albeit meritoriously; those who had no leather shoes at the point of contact with me politically and who are today acclaimed success stories; those I assisted to bail out their failing business including banks. People who wined and dined with me every day in office literally and we're privy to most decision and actions of my Government; those whose lives were saved by our state free health care policy and direct intervention; those who held political appointments under us for the 8 years I was Governor and after; foot-runners who became owners of cars through our patronage and assistance. Even those whose wedding were sponsored and funded by us and those who received free medical treatment in our private hospital for many years. That's how deep the betrayal was.
Like the scripture says 'Many are the tribulations of the righteous but the Lord delivers them from them all"
Dr Peter Odili in his book Conscience and History - My Story
▪From Godspower Irogbum wall
ORO HISTORICAL ORIGIN
ORO HISTORICAL ORIGIN: OBIO UFREH GARNISHED WITH AHTAHSHIP CORONATION
By: CrownPrince Chris Abasi Eyo Esu Udoembo Eyo Antai
Apart from the well known migrations of the Jews and perhaps the precisely recorded journey of the Mormons into the shores of Great Salt Lake, described by historians as the best organised migrations the world has ever known, there exists no migration history in the exactitude of how it occurred. Ours, is not an exception. However, from oral and written records, Oro journey to the present locale, dates back to aeons, and accordingly, Oro and its immediate environing communities, are said to have been fully settled by 1200AD., long before the Portuguese arrived, which was triggered by the search for the trade routes to the resplendent wealth of the Oriental world and natural riches that abound on the horns of Africa, which saw the Portuguese ship of Captain Ruy de Soneita, reached the territorial waters of the Niger Delta in 1472 and fourteen years later in 1486, Alfonso d'Aveiro, stepped on the soil of Qua Iboe and Cross river basins including Oro shores, with a trading mission where he took the first pepper to reach Europe from West Africa.
Correspondingly, Abang the putative father of Oro Ukpabang, is said to have left home in the Mediterranean region and after several stopovers in the Sudanic belt, entered Congo basin (where Oro assumed the semi-Bantu status). Lying along the Nigeria – Cameroun maritime corridor including the BAKASSI Peninsula, now ceded to Cameroon, Oro, like most of sub Sahara African communities, came out of the Congo Basin as a result of the war of the Pygmies (a dwarfish people of Equatorial Africa) which had scattered most of the Africans – known to Oro people as “ekung amamisim-isim asuan ofid oduobot. So, from there, Oro people came into Cameroon and settled at where is called Isangele (Usakedet).
Oro ( called Adon by the Obolo) who is said to have led the people out of Cameroon, was a brother to Obolo (Andoni), who were both children of Donni, while Donni was begotten by Do, who himself was Abang's son. While Obolo or Andoni went separately out of Cameroon (in response to the civilisation note struck in ancient Benin Kingdom), Oro people crossed over to Calabar and its environs, where they lived for a while, and from where they finally moved to where they are found today in modern day Nigeria.
Through their lineages identified with their founding ancestors who were children of Oro and his other brothers, the putative fathers of the Oro race, have come eleven (11) traditional clans in Oro, who today, are gathered in their contiguous or separate clusters in and around Oro country. These are: Uquong, Okpo, Ibighi, Akiuso, Ubodung, Idua, Effiat, Ebughu, Eta, Odu and Atabong.
GEOGRAPHY:
Oro, constitutes five of the thirty one Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State, in the Niger Delta Region of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Oro situates within latitudes 40 321 – 40 451 North and longitudes 80 121 – 80201 East.
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Oro, occupies an interesting land mass with an admixture-topography, being swampy, sandy and littoral, beautified by forested foliage and mangroves vegetation, ornamented with irresistible fauna and flora.
Oro is made up of several villages and towns spread across the five Local Council Areas under their clans and as contained in THE TRADITIONAL RULERS EDICT CAP. 15 OF 1990, AKWA IBOM STATE OF NIGERIA.
ORO LANGUAGE: Linguistically, Oro people speak the central Oro Language (Nsingi Oro) and other variants of Oro, which are; Mbo (spoken by Uda and Enwang), Ebughu, Effiat, Idua and Okobo. According to ETHNOLOGUE: http://www.ethnologue.com, scholars' most veritable resource for research on language related studies, 7,105 living languages, have been identified globally. In that study, Oro language, identified as ISO -639-3, is counted among. Interestingly, Oro language is unintelligible to the neighbouring Ibibio, Annang, Efik and Ekid speakers, while Oro speakers, being multilinguals, naturally understand their neighbours.
KINGSHIP
It will be recalled that OBIO UFREH, became the first permanent OBIO of Oro People after their arrival in the land. And at that spot, Oro People dispersed to many other locations in and around the Oro country. At that same spot, it was therefore agreed that "Ku Oro m'eka ufreh nye-eke Ku ini ifuo ma onung ulid" (that's that Oro clans will rise in alliance to defend their own when attacked by non Oro groups). This is the origin of the coinage "*OBIO UFREH - Idika ufreh oyo-eke.
AHTASHIP owes its origin to a legendary hunter, AHTA AYA-ARAH. He was a great hunter native to Eweme, the ancestral home of Oro Ukpabang. During a perilous time of hunger in the middle ages, AHTA AYA-ARAH, went out on his usual safari, but failed to return home same day as should have been. The following day, the community met and set up a search party for a rescue, but all to no avail. One day led to one week, one month passed by, AHTA AYA-ARAH, remained unfound.
Thereafter, a burial was done, believing that AHTA was dead, but surprisingly, two months after his missing, AHTA AYA-ARAH reappeared with species of sweet yams known in Oro today, as NYIN-ENI. When asked where he was, he said "Ku ntak mbiong ku isong, nkuka Abasi idide NYIN-ENI idi unadid", meaning "Because of hunger in the land, I went to God to collect this yam for mankind." This is how Oro ended up with the axiom that "AHTA AYA-ARAH ekedeh NYIN-ENI Ku ABASI odi Oro - AHTA AYA-ARAH brought Sweet yams from God to Oro. This feat, earned AHTA AYA-ARAH, the Oro kingship about 500 years ago, such that the Royal Stool, the contemporary AHTA-ORO sits today, is the same Stool AHTA AYA-ARAH sat in the medieval age. This well calved wooden Stool, remains the oldest surviving artifact of Oro and in the Lower Cross River Basin.
ODIDEM AHTA AYARA (Oro's First Cropper/Introducer of NYIN-ENI ( Sweet yam ) in the Oro Country and last pre colonial Oro Patriach, to be called 'Ahta'), besides ABANG, the progenitor of Oro and perhaps the founding fathers of Oro Clans, is the most invoked name during royal coronations in Oro. Some claim that, Ahta Ayara, was just a name and not a title, whatever this means, the irrefutable fact is that, most histories which have flourished, have been reconstructed. Ours can equally benefit from this historical tool.
Consequent upon the foregoing, and since the mid seventies when the ORO MONARCHY was renewed, visits to OBIO UFREH, by succeeding AHTAs, as parts of the rituals leading up to coronations, have remained sacrosanct. This is why AHTASHIP is a sacred symbolism, and must be held in very high esteem as opposed to some discordant tunes which echoed in the last sacred week. Let us shield the sword and embrace the much celebrated AFANGI spirit. Because Oro, our native home, is at a crossroads, beckoning and seeking for a rallying point. Since the past forty years, AhtaOro has remained a rallying point even when politics treats us badly. Therefore, Ahtaship, must not be desecrated at the altar of inordinate ambitions.
In a time such as this in the chequered history of Oro, what should we go for, is it a united Oro or a fragmented one? No one should come here to bamboozle us to believe in any leadership as being themselves exceptionally virtuous, having martyr souls with irredentist spirit. We have all failed Oro. Therefore, we condemn every action aimed at further dividing Oro than heretofore. We must be discerning enough to know the antics of the devil at this season of Oro's journey in search of holistic leadership in a turbulent time.
Historians bear witness to the fact that aeons ago, when human kingship began to take root, common ancestry was the keyword, and even today, it is still largely the determining factor. However, the search for and subsequent enthronement of kingship in human affairs, primordially stemmed from the search for leadership as a rallying beacon and epitome of unity. Since Oro was not an exempt from the rest of the human race, and like the Jews, having had a disconnect with the past, we proclaimed "Give us a king to judge us as the other nations do." And it has been so through the emergence of HIS ROYAL MAJESTY (OVONG) EDET OKON ISEMIN, AHTA ORO VII.
AHTA K’OBIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Friday, March 22, 2019
ADELEKE
BREAKING: Tribunal Declares Ademola Adeleke Winner Of Osun Governorship Election
Channels Television
Updated March 22, 2019
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(File) Senator Ademola Adeleke// Twitter-@IsiakaAdeleke1
The Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the poll.
The Tribunal made the declaration on Friday after dismissing a preliminary objection against the petition of the PDP and Senator Adeleke, challenging the September 2018 governorship election in the state.
The preliminary objection was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the election, Governor Gboyega Oyetola, as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
READ ALSO: Tribunal Reserves Judgement On PDP, Adeleke’s Petition
The three defendants claimed that the petition of the PDP and its candidate was incompetent and the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to hear it.
Delivering a ruling on the preliminary objection, Justice Obiora Obi who is a member of the three-man Tribunal held that the petition was competent.
He also stated that the Tribunal has the jurisdiction to hear and determine it.
The judge held that there was merit in the appeal filed by the PDP and Senator Adeleke, adding that the declaration and return of Governor Oyetola by INEC was null and void.
He, thereafter, declared Senator Adeleke, who represents Osun West district in the National Assembly, as the winner of the election and duly elected governor of the state.
The tribunal also held that the Certificate of Return issued to Governor Oyetola be withdrawn and that a fresh one should be issued to Senator Adeleke of the PDP, having fulfilled the conditions of the law.
It said the petitioner scored the lawful majority votes at the election while the rerun held in the seven cancelled units were null and void and of no electoral effect.
The PDP and Senator Adeleke had approached the Tribunal to challenge the declaration of Adegboyega Oyetola of the APC as the winner of the September 22, 2018, election by the electoral body.
After entertaining final arguments and adoption of written addresses by lawyers to the parties involved on March 7, the Tribunal announced that it would reserve judgment on the matter.
The Tribunal, which was earlier sitting in Osun, was relocated from the High Court of Justice Complex, Osogbo to Abuja in November 2018.
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FG CLOSES CASE
AS FG CLOSES CASE, ONNOGHEN TO MAKE NO-CASE SUBMISSION
• Account officer’s testimonies show CJN does not have speculated fat balances
• Says he took $500,000 bank loan, has only $56,878 in domiciliary account
The trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, appears to be reaching an anti-climax with key prosecution witnesses’ testimony contradicting claims that the embattled number one judicial officer might have corruptly amassed wealth way out of his income.
Subsequently, the federal government abruptly closed its case yesterday and the prosecution, according to THISDAY sources, are ready to bury the matter with a no case submission.
“The prosecution’s case has crumbled and we have nothing to defend,” a senior silk in Onnoghen’s legal team told THISDAY last night.
Onnoghen is facing a six-count charge bordering on incomplete asset declaration. Media reports, particularly in the social media, apparently promoted by the federal government, had speculated that the CJN had fat foreign currencies based accounts and scores of houses undeclared as required by law.
Following arraignment and a contentious ex parte order by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) headed by Mr. Danladi Umar, the CJN was suspended by President Muhammadu Buhari.
In spite of a series of litigations challenging the constitutionality of the presidential action and jurisdiction of the tribunal, the trial commenced.
Yesterday, the prosecution closed its case with two of his star witnesses apparently failing to establish claims in the public domain that the CJN was a hefty account owner and massive property man.
The trial took a new twist as an official of Standard Chartered Bank, Ms. Ifeoma Okeagbue, confirmed to the tribunal that Onnoghen was granted a loan of $500,000 by the bank, as of January this year.
With the revelations in the proceedings, Onnoghen has moved to file a no-case submission, which will be heard on March 29.
The prosecution counsel, Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN), immediately announced the closure of its case shortly after the defendant finished cross examination of Okeagbue.
The federal government closed its case after calling three out of the six witnesses listed for the trial.
Okeagbue, who was testifying as the third prosecution witness in the trial of Onnoghen on charges of false and non-declaration of assets, also confirmed that the loan was guaranteed by his investments in federal government’s bonds and shares, among others.
She said this while being cross-examined by the CJN’s lawyer, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN).
The witness, who had earlier said in her evidence-in-chief that Onnoghen had five accounts, confirmed that the ones in euro, dollar, and pound sterling were domiciliary accounts and not “foreign accounts,” as alleged.
Okeagbue in her evidence-in-chief told the tribunal that Onnoghen maintains five different accounts with her bank in Abuja.
According to her, two of the accounts are naira accounts, one saving and the other current, while the remaining three in pounds, dollars and euro.
She disclosed that as December 2018, one of the naira accounts has N2.6million while the other has N12.8million, the euro account as at December 2018, 10,187 euros, the pounds Sterling accounts as at December 2018, had 13,730 pounds and the dollar account as at January 2019 has $56, 878.
Reading from the statements of the accounts earlier admitted as exhibits, Okeagbue said, “On the account 5001062686, the opening balance in January 2018 was €30,178.58.
“As at December 2018, the balance was €10,187.18.
“On account 5001062693, at January 2018, it was with opening balance of N6,411,312.77.
“At December 2018, the balance was N12,852,580.52.
“On account 5001062679, the opening balance as at January 2018 was £39,456.08 and by December 2018 the balance was £13,730.70.
“On account 0001062667, the opening balance as at January 2018 was N24,280,904 and as at December 2018, the balance was N2,656,019.21.
“On account 0001062650, as of January 2018, the opening balance was $80,824.25, and by January 2019, the balance was $56,878.”
The witness said she met the defendant once in 2015 as a Relationship Manager.
Under cross-examination by Onnoghen’s lawyer, Okeagbue said that the five accounts are domiciled in the Wuse branch in Abuja and that Onnoghen never made any foreign transfer from the accounts.
She also confirmed that the five accounts have one Bank Verification Number (BVN).
The witness however admitted that Onnoghen has a facility of $500,000 as at January 2019 with the bank secured by his investment in bonds and other investment.
She further admitted that Onnoghen as a discipline account holder, was encouraged by bank to invest in profit -yielding investment with the interest in the investment regularly credited to his account, adding that the bank made investment on Onnoghen’s behalf from his account.
Earlier, the second prosecution witness, Mr. Awal Yakassai, under cross-examination admitted that two assets declaration forms submitted by Onnoghen three years ago have till date not been verified.
Yakassai, a retired director of the CCB, when his attention was drawn to the column for remarks, admitted that no comment was made on the verification column indicating that the forms have not been verified.
Answering a question, Yakassai further confirmed from the forms that Onnoghen has only five houses contrary to allegation of 55. One of the houses was said to have been sold to him by the federal government.
However, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Aliyu Umar (SAN), yesterday announced that the prosecution was closing its case shortly after the defendant finished cross-examination of Okeagbue.
The prosecution in its application for the trial had said it would be calling six witnesses to prove its case against Onnoghen.
However, at the end of cross-examination, the lead prosecution counsel said though they initially listed six witnesses for the trial, however, it would not be calling on the remaining three, adding that he was offering them to the defence for cross-examination if they so wished.
But counsel to the defendant, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said the defence does not need the witnesses, adding that the prosecution can go ahead to close its case.
Shortly after the prosecution announced the closure of its case, Awomolo informed the tribunal of its intention to invoke section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
He pleaded with the tribunal to allow him prepare a written address and urged the chairman to order the registry to make record of proceedings available to him to guide him in the written address.
The prosecution did not object to the application, prompting the tribunal chairman, Umar to make an order on the registry to avail parties in the matter with the record of proceedings.
He also ordered that the record must be made available to the parties on Monday and adjourned hearing in the no- case submission to March 29.
Thisday
Thursday, March 21, 2019
AKSG APPROVES DEGREE PROGRAMESS FOR COE
IN THE NEWS:
AKSG APPROVES DEGREE PROGRAMMES FOR COE
By: Evelyn-A. B. Ibanga (Govt. House)
............The Akwa Ibom State Government has given provisional approval for the commencement of Degree Programmes in the State College of Education.
This was top of the agenda during the Executive Council, EXCO, meeting presided over by Governor Udom Emmanuel, at the Council Chambers, Government House, Uyo.
Briefing Government House Correspondents shortly after the meeting, the Commissioner of Education, Professor Victor Inoka, said that the Institution, located in Afaha Nsit, will commence the award of Degree Programmes in affiliation with the University of Uyo.
Prof. Inoka stated that the approval was imperative following the verification and subsequent full accreditation of the institution by the National Commission for Colleges of Education, adding that the Institution also got the green light from the National Universities Commission, NUC, to undertake Degree Programmes in the 2018/2019 academic session.
Inoka, who was accompanied by the Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Sir Charles Udoh and their counterpart in the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Nsikan Nkan, noted that the approval covers 11 courses in the college, namely: Education Agriculture; Education English; Education Chemistry and Education Physics.
Others are Technical Education; Integrated Science; Education Mathematics; Business Education; Education Biology; Social Studies and Early Childhood/Primary Education.
The Commissioner indicated that the new status of the College has broadened the horizon for students undergoing studies for the National Certificate in Education, NCE, to also pursue Degree Programmes at the College, pointing out that opportunities are equally open to fresh intakes for core Education Disciplines through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB.
He assured that the Institution has a high standard physical infrastructure that fits the approved status as a Degree-awarding Institution.
The Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Sir Udoh, who set the tone for the briefing, acknowledged that the ExCo also deliberated on several other issues as the meeting was the first to be held in 2019.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Man Of The Year Speech
Being a Speech Delivered by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Vice President of Nigeria 1999-2007 and Presidential flag bearer of the People's Democratic Party - PDP at the Silverbird Man of the Year Event in Lagos on Sunday, 3rd February 2019
I would like to congratulate Dr Ifeanyi Okowa for being crowned Silverbird Man of the Year and all the other winners here tonight. Well done. My sincere admiration goes out to each of and every one of you for your outstanding achievements which have been recognised at this magnificent venue and event. It is always a pleasure to be here as Lagos has always been kind to me and my businesses.
I love Lagos!
It is therefore both right and fitting that we are in Lagos, our commercial and cultural capital, to celebrate the success of our fellow Nigerians.
I have always believed that our nation has been blessed with an abundance of human talent and that our most valuable resources is not what lies beneath our feet but between our ears.
That is why so many of our countrymen and women have been celebrated not just in Nigeria but around the world in the fields of business, sport, music, film, medicine and so many more.
When I was preparing my speech, it got me thinking about the nature of success and how people become successful. And I thought I should address my comments not to those here this evening, who have already reached such stellar heights in their lives, but so many of the viewers at home who I know aspire to be successful themselves.
The question of whether success is a function of nature or nurture has long been debated since humankind first came together. You can read thoughts from the ancient Greek philosophers on the subject.
More recently, academic studies around the world have concluded that nurture is the biggest influence on how an individual progresses in their life, as we are all to a broad extent born equal into this world.
Instinctively that is what I have always felt to be true. So, let me tell you about my own experiences and how they have guided me in my varied career in public service, business and politics.
I was born to an impoverished family and when I was very young, I lost my father. So, despite a lack of funds it was my mother who raised me. I remain eternally grateful to her for ensuring I went to school every day, so I was able to receive an education which equipped me with the ability to start my career working in the customs service.
So even from an early age I learnt three key lessons from my own experience:
1. How important women are in nurturing our young children to give them a good start in life
2. How important education is to enable anyone to achieve their potential
3. How important it is to have a job, because however low you start if you work hard and are perseverant you can achieve whatever you put your mind to.
As some of you may know, I am seeking to secure my ultimate job in two weeks’ time.
And I hope I have applied those three lessons in my job application.
Lesson number 1: Invest in women
When I set up my micro-finance bank in Adamawa State, I directed them to make 80% of the loans to women as they ensure the money is put to productive use. This bank has elevated over 45,000 families from poverty which I am very proud of. But what has made me proudest of all is the fact that 98% of the loans have been paid back, which enables my bank to help even more poor families.
If I get the job, I will take this concept and roll it out nationally to elevate millions of families from poverty.
Lesson number 2: Invest in education
As part of my desire to give back to the community which raised me, I have endowed nursery, primary and secondary schools, as well as the American University of Nigeria, in my hometown of Yola.
I am aghast that as I speak our students across the nation are not being educated due to the ASUU strike that is about an argument over N60 billion. If I get the job I am seeking, my first task on day one – along with naming my cabinet – will be to end this disgraceful strike and get our students back to their studies.
I will also triple the amount the Nigerian Government spends on education from 7% of its budget today, not just to the 15% recommended by UNESCO, but to 20%.
I recognise the value education can bring to the individual and the nation. But even more than that I want every child in Nigeria to have the opportunities I had.
Lesson number 3: Invest in creating jobs
After I left the Customs Service I went into business and fortunately I appear to have been somewhat successful in it.
And as I grew my businesses, I was able to employ more people and make more money.
And as I made more money, I was able to employ more people and so on.
So as of today, I have created over 50,000 directly jobs and a further 250,000 indirectly. I am also the biggest employer in my State.
If I get the job, I will apply what I have learnt in my business life to create millions of jobs across our great nation. I trust it is not too immodest to observe that perhaps my skills and experience have never been more needed?
Over the last four years the number of unemployed Nigerians has rocketed from 7 million to over 21 million, most of whom are our youths in their most productive period of their lives and many of whom have studied hard but cannot find a job.
Did you know that based on the current rate of growth in unemployment that if something is not done 62% of our people will be unemployed by 2023? That is not just frightening, it is a time bomb.
If I am selected for what undoubtedly be my toughest-ever appointment, I have clear plans on how I will create the best environment Nigerian has ever seen for creating jobs.
To take just one example, I will establish a national apprenticeship scheme to give 1 million of our young people vocational training with certification, which is so lacking in Nigeria today.
I have fortunately reached a stage in my life where I do not need to work anymore, but I am grateful to Nigeria for giving me such a rewarding life on many levels.
One of my favourite actors is Jack Lemmon who was a master of his art. I was always taken by his expression which he coined when he was at the height of his success, “to take the elevator back down” and which led him to set up acting schools for deprived kids in America, it is a phrase that sums up my attitude to life.
Which brings me back to how did Jack Lemmon and every other successful person get to the top of the elevator in the first place?
Some say it is ambition. Others say it is talent. For me I think it is a combination of both. For talent without ambition is a waste, yet ambition without talent is worthless.
Yet there is one more ingredient that to me is crucial and which I want to impress on all those at home who believe they have the talent and ambition to succeed and that ingredient is pure, unadulterated hard work.
They say that to be good at anything whether it is to play the violin or to become a great footballer takes a minimum of 10,000 hours of hard graft.
That represents typically 3-5 years of commitment and practice. So, the last ingredient in my book of success is perseverance and determination.
Who can forget the ‘Miracle of Dammam', when Nigeria became the first team to come back from four goals down to win a FIFA World Cup match – all the more extraordinary for the fact we only started scoring in the last 30 minutes of the game!
Please put your hands up if you remember that match?
Miracles happen in the Bible and the Qur’an and miracles can happen in Nigeria for individuals and our country.
So, to everyone at home who wants to be on this stage in 2024 please remember that if you apply yourself and really, really want to achieve something then your future success is in your own hands.
May I conclude by thanking Ben Murray Bruce for hosting such a wonderful evening and for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with you all. I would like to congratulate the winners once more and wish all those who want to better their own lives the will to do so.
For one thing is for sure, the more successful people we have the more successful Nigeria will be.
And as for me and my chances? If there is a better candidate for the post than me, then so be it.
I can only hope the recruitment process is fair.
However, I can say for the record I have done much more than 10,000 hours of practice to do the job well and promise that if I get the job I will apply every ounce of my determination and perseverance to repay the confidence in hiring me and to make a great success for my employer, the Nigerian people.
May God bless you and God bless Nigeria.
Thank you.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Gang up
Gov. Nyesom Wike~
“Since 1960 when Nigeria gained independence, for the first time in 2011, a Niger Delta person became the president. The entire country ganged up against him,” he said.
“They gave excuses and denied us a second term. We did not fight. We did not shed blood. He said his ambition was not worth the blood of any Nigerian and they called him a weak man.
“Since 1960, no Niger Delta person has been the Chief Justice of Nigeria. When it came to his own time to be appointed the Chief Justice of Nigeria, politics came in. They were not willing to appoint him. It was God that created the circumstances. The president was sick and was flown out. That was how Onoghen became the Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“Now, because they believe that the Niger Delta is not part of this country, they have come again with all kinds of stories. They think they are talking to small children. Fabricated stories and said he did not declare his assets in 2011. Step aside for who take over? We must know whether or not we belong to this country. Enough is enough. I have never seen people who are so desperate to cling to power.
“Nigeria will resist any attempt to truncate this democracy.
“We are no longer in a democracy. This system is worse than the military. Even under the military, opinions of the people count.
“In order for them to consolidate in their rigging machinery, they want to gag the judiciary. The only that they want to do is to intimidate the judiciary.
“How can an attorney general who calls himself an attorney general sit and file such charges against the chief justice of Nigeria one month to the general election. What kind of crisis are they setting up. They want to cause crisis in the judiciary and they think everyone should keep quiet?”
