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Onukaba: Two years on, you’re always on my mind, By Kelechi Okoronkwo

Late Dr. Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba
Late Dr. Adinoyi Ojo Onukaba

 

Onukaba: Two years on, you’re always on my mind, By Kelechi Okoronkwo

Sometime in December 2016, at the close of business, I felt I needed to see Late Dr. Adinoyi Onukaba Ojo. There were a lot of things bugging my mind which I needed to talk over with him. Then I put a call across to him and he okayed, “I’m in town, just come to the Baytown Lounge, when you are there, let me know”.

There were some other people I met around the table whom Onukaba addressed as friends. Soon, all of us became common friends. We talked about various issues, including the state of the nation. Repeatedly, Onukaba assured everyone that Nigeria would soon be on the path of economic prosperity. He said that evil only triumphs in the society where the good people choose to keep quiet.

One friend expressed concern about the docility of the opposition. At that time, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was just smarting-off the hook of its internal crisis quagmire. At that time, the secret of the direction where the country was going was not available to the regular people.

Onukaba replied sharply and confidently, “Atiku is warming up seriously. And he is considering Peter Obi as his running mate”. He sounded off-key and at the same time, like a foreboded statement.  But no one doubted Onukaba. At that time, Atiku Abubakar was still in the ruling party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peter Obi, a former two-term Governor of Anambra State, who rode onto power on the platform of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) had started playing his cards in favour of the PDP.

If Onukaba’s statement should come through, it means that Atiku would someday, before the 2019 election decamp to the PDP or that Obi would join the APC. We all talked about the possibility of Atiku-Obi ticket, winning Nigeria’s presidency. The other friend said that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and Obi would make a great combo for Nigeria’s economic revival. We glossed over the Atiku-Obi ticket for 2019 and moved on to other issues. A few other events occurred in-between the time.

Then on the 5th of March 2017, the day I have described as a great day in history when wars were fought and lost, my friend, Adinoyi Onukaba Ojo, the quintessential humanist and dramatist, fought that great battle on the Akure-Lokoja road and lost. And the Nigerian media space was set on fire with endless tributes, mourning the passage of a good man.

Story available to me is that Onukaba attended the 80th birthday of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. And after the ceremony, on his way back to Abuja, along the Akure-Lokoja road, he was attacked by armed robbers and died while escaping the attack.

Fast-forward to December, 3rd, 2017, Atiku Abubakar formally returned to the PDP. It was less than two weeks after he resigned from the ruling APC.

“Today, I want to let you know that I’m returning home to PDP as the issues that led to me leave it have now been resolved,” Atiku said in a Facebook broadcast. Immediately, I listened to the broadcast, I remembered Onukaba’s statement about Atiku-Obi ticket. It had become clear that Atiku would run for Nigerian presidency on the platform of the PDP, where he was the VP to President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.

But the question remained, how Atiku could clinch the Presidential Ticket of the PDP?

Fast-forward to October 7th, 2018, the PDP elected Atiku as its presidential flag-bearer. And two days after, Atiku announced Obi as his running mate. Despite facing opposition from the South-East over his choice of Peter Obi as his running mate, Atiku stuck to his choice until the last whistle was blown when President Muhammadu Buhari-Yemi Osinbajo ticket beat Atiku-Obi ticket.

The 2019 presidential race may have come and gone. But I believe that the result would not have been exactly the same if Onukaba was around to play his part the way he would have done masterfully.

It is now two years, 730 solid days, after the departure of Onukaba.  Like Elvis Presley sang, that man of many parts is always on my mind. He is always on our mind. He will continue to be on our mind and we pray that his gentle soul continue to rest in peace.

                  Kelechi Okoronkwo, a Nigerian writer and Public Relations Executive sent this piece from Abuja

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Destined to die in terror attack: 9/11 survivor dies in Kenya

In Peru, Jason worked with farmers to bring their products to global markets. He also focused on how to improve fair trade to benefit local economies.
In Peru, Jason worked with farmers to bring their products to global markets. He also focused on how to improve fair trade to benefit local economies.

 

Destined to die in terror attack: 9/11 survivor dies in Kenya

(DAN with VoA reports) Jason Spindler narrowly survived the September 11, 2001 attack. But he died 18 years after in another terror attack in East Africa, Kenya where he had taken a volition in helping businesses to thrive.

In Houston, Texas, where he was born and raised, Jason played sports and studied hard, filling his days with friends and family, and planning for how his life would unfold.

“He was the type of guy that, if you met him, you knew he was destined for greatness,” his father, Joseph Spindler, a doctor in Houston, told VOA by phone.

Jason attended Hebron Academy, a private boarding school in Maine. Then the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a degree in business, and another in astronomy.

After college, he went to Wall Street and joined Salomon Smith Barney, then the investment banking arm of Citigroup.

New York’s a tough city, and Jason worked hard. He honed his business acumen. He plotted his next steps. But in 2001, the dreams he hadn’t yet realized almost slipped away. It was September 11, and the United States was about to experience the worst-ever terrorist attack on American soil.

Jason worked at 7 World Trade Center, which caught fire and later collapsed after a plane struck the North Tower, scattering red-hot debris over Building 7. But he happened to have stayed at a friend’s house in Brooklyn the night before, and he was late to work that morning.

When he emerged from the subway, the towers were falling, covering him in dust. But Jason was unscathed, and he spent the day helping victims, rushing toward the wreckage to bring people to safety.

After the attack, Jason refocused. His time in New York proved valuable, but he wasn’t content with the life of a banker.

So he quit and joined the Peace Corps in Peru.

New country, new challenges

In South America, he worked with farmers to bring their goods to international markets. He developed the taro industry, focusing on exports of products made from the root vegetable, and how to improve fair trade.

Jason wanted to help. But he also wanted the people he worked with to become more autonomous, not more dependent. To do that, he needed to improve himself. 

He returned to the United States to study law at New York University. There, he won a fellowship for entrepreneurial ingenuity and developed a plan to assist businesses in emerging markets become self-sufficient, no matter their size.

He also met Patricia Chin-Sweeney. Together, they founded I-DEV International, a global consulting company. Their work spanned the globe and took them to Kenya, where they established their Africa Regional Headquarters.

“Jason was a builder and a visionary,” Chin-Sweeney told VOA by phone. “He very much cared about changing the world, creating new opportunities,” she added.

There was so much to do. And the clock was ticking. They built up their business, working with hundreds of firms in dozens of countries.

Terror attack

On January 15, militants with al-Shabab, an Islamist terrorist group based in Somalia, descended on DusitD2, a five-star hotel in the same complex as the I-DEV offices.

In Houston, Joseph Spindler and his wife, Jason’s mother, Sarah, watched the news with trepidation. They knew the hotel. They had stayed there when visiting Jason. And they knew he would sometimes worked at its garden restaurant.

They tried calling.

No answer.

They tried another number. Jason had left his phone at the office, they were told. That’s why he wasn’t picking up. As the hours passed and Jason still hadn’t reached out, they grew more alarmed. The U.S. Embassy didn’t know anything. The police department wouldn’t say anything.

Jason’s parents grew desperate. But his friends stepped up. “They were wonderful,” his father said just before boarding a flight to Kenya. “They went to every single hospital with this picture. They stopped every single ambulance. They were looking for him.”

“And that’s really when I got the call from the embassy, the consulate,” his father said, “telling us that his body had been identified.”

‘A hard person to forget’

Jason was driven. And people were drawn to Jason. To his tenacity. His passion. His magnetic personality. He’d bring them together to go rock climbing. Play poker. Develop million-dollar businesses. Throughout his career, Jason sought impact. He worked with hundreds of people around the world. He’d lead them. Coach them. Challenge them.

“He was a hard person to forget,” Chin-Sweeney said. “One who had such an influence on everyone he’d been around — in their way of thinking, in pushing people to aspire to higher, to only the best.”

And he also pushed himself. To do more. To go further. To reach higher. Yet for all his drive, Jason stayed grounded. His infectious smile and casual style put people at ease.

Blazers and jeans were typical attire. He’d often sport a three-day stubble, and he kept his sandy-blond hair short, accentuating his piercing eyes.

But above everything else, Jason placed people. His brothers. His parents. His friends.

Jason was a humanitarian, his father said. He loved his family, and he loved people. Jason “always looked for the best in everybody,” he added.

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Guterres, others pay tributes as Kofi Annan laid to rest

Kofi Annan laid to rest
Kofi Annan laid to rest

 

Guterres, others pay tributes as Kofi Annan laid to rest

 

Ghanaians bid farewell to former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday in a state funeral attended by African leaders and international statesmen who hailed his record as an advocate for humanity and world peace.

Kofi Annan for State burial in Accra on Thursday

Annan, a Ghanaian national and Noble laureate, died in a Swiss hospital last month at the age of 80.

His body was flown to Accra on Monday for burial in his homeland, where he is seen as a national hero.

Around 6,000 mourners packed the auditorium for Thursday’s official service – the climax of a multi-day funeral ceremony, which has seen his coffin, draped in the Ghanaian national colors, displayed for public viewing.

Current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among the dignitaries in attendance, alongside former Ghanaian presidents, the leaders of Ivory Coast, Liberia, Namibia and Niger, and the Crown Prince of Norway.

In an address, Mr Guterres hailed Mr Annan, who served as the seventh UN Secretary-General between 1997 and 2006, as an exceptional global leader with a deep faith in the role of the UN as a force for good.

“As we face the headwinds of our troubled and turbulent times, let us always be inspired by the legacy of Kofi Annan,” Mr Guterres said.

“Our world needs it now more than ever,” he said.

The ceremony was projected onto big screens outside the auditorium for the crowds of mourners that could not fit inside the venue.

Many commuters in the capital wore black as a sign of respect.
On Wednesday, Mr Annan’s family and Ghanaian dignitaries were among hundreds to file past his casket amid traditional rites by local chiefs and clan leaders. Mr Annan, a Ghanaian of Ashanti lineage, was granted a royal title by the Ashanti king in 2002.

The elders said the rites, including presenting him with clothing and water, were necessary to clear the path for a peaceful “travel” for their royal.

Some mourners, like New York-based community mayor Delois Blakely, had flown long distances to pay their respects.

Blakely, who served as an ambassador of goodwill to Africa at the UN, told Reuters: “I had known and worked with Kofi for close to 10 years.

“He spent his life trying hard to fix our broken society.”

NAN reports that as UN boss he was linked to peace efforts to reunite the divided island of Cyprus, submitting a reunification blueprint which was rejected in a referendum by Greek Cypriots in 2004.

He staunchly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and later served as the first UN envoy at the start of Syria’s war, but quit after world powers failed to fulfill their commitments, saying: “I lost my troops on the way to Damascus”. (Reuters/NAN)

 

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Kofi Annan for State burial on Thursday

Kofi Annan
Kofi Anan

 

Kofi Annan for State burial in Accra on Thursday

 

Remains of former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan will be buried on Thursday, September 13 in Accra Ghana at a high-brow state service burial.

His body arrived Ghana late Monday from Switzerland where he passed away late last month.

According to the information transmitted to the Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja through its High Commission in
Accra, Ghana, there would be a private burial at the Military Cemetery with full military honours and 17-gun salutes.

Information from High Commission in Accra, Ghana marked the under-listed programme of activities for the State Burial of late Annan:

“a) Monday, 10th September, 2018 at 1600 hours: Arrival of the remains at the Jubilee Lounge, Kotoba International Airport (KIA), Accra;

“b) Tuesday, 11th September, 2018, from 1000 to 1600 hours: Filing past by the general public at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC);

“c) Wednesday, 12th September, 2018, from 1000 to 1600 hours: Filing past by government officials of Ghana, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, other dignitaries and traditional leaders;

“d) Thursday, 13th September, 2018, from 0730 to 0830 hours: Filing past by the Secretary-General of the United Nations and visiting Heads of State, to be
followed by: A funeral service at the Accra International Conference Centre, 0900 to 1100 hours and a private burial at the Military Cemetery with full military honours and 17-gun salutes.”

Flight bearing his body landed at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in the company of his wife Nane Maria Annan, children and staff from the UN.

The casket holding the remains of the late Nobel peace laureate was received by a contingent of the Ghana Armed Forces who quickly replaced the UN flag in which the coffin was draped with Ghana’s national flag.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo received the widow and her children, while religious leaders performed a brief ceremony with prayers while the military band played solemn tunes in the background.

The body was then moved to the Accra International Conference Center where it will lie in state for three days with an elaborate funeral arrangement by the government and people of Ghana.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, minister-designate for information, announced earlier on Monday that at least 20 heads of state were expected to participate in the official funeral ceremony on Thursday, including Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

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Abuja residents say they felt ‘earth tremor’

Earth tremor
Earth tremor

 

Abuja residents say they felt ‘earth tremor’

 

Residents in some parts of Nigeria’s Capital, Abuja said they felt earth beneath them shook on Thursday and Friday.

Federal Capital Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in a statement on Thursday acknowledged that some Abuja residents in Mpape, a surburb and parts of highbrow Maitama called in panic on Thursday, complaining of ‘earth shakes and movement’, which it said might be an earth tremor

More residents in others of the city on Friday morning by 6am also said they felt the earth shake for some seconds.

This Day newspaper quoted respondents saying their buildings were shaken by the unusual movement first noted about 7p.m., which caused her to run out of the building out of fear.

“Ahmedu said the unusual movement occurred about three times and caused the people living in Mpape to live in fear throughout the night.

For several decades, quarrying activities and rock blasting have been ongoing in Mpape in Bwari Area Council”, said the paper.

But the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has attributed the cause of the tremor to seismic movement within the earth.

The Director General, FEMA, Abbas G. Idriss, said in a statement Thursday that the tremor was caused by sudden breaks along a fault line, resulting in sudden release of energy that makes the ground shake.

Idriss also added that rock blasting and mining activities in an area could result in the underground rocks to experience stress.

The FEMA DG urged the public to remain calm and not panic by the development.

“We have been inundated with distress calls in our watch room as a result of Earth shaking happening around Mpape and parts of Maitama districts of the FCT.
“While appreciating the calls from the public, the FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wishes to say that the possible cause of the earth shaking might be as a result of earth tremor. It is also a sign of seismic movement within the earth, caused by sudden breaks along a fault line, which results in sudden release of energy that makes the ground shake,” Idriss said.

FEMA also assured that the likelihood of any earthquake in the country was low as Nigeria is not in an earthquake zone.

The agency also issued safety tips for the public to follow in the event of continued occurrence of tremor.

It advised that people in a building should locate a safe room, drop down and take cover under desk or tables and hold on tight to it, while those outdoor should find a clear spot away from buildings, trees and power lines.

 

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Reminiscences: ‘I Met God Early, No Regrets Serving God’ –Eld. Ochu @103

Elder Idika Ochu is 103 in 2018
Elder Idika Ochu is 103 in 2018

 

Reminiscences: ‘I met God Early in my Life, No Regrets Serving God’ –Eld. Ochu @103

 

Popular wishes of humans abound but most popular among them are wishes for good health and long life. We believe that once there is life, there is hope. Though many pray and even pay ransoms and make atonements to have longevity, it is unfortunate that just a very few are fortunate to have it.

Elder Idika Ochu belongs to the fortunate class. At 103 years, the native of Ndi-Uduma-Awoke in Ohafia, Abia State, Nigeria is still strong and stylish. Although time has taken a toll on him, constraining him to slither about his businesses with the aid of a walking-stick, Pa Ochu still carries the quick air of a businessman which he was. His son, Isaiah Idika confirmed that Pa Ochu transversed the length and breadth of Nigeria acting out his trade on various wares. 

Pa Ochu was outstanding in the congregation on Sunday in Abuja. Head covered by full hairs in the colour of greyish silver, yet energetic and enthusiastic. Soon after his arrival in the church, smart phones stated beeping and chattering with their shutter sounds. It was Ochu’s admirers trying to take his photograph. Even the man of God at the Alter took some times off to compliment Ochu’s age and temerity.

But his story is not as simple as that. In an encounter with our correspondent after the service, the 103-year old over and over again stated that the Almighty God preserved his life to allow him do more of the work of God. At 103 years, just 1 year younger than Nigeria since amalgamation, Ochu still shudders responsibilities including walking to the Ndi-Uduma-Awoke Presbyterian Church in his neighborhood and ringing the church bell daily by 4:30 am to bring worshippers to morning prayers.

“My name is Elder Idika Ochu. I am an Elder in the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria. I am from Ndi-Uduma-Awoke Ohafia. I was small (young) when I started serving God. There is no regret, I have no regret following God. And I thank God for preserving my life. It is not easy to serve God, but with prayers and commitment, God will make it easy for you. My life is not about the things I eat or the life-style I live, I can eat anything that is edible. I just pray and eat them.  It is entirely about the grace of God. I have always wanted to serve God. Today, I am 103 years and I am still responsible for ringing the church bell as early as 4:30 AM daily to wake people up and make them come for morning prayers in Ndi-Uduma-Awoke. I am still the chief of Ndi-Okpu and I still take due responsibilities”, he told Discover Africa News.

Pa Ochu also reminiscenced about life in about 100 years ago when he said life was better. He was already a full-grown man at 45, when Nigeria got her independence in 1960. So, he has all the experiences to talk about political leadership in Nigeria. He could have been born just a year after Fredrick Lord Lugard amalgamated the southern and northern protectorate which gave birth to Nigeria in 1914.

Pa Ochu said: “Life was better when I was growing up. When Zik of Africa (Nnandi Azikiwe) was our leader. We trusted our leaders and they were trust worthy. When they said they would do this, we were rest assured that they would do it. It is not the same as what we have today. Our leaders, the politicians of today are killing us. They give us promises and they fail to fulfil them. It is bad”, he said.

 

 

 

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Kofi Annan turned compassion into action—UN

Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan

 

Kofi Annan turned compassion into action—UN

 

The Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, and staff members, remembered former Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday, describing him as a leader who put people at the centre of the UN work.

During a wreath-laying ceremony in New York, Mr Guterres led staff members in paying respects to Mr Annan, whom they described as the embodiment of the intergovernmental organisation that worked to improve the lives of men and women worldwide.

Kofi Annan died on Saturday at the age of 80 in Switzerland.

Mr Annan, a mild-mannered diplomat from Ghana, rose through the UN system to become its seventh leader in January 1997, serving two consecutive five-year terms till December 2006.

“Kofi Annan’s years in office were an exciting time. He put forward new ideas. He brought new people into the United Nations family. He spoke passionately about our mission and role.

“He created a renewed sense of possibility both inside and outside our organisation about what the UN could do and be for the world’s people.

“His most defining features were his humanity and solidarity with those in need.

“He put people at the centre of the work of the United Nations, and was able to turn compassion into action across the UN system,’’ Guterres said.

He listed some of the actions Annan took to include uniting world leaders to agree global targets on poverty and child mortality – linchpins of the landmark Millennium Development Goals.

“The former UN chief also joined with civil society and the healthcare injury to save lives from HIV and AIDS. (NAN)

 

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PDP mourns Aguma, Rivers Attorney-General

Late Emmanuel Aguma
Late Emmanuel Aguma

 

PDP mourns Aguma, Rivers Attorney-General

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commiserated with the government and people of Rivers state over the demise of the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Hon. Emmanuel Chinwenwo Aguma (SAN).

In a statement on Monday, the party is pained by the fact that the erudite commissioner had to take the final bow when his services, especially the leadership qualities, are needed most.

The party notes that the late Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, during his service in this very sensitive ministry, he made immense contributions towards the good governance of Governor Nyesom Wike-led PDP administration in Rivers State.

“The PDP recalls late Aguma’s sacrifices in further entrenching orderliness in the state judicial process as he deployed his versatility and erudition of the law for the development of jurisprudence in the state.

The PDP therefore, condoles with Governor Wike, the Aguma family and the people of Rivers state and pray God to grant them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss”, the party said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan

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How Nigeria, World can beat plastic pollution, by VP Osinbajo

Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said the world must check plastic pollution to secure the environment.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said the world must check plastic pollution to secure the environment.

How Nigeria, world can beat plastic pollution, by VP Osinbajo

At an event to mark world’s Environment Day on Tuesday at the presidential villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo said the world must check plastic pollution to secure the environment.

 “It’s is my view that for controlling the proliferation of plastic sachets, we must go back to the major producers of fast moving goods, to put in place recycling programs that could effectively ensure that while we seek environmentally friendly options for packaging, we are keeping the environment as free of plastics as possible”, the VP said in a statement released by Laolu Akande.

Osinbajo added: “The Federal Government is also collaborating with State Governments to establish plastic waste recycling plants, under the community-based waste management programme in the ministry.  Two plants have been completed in Ilorin, Kwara State, one in Lokoja, Kogi State, while work on another is ongoing in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. In addition, two privately run programmes are Bola Jari (means waste to
wealth) in Gombe State and Leda Jari (means converting nylon bags to wealth) in Kano State. These initiatives are encouraged and supported by government.”

_”Nigeria is in a good place to lead Africa and indeed the world in beating plastic pollution, there is no need to reinvent the wheel, there are a good number of effective initiatives already, which we are considering as we develop policies.” – Vice President_

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, THE VICE PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2018, AT THE BANQUET HALL, STATE HOUSE, ABUJA, ON TUESDAY, 5TH JUNE, 2018.

PROTOCOLS

It is a special pleasure to celebrate the World Environment Day 2018, here in Nigeria, even as we join the rest of the World on this special day. In one of its most inspired moments, the United Nations decided to set aside June 5 annually, for reflection on the environmental state of the earth; this place where we live, where our forebears had lived, and where we intend that our descendants will live.

The last few decades have shown that on account of damage to the environment, there are no guarantees that we can hand over a liveable place to generations after us. That reality unfolds daily, as we observe the consequences of climate change, and the environmental abuses that cause it.

This year, we are invited to reflect on what to do with plastic pollution, an environmental epidemic, created daily, relentlessly, by consumption habits that favour the one-off use of plastics; plastic bags, plastic bottles, disposable cups, sweet wrappers, and toys, most of which we are told, will take between 500 to 1,000 years to degrade.

Current researches show that plastics that have not been burnt or recycled, could be in excess of 4.5 billion tons. Much of that has ended up in the ocean, becoming almost impossible to retrieve. Worse still, salt and sunlight cause plastics to break into smaller pieces, micro-plastics which end up being eaten by fish and other marine creatures, and this may even find their way into our meals.

The cost to fisheries, tourism and biodiversity is significant.

On our part as the Federal Government of Nigeria, we have tried to remain ahead of the curve in planning, policy and reform. The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with critical stakeholders, have developed a national strategy for the phasing out of non-bio gradable plastics. The ministry is also developing a national plastic waste recycling programme, involving the establishment of plastic waste recycling plants across the country in partnership with State Governments. A total of eight plants have already been completed and handed over to the States while 18 others are at various stages of completion.

In addition, the Federal Government is also collaborating with State Governments to establish plastic waste recycling plants, under the community-based waste management programme in the ministry.  Two plants have been completed in Ilorin, Kwara State, one in Lokoja, Kogi State, while work on another is ongoing in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. In addition, two privately run programmes are Bola Jari (means waste to wealth) in Gombe State and Leda Jari (means converting nylon bags to wealth) in Kano State. These initiatives are encouraged and supported by government.

There are, of course, questions about the limited options for cheap packaging of food and drinks, especially where consumers are relatively poor. Micro marketing methods of fast moving consumer goods, such as drinking water  in sachets aka “pure water”, and the retailing of detergents, sugar and  even milk in sachets, have proved to be an effective means of selling these food and beverages in affordable portions to millions of consumers. Sale of items in cellophane bags may be easier to deal with. Rwanda, Kenya, Bangladesh amongst others, have banned the use of cellophane bags, with considerable success.

It is my view that for controlling the proliferation of plastic sachets, we must go back to the major producers of fast moving goods, to put in place recycling programs that could effectively ensure that while we seek environmentally friendly options for packaging, we are keeping the environment as free of plastics as possible.

Coca-Cola has committed to collecting and recycling the equivalent of all the drink containers it shifts each year, including 110 billion plastic bottles. Consumer-goods giants such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble, have also begun to use more recycled plastics. We expect that these consumer giants will make and fulfil these same pledges here in Nigeria and also partner with governments, including States and Local Governments, to ensure that we maintain the critical balance between economic growth and a safe and liveable environment.

Nigeria is in a good place to lead Africa and indeed the world in beating plastic pollution, there is no need to reinvent the wheel, there are a good number of effective initiatives already, which we are considering as we develop policies.

As our environmental expert, Mrs Olakitan Oluwagbuyi said, aside from the responsibilities of governments, there are also corporate and individual responsibilities. We can beat the plastics pollution, but we certainly will achieve our objectives faster, if we work together.

Released by:
Laolu Akande,
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
Office of the Vice President
5th June, 2018 

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Triple Blessing: Fani-Kayode’s wife gives birth to three boys on her birthday

Fani-Kayode and wife this morning
Fani-Kayode and wife this morning

 

Triple Blessing:  Fani-Kayode’s wife gives birth to three boys on her birthday

 

Precious, young wife of Nigerian outspoken opposition element, Femi Fani-Kayode has given birth to three boys this morning.

Today is also Precious’ birthday, making it  double celebration for the family.

The joyful father shared a photo giving thanks to God for the birth of the three boys named: Ragnar, Aiden and Liam:

Fani-Kayode tweeted: “I give thanks to God for the birth of my three beautiful sons Ragnar, Aiden and Liam this morning. They are so beautiful. Precious and the three boys are doing very well. Today is her birthday: what a wonderful birthday gift that the Lord has given to us. To God be the glory!”

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