The President we want in 2023

By Bayo Ogunmupe In planning for a great future, you have to make the connection between the present and the future. For you to make changes in the direction you want, you must take certain steps for the Universe to manifest to you your desires. You cannot win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket. You cannot become an author if you don't publish that manuscript into a book. You can't get that job if you don't send in your curriculum vitae. Which is why we must declare to God and country the kind of President we want in 2023. Obviously, Nigeria is not satisfied with the Mohammed Buhari presidency. When we rejected Goodluck Jonathan it wasn't the current perdition we wanted. In a 2014 paper on leadership travails in Nigeria, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah declared that all of Nigeria's heads of state and presidents were 'accidental presidents.' That was because they did't prepare for the leadership roles thrusted on them. According to the respected bishop, the main reason Nigeria became the headquarters of poverty in the world is because "the average newcomer as president of Nigeria comes totally unprepared, with no knowledge of the environment, no experience in public life, no knowledge of the bureaucracy, no knowledge of politics and power derived from some years of loyal pupilage." Thus, as we now begin the process of recruiting the president for 2023, it is essential that the in-coming president must be versed in politicking, understand democracy, the rule of law and federalism. The new president must be fully prepared for the job. Unlike his predecessors who revelled in insincerity, the president we want must be painstakingly sincere. We should know this through his antecedents in governance and friendships. He must have workable answers to true federalism, cession brewing in the Southwest and Southeast. He must hate banditry and Boko Haram for he has to wipe them out by force of arms for peace to reign in Nigeria. As at the moment, 2023 is more crucial than 2015, since blights have not been resolved, Boko Haram has not been defeated, we're still dependent on oil, and government has not stopped subsidizing both oil and the bureaucracy. If we're to abate the circle of raised and dashed hopes, we must start examining the aspirants now. The process of selecting the flag bearers of the parties should begin now two years to the presidential election. In the aftermath of the jailing of a professor for rigging election, a prima facie case is thereby established for the creation of electoral offences tribunal, not electoral offences commission. The government is still supporting election rigging by its establishment of electoral offences commission. Like the Niger Delta Development Commission or the National Human Rights Commission, it will be ineffective. Government will be shielding its party's election riggers through the commission. Nigeria's Electoral Act is flawed on the official period for campaigns. At the moment. campaigns are to commence publicly, 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day. That short period does not give room for a thorough examination of a presidential aspirant. That is why campaigning has been by subterfuge: celebrating birthdays in far away Kano instead of Lagos; making donations to victims of disasters and hosting colloquiums around the country. With the exception of ending campaigns 24 hours to an election there shouldn't be any time limit as to when aspirants should start campaigns. With only three months into his first term in office, US President Joseph Biden declared publicly, his intention to run for second term in 2024 when speculations were rife that he would be too old then since he is 78 years old at present. On the idea of accidental presidents, it isn't correct that presidents are performing badly because they are unprepared. There is the party manifestos to go to when short of ideas. There is the Nigerian Bar Association to borrow ideas from. The Academic Staff Union of Universities, the highest body of intellectuals are there to advise any president aspiring to be a great president. Nigeria simply lacks great people. What with other areas of human endeavor? As at my last count, the eight million people of Israel have 14 Nobel prizewinners to 205 million Nigeria's only one. We had better examined the nutrition value of the foods we take, for nutrition determines our metabolism and the quality of our intellect. Where is our corona virus vaccine? The good quality of Israeli home made vaccine enabled Benjamin Netanyahu win a fourth term as premier despite having corruption charges on his neck. Let us diagnose Nigeria's ailments dispassionately. With current threats to Nigeria's unity, the police being killed in the East, police stations burned along with them, herdsmen being kidnapped in the Southwest, if the president is not zoned to the south, Nigeria might be ungovernable by 2024. Coming under the aegis of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, staff of the state houses of assembly embarked on a strike on March 23, 2021 with the aim of enforcing the fiscal autonomy for the state assemblies. Also acting under the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, staff of judicial arm of government went on a strike from April 6 pressing also for fiscal autonomy for the judicial arm. The common target of these actions remain state governors, who in wilful violation of the Nigerian Constitution, routinely expropriate funds meant for the other arms of government in the states. The net effect of this is arrested development of state legislatures and judiciary. Thus, this impunity by governors don't recommend governors as candidates for president. They're used to impunity and like former presidents will not be able to deliver the Nigeria of our dreams. The president we want is one who has the courage to create state police just as Bola Tinubu created 57 local governments in defiance of the president and going ahead to win in the Supreme Court. Only those with courage to do the needful, not those with PhD who don't understand federalism. The new president must have the courage to amend the constitution to assure true federalism and the creativity to assemble technocrats for good governance. His forbearance and ability to raise leaders, now competing with him for president, raises Tinubu above any other candidate for president in 2023.

How long can Covid19 vaccination be effective?

By Bayo Ogunmupe Experts don't know yet how long Covid19 vaccination will be effective. Studies of two prominent Covid19 vaccines suggest they remain effective for at least six months.The chief executive of one vaccine maker said immunity may start to fade within a year. One of the most pressing questions about Covid19 vaccines is how long they can provide protection. It may be decades, or a matter of months - the data necessary to figure that out is accumulating everyday. Pfizer's chief executive said recently that after a few regimen of doses immunity will probably start to fade within a year. According to the World Health Organization, it's simply too early to know the exact duration of Covid19 vaccines because both the disease and the science deployed against it aren't yet fully understood. But some early evidence is promising. The viruses that caused MERS and SARS are closely related to the Covid19 virus, and acquired immunity to both of those diseases has proven relatively durable. In terms of corona virus research, Pfizer and BioNTech said earlier in April that their vaccines remain effective for at least half a year after the second dose and a study of Moderna's version reflected a similar duration. Immunization efforts will have to play out further before we can know more for certain. The window of immunity enabled by vaccines could have an impact on efforts to fully re-open the global economy, and re-establish a sense of normalcy. For now, much of the focus has been on getting that first dose on arms, something many countries are still waiting for. Although we've seen mounting criticism over the pace of vaccinations in Europe and elsewhere, North America is still clearly better off than much of the world. People from wealthy countries who have been at the frontline for vaccines have instantly become test subjects for assessing the duration of vaccination protection against Covid19. Booster shots will help address what will likely be a slow decline of immunity over time. In this way corona virus may look a lot like the flu- which also produces variants and can be addressed with a yearly shot formulated to deal with the latest mutations. historically, other diseases have been quelled in part, thanks to surprisingly lasting periods of immunity. Memory B cells needed for protection against being re-infected with the deadly Spanish flu that spread around the world in 1918 endured for nearly 90 years, according to one study. And research showed that memory B cells necessary to protect against re-infection with smallpox last about 60 years following immunization. Relatively shorter periods of established immunity won't diminish a Covid19 vaccine development effort that's widely recognized as an extraordinary achievement- and should only increase the public's faith in the positive impact of science. The messaging surrounding Covid19 vaccines is as important as the science behind them, according to the World Economic Forum's analysts. And this certainly true when it comes to explaining why the US recently paused the Johnson & Johnson vaccine following reports of extremely rare side effects. Even if they had abundant access to vaccines, would some Europeans take them? France, home to the French chemist and discoverer of the principles of vaccination Louis Pasteur and a universal health care system, has also become home to a surprising degree of vaccine resistance. Bhutan's first vaccine dose was administered to a woman born in the Year of the Monkey amid the chants of Buddhist prayers in March. Since then the country has vaccinated more than 93 percent of its adult population. For many Nigerians, it's hard to feel the momentousness of the season through which we're now living; strangely, the world is uncertain in their celebration of the new Covid19 vaccines. Experts are still investigating others who are most vulnerable to the corona virus infections apart from those nursing diabetes, pneumonia and hypertension.

How governments create poverty in nations

By Bayo Ogunmupe "The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before,"---Albert Einstein. Successful governance isn't an accident. It requires vision, intention and ideological action. Which is why prosperity among people in a nation doesn't come cheap. It must be planned. When a leader and his team have a predetermined goal, they can only create poverty for themselves and their country. Thus, poverty is often the consequence of choices made by governments. Over time, poverty is the only thing governments can tolerate for any length of time. In a country where poverty reigns, it means their government has failed in their obligation to prosper the people. In their book: The origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty; Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson argue that nations are rich or poor depending on the political and economic institutions operating in those countries. The authors maintain that the prosperity of a nation is dependent on the believe system, the incentives granted to businesses and the integrity of the politicians operating in that country. Religious and ethnic conflicts also hinder the economic prosperity of a country. Most nations started poor. But through the transformation of economies by economic growth planning, many countries progressively moved away from poverty into prosperity. Some world leaders have in the past deliberately created poverty in their countries as politically expedient actions devoid of morality. For example the German dictator, Adolf Hitler saw nothing wrong in the killing of millions of Jews in his quest to dominate Europe. In the same way Boko Haram and bandits are killing and kidnapping Nigerians now in order to dominate the country. Before World War 11, the leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin, set in motion events designed to destroy, depopulate and cause famine in the Ukraine, an enclave seeking independence from the Soviet Union then. As a result, more than seven million Ukrainians perished in the ensuing famine, in an area which was the breadbasket of Europe at that time. The people were denied food they had grown with their own hands. In four years of his tenure, Pol Pot brought pain, sorrow and poverty to Cambodia the type of which had never been seen before. The combined effects of his forced labour, malnutrition and poor medical care resulted in the death of more than 25 percent of the people of Cambodia. It was estimated that more than eight million people died. We should be doing the same after eight years of Buhari's tenure in 2023. According to Acemoglu and Johnson the authors aforementioned, argue that economic growth and prosperity are associated with inclusive growth planning. Such planning create institutions that determine the incentives for businesses. The authors in citing examples of how inclusive growth planning makes the difference, cited Nogales county in Arizona, USA which is prosperous as against Nogales Sonora in Mexico which is poor. Nogales is a city divided into two, one is in Mexico, the other half is in the USA. Other contrasts between poverty and prosperity are rich South Korea versus poverty stricken North Korea; one country divided into two as a result of the Korean war. "The economic disaster in North Korea which led to the starvation of millions, when contrasted with the South Korean economic prosperity is striking; neither culture nor geography can explain the divergent paths of North and South Korea, we have to look at institutions for an answer." so say the authors of Why nations fail. Thus, Nigeria's prosperity can be found in the ideological foundations of our political parties. We only need to imitate both britain and the United States. We need to go back to the British social democratic tradition and ideology to thrive. For example the British Labour Party -was founded on the liberal and social democratic traditions of the British people. It supports the redistribution of wealth, progressive taxation, limited power of the state. It emphasizes the linkage between liberty and equality, which is why it promotes civil liberty and regional economic planning for inclusive growth and economic diversity. In contrast to our lack of morality and the absence of ideology in our political party system; ethical political ideology has evolved in Britain for centuries, making modifications unlikely. Which is why it is uncommon for members of one political party to switch allegiances. This is why there is a place for morality in politics. Therefore, our indifference to ideology, morality and integrity, is responsible for our poverty. Until we straighten from this crookedness, we are unlikely to be able to grow and inclusive and prosperous economy. Government everywhere is about making the citizen prosperous. Which is why the Nigerian National Anthem calls on every Nigerian to obey the call for patriotism and nation building. The Nigerian government must be seen to be loyal to the nation rather than to a tribe. The refusal to enlarge the police, and create the Nigeria National Guard to tackle kidnapping and banditry is unpatriotic. It leaves much to be desired. The government of this country must be seen to be about improving the security and living conditions of the people. The Billions of Naira paid kidnappers so far are more than enough to bankroll half a million policemen to combat the menace of kidnapping and banditry. The insincerity, immorality and lack of patriotism exhibited by our leaders makes nonsense of their faith in God. From their behavior in life and governance our ruling elite neither believe in God nor practice any godly religion. Our politicians must observe the sacredness of their election promises. They're accountable to the people as they must give accounts of their stewardship. Nigerian politicians must stop practising politics without morality. Giving kidnappers money without working for it is causing inflation and making Nigerians poorer than Buhari met them.

Being passionate hastens results

By Bayo Ogunmupe Passion allows you to be more than you are. It is a key to success as it hastens your ability to get results. Also, it is the thing that ties you to your ambition when you’re not seeing results yet and going through hard times reaching your goal. Most people lack the patience of waiting for results because they don’t exactly know what they want and what their passion is. If you don’t know what you want from life, chances are you drift and fail to achieve much. This is understandable if you are living at this period of time in history when life is very hectic. Thus, by the end of the day you are exhausted and too sleepy to plan your life’s goals. Then, weekend rolls around with hanging out at parties beckoning, thinking about your dreams will be very far from your attention. However, it is very easy to discover what you want from life. And when you discover what you passionately want in life, you’re much more likely to achieve it. Here is a technique that help you quickly identify the goals that will be most meaningful to your life. Sadly, by the time many people are 30, they would have had so many setbacks that they would have closed down their ability to dream big. But life is never a bed of roses. Our disappointments enable us become wiser. These setbacks condition us to expect more challenges in the future. Which forces you to overcome your self-limiting beliefs by learning new steps. Indeed, to know exactly what you want to achieve is the lodestar of success. However, if you are one of the many who don’t know what they want, to discover what you want in life, do the following exercise: Look at your life right now and write out the things that cause you pain. These heartaches could include your career, the location of your home, relationships, your finances and health. The next step is to convert those challenges to concrete goals. You only convert each problem to its opposite to achieve your aims. If you found for example, your job uninteresting, you could easily create a new goal of finding in six months a new job that you will find both exciting and fulfilling. Thus, for the very reasons that you are currently suffering in any area of your life, you can transform them into powerful goals that will motivate you to create the change that you wish to see. As the first to create automobiles, Henry Ford of Ford Motors, said: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you are right.” Many hold themselves back because of their self limiting beliefs. However, you can achieve anything you want in life provided you set clear goals, take right actions and start using the strategies of past goal getters. In the classic book on motivation, Think and grow Rich, its author, Napoleon Hill explains that by summoning up a deep burning desire, you will achieve your goals. This is because desire is a compelling force for change. Though a deep desire to help other people can change the world. However, the all pervading desire for more money and material possessions, is often destructive and completely unfulfilling. Desire is a powerful creative force without which we cannot live. It is desire that makes us get out of bed in the morning, eat, sleep and work to make a living. Even your ability to read, relax, or listen to music is a fruit of desire. But whenever you create any goal, it is important for you to know why you want that goal. When you uncover your real reason, you will have an awesomely powerful motivating force that will drive your life exactly the direction you both want and need. When you desire something, it is important to ask yourself why? Is the thing you desire worthwhile and also contribute to the happiness of others? To get the reason for setting a goal, you add “so that” after. The reason for your goal could be: So that I can live my life to the fullest. So that I can positively influence others. So that I can be truly fulfilled. You can easily achieve your goal if your reason for it is altruistic.

Improve the world by taking sides

By Bayo Ogunmupe “The man dies in him who keeps mute in the face of tyranny-“ Wole Soyinka. What are you supposed to do when conflict erupts, people get killed and human and property rights are being violated? I believe any person with a heart and moral compass would be compelled to condemn the aggressors. Not doing so is immoral; and raises the risk violent escalation of the wrongdoing. Thus, to hide behind impartiality when we’re not judicial officers is cowardly. Since to sink in silence when we should protest makes cowards of men. According to the experience of the founder of the World Economic Forum, Dr Klaus Schwab: “I grew up in Germany during and after World War 11 (WW2) and among the most impactful of the moral lessons we were taught were those of Pastor Martin Niemoller. He repented for having done nothing and warned of the consequences.” To me, his lesson was not so much about the personal price pay for not speaking up in similar situations, but the societal price we pay collectively when injustice is answered with silence. The implication is clear, personal morality is the cornerstone of a just society. Which is why it is the role of everyone of us to speak up when ethical boundaries are being crossed whatever our background or function. Our collective fate depends on it. It was for these reasons that I attended the South West Zonal Public Hearing of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. In the aftermath of the rebellious Oodua Yoruba Republic championed by Sunday Igboho, and the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) I believe the best and peaceful resolution of the Nigerian crisis is through the review of the Constitution. In spite of the pandemonium surrounding the public hearing, I was able to register and submit my Ogunmupe Constitution Review Memo 2021. The main focus of my memorandum is the creation of six regional governments based on the six geopolitical zones. Holding the same number of legislators each region presently has in the current House of Representatives as its membership of the regional assembly. And as in the Nigerian Constitution 1963, each region shall have full control of all the resources in its domain such as oil, solid minerals. At the same time, this fifth amendment to the Constitution should abolish the House of Representatives effective from 2023. Thus making the National Assembly a unicameral chamber of senators with each region having 21 senators as the North West currently has; and one senator for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. And as part of the cost cutting measures, every legislative house from the senate, the regional house of assembly, the state assembly, and the councilors of the Local Government Councils and Area councils will operate on a part time basis. Only the principal officers of legislative house shall be on full pay. Constituency projects and allowances are to be abolished. Legislators shall factor their constituency projects into the federal, regional, state, and council budgets. Local Governments shall be in the purview and control of the regional government. Regional governors shall have power to constitute local governments by appointment or cause councils to be elected by electoral commissions. There is no where in the world where local governments are independent. Independence of local governments is a ploy by immigrants to seize land from indigenous peoples. Two, revenue allocation shall be on the basis of derivation to wit, in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution 1963, the regional government pays 50 percent of her derived revenue to the federation account yearly. She withholds 50 percent. The regions shall maintain their police forces. Nigeria’s current states are too cash strapped to maintain police forces. We had local government police in the First Republic. The existence of local police as against federal police is the hallmark of true federalism. Three, there should be a 15 member Supreme Court of Nigeria composed of at least two member justices from each region at every given time and all sitting together to decide cases as is done at the Supreme Court of the United States. I have cited the United States because it is the best example of a federation. Four, the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as currently constituted should conduct presidential and National Assembly elections alone. Each tier of government namely, federal, regional, state and local government should create its own electoral body, and conduct its own elections like in the USA and Germany. The immunity clause shielding the president, vice president, governor and deputy governor should be scrapped. Finally, the current two term presidential tenure should be reduce to one term of six years. And the candidate of the party with the largest number of senators should be declared winner of the presidential election. In the event of a disputed senatorial election, court can only make the challenger and the presumed winner go for a rerun election instead of judge made legislators and governors. Only the ballot box should determine elections. And to save the Nigerian federation from its pitfalls, add as part of the amendment clauses that a region that accepts these terms of true federalism shall be accepted so in the event of some other regions failing to accept regionalism Reply, Reply All or Forward

Igbos, 50 years after Biafra

By Bayo Ogunmupe In reading Igbos, 50 years after Biafra by Joe Igbokwe, you will come face to face with the problems of Nigerian politics.This paperback volume, first published in 2021 is a shining example of a product produced out of a passion, loyalty and love for one's country and people. Fifty years after Biafra published by Clear Vision Limited, Lagos, has 288 pages, six chapters and ending with a nine page admonition: Kill the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Idea in Your Head by Nnoruka Udechukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. The book also includes 85 pages of pictures of major participants in the Nigerian civil war and its aftermath. Igbos, 50 years after Biafra is an appropriate sequel to Igbokwe's earlier book on the same subject- Igbos, 25 years after Biafra. In this sequel, the author reprises his role as moral pathfinder with an impassioned call to his Igbo people of South Eastern Nigeria to reconsider storming out of Nigeria and desist from abandoning the agitation for political power to the other ethnic groups: the Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani and the minorities. Igbokwe harps on the view that five decades on the Igbo can ill afford to persist in their apathy and naivette, justifying his position in the observable deficit and the lack of prosperity of the people, poor infrastructure, and education in Igboland relative to the other regions of the federation. In this thought provoking lucid narrative, Igbokwe proffers new pathways out of this jinx; outlining how true economic prosperity of this industrious people is dependent on their consistently making right political choices, their electing effective leaders who reawaken the values and coalitions cherished by the Igbo. This book picks up from 1990 to 2020 trying to look into how the Igbos have fared since the civil war.Thus, Igbos, 50 years after Biafra is a continuation of a series, that shall continue with Igbos 75 and 100 years after the civil war. I have refrained from repeating the Igbos after Biafra slogan because in the 2021 memoranda for the review of the Nigerian Constitution 1999, there is a memo for the creation of six regions from the six geopolitical zones. The implementation of that memo could culminate in giving the name of Biafra to the South Eastern region. Thus, when the series of books are written, they may not necessarily be written by the same author. But the books would give the Igbos the opportunity to look themselves up and see how well or badly they have performed in Nigerian history. The importance of this book is that it gives a ray into the performance of Igbos espousing the idea of where they need to improve and where they need to retreat from and amend their ways. The author has merely set up a template that throws a challenge on the coming generations to chronicle the performance of Igbos since the Nigerian civil war. Books like this recognize the importance of milestones in the life and journey of a people. Books use such milestones to flash an unflattering torch on the performance of a people. This is the critical role Igbos, Fifty years after Biafra has come to play. How well such books play their intended role is left for the people. The author has done his bit, it's left for the Igbos to do their bits. For instance, fact check shows the following quotation to be false: "As a consequence of the Civil War of 1967-1970, the entire Eastern Nigeria is being steadily left behind by Nigerian history and its propelling forces, notwithstanding that over 80 percent of the wealth of the nation- the target of power play, power intrigues and power conspiracies are sourced there,"-Dr Arthur Nwankwo. With regards to oil, the Nwankwo quotation is false. The Biafra war was based on such falsehood which was why it failed. Southerners revel in such falsehood which keeps the Fulani on top and in charge of Nigeria. Out of Nigeria's nine oil producing states, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa account for 80 percent of oil produced in Nigeria. And all those states mentioned belong to South south Nigeria. Other oil producing states are: Lagos, Ondo, Edo, Imo and Abia in accordance with the volume of oil produced. Thus, the two least oil producing states of Nigeria belong to South Eastern Nigeria. And population wise, Hausa is 30 percent, Yoruba 29 percent, Igbo 14 percent and Tiv 13 percent. Would a just God allow 14 percent conquer or destroy 86 percent of His creatures? I have not mentioned Hausa- Fulani because such one single tribe does not exist in Nigeria. We must not allow misinformation becloud our sense of reasoning and justice. Schools don't teach you how think but you can read normative logic as an epistemological system of analytical reasoning and cognition. It is to be expected that a book like this will generate mixed reactions and inflame passions but we must not ignore Igbos, 50 years after Biafra for its forthrightness in addressing the factors which rule over the Igbo people. The critical message of this book is the desire that Igbos must come out stronger after the civil war, moving into the next milestone as arbiter of Nigerian politics. Chapter one is a summary of the life of the Igbo 25 years after the civil war. "Among the migrant Igbo population were those hugely disadvantaged by the prevailing cultural and religious systems in Igboland then; such as the oru or Osu and other victims of social caste system. The colonial system offered them huge opportunities to move out of Igboland in search of greener pastures where they would escape repressions meted to them in precolonial Igbo society. However, in the few places with rich arable lands like Abakaliki and Anam, there was no pressure to migrate as the rich yield of the soil was attractive enough to dissuade migration." With education as the substance of chapter two, the author showed the enviable feats of the Igbo in education in the period before the civil war. Igbokwe quoted copiously from the book, The Igbo and educational development in Nigeria, 1846-2015 by S.I. Okoro, of the Department of History, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki. "Such was the desire and quest for education which the missions provided among the Igbo that by the 1930s the Igbo not only closed the gap between her and the Yoruba in terms of acquisition and use of Western education, but indeed surpassed them. As this writer has noted elsewhere, "between 1850 and 1930, a period of some 80 years, the Yoruba appeared to have dominated the acquisition and use of Western education in Nigeria." I wish to quote from Igbokwe's concluding chapter six. His conclusions are similar to what Yoruba is experiencing from Fulani herders at the moment. Like the Igbo, Yoruba has surrendered to Fulani domination of Nigeria by their timidity and unconscionable greed for bribes. Any wonder they are crying for a Constitutional Conference where they get extra cash for doing nothing. hear the author: "Igbos made the terrible mistake of surrendering their political fate to minions and hirelings and Fifty years after Biafra they have so demolished Igbos politically that we are stranded on the lonely stretch of wolf-crying and generous appeal to self pity. Today, Igbos are political orphans that are hugely resented by every other ethnic group. This is what we brought to ourselves when we leased our political space to cheap men of straw that traded with it and ended up making us a confused and battered people." Joe Igbokwe obtained the bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Nigeria in 1985. He is the President of his First Grade International motor company and publisher of National Vision Newspapers. Since publishing his best selling Igbos, 25 years after Biafra, he has also written a couple of books on democracy. In his forays into Lagos politics, he has served as publicity secretary of the AC, ACN, and APC (2006-2019); General Manager, LASMRA (2005-2015), Chairman, Wharf Landing Fees Authority(2015-2019), he is currently Special Adviser to the governor of Lagos State on Drainage and Water Resources. He is married with five children.

How creative thinking hastens success

By Bayo Ogunmupe Have you ever thought how creative, critical or intuitive thinking could help you attain your objectives in life? Indeed, this can truly happen. In appreciation, bear this in mind that whenever you are engaged in creative thinking, you cannot respond to anything instantaneously. Instead, whenever you hear any statement, you must ensure you heard it right. Then you must proceed to assess its meaning in the context it was said. Only then could you take a decision whether you believed the matter to be appropriate or not. After evaluating the matter could you consolidate the different shades of its meaning and come to judgment on it. In structuring your creative thinking process, pick out the ideas espoused by the material you are trying to assess. Then, check how those ideas cohere. In assessing the relevance of every idea, and its importance, you must identify arguments for each material before proceeding to assess the weight each one bears. It is after that you create specific arguments for agreeing or disagreeing in the matter at hand. However, you must take note of any inconsistency in the arguments presented. You must summon your personal values during your analysis for the end result must reflect your human values and ideology. To pass the test of creative and critical thinking, your judgment must be glaringly different from that passed along the gossip thread. Yours must, of necessity, be supported by facts all the way. Another noteworthy matter you must consider in creative thinking is that having knowledge is not enough. You must articulate your judgment by putting events you know and facts you know in a logical arrangement. In this skillful manner of putting what you know in the right perspective, the knowledge you have can serve a more superior cause in your life and future. The skill of creative thinking is the difference between great leaders and clueless ones. After acquiring the skill of creative thinking, you get the chance of beefing up good arguments with logical ones. You are able to contribute positively to the task of nation building. You are enabled to improve on existing political, economic and social theories extant in your community. You get the opportunity to modify the way institutions are run to enhance their uniqueness. Does critical thinking hinder creativity? No, it never does. Which was why many critical thinkers are adept at thinking beyond the norm. Thinking outside the box is without dispute creative thinking. The fruits of creative thinking can be found in the courts of law. Lawyers don’t lose cases because they have inadequate information. It is because one party is better at creative thinking than the other. Or personal values of one party are at loggerheads with those of the judges. Thus the two sides cannot concur- same information, same statutes; yet different arguments and varying deductions. When creative thinking is at play in business, and policymaking the better for the world. Creative thinking helps to improve the world economy. Such basic considerations as building an industry in Country A as against Country B and even in exporting products to Country B instead of another country; all of these are determined by the ability to think creatively. However, creative thinking presupposes you have enough facts to help you make decisions. Or that you will undertake research to enable you know what criteria you need to explore in order to arrive at a good judgment. Creative thinking enhances efficiency in communication. It promotes self reflection. Since you are intent on realizing your life dreams, you follow the right options that help you reach the destination you want. Creative thinking also provides the ground for democracy. Indeed, being able to make an informed choice of your own volition is part of democracy. Our case study is the world’s greatest investor, the American billionaire Warren Buffett. He always simplifies technical details so that it becomes easier for all his shareholders to understand. This means he understands his own businesses. He believes in communicating well with each and every person who is important to his business.

Corruption as bane of Nigeria's prosperity

By Bayo Ogunmupe Corruption, weak institutions and poor governance remain the bane of Nigeria's prosperity and economic development. Nigeria isn't where she should be because of our over-depencence on crude oil. Our debt service to revenue ratio today is about 83 percent which is very bad. Whereas by comparison, the debt service to revenue ratio in the United Kingdom is 1.9 percent. Our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capital is only 19 percent. Our unemployment level is too high for good internal security. About 87 million Nigerians or 41 percent of the population are in absolute poverty. The basis of our problem revolves around lack of visionary leadership. For instance, after taking the oath of Office as the President of the United States, former U.S. President John F. Kennedy promised to land a man on the moon and bring him back alive before the end of the decade. And happily he fulfilled his promise when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and returned to the Earth alive in July 1969. Having mineral resources alone does not make you rich as a nation. Germany and Japan don't have mineral resources but they are great and prosperous nations. Japan is one of the greatest oil refining nations. We need more value based leaders and strong institutions. The planks by which President Mohammed Buhari conducted his successful campaign in 2015 were the war on corruption, destruction of Boko Haram and restructuring. But six years into his eight year tenure, the public perception of his anti corruption drive remains poor. We're seeing insincerity in all fronts. Investigations have seldom led to convictions. Even the imprisonment of two former governors, and a few senior political office holders are not enough to convince the public of any vibrant prosecution of corrupt office holders. The slow pace of court cases, the fuelling of judicial workers to go on strike, and financial settlements made by wealthy individuals outside courtrooms are impediments to true justice. Moreover, it is doubtful if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Itse Sagay Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption have the capacity and resources to tackle the large number of fraud cases in the country. When President Buhari said in his inaugural speech: "I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody," we believed his incorruptible posture. Now Nigerians doubt the sincerity of the government in power. Indeed, remarkable progress was noticed with the adoption of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the imprisonment of some corrupt government officials.For the first time in Nigerian history, judges,justices and top military officers, including retired service chiefs were indicted for corrupt enrichment. From 2015 to the year 2020, the EFCC obtained 603 corruption convictions, doubling the convictions it got during the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan. The EFCC also recovered N500 billion stolen funds. Also, a senior advocate of Nigeria was jailed for attempting to pervert the course of justice through bribing judges. Considering the level of the rot in our justice system before Buhari became president, those were laudable achievements. In the last six years, Buhari should also be praised for implementing the TSA, the Biometric Verification Number (BVN) and the Whistle Blowing policy, all of which have helped the nation keep her money safe from fraudsters. It is however sad to note the politicisation of the anti corruption war by the refusal to investigate indicted high profile personalities in the Villa's kitchen cabinet, the Federal Executive Council and the parastatals. This extant behaviour casts doubts on the president's commitment to eradicate corruption in the country. Corruption is the cankerworm eating into the fabric of the nation, ravaging our economy and stultifying our industrialization efforts. Worse still, data from the National Bureau of Statistics on public encounters with corruption involving 33,000 households across the country conducted between 2016 and 2019 confirms that corruption remains the greatest problem of Nigeria. According to the bureau, bribery takes two forms. At first, public officials ask, directly or indirectly for bribes. The second form involves members of the public bribing officials to process their wishes, services or requests. Of the acts of bribery reported by the study, 67 percent were initiated by government officials. And 93 percent of the officials requested for cash payments. Less than six percent were for non-cash payments. To fight corruption effectively, government is advised to use technology more as against direct contact. As for strong institutions, a bad people cannot produce good leaders. Nigerians cannot give what they don't have, where there are no men of integrity, there cannot be strong institutions. Steeped in ignorance, polygamy, myths, superstitions, and foreign religions whose holy books we cannot comprehend, Nigerians cannot but be corrupt. A former Nigerian president with a PhD once said stealing isn't corruption. We need Nigerian Bureau of Investigation as the third anti corruption organization. Its operations should include budget padding, Its officials should infiltrate banks, courts and the private sector. A standard law on whistle blowing should be enacted. The unemployed should be engaged as part-time whistle blowers. Every Abuja house owner should be investigated for corruption. Reply

justice to hate speech victims

By Bayo Ogunmupe From doing business to staying informed of the news, everyone relies on access to information every now and then. But what happens when that information is incorrect, or worse still, when it targets us unjustly with real world consequences. Notwithstanding, we often talk of fake news or disinformation as a political phenomenon, but it is becoming increasingly more direct. Malicious actors who use hate as a weapon of distrust, and political division in the form of disinformation have colonized our digital spaces in order to negotiate and assert their own values, creating new forms of harm. Whether this harm emerges from fake news, fake videos of defamatory content or inaccurate information spread by administrative error; it is becoming increasingly difficult to remedy, since at present there are limited ways to seek justice in a globally digitized world. There are a range of reasons why justice is hard to come by. These include technical architecture, confusion over jurisdiction and market interests, to name a few. But if you need redress for digital harm, do you know where to start? When a crime is committed, one would normally raise the issue of law enforcement. However, given the opaque nature of where responsibility belongs, and the nature of the defamatory content online, would law enforcement be able to uncover the perpetrator? What if you experienced the harm in a different jurisdiction from your home country? Would the same rule apply? It is a daunting and expensive process to fix the problem, if that is even possible, let alone seeking redress. Sadly, nowadays, fake news, disinformation or misinformation is no longer a political phenomenon. It has shifted beyond the political. The misinformation surrounding Covid vaccinations is a case in point. Compounding the covid issue is the lack of access to vaccines and the structural barriers negatively impacting on vaccination rates in various places, in Africa, and the communities of colour in the USA. From the BBC, we hear of the surge in hate crime against the Chinese and East Asian people during Covid19 pandemic in the U.K. According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, across 43 U.S states, the percentage of white people who have received one Covid19 vaccine dose (38 percent) was 1.6 times higher than the rate for black people (24 percent) and 1.5 times higher than the rate for Hispanic people (25 percent) as at April 2021. Indeed, another report by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate identified 12 key disinformation dozen whose accounts exploit the default narrative that false content is 70 percent more likely to be reshared than true content. Yet another example, however suggests that accurate information can be equally as harmful as inaccurate information depending on the context, person or service responsible for its proliferation. The default vaccine hesitancy narrative is in fact, historically true. However, it does not demonstrate the magnitude of unequal access to healthcare for communities of colour. This one sided narrative is thus being weaponized by malicious actors who have ill intent to cast blame and shame on these communities. Thus, we need clear pathways to justice for individuals and groups being harmed online via technology. With inadequately regulated data services and products, the laws that have been established in the physical world are not reflected in the digital world. Consequently, the public has little to no visibility into who is behind intentionally harmful digital behavior. This has enabled familiar forms of physical abuse- bullying, gender based violence, stalking, sexual assault, elder abuse, human trafficking- to multiply at uncontrollable scales. The current system rewards impunity, and bad actors continue to thrive in this lucrative slander- profiteering industry. One reputation management website generated $2million a year in revenue. Their mandate is to aid in the proliferation of harmful content on any given individual and provide expensive services to help remove it. Without action, the severity of these technology enabled abuses will prevail. We can either act now or wait until these issues directly target us and the people we care about. Left unaddressed, this problem will continue to grow more severe and at unprecedented scales. We need to act now. Reply, Reply All or Forward

What it takes to amend the Constitution

By Bayo Ogunmupe The first question we need to ask is Why amend the 1999 Constitution? The answer to this is very simple. The 1999 Constitution isn’t in conformity with the 1963 Federal Constitution we inherited from our colonial master, the British Government. Although our name is the Federation of Nigeria and the federal government is the government of the Federation, the 1999 Constitution does not uphold the federal character of the republic of Nigeria. If this Constitution were federal, the Federal Government would not be controlling the police, oil and minerals exclusively. Like in the 1963 Constitution, the regions would be in control of their own resources. They would have regional or local government police. Certainly the British bequeathed to us a vibrant and workable federal system of government. Sadly, this Constitution has foisted us ethnic domination, and leaders without vision which has stagnated our economic progress and prosperity. But errors like this are not strange. They can be rectified. Such was the situation in the United States between 1787 and 1788, when their system of Confederation wasn’t working. The papers put forward then is referred to today as the Federalist Papers. Those papers persuaded Americans to adopt a federalist constitution for America. The Americans eventually ratified the current federal system of government in the country. The federal choice by the Americans more than 230 years ago is the success song on every lip in the world today. It’s suffice to say, what America is today is the result of profound changes, amendments and political engineering that took blood via the civil war, tears and sacrifices. Nigeria is overcrowding the Democracy Highway we’re walking in. And the way is developing bump, manholes and craters and these problems are crying for solution. This brings us to the question how do we amend the Constitution to give us the country of our dreams? First the mode of altering the Constitution is written in section 9 of Part 11- Powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. (1) The National Assembly may subject to the provisions of this section, alter any of the provisions of this Constitution. (3) An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of altering the provisions of this section, section 8 or Chapter 1V if this Constitution shall not be passed by either House of the National Assembly unless the proposal is approved by the votes of not less than four-fifths majority of all the members of each House and also approved by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the States. Sub section (2) of section 9 was omitted because the alteration of the Constitution applies to the creation of new states. Actually it isn’t new states we’re creating, it is new regions. The Constitution didn’t envisage the creation of new regions. Though the framers were sure what they wanted through the stringent provisions enacted. For section 8—An Act of the National Assembly for the purpose of creating a new State ( region in our case)shall only be passed if –(a) a request supported by at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new State) in each of the following, namely— (i) the Senate and the House of Representatives; (ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and (iii) the local government councils in respect of the area, is received by the National Assembly; (b) a proposal for the creation of the State is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for creation of the State originated; © the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly; and (d) the proposal is approved by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly. This above explanation is the long winding route to true federalism. It is apparent to me, this administration cannot deliver the peoples republic of our dreams. We perforce must wait for the new President in 2023. for the struggle to democracy might take more than four years. What we are rooting for are six regional governments on the lines of what has emerged as zones: North-Central, North- East, North-West, South-East, South-South and South-West. These and not the 36 states should be the federating units. The law making bodies in these regions should be those elected from the present House of Representatives Constituencies. Each regional government should be headed by a Governor, elected by the region. The powers moved from the Centre such as resource control and regional police and local government control will anchor on the Regional Government. The 36 State structure will be retained. We are aware elections are very expensive. For Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, he had to cough out N279 million to elect local government councils this year. Same goes for Governor Olusols Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. He has proposed N85 billion to conduct new local government elections in the State. Which is why the Constitution should be amended to empower the regional governor to appoint chairmen and councilors of local governments. Democracy, federalism, the rule of law and human rights are settled matters in the world today. They are not matters we can experiment with. We can only imitate other nations. Agitations may continue to fine tune what are agreeable to us as a preliterate society.

Following your talent hastens success

By Bayo Ogunmupe Knowing and following your talent is crucial to your success in life. The people you surround yourself with in your organization make or break your success. No one succeeds alone. Those you hire, promote and trust with critical information; the professionals executing your company mission- are your greatest competitive advantage or the biggest drag. They’re the champions of your company or its substantial drain on time, money, resources and potential. Which is why, many times entrepreneurs recruit and develop leaders without realizing that their hiring choices are random, impulsive, and disconnected to their objectives and strategies. Their choices are not adding value to the organization. If you feel stumped by bad choices, you are not alone. As an owner, you might be thinking: “How can I turn this company around?” Yes you can. What you need is a working knowledge of your talent inventory across your enterprise. Knowledge of your talent allows you to align it with the best strategy. Businesses need creative people and you must have a working knowledge of your talent bench in order for your company to thrive and make profit. This column is your field guide to talent management, which is a platform to analyse, implement and improve yourself and your company. Strategic Talent Management puts you in a position to enhance value, optimize talent, prepare for growth, posture for sale, or transition to the next generation. Strategic Talent Management endows you with the know-how, intelligence and control to leverage your team. With the right mindset, and the talent to steer your team toward a win, the only variables should be external conditions. Strategic Talent Management prepares you for any extraneous factors, because you will have the team ready to compete in any environment. When a company prioritizes Strategic Talent Management, builds bench strength and goes to market with a healthy team, it will increase profitability, attract top talent, create a conducive work environment and bring value to the community. It will also keep the wealth engine in the family or owned by the employees. Thus, Strategic Talent Management provides a new way of managing a company. The Founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is our case study today. He is one of the billionaire geniuses of the 21st century. His decisions on how he handles his company have come a long way. Our question is how he has managed to achieve this greatness so quickly. What are the secrets beyond his indomitable rise to fame? The answers are his early goal setting. He dropped out of school to set up his own unique company. He immediately focused on Facebook, and thinking of bigger things. He refused to sell Facebook because he didn’t want it subdued by larger corporations. He correctly envisioned Facebook as a global project. The lesson from Zuckerberg follows. Always start small but aim big. You must have confidence in yourself. Even as a kid Zuckerberg was considered as a genius in computer programming. Whatever success he achieved his self confidence never faltered. He focused on what he is good at. Part of being successful is the influx of interesting activities which could distract you from your main passion. Mark was able to withstand distractions. Zuckerberg’s love for programming outlasted his love for other things. He became so focused on his chosen field that he constantly fended off things that could hinder his progress. He chose not to finish his college education because he knew that his love for computers would suffer if he continued. He moved to a place where he considered a proper venue that could nurture, support and develop his talent. It is noteworthy that he moved to a new community conducive to the achievement of his aims. Bayode Ogunmupe

Thoughts on Asserting Nigerianess Beyond Ethnicism

By Bayo Ogunmupe Titled: Thoughts on Asserting Nigerianess Beyond Ethnicism, this book is a compendium of essays by Victor Chiagozie Ariole, a professor of French Language at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. First published in 2013, this paperback volume was published in 2021 by Ecophile in Lagos Nigeria. In his opening remarks, Professor Ariole quoted the first Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Bello describing the migrations of the Fulani from Fuuta Tooro to Northern Nigeria. Bello said some of his ancestors migrated from as far back as 1500 AD, while others followed with the wars of the 1670s. In his Infaq al Maisuri, the first Sultan wrote in 1812: They, the Tukulor made war on the Fula till the latter split into three divisions. One stayed among the Tukulor and followed them, another returned to Falefa and Fuuta Jaalon and dwelled there. A third went East to meet the tribes of their father, the Arabs… they left the weak behind them in this land of the Hausa. “And to the rest of Nigerians and Africans, the land belongs to the Pigmies and we settled in as a function of adaptability and domination or natural selection. We are all migrants.” This historical link with which this book opens is the message of the book. That the Fulani started migrating to Nigeria as far back as 1500 AD, that the Fulani are Arabs. And that their intent in settling in Nigeria is to dominate or adapt as a function of the survival of the fittest according to the Law of natural Selection as espoused by the British naturalist, Sir Charles Darwin. Beyond Ethnicity has 120 essays, and 377 pages. In his preface to this edition, the author insists that Nigeria owing to its huge population and wealth, should be the conscience of the black race. “Nigeria must aim at being the salt of Africa, giving it the taste expected at any given time. That 525 local languages are spoken in Nigeria, as recently proven by Yakubu Gowon’s Bible Translation group, should not obviate the fact that there are ‘constants’ in the languages that crave for pillars in –Nigerianess—that can support the African continent in conjunction with other pillars yet to be identified. “This book is a cocktail of thoughts on Nigeria. The dates in some parts could have elapsed, however, the thoughts remain relevant.” Fuel crisis and leadership quality is the heading for one the great essays of this book. In it the author quotes a French proverb meaning spare the rod and spoil the child. However, its literary meaning serves best in he context of fuel crisis. A good leader must be a good lover of his people. He should not always rob Peter to pay Paul. He must show a greater degree of love for the people before the punishment he administers could be approved of. Ariole then compares Nigeria to a diabetic patient. According to physicians, a diabetic patient is someone with a very high sugar level in the bloodstream. It is either he is not making good use of the energy in his system and, so attracts slut. Or has damaged his pancreas as a result of overuse. All economic organs in Nigeria are either misused, overused or abused. Reversing the trend is what a good leader should occupy himself with. My last essay in review is Why Corruption Endures in Nigeria. The author says the theory of instant generation has been debunked by the great French physician and researcher, Louis Pasteur. So there nothing good or bad that appears without first forming its cloud. Thus, people don’t just wake up and indulge in corruption. They build a mind for it, they conceive it, nurture it and work hard to sustain it. They are the smart ones in our society. They’re the learned ex-convicts in our dog eat dog society. They are everywhere from the executive arm of government, through the legislative branch, down to the poorest Nigerian. The author refers to the Igbo adage which says: you do not process rotten palm fruits into oil by pounding them in a leaking mortar. The exercise will be futile. Nigerians are either rotten by their corrupt practices or by their wretchedness. Corruption and wretchedness are eating deep into Nigerians. And both are turning us to maggots if nothing is done to check them. The author, Victor Ariole is a professor of French literature at the university of Lagos. He has more than 14 books to his credit. An intense researcher in culture and politics, he speaks, hears, Igbo, Yoruba, Twi, Dyula, English and French. He holds MA in French, MBA in General Administration and PhD in French. He is an associate member of the Editorial Board of The Guardian newspapers. You will become better informed about the world reading this volume. Bayode O

British Footprints in History of Yaba

By Bayo Ogunmupe British Footprints in the History of Yaba, Lagos, written by Segun Oshile, a doctor of veterinary medicine is an expository book which unearths the innominate and unique community named Yaba in Lagos State of Nigeria. Dr Oshile captures in detail not only the history of Yaba but also delves in detail into the political, socio-economic and the cultural life of the people of Lagos state in general. Published in 2021 by Connel Publications, Ibadan Oyo state, it is hard backed with 11 chapters, an introduction, the map of Yaba, 328 pages, index of 26 pages, pictures of five pages and Did You Know of three pages. The foreword was written by Professor Ayodeji Olukoju of the University of Lagos. According to the distinguished professor, British Footprints is a book on aspects of the history of Yaba, an indigenous community in the Lagos mainland. The volume contributes to the History of Nigeria by documenting the perspectives of the indigenes of communities in the states. A product of years of painstaking data collection and keen observation by the author Dr Oshile, an indigene of Yaba. The book contains his reminiscences and insights into the obscure aspects of Yaba swamped by the megacity of Lagos. This book focuses on the transformation of Yaba from farmland, fishing and hunting ground to a fast growing integral part of a megacity. Yaba is the community hosting the first tertiary institution in Nigeria, the Yaba College of Technology, formerly known as Yaba Higher College in 1932. History isn't the same as the past.We can never experience the past in as much as we can never know what Napoleon had in mind when he invaded Russia in 1912. What happened in the past is gone, history is our attempt to reconstruct the past from evidence, documents and oral sources available. In precolonial Lagos, Yaba was known as Oke Odo; during the colonial period, it was known as the Garden City or Yaba Estate. It was called Garden city due to its sprawling ecosystem of beautiful and lush vegetation in the manner of the British landscape gardening. Etymologically, the name Yaba had been in existence since 1895. Yaba in Lagos predates the Yaba of Ondo State. In the 18th century, people coming from the hinterland to buy goods from Lagos ports, usually indicate that when they get to the precincts of Lagos; they will branch to a rural settlement, translated in Yoruba, maa ya bara, was shortened ma ya baa. This was later further shortened to Ya ba, Yaba. Chapter two contains the history of religious organizations at Yaba. The Portuguese brought Christianity by way of trading to Lagos in the 15th century. Portuguese principal trading objective was slave trade.Christian evangelism was secondary to trading in slaves.After the British abrogated slave trade in 1833, liberated slaves were taken to Freetown, Sierra Leone. The majority of these liberated slaves had accepted Christianity before their liberation. Liberated slaves of Nigerian descent were settled in Lagos, Badagry and Abeokuta. One of the freed slaves was Samuel Ajayi Crowther. He had been abducted at age 12 by a Fulani slave merchant and sold to Portuguese slave brokers. Ajayi Crowther regained freedom and was later ordained a bishop by the British Christian Missionary Society and translated the Bible into the Yoruba language. The Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo built by the Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion was named for him. However, the advent of Islam in Nigeria took a different turn. Nigeria first had contacts with Islam via the North Eastern areas of Kanem and Borno in the 9th century. By the 11th century, Islam had taken roots in Nigeria through trade and migration. From then, Islam became the religion of court and trade with the Arabic language as the medium of communication. While Islam entered Nigeria firmly by the 15th century, Christianity got here in the 19th century. The Seventh Day Adventists came to Nigeria in 1914 led by Elder D. C. Babcock. Their first church was built in Yaba in 1920. The activities of Reverend Babcock led the Seventh Day Adventists to name Babcock University, Ilishan Remo Ogun State for him. Chapters four, five and six of british Footprints explore the activities of markets and business premises of Yaba. The culture of installing market heads takes into account taxes and levies imposed by the Colonial Administration in Lagos Colony. Like in Europe and across the world, Yaba was consciously planned as a residential community, making available schools, grocery outlets, supermarkets, health centres and most importantly, recreational facilities to all and sundry. chapter six is particularly remarkable for accounts of the genealogy of the traditional rulers of lagos whose lineage have been traced Benin Republic and Ketu kingdom in Ogun State. The Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was inaugurated in Lagos in 1906. After the amalgamation in 1914, Lagos became the location of the capital of Nigeria; schools were established, the Supreme court the Old Secretariat were located by the Racecourse. Since its creation in 1859, the Racecourse remained the central feature of British raj in Nigeria. Classification of Nigerian cities started in 1921, with Lagos belonging to Class A. Ikoyi was a residential area reserved for Europeans. The commercial area in which Europeans lived, worked, traded and interacted with Africans was Lagos Island. Ikoyi the European Reservation Area was laid out in 1928. The First Governor of Lagos Colony, Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (1891-97) pushed through the building of the railway. He opened the Iddo Railway Terminus in 1900 with rail linking Lagos to Ibadan. he also built the Carter bridge carrying pedestrians and tram fro the island to Ebute Metta. This gave the development of Lagos a tremendous boost. The impact of the footprints of the British and their architecture remain as edifices continue to litter the landscape. The building master plan designed by the British for Yaba and environs partially subsists as the influx of immigrant population has altered the plan. The Third Mainland Bridge mortgaged the residential Yaba community to a beehive of commercial activities against the original plan. Other chapters attempt to capture ancient family structures in Yaba. The families discussed are those whose houses still exist or those who contributed to the development of Yaba. The last chapter covers the political class in Yaba who as political office holders contributed to the growth and development of the community. In his Did You Know segment, the first Baale of Yaba, Chief Folarin Oshile (1995_2013) is the father of Dr Segun Oshile, the author. Dr Oshile holds the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and practises veterinary medicine in Lagos. he also authored other books including Rebuilding Your Academic Bridge. He is the Editor of Eminent Veterinarian magazine. A philanthropist and animal welfarist, Dr Oshile is a lover of history and is married to Wande and they have three wonderful children.

What we learned from Covid vaccines to date By Bayo Ogunmupe

The government of Mongolia promised its people a Covid free summer; Bahrain said there would be a return to normal life by June 2021. The island nation of Seychelles aimed to jump start its economy this summer. All three put their faith in the easily accessible Chinese made vaccines, but instead of freedom from coronavirus, all three countries are now battling a surge in coronavirus infections. The Chinese vaccines they relied on have been ineffective. In the USA, 45 percent of the population is fully vaccinated from doses made by Pfizer and Moderna. Covid19 cases have dropped 94 percent over six months. Israel provided shots from Pfizer and has the second highest vaccination rate in the world after the Seychelles. The new daily confirmed Covid19 cases in Israel is now as low as 4.95 per million. Disparities such as these would create a world in which three types of countries emerge from the pandemic. The wealthy nations that used their resources to procure Pfizer and Moderna shots, the poorer countries that are unable to immunize a majority of their citizens and those that are fully inoculated but only partially protected. Margaret Keenan was the first person to receive the Pfizer Covid19 vaccine in Coventry, Britain on December 8, 2020. Signs are so far encouraging in terms of protection, safety and saving lives. More than 2 billion doses have been administered globally. One thing we know for sure: vaccine shots don’t make you magnetic. Those fortunate enough to receive doses of Covid19 vaccines have been serving as test subjects. Roughly half a year into this global experiment, what have we learned so far? A pair of studies published in May suggested that vaccination can indeed provide a path out of the pandemic and that by the end of this month of June, 2 billion doses would have been administered worldwide since the first went to a woman in the UK last December. Covid19 vaccines had saved an estimated 12,000 lives in England alone by last month. China has been vaccinating a population the size of Romania everyday, and San Francisco, where nearly 70 percent of residents had been fully vaccinated as of early this month, is the first US city on the verge of herd immunity. Globally, daily confirmed cases and deaths have been trending downward since April. To date, it is safe to say, vaccines seem to be working well. One real world study published in March, of the people in Denmark prioritized for the Pfizer vaccine found it was 90 percent effective among healthcare workers and 64 percent effective among residents of long term hospital care facilities with a median age of 84. However, troubling covid19 variants like “Delta” in India, the UK, and the US have raised questions about their resilience to vaccines. A British study published last month found that two doses of Pfizer vaccine were 88 percent effective against symptomatic disease from Delta, though epidemiolgists have warned that variants could ultimately render current vaccines ineffective in a year or less. Potential side effects have been another concern. Rare occurrences of the blood clotting syndrome have been linked to the Oxford- AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines, but experts say the benefits still outweigh the risks. One fact overshadowing any good news about vaccines is that much of the world hasn’t yet been able to receive any doses at all. I myself haven’t been able to receive vaccination. Two visits to Ajeabo Health Centre, Ilasamaja, Lagos have not gained me any chance of the first dose. By the time of my last visit on the ides of June, the first doses have finished. Analysts avow that more than 85 countries, mostly in Africa won’t have Covid19 access before 2023. A significant study published in April in the UK found that receiving a single dose of Pfizer and Oxford- AstraZeneca vaccines notably reduced infecting other household members; and another published last month found that the viral load was signifi8cantly diminished for people in Israel infected a couple of weeks past their first dose of Pfizer—making them less infectious to others. Unfortunately, a great number of people remain reluctant to be vaccinated. Bayode Ogunmupe

Admiral Nyako's Footprints On Marble

A review By Bayo Ogunmupe Footprints On Marble is Vice Admiral Murtala Nyako's biography, written by the Editor in chief of the defunct Newswatch magazine, Dan Agbese. It chronicles the life and times of the naval tactician, political gladiator, chief of the naval staff, deputy chief of defence staff, the pioneer military governor of Niger State and the two term civilian governor of Adamawa State of Nigeria. Footprints tells Nyako's influence and legacy on the growth and development of the Nigerian armed forces, the conduct of Nigerian Military officers in Nigerian politics and society from 1966 till date. It's paradoxical to get this distinguished military officer embroiled in the chaotic and treacherous waters of Nigerian politics. The book captures a wide range of audiences, from the history of military intervention in Nigerian politics, civilian politics and governance, to political intrigue, Ibrahim Babangida's maradona and the single mindedness of Admiral Nyako to craft a legacy for himself in his home state of Adamawa. This paperback edition, first published in 2020 is published by MayFive Media Limited, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. It has 23 chapters, a copious introduction, 462 pages, 16 pages of pictures, three pages of references and 17 pages of index. Murtala Hammanyero Nyako was born on August 27, 1943. He was born at Mayo Belwa. Like President Mohammed Buhari who was the 23rd child of his father; Nyako was the 15th child of Alhaji Hammanyero. Suleiman Nyako was Hammanyero's father and Murtala Nyako's grandfather. Mayo Belwa, Nyako's birth place is the headquarters of the local government area of that name, created in 1976. Mayo Belwa is in Fombina Emirate founded by Modibbo Adama under the Sokoto Caliphate. The colonial government renamed it Adamawa Province, after its founder, Modibbo Adama.Nyako's father Hammanyero was a successful businessman which took him to Northern Cameroon, a German colony at the time. He was the main supplier of fresh milk to the Germans at the time. It was after the UN plebiscite in British Cameroon on February 11, 1961 that Northern Cameroon elected to merge with Nigeria. It was then that Fombina Emirate became part of Nigeria. Even then, the Nyako family is today the single largest and most influential family in Mayo Belwa Local Government Area. Nyako was enrolled in Mayo Elementary School in January 1952. he cried the whole day because he didn't want to go to school. Later he attended Yola Middle School. Certainly, fate had a hand in sending Nyako to school. The decision was influenced by the boy's rascality. Nyako was troublesome, he was the only boy who talked back to his elders"because according to him, he liked to speak his mind." His family felt only the primary school would cure him of his rascality. Nyako was registered in the primary school as Murtala Mayo Belwa but in form five at Government Secondary School, Yola, it was changed to Murtala Alhaji Hammanyero Nyako. Early in his life, Nyako holds the belief that as a privileged son of a rich man, "he could never run away from his responsibility towards the needy. He knew too that to give, he must have. He chose to have in order to give. For this reason, Nyako has never had the ambition to accumulate wealth. For him, money is a means to an end; that end being, in both secular and sacerdotal sense, the good of those less fortunate than him." In May 1963 and on June 6, 1963 Nyako and Forbes Rudolph his school mate were formerly enlisted as officer cadets in the Royal Nigerian Navy. He attended the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, United Kingdom. He graduated from the college on July 27, 1966. Sadly, before Nyako finished his military training, turmoil engulfed Nigeria and the military had taken over the country. Five majors and a captain in the Nigerian Army, led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu had on January 15, 1966 staged a military coup against the administration of Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. The coup failed and the General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army, Major General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi was invited to temporarily administer Nigeria and restore order to the country. As head of state, Ironsi said the coup was a mutiny and ordered the arrest of the plotters. But they were never tried for their crime against the state. That was the first Northern grouse against Ironsi, forming among others grounds for a revenge coup seven months later. Seeing himself as a child of fate, Ironsi promulgated Decree 34 of May 24, 1966, better known as the Unification Decree. It abolished the federal system of government, replacing it with the unitary system. On July 29, 1966, Ironsi was overthrown and replaced by Col Yakubu Gowon. All his policies and decrees were repealed.

Do whatever it takes to win

By Bayo Ogunmupe There are many excuses people give for being late: it is one of the classic jokes Comedians tell. What you might not realize is that every time you come up with some excuse, other people resent it. Whenever you are late, deep down inside most people think that you must feel your time is more valuable than theirs. And that perhaps your plans are more important. You can see how this can kill any chance of your building any successful personal and professional relationships. Being late is one of the reasons why people feel you aren’t deserving their trust or respect. You might believe being late is just how you are. Though there is no denying that being late is a choice. You allowed yourself to be late. However, the most successful people in all areas of life uphold punctuality above all else. They value time, and always plan to arrive ahead of time. Great people would rather be ten minutes early than five minutes late. Those who value punctuality are less stressed and therefore are more insightful, creative and decisive. Success starts anew everyday, ensuring that punctuality remains a key focus and a great way to achieve greatness. Entrepreneurs as risk takers both in life and in business, understand that to succeed, they have to take life altering steps to reap huge rewards. Bad risks result from thoughtless and impulsive actions. An example of bad risk is doing an illegal thing just to save money or cut corners that endanger other people’s lives just to make a bigger profit. When you take calculated risks, you would naturally require background checks, historical data and statistical analysis before making any move. Such information gives you insight into people’s buying patterns, potential gains and profit projections to help you make your decision. In calculated risks, you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, maintain the parts of your business that are making profit while taking the risk to move your company forward. Never go for every opportunity presenting itself to you. Study each one carefully before taking a decision. You might go into debt for trying to grab every opportunity coming your way. Take the opportunity that is worth doing now, others can be done later. One of the riskiest part of doing business is expanding operations. Many factors affect expansion that companies are hesitant in tackling. One such factor is that the surging demand for your product may wane abruptly before even finishing expansion. So to expand you must study customer surveys, relying on statistical data to back up the need for expansion. Developing a new product is another risky venture. To grow your company, you must be willing to adapt to the changing world. A new product might not be well received by the public. If that happens, the time, money and effort expended would come to nothing. But you can still do it because as an entrepreneur this is the best way to move your company forward. To take such a calculated risk, you must take on market research. And you must evaluate feedback that is either positive or negative. Positive feedback will tell you what you are doing right, while the negative will help you fix what it is that you did wrong. When faced with advice whether to take the risks, try to listen to what your gut is telling you. Meditate and be silent as you listen to your intuition and your inner being. Many times, the best advice comes from within you. Risks are always part of life. To make huge gains, you must take calculated risks. Don’t be afraid to make leaps of faith, just ensure that you have the data, the resources and the strength to face the future. You might not always get what you want. But you will never know success if you didn’t try at all. Take a risk based on valid supporting data, not just on impulse. Trust your gut, your team and trust yourself to make the r

The chequered history of secession in Nigeria.

By Bayo Ogunmupe On July 1, 2021 members of the Department of State Security (DSS) without a search warrant or warrant of arrest raided the home of the human rights activist, Sunday Adeyemo Igboho in the Soka area of Ibadan the Oyo State capital. They could not arrest him for he had gone underground. But two people were killed and a couple of people were arrested and taken away to Abuja. Sunday Igboho was accused of promoting secession by his call for an independent Yoruba Nation to be carved out of Nigeria. Not long after he was declared wanted by the DSS. Sometime ago, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Adewale Akanbi issued a statement publicly offering to produce Igboho if the Federal Government would agree to a peace deal for the amicable resolution of the impasse. Though the media aide to Igboho had denied any moves to that level. Sadly, up till the time of writing, those arrested without warrant from Igboho’s house are still in detention without any hope of being given bail very soon. Worse still, on our visit to Egbedore Local Government area of Osun State Saturday, July 10, 2021 passengers on vehicles were being searched on the major roads in Oyo and Osun states. Though we were not told the reason, we as reporters believe the Police was looking for Sunday Igboho. Since about 1950, Nigerian politics has been riddled with issues of ethnic domination and the control political power and instruments of governance. Another concern of the tribes is the control of national economic power and mineral resources. It is therefore not surprising that the elite of tribal groups believe their interests are at stake in who becomes the President of the country. Which is why Nigerian history is replete with calls for secession. What we are seeing today isn’t knew. All the major political groups in Nigeria have resorted to this tactic since the 1950s. It was the leader of the Northern Peoples Congress, the premier of Northern Nigeria and the Sardauna of Sokoto Sir Ahmadu Bello who first referred to the amalgamation of Nigeria as “the mistake of 1914.” Then, he felt Southern leaders were unable to understand why they were unwilling to be rushed to independence. The North wasn’t ready to replace European domination with Southern domination. During the 1950 Ibadan Constitutional Conference where they decided the ratio of representation as 44:33:33 for the North, West and East. Northern politicians rejected the arrangement. There, the Emir of Zaria said their share must be 50 percent of the seats or they will secede from Nigeria. Subsequently, at the 1954 Lagos Constitutional Conference , It was the turn of the Action Group to demand that a secession clause be inserted in the Constitution. The demand was opposed by both the NPC and the NCNC. Following disagreements over census and the 1964 general election, in December 1964, the Premier of Eastern Nigeria, Dr Michael Okpara said that the East would secede with the Northern Premier responding that there was no secession clause in the Constitution. But Okpara went ahead by setting up a committee under his attorney general to work out modalities for a declaration of secession by Eastern Nigeria. Thus when Emeka Ojukwu finally decided to embark on secession years later, he had ready made plans waiting for him. Indeed within the regions too, there were calls for secession. In February 1964, a member of the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC) in the Northern House of Assembly, Isaac Shaahu declared that the Tiv people felt unwanted and threatened to pull out of the North and the federation as a whole. “We shall be a sovereign nation , we shall be joining nobody. We are 1,000,000 in population, bigger than Gambia and Mauritania.” Shaahu was reacting to perceived marginalization of the Tiv from the formal political process and excessive repression in Tiv land. The transition from threats to actual secession occurred on February 23, 1966 when Isaac Adaka Boro decided he was not ready to live in a Nigeria ruled by the Igbo. He therefore declared the independence of the Niger Delta Peoples Republic following the military coup that established General Ironsi as Nigerian Head of State. Boro had become distraught with Igbo domination of Eastern minorities. His republic lasted for only 12 days, the time it took the police to round-up his rag-tag army of 159 volunteers. Boro was released at the onset of the Nigerian civil war. He joined the federal side and was killed in battle in 1968, fighting for the liberation of Rivers State. In recent years, one of the epic battles was the June 12, 1993 presidential elections which was annulled just at the moment when it had become clear the Yoruba Muslim Moshood Abiola had won a landslide over Bashir Tofa a Kano Hausa Muslim. The South were convinced the North wanted to rule in perpetuity by sacrificing democracy to maintain themselves in power. The last of the secessionists is Nnamdi Kanu the protagonist of Independent People of Biafra (IPOB). The sad issue about Kanu is that he has been disowned by the people he is fighting for. And the Kanu, Igboho imbroglio is going to set agenda for the 2023 general election. There wouldn’t be much problem other than that a second ballot will determine the President in 2023. To CC / BCC Show Original Message

Ask and You shall receive

By Bayo Ogunmupe When God answers what you prayed for, you attain the achievers freedom. You achieve your heart's desires through goal setting. This is a necessary part of motivating yourself into taking action. As soon as you determine what you want in life, you plan to achieve that goal. To achieve set goals, you need discipline, hard work and time management skills. While setting a goal, you allow your imagination go wild. If you like to sail but don't own a boat your goal might be to set a goal to own your sailboat in five years. Goal setting is planning and implementation. A common theme of goal setting is the desire for financial freedom. Goal setting helps you focus on the positive aspects of work and achievement. My first goal was to acquire education and skills so I can get a job and make enough money to pay rent and buy food. My second goal was to make more money to build a house and invest in buying shares. For every goal there must be a plan in writing. Goal setting is a way to determine what you want from life and your plan to achieve it. Goal setting enables you achieve the things you want in life. This always includes areas of self improvement which will enhance your overall productivity that makes accomplishing your goal easier. In order to achieve my goals, I have undertaken lifelong learning through attending Creative Problem Solving Institute of the Creative Education Foundation in the United States. That enabled me become a published author. Also in my pursuit of excellence, I am embarking on studying Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. Goal setting requires you to determine what you want from your life on a daily basis. It brings you closer to the lifestyle required for you to gain what you truly desire. Goal setting is the secret of successful life. Successful people live intense, goal oriented lives by implementing the discipline of goal setting. Great people normally have goal setting written out statements or a list of clearly defined goals with specific measures to indicate when a specific goal has been achieved. Moreover, goal setting isn't a vague or generalized statement. Usually, goal setting is a principal way to ensure a successful life. Those who fail at goal setting are people that were not raised in a home where goal setting and achieving set goals was practised. They therefore did not learn the skill of goal setting as part of their upbringing. Often, people do not practise goal setting because they simply do not know how to go about it. A goal is distinctively different from a dream or a wish. It is clear, specific and set down in writing. A goal has measurable outcomes indicating in no uncertain terms when the goal will be achieved. There are people who have an inherent fear of failure. Such people don't set goals simply because they're afraid of failing ti achieve their goals. Unfortunately, failure cannot be avoided altogether. Failure must be seen as building blocks for a successful life and every failure moves you one step closer to living the success of your dreams. Closely linked to Fear of Failure is The Fear of Rejection. The fear of rejection in goal setting is rooted in the notion that when a person fails to achieve a specific goal, that person will be less acceptable to friends, family and peers. However, the key to implementing goal setting in this circumstance is to create a measure of confidentiality about your goals. You do not need to publicize anything about your personal goals. You should allow the result speak for itself when you do achieve your goals. Goal setting is an integral part of the life of great people. Living a goal oriented life assists in unlocking a positive mindset. This in turn releases the energy necessary to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal. Goal setting is therefore a master skill for a successful life. First reason why people fail at goal setting is when is when they set goals that do not create a vision of what they're trying to accomplish. Goals such as, "buy a new house" do not inspire action and doesn't give you a specific target to achieve. Two, if the goal you set does not allow you to measure your progress it will lead you to failure. Three, if the goals you set are too outlandish to achieve you are currying failure.Set achievable goals. Set good goals that make you learn, grow and challenge you to reach them. Good goals are those that are realistic and achievable. Four, set goals that are relevant to your life, time and community. Finally, you must set a timeframe for the achievement of your goal. If you set a goal that isn't time bound you are at risk of failure. Setting a timeframe to meet the goal forces you to take action. It also allows you to adjust your activities and make corrections along the way. If you have a goal for a dream vacation in June two years away. You can regularly check your progress and adjust as needed. But if you didn't set a timeframe and waited until you were ready, then you may be surprised by not having the money and have to delay your dream.

The Benefits of Goal Setting

By Bayo Ogunmupe Having failed at various points in my life, I decided to commit myself to the study of success. I read biographies, history of nations and bible characters to learn what works and what doesn't. I recommend this to you too, for it pays to study successful people. It also pays to take note of your own failures and the failures of others. Though mistakes and missteps are inevitable in life, failure often provides much benefit as success as long as you are paying attention. My study of successful achievement shows hundred percent of great people take full responsibility for their actions and decisions. Goal achievers invest their all: time, energy and financial resources in their goals. Many joined clubs, changed communities and organizations hired coaches and mentors in order to gain mastery over the art of goal setting. There are many identifiable ways goal setting benefits your life. Here are some landmark benefits of goal setting. One, it gains you greater peace of mind knowing you are wasting your life in the area of your chosen career. Consciously creating your destiny, living the life of your own design gives you much joy and happiness. Two, setting goals gives you clarity of purpose. The pursuit of goals gives your life greater meaning. People who actively and systematically pursue meaningful goals exude greater confidence and sense of purpose. Goals help us navigate our journey through life and are a reflection of who we are. Three, goals enable us gain greater productivity and focus. Focused people direct their day, instead of the day directing them. People with goals are less likely to waste their time on unimportant matters. When you know your outcome, you avoid distraction, you know where to invest your time and energy. Four, goal setting helps you achieve greater personal growth. Whenever you pursue a new goal outside your comfort zone, you contribute to your own personal growth and advancement. Pursuing goals stretches you, it enables you understand your strengths and weaknesses.And indeed, nothing in the world will give you a zest for life greater than consistent growth. Five, with this you attain a higher quality of life. Simply, people with goals get more out of life. Having a goal means you value your time and make the most of it. When you know what you want and have a plan to get there, the journey is a lot more fun than having neither plans nor goals. Goal setters are happier and more fulfilled. When you are happy, you love and care for yourself better and you give more of yourself to the people you love. Since like attracts like, happy people attract happiness to others. Six, when you have a goal and are pursuing it, you attract a higher quality peer group who can help you. people with goals attract other people with goals of their own. And by the law of association, you become like the people you hang out with. Seven, goals increase your self confidence and self esteem. When you are committed to a goal and invest the very best of yourself to it, you gain greater confidence and self esteem regardless of success or failure in its attainment. People without goals never venture outside of their comfort zones, they sell themselves short therefrom. Eight, by having goals you contribute to the good of others. Whether or not you know it, someone is looking up to you. Like your children, they are sponges, absorbing the words you speak and the actions you take. Your behaviour serves as model to the people around you. It could be your sibling, coworker or the kid down the street, someone is fashioning himself out in your model. Thus, as you are acting out a goal, you are a shining example of one who is moving towards realizing his full potential in life. Whenever you are pursuing a goal, you are inspiring others to do likewise. Nine, goals help you become a better person. Never set goals for what you can gain, set goals for what they will make you; set goal for what you become along the way, the opinion leader you become in society. When you have goals and follow through, you develop the skill of overcoming obstacles. People who follow through on their goals develop inner strengths and unshakeable characters. But people without goals never discover how great they can become. They never awaken their dormant gifts and talents. Finally, here comes the greatest benefit of setting goals: each individual goal you set brings its own unique positive benefit to your life. Setting goals gives you the clarity, the motivation and the fuel to overcome obstacles all the way through to the completion of your goals. If you cannot visualize and revel in the completion of your goal you had better not set forth in the first place.

The global framework to manage climate

The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has released the first draft of its new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. It outlines action plans to protect, restore and sustainably manage nature (climate) and transform society’s relationship with the natural world. Here are some things Nigeria’s Minister for the Environment to note about the Framework. Climate action failure, biodiversity loss, and infectious diseases counted as the top three risks in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report. It is imperative that leaders and citizens alike adopt a systematic view for the economic and societal transformation needed today so we can build the world we want to inhabit in 2030. In 2015, world leaders came together for an ambitious commitment on fighting climate change to keep the world on a 1.5C pathway. In addition to governments that committed to the Paris Agreement, businesses aligned their plans and commitments to this vision. Companies with a combined revenue of over $11.4 trillion (more than half of US GDP), are now pursuing net zero emissions by the end of the century or 2050. Have you read about three ways to work with nature to boost biodiversity? How investing in nature can help tackle the biodiversity and climate crises. A similar public-private ambition is needed as leaders come together in Kunming, China, for agreeing on the post-2020 Global Diversity Framework. Earlier this July, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat released its first draft of the framework, inviting input and engagement from all sectors of society. Businesses have an especially important role to play in fighting biodiversity loss and ensuring continued ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, clean water and food security. Here are five things you need to know about the Global Diversity Framework. One, the 2011-2020 Aichi Plan failed to achieve a single biodiversity target. Over the past two years, scientists, experts and government officials have been working on a framework to be adopted in Kunming China at the UN CBD COP15 that will set targets on how we manage nature through to 2030. While the targets, like Paris Agreement, are not binding for businesses- they signal the government ambition and prioritization of activities to fight the crisis of biodiversity loss. By aligning their strategy and operations to the framework, businesses secure their future as they all rely on climate and its ecosystem services. For example, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization more than three quarters of the world’s food crops rely at least partially on pollination, and global crop production, with an annual market value of between $235 billion and $577 billion, at risk. Two, governments must stop the use of public money to harm public good. Governments around the world have provided about $530 billion per year in public subsidies and market price support for farmers, but only 15 percent of these incentives support sustainable outcomes, while the majority may spur the overuse of fertilisers, among other perverse effects. Target 18 of the Framework commits governments to redirect, repurpose, reform or eliminate incentives harmful for biodiversity in a just way by at least $500 billion per year across the sectors. Three, business impact and dependence on nature. Target 15 of the framework asks all business to assess and report on their dependencies and impact on biodiversity, reducing their negative impact at least by half. The G7 finance ministers have endorsed the launch of the Taskforce on the Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) which has triggered many big financial services and investor companies to strengthen the reporting on biodiversity similar to climate mandated by TNFD. Which means the cost of capital for any businesses not conducting a materiality assessment against nature will significantly suffer. Four, climate financing: Target 19 of the framework asks for increased financial resources to at least $200 billion per year, with at least $10 billion increase to developing countries. According to the State of Finance for Nature report, a total investment in nature of $8.1 trillion is required by 2050 to tackle the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss, and land degradation. Currently, private finance accounts for only 14 percent of climate based solutions. There is both a need and potential to grow this by valuing natural capital just the way that we value financial, physical and human capital. Strengthening market mechanisms to help fight climate change and nature loss, China launched its national carbon emission trading scheme recently with $32 million changing hands. Another example is HSBC launch of an asset management venture with the ambition to increase the world’s largest dedicated natural capital asset management company. Unilever announced its Euro 1 billion Nature and Climate fund. Finally, withal is the positive ambition loop of government policies and business leadership. The framework is the first draft and there is scope to be more ambitious and create a truly transformative framework by adopting a clear and ambitious goal for nature to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 and create a climate positive world. This global goal is called for by many non- state actors and recognized by over 88 heads of state in the Leaders Pledge for Nature. If adopted in the framework, it would send a strong signal to the business community that regulatory change is coming and business as usual isn’t an option anymore. Therefore, encouraging the uptake of climate-positive business models and the redirection of investments and business decision-making processes around the protection, restoration and sustainable use of nature and natural resources. The UN CBD Secretariat is now inviting inputs from businesses and civil society organizations to ensure a cross- sectoral implementation and public-private resources. Business For Nature is joining up business across sectors and geographies to input into the first draft. Over 900 companies have signed up to the call for action”Nature is Everyone’s Business,”signaling to governments to advance ambitious policies for positive economies.