The Federal Government on Sunday disclosed that 55,000 licensed doctors are in the country to attend to the growing population of patients following the exodus of health professionals to hospitals and health facilities abroad.

It said in the last five years, the country lost about 15,000 to 16,000 doctors to the Japa syndrome while about 17,000 had been transferred.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, disclosed these when he featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Pate, who said the brain drain syndrome has robbed the health sector of its best hands, affirmed that the government is doing its best to expand the training scheme and motivate others who chose to stay back and serve their fatherland.

The brain drain phenomenon, otherwise known as ‘Japa’, has seen a generation of young doctors, health workers, tech entrepreneurs and a number of professionals abandoned Nigeria for greener pasture abroad.

But the minister reiterated that though there are 300,000 health professionals in Nigeria, only 55,000 of them are doctors.

He said, “There are about 300,000 health professionals working in Nigeria today in all cadres. I am talking about doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and others. We did an assessment and discovered we have 85,000 to 90,000 registered Nigerian doctors. Not all of them are in the country. Some are in the Diaspora, especially in the US and UK. But there are 55,000 licensed doctors in the country.

“The issue overall, in terms of health professionals, is that they are not enough. They are insufficient in terms of the skills mix. Can you believe most of the high skilled professional doctors are in Lagos, Abuja and a few urban centres? There is a huge distribution issue.

“The population of doctor overall is about 7,600 doctors in Lagos and 4,700 or thereabout in Abuja. The doctor to population ratio in Abuja is 14.7 per 10,000 population. These are numbers that you can verify. In Lagos, it is about 4.6, even though the average is 2.2 by 10,000.

“There are huge distributional issues and they are, of course, the opportunities even for some of those who have been trained to get into the market. So you have to look at it from a perspective that is holistic. Not only doctors but other cadres that are important in the delivery of health care. For doctors, we have been losing many that have been trained.”

Continuing, Pate emphasised that since the oxygen of any serious health sector is its human resource, Nigeria cannot afford to continue losing its best brains to the developed countries.

He however admitted that the Japa syndrome is a global phenomenon that equally affects other countries like India and Pakistan.

According to him, the country has lost about 16,000 doctors to brain drain in the past five years.

“Now to the Japa you talked about, it is not only limited to Nigeria. It is a global phenomenon. Other countries don’t have enough. They are asking to take more. It is not only in Nigeria. It is happening in India, Philippines and other parts of Africa. In the last five years, we have lost about 15,000 to 16,000 and about 17,000 had been transferred. We’re barely managing. That’s why expanding their training will become logical. The same thing with nurses and midwives; they are also leaving. That’s why expanding the training is important to ensure those still around are well trained.

“But there are also thousands more, which is what I was trying to hint at, who are here. And despite the opportunity to travel abroad did not leave and we don’t appreciate them. I’ll give you an example. The head of the ICU at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, a very brilliant gentleman. I met him in December and he said, ‘Four of my colleagues have left’ and I asked to know why he has not left. He said ‘Look, this is my country. I want to serve because health is a sector where there’s inherent motivation in those who select to go in there.’ People don’t just go in there because they want to have a job. They go because they’re intrinsically motivated and we have to recognise and tap into that.

“We are beginning to take steps to expand the training and work environment, taking some steps to encourage salaries and incomes commission to do certain things that will encourage them to feel at home. But even the issue of working hours that has come about recently, particularly for the junior doctors, is being addressed.”

“We are beginning to take steps to expand the training and work environment, taking some steps to encourage salaries and incomes commission to do certain things that will encourage them to feel at home. But even the issue of working hours that has come about recently, particularly for the junior doctors, is being addressed. This is because when some of their colleagues leave and they remain at home, the burden has not reduced. And so they work extremely hard. We’ve listened to that. We are looking at how we can alleviate that and with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, we are looking at how within the code of ethics and the guidelines for the physician to provide some safeguards to ensure they are treated as valuable assets so they are not burnt out,” he said.

The lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Bello El-Rufai, has acknowledged that the Labour Party (LP) 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is a brilliant individual.

He disclosed that he had had the opportunity to interact with Obi on a flight and discuss with him.

In his words, “I’ve flown next to Governor Peter Obi, probably he won’t even remember. I was going to Wales when I did my A-levels.

“I was impressed by his simplicity. Other Governors were flying first class, he was in business, don’t ask me why I was in business but I was there.

“I picked his brain and stuff. I was a kid, probably 18, I don’t think he’s a bad man, that’s not what I’m saying.”

However, he submitted that judging by governance, Lagos is more developed than Anambra, and Peter Obi is not on the same level as former Governor Babatunde Fashola or his father, Nasir El-Rufai.

Speaking further, the younger El-Rufai said he doesn’t believe in political messiahs.

According to him, “You know we followed (former) President Buhari thinking he could solve the problem. My issue with what is going on in the Labour Party is they believe one person can solve this problem; it’s not going to work that way; this is a collective effort.”

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Dr. Aminu Maida, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) “to immediately revoke the apparently unlawful directive to network providers to bar the phone lines of millions of Nigerians who have linked their SIM cards to their National Identification Numbers (NINs).”

SERAP also urged him to “restore the phone lines of these Nigerians, and to urgently establish a mechanism for effective consultation to provide Nigerians who are yet to link their SIM cards to their NINs with the appropriate support and infrastructure and adequate time and opportunity to do so.”

The Commission had recently ordered telecommunications companies to bar the phone lines of millions of citizens including those who allegedly “did not submit a good NIN or didn’t get a cleared or verified NIN by February 28.”

In the letter dated 9 March 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “The directive to the network providers to bar Nigerians who have linked their SIM cards to their NINs is an appalling violation of citizens’ rights to freedom of expression, information and privacy.”

SERAP said, “No agency has the right to strip the citizens of their basic constitutional rights under the guise of failing to properly link their SIM cards with their NINs or failing to do so timeously.”

According to SERAP, “The blocking of phone lines of Nigerians must only be a last resort measure, and strictly in line with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], international human rights and due process safeguards.”

The letter, read in part: “The arbitrary barring of people’s phone lines is never a proportionate measure as it imposes disastrous consequences and severely hinders the effective enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights.”

“Blanket measures of barring the phone lines of millions of Nigerians are inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties to which the country is a state party.”

“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel the NCC to comply with our request in the public interest.”

“The arbitrary directive and the barring of the phone lines are extreme measures which must meet the strict legal requirements of legality, necessity and proportionality.”

“The NCC has also apparently failed to conduct an impact assessment of these extreme measures in order to avoid their arbitrary or excessive effects. These extreme measures go against the regulatory objectives of the Nigerian Communications Act and violate Nigerians’ fundamental human rights.”

“The NCC has clearly failed to abide by the Nigerian Constitution, human rights standards, democratic processes, the rule of law and due process safeguards.”

“There is no legal justification for the arbitrary barring of phone lines of millions of Nigerians, especially those who have linked their SIM cards with their NINs.”

“The directive by the NCC to telecommunications providers to bar the phone lines of Nigerians who have linked their SIM cards with their NINs amounts to unlawful, unnecessary, unjustifiable and disproportionate restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, information and privacy.”

“The NCC has a direct responsibility to respect the rights to freedom of expression, information and privacy and to take effective measures to protect these fundamental human rights against attacks by third parties such as network providers.”

“The NCC cannot use the pretext of responding to the security crisis in the country by adopting unlawful restrictions on constitutionally and internationally guaranteed human rights.”

“Any restriction on the rights to freedom of expression, information and privacy must meet the three-part test under international human rights law, namely that it is provided for by law, it serves to protect a legitimate interest recognised under international law and it is necessary to protect that interest.”

“The directive by the NCC fails to meet these requirements. Any suspension of the telephone lines of Nigerians who have linked their SIM cards with their NINs would not be justified in the context of the rights to information and privacy.”

“The use of these telephone lines by Nigerians would pose no risk to any definite interest in national security or public order.”

“The rights to freedom of expression, information and privacy are essential for the enjoyment of other human rights and freedoms and constitute a fundamental pillar for building a democratic society and strengthening democracy.”

“A democratic government based on the rule of law is one that is responsible to its citizenry and seeks to represent their interests. Barring the telephone lines of Nigerians has continued to have a chilling effect on the enjoyment of their other human rights.”

“The directive is also patently contrary to the objectives of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as contained in Sections 1[g] and 4(1)(b) of the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, which is to ‘protect and promote the rights and interest of consumers within Nigeria.’”

“Under the Nigerian Constitution and human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party, the NCC has a legal responsibility to ensure and protect Nigerians’ rights to freedom of expression, information and privacy.”

“According to our information, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has issued a directive to telecommunications providers to bar Nigerians who previously linked their SIM cards to their National Identification Numbers (NINs).”

“According to the NCC, ‘people who probably didn’t get a cleared or verified NIN’ have been barred because the earlier ones they submitted were not good.’ The NCC also reportedly issued a directive to telecom service providers to bar subscribers who have failed to link their phone numbers to their NIN by February 28, 2024.”

“Over 40 million telephone lines have reportedly been barred allegedly for failing to link their SIM cards to their NINs, and face the risk of being forfeited. The NCC has threatened that ‘If the barred lines are not acted upon in the next 180 days, they won’t be able to receive calls but will only be able to text and make calls.’”

“Over 70 million bank account holders face the risk of being barred from accessing their accounts.”

“Section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression. Article 19(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishes the right to freedom of opinion without interference.”

“The Human Rights Committee has in fact emphasized that limitations or restrictions should be applied strictly so that they do ‘not put in jeopardy the right itself.’”

“Directing telecommunications providers to arbitrarily bar the telephone lines of Nigerians is also clearly inconsistent and incompatible with the provisions of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.”

Barely one month after an Abuja Grade ‘A’ court convicted a CBT owner for examination misconduct, a Federal High Court sitting in Akure, has found an undergraduate of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba, guilty of impersonation and examination malpractice during the 2023 UTME.

The presiding judge, Hon. Justice T. Adegoke, in a judgement delivered on Monday, 5th March, 2024, found the defendant, Adesuyi Feranmi,

guilty on a two-count charge of conspiracy and examination impersonation. Consequently, Justice Adegoke sentenced the defendant to one-year imprisonment each on count one and two respectively. The sentence would run concurrently.

The court also gave the convict an option of fine of N100,000 on the first charge and another option of fine of N100,000 on the second to make a total of N200,000.

Adesuyi, 29 years, was apprehended on April 28th, 2023, at Amable Nig. Ltd., CBT Centre, Owo, during the 2023 UTME in Ondo State while impersonating one Sanusi Tunde at the point of biometric verification exercise.

Following his admission of wrongdoing, he was handed over to security operatives for further investigation and his eventual arraignment.

According to the charge list, Adesuyi had committed an offence of examination malpractice and felony contrary to Section 10 of the Examination Malpractices Act, Cap E15, LFN 2004, and punishable under Section 3(2)(c) of the Examination Malpractice Act, Cap E15 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Personnel of the Armed Forces, Department of State Services, Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have killed 20 Indigenous People of Biafra’s fighters in the Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State.

Also in the joint operation which was conducted on March 7, the security operatives destroyed 50 of their camps.

Among the camps destroyed included the IPOB’s Supreme Headquarters, Command and Control Centre, and Military Council Headquarters.

The operation is the second conducted in the same Local Government since the beginning of the month and the third in the state.

Punch Anniversary Lecture: Guest Speaker, Prof. Wole Soyinka Delivers On Recovering The Narrative0.00 / 0.00

On March 5, Personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy killed five fighters IPOB fighters during a gun battle that occurred at Ejemekuru in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State.

Also, on March 2, troops killed an IPOB fighter after a fierce gun duel and recovered three Improvised Explosive Devices, one Toyota Highlander SUV, one Hilux vehicle, and eight rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition, among others from their hideouts.

However, in a statement on Sunday, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba said the troops came in contact with many Improvised Devices planted by the fighters and ditches along the axis to the camps.

Buba added that the fighters’ hideouts were well concealed with foliage that prevented them from being sighted during air surveillance.

The statement read, “On March 7, 2024, the combined troops of Operation Udo Ka with Nigeria Police, Department of State Security Service, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps conducted a raid/clearance operations to the IPOB/ESN violent extremists/terrorists in Mother Valley, Orsu LGA of Imo State.

“The team cleared about 50 IPOB/ESN hideout tents in the valley including terrorists’ Supreme Headquarters and their Command and Control Centre as well as its Military Council Headquarters.

“Troops also, cleared Buteuzor’s hideout/residence office, logistic base, temple, and shrine. The hideouts were well concealed with foliage that afforded the criminals cover from air surveillance to prevent monitoring and detection.

“The Valley had sufficient power supply for the camps. The terrorists hibernated there, reared animals, and also owned farms to be self-sustaining to live and fight. During the operations, troops also encountered several command IEDs and ditches along the axis of the camp.”

Buba stated that the ditches dug by the fighters were covered and the IEDs detonated.

He noted that in the fight that ensued after making contact with the fighters, 20 of them were killed and several weapons were recovered from them.

Buba said, “All were detonated and ditches were covered with excavators before reaching the camp. The location is identified to be the supreme headquarters, command, and control centre as well as the Military Council Headquarters of IPOB/ESN.

“During the operations, troops made contact with terrorists. Following a firefight, troops neutralised 20 terrorists and recovered several quantities of assorted weapons such as G3 rifles, AK47 rifles, auto pump action guns, double barrel guns, locally made pistols, and RPG bombs.

“Troops also recovered assorted ammunition which included 226 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 216 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 172 live cartridges, 4 AK47 magazines, and 3 G3 magazines. Other items recovered include several quantities of IEDs (OGBUNIGWE), POS devices, baofeng radios, mobile phones, handheld IEDs, CCTV cameras, inverters, and batteries. Additional items include Biafra flags amongst others.”

Buba also said shallow graves were spread across the IPOB fighters’ camps, accusing them of being involved in ritual killings.

“Troops destroyed all camps, hideouts, and shrines in the location. The location was also littered with shallow graves indicative of Idol worshipping and ritual killings. The ritual killings at the camp account for the several cases of missing persons in the region.

“The recovered items are being processed and analysed for their intelligence value. Nevertheless, troops are sustaining the momentum and going in pursuit of the terrorist and their cohorts, dislodging them from their enclaves,” the statement added.

On 23 February, 2023, the Nigeria Customs Service embarked on the distribution of 25kg bags of rice to indigent Nigerian citizens in the Lagos Area at its Zonal Headquarters in Yaba, Lagos State. The exercise was marred by a stampede which claimed the lives of seven persons. The tragic incident led to the imediate suspension of the food disposal initiative by the Nigeria Customs Service. 

It is sad to note that the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service have not deemed it fit to identify the bereaved families of the deceased and commiserate with them. As a matter the deceased persons have been blamed for their "impatience". According to the spokesperson for the Customs, Mr. Abdullahi Maiwada, “At a point, they decided to be impatient. When we saw the crowd, we even suspended the collection of forms and said, ‘Let’s give them free’. We did that, we exhausted everything. After exhausting everything and we told them everything had finished, and that they could go, that we didn’t have any more, they persisted. Some of them broke the fence of that place. We had to put some barricades to cover the area. Some of them went and entered the container."

Since it is common knowledge that similar distribution of food items to poor people had recorded stampede in the recent past, the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service must accept full responsibility for the blatant negligence that led to the avoidable death of the seven citizens. Since a bag of rice was selling for N77,000 at the material time, it ought to have occurred to the Nigeria Customs Service that its Zonal Headquarters in Yaba would not be able to contain the crowd that had been invited to purchase a 25kg bag of rice at N10,000.

Therefore, the authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service should take urgent steps to identify the bereaved families of the seven deceased citizens with a view to paying them adequate monetary compensation. However, if our advice is ignored by the authorities, we shall not hesitate to approach the Federal High Court to enforce the fundamental right of each of the deceased persons to life as guaranteed by section 33 of the Nigerian Constitution and article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. 

Furthermore, the Nigeria Customs Service should lift the suspension of the distribution of the remaining bags of rice without any further delay. To avoid another stampede, the distribution should be carried out through the appropriate local government councils and local government development areas in Lagos State and other States of the Federation. 

Femi Falana SAN,

The Chair, 

Alliance on Surviving Covid 19 and Beyond (ASCAB)

The lawmaker representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Bello El-Rufai, in an enlightening conversation with Seun Okinbaloye on Saturday, shared insights into the sentiments of his father, the former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, regarding his recent ministerial nomination by President Bola Tinubu.

According to Bello, his father had no initial desire for a ministerial position and viewed the Senate’s rejection of his nomination as a loss of an effective administrator for Nigeria.

Bello disclosed that it required significant persuasion from him and other family members to convince Nasir El-Rufai to accept the ministerial nomination offered by President Tinubu.

This revelation came to light following the Senate’s decision in August to confirm only 45 out of the 48 ministerial nominees presented by the President, excluding El-Rufai, Stella Okotete from Delta, and Sani Danladi from Taraba.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio stated that the three unconfirmed nominees would undergo further security checks, advising those not confirmed to seek redress with the President.

This decision has sparked discussions on the criteria for ministerial appointments and the implications of the Senate’s rejections on the administration’s ability to assemble a competent team.

Expressing his disappointment, Bello El-Rufai remarked on the setback his father’s rejection represented, not only for their family but for the country at large.

He emphasized the potential contributions Nasir El-Rufai could have made to the nation, leveraging his vast experience and administrative prowess.

He said, “I was in the National Assembly when my father’s nomination was rejected. It was very disappointing and still is. Myself, the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, and one of my father’s commissioners, Mr Hafiz Bayero, played a key role in convincing my father to work with this current government.

“He (Nasir) didn’t want it. It’s hard for Nigerians to believe it because they feel it is everyone in Nigeria who wants to be a minister.

“To be fair to him, he didn’t want the job. We convinced him that, with the antecedents of Asiwaju, he would create an excellent team as he did in Lagos.

“The President wanted to work with him. It was clear when he came to Kaduna. We also had an idea of what his portfolio would be. It was meant to be power and gas. He insisted to the President in private that Nigeria would not sort its electricity issue if gas was not put under the other components of power.

“The irony is that nothing has been rougher than the lack of power in the last two weeks. I’m disappointed because Nigeria lost an effective administrator in my father, one who is willing to make difficult decisions to solve a problem.”

Bello, further said many Nigerians do not really know his father.

He said, “My father is a very simple person who’s been stereotyped a lot. I got a video of him where people say this or that about him without even knowing him.

“My father does not go out of his way to change what people think about him. He doesn’t really care.

“There’s a perception that he’s anti-Christian. But, the closest person to him since we (children) were four years old was a man from Cross River State, Peter Jones.

“Religion is personal to us. As minister of the Federal Capital Territory, he demolished mosques. The imam said he hated Islam. He demolished churches and the Christians said he hated Christians. Maybe, it is the wrong imams and pastors who have issues, not him.”

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The Kaduna lawmaker added that his father was highly flawed in many ways.

Former Super Eagles technical adviser, Jo Bonfrere has endorsed Emmanuel Amuneke for the team’s vacant coaching job.

The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, declared the position vacant following the expiration of Jose Peseiro’s contract.

Peseiro was in charge of the three-time African for 22 months.

The Portuguese guided the West Africans to second position at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Amuneke, who is one of the coaches favoured to take over from Peseiro confirmed he has already applied for the job.

Bonfrere believes Amuneke has what it takes to lead the Super Eagles.

“Yes, I agree Nigeria needs a local coach at the moment. Not a foreigner,” Bonfrere told VON.

“But the country will have everything to gain if the authorities should appoint Emmanuel Amuneke for the job. I know him very well.

“He has a very strong mentality. He has the discipline and technical savvy to achieve results. In fact, if the Federation calls me to provide technical backup to Amuneke, I will gladly accept the task.”

Dey your dey

Make I dey my dey

Dey your dey o

Nobody worry nobody

Kpekele kpekem

Dey your dey

My brother dey your dey

Make I dey my dey

Dey your dey o

Nobody worry nobody

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, said Nigeria should break up if the path would solve the country’s challenges. Soyinka said this at the PUNCH Newspapers’ 50th-anniversary lecture held in Lagos recently.

Delivering his lecture titled ‘Recovering the Narrative’, Soyinka said Nigeria should decentralise for Nigerians to enjoy the country more.

The elder statesman said decentralisation would allow governance to get closer to the people, adding that it was high time for leaders to stop taking Nigerians for a ride.

“I know the fear. The fear is collapse, break up. That’s been the excuse given by several regimes. But suppose the nation is breaking up informally, in other words as a fact rather than as a theory. Then, you better just address this. Come straight on and see exactly what happened. What is wrong with general representatives seeing them and saying this is the protocol of our association, Anything outside of it? Anyone who does not want to accept these protocols, abide by these protocols and manifest these protocols in the act should take a walk. I have no problem at all.

“We live in what is known as the nation beginning as a vast football field ending up as a ping pong table. If that is going to restore dignity to citizens. If that is going to guarantee three square meals a day then so be it. One of my favourite expressions with people is “Let nations die, that humanity may live.”

He explained that while Nigerian politicians know the importance of restructuring, they change their tune when they get to power.

He said, “What do you mean by restructuring? Well, I don’t even like the word restructuring. I prefer expressions like reconfiguration and decentralisation. And those who lead, recognise the necessity of it. They recognise the importance, almost the inevitability of it…

“It’s about time, I think leaders stopped taking this nation for a ride, you know, we must decentralise. Security, you know, has become a burden to bear. Decentralised so that the government can come closer to the people, and productivity can really be manifested as a product of citizens, not simply as a manna from heaven.”

In the same vein, Mr Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, has said that Nigeria’s current constitution would not adequately address the nation’s economic predicaments and other myriad challenges. Anyaoku spoke to newsmen in his country home, Obosi village of Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

He said the current challenges being faced in the nation like poverty, insecurity, and dilapidated infrastructure, among others, were serious challenges bedevilling the country.

“We cannot effectively address these challenges that have assumed nationwide dimension, especially insecurity which has pervaded the Northern part of the country and other communities,” he said. He stressed that the current constitution was a departure from the constitution that the nation’s founding fathers negotiated and agreed upon.

“I am on record for saying that these challenges cannot be effectively addressed under the constitution and governance system we have at the moment.

“The constitution for a pluralistic state as Nigeria; we have to return to those principles of the constitution as earlier agreed by our founding fathers. “Until we do that, I am afraid that we cannot effectively deal with the challenges facing the nation,” he added.

Now, let us get to the underground (In Fela’s voice)

I will pick randomly, in Benue, it is the Tiv versus the Idomas vs others, in Kogi it is the Igbiras versus Igalas, in some cases it has even degenerated to no Catholic has ruled our state, and in others we cannot allow the Muslims to continue.

None of these debates has brought the much-needed development for a nation that is so structurally divided.

Because we are structurally deformed we check how many SE, SW, SS (which by the way is an anomaly), NE, NW, NE are on a list before we check whether they are qualified. We still suffer a COVID-like disease called Federal Character in a characterless state, still plagued by terms such catchment area, educationally disadvantaged (by who abeg)

We pride ourselves by our state of origin, yet are minorities in many cases in the so-called state. We debate which region is poorest, and which feeds the other. A nation of an elite and intellectual class conspiracy against the ordinary citizens and themselves.

We keep amending our constitutions and reviewing them since forever. We stay on our high horses and cry restructure like in that one pill is the local Yoruba “agbo” that cures all ailments. We speak to decentralization, to a people that have not allowed the local government system work, we recommend a shift to the parliamentary system of old like if we go back, spirits would operate it.

Nigerians remind me so much of what deep thinkers men are…and permit me to share this.

I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and the drink facilitated some deep thinking.

My wife walked by and asked me what I was doing and I said ‘nothing’. The reason I said that instead of saying ‘just thinking’ is because she would have said ‘about what’. At that point, I would have to explain that men are deep thinkers about various topics, which would lead to other questions.

Finally, I thought about an age-old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts.

Well, after another beer, and some heavy deductive thinking, I have come up with the answer to that question. Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby; and here is the reason for my conclusion. A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, “It might be nice to have another child.” On the other hand, you never hear a guy say, “You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts.” I rest my case.

Time for another beer…but before I pop it open

In sincerity have we really allowed the current skewed federal structure to work, with bogus census figures, with criminal politicians, is it about systems, structures or those that work it. If today we have a feeding bottle federal fiscal structure, do we expect much difference or will it be a Seven-up case when we restructure.

Let me end with this little narrative, a young man chose to change his name for reasons best suited and known by himself alone. For small money, he walks into the High Court, swears to an affidavit, that reads, “I, Zakka Davou Dangwang, Nigerian citizen, Adult residing at XYZ, deponent to the oath, and by virtue of positions (that I know he’s not conversant with), changes the said name to Zakka Azi Nyam, all documents/credentials bearing old names remains valid.” He even adds a newspaper change of name publication.

What has changed? The young dude is still who he is…in reality all those calling for restructuring are the same elites that have refused to restructure the structure, especially when they had the opportunity. Nigeria, Nigerians are not yet sure what they want, to restructure, or to structure the restructuring, or to make structures work—May Nigeria win.

If life be long, I will be glad
That I may long obey;
If short, then why should I be sad
To soar to endless day?

And so it was for Herbert, the sun set at noon.

I wrote most of this tribute while on the flight back from China to attend Herbert’s funeral.  My mood had shifted from the initial shock and devastation to that of grieving and a deep sense of loss of a friend who had become my brother.  To that of thanksgiving to the Almighty, for the gift of Herbert in the first instance to his family and friends, his staff at Access Holdings and for his extraordinary accomplishments, for his energy and drive, his vision and mission, passion and compassion, his industry, and his humanity.

Yet the tributes have hardly relented and have only grown more intense as time has passed. It is almost like the kind of treatment reserved for kings and statesmen. Except, one can say that, for Herbert, the subject of our grief was the de-facto Prince of the banking industry, and he was a man who did extraordinary things with the ordinary things that he found in his life’s path.

Herbert had the audacity to dream. He dreamt big and made it happen.
Herbert and I were friends but not particularly close until he decided it was time to conquer the Pensions Industry. He reached out to me through our mutual friend – Nduka Obaigbena with the intention of acquiring my PFA. What started as a pure business relationship, deepened into a close friendship. He was regularly in my house, if I was in Lagos, I would call him and his response was “you dey house, I dey come”, and he would always be coming from Aliko’s house (so I can understand Aliko’s tears and deep sense of loss).

He was a financial whiz kid, indeed a colossus, who straddled the financial services industry, redefining it in his own unique way. Herbert has been described as a “visionary”. Literally, he and Aigboje set out with a vision to make Access Bank one of the top banks in Nigeria. They took over a bank of very modest reputation and swiftly turned it into a formidable national financial services behemoth and is now transforming into a global conglomerate. Not satisfied with turning Access Bank into one of the top five banks in the country, they then set out to make the bank one of the top banks in Africa by 2027. Already, by January 2024, Access Bank had acquired six banks across western, southern, and central African regions.

In their days running Access Bank, Aigboje and Herbert earned reputations as taskmasters. (Aigboje describes it, in his 2021 memoir, as “our fabled work ethic”). Critics saw them as willing to go to any lengths to achieve whatever they sought. The landmark takeover of Intercontinental Bank in 2011 — which tripled their customer base — was believed to be a hostile, even ruthless, one. Not uncommon allegations, admittedly, at that level of performance. Similarly, the merger repositioned the Nigerian banking sector on the African continent as the combined entity had the potential of ranking amongst Africa’s top 10 banks according to The Bankers’ Magazine’s review of top African banks.

Ironically, Herbert’s most telling impact was not just about the mergers and acquisitions or about his corporate conquests. It was not in the number of businesses or branches in his fledging conglomerate. When Access Bank bought Diamond Bank in 2018, the resulting entity became the biggest lender in Africa by customer base. It means that the bank lent to more people and entities than any other financial institution on the continent. It also meant that the bank became a leading provider of capital to the private sector, particularly MSMEs in the continent.

Selling the PFA to Herbert was an easy decision for me. We had grown it to the point where I was convinced that we needed an institutional investor that could drive the business effectively to compete against Stanbic IBTC. There were more than 10 suitors out of which I zeroed down to only 2, Access and GTB. During his tribute on Wednesday night, Segun Agbaje mentioned that Herbert was his friend and at the same time, his competitor, he meant every word of that. Segun also wanted to buy the same PFA. He pleaded with me not to sell to Herbert, but Herbert won at the end. Herbert assured me that he could compete against Stanbic. He was emphatic that he would enter the market with at least N1 trillion assets under management. He was able to quickly achieve this by acquiring First Guarantee Pensions and Sigma Pensions in quick succession, Herbert was in too much of a hurry to grow any business organically, his preference was for mergers and acquisitions (Buy then Build). He then set his sights on Premium Pensions, the second largest in the industry. We both worked relentlessly on this, my assignment was to engage the two major blocks in Premium Pensions. When the infighting in Premium got messy, Herbert quickly turned his sights in the direction of ARM Pensions and engaged his friend Deji Alli and the rest is history. In a couple of months, he was able to enter the industry with assets under management of over N2 trillion. Vintage Herbert.

Much has also been said about Herbert’s state-of-the-art university in his Isiokpo hometown. In truth, the university is no ordinary one. Like all things Herbert, the institution has grand visions to close Africa’s skills gap in finance and technology, and ultimately to help shape Africa’s future.

Again, just like everything else that Herbert conceived and executed, the University was neither a whim nor a product of purposeless ambition. He got me involved in this project as well, my specific assignment was to get the license out from the National Universities Commission (NUC). The executive secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed was a member of the board of trustees of The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) which I chaired. The university bears the mark of an important part of Herbert’s bigger vision. The institution is a product of the HOW (Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe) Foundation, which he founded in 2016 to support health, education, and capacities of young people. The university, billed as the first Ivy League institution in Africa, came straight out of the foundation’s five-year strategic plan to provide quality education and shape the future of education in the continent. This may sound very idealistic. But then who would have put their money on Herbert and his partner taking a small bank that ranked outside the top fifty in the country and turned it into the biggest lender on the continent?

The objective of the university, not surprisingly, is to build expertise of Africans in finance and technology. It is very obvious, therefore, that the university’s goal and outlook synch almost seamlessly with Herbert’s triple passions in finance, technology and human capacity.

In itself, The Wigwe Foundation is another testimonial of a life driven by not one, but multiple visions, each amplifying the essence of the other. In just five years, the foundation had trained dozens of Nigerian doctors abroad, funded the education of thousands of out-of-school children in northern Nigeria, and supported the operations of health facilities.

From his banking legend to the other sectors in which he has affected society and broken the boundaries of possibilities, Herbert has operated like a human force perpetually on the move, pausing only to conceive another vision after attaining the last one. It is almost inevitable that only death would have placed a limit on the heights that Herbert was bound to attain. He was in a hurry to get so many things done, like he knew he had limited time on this earth.

Up to the time of his death, Herbert was still very actively pursuing his visions, doing deals, and setting personal targets. In January, just weeks before his death, Herbert’s Access Bank announced a deal to acquire Uganda-based Finance Trust Bank, the seventh bank it would be acquiring within a short time. The full take-over was scheduled to happen in June, just four months from the time of his death. Earlier in the year, he had wanted to put ATMs at a chain of filling stations in Cameroon, but the owner had refused. In her tribute, Iyabo Soji-Okusanya said that shortly after Herbert’s death, she told her colleagues that instead of sitting down to mourn, Herbert would wish them to keep working, cutting deals. They went back to work and tried to revive the deal, this time, the owner accepted, he said he could not deny Access Bank this after the tragic occurrence of Herbert’s death. In death, Herbert was still closing deals for the bank. He had also planned to take up mentoring of the students at the Wigwe University, scheduled to start operation in September this year.

Herbert was a very generous man, HRH Khalifa Sanusi in his tribute on Wednesday spoke glowingly about his generosity, Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) also spoke of his immense generosity during his tribute. He supported several worthy causes at home and abroad.

Given the timing of his death, one would be tempted to say that these plans belonged on the list of his unfinished business. But knowing him as we do, it is hard to imagine that Herbert envisioned and planned for everything except the fate of his legacy.

It is also hard to mourn Herbert like we do regular people, however tragic his death was. There is just too much to celebrate and reflect, even for someone who died at such a relatively young and vibrant age. The only service we can do to his memory is to continue to reflect on what we can learn from his life of relentless aspirations and serial triumphs.

After listening to all the tributes, I would like us to emulate that of his friend, partner, and brother Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who asked us to clap for Herbert for 10 minutes during the evening of tributes.

I hereby call on all Nigerians to pause and clap for Herbert Wigwe for an extraordinary life of remarkable achievements,

Adios, Dear Friend and Brother.