President Buhari's Address At The National Economic Council Retreat

President Mohammadu Buhari declares open a 2-day National Economic Council Retreat at the State House Conference Centre on 21 March 2016. The Council is headed by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. 

In attendance are Secretary to the Government of Federation Babachir Lawal, Minister of Budget and National Planning Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, FCT Minister Muhammadu Bello, Chief of Staff To The President, Abba Kyari, Governors of 36 states as well as Former Cabinet Minister and Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister of India Prof. Montek Singh Ahluwalia,

Here is the address by President Buhari to the participants:

Protocols:

I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this distinguished and all-important retreat on the Nigerian economy. The purpose of this retreat as outlined in the Retreat Concept Notes is to generate immediate, medium and long-term viable policy solutions to the economic challenges facing us at both the Federal and State levels.

2. From information at my disposal, if we aggregate public views from the grassroots, city dwellers, the economic managers, consumer groups, the Unions and other stakeholders of the economy, there is near unanimity about the ills of our economy. But naturally, there are divergent views about solutions.

3. I am going to throw at this gathering some random policy options filtered from across the spectrum of our stakeholders on four (4) selected sectors of our economy.
These are:
Ø Agriculture
Ø Power
Ø Manufacturing
Ø Housing

4. I have not touched Education, Science and Technology pointedly because these related subjects require a whole retreat by themselves.

5. Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, these suggestions I am putting forward to you are by no means directives but a contribution to your discourse.

AGRICULTURE

6. On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized farmers agree with the general public that food production and self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering from inconsistencies and discontinuities.

Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery, horticulture and forestry.

7. From the information available to me the issues worrying the public today are:

· Rising food prices, such as maize, corn, rice and gari.

· Lack of visible impact of government presence on agriculture.

· Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming. Extension services are virtually absent in several states.

· Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage the growth of domestic agriculture.

· Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and lack of feeder roads.

8. These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word on our agricultural reform objectives:

· First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives. Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify issues with a view to addressing them.

· Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food prices.

· Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.

· States should increase their financial support through community groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community groups such as farmers cooperatives.

· Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.

9. When I was a schoolboy in the 1950’s the country produced one million tons of groundnuts in two successive years. The country’s main foreign exchange earners were groundnut, cotton, cocoa, palm kernel, rubber and all agro/forest resources.

10. Regional Banks and Development Corporations in all the three regions were financed from farm surpluses. In other words, our capital formation rode on the backs of our farmers. Why was farming so successful 60 years ago? The answers are simple:
· Access to small scale credits
· Inputs (fertilizers, herbicides etc)
· Extension services.

11. Now we have better tools, better agricultural science and technology, and greater ability to process. With determination we can succeed.

POWER

12. Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put things right. In the three years left for this administration we have given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the national grid.

13. This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in the quality of service. Common public complaints are:
• Constant power cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life.
• High electricity bills despite power cuts.
• Low supply of gas to power plants due to vandalization by terrorists.

• Obsolete power distribution equipment such as transformers.
• Power fluctuations, which damage manufacturing equipment and household appliances.
• Low voltage which cannot run industrial machinery.

14. These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In our determination to CHANGE we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop to power shortages. Key points to look at here are:
· Privatization. We are facing the classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive. Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is safe-guarded.
· Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil pipelines.
· Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and improve the quality of service and technicians.

MANUFACTURING

15. It grieves me that so many manufacturing industries in the country today are groaning and frustrated because of lack of foreign exchange to import raw materials and spare parts.
Painful though this is, I believe it is a temporary phase which we shall try to overcome but there are deeper, more structural problems bedeviling local industries which this Retreat should identify short and long-term answers to. Chief among these problems are:

· Inadequate infrastructure:
Power
Roads
Security
leading to increase in costs of making Made-in Nigeria goods pricier than imports

· High Cost of Borrowing Money:
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has been hammering on the fact that high lending rates make manufacturing unviable and unprofitable.
· Lack of Long Term Funding:
The Nigerian Capital Market has not completely recovered from the 2008 worldwide crisis. Banks’ funding sources are short-term in nature due to sources of the liabilities.

· Under-developed Science and Technology Research: As with Agriculture, Nigeria’s industries are in the main outmoded and industrial practices far behind those in advanced countries.

· Unions:
We need to protect our workers from exploitation, but unions must cooperate with entrepreneurs to substantially improve productivity and quality of products if we are to move forward.
· Smuggling:

Need I say more?

16. Recommended Actions on industries are:
· The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.

· There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality products good enough for export.
· Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease credit terms for lending to manufacturers.

· A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched. Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be sourced from local factories.

HOUSING
17. Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:

· The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The 22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand units.

· We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick up the rest.

· The most frequent public concerns brought to my attention are three-pronged:
1. Severe shortage of housing
2. High rents
3. Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and low-income earners.

· In addition, red tape, corruption and plain public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership of title documents.
· Again, there are no long term funding sources for mortgage purposes.

18. These hurdles are by no means easy to scale, but we must find solutions to the housing deficit. This Retreat might start by looking at the laws.

· Laws
The relevant laws should be reviewed to make the process of acquiring statutory right of occupancy shorter, less cumbersome and less costly. Court procedures for mortgages cases should make enforcement more efficient. Ministries of Works and Housing should upgrade their computerization of title registration system for greater efficiency.

· Mortgage Institutions. Achieving affordable housing for all Nigerians will require the development of strong and enduring mortgage institutions with transparent processes and procedures.
· Mortgage Re-financing Company. This institution when fully operational should ensure adequate support for mortgage financing.

HEALTHCARE
19. Last of the four areas that time will allow me to say a few words, but by no means the least, is healthcare. In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital), inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The litany of shortcomings is almost endless.

20. Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped.

21. In attacking the challenges of this sector we could start with
· More funding for health centres to improve service delivery. World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) could be persuaded to increase their assistance.

· Strengthening public health propaganda in primary prevention:
Ø Environmental sanitation
Ø Stop smoking
Ø Better dieting
Ø Exercising

And secondary prevention:
Screening and early diagnosis of diseases

· NAFDAC to intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of fake drugs in Nigeria.
· Ministry of Health should work closely with the Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not allowed to practice.

22. Finally I urge participants to learn from the array of experts and resource persons and learn from the shared experiences and perspectives to understand how other countries have transformed their economies and livelihoods of their people for the better. It is also the government’s expectation that this Retreat will highlight the respective roles and responsibilities of each tier of government in adopting and implementing agreed policy initiatives.

23. I hope this Retreat will come up with practical, viable solutions and recommendations as we chart a course for our nation in this turbulent domestic and international economic environment.

Thank you.

Saraki – The Law, The Politics And The Public: Draw Your Own Conclusions By Rafiu Ajakaye

 The on-going trial of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has brought forth several legal, political, and public perspectives. I present some of these perspectives in rhetorical form, and in so doing, I confine myself to only those facts that are undisputed. We can all come to our own conclusions from them.

Saraki, like every other citizen, is innocent until proven guilty. The duty is on the prosecution to establish his guilt. He does not have to prove his innocence. It is his constitutional right to defend himself to the fullest limit permissible by law. And in exercising that right, he is entitled to engage any lawyer or a number of lawyers of his choice. He is well within his rights to have all the 80 lawyers in court (as was reported) defending him. He is also within his rights to choose Kanu Agabi SAN to lead his defence. But, why Kanu Agabi? Competence? Or because of the happy coincidence that Agabi just happens to be the boss of the lead prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, when the former was the attorney general of the federation and the latter was one of his special assistants? The question lies not in the exercise of the right to choose, but concerning the choice made?

Saraki is well within his constitutional rights to challenge the validity of the CCT proceedings all the way to the Supreme Court. Saraki must not be condemned for seeking the validation of his rights.  But we heard the prosecutor say on the every first day Saraki appeared before the CCT in 18th September 2015, that on that day, three separate courts – the Federal High Court, Court of Appeal and CCT were deciding the same question: whether the CCT can validly try Saraki. Jacobs described that as an attempt “to knock the heads of the courts together?" Should any person be entitled to do that or is it a proper exercise of his rights to seek the same relief before three different courts on the same day? What would have happened had there been conflicts in the decisions of those courts? What would such a conflict portend for the orderliness of society or the image of our judiciary?

The scales of justice must be balanced and justice delayed is justice denied, we are told. Shouldn’t Saraki be entitled to have all his objections heard? Also, shouldn’t the prosecution (indeed Saraki as well) be entitled to have the trial concluded without undue delay? Is Jacob’s cry that Saraki is unduly delaying the trial a legitimate cry for justice or merely the cry of an eager hangman ready to tighten his noose? Shouldn’t Saraki, who proclaims his innocence and alleges persecution, be eager for early vindication?

Can the ubiquitous hand of politics really be removed from this trial? Saraki claims that it is all about politics, and were he not Senate President, he would not be facing trial. No rational mind would disagree with this. But is that really the issue? A Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a political animal. Being Senate President is even more political, if only for the fact that after the political process of the election into Senate, there is a further election for the office of Senate President, and in Saraki’s case, his emergence as Senate President is even more political. But let's even backtrack. Filing an asset declaration form under the Code of Conduct law is itself an act that arises out of a political activity. The filing applies only to public office holders, of which State Governors (former and serving) are included. Therefore, trial by the CCT is never stripped of politics. So, it is completely disingenuous and utterly futile to maintain that the trial of a Senate President by the CCT is politically motivated. Of course, the matter is political, but does it end there? Shouldn’t some questions follow? Is there legal merit in the charges filed? If there isn’t and Saraki is being “punished” solely, as alleged by him because he is the Senate President, surely that would be a clear case of persecution? But if there’s legal merit in the charges, is the prosecution not within its prosecutorial powers to prefer those charges? Prosecution or persecution - whose duty is it to determine guilt or innocence? The accused, the prosecutor or the tribunal? And should it matter what the accused thinks about why he’s being prosecuted or the motives of the prosecutor? Is the case not to be determined according to the evidence and the law?

Is there anywhere in the world where prosecutors possess the time, resources and inclination to prosecute every infraction of the law? Are prosecutors generally, given those constraints, not inclined to be selective as to whom and for which offences they prosecute? Are considerations such as the desire to send out a strong message or to set an example as a deterrent to others, good or bad considerations in deciding whom to prosecute? Is it not the same constitution that guarantees the rights of an accused described earlier that also confers the attorney general with the unfettered discretion, to prosecute or not prosecute any person and for what? Is it ever a valid defence in law, morality or religion for an accused to say “why me and not the others”? Even agreeing with Saraki, for one moment that he owes his travails to his office, what about the well-known adage that “if you live in a glass house, you don’t throw stones”? Are there many bigger glasshouses in Nigeria than that of the office of Senate President?

In the context of the No.1 and No.2 citizens having publicly declared their assets (though some would contend that the “publicly” part was forced), is subjecting the asset declaration of the No. 3 citizen to judicial scrutiny, an act of leadership by example and a loud manifestation of the “no sacred cows” “I belong to everyone and belong to no one” mantra or a political witch-hunt?

Let’s go back to the beginning. The man and the office are two different persons. Saraki, the man, is wholly different from Saraki, the Senate President though they are both embodied in one human being. Saraki, the man, took an oath when he was being sworn in as Senate President that he would not permit his personal interest to conflict with his position and duties as Senate President. Given that oath, should Saraki have resigned as Senate President as soon as he (Saraki, the man) was charged, regardless of his proclaimed innocence or allegation of political victimisation, to save the office of Senate President from the public odium that necessarily goes with the trial? Has any disrepute being brought to the Senate, if as it is in this case, Saraki sits on the chair of Senate President on Thursday, and on Friday, he sits in the dock as an accused person? Or since he (Saraki the man) is undoubtedly innocent until proven guilty and the charges against him are in any case politically motivated, the Senate and the office of Senate President can or should withstand that ignominy? Or is it even ignominy at all?

Finally, whom do the Senators that attend court with Saraki really represent when they do that? Is it their constituents (who may or may not even know who Saraki is) and who, in any event, never voted for him? Is respect and integrity of the Senate what is being preserved? It is Saraki, because he is the Senate President?  If it is because Saraki is Senate President, could he (Saraki) not have made that representation unnecessary by simply resigning? Or is it for self-gratification and reward, past, present or future? 

While the Code of Conduct tribunal bears the sole responsibility for determining the guilt or innocence of Saraki, each one of us, ordinary citizens, has a duty to make a judgment on the overall circumstances. I know what mine is, what is yours?

A Breakdown of Ibinabo Fiberesima's Run In With The Law

Different stories have emerged on how the accident occurred over the last decade. But one recrudescing fact has been that Ibinabo Fiberesima, President, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and an ex-beauty queen, was responsible for the death of a Nigerian. The sole account, which had been brought to the court, that led to the untimely death of Dr. Giwa is the irrefragable evidence used to sentence the ex-beauty queen.

Late Dr. Giwa was said to be driving along Lekki road while Ibinabo Fiberesima had been on the other side driving as well. Reportedly, her car swerved dangerously off the road, towards Dr. Giwa’s car, unfortunately, hitting it. The aftermath was fatal as Dr. Giwa died on the spot. The accident was said to have been as a result of reckless driving caused by drinking. According to eye-witness accounts, Ibinabo Fibresima seemed to have been completely intoxicated, as she did not realise that an accident had occurred or the extent to which havoc had been wreaked.

Perversion of justice

After the accident, a Lagos Magistrate Court sentenced Ibinabo Fiberesima to five years imprisonment with the option to pay a fine of  N100,000, which she paid immediately. But the prosecution appealed the case in a High Court, overriding the earlier judgment by the Magistrate Court. Ibinabo’s lawyer took her case to the Appeal Court which made a pronouncement on Friday 11 March, 2016.

The Appeal Court upheld the judgment of the High Court, which ruled that she should be sent to prison without the option of a fine. Ibinabo Fiberesima has again appealed to the Supreme Court but in the meantime, she will have to contend with the judgment of the Appeal Court. In, delivering her judgment in an appeal by the Lagos State Government, against the verdict of an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court on Friday, Justice Oluwayemi held that the N100,000 fine imposed by the lower court on Ibinabo Fiberesima in a manslaughter case that deserved the maximum sentence was tantamount to judicial recklessness.

According to the judge, it is unimaginable for a Magistrate Court to give the option of a N100,000 fine to a person who has taken the life of another person through reckless driving.

The judge added that Section 28 of the Road Traffic Law, Cap R10 Laws of Lagos State, and 2003 on which the accused was found guilty, did not provide the option of fine.

Justice Oluwayemi was of the opinion that the magistrate misdirected himself and might have been confused by the plea for leniency by the lawyer of the accused that the ex-beauty queen was a working mother.

In sentencing Ibinabo Fiberesima, Justice Oluwayemi averred: “I hold that the magistrate exercised judicial recklessness in giving her option of fine when such is not contained in the traffic law. Wonder why the magistrate regards N100,000 as an option for someone who caused the death of another person by dangerous driving. Discretion should be exercised judicially and not recklessly. The nature of the offence is so grave that I do not know how the magistrate came about with an option of fine. Justice is a three-way affair. N100,000 fine is not a reasonable judgment for someone who has taken the life of another person. I hereby set aside the judgment of the Magistrate Court and impose five years imprisonment on the convict. I also order that the N100,000 fine paid by the convict should be returned to her.”

Justice served?

After the judgment of the Appeal Court, many Nigerians went online to express their satisfaction with the judgment. They had condemned the judgment of the lower court, which they believed was insensitive and callous to the feelings of the Dr Giwa’s family. A poll was run by a popular Lagos based radio presenter, Freeze, on Cool fm, Lagos, asking if Ibinabo the ex-beauty queen, should be jailed and the odds were 6:1 against her.

Ibinabo Fiberesima has, however, asked the Supreme Court to upturn the judgment of the appellate court, stating that the Court of Appeal had given a misjudgment following its declaration of the Lagos High Court’s altercation with its exercise of discretion by the trial Magistrate’s court.

She went on to add that the judgment of the Court of Appeal was preposterous and ludicrous and should not be upturned considering the evidence brought before the court.

Ibinabo Fiberesima denied bail

The embattled ex-beauty queen, Ibinabo Fiberesima, who was convicted by the Court of Appeal in Lagos on March 11, was unable to get bail from the court, yesterday, due to an incompetent application. The three man-panel, presided over by Justice Ndukwe-Anyanwu, said that the appellant failed to attach copies of the judgment that was delivered by the court which affirmed the five years jail sentence imposed on her. The other Justices on the panel, Justice Samuel Oseji and Justice Tijani Abubakar, unanimously agreed with the decision.

Should the AGN president be pardoned?

Some argue that she is a career woman, who has a husband and children to take care of, that sending her to jail will likely destabilise her family.

While majority of Nigerians, according to opinion polls, are of the opinion that regardless of who she is in the society, she should be sent to jail as this will be a deterrent to others, proving that nobody is above the law.

The Ibinabo saga is an unmitigated reminder of the danger of road accidents in Nigeria which is said to be among the worst globally and how that some crème de la crème of the Nigerian society have gone unpunished. This is why the overwhelming opinion among Nigerians was that she deserved a stiffer penalty for taking a life so recklessly.

Culled from Venture Africa

Mercy Aigbe accuses ThisDay Style team of bias

Mercy Aigbe-Gentry, one of the leading and fashionable actresses in the Yoruba sector of the Nigerian movie industry has accused the team of ThisDay Style as being biased against practitioners in that genre.

Mercy called out the ThisDay team and accused them of discrimination for not finding worthy herself or any other actors/actresses in the Yoruba genre among the long list of Nollywood best dressed at the recently held Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.

The shortlisted actors including Genevieve Nnaji, Rita Dominic, Dakore Akande and Stephannie Linus, featured on the cover of the newspaper Sunday 20 March edition.

The actress, who took to her Instagram account, stated that except Nollywood stands for something else, there couldn’t be any justification why no Yoruba or Hausa-speaking actor/actress made the list.

“Has @thisdaystyle ever featured a Yoruba actor on their cover? Are Yoruba movies not part of Nollywood? Is Nollywood not supposed to mean home grown Nigerian movies? Hmmmmm…I am very sure they didn’t coz (because} they wouldn’t want to stain their cover with a ‘Razz’ ‘Local’ Yoruba actor!,” she wrote.

Among those Nollywood celebrities listed as ‘Best Dressed’ on the cover are Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Dolapo Oni but not part of the Yoruba movie sector. Mercy is from Edo State, however, she acts primarily in Yoruba movies.

A day after the AMVCA 2016, Mercy was voted on Twitter as the ‘Best Dressed’ actress at the award ceremony. She has also been regarded as a stunner on red carpets.

Here is her unedited full post: 

“Hey Fam….so I just came back from church and decided to check IG only for me to see plenty tags on a particular pix posted by @thisdaystyle …..I read pple’s comments asking why Mercy isn’t on the cover and at first I wanted to waka pass, but on a second thought I decided to talk about it, cos it’s been an issue dat has lingered for too long!

“…I thought to myself why didn’t Mercy make the cover of @thisdaystyle best dressed list?…. Has @thisdaystyle ever featured a Yoruba actor on their cover?…Are Yoruba movies not part of Nollywood? …..Is Nollywood not supposed to mean home grown Nigerian movies? …..Hmmmmm I am very sure they didn’t coz, they won’t want to STAIN their cover with a ‘RAZZ’ ‘LOCAL’ Yoruba actor!….Yes I am razz, Yes I am local and Yes I am a Yoruba actor!

“…No I refuse to speak ur almighty English with fake British or American accent!….Because I’ll always remain true to myself!…I am ME ….Proud Benin Woman, Proud Ijesha’s wife and above all proud Nigerian. …And just in case e still dey be una like dream ‘LOCAL TI TAKE OVER’ …”

Gbajabiamila Hosts Ayodele Dada, Unilag Best

Femi Gbaja & Ayodele Dada

On Sunday, 20 March, House of Reps Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila received UNILAG Graduant -5.0 CGPA, Ayodele Dada in Lagos.

Bolanle Austen-Peters takes “Wakaa!” to London

After a successful run in Lagos, Nigeria, “Wakaa! The Musical”, the Nigerian hit Broadway  show produced by Bolanle Austen-Peters is due to berth in the United Kingdom.

Opening on 22 July at the Shaw Theatre, West End, London, producer Austen-Peters hopes to attract a new group of fans as well as make history as the first Nigerian musical to make it to the British capital.

According to Austen-Peters, she's very upbeat having her Broadway  production the first locally produced to transit to London, while hoping English audiences will welcome the show with open arms, get in the mood to dance, laugh and sing with the 60-man cast of Wakaa! The Musical.

"Big musicals in Lagos is something that’s never been done before. We’re opening up a landscape,” and aiding artists who have never had a platform before,” said Austen-Peters who owned Lagos artsy joint, Terra Kulture.

She noted that it's high time Nigeria should start exporting products, especially culture, from Nigeria.

In a recent report, CNN described the July date of Wakaa! in London's World-class theater district as "no small feat." But the sell-out musical has pedigree: It played to over 10,000 people over 12 shows in Lagos around the new year.

"The show was so popular during its first stint, people were offering to pay to stand in the aisles," said Austen-Peters whose first musical venture was "Saro".

"We can rival any of the big institutions in the world and we hope Nigeria's burgeoning musical industry will go on to even bigger things," she stated.

Part social commentary, part satire, “Wakaa! The Musical” is a play about the trials, successes and experiences of six young graduates with varied backgrounds.

A wager between them after graduation has a twist when realities of life and the folly of their choices hit them. Eventually they reunite, coming full circle.

"The story reveals the struggle and challenge that young people face in present day Nigeria and abroad. Wakaa! takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, and is a strong satire of Nigeria's politics," said Austen-Peters, a trained lawyer who turned to musicals just two years ago after over 12 years in the theater industry.

At 70, Men still Take Me Out, Says Florence Ita-Giwa

Ageless beauty and socialite, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, has said that in spite of her age, she still has some male friends who find her attractive for a night out.

In a recent interview with ThisDay, the woman some fondly called 'effervescent Florence' said at age 70, she remains socially very busy and cannot guarantee that she would remain single for the rest of her life.

"I have amazing friends; I am socially very busy as well but I have friends that respect me and will not take advantage of that friendship. I have very civilised male friends who do not want to take advantage. So if I want to go for dinner I have friends both Nigerian and non-Nigerians that will take me out. I have friends that will travel with me; we have very excellent and decent relationship. However, I cannot guarantee that I would remain single for the rest of my life," the quintessential woman said.

Excerpts of the interview: 

Q: You hardly look 70; any secret?               I think the answer I always give first is that probably because the year runs so fast; the number of the years you are carrying or you have attained doesn’t allow your body to adjust to the time. However, naturally in my family, we age gracefully and from where I come from as an Efik woman – from the time you come into this world as a female you are made to appreciate the fact that it is beautiful to be a female. Whatever your aspirations are, whether you aspire to be the president of a country or a medical doctor, the number one thing is, don’t lose your femininity. 
As a Calabar woman one is taught how to look after oneself; so we age gracefully. The idea is not to look young. I don’t want to be young – the idea is to age gracefully. So for that reason, knowing that my body is very receptive to food, I have a tendency to be fat, all my life, I have battled with weight gain leading me always to watch what I eat and it has turned out well. I made it a routine at the end of every day to find at least one hour where I relax my mind and my body. At the end of the day I enjoy a good dinner, listen to news, watch TV, listen to music and then before I go to bed, I give myself some 30 minutes of pampering.

Q:Do you sometimes feel intimidated by men?                                                  I look at myself as a human being and I don’t allow myself to be intimidated and I don’t go out of my way to intimidate people. I just know that all of us are in the business of nation building. It is for you to show your political strength.

Q:Some see you as being tough; are you?                                                         It depends on their definition of ‘tough’. But if there is anything as reincarnation, I want to come back as a woman because there is nothing as amazing and as sweet as being a woman. Therefore, whether you have to be a tough woman to survive is what I don’t know. I know that I am a good strategist; I strategise a lot on how to survive in a country like Nigeria. If that is called being tough, so be it.

Q:Why have you remained single since the demise of your husband?                       I remained single because I live by example. I have brought up children that as soon as they graduated from school, they got married and have their own children. If your environment is rough, when you change partners then your children are likely to grow up rough and to change partners and as such I didn’t want to take a risk of changing partners. However, I am a human being, there is need for me to have a relationship but I decided that at one point I have to be sure. I don’t want to say that I didn’t see anybody that was worth it but I am still sifting through so that I don’t ever change partners. At this stage of my life, if ever there will be a partner, that partner would be my partner for life.                                       Secondly, I live a very busy life and for most part of my life in the last 10 years, I have done some very serious things that I didn’t need that distraction. I had to take care of my business and my service to humanity. I did a lot of things that I was not sure that I could have found a man that will buy into that vision and again there is issue of men feeling intimidated by successful career women and there is no way I would have negotiated my career because I have children. Though I do not intend to ever change my name which has become a brand I am not guaranteeing that I would remain single. I have amazing friends; I am socially very busy as well but I have friends that respect me and will not take advantage of that friendship. I have very civilised male friends who do not want to take advantage. So if I want to go for dinner I have friends both Nigerian and non-Nigerians that will take me out. I have friends that will travel with me; we have very excellent and decent relationship. However, I cannot guarantee that I would remain single for the rest of my life.

Q:What’s your advice for women in managing life as they age?One of the great facts of life is that age is inevitable. I don’t see the big thing about aging. That is basically why you have what is called the evolution of life. The young must grow and the old must continue to grow as well. First of all, try and imbibe the culture of looking after yourself and eating healthy as early as possible in life. One does not have to be very rich to live in a healthy environment and most important, it is necessary to always have a clear mind. Do not keep malice. If anybody offends you, you take the person on. Have your arguments and get things sorted out and maybe at the end of the day, a superior argument will win. Also know that in life as long as one believes in God, there is no problem without a solution. Whatever problems one might face, always know that there is a solution to that problem. Don’t just live your life worrying about what you shouldn’t worry about because I don’t. I try to simplify life. Women must not be scared of age. Whatever you aspire to be, just plan it, put it in prayers and get rid of fear. Go out and get it done.
I always tell people that I am a Calabar woman and we are very civilised people from beginning. There is nothing you can do about age except to manage age and not to allow age control your life. I don’t do young things because I don’t want to be young. I can’t remember the last time I did young things because of my life has been full of very profound responsibilities and I was brought up by my mother to think like an adult, to always take responsibility. I do not dress young because I have grown up children but I do not negotiate and will never negotiate ageing beautifully and gracefully. I will not negotiate aging with my waistline in place so that I can get into my pants, my jeans and my nice dresses. That is non-negotiable. I have always looked up to women like Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep and Tina Turner. Those are the women that inspire me because they have always looked very good despite their age. After looking at them, I don’t want to be young; I just need to appreciate myself.

Q:How can a woman position herself for achievements in Nigeria?
Generally, women always have the ability to manage the home and manage work. I believe it is a natural thing with being a woman especially being a good woman. The fact that you are a woman does not mean you shouldn’t have a career and also does not mean that if you have a career that you would not be able to run your home. My mother was a very busy journalist but she was an incredible mother and a fantastic housewife. As a matter of fact, I used to see her do her report while cooking. I think women naturally have that capacity to manage the stress of running the home, the children and their career.

Q:Why do women find it hard to be successful in politics?I think it is not only in this part of the world but generally everywhere. The rise of women can be very meteoric because it has been so. You know women were seen as the weaker sex, as people that came into the world to have children but that has changed tremendously and it can change a lot more if women conquer fear and develop more confidence in themselves because it is for you to develop the confidence and say yes I can do it. It is very rough especially in the terrain of politics and as long as a woman is in the terrain of politics, there is a lot of antagonism and so a woman will have to put in a hundred times more than her male counterpart to be able to succeed in politics and so it just for a woman to develop that inner strength.

Q:What has kept you going?                                                                                I think my inspiration comes from the environment in which I grew up. I grew up in an environment of very strong women. I grew up amongst my mother and even my father’s mother. Also, my terms of responsibility helped me. I grew up knowing that I don’t have a choice than to do what I have to do just like the Americans would always say. That alone gives me a lot of strength and courage. In addition, looking at a lot of people that look up to me really inspires me. There a lot of people that next to God looks up to me. That again is indeed inspiring; that is very energising.

Ita-Giwa in her much younger days

Q:When would you call your best moments growing into womanhood?

(Laughs) Do you mean growing into womanhood as a baby? My best moment in life was discovering myself as a woman, discovering those things that make a woman and discovering what aspects of career I wanted to pursue at the beginning of my own independence. Also, meeting my husband, falling in love and getting married, having children and most recently would be adopting children who today are doing amazingly well and remaining my source of pride. Anytime I look at them, I feel many inches taller than I am. All these are the things that make growing up get really exciting.

Q:What are your expectations with younger women’s ability to adapt to a just and moral life?

First of all, they have to appreciate the fact that being a role model they have to live by example. You must understand and have to know that whatever you do in life, people are watching you and they are looking up to you and also they want to be like you; which means that you would not want to let them do what is not right. That takes a lot of sacrifice for you to live up to that expectation.

Q:Do you have experts who handle your wardrobe?                                          It is natural; I do them myself. I grew up in an environment where from birth, apart from being a journalist, my mother was also a dressmaker and she was naturally gifted. I was fortunate to be her only daughter and so she used to dress me up. I grew up dressing well and also know how to take care of my clothes. I grew up knowing how to come out looking good and so I don’t have a need for a wardrobe manager. I know all the thousands of clothes I have because I know the time I take in buying each of them. I don’t just shop off the shelf. No matter how many dresses I have, they all have their various sentimental values I attach to them.The interview was extracted from ThisDay