Boss Picks
Why We Are Celebrating Former Daily Times MDs, Title Editors – Fidelis Anosike
By Eric Elezuo
He is an epitome of what administration and goal getting is. He is Dr. Fidelis Anosike, the president /CEO, Chairman of Folio Holdings Limited, Publisher of the respected Daily Times of Nigeria among others. In this interview, the administrator par excellence revealed the intricate nature of himself, the intrigues towards the acquisition of Nigeria’s oldest newspaper, his political future as well as other sundry issues in today’s Nigeria.
Kindly introduce yourself
My name is Fidelis Anosike. I am the president, Chief Executive Officer of Folio Holdings limited,The group comprises Folio Communications Plc, Times Multimedia Limited, 1st October Limited, folio media group folio investment and trading company.
Folio Communications Plc acquired the of Daily Times of Nigeria Limited. The company is the publisher of the Daily Times, The Sunday Times (TST) and The Business Times, The Daily Times Digital (DTND), folio Nigeria which is an afro pop digital content platform lunched in 2018 with CNN as an exclusive affiliate.www.folio.ng
The Folio Media Group (FMG) has access to the technology space and also doing a consolidated media offering to clients. the Folio Investment and Trading Company (FITC)is an investment company focused on media/creative/cultural industry investment and innovation.
We also have as part of the group, Folio Media and Creative Academy (FMCA)which is working in tandem with relevant authorities, bodies, companies/organizations to train journalists and creative industry practitioners. The aim is to train 50, 000 in those key fields in five years.
Does the Creative African eXchange perform the same function?
No, that is Folio Media and creative Academy. The Creative African eXchange (CAX.caxafrica.com) is part of the Folio Media Group. It is part of the initiative we are trying to use to consolidate the continental space of the creative and cultural industry.
Can you shed more light on 1st October and Miss Nigeria as offshoots of Folio Media Group?
1st October Limited is a publishing company that we set up in 2007 to publish the birth of Nigeria. So it has evolved overtime because we have done over 10 different publications on Nigeria and state governments, and it also went ahead in 2014 to give birth to a global public perception movement for Nigeria called Nigeria, Our Heritage.
This was launched at the Kennedy Centre, and it was the first ever African event at the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC on the sideline of Obama African heads of Government meeting. What we are trying to do with 1st October and Nigeria, Our Heritage is to see how we can transition the love of Nigerians to love of Nigeria.
We saw a gap there in terms of country branding, we want to create a platform that will enable us to use, especially Nigerians in the Diaspora to drive the love for country because at the end of the day, other countries spend tons and tons of millions of dollars in country branding.
Even the United States spends up to $240 million annually to brand their country. You see, once you are in Europe, you take a 30 per cent cut. If Aliko Dangote walks into an office in New York, and says he is a Nigerian, he takes a 30 per cent minus. That is huge! That’s one of the reasons our national development is stunted, because our brand, the brand Nigeria has so much deteriorated. Why? There are so many reasons: political instability, military government of thirty something years, advanced fee fraud, imperialistic gang up and many more. So you can see the reason it has happened over the years.
There is always a reason for everything. So we as Nigerians, what are we doing to change this for the future because people only do business with people who they trust.
Without that trust, we cannot have foreign direct investment coming to Nigeria. You can have $10 billion like in Lagos State, and you are happy, but you could have $100 billion. You can begin to see how that affects national security, the issue of banditry and so on.
The problem is image. Nobody wants to do business with anybody that is dirty. If you wear dirty clothes, you become non attractive. There are options; people can sit down in New York and put their money in Scottish windows or savings accounts and make returns.
But if you want people to come from China or America, you must present yourself in a way that even give them the opportunity to fly down in the first place before they can find out there are challenges.
There are challenges everywhere. Afghanistan is probably receiving more investment than Nigeria even as they are a war-torn country. So it is a matter of how you package yourself as a country. Nigerians must help to improve the whole because when the whole collapses, the part, which may be fantastic, will automatically collapse. That is what 1st October is doing. It is a big project. We just recently partnered with the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, and in October, we will start an immersion programme, which is going to bring 100 very young Nigerians from all the Ivy League schools in the Diaspora and bring them to Nigeria.
We will train them on issues of national development and deploy them to about 100 companies, and expose them to what Nigerians are doing right. We know that a lot of things are going wrong, but let’s amplify the right ones and let’s also inculcate this into the young people. So, it is going to be a deliberate effort to raise 1000 people young people that can become advocates for the country Nigeria.
The only thing we are going to do is positive and we can see the reverse impact. This is what 1st October is all about. This is a positive national development platform.
We have remodeled Miss Nigeria to become more than just beauty pageant, it’s more of an young female empowerment platform was founded in 1957(54years ago) it gave life to all other pageants in Nigeria. (MBGN) etc.
Our very first Miss Nigeria is still alive at 86, chief Mrs Grace Oyelude we shall also institute a commemorative lecture in her honour as a DTN icon.
Every Miss Nigeria is an ambassador of the Green Girl company, with projects like Green Dignity Kit (GDK) and Green Girl academy among others
Can you please trace your background a little; how did it all start?
My father was an Inspector of Police in the Nigeria police force. I got into the university by drawing portraits so I am a graphic and creative artist. I graduated from the
University of Benin.
I tell people that the creative industry is not just my passion; it is my job, did loads of self-development got enrolled at Harvard Business School owner president management course (OPM 39)
I am a Harvard alumnus, and being @HBS opened my eyes to how businesses are run properly.
At 24 years, I established Folio Communications, which went on to acquire Daily Times of Nigeria, the oldest surviving newspaper and noteworthy media organization in Nigeria. I regard myself as a creative and communication player.
And since then, I have been trying to see the much I can do with the resources available to me both access to capital and knowledge.
I also have investments in other areas such as water, renewable energy, and I am also financing some global companies on major research on mobility and renewable energy space.
You founded Folio Communications at 24, how did it happen?
All we need to do as human beings is pray for God to give us consciousness. If you can get consciousness at 10; you can get consciousness at 30; you can get consciousness at 70. If you pray for the grace of God, you can get consciousness early. I think I was lucky to get consciousness early.
How did I find Folio at 24? I had an uncle of mine that worked with the Central Bank, and he introduced me to the Head of Communication, Mr. Bolarinwa of blessed memory, and Mr. Amobi, and they allowed me to enter for CBN creative jobs.
At that time, when they want to make a Christmas cards, Eid cards or something like that, they make it open, and whoever wins, that is if they pick your design, you will be commissioned to do packaging.
I won on three occasions, and the price for each was 14,500 naira. With that, I was able to get my office, and went to create an ecosystem of my friends that studied graphics with me. Whenever a company that needs our services, we all make design submissions and as fate would have it, one of them always won. Together we won on many occasions for companies like First Bank, NNPC, and CBN etc.
That was how I was able to build up capital to go into the communication business. I created a standard for myself and friends and became a relationship manager for them because they were all in a paid job. Whoever’s design that was successful shared the proceeds with others. It was a case of all for one, one for all. We designed, restructured and produced all the diaries of NNPC for 2years running through open and competitive bid process.
Introduced Nigerian idioms into those diaries rather than white labeled ones from FT and co, gave it local content. All because of the love we have for the country. I am fully Nigerian; and I am proud of my ethnicity as an Igbo man. If there is no Nigeria, there will be no Igbo. None of us chose to be here, but we are here.
No one chose his father or mother, and so cannot restructure his parents. We must not use all the energy we have to think of how to dethrone what we had no hand in creating. In the past 60 years, we have been talking about restructuring; we could have used that same energy for better things.
Both Obasanjo and Jonathan had the opportunity to restructure, but they didn’t. Now, Buhari is here and you are asking him to do this and do that when you couldn’t do anything when you were there in that regard.
If all the presidents we have had, had taken up one thing and built on it, it would have been better.
Obasanjo should have picked one place and converted it to Eldorado, and same with Jonathan. If they accuse you of ethnicity, it doesn’t matter. Babangida did it with Abuja on the pretense that Lagos was not safe and proper as Federal capital. That could have been an ethnic agenda.
And today, everyone is enjoying Abuja, and no one remembers it was an Hausa man that built it.
So it doesn’t matter. If it will bring about economic development. With economic development, there will be no banditry. The question is why are we even talking about these things? The answer is for years, we have all been sitting down. The governors of the states were busy manipulating local governments, collecting security votes and doing nothing with them, and nobody made a sound. There are consequences for inaction.
What is happening today is a consequence of long-time inaction; of doing the wrong thing, and not having ideas for doing the right thing. Most of the governors were busy building airports they don’t need, but neglected the primary schools that are supposed to train people that would shape the future. They neglected education, and dwelt on less important things. So when you lose empathy, you start approaching things from the middle. That explains why conspiracy theory comes in. Then someone will start by accusing Fulani herdsmen. Those cows they rear are owned by politicians; the herdsmen are just transporters. The cows are expensive, so in the same way a bullion van carrying N5 million goes about with armed escort, well…
When exactly was Folio Communications established?
That should be in 1991. In 2004, Daily Times was put up for sale. Before then, they had tried to sell the shares through public offer through the stock exchange, but it failed, So BPE resorted to Core Investor Sale which refers to a situation where whoever buys it, takes full management control, folio Communications was already a thriving communication company, and so felt that we needed a media voice and had to create a media company.
Long before then, I was already involved in some creative work for ThisDay, and that was how I met Chief Dele Momodu. I had a lot of background knowledge. I reasoned that if I had to make my dream known, I needed a media voice. So I entered the bid as the singular company involved, others were consultants and consortiums
We were pre-qualified, and made a deposit of $10,000 and put in our technical bid. We were number one. We actually scored 81 per cent. This terrain was known to me. I learnt under Dele Momodu and Nduka Obaigbena; these are men who are far ahead of their time.
I’m sure that until Dele celebrated 60, people may have been thinking he was 90, and so was Nduka. They are my pillars including Okagbue Aduba, when it comes to how I was able to understand Nigeria and how it works. I connected with their energy which was infectious. At that point I already had $1 million for the bid bond. This is a security for your integrity, and so no bank will lend you money for a bid bond You can only finance it with equity. It is money you lose if at the end of the day, you did not pay the bid price Daily Times Bid Bond then was N100 million.
You know they had earlier tried selling it via shares, hoping people will buy and someone will acquire the majority, but nobody came in. This was because the media industry in Nigeria is not bankable; it has not been restructured so it doesn’t have capital flowing into it. We bided and attracted N1.25 billion into the media industry as far back as 2004
In our first bid, was i think N327 million, our competitor, bided N800million in their first bid. That was N500 million above us. But we knew the bid was in two rounds. Our second-round bid was N1.25 billion, while our competitor second round bid was N1.05b and we won.
When we bought and took over Daily Times, its liability was N1.9 billion; the assets were N2.3 billion; the enterprise value was N700 and something million. We bought Daily Times at almost twice the price the government was hoping to get.
It is on record, and I was about 35 years old then. Nobody would have given an Igbo man (Boy) a chance to buy Daily Times. I am a testimony that things can work in Nigeria if you believe. I had no godfather, only by faith and audacity of hope.
Daily Times has had several managing directors and top executives from southwest majorly.
The company was created by Adeyemo Alakija and the London Mirror Group. It went on to have Dr. Ernest Ikoli, Alhaji Babatunde Jose, Amb. Dele Cole, Aremu Segun Osoba, Chief Tunji Oseni, Prince Tony Momoh, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Chief Innocent Oparadike, Dr. Onyema Ugochukwu, and Chief Sam Amuka Pemu among others. The Daily Times was the biggest mouthpiece in the country.
At one time, Alhaji Babatunde Jose was asked if he would run for president, and he said he was already chairman of Daily Times. That was how big the Daily Times was. It was the fourth estate of the realm.
Because I did appreciate the enormity of what I took upon my shoulder when I took it over, the commercial problems arising from property didn’t weigh me down I am not a property person the only thing (personal property) I own in Abuja was bought with my money. No government or minister can claim to have given me any Land.
When we took over Daily Times of Nigeria there were about 400 staff in the company then, and money from the government was not going to be coming anymore. So we had to restructure. We had to downsize, and fought with the union for two years. During the fight with the union, the business was closed down. Then Hallmark Bank, which loaned us the money, took over the company. We didn’t recover the company through legal means until September, 2007. So, I acquired the company in 2004, it was hijacked by Hallmark Bank.
Everyone was interested in the assets and no one was thinking about the liabilities. We had to go to court. There was the man, Mr Adrian wood, one time CEO at MTN who joined us at Folio Communications; his mission and mandate were to revive Daily Times, and put it on the same pedestal as the New York Times. He employed people from all walks of life; both Nigerians and Africans to make it a model. We knew that without a dominant and strong media organization in Nigeria, the issues of national development will fail. That is why in America, we have Fox, CNN, etc. on their ideological beliefs, and tied to politics.
Without a strong media, there will be fragmentation, and that explains why the masses don’t have a voice – an ideological voice then becomes commercialized and a merchandise. We wanted to make Daily Times what it used to be. Thereafter, all sorts of people started taking us to court. All these people came from third parties because folio acquired Daily Times alone, Like the typical Nigerian context everything is contentious not to talk of when you acquire a national asset. We adapted to many things in the cause of all these.
The first Times Heroes Awards DTN@91 in 2017 was massively supported. We interacted with many governors in the process. We see what Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is doing today. We are proud of him. We saw the character the man brought with him to the office from day one, and gave him an award. We gave award to people like Bello of Kogi State. You know sometimes you have to encourage people with potential or you lose them. What makes you tough is working and performing in tough circumstances like Wike.
And this is why people respect Aliko Dangote, because walking out on Aliko is walking out on Nigeria. When his refinery starts operation, 90,000 people will be employed. It is about job, job, job – that is what will bring National development, difficult circumstances should not be a limitation. We use Dangote cement, and other products eg GB tomato farm/world class processing factory on thousand hectares in kebbi state and Kebbi rice and Olam Agric production establishment are domiciled in the northern Nigeria without remembering that they in the so-called Fulani area. There is good in every part of the country, and in everybody.
Why did you retain the name Daily Times after acquiring it? Is it because of its influence?
No, it is not because of the influence. Daily Times owns the largest archives. It is 95 years now, and will be 100 years in five years. How many media companies in Nigeria are 100 years old? Daily Times is beyond a newspaper company. It was here before Nigeria. It created the Nigeria Stock Exchange. It has produced two or three state governors. It is a national development company.
In the run off to our 100 years, we have created an event to celebrate icons of Daily Times – our heroes. Times Heroes. The first one that we have designed is for Ambassador Dele Cole. We are hoping to do these in their states of origin like in Port Harcourt. In Port Harcourt, it will be a two-day event. On day 1, we are going to train about 500 journalists of that area so that he can inspire local journalists of that area; tell them how young he was when he went into the media and more.
On day 2, there will be a proper lecture where the likes of Akinwunmi Adesina, Wole Soyinka and co will invited as keynote speakers. There is nothing like making impact in your home state. We have lined up about 15 of our former’s heroes. The first one will be in Rivers State because that is where Dele Cole comes from. We don’t want to keep celebrating people when they are dead; we want to celebrate them while they are alive, and learn something from them. We will talk about national development and the role the media plays.
In Nigeria, we let out heroes die without transferring knowledge. We need to have History of Nigeria because if you don’t know where you are coming from, you won’t know where you are going, we must return history to our schools. And that is what we are doing at Folio Communications. It is important therefore we get this first one right – 1st Ambassador Dele Cole Lecture towards Daily Times at 100. Secondly, we are developing a book, which Dr Onyema Ugochukwu will co edit with Chief Tunji Okegbola DTN Librarian of over 40 years to be launched at our 100-year celebration. Amb Dele Cole proved himself to be an epitome of politics without bitterness, media game changer and diplomat per excellence.
He created the legacy of The Guardian and revived the legacy of Daily Times and when the government was becoming overbearing, he created a new legacy the guardian.
The planning for the 1st Onyema Ugochukwu lecture is also on in 2022, we will celebrate Ernest Ikoli, the first ever indigenous and founding editor of the Daily Times, we are also looking at celebrating Allahaji Babatunde Jose, Aremu Segun Osoba, Dr yemi Ogunbiyi, Chief Sam Amuka-pemu,chief, Mrs Grace oyelude, 1st miss Nigeria, Prince Tony momoh.
Our goal between now and the next five years, is to institute a minimum of 10 lectures. Each of them will be in respective home state of the icon, most of them and their governors have accepted.
And they are all excited about it. And we will send a letter to Governor Wike believing he will be gracious enough to accept and host the 1st Amb Patrick Dele Cole lecture On the continent, Folio Media Group is an exclusive news affiliate to CNN. We are not advertising partners; we are content partners; we are creating products with CNN. We are currently working on a continental media project with CNN which should be finalized and announced soon towards capacity building in the continent aimed at increasing the African voice in the world and also curb fake news.
In The Daily Times, our focus has remained capacity building in media and creativity industries that is what can transform the industry to meet global standards and support national development. We, as a country need to build a competitive advantage in media and creative industry because it’s our low hanging fruit and moreover most young people want to be in that industry so jobs are massively provided. Why are we spending billions building monuments? We have 30 airports or thereabout, some of them are not working – they are not even conforming to the national aviation master plan because the governors just want to build monuments.
Why don’t we channel those funds for monuments to other stuff – things that will create jobs? The media and creative industry where our young people have been exceptional through self-help, let now be deliberate.
Let’s talk about Nigeria Politics. At the moment there are several agitations: for secession, one Nigeria and restructuring. What is your take?
My take is very simple. Of a fact, people’s views are a function of their knowledge. First of all, I will blame the government for not being proactive in the area of communication, but people should understand we are talking of banditry in Nigeria, and we still have coronavirus active. Last year was the first year that the whole country was shut down. What it means is that there will be consequences afterwards. Politicians will lose their livelihood, drivers will lose their livelihood, and when people don’t have livelihood, they look for a way out. When EndSARS was on – yes, Nigeria needed to end SARS because it cannot in the guise of solving a problem become a problem. We have to understand that Nigeria is being exploited by all manner of people, and crime is also all about exploitation.
If those people crying about secession are given a position today, they won’t talk about it again. At the end of the day, most of those cries and hues are not genuine. They are mostly based on vested interest; that is my problem, there is no problem that cannot be solved, so dialogue is key. If we shout about restructure, we should ask ourselves why hasn’t the country been restructured till today. Obasanjo was in power for eight years, why didn’t he restructure? What was his constraint? So was Jonathan after convening a national conference, there may be reasons they did not restructure, so the cries and hues are okay.
People must express themselves, but they should all work on the path leading to a true Nigeria. If we must secede or break you must explain the meaning and modalities to us; not after seceding, we begin to have issues among ourselves. So all those calls must be interrogated. Now, we have non-state actors; people that did not even go to school leading calls.
How? Governance is intellectual. You see those who do not have temperament, who do not understand good and bad leading calls because they have a voice. The cries and hues are okay though because they can form topical issues for 2023 elections. However, today, APC and PDP are the same; there is no ideology. The issues raised could become ideological, and any party willing to give what the people want would be chosen or voted into power the cries and hues are good and bad, but we need to ask ourselves what the real cause,
Nigeria from far back is seen as a rentier state. If your relation is announced as minister today, people will start congratulating you. Why? We need few good people in Nigeria to understand that where you are is better than where you are trying to be, and then work violently to convince the rest to calm down because in the next one and half years, there will be an election.
Buhari has just two years to pack and go. So let not those clamors be an opportunity for people to further rape Nigeria and take advantage of the weak system. Let it be a clamor to formulate the issues that would form the agenda for 2023. When Buhari was coming, he ran his campaign on security, corruption and economy, and so it is easy to score. Others can come with restructuring and more, and Nigerians can see how to vote in the right people. Let the past be bygone.
Given the opportunity sir, can you score the president in six years?
Yes, I think the president has done very well. I believe in foundation, and these are the foundations the president has established. What is the reason the president was able to borrow money? I challenge anyone to try and borrow N50 million, and you will understand. It is typical discipline. When the World Bank gives you money, they don’t just leave you because the money is specified for a project. This is number one. We talk about social programmes. We have an out-growers scheme today impacting on millions It was designed when Akinwunmi Adesina was Agric minister Go and check what is going on in Kebbi. By year end, you will see the number of tons of rice Nigeria will have.
The Dangote refinery has taken years; when it is completed, you will see the impact. It is a social programme because every day, we talk about subsidy, and subsidy removal cannot work without supply, and then money is channeled to every other thing.
On infrastructure, we talk about the rail lines. The rail lines of today were started by Ahmed Joda and Obasanjo. It was an $800 million loan to build various rails. This is about N6 trillion, today because of interest and non-completion, but today the projects were renegotiated and are being delivered as we can see. That was why the president was going to China back and forth. Today, you can enter a train from Lagos to Ibadan, and nobody is talking about that.
In my own region, for 15 years, we had senate president, economic adviser, and others. There are three major roads in the south: East West Road, Enugu-Onitsha Road and Enugu-Port Harcourt Road. It is only in the past six years that we have had consolidated build out. From Enugu to Port Harcourt today will take 1.45 minutes now This is a journey that previously takes three to four hours.
There is the Second Niger Bridge. I can go on and on. In technology, the issue of NIN for which Mr. Afolabi went to jail has been delivered. Yes, people may have a problem on how it is being delivered but no one can give what he does not have.
In aviation, the former governments took loans to build four airports, and the government added the 5th because the then Minister was from the southeast, she added the Enugu Airport. Abuja International Airport is delivered, Port Harcourt and Lagos international airports are delivered as well as Kano all in six years, and massive infrastructure upgrade with a reliable road map in place. Thanks to the Aviation minister, nobody would have been moving around with this banditry. He has made it possible for airlines to be coming on board. Their style may be different, but there is a method to this madness.
These are foundations that i can connect to one good thing is that Buhari has actually changed to a democratic person. In his first coming, he wasn’t democratic at all. It is a big achievement that he was able to get that transformation. I think the government has done more than average in all ramifications, and I can challenge anybody to that.
The problem we have is expectation. We can only get the government we deserve. We cannot get an Obama in Nigeria. We are all complicit. So let’s forget about Buhari and talk about 2023. Let us take the good Buhari has done and build on it; let us take the bad things he had done and correct them.
That is the kind of positivity I want from few good men. Let us not tear the house down. Different versions from different people. Will a Femi Adesina tell you that Buhari is not doing well? No.
But the main concern is how the common man is faring now and how he will fair tomorrow. Buhari’s continuation of his predecessor’s project and supporting all competent regardless of affiliation are the way to go and a big lesson to politicians. Government is a continuum, PMB’s legacy of walking across the aisle is a master stroke.
On a final note, one of the biggest reasons I say Buhari has done well is the 40-year-old Mr Bawa he appointed as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The future belongs to the likes of him and his peers, Nigerian corrupt practices have to be reduced that’s the main threat of Nigeria. I don’t care if he appoints only Katsina people once they are competent.
The Igbos are already leading in commerce. They love competitiveness, building new frontiers. As of today, Igbo control 50 per cent of land in Nigeria; we have bought land everywhere so if you add to the five southeast states we have, we almost control half of Nigeria. To aspire for power, you must be sure you have the capacity to carry it, otherwise it will feel like an elephant on your head. National development is a journey let’s sustain building institutions
Do you nurse any political ambition?
Life is dynamic. For me to have political ambition, I must have finished what I am doing now. I have not revived Daily Times, why nurse political ambition? One can create impact from wherever he is. Politics is not a vocation. It is supposed to be corporate social responsibility. But people who have failed in their fields have found it as a sure means to buy cars and houses. These are depraved individuals; people that have complex.
To have political ambition, you must have thorough knowledge of the terrain and situation in Nigeria. You must also be sure you are going to impart on people. Until I complete the transformation of Daily times, nothing else. Even God will ask me what I have done with the one he gave me. I am constantly building relationships, learning on how I can return Daily Times to become what it used to be.
How wonderful a family man are you; married, with children…
No, I’m not married. I have not been married for 10 years, hopefully, I should be. I have been married to my job for 10 years. I won’t say I’ve been a fantastic family man. I’ve been married before. I have a daughter, who will be 14 next month, and a son, who is 11. Hopefully, I should be married soon as I am in a serious relationship/courtship.
ABOUT MR FIDELIS ANOSIKE
Dr. Fidelis Anosike is the President of Folio Holdings Limited, Folio Media Group, 1st October Publications Limited, Folio Communications Plc – publishers of The Daily Times Nigeria, The Sunday Times (TST) and The Business Times, with business interests in publishing, multimedia content creation and distribution, Renewable Energy, Smart Mobility and Investments among others.
Dr. Fidelis Anosike
Dr. Anosike is the protagonist for the Creative Africa Exchange (CAX), a creative industry consolidation catalyst (www.caxafrica.com). He also champions the Nigeria our Heritage project, a positive perception movement for Nigeria (www.noh.ng).
Folio Communications under Anosike’s leadership acquired from the Federal Government of Nigeria, The Daily Times Nigeria (founded 1926) which is the country’s oldest and most noteworthy news organisation. Over the past 16 years, Anosike has tirelessly worked to restore this National Heritage to its past glory and further take it digital/multimedia in line with current trends.
FMG incubated and launched Folio.ng in 2018, an afro pop culture and digital content platform (www.folio.ng), which is part of Folio Africa and launched with CNN as an exclusive affiliate.
Dr. Anosike is at the forefront of launching MVMO Africa, a digital distribution and monetization platform for movies, video, music and opportunities powered by V-NOVA cutting edge compression technology (LECVE). MVMO which is live in the 2nd quarter of 2021 will deliver content across Africa on low bandwidth of 2G and 3G.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative & Applied Arts from the University of Benin, a graduate of Harvard Business School, after wards i embarked on self-development program Owner President Management Program and Alumni of the Harvard business School; which opened my eyes to how business is been run, also holds an honorary doctorate in Philosophy from Trinity International University Georgia USA.
By Eric Elezuo
Mrs. Olufunlola Aderinokun, widow of late former Chief Executive Officer, Guaranty Trust Bank, Tayo Aderinokun, has raised alarm over illegal, dangerous construction and encroachment into her property, Rehoboth Place, situated along Banana Island Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, by the Shell Staff Cooperative Investment and Thrift Society Limited, alerting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu through an S.O.S letter to intervene, call the offenders to order, and save her building, its occupants and the general public from more present and unforeseen harm.
Speaking exclusively to The Boss, Mrs. Aderinokun lamented the recalcitrant stance of the Shell Staff Cooperative Investment and Thrift Society Limited, whose building shares a common perimeter fence with Rehoboth Place, and how they have continued their illegal construction, which has consistently defaced Rehoboth Place, in spite of cautions and deterring efforts employed by the government and the residents of Rehoboth Place.
“You need to visit the site to see how these people have defaced an already sitting building, causing structural damages as well as keeping residents of Rehoboth Place on their toes for fear of more structure collapse and/or imminent danger to lives,” she said.
Recalling that Rehoboth Place was built since 2016 according to all laid down construction rules and specifications, she further stated that on many occasions, the scaffolds and other heavy duty equipment including spanners and huge iron bars, used by the Shell Staff Coop builders, have collapsed and dropped into Rehoboth Place building, causing untold structural defacing and fear of possible fatal bodily harm to the residents. This, according to her, is because the Shell Staff Coop building is less than two metres away from the common fence, while the recommended spacing is from six meters.
Recounting to The Boss the genesis of her ordeal with the building developers and the Lagos State government with the General Manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whom she believes is showing unbelievable favour to Shell Staff Coop at the expense of injuries to lives and properties at Rehoboth Place, Mrs Aderinokun, a 67 years old retired widow, who claims that she can neither sleep well in her own bedroom nor park her car in her own compound because of the noise, danger, debris and mutilation from the Shell Staff Coop construction, narrated that the whole illegality, as she termed it, is dated back to 2020, when the Shell Staff Coop building construction started the piling work.
“As at then, I was not in the country, and because of the COVID-19 issue, many things were played down. However, when I returned to the country in August 2021, after one and half years away from Nigeria, I discovered that they had damaged my property, Rehoboth Place, extensively. My own letting agent didn’t tell me, but was rather negotiating with the offenders on how to repair the damages. Naturally, I was furious and demanded both a halt on the project and thorough compensation for the extensive damage. Note that by then, at Rehoboth Place, a bungalow, the bore hole, the perimeter fence, and other structures were already completely compromised beyond repair.
“However, in 2023, I mobilised structural engineers and the company that built Rehoboth Place originally, Cappa and D’Alberto Ltd, to begin repairs of all the damages that Shell Staff Coop caused. The Engineers wrote off the compromised bungalow and common fence, and insisted that they must be brought down completely before repairs could commence.
“However, while they were carrying out repair and reconstruction works, materials from the Shell Staff Coop construction continued to drop inside the compound from very high levels, making it impossible for safe and healthy work to continue at Rehoboth Place. Debris of cement, water, polystyrene particles and bars, tools and other dangerous materials were constantly dropping into Rehoboth Place from high levels, and so the workmen had to abandon the job, and ran for dear life. It wasn’t safe. It was not healthy. Cappa & D’Alberto Ltd wrote to demobilise from the site of Rehoboth Place in July 2023, and cannot return to the site till date because of the danger from Shell Staff Coop construction, while Lagos State looks away!
“As at today, I can’t park my car in my own compound. The huge terrace at Rehoboth Place, next to the building of Shell Staff Coop and the swimming pool at Rehoboth Place, have not been usable since May 2023, till date. While I was getting ready to sue Shell Staff Coop for the damages caused to the building, the scaffolding of Shell Staff Coop fell on the 5th floor of Rehoboth Place on 19th July 2023. This could amount to a criminal offence under the laws of Lagos State as it constitutes danger to human life and public safety,” she said.
Mrs Aderinokun’s complaints to the Lagos State Building Control Agency, under Mr Gbolahan Oki, led to an inspection and subsequent sealing of the site to stop further construction in July 2023.
“Mr Oki stated to me over the phone on 1st November 2023 that the Shell Staff Coop will pay for the damages, and that, ‘even if it’s the governor that is the one building there, they (Lagos State) will do the right thing’. I’m surprised that Mr. Oki is the one who’s no longer responding to the matter today. And on January 15, 2024, the Lagos State government allowed Shell Staff Coop to return to site, and resume construction, alarmingly without addressing any of the reasons for sealing up the Shell Staff Coop building for almost 6 months! The knocks from the close construction of Shell Staff Coop woke me up from my bed on 15th January 2024 and have continued until now, 7 days a week,” she noted.
As a follow up, Aderinokun recalled that on January 20, 2024, writing in her capacity as the Director of her company, Quadro Investment Limited, owner of the property, Rehoboth Place, she again appealed to the Lagos State Building Control Agency via the General Manager, and re-detailed the hazards that the construction of the Shell Staff Coop portend, and continues to unleash, and appealed that the government should put a stop to the building or at most curtail the dangers inherent. She wondered why the construction was allowed to resume six months after sealing up, with nothing to show that due diligence has been done.
The letter, which was titled “Re: Construction of Multiple Storey Building Against Building Regulations Along Banana Island Road, Etisalat LGA, Ikoyi, Lagos, Which Shares a Common Perimeter Fence with Our Property, Rehoboth Place”, reminded the Agency that the ongoing construction of the Shell Staff Coop, was sealed up by Lagos State officials on July 25 2023, when they visited and they discovered certain unpalatable infractions including absence of airspace and protection against damage to the adjoining premises of Rehoboth Place and others, among many other inanities.
In their capacity as a regulatory agency, the LSBCA had, in July 2023, assessed the scene and discovered as follows:
1. That the safety nets were not properly installed,
2. Blockade of public drainage facilities as a result of the construction work,
3. Damage of adjoining property due to effects of construction,
4. Inadequate airspace of right side of the structure.
Therefore, the Agency came up with certain recommendations, which were pasted on the fence of the construction site of Shell Building Cooperative. The recommendation was a point-blank order to stop the construction of the building as a result of the following reasons: 1. The development was unauthorized 2. The development did not conform to the planning permit issued by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority. 3. There’s no authorization to commence construction by LSBCA as required by law, and 4. The structure erected is contrary to Building Control Standards.
The Agency concluded its recommendation with sealing up authorization that the building should stop henceforth with the service of the Order.
“That was on 25 July 2023, but the construction resumed on 15 January 2024 with no evidence of the noted hazards controlled, and events at the site have continued to put Rehoboth Place and its occupants in harm’s way, The 10 inches spanner fell onto the ground floor of Rehoboth Place on 29th January 2024, from a height of about 7 or more floors of the building of the Shell Staff Coop! If the spanner had fallen on the head of anyone at Rehoboth Place, the fatality that could have happened can only be imagined” Aderinokun lamented.
The letter is presented in details below:
22 January 2024.
The General Manager,
Lagos State Building Control Agency,
Muiz Banire Street,
Off Oba Akinjobi Way,
GRA, Ikeja.
Dear Sir,
RE: CONSTRUCTION OF MULTIPLE STOREY BUILDING AGAINST BUILDING REGULATIONS ALONG BANANA ISLAND ROAD, ETI-OSA L.G.A. IKOYI, LAGOS; WHICH SHARES A COMMON PERIMETER FENCE WITH OUR PROPERTY REHOBOTH PLACE.
The above-described development, which is an ongoing construction and adjacent to our property, Rehoboth Place (at Plots 16-17, along Banana Island Road, Ikoyi, Lagos) was sealed up by your agency on 25th July 2023 for a number of infractions, amongst which were the absence of protection and airspace against damage to the adjoining premises of Rehoboth Place and others. Please find attached here, copies of the contravention notice and stop work order pasted by your Agency on the construction site.
On 16th January 2024, work recommenced at the construction and it appears that the property has been unsealed. This is despite the continued absence of protection on the construction works and airspace to Rehoboth Place. As a result, both our property (Rehoboth Place) and its occupants have been placed back at risk of suffering substantial damage, serious injury and/or death due to debris and other things falling into Rehoboth Place from the construction site. Please find attached here, photos of some of the items that have fallen into Rehoboth Place from the adjoining construction site before the sealing up of the site by your Agency.
Further, the building remains less than the stipulated distance from its boundary with Rehoboth Place, which is a clear, and continuing breach of building regulations.
In the circumstances, we are left to speculate as to the reasons why the construction site has been permitted to continue, even as the specific contraventions, for which it was ordered to stop work, continue un-remediated, almost 6 months later. It would appear that the attitude that has resulted in a number of building tragedies in Lagos State continues to prevail within your Agency.
We hereby notify you that we will not fold our arms and do nothing, while our property is exposed to further trespass and the possibility of serious injury and/or loss of life to its occupants. Should any injury and/or death be suffered by anyone at all, please be in no doubt that a report will be made to law enforcement agencies and the contents of this letter and those of our other appeals to Lagos State on this matter, will be brought to the attention of the appropriate authorities.
In the circumstances, we are constrained to issue this notice demanding that you enforce the building regulations on the above-stated construction works, failing which we shall have no option, other than to institute legal proceedings to compel you to fulfil your statutory obligations.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Olufunlola K. Aderinokun.
Director.
With no commensurate response from the LSBCA, and the sensing the criminal intent, Aderinokun petitioned the Commissioner of Police, CP Fayoade, and copied the AIG zone 2, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and the Commissioner for Environment, to use his good office to stop the construction before injuries or even death are recorded.
The letter is produced below:
20 February 2024.
The Commissioner of Police,
Lagos State Police Headquarters,
Muiz Banire Street,
GRA, Ikeja,
Lagos State.
Dear Sir,
RE: PETITION ON THE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION THAT IS AGAINST PUBLIC SAFETY, CONTRARY TO SECTION 123 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW OF LAGOS STATE, 2015, CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE AT THE PROPERTY THAT ADJOINS REHOBOTH PLACE (A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT) SITUATE ALONG BANANA ISLAND ROAD, IKOYL, LAGOS.
We are the owner of Rehoboth Place, situate at Plots 16-17, Banana Island Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The construction works adjoining Rehoboth Place belongs to, The Shell Staff Cooperative Investment and Thrift Society Limited, whose office address is at Freeman House, 21/22 Marina, Lagos State.
Please refer to the above subject matter and the self-explanatory letter, which is attached here, dated 22 January 2024, written by us to the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LSBCA).
In addition to the contents and attachments to our said letter written to the LSBCA, please find attached here, photos of 3 (three) more injurious items, which fell into Rehoboth Place from the adjoining compound at various times.
The big blue piece of iron (contained in the attachment to the letter to the LSBCA), which weighs about 8 kilograms, fell from the adjoining compound into Rehoboth Place, sometime in July 2023, while the 10 inches spanner, fell from the adjoining compound into Rehoboth Place at about 10.45am on 29th January 2024. The iron rod that is about 60 inches long, weighs two & a half kilograms.
All the items fell onto the ground floor of Rehoboth Place from heights of 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th floors of the adjoining construction works, which are obviously being constructed, too close to Rehoboth Place and other neighbouring properties, in contravention of the building laws, regulations and permits of Lagos State.
We hereby, humbly appeal to your office, to take all necessary action to investigate the ongoing danger to human life and public safety, that is being posed by the owners and occupiers of the property adjoining Rehoboth Place.
Furthermore, we appeal to you, to use your good offices to ensure that the said dangerous construction works, which are being carried out in the adjoining compound to Rehoboth Place are stopped immediately before any further crime in committed, particularly before the occurrence of any loss of life or serious injury to anyone,
We trust in your kind and urgent attention to this matter.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
DIRECTOR.
Cc:
1. The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,
Lagos State Ministry of Justice,
The secretariat, Block 2,
Alausa, Ikeja.
2 The Assistant Inspector-General of Police,
The Nigeria Police Force, Zone 2,
Command Headquarters,
King George V Road, Onikan,
Lagos State.
3. The Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources,
Ministry of Environment and Water Resources,
The Lagos State secretariat,
Alausa, Ikeja.
With no response from the General Manager, Mr Gbolahan Oki, the Rehoboth Place owner, having established a criminal intent with the Police, resorted to writing the governor one more time, whom she had been privileged to discuss the matter with via phone and in person on several occasions. It is on record that Aderinokun had earlier on August 8, 2023 and November 28, 2023 written to the governor on the same issue. But like the manager of Lagos State Building Control Agency, neither the governor nor his office responded.
“They practically called my bluff, without a care of what their silence and inaction on these matters is causing to me personally, to other members of the public and/or may cause in the future,” Aderinokun said.
Below is the full letter addressed to the governor:
29th February 2023.
Mr. Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu,
Executive Governor,
Lagos State of Nigeria,
Governor’s Office,
Alausa,
Lagos State.
Dear Mr. Governor,
PLEASE, SAVE OUR SOULS.
RE: IN RESPECT OF THE ONGOING CONSTRUCTION OF MULTIPLE STOREY BUILDING AGAINST BUILDING REGULATIONS ALONG BANANA ISLAND ROAD, ETI-OSA L.G.A. IKOYI, LAGOS; POSING A DANGER TO THE ADJOINING PROPERTY-REHOBOTH PLACE AND HAS CAUSED STRUCTURAL DAMAGES & COLLAPSE OF STRUCTURES AT REHOBOTH PLACE.
I am the managing director of Quadro Investment Limited, the registered owner of Rehoboth Place, which is situated at Plots 16-17, along Banana Island Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, built and completed in the year 2016.
The owner of the ongoing construction which shares a common fence with Rehoboth Place, is Shell Staff Co-operative Investment & Thrift Society Limited (hereinafter called, “Shell Staff Cooperative”) with office address at Freeman House, 21/22 Marina, Lagos.
I am hereby writing an S.O.S., Save Our Souls to Mr. Governor for the reasons set out below.
1. People are continuously exposed to danger of serious injury and/or death at Rehoboth Place because the Lagos State authorities have allowed the construction work by Shell Staff Cooperative to continue, despite the danger it poses to the neighbourhood, its continuous pollution to the environment and the fact that it does not meet the building laws and regulations of Lagos State.
2. In respect of this subject matter, Quadro Investment Limited has written to:
2.1 you, Mr. Governor, by its letters dated 08 August 2023 and 28th November 2023;
2.2 the Lagos State Building Control Agency by its letter dated 22 January 2024;
2.3 the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, by its letter dated 20 February 2024. This letter was copied to, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Nigeria Police Force and the Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State.
Copies of the letters stated in 2.2 and 2.3 above are attached here.
3. In addition to the above, I have made several personal appeals to you, imploring you to grant me an audience to meet with you, to explain the situation to you after my letters and for you to look into this matter and direct Lagos State authorities to ensure that its own Building Regulations and Laws are adhered to in the construction by Shell Staff Cooperative. Unfortunately, all my efforts appear to have been ignored.
4. The on-going construction by Shell Staff Cooperative, which is on its 9th floor and still going up, stands less than 2 meters to its common fence with Rehoboth Place and has caused extensive damage, including collapse of structures at Rehoboth Place. It is posing a danger to life and health in the neighbourhood and at Rehoboth Place. While Lagos State has allowed the construction by Shell Staff Cooperative to continue, the owners of Rehoboth Place cannot use their own property, for fear of danger to life!!
5. Injurious and life-threatening items like big iron bars, weighing 8kg, other iron rods weighing 3kg and 1kg, a 10 inches long spanner, huge polypyrene bars have fallen from heights of 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th floors of the ongoing construction by Shell Staff Cooperative into the ground floor of Rehoboth Place at various times in 2023, and on 29th January 2024. Also, rains of construction water, cement, dust and particles of polypyrene and nylon continuously shower and fly into the airspace, terraces, swimming pool, onto motor vehicles, other valuable properties and indoor living areas at Rehoboth Place. Please find attached hereto, photos to back this up.
6. The scaffolding being used for the construction by Shell Staff Cooperative fell onto the 5th floor of Rehoboth Place on 19th July 2023, which led to a Contravention Notice and a Stop Work Order being pasted on the construction site of Shell Staff Cooperative on 25 July 2023. Please find photos attached here. From then on, the site remained closed for work, for about 6 months, until 15th January 2024, when work suddenly resumed at the constructions of Shell Staff Cooperative, without addressing a single one of the reasons for the sealing up of the premises as stated in the Contravention Notice, including the non-application of safety net on the construction site. Please find attached here, shown in the videos recorded in the flash drive and photos of the dangling scaffolding on Rehoboth Place.
7. Since 15th January 2024, construction by Shell Staff Cooperative have continued, 7 days a week, including outside regulated working hours in a residential area, during night time hours, without any regard for neighbours. They start as early as 7am, waking me up from my sleep with consistent provocative sounds of hammer/iron knocking on iron, 7 days a week, week after week, without any break. Also, on 26th of January 2024, I was woken up from my sleep at 12.00 midnight because of the noise of the truck, working past midnight at the constructions of Shell Staff Cooperative. Please find the proof of this shown in the videos recorded in the flash drive attached here.
8. The non-stop early morning knocking noise (7 days a week) from construction by Shell Staff Cooperative have had untold impact on my brain, psychology and well-being. Part of the reasons that certain distances are prescribed and legislated between buildings, is to avoid noise from one building into another. Since 15th January 2024 to date, it has been like living on a construction site at Rehoboth Place, every day, non-stop, and not a single day of break. Sir, please permit me to add here, that by God’s grace, I am a 67 (sixty-seven) years old widow, resident and indigene of Lagos State.
9. I cannot walk around my compound, I cannot park my car in my own home at Rehoboth Place and we are not able to use our terraces, because of the showers of cement, dirt, dust and polystyrene particles raining from the constructions of Shell Staff Cooperative, onto our cars, other valuables and terraces at Rehoboth Place. Also, we have not been able to use the swimming pool at Rehoboth Place since April 2023 up to the date of this appeal. Please find attached here, the photo of the unhealthy materials from the construction by Shell Staff Cooperative inside the pool and on our terraces at Rehoboth Place, even inside our flower pots on the 5th floor!!!
10. Yet, Lagos State is looking away from this blatant disregard of its building regulations and laws, pollution of the environment, to favour the constructions of Shell Staff Cooperative at the expense of the users of Rehoboth Place.
11. Meanwhile, Lagos State recently banned the use of styrofoams and single use plastics in the State. Sir, it is my humble opinion that Lagos State needs to go further and ban the use of polystyrene in construction sites. The construction workers of Shell Staff Cooperative have been seen cutting into smaller bars, at high levels of 6th, 7th, 8th floors, huge polystyrene bars, without any protection, thereby spraying unhealthy particles of polystyrene, with high health hazards to the neighbourhood and onto Rehoboth Place.
12. Also shown in the videos recorded in the flash drive attached to this letter, is the video of Mr. Gbolahan Oki, the General Manager of the Lagos State Building Control Agency when he visited Rehoboth Place on 2nd November 2023. Unfortunately, Mr. Oki has not matched his words with actions and instead, has allowed the constructions of Shell Staff Cooperative to continue, despite the potential of the occurrence of a catastrophe.
13. Sir, my life and the lives of others are being put to danger by the construction of Shell Staff Cooperative, particularly because of its closeness to Rehoboth Place.
14. Sir, I’m not willing to wait until people are seriously injured and/or someone dies, before I cry out to the public. There is a potential of criminal offence being committed by the closeness of the constructions of Shell Staff Cooperative to Rehoboth Place. The photos and videos that I have attached here and the sealing up of the construction by Shell Staff Cooperative for about 6 months by Lagos State, speak volumes and I am sincerely not exaggerating.
15. Again, I hereby personally implore Mr. Governor, to use your good office to ensure that another unfortunate catastrophe related to building collapse, serious human injury and/or death does not happen in Lagos State, in this matter.
Sir, I am trusting in your speedy good judgement in this matter. Thank you, Sir.
Yours faithfully,
Mrs. Olufunlola K. Aderinokun (née Agusto).
It will be noted that building collapse has remained a recurring decimal in Lagos State. One can recall that a massive Ikoyi building, located not too far from Rehoboth Place, collapsed in 2022, and claimed lives of prominent Nigerians with many other budding professionals.
“All we are doing is to prevent a disaster lurking in the corner, and for me to have a safe and peaceful possession of my property,” Aderinokun concluded.
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