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Boss of The Week: Abisoye Fagade: Businessman, Philanthropist, Emerging Political Star

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BY Michael Effiong

Abisoye Fagade: Businessman, philanthropist, politician and man of the people. This amiable gentleman sure knows who he is and remembers where he is from.

Humble, cerebral and forward-looking, he is certainly the real deal when the discussion swings to the new face of Nigerian politics having been in the trenches for over a decade.

Suave, well-connected and gradually building a grassroots movement that is sure to bring him to national prominence, Fagade is certain that he is the man to restore Oyo State to its pre-eminent status.

It is said over and over again that young people are the future. Abisoye, in his 40s, shares the view that the gains of democracy would be nullified if we do not properly educate and equip our children and youth.

Indeed, one thing many do not know is that Abisoye is a fantastic teacher, maybe taking a queue from his sweet mother. Over the years, he has spoken to and mentored many youths, usually in informal sessions but at times at speaking engagements, in which his sense of humour, candor and quest for success shines through.

Great teachers are also great students and Abisoye is no exception. He has learnt lessons from people and books, and he highly recommends this as a path to greatness.

Having stabilized his business and spent years touching lives and impacting others, his latest past time is his audacious adventure into politics, it is without a shadow of doubt an act of bravery and selflessness.

Indeed, Abisoye takes this journey as a huge challenge, he believes that more good men should join politics and stop lamenting like the biblical Jeremiah.

Abisoye believes he is on a rescue mission and is undaunted by the enormity of the task ahead. He comes across as someone who has a deep knowledge of Oyo State and knows what the future should look like.

 

Aristotle says there is no action without desire, for it is desire that causes us to act. An individual’s action, therefore, reveals much about what literally, moves him.

In this interview,  it is clear that Abisoye Fagade is moved by altruistic considerations, he is moved by a desire to do good to others and make Oyo State sweet again.

 You have an NGO known as “Oyo Si Ma Dun” Foundation, what can you tell us about it? 

 

The Foundation came into place as a medium to reach out to the masses especially the less privileged in the Nigerian society and the people of Oyo state in particular. I have had reasons to be concerned about the general welfare of ordinary people on the street who suffer not because they are lazy or created to be poor but who are just victims of circumstance.

“Oyo Si Ma Dun” Foundation, is well structured to bring hope to the society and improve the lives of the common man through its numerous intervention programmes and outreaches.

 

The concept or name Oyo Si Ma Dun came to me about 11 years ago when it dawned on me that if we did not get actively involved, we will lose our right to complain as citizens. I felt I should start with my state and create a political niche for myself. At that time, I came out under the progressive party called Alliance for Democracy (AD) and I was able to pay my dues. Since then, I have always been around to play the role of a key stakeholder and a mobilizer in the progressive fold.

What inspired you to join politics in the first instance?

All of us are politicians, we play politics every day at home, in offices, in our boardroom, churches, mosques among other places. Life itself is politics. I’m only transferring that into getting involved in making policies that will better the life our citizens in Oyo state and Nigeria as a whole. So, I’ve always been a technocrat politician. More importantly, the passion to see a better Nigeria as a whole inspired me to join politics. To encourage the best of us as Nigerians to come forward and get involved in the day to day running of our beloved country.

Do you share the popular opinion about politics being a dirty game? Are you not concerned about the intrigues and horse trading which often play out to the disadvantage of the majority of key players?

 

Politics is like a muddy brown glass cup of water, if you add a few drops of clean water, it will never have any effect but the more you pour clean water the clearer it would become. At some point, it will become crystal clear if you were able to get out all the muddy water from the cup. What I’m trying to say here is simple, politics will remain dirty as long as we continue to allow the worst of us to rule over the best of us. Good people need to stop staying aloof… I urge every competent and passionate patriot to be ready to take the battle to the doorsteps of dirty players in the political turf and challenge the status quo. We should get involved and show the stuff we are made up of if we want to have a better society.

 

Going by the huge number and calibre of gubernatorial aspirants within Oyo APC, one would think that an emerging political star like you should start from the House of Assembly or House of Representatives… Why are you eyeing the governorship seat at this stage of your political career?

 

First, let me correct an impression here; I’m not an upstart in politics and to be clear, I’m almost 50 years of age. Succinctly put, the only position, as we speak today, that can give me the kind of threshold to actualise my dream for the society is to be the Governor of Oyo state. I could have easily gone for either House of Representatives or Senate post in the National Assembly and win but that will be adopting their usual political trend. I have a dream and it is to see that we return Oyo to its original Pacesetter status.

What is wrong with Oyo State that you want to fix as Governor?

The first thing we need to fix is the mindset and everything will fall in line. We are the pacesetter and all our missions would have their foundation on that. The greatest war anyone can fight is between your two ears. We have our short term goals which are the low hanging fruits (tourism boost, basic infrastructures, youth development and engagement, security etc), long term goal is to build strong institutions that will solidly strengthen all the key sectors of our economy such as educational, health, judiciary, transportation and most importantly, the Agricultural system.

I have no doubt that a timely turn around in the Agricultural sector would afford us another experience of giant strides like it was done by Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the days Western Region. Our major challenge and focus will be to generate, boost and harness all our God-given resources and potential to grow our revenue base optimally.

Why APC?

Why not APC? What other party is there? I have always been a progressive since Baba Awolowo days to Uncle Bola Ige, Baba Lam and our leader of blessed memory, late Chief Abiola Ajimobi.

As it stands today, APC parades the largest number of politicians with progressive background who mean well for the society. APC can boast of the best when you talk about principled, disciplined and patriotic citizens. It is in APC you will find democrats who are always ready to defend Nigeria with everything they have and also people who are willing to safeguard democracy and the rule of law.

Without mincing words, what APC governors offer their people in many states justify the belief of people like me compared to what is obtained in all the PDP states. However, this is not to say that saints exist only in APC but the quality of people and programmes which the broom party parades ranks it far and above any other party in the country including the PDP.

We notice you engage in some humanitarian service, including donation of big projects to different communities across the state, without being a political office holder. Tell us about that side of you?

I’m not the type that likes to give in the presence of the camera (laughs). The little you have seen is because of politics and I showcased that little because I don’t want to be winking in the dark politically. I like to empower and allow the recipient to show or not show appreciation.

 Now let’s go personal, tell us about your beginning. Who is Abisoye Fagade?

I am a thoroughbred Ibadan man from both parents, my father was from Oke-Offa Baba Isale and my mother was from Oranyan. My father was an astute banker, he worked with First Bank until his retirement and my mum was a dedicated teacher in Ibadan.

 

I attended Queen of Apostle Primary School, Oluyoro, my secondary school was Lagelu Grammar School, the same school both Alhaji Lam Adesina and Senator Abiola Ajimobi attended. I studied Demography And Social Statistics at the first degree level and I graduated from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. I attended the Stanford University (SEED Program) for a year and several other courses in reputable foreign Ivory Towers including Howard Business School.

You buried your mum recently and Ibadan was agog as the event attracted many VIPs from within and outside the country. Why did you choose to throw such a big party at this time?

My mom deserves much more. I only played host to friends, associates and well-wishers in celebration of her glorious transition to the great beyond. She’s just simply irreplaceable and that’s it. My mother, late Comfort Omoladun Fagade means so much to me even in death and nothing could be too much to honour her. It is the reason we themed her burial the “IRREPLACEABLE COMFORT”.

Sincerely, there was nothing like lavishness in all that we did in her honour. We took good care of her when she was alive than we did during her burial event. I’m actually more humbled by the lavish show of love from people from all over the world who came to identify with us. I can’t take such rare show of love for granted.

 Can you take us through your career trajectory?

Well, I started my career in 1999 with De-United Foods Ltd, the manufacturer of the most popular noodles brand in Nigeria, Indomie. That brand took me to the 36 states of this country, we were busy engaging consumers and promoting the brand all over Nigeria. I later joined Starcomms as a Direct Marketing Manager in 2004, later moved to Tequila of IMS Group as a Client Service Manager. From there I moved to my last paid employment at SO&U Saatchi and Saatchi Group, Soulcomm as an Assistant Director and I resigned from there as an Associate Director in 2009 when I started Sodium Brand Solutions which has given birth to several other companies.

Why did you decide to go solo in business?

Without knowing, my former boss, Mr Udeme Ufot gave me that courage to start on my own by working selflessly for him then. If I could remember, there was a project we were doing in Uyo in 2007 and it afforded me the opportunity of working closely and directly with the then Governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Attah. It happened that the Governor took a special interest in me and the rest, as they say, is now history.

My relationship with him opened the doors to other big projects. One of them is the Project Kwara that my company (which I later floated) did with Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. We consulted for him throughout his tenure and we are still friends till date. To answer your question, I decided to go solo when I knew I was ripe enough to handle high profile projects in 2009. Meanwhile, my brainchild, Sodium Brands Solution, has now transformed into Sodium Group with specific interest in Advertising and Media consulting, Oil & Gas, Hospitality, Agribusiness and Manufacturing. All of them are being run by professionals in those fields with near nil supervision. They are also able to navigate the challenges of running businesses in Nigeria with the wealth of their experiences.

 What are key lessons life has taught you?

Life has taught me to stay focused on my goal because no one will ever understand your journey like yourself. Set realistic goals for yourself, work hard to actualise set targets and do not allow challenges to weigh you down.

 Who are those you admire: in politics, in business and in life generally?

People that inspire me in Politics, business and life are too numerous to mention. I take lessons and inspiration even from my drivers and staff. If I have to mention few names here, I will do it from my immediate environment. Politically to a certain length, Senator Abiola Ajimobi did the unthinkable by getting a second term in Oyo State. There must be a lot more to his character as a leader, Gov. Mai Bala Buni, his ability to combine his role as a sitting Governor and still be able not to just hold the party together but also expand the size of the party by winning over opposition bigwigs is phenomenal.

 

It would be a blunder not to mention how much of a study Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is for anyone who loves to succeed in politics in Nigeria. Love or hate him, he’s in an unparalleled league of his own.

 

In Business, my distant motivation is Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr, the spirit of Africa himself, how one person can build a common business entity and turn it into a conglomerate like MTN and Etisalat have built still gives me chills till tomorrow. How a man can remain so invisibly visible and unavailable but everywhere, maintain solid relationships without physical contact is amazing. I like humility and I will do anything to learn that from Alhaji Dangote but Mr Kunle Soname is the epitome of humility. Like I always tell Bob Dee, there is a part of him that I want and I want it bad that I’m already tapping from, it is his relationship management and tolerance skills.

In life, I will go a bit spiritual, I like what Pastor Wole Oladiyun of CLAM stands for and his style of spiritual leadership. I will allow the likes of Jeff Bezo, President Obama and the rest to be. In a nutshell, I draw inspiration from everything that God has created

 

Politics is such an expensive venture. You must be a rich man to even dream? How prepared are you?

Yes, I am a rich man because God has endowed me with everything that I need to lead. There is no way I will be left stranded

 What are the philosophies that drive you?

Do unto others what you will want others to do to you. You will always get what you give back.

 

You are known to dress well, how did it begin?

 

Yes o! I got that from my dad, he was a powerful dresser and smart banker in his days

 How would you describe the man Abisoye Fagade?

What you give is what you get kind of man. A man after God’s heart, fair but fearless strategist.

 How do you relax?

My life is quite eventful so I derive so much joy in being in my room, in my bed reading (online or anything), listening to music or watching movies.

Why did you take to golf. What does the sport teach you?

I took to golf when I was working with Obong Victor Attah on the Ibom Golf Resort in 2007. I was directly involved in bringing Colin Montgomerie, Nancy Lopez and Retief Goosen to Nigeria with IMG and I could remember Colin asking me if I played golf and I said no. He said, “you won’t know what you’re missing till you start, golf is life”. I joined Ikoyi Golf Club that year and I wished I had even joined earlier.

Golf is life and it teaches you everything you need in life to succeed, patience, focus, integrity, character, planning, you mention it, it is all there

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Glo Wins ‘Africa’s Beacon of ICT Excellence, Leadership Award’

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Total telecommunications solutions provider, Globacom, has added another award to its kitty with the recent ‘Africa’s Beacon of ICT Excellence/Leadership Award’ awarded on Saturday in Lagos.

The 2023 Africa Beacon of ICT and Leadership Awards was held at the Oriental Hotels, Lagos and attracted the cream of the nation’s and continents’ telecom sector including the President of the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Ikechukwu Nnamani, Director of Public Affairs, Nigeria Communication Commission, (NCC), Mr. Reuben Mouka, Regional Executive, (West Africa) at the Africa Data Centre (ADC), Dr. Krishman Ranganath and Digital Architect Manager and representative of Nigerian Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Falilat Jimoh.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Ken Nwogbo, Founder and CEO of Communication Week Media Limited, organisers of the BoICT Award, disclosed that Globacom won the award owing to  its outstanding contributions in the last twenty years, including the 3G and 4G technologies, Glo 1 submarine cable, in addition to its  unique products and services.

He added further that “The Beacon of ICT Award which was instituted to celebrate outstanding brands and the visions that birthed them has become one of the most prestigious annual awards in the nation’s ICT industry in the last 14 years”.

The organisers added that the award was also designed to celebrate individuals who have made sterling contributions in commerce and industry as well as government officials whose policies and programmes have had positive impacts on their jurisdictions.

The award was received on behalf of Globacom by the company’s representatives, Catherine Bomett, Director of Customer Care; Oladipo Olusanwo, Head of Gloworld Operation, and Obumneme Ikechebelu of Technical Department.

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Don’t Dare Nigerians, NLC Warns Tinubu over Fuel Subsidy Crisis

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The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on Tuesday, expressed displeasure over the pronouncement by President Bola Tinubu that the subsidy on petrol is gone, without consulting relevant stakeholders and putting in place adequate measures to cushion its effect on the citizens.

The NLC, through a statement by its President Comrade Joe Ajaero, noted with regret that a few hours after the pronouncement, some marketers shut down their filling stations, and immediately there was a price hike in some places.

While describing the action as insensitive, the NLC President said it has brought tears and sorrow to millions of Nigerians instead of the renewed hope, which the administration has promised.

He also said that Tinubu’s pronouncement has devalued the quality of the lives of Nigerians by over 300 per cent and counting.

The statement read: “We at the Nigeria Labour Congress are outraged by the pronouncement of President Bola Tinubu removing ‘fuel subsidy without due consultations with critical stakeholders or without putting in place palliative measures to cushion the harsh effects of the ‘subsidy removal’.

“Within hours of his pronouncement, the nation went into a tailspin due to a combination of service shutdowns and product price hikes, in some places representing over 300 per cent price adjustment.

“By his insensitive decision, President Tinubu on his inauguration day brought tears and sorrow to millions of Nigerians instead of hope. He equally devalued the quality of their lives by over 300 per cent and counting.

“It is no heroism to commit against the people this level of cruelty at any time, let alone on an inauguration day. If he is expecting a medal for taking this decision, he would certainly be disappointed to receive curses for the people of Nigeria consider this decision not only a slight but a big betrayal.

“On our part, we are staunchly opposed to this decision and are demanding and immediate withdrawal of this policy.”

NLC argued that the pronouncement has ripple effects on the economic well-being of the people

He said, “The implications of this decision are grave for our security and well-being.

“We wonder if President Tinubu gave a thought to why his predecessors in office refused to implement this highly injurious policy decision.

“We also wonder if he also forgot the words he penned down on January 8, 2012, but issued on January 11, 2012.

“We have chosen to reproduce substantial parts of the statement for the benefit of those who did not have the opportunity of reading it then.
“As Nigerians gathered with family and friends to celebrate the New Year, the federal government was baking a national cake wrapped in the scheme that would instantly make the New Year a bitter one.

“Barely had the public weaned itself from last year when government dropped a historic surprise on an unsuspecting nation. PPPRA issued a statement abolishing the fuel subsidy. By this sly piece of paper, the federal government breached the social contract with the people.

“This government….has turned its back on the collective will. By bureaucratic fiat, government made the most fateful economic decision any administration has made since the inception of the Fourth Republic and it has done so with an arrogant wave of the hand as if issuing a minor regulation. Because of the terrible substance of the decision and the haughty style of its enactment, the people feel betrayed and angry.

“At this moment, we know not to where this anger will lead. In good conscience, we pray against violence. Also in good conscience, it is the duty of every citizen to peacefully demonstrate and record their opposition to this draconian measure that is swiftly crippling the economy more than it will ever cure it.

“By taking this step, the government has tossed the people into the depths of the midnight sea. Government demands the people swim to safety under their own power, claiming the attendant hardship will build character and add efficiency to the national economy. It is easy to make these claims when one is dry and onshore.

“Government would have us believe that every hardship it manufactures for the people to endure is a good thing. This is a lie. The hardships they thrust upon the poor often bear no other purpose than to keep them poor. This is such a time…..

“Though someday, Nigeria will have to remove the subsidy, the time to do it is not now. This subsidy removal is ill-timed and violates the condition precedent necessary before such a decision is made. First, the government needs to clean up and throw away the salad of corruption in the NNPC.

“Then, proceed to lay the foundation for a mass transit system in the railways and road network with long-term bonds and fully develop the energy sector towards revitalizing Nigeria’s economy and easing the burden any subsidy removal may have on the people.

“But we know this is about more than the fuel subsidy. It is about the government’s ideas on the role of money in bettering the lives of people, about the relationship between the government and the people and about the primary objective of the government’s interaction with the economy. It is about whom, among Nigeria’s various social classes, does government most values.

“This is why the public reaction has been heated. It is not so much that people have to spend more money. It is because people feel short-changed and sold out.

“… What this government claims to be economic decisions are essentially political ones. As there is progressive politics, there is progressive economics. As there is elitist politics, there is elitist economics. It all depends on what and who in society the government would rather favour. The Jonathan tax represents a new standard of elitism.

“This whole issue boils down to whether the government believes the general public is worth a certain level of expenditure…

“However, because the distance between the government and the people is far and the genuine level of affection is low, the government sees no utility in continuing to spend the current level of money on the people. In their mind, the people are not worth the money.

“Government sees more value in “saving” money than in saving the hard-pressed masses…

” If the government thrashed the fuel subsidy based on considerations that it will run out of naira then it based its decision on a factor that has not been relevant since the time of the Biafran war.

“…. Since In a fiat money system, the problem with the fuel subsidy is not impending insolvency as the government asserts. The serious constraint is inflation. Here we must ask whether the payment is so inflationary as to distort the economy. We have been making the payment for years and inflation has not wrecked the economy. This historic evidence refutes the imminent disaster claimed by the government.

“In advancing the argument that subsidy would lead to imminent bankruptcy, government reveals its lack of trustworthiness on important matters of fact….

“Nigerians have a collective stake in the ownership of our oil resource held in trust by the government of the day. What we need then is the effective management of this scarce resource that will beget long-term prosperity to the suffering people of Nigeria and not the present racket in which those in power abuse access and control of NNPC and oil revenue to warehouse money to fund their election campaigns.

“This brings us to another inconsistency. On one hand, the government states the expenditure is unsustainable yet on the other it claims the amount now earmarked for the subsidy will be used to fund other people-oriented programs. However, the two assertions cannot exist at the same time. If the subsidy is bankrupting us, then reallocating funds to different programs will be no less harmful. A bankrupting expenditure retains this quality whether used for a subsidy or another purpose. Earmarking the funds to something else will not change the fiscal impact. If the government is sincere about using the funds for other programs, then it must be insincere about the threatened insolvency.

“The concern about the government saving naira is purely superfluous. Officials cry that Nigeria will become like Greece. Those who say this disqualify themselves from high office by their own words. Greece sits in a terrible situation because it forfeited its own currency. Thus, it cannot print itself out of insolvency and it must save or earn euro to pay its bills. Because Nigeria issues its own currency, it does not face the same constraint.

“Again, Nigeria’s problem with the subsidy is not insolvency. Therefore, to go from subsidy to nothing is not wise economics for it “saves” government nothing. What it does is produce real havoc and misery for the majority of the people while the governing elite worship their mistaken fiscal rectitude.

“Ironically, by acting like the old gold standard fiscal constraints are real, this government will incur the very thing it seeks to avoid. It will subject Nigeria to a crushing economic contraction.

“The difference between us and the Greeks will be that their situation is the inevitable result of being a weak member in a monetary union dominated by a strong economy, while our downturn will be a discretionary one artificially induced by the backwardness of our policymakers…

“Again, we must rid ourselves of the old notion that government saving and budgetary surpluses are inherently good and that deficits are always bad. For government to save naira, that means it brings in more than it pays out. Where does this influx come from? It comes from you and me, the private sector. If the federal government saves more, it means the private sector will have less. Government surplus means private sector contraction. This shows that the administration has its priorities confused. It acts as if the people are there to help government run itself.

“The more beneficial relationship is that government should be giving people the help needed to better live their lives. The government’s position is akin to a wealthy parent demanding his young children bring home more food for him to consume than the parent gives them to eat. We would deride any parent for such meanness. Yet, this government believes this conduct is wise and prudent.

“Another argument government has presented is that removal of the subsidy will stabilize the exchange rate. This makes no sense. True, since marketers convert much of the naira from selling petrol gained into dollars, there is downward pressure on the exchange rate and foreign reserves. However, this pressure is not a byproduct of the subsidy.

“It is a byproduct of importation. With the subsidy lifted, the marketers will earn the same or more from the sale of petrol. For there to be less pressure on the exchange rate would mean the marketers would seek to exchange significantly less of the same amount of naira into dollars simply because the subsidy was removed.

“There is no logical basis to assume the new Jonathan tax will have the behavioral impact of causing importers to want to hold more naira. The downward pressure on our currency and reserves will not change simply because the imported items are no longer subsidized. In fact, the higher rate of inflation caused by the removal may make importers keener to change naira into dollars. Thus, the real challenge in this regard is for government to pave the way to increased domestic production.

“There is another “philosophical mystery” in the government’s position. They state the subsidy must be removed to end the unjust enrichment of the importing cabal. There is a major problem with this assertion. If this is truly a subsidy, there should be no unjust enrichment.

“A subsidy is created to allow the general public to pay a lesser price while sellers earn the prevailing market price. Subsidy removal should not increase or decrease the amount earned per litre by the suppliers. If the amount earned by the suppliers will diminish materially, what government had been operating was in part a pro-importer price support mechanism on top of the consumer-friendly subsidy. If this is the case, government could have abolished the unneeded price support while retaining the consumer subsidy.

“More to the point, government has failed to show how the system it plans to use will be protected from the undue influence and unfair dealings of those who benefited from the discarded subsidy regime. Because it is capital intensive by its very nature, this sector of the economy is susceptible to control by a few powerful companies.

“Most of the players will remain the same except that a few cronies of the administration will be allowed entrance into the lucrative game. Sending the economy into the gutter is a steep cost to pay just so a few friends can.

“Government claims the subsidy removal will create jobs. This is misleading. The stronger truth is that it will destroy more jobs than it creates. For every job it creates in the capital intensive petroleum sector, it will terminate several jobs in the rest of the labor intensive economy. Subsidy removal will increase costs across the board. However, salaries will not increase.

“This means demand for goods will lessen as will sales volumes and overall economic activity. The removal will have a recessionary impact on the economy as a whole. While some will benefit from the removal, most will experience setback.

“What is doubtless is that the Jonathan tax will increase the price of petrol, transportation and most consumer items. With fuel prices increasing twofold or more, transportation costs will roughly double. Prices of food staples will increase between 25-50 percent. Yet this is more than about cost figures.

“Most people’s incomes are low and stagnant. They have no way to augment revenue and little room to lower expenses for they know no luxuries; they are already tapped out. The only alternative they have is to fend as best they can, knowing they must somehow again subtract something from their already bare existence.

” There will be less food, less medicine, and less school across the land. More children will cry in hunger and more parents will cry at their children’s despair. This is what government has done. Poor and middle class consumers will spend the same amount to buy much less.

“The volume of economic activity will drop like a stone tossed from a high building. This means real levels of demand will sink. The middle class to which our small businessmen belong will find their profit margins squeezed because they will face higher costs and reduced sales volumes.

” These small firms employ vast numbers of Nigerians. They will be hard pressed to maintain current employment levels given the higher costs and lower revenues they will face. Because the middle class businessman will be pinched, those who depend on the businessmen for employment will be heavily pressed.

“States that earn significant revenue from internally generated funds will find their positions damaged. Internally generated revenue will decline because of the pressure on general economic activity. The Jonathan tax will push Nigeria toward an inflation-recession combination punch worse than the one that has Europe reeling.

“This tax has doomed Nigeria to extra hardship for years to come while the promised benefits of deregulation will never be substantially realized.

” People will starve and families crumble while federal officials praise themselves for “saving money.” The purported savings amount to nothing more than an accounting entry on the government ledger board. They bear no indication of the real state of the economy or of the great harm done the people by this miserly step.

“As stated before, the threat of bankruptcy is nothing more than a ghost of something long dead. The real consideration is not whether this sum should be spent but whether it is better spent on the subsidy or on other programs. Nigerians do not need to be wedded to the subsidy. It is not the subsidy that gives life to the social compact; the amount of the expenditure is the better litmus.

“When attempting to douse popular sentiment, government pretended that the social contract would remain intact because government would spend the money saved from the subsidy on other programs. This would be nice if supported by action. If government were sincere in this regard, it would have used an entirely different strategy…”

“In light of the foregoing, we advise Tinubu to respect his owe postulations and economic theories instead of daring the people. It could be a costly gamble.”

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Adedoyin Bags Death Sentence for Murder of Timothy Adegoke

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Osun State High Court has found Ramon Adedoyin, the founder of Oduduwa University, guilty of the murder of Timothy Adegoke.

The court, under the ruling of Judge Adepele Ojo, sentenced Adedoyin, who is also the owner of the Hilton hotel, to death by hanging on Tuesday.

Adegoke, a postgraduate student from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), was murdered between November 5 and 7, 2021, at the Hilton Honours Hotel in Ile-Ife.

Judge Adepele Ojo, delivering her judgement on the case, held that the circumstantial evidence available to the court pointed to the killing of Adegoke while he was a guest at the hotel owned by Adedoyin.

She stated that Adedoyin’s decision not to enter the witness box did not help him, as the circumstantial evidence had shifted the burden of proof on him.

Justice Ojo also added that Adedoyin’s refusal to testify meant he agreed to the murder charge brought against him by the prosecution, dismissing the alibi pleaded on his behalf by his counsel, who stated that the hotel owner was in Abuja for several days around the time of the late Adegoke’s death.

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