Innocent Ojefia Blog

Speaking to the Financial Times of London after the recent Presidential Elections in Nigeria, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) advised the incoming administration of Mr. Buhari to give serious thoughts to scaling down the Government’s majority shares in the Joint Ventures (JVs) with major multinational oil companies operating in the country (The Street Journal, April 23, 2015). According to the reports, the highlights of the CBN governor’s proposal are as follows: ·          The government should shed at least 25 per cent of its equity in the JV oil companies to raise emergency funds for infrastructure development in key sectors of the economy. ·          The government may realize about $75 billion (N14.93 trillion) if it cuts its JV equity to only 30 per cent. ·         CBN officials have been directed to evaluate the prospects of th...

Now that the euphoria of electoral victory is over and with some days to the inauguration ceremony, the President-elect and Governors-elect should take a deep breath on the challenges of sycophancy in our system. As William Shakespeare succinctly opined ‘give every man thy ear but few thy voice. Take each man’s censure but reserve thy judgment’. The greatest impediment to our political and economic development is sycophancy. There is no way a leader can sincerely gauge the feeling and sensitivities of the people, if those closest to the corridors of power shy away from telling the hard truths. While the buck stops at the leaders table, every member of government is a direct stakeholder. In the era of social media, propaganda must go with performance on ground, which has bearing on the people and the environment. When a leader allows sycophancy to take over his sense of direction and sense of responsibilities, the fundamental challenge is that the large majority of the ...

A 20-year-old secondary school girl, Chisom Anyanwu on Wednesday allegedly stabbed her boyfriend was said to be in the Univeristy to death in Ubomiri community of Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. According to the report, the 28year old undergraduate boyfriend, now deceased, identified as Abio met his untimely death, when he visited Chisom’s house late on Tuesday, and an argument ensued between them because she had warned him severally to stop coming to her house because she would not like her siblings to see him. The deceased however refused to leave, and in the heat of the argument, Chisom stabbed Abio in the chest and that was the end of the story, as Abio was said to have died on his way to the Christian Medical Centre, Nworieubi after losing much blood. DSP Andrew Enwerem, Imo state Police Public Relation Officer, confirmed the incident, and said the Chimsom is in police custody, while investigation is on… Hmmm!!!

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Prof. amos Agbe Utuama, SAN, who represented the Governor noted that “I am happy to be here today at this epoch making event, as this occasion marks the glorious conclusion of series of activities for the coronation of the new Okpara-Uku of Orogun Kingdom, His Royal Highness, Efeurhobo Eyefia 1” . I am particularly pleased, because the selection process that produced the new Okpara-Uku was devoid of the bitter contest arising from disgreements, which often attend similar exercises in some communities. I am inclined to deduce, therefore, that the emergence of His Royal Highness is a product of a popular choice of the people to give Orogun Kingdom, an eminently qualified personality to further strengthen the much edified throne of Okpara-Uku. I commend this evidence of maturity of all Orogun people both at home and in the diaspora for this civilized process that makes all of us proud. This has clearly shown the who...

  There are still some very honest Nigerians indeed.  A toilet cleaner at the Murtala Mohammed International airport in Lagos, Nigeria, who returned N12 million that she found in a men’s room at the airport has been honored.  That’s a fortune, by any standard.  At her employment rate of salary (N7,500), it would take her over 130 years to make that amount. But Miss Josephine Ugwu chose honesty and has been honored by the Lagos State House attending the sitting with some of her friends and co-workers. Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kolawole Taiwo who presided over the sitting, presented a letter of commendation and an undisclosed sum of money to Miss Ugwu.  The letter and the monetary gift were “for her act of honesty and patriotism for returning the sum N12million on Friday, 23 January, 2015.”  The Deputy Speaker also thanked Ugwu for leveraging the country through the act of returning the money.   According to the l...