Wars, Guns and Viruses - A nugget on the covid19 virus.

Wars, Guns and Viruses

In 2008, the legendary Sir Paul Collier Sir Paul Collier released his famous work and best seller, ‘Wars, Guns and Votes’. The book adopts an inventive vista by critiquing the application of democracy in the third world. The book is in many ways iconoclastic as it debunks the “Kumbaya” theory that saw politics of the 90’s as an end in and of itself, completely ignoring the necessary factors and processes that make it a reliable system. This article isn’t remotely similar thematically, even though Sir Paul Collier remains one of the most significant analysts of globalization. In this article, I rather attempt to evaluate what the focus of humanity should be and how the enemy of civilization has evolved over time.

In order to understand the situation on our hands, it is pertinent to examine where we are as a race. Globalization is one of the most prominent vestiges of civilization. It has been incredibly resolute, consistently trumping the forces of Nationalism and Xenophobia. Even if the recent rise of right wing populism in Europe has been a worry, you can place your bet on globalization stomping through the hurdles unscathed. The reality is that globalization is here to stay and I know this because globalization — by its very nature — is steep. The deeper humanity goes, the more entangled we are, making exiting increasingly uphill. The Brexit saga perfectly encapsulates this. No one could have predicted that the UK leaving the EU would have taken three years and three Prime Ministers, however the Brexit process proved a more herculean task than many Brits predicted. As humanity, regardless of our vast differences, we are deeply interwoven; with the proliferation of multinationals, the free movement of labour, and the constant harmonization of political and social interests. The Covid-19 outbreak perhaps exposes a different angle of the interconnectedness of the world: we are all as bad as the worst of us, and vulnerable to the inadequacies of systems wherever they are.

As Wuhan, the epicenter of the global pandemic, breathes for the first time in weeks and hope creeps back into the minds of Chinese denizens, the rest of the world still reels in the zinger of the sheer disaster of the pandemic. Donald Trump in his recent statements has consistently referred to Covid-19 as the “Chinese Virus”, a scurrilous but unsurprising vitriol on the Chinese who, in a cheeky ‘reprisal’, referred to mass shooting as “white mass shooting”. The harsh reality Trump must deal with is that China will almost certainly be Covid-19 free before the USA. This is not the time for meaningless argy bargy and polemic, it is time for a new consciousness. More than ever there is a need for the world to unite and fight against the most widespread problems emanating from Globalization.

The world is at war with what Donald Trump recently referred to as “an unseen enemy”. That might be another Chinese diss, or what he might deem to be an inspirational statement. Nonetheless, Mr Trump is partly correct: the world is certainly at war. However, I disagree that the enemy is unseen — the enemy is conspicuous. The enemy is you and I. We are at war with ourselves, however not in the way the world is currently framed; not in the USA v Iran, or the Syria v ISIS sense. Our enemy is our domineering and imperious prepotency; our desire for new adventures leads to the inevitable encounter of novel situations, possibilities, and problems. As humanity crosses boundaries and acquires new spaces, we constantly encounter new animals which of course expose us to new bacteria, diseases, and viruses. Covid-19 has shown just how astonishingly unprepared we are. Bill Gates, in a 2015 Ted Talk, bemoaned the lack of stable healthcare systems to deal with epidemics. He made it clear that the world was not ready for the next epidemic and at the time his words were met with murmurs of approval and harrumphing in equal measure. Nothing changed after that, of course. The US for example in the five-year period has spent trillions of dollars on their military. According to the White House Office for Management and Budget, the estimated USA spending between October 1, 2020 and September 2021 is 934 billion, while the healthcare figures are significantly lower. And, rather surprisingly, the only US 2020 Presidential candidate who has advocated for universal healthcare, Bernie Sanders, has been subjected to vituperation, and his message has been met with paranoia almost reminiscent of the Mc-Carthyism witch-hunt era, even within the Democratic Party.

The only thing the USA is sufficiently prepared for is warfare, and the same goes for the most of the western world. But the question is: with whom are we at war? The forces of terrorism still prevail to an extent undoubtedly but clearly do not require so many trillions of dollars to contain; international armed conflicts are almost an impossibility with the proliferation of nuclear weapons and mutually assured destruction. The biggest threat to the world isn’t ISIS, or North Korea, it is viruses. Even if the threats of belligerent states and terrorists persist, we are sufficiently equipped to contain them. What we are evidently not prepared for whatsoever is an outbreak of a virus. Covid-19 has stunned the world in a devastating way. However, like Bill Gates rightly said, the signs were clear from the onset. The Ebola virus persisted and wrecked Africa in an unprecedented way. In reality, though, if African Governments were more proactive the casualties wouldn’t have been as high as they were, and some eleven thousand people would not have lost their lives. Things could have certainly been a lot worse. Many experts say the eradication of the Ebola virus was serendipitous more than strategic, and this is in no way to detract from the efforts of or undermine the heroism of health workers in Africa who put their lives on the line. Notwithstanding the notable work of health workers and epidemiologists, the discernibility of the Ebola virus, and the fact that it wasn’t rife in urban areas, were telling in seeing a low spread and effectively led to it being curtailed.

Covid-19 is not quite the grim reaper that Ebola was. It is not immediately fatal or conspicuous and can persevere in the body surreptitiously for many days before manifesting. This is the same for some of the other Coronaviruses, and that is why our unpreparedness has been exposed in this manner. Viruses like Covid-19 warrant urgent reforms to healthcare systems globally. No one must be left behind because, as far as globalization persists, we are as vulnerable as the weakest system. Therefore, there must be collective action to put in place mechanisms everywhere to curtail the rapid spread of viruses like Covid-19, because it is going to be a part of our future as we aggressively expand and possess newer territories.

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Thinking ahead…

When terrorism began in Europe, it was met by a serious fight back. States around the world put measures in place to deal with it, and we embraced it somewhat as part of our lives moving forward, leading us to effectively curtail it. Terrorism is a more visceral threat to National Security and the State’s existence, so it is easy to see why it was taken with the most seriousness. I fear outbreaks like Covid-19 might not be treated with the same seriousness; governments might just see this period as a phase which will pass. This is not a phase: this is our future. And as such, we must develop systems to deal with future outbreaks. The same way we have effective anti-terrorism units is the same way we must build special hospitals and have special endemic/pandemic response systems all around the world. Perhaps if we develop swift response systems there will never be need for Martial Law, however, if there will ever be need for it, the best time for such debates to happen is not in the middle of the crisis but before it; states must have special procedures to follow in times of major outbreaks so they don’t escalate.

The WHO cannot be a monitoring institution anymore but must be ready to get its hand dirty. In the same way that the UN carries out Peacekeeping missions and forms intervention coalitions, the WHO should be more actively involved in collaborating with governments of the world to ensure that all states have a bare minimum response mechanism. With combat, the colossal states can call the shots from the top and intervene when they like, but with indiscernible viruses like Covid-19, real damage can be done before anyone knows, and it takes one person to restart the pandemic.

Citizens have the biggest role to play. The process of globalization is technical and is often outsourced to technocrats to handle. Things like free trade agreements and treaties often get public input. Brexit, fortunately, was on the back of a public referendum. However, there was widespread misinformation and a misunderstanding of the intricacies; there is a widespread belief a call for a second referendum might have changed the status of Brexit — that is however a conversation for another day. The point is: the method of checking Globalization cannot be restricted to the election process, which is periodical. There must be more frequent engagement by citizens on which civil societies get funding, and the purposes of funding. There must be a demand for universal healthcare systems, in every country of the world. This is not compassion but pragmatism; as long as borders are open and movement of labour keeps getting easier, the asymmetry of healthcare systems in the first and third world makes no sense whatsoever. We must harmonize the systems and set a baseline. Politicians will never do this unilaterally because, even in dire circumstances, there is always the nagging belief that money can insulate elites from crisis. We the people must push them.

It is crunch time for humanity. It is uncertain if there will be an “after” or a “post pandemic period”; we can’t assume the worst and believe there’ll be none. While the scientists work around the clock to find vaccines for Covid-19, as we sit in our houses playing football with toilet rolls and watching Netflix, we must not forget to build our resolve and develop a new consciousness. This is not a phase, it is our future, and we must ensure our governments recognize that and fall in line sooner than later

WHY NIGERIAN WOMEN DONT SUCCEED IN POLITICS

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pauline Tallen, has said most Nigerian women do not get to the echelon of their political careers because they have limited themselves to political praise singers to politicians, rather than participating in the process.

The former Deputy Governor of Plateau State also lampooned some of her fellow women for not supporting their own

Mrs. Tallen stated this recently at the launch of a magazine entitled ‘Showcasing Her Abilities in Political Engagements,’ authored by UN Women and Youngstars Foundation, a compendium chronicling the lives of 20 successful Nigerian women in politics.

She also stressed that unlike Nigeria, the womenfolk get serenaded abroad and expressed confidence that next year’s elections would be a defining moment for women assuring that most of them would win glowingly.

Her words, “Women should stop being praise-singers and clapping hands for politicians and serving food. It’s not healthy and not the best for us.

“As long as we allow ourselves to be used we will never get there. It is better for women to try and be in the mainstream of the campaign.

“And if you are at the mainstream of the campaign you will be reckoned with. But if you hang around as praise singers, serving food and drinks, that is how you will remain.

“I appeal to women to always be at the mainstream. Women should ensure that they attend most of the critical meetings.

“Also, women should always support women. I can see senators Rep members and members state houses of assembly members in the making.

“It is unhealthy when we don’t see ourselves as threat to men we want a healthy environment where men and women can effectively participate in nation-building.

“By right as citizens of this country we have every right to participate. Women have prove their worth in various capacities. But the atmosphere of recent have not given the opportunity.

“But when you start listening to stories of those that participated in the last primaries, they have never had it so bad. And it is unhealthy for the nation because Nigeria is flying on one wing.

“A country with a population of capable women who can prove their worth anywhere. If you go to any international conference, Nigerian women stand out.

“But back home,  it is a sad story. In the midst of all these challenges, I still want to encourage women that all hope is not lost. We will see light at the end of the tunnel.

“I appeal to women to remain strong and never give up. God is on how side as long as we refuse to give up,” she added.

On his part, Founder of Youngstars, Kingsley Bangwell, argued that the production of the book became imminent and serves as a morale booster for women especially at a time when the electorate were gearing up for another general election.

Bangwell further urged men to sufficiently support the political aspirations of women rather than restrict them to certain positions.

THE MUTILATION AND CUNNING POSTHUMOUS HONORS OF SOUTHERN NIGERIA HEROES BY THE FULANI'S

A yoruba man wrote, Of what use is the honour of a shade done a dead man, whose head was taken off in a scorching sun?

Both Abiola and Gani suffered in the hands of people from one region, and now been posthumously honoured by someone from that same region, how convenient?


Where in the article of association of this country was it stated that the North has the power, to dispense death and honour? 
I am meaved that quite a few supposedly informed Yorubas do not see this for what it's really all about, a time tested patronising antics of the fulani oligarchy, which they had played on our collective intelligence time and time again, very shameful.

Since the Nigeria project started, it has always been our sons and daughters that has always been martyred for this blood suckling country and alway in the hands of the foolanis, or their agents.

Adekunle Fajuyi still fresh in the minds of his family, though, forgotten by an ingrate country, some may argue, Gani died of cancer, yes, but remember, Gani was never a smoker, the cancer was induced.

Madams Bisoye Tejuosho, Suliat Adedeji, Kudirat Abiola to mention a few, all killed like common fowls, what's in it for them?

Of what use is your GCON to a people whose lives you have no regards for?

Perhaps, you are telling us that we are your naama, to be killed at will and then pronounce one yeye title at your convenience, and that settles it.

I want everyone to see this latest antics for what it's worth, a cheap political calculation to MUGUN the YORUBAS, e ma goo o, iya odun merin ni o, eledumare nikon lo mo aduru eni ti Fulani maa wa pa nile yoruba ti Buhari ba tun wo le, ife a fe adie ko de'nu o.... YORUBA E RONU OOOOO, mo wi temi no oo.

As for me, I'm not celebrating, there is nothing to celebrate.

- Olamide Olayinka

AN EX-CJN OF NIGERIA HAS SAID BUHARI’S AWARD OF GCFR TO MKO ABIOLA IS ILLEGAL

Alfa Belgore, a former chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), has described as illegal, the conferment of Nigeria’s highest national honour on MKO Abiola, presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 election.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the retired judge said the national honours cannot be awarded posthumously, “much less the GCFR”, which is the highest honour in the land.

President Muhammadu Buhari conferred the honour on Abiola on Wednesday, announcing that Baba Gana Kingibe, Abiola’s running mate in the election, and Gani Fawehinmi, the late human rights lawyer, would be invested with a GCON respectively.

He said the commemoration and investiture would take place on June 12, 2018.

But PREMIUM TIMES quoted Belgore as saying: “It is not done… it is for people living.”

“The only thing they could do is to name a place after him, but national honours award, no.”

Belgore, chairman of the 2016 national honours committee, was also quoted to have said he was not consulted by the Buhari administration before the decision was taken.

He said under the 1963 National Honours Act, only soldiers or other servicemen could be awarded posthumous medals for their bravery.

Belgore was chief judge between 2006 and 2007.

Buhari’s action has been received with mixed feelings. While some commended him over it, others believe it has a political undertone.

Many nigerians have called this Medicine after Death: Those who detained and killed Abiola are now rewarding him, for a reward-Yoruba vote.

WHO IS LAZIER? THE PRESIDENT OR THE YOUTHS......#FOODFORTHOUGHT

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 was my saddest day of 2018 so far. My privilege as a Nigerian was breached when President Buhari, who should be the main marketer and chief diplomat of Nigeria and Nigerians, took time out of his not very busy schedule to de-market Nigeria before elite world business and political leaders at the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London.
Asked a question about how he intends to address the huge youth unemployment in Nigeria during a business forum at the ongoing CHOGM, Buhari resounded thus:
“About the economy, we have a very young population, our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. This is a very conservative one.
More than 60 percent of the population is below 30, a lot of them haven’t been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria is an oil producing country, therefore, they should sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare, education for free.”

What a fallacious and provocative statement! First of all, it is not true. But if even it is true, is that the type of talk that should proceed out of the mouth of a man who is meant to be the father of the nation?
And this is now a habit with Buhari. He has also previously slandered Nigerians when he called his own people ‘criminals in a February 5, 2015 interview he gave to the Telegraph of London.
During that interview he said: “Some Nigerians claim that life is too difficult back home, but they have also made it difficult for Europeans and Americans to accept them because of the number of Nigerians in prisons all over the world accused of drug trafficking or human trafficking.”
But in truth, between Nigerian youths and President Buhari who wants to sit and do nothing? What rubbish coming from a President who lied that rats chased him from his office so he could work at home! A lazy President, who cannot supervise his Inspector General of Police to know where he is, calls Nigeria’s youths lazy. He will hear from them in 2019!

Nigerian youths created Nollywood from the scratch without government support. 77% of Black doctors in America are Nigerians, mostly youths who were frustrated out of Nigeria due to the inept leadership of the likes of Buhari. Throughout his life, can Buhari name one thing he has run successfully? Meanwhile millions of Nigerian youths run successful businesses.
10 million jobs have been lost since 2015. It is not laziness that makes Nigeria’s youths jobless, it is Buhari’s incompetence that makes them jobless.
How many of Buhari’s children are gainfully employed? His son Yusuf is busy riding multi-million power bikes while the father insults us! It is what he ought to say about himself that he is saying about Nigeria’s youth.
Buhari is the one that does not want to work. What project has he initiated, started and completed in 3 years? The only thing he knows how to do is blame and condemn! Jonathan gave youths #YouWIN. What has Buhari given youths besides sorrow, tears and blood?
When he said Nigerian youths want to “sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare”, Buhari was describing himself. He sits and does nothing at Aso Rock. He gets free housing at the Presidential Villa.

He spends 103 days in a London clinic and we the ‘lazy’ people of Nigeria pay for it! Joblessness makes him talk anyhow!
According to some estimates, there are over 2 million Nigerian youths hawking various products, wares and goods from morning till night under the hot African sun, yet their lazy President who has not initiated, started and completed any project in three years called them lazy people who want to “sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare.”
The annoying thing is that he later asked the investors in the audience to consider investing in Nigeria. Buhari understands very little about cause and effect.
How can you in one breath say that your country’s youths are lazy and do not want to work and in the next you appeal to foreign investors to come and invest in Nigeria?
Someone please explain to Buhari that a father who calls his daughter a prostitute should not expect suitors!
Imagine Buhari saying Nigeria’s youths are not educated! Between Buhari and the Nigerian youth who hired 13 SANs to prevent from showing his WAEC certificate? It is Buhari’s education that is dubious and not that of Nigeria’s youths who love education enough to seek it home and abroad!
The mace of the Nigerian Senate was allegedly stolen by a member of President Buhari’s own party from the National Assembly, Buhari kept quiet. A man he gave a political appointment was jailed for N182 million fraud, Buhari still kept quiet. He only spoke when it involved insulting the Nigerian youth. Those same youths are waiting for him with their PVCs!

How does Buhari expect Nigerian youths fighting Boko Haram to feel? Many of them have died in the cause of serving Nigeria. How does he expect youth corps members to feel? Have his own kids, Zahra and Yusuf served their fatherland via NYSC or the military? They ride power bikes and get married in multi-million Naira weddings while their father insults Nigerian youths!
President Buhari has a cabinet of 36 ministers and not one of them is a youth. The median age of his ministers is 52 years while the median age of Nigeria’s population is 17.9 years. His cabinet is not representative of Nigeria. That is why he thinks our youths are lazy and uneducated.
Buhari condemns Nigerians youths for being lazy, yet it took him six months to name his ministers. He even gave jobs to dead people because he was too lazy to do due diligence. What more evidence of laziness can there be than the fact that he did not know that his own IG of Police had not obeyed his orders to relocate to Benue?
I am even more peeved with the silly response from the Presidency to this saga.
I am ashamed for Femi Adesina if he is not ashamed for himself and his family! Is he not embarrassed? Look at the pitifully pathetic statement he released yesterday saying Buhari did not call all Nigerian youths lazy. He only called ‘a lot of them’ lazy.
Silence is better than such a statement. Advice to Femi: When you are in a hole, stop digging! What is the difference between a lot and all, Femi? Remember you are a pastor. Do not be the fly that followed the corpse into the grave. Save some of your integrity. There is life after Aso Rock. I am living proof of that! Femi, don’t allow yourself be the toilet roll President Buhari uses to wipe himself.
Former President Jonathan was also in the U.K. to give a speech at the famous Oxford Union of Oxford University on October 24, 2016. Compare what he said to what Buhari said:
“I believe in the Nigerian youth and indeed African Youths. My conviction is not only an emotional one, but one grounded in my experience with youths from all over the continent. Despite incredible challenges, Nigerian youths are achieving great things and placing Nigeria positively in the world map. Nigerian youths are an inspiration to their leaders”.
As our youths will say, just negodu the difference between a real leader and a real lidder!
As an aside, has anyone noticed how quiet the Presidency has been since Senator Omo Agege and his thugs allegedly invaded the Senate and stole the mace? Even foreign governments have condemned the act, but the Buhari government maintains a loud silence. Silence often means consent. Or worse, complicity.
I may not have any proof, but I personally believe that what happened at the Senate, with the theft of the mace, could not have happened without the knowledge of the executive. There are police stationed at the National Assembly premises. If you believe they allowed thugs come in without receiving an ‘order from above’ then you should also believe Buhari’s promise of making $1 equal to N1.
Let me just end here before I get so angry and tell the President about himself.

Reno’s Nuggets

Be careful the names you give your children, it affect their character. Is it a coincidence that Lai lies, that El-Rufai is made up of the same letters as failure, that Garba speaks garbage, that Buratai is brutal? Now look at Omo Agege behaving like an Agege tout! Names matter!

curled from thisdaylive
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/04/21/it-is-buhari-who-is-lazy-and-not-nigerias-youth-nigerias-youth-are-not-lazy/

THE LAGOS LAND USE CHARGE: ITS IMPLICATIONS AND EFFECT

THE re-enacted Lagos State Land Use Charge Law that has replaced the one enacted in 2001, has been greeted with public outcry because of misunderstanding of its provisions. However, a detailed look at the Land Use Charge (LUC) Law (2018), which is the state government’s property tax, indicates that it is a consolidation of ground rent, tenement rate, and neighbourhood improvement levy.

It is an annual charge rate expressed as a percentage of the assessed market value of the property and empowers the state government to vary between owner-occupied property and other property, as well as residential property and commercial or revenue generating property. This variation further includes property for physically-challenged persons and those who have been resident at the same location for at least 12 years, minors; retiree owners of property and occupiers on the one hand, and active owners and occupiers on the other. 

According to the Law, the annual charge rate to be applied to eligible property in Lagos State shall be as follows: owner-occupied residential property – 0.076 per cent per annum of the assessed property value, and owner-occupied pensioner’s property. Exempted from from the Law are the state owned property, while chargeable property include industrial premises of manufacturing concerns at the rate of 0.256 per cent per annum of the assessed property value, residential property (owner and third party) at the rate of 0.256 per cent per annum of the assessed property value,  residential property (without owner in residence) at the rate of 0.76 per cent per annum of the assessed property value, commercial property (used by occupier for business purposes) at the rate of 0.76 per cent per annum of the assessed property value and vacant property and open empty land at the rate of 0.76 per cent per annum of the assessed property value. 

The Law also provides various forms of reliefs that are available to payers of LUC. The reliefs include general relief of 40 per cent (applicable to all property liable to pay LUC), and specific reliefs applicable to property owners and leases of 10 years and above for pensioners (60 years and above) which is 100 per cent for owner-occupied property, persons with disability 10 per cent for owner-occupied property. Others include aged persons (70 years and above) 10 per cent for owner-occupied property, age of property 10 per cent for property aged 25 years and above, long occupation by owners five per cent for 12 years and above, federal and other state government property 20 per cent for non-revenue generating property, partial relief under the LUC Law – 20 per cent for non-profit-making organizations. To enjoy the available reliefs, payers will need to provide relevant documentary evidence to support their relief claims. All LUC paid within 15 days of receipt of Demand Notice will enjoy a timely payment discount of 15 per cent.

 Property Identification Officers

 The minimum LUC payable on any given property shall not be less than N5,000 irrespective of any LUC relief granted on the property. The Commissioner for Finance is empowered to appoint Property Identification Officers, Professional Valuers and other persons as may be considered necessary for the purpose of assessing the charge applicable to a property. Category of property exempted from LUC includes property owned and occupied by a religious body and used exclusively as a place of worship or religious education, public cemeteries and burial grounds, property used as a registered educational institution certified by the commissioner to be non-profit making, property used as public library or as a private library certified by the commissioner to be non-profit making; any property specifically exempted by the governor by notice published in the State Official Gazette, and all palaces of recognized Obas and Chiefs in the state.

However, if any of the exempted property is leased out to private entities for revenue generation, it shall forfeit its exemption status as contemplated under the provisions of this Law.

What are the offences and penalties?

 Any person who refuses or neglects to comply with any provision of this Law when required to do so by the Property Identification Officer or an assessor; any person who prevents, hinders, or obstructs any Property Identification Officer or an assessor in the course of lawful duty or  any one who removes, damages or destroys a Property Identification plaque on any property or building, commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a maximum fine of two hundred and fifty thousand naira only (N250,000) or to a maximum term of imprisonment for a period of three months or both.

Any person who incites another person to ref

use to pay LUC; or b) incites or assists any person to misrepresent in any way the person’s chargeable property; commits an offence and shall on summary conviction be liable to a maximum fine of two hundred and fifty thousand naira only (N250,000) or to a maximum term of imprisonment for a period of three months or both.

Assessment appeal tribunal

The new LUC Law has equally established an Assessment Appeal Tribunal in each division of the state to treat all appeals and resolve any potential dispute.

Each tribunal shall consist of a chairman who shall be a legal practitioner of not less than 15 years post-call experience, a representative of the Attorney-Generalof the state, a registered town planner, a registered land surveyor, a registered estate surveyor and valuer, a representative of the Lagos State Valuation Office, a person with cognate experience in accounting and taxation, and  two persons from the private sector.

A person may make an appeal to the tribunal if aggrieved by a decision that the property which the person owns is a chargeable property, or that the person is liable to pay LUC in respect of such property, or any calculation of an amount which the person is liable to pay as LUC, and the Tribunal shall make such decision as it deems fit.

In resolving disputes arising from the provisions of the Law, the parties shall submit to a confidential mediation in an effort to resolve such disputes. However, where the mediation does not resolve the dispute within 45 working days of the first session or when the mediator declares an impasse, the mediation shall be deemed inconclusive and parties shall be at liberty to resolve their dispute formally at the tribunal or through any other lawful means.

Interactive  session

Making clarifications on the Law in an interactive session with property journalists last week, Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade, said said the government has extended the period for tax payers to enjoy the 15 per cent discount in the reviewed Land Use Charge Law to April 14, 2018 to enable the implementation and enforcement of the new law, as well as allow many property owners to benefit from the discount.

Ashade who took time to clarify reactions on the new law, said under the old law, which had not been reviewed for over 15 years since 2001, the Land Use Charge rate was totally inaccurate and retrogressive and was depriving the State of keeping track of all economic activities that relate to land in Lagos State.

He said the Law, which was reviewed by the Lagos State House of Assembly and signed into Law by the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on February 8, 2018 has merged all property and land based rates and charges in the State.

Ashade said: “There was an urgent need for the repeal, as the old law had not been reviewed for over 15 years, since 2001. Under the old law, the LUC rate was totally inaccurate and retrogressive. This deprived the State of ability to keep track of all economic activities that relate to land in Lagos State.

“The new law is a consolidation of ground rent, tenement rate, and neighbourhood improvement levy. This charge is payable annually in respect of all real estate properties in the State, which means owners and occupiers holding a lease to a property for 10 years or more are now liable to pay the annual LUC invoice charged.

ATIKU REPLIES ACE COMEDIAN I GO DYE.....

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has replied popular Nigerian comedian, Francis Agoda, a.k.a  IGoDye, who had, on hearing about his(Atiku’s) defection from the All Progressives Congress, APC, party to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, asked the ex-VP not to use “sentimental empathy on the youth” to express his political ambitions.

IGoDye had queried what Atiku had done for the Nigerian youths since he has been in government, saying the former VP should not hoodwink the youths in a bid to score his political interest.read below the full reply from the former vice president, atiku abubakar:

Dear IGoDye

I read your post on Instagram. It was hard to miss it because it was on every major news website. I would like to say that you were mostly right. The questions you raised in your post are similar to the ones I have been asked by other young people on social media, so I am replying this not just to you as a person, but to all young Nigerians who have asked similar questions.

Firstly, you are right. The Nigerian youth have often been taken for granted, and almost every leader in our history has taken young people for granted. But it’s important to point how this started – for people like me who saw Independence; our leadership was mostly driven by young people. Then came the coups, and the civil war, and then more coups. Nigeria ended up with a long period of military dictatorship for many decades, in which time; those young leaders aged, but still remained leaders. Fela, Gani, Enahoro, and Beko were young leaders, yet remained leaders until their demise. That was because of the instability brought on by decades of instability.

By the time we got to 1999, the young people of the day had not been prepared for leadership, because there was no leadership or apprenticeship process under dictatorships. This is one of the reasons the age of leaders has continued to rise. That was because of the leadership stagnation brought on by decades of political instability. Imagine a school that did not graduate any students for 5 years, by the time the top class finally graduates, you will have a backlog of undergraduates.

Our young people are not to blame; we need to remedy this national failure. Last week, there were local government elections in Akwa Ibom State, with over 60% of the seats won by young people, less than 35 years old. That’s how progress can be made. Young people need to participate from the grassroots, all the way across board. Appointments are good, but getting elected is even better. I also understand the issues around funding elections which keep women and young people out, and I will address this in an article I am publishing soon.

I do understand your frustration on the issue, however. I tell people my age that to understand young Nigerians, we need to understand the difference between Nigerian and Naija. Naija embodies the hopes and dreams of young Nigerians, the country they love and long to go home to when they are abroad. Naija is the country that brings them pride in music, film, comedy, fashion, and technology. It is the country of Wiz Kid, Asa, David O, Tuface, the Olympic bobsled team, Iwobi and Don Jazzy Again.

Nigeria on the other hand, is the country of their parents, the country where leaders are constantly failing them, of Boko Haram, of herdsmen violence, of recessions and joblessness. Our young people need us to make our country live up to the aspirations of Naija by fixing the problems associated with Nigeria.

I think it’s important to address the accusation about my tenure as Vice President, that I did nothing for young people. Firstly, as VP, I can only be judged on the responsibilities I was given. A VP obviously is not the driver of government. For example, you can’t blame Prof Osinbajo for all that is going on with the current government. He can only do what he’s allowed to do.

But let me speak about what you can judge me by, my assigned responsibilities. As VP, I assembled what is arguably the best Economic Team ever in Nigeria. It was made up of young, world class professionals, who came home to work. Some of those professionals are now political leaders, governors and world leaders in their own right.

If you ask what our first task was, coming into government in 1999, it was to bring stability to the economy after decades of military rule. For example, between 1999 and 2003, oil prices then were hovering between $16 and $28 yet we managed to pay up salary arrears from decades back, clear up our national debts and built up foreign reserves. Our GDP grew at the fastest rate we’ve seen since the return to democracy.

You mentioned that I never brought young people into leadership, but my record speaks differently. I have a proven record of bringing young, unknown professionals into service. Many of the professionals and ministers I brought in were in their 30s and early 40s. Some of those young leaders have become governors in their states. I went to the World Bank and met a bright lady, convinced her to come back home, and she became a star in our government. To show you we had effective leadership, the same lady could not replicate her exploits under a different government.

I was also in charge of privatization and I have witnesses that I never interfered with the process. I never bought anything belonging to the government. I was quite wealthy before coming into government, with declared assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars in 1999 (which was put in a trust when I became VP); so it was understandable that many of the wealthy Nigerian business people who participated in the privatization programme were my friends. Did I use my influence to get them better deals? No. As the then DG of BPE testified under oath, I never used my position to interfere with his work.

My legacy as Vice President, I would say is the banking consolidation process, for which I gave political backing for. Many big people were putting a lot of political pressure to not change the status quo, but we knew that if that consolidation was not done, Nigeria could not grow. Because of that banking consolidation, Nigerian banks don’t fail anymore the way they used to.

I oversaw the telecoms revolution, which is why young people like you, IGoDye, now have a flourishing career. Under our tenure, we witnessed a large repatriation of Nigerians back to Nigeria, driven by the hope of the recovering economy. It is sad that many of those young people are heading back abroad now – this is to show you that leadership matters.

I know many of these have been forgotten because it was a long time ago, and successive administrations did not follow up on the progress we made. But that is also not to say we were blameless. I was largely frozen out in the second term of our tenure, and I regret that we had that disagreement with my boss. Some say I was disloyal, but I looked at the events in Zimbabwe recently, and it gives me confidence that I did the right thing fighting the attempts to elongate the presidential tenure beyond eight years. If I did not win that fight, do you think we would be having a discussion on young people getting into leadership today?

Intels. I want to address this because you mentioned it. It was the Shagari government that started the Onne Port and later abandoned it. In summary, my business partner and I saw an opportunity to build Nigeria’s oil industry using world class infrastructure, but driven by Nigerians. We went out and took loans to build the facilities, but as we went on, more opportunities opened up, which allowed us access to even more capital. We ended up borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars, mostly from Europe, to build the port, singlehandedly charting the course of Nigeria’s oil industry.

Honestly, I did not ever think we would be that successful, which was why I kept my day job, when we started it. It was just what you would call, a side hustle, but it grew so big, and I had to quit my government job to focus on it. Today, every oil major uses the facilities we built. The government only became clients after the oil companies. Our company has expanded to several countries in Africa. Even the FG has seen that that company is the most competent logistics company in Africa, which is why it gives Intels the most complex operations to manage.

But Intels as a corporate citizen is loved in the locations it operates. That’s because we invest in scholarships, hire young people from the community and train them to become world class technicians. As CSR, we have gone into partnership with the NFF to train young Nigerian footballers, and provide support for the local league. We are loved by the youth in our local communities.

In my home state of Adamawa for example, I’ve created over 50,000 direct jobs and 250,000 indirect ones. We are the largest private employers of labour in the state only second to the state government. It’s not a lot, but it does help reduce unemployment. Who do you think are holding those jobs? Yes, young people.

IGoDye, I’m not a messiah. I do not promise Eldorado or $1 = N1. But I always ask to look at the economic progress we made under my leadership and what I am doing in private business and judge me by those. People say I became rich in government. It’s a lie. I had hundreds of millions of dollars in assets declared in 1999. My businesses (my shares of which were held in a Blind Trust while I was in government) continued to grow since then. I was able to personally bankroll the PDP back then, so surely I was not poor. But I understand it is politics. So it’s normal to be called names. But how come in all these years, none of my opponents has found any evidence to indict me?

The people who are afraid of me changing the status quo they enjoy will always try to frighten young people about me.

Some people believe youth empowerment is giving handouts to young people instead of building a strong economy. They are wrong. They want to give handouts so they can control young people. But how long can we continue like that? Our country is borrowing to pay salaries, yet we are still holding on to outdated models just so we can control young people for elections.

The success of young Nigerian entrepreneurs in IT & technology, retail, music, and arts shows that given the chance, they can run anything. My job is to be a bridge, which supports our young people achieve these ideals. I will never say only I can do this. I can’t do it alone. I need your support,IGoDye, so help our economy grow, to ensure that within 10 years, our young people can take over completely.

In summary, IGoDye, I am not a person who says what he cannot do or show proof. I am giving you an invitation to sit down and ask me any questions you may have. I would also like to take you around, show you some of the businesses I have built, and let you speak to the young people who run those places. It is good to try to convince you that I can do better by our young people, but it is even better to show you. Send me a direct message on Twitter, and we will take it from there