Business
OGUN STATE: THE ERA OF OLD RUM IN NEW BOTTLE BY BARR. HABEEB WHYTE
I remain Habeeb Whyte and I am still obliged with the responsibility that life placed on me to suggest a path towards developmental attempt especially where the State I hail from is concerned. I write this as a pen pusher that is ready to change the cause of his generation, using the pen and advocacy. I hail from Abeokuta where indigenes do not speak out of fear, but where they speak so that changes could be effected. My purpose comes with justification. In saying this, I am not trying to stir up wounds from any angle intentionally or accidentally, and I would like to avoid both situations. When you face a challenge that demands solution or a decision, you have two choices. You either emulate the example set by others or use your own creativity and intelligence to formulate a new idea. Many brilliant ideas have circulated the country and various States have copied their concepts, so much that these once inspired creations often become hackneyed.
However, second hand ideas are not for us here in Ogun State. We would rather lead than follow by a landmark. The problem now is the present crops of leaders in the State, striving to make policies centered on the blueprint of developing Ogun State a priority, especially on the note that our young Ogun indigenes are the precious asset and key to the States future success. Only the deep can call the deep.
Chief Obafemi Awolowo in his broadcast to voters in Ibadan as a Presidential candidate on February 12, 1979 has put the situation of events well when he said, “however, because some political leaders see your manifest destiny as a plaything; they do not intend to take their election promises seriously.
Indeed, they do not intend to take their election promises seriously. Indeed, they do not intend to make any binding undertakings to you. They have postulated no political theories nor have they prepared any coherent or unequivocal party programmes.” As if the late sage was a soothsayer, he has prophesized the exact events that are happening right now in Ogun State. I do not know if most of the elected leaders do forget the basis of been elected into office. In all sincerity, the present day leadership in our dear Gateway State lacks the right styles that can galvanize everyone they govern. The administration is not advancing to its proper destination like a railway goods train full of steam. It started on a good note to an extent. The latter part is not just it at all.
The stifling and scuttling of democracy in Ogun State begins exactly when our elected leaders are been giving the opportunity to lead for the second time. Our leaders are always caught in the web of under-performance during their second term in office. Whether this is a curse or so, no one has been able to accurately give an account. They fall into political liquidation at the time they have been given the second chance to keep transforming the State. One would assume that Ogun State been a State with well educated and exposed people, it can be easily assumed that the level of educated electorates can make her people easy to lead but difficult to drive. More easy to govern than enslave but the latter has govern the former confidently. We are mostly enslaved by our leaders both at the upper and lower level of the State. Most minds have been chained to the power politics system been operated rather than politics of development and welfarism. The State is not only saturated with emerging small minded political dictators, it is a haven for political nitwits and sycophants who worship stomach infrastructure projects and kowtowed anyone at the helms of affairs. It played out during the last local government elections held in the State. It was an eye saw. It is a very bad scene to be featured in a normal and sane political stage. Most Ogun indigenes have turned obsequious electorates. They are only interested and preoccupied with ‘cash for votes processes and it has in turn destroyed the real developmental process of electioneering. It is now in shams.
I know the present Governor was elected because he had a solid plan to deliver the Ogun indigenes from their assumed political miseries and afford him the opportunity to lay an infrastructure foundation for the States rapid industrialization and economic take off and development. No doubt, many Ogun electorates even those outside Ogun State homestead were envious of his first term achievement. I was impressed too. I cannot just explain his recent body languages as to the business of governance in the State. The height of maladministration is alarming. It was the thought of electorates that the influence of the number one citizen of the State with the number one citizen of the country would be of great blessing to the State. The whole politicking is rather than the impressive style and attention seeking mode. The activities of the government would rather be directed to impress the President than unite with fellow Southern leaders to lead a southern cause. The impressive style is a product of having a Minister of Finance from the State. Whether she has been able to lead the country out of recession is another topic for another day. The recent treatment of civil servants in the State is also a worrying issue. The moment the reward of hard work is pain and anguish, development ceases. If the main drivers of the States economy complains that their affairs are been mismanaged and rather than leadership of the State to do everything within their means to avert any eventualities but rather dares the guts of the workers with the invocation of the no work, no pay rule. This is a perfect explanation of how a single person arrogantly abuses the rights of many and tries to rationalize it. Management is more than just a word; it is a full fledged science. In the presence of light, darkness cannot exist; nor can the night of misery and suffering see the day. Light is therefore the symbol of hope. We would continue to pray that the great light shines on the States civil servants not for today alone but forever more.
I have always noted that the task of leaders especially political ones is the need for them to make an inclusion of an appropriate number of suitably qualified youths in their programmes, with an eye to succession. Leaders must learn to keep sight of the bigger picture. The bigger picture is one survival lifes driving force and the reason why all creatures spend each day trying to catch prey or escape their hunters. Survival cannot be achieved by wishful thinking. Continued growth requires huge effort, complete attention and being consistently alert to potential dangers. It is time for the Ogun State government to swiftly switch focus on the inclusion of youths in her programmes. This government has failed in that aspect from inception. It is not good that we keep having old wine in new bottle. Serve us fresh rum and lets toast to a proper political development. Cheers!
(WHYTE HABEEB IBIDAPO is a Lawyer, United Nations Award winner, Africa International Arbitration Award winner, Coca cola/ The Nation Campuslife Award Winner, Promasidor Runner-up for the Best Future Writer in Nigeria, i-Hustle Campaign Initiative Ambassador and Editor Egba Youth Awards Foundation.
Email: [email protected]
@whytehabeeb
NNPCL and Corruption’s Final Throes
By Pius Olasanmi
In the twilight of the Obasanjo administration, when Nigerians were still capable of being outraged, when Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of refineries was a buzzword that still held some mysticism to bamboozle citizens, during a conversation, a certain man said something profound. The man said, “As a businessman, if I were the owner of these refineries, knowing that they are three decades old, I would take the last money I have, hire bulldozers, raze them to the ground, and obtain loans to build new ones.”
When we pressed him further on why he would engage in such waste, he explained that repairing the refineries is the real waste. He explained that even if the TAM were honestly carried out, a thirty-year-old refinery would never compete favourably with a new one that would integrate contemporary technology. Operating at its best, such a refinery would never be comparatively more efficient. It is therefore pointless to have spent another one naira on the refineries at that point.
A few months later, I had a conversation with a then-lawmaker on an entirely different matter. I mentioned that the National Assembly has failed by not crafting legislation that would criminalise and punish public office holders who foist wrong decisions on the country. The logic: a public office holder need not steal to be punished, wrong decisions should attract penalties for an office holder who opts for the worst of all options when there are less injurious ones.
These established premises speak to the ongoing nauseating efforts at revisionism by those who wrecked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its previous iteration, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Notably, this campaign to rewrite history is traceable to Engineer Mele Kolo Kyari, the disgraced immediate past Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL and his hirelings. They have suffocated the news and the public opinion space with even more lies than they spun while in office.
The Saint Kyari campaign is anchored on convincing Nigerians that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries were fully functional when he was booted out of office. So brazen is the campaign that one of its talking heads challenged the group chief executive officer (GCEO), Engr. Bayo Ojulari, to “inform Nigerians categorically what happened to the functioning refineries he inherited from his predecessor, Engr. Mele Kyari.” The effrontery.
We have not forgotten so soon the charade that followed the baffling claim that Nigeria has spent $2.8 billion on the repair of the refineries, while they are not churning out even a single litre of refined product among them. Saint Kyari and his goons played all manner of tricks, all of which embarrassed President Bola Tinubu, who had counted on ticking off the return to productivity of the refineries as part of his achievements, only to realise that he was deceived into celebrating phantoms. Tragic.
Lest we forget, 200 trucks were arranged as props in a well-directed video clip to celebrate the re-streaming of the Port Harcourt Refinery. The disappointment. Nigerians were to learn from several reports that the Port Harcourt refinery was not producing and was instead using old, stored petroleum products to load trucks. Worse still, the Kyari crew was passing off sanction-tainted Russian-sourced crude oil refined in Malta as locally refined products. More insult was piled on the assault on our collective sensibility with the lies that the Port Harcourt Refinery exported semi-finished products. Brazen.
Meanwhile, Kyari and his hirelings called those who pointed out or protested these glaring scams all manner of names. They hid behind industry technicalities and jargon to create the impression that those of us who knew Nigerians were being robbed did not understand what we were saying. The point remains that a $2.8 billion investment can potentially build a refinery with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Of course, the actual capacity of such a refinery will depend on various factors, including the complexity of the refinery, the technology used, and the location. That is the amount that Kyari’s regime at the NNPCL took and did not give Nigerians refined products.
Fast forward to Kyari’s sack and the appointment of Engineer Bayo Ojulari, who has demonstrated that things can indeed be done differently. Kyari’s exit was expectedly followed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) going after him and his associates. The extent of the theft is better understood against the backdrop of N80 billion being found in the bank account of one of his associates. They went on the run.
Perhaps because the EFCC was biding its time on securing international warrants for the arrests of these characters on the lam, they have become emboldened. They have decided to fight back and rewrite the story of their participation in the greatest fraud against Nigerians. Engineer Ojulari’s renewed mindset, which is entrenching a semblance of the transparency Nigerians demand, became their natural target. The demons that once roamed around the corporation came out with malevolence. They started spinning stories of corruption to tarnish the incumbent who refused to hide their crimes. The objective: bring Ojulari down. But alas, he is winning the war as it stands.
His innocence is proven, and it is glaring that those who want him out are mere charlatans who can no longer ply their corrupt wares because of the impact of the new reforms. Corruption in the NNPCL is in its final throes. The fake news being unleashed against the incumbent leadership is akin to corruption’s last kicks as reforms in the sector strangulate it and its practitioners. The reforms must take place in the NNPCL, whether the industry demons like it or not.
As a parting shot, Kyari and his associates would do well to prepare their defence. In addition to accounting for the $2.8 billion they laundered in the name of repairing the moribund refineries, they must also answer for the poor decision to fix that which is irretrievably broken. Awarding contracts for Turn Around Maintenance of 59-year-old refineries that a right-thinking person had suggested should be demolished almost twenty years ago, when they were only 30 years old, is criminal. Trying to deceive Nigerians that the fake repairs worked is treason.
Olasanmi is a public affairs analyst writing from Lagos.
GRANDIS 5STAR LUXURY APARTMENT & SUITES SET TO REDEFINE LIVING IN VICTORIA ISLAND
Set to Rise elegantly against the Lagos skyline, is the Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites. According to Adejuwon Ademola, The General Manager of the Development company, it is more than just a residential building
“it’s a lifestyle statement. Standing 17 floors high in the heart of Victoria Island, this revolutionary masterpiece of modern architecture will offer a panoramic 360° view of Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, and Ikoyi, transforming every apartment into an exclusive penthouse experience for the world’s most discerning elite.”
Developed by Dumarco Construction Limited, a globally acclaimed company with decades of delivering complex, high-value projects in the highly regulated petroleum, oil, and gas industries, Grandis 5Star brings unmatched international safety standards, uncompromising quality, and timeless elegance into Nigeria’s luxury property market.
> “When you live in Grandis, you’re not just buying a home—you’re investing in peace of mind, world-class safety, and an effortless luxury experience that will remain pristine for decades,” says Adejuwon A. Ademola, General Manager of Dumarco Construction Limited.
The Gold Standard in Safety and Quality
Dumarco’s roots in the oil and gas sector mean the company operates to some of the strictest safety protocols in the world. Every stage—from conceptualization, design, construction, to long-term maintenance—follows internationally accepted procedures and quality assurance measures. Cutting corners is simply not in Dumarco’s vocabulary.
> “In the oil and gas industry, there’s no room for compromise. We’ve brought that same discipline and zero-tolerance for mediocrity into property development,” says Ademola. “That’s why Grandis will be one of the safest and most enduring residential developments in Nigeria.”
To ensure transparency and prevent (project complacency), Dumarco deliberately separates the developer, contractor, and consultant roles, engaging only the most competent professionals in each respective field. Dumarco’s project team includes globally recognized contractors such as Julius Berger, Cappa & D’Alberto, and Elalan, Migliore Construczione & Tecniche (MC&T) and their partners VENCO IMTIAZ CONTRACTING COMPANY (VICC) based in Dubai, UAE, Business Contracting Limited, alongside leading consultants like Morgan Omanitan & Abe, LAMBERT, and James Cubitt.
Grandis – Investments, appreciation, returns and profitability
Our selection process for the location of the project alone was pains-taking and completely thorough scientific process. Top professional companies were employed to conduct a scientific data acquisition and analytical survey of the entire Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki and Eko Atlantic before a project site is selected. Analyzing and acquiring areas developmental charts and trends, studying and gathering historical and present sale prices, rental charge and occupancy rates over a 50 year period from every individual street before the selection of the location of any of our developments especially true for the Grandis Project
He adds,
“Our clients and residents can be rest assured that the location of Grandis has been scientifically proven through all existing data to provide our clients with a 100% occupancy rate, highest developmental location, highest rental income and investment returns. ”
The Grandis Experience
Located minutes away from international corporate headquarters, embassies, and landmarks such as Eko Hotel, Radisson Blu, and the Radisson Red, Grandis offers unmatched convenience for professionals, diplomats, and high-net-worth individuals. Every residence is designed for both indulgence and efficiency, with high-grade finishes, smart-home systems, and private amenities that ensure seamless living.
From sunrise over the Atlantic to the glittering Lagos night skyline, residents will enjoy uninterrupted luxury, supported by discreet and highly trained staff, advanced security systems, and a design that prioritizes comfort and privacy.
> “We designed Grandis for people who want everything—security, elegance, convenience, and the assurance that their home will look as spectacular in 20 years as it does on day one,” Ademola notes.
A Legacy That Lasts
With its combination of visionary architecture, peerless safety, and meticulous maintenance planning, Grandis is built to remain iconic for generations. Thanks to Dumarco’s meticulous approach, the building’s service charges are expected to remain low while its value and appeal continue to appreciate over time.
In a market often marred by shortcuts and substandard practices, Mr Ademola says
Grandis stands as a beacon of what luxury living should be—safe, spectacular, and built to last.
“Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites — Where safety meets sophistication, and every detail is designed for a life well-lived.”
He added
Website -www.dumarcoltd.com
Project website – www.26idowutaylor.com
Email [email protected]
Tel / WhatsApp +234 9077777883
GM – Adejuwon A. Ademola
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