25052018 - BENUE KILLINGS: ETHNIC CLEANSING OR JIHAD? Soyinka, Northern leaders tango

30 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2018
‘Stingy' Nneji is the way
By Nat Okoro
WITH a little over a year to
go for the gubernatorial
elections, several aspirants have
emerged in various parties in Imo
state and many more are
expected to emerge in the next
few months.
So far, those who have
emerged can be described as a
motley crowd - the good, the bad
and the ugly. The serious and the
unserious. The capable and the
incapable. All of them want to
govern us.
It is within their rights to aspire
and no one can begrudge them
that.
However there is one man in
the race who has excited me very
much.
He is Mr. Frank Nneji, the
brilliant and hardworking
Managing Director of Rapido
Group of Companies which
includes ABC Transport, a
company which changed the face
of transportation in this country;
Fibi foods, Rapido Audiovisuals
company, a foremost marketer of
audio visual products; Transit
Support Nigeria limited which
assembles light and heavy trucks
and buses and markets
equipment and accessories which
support the transportation
Industry.
There are also other subsidiaries
in the group, including hotels.
He is a man whose career
trajectory I have followed since
about 1994 when he changed the
story of interstate public
transportation in Nigeria.
Before the coming of ABC
Transport, travellers were treated
like cattle by the various bus
companies.
There was nothing like
customer service or respect for the
passengers. But he changed all
that.
His entry into politics and the
guber race has also excited many
other people I have spoken to or
come across.
Culture of governance in Imo
We all want him to come and
change the culture of governance
in Imo state as he changed that
of the transport Industry in
Nigeria.
However, there are those who
insist that despite his credibility
and other good qualities that he
brings to the table, they have a
problem with him.
According to them, he is stingy.
He does not throw money around
like other candidates. Whenever
I hear this view, my regard or esteem
for whoever expressed it
drops immediately.
It is apparent that the person
who voiced that opinion does not
know much. If he did, he would
be able to differentiate between
the words stingy and prudent.
They don't mean the same thing.
I always try to educate such
people about the difference between
the two words and why they
should not follow a candidate just
because he is throwing money
around.
Some of them listen and change
their views while some of the more
conceited ones walk away to continue
to wallow in their ignorance.
I begin my lecture by pointing
out to them that if Mr. Nneji were
stingy he would not bring out his
money to contest elections in today's
Nigeria.
A place where votes do not
count and elections are fraught
with irregularities which make the
final outcome difficult to predict
regardless of how popular or
wealthy one is.
Most of the people who say he
is stingy cannot plunge their own
resources into an uncertain
venture such as politics at any
level, even if they had all the
money in the world.
I educate them that Nneji is
prudent. Not stingy.
That he is a very good and
careful manager of resources,
which is why he has attained the
heights he has got to in his
business today.
It takes a lot of discipline to grow
a business as anyone who has
done so will tell you. I mean a
real well set up business, not one
that operates out of a brief case
with a few or no staff at all. One
must conserve one’s resources to
have money to grow one’s capital
and meet one’s obligations.
Even his enemies will agree
that Nneji has done that very well
in this regard.
At this point in Imo state's
development or situation, with
the government so heavily
indebted to banks, contractors,
workers , pensioners and people
who have obtained court
judgements against it for various
reasons, there is no doubt that the
state needs a disciplined and
prudent manager of resources to
dig it out of the deep mess it is in.
Imo state cannot afford to
continue to be run the way it has
been run in recent times.
It just cannot be business as
usual.
If he is elected into office, the
people of Imo state can be sure
Nneji will not fritter away their
meagre funds by flying chartered
private jets to Abuja and other
places at least for six million Naira
per round trip as is the case
presently.
Nneji will not embark on
expensive jamborees such as
birthday celebrations for himself
and members of his family at
Government expense.
Nneji will not embark on flights
of fancy with public funds, such
as moulding statues at
undisclosed amounts, building "
five star" hotels in the bush or 27
"Specialist" hospitals. In short,
Nneji will not spend government
money recklessly because he
does not spend his own in that
manner.
Nneji is a very
good and careful
manager of resources,
which is
why he has attained
the heights
he has got to in his
business today
Nneji will not pay outrageous
sums to private Television stations
in Lagos to air live coverage of
inconsequential private and government
ceremonies which add
no value at all to the lives of the
average Imolites?.
Nneji will not move around with
a convoy of twenty or more cars
fuelled and maintained at
government expense.
Nneji will not shut down
government any time he feels like
it by ordering every major
government functionary to come
and see him off or receive him at
the airport.
Nneji will not waste Govern-
ment money by embarking on
projects on which feasibility studies,
designs, estimates and Bills
of Quantity have not been done
or prepared.
Nneji will not go to China to
import uniforms, shoes and
school furniture at huge cost to
the government when they can
be made here.
Nneji would not make advance
payment of government money to
contractors without bank
guarantee so the contractor will
not abscond with the money paid
to him.
Nneji, has proved that he is a
corporate governance disciple
who will follow Due Process in
all that he does. Due Process
saves money for government in
the long run.
Nneji as a prudent man will
run Imo state like a business
which has a balance sheet to show
profit and loss.
This will ensure that whatever
money is available to the state
goes a long way.
Appreciates value of money
As a man who appreciates the
value of money and what can be
achieved if money is properly managed
for the benefit of the public,
Nneji will plug all the sources of
leakages and ensure that money
due for the government goes into
Government coffers. Something
that is not happening now.
I could go on to give Imo people
more reasons why the man some
of them call "stingy" is the best bet
for them, but let me stop so far.
Before I conclude I have some
questions to ask. Have the people
of Imo state asked themselves
where the aspirants who are throwing
money around as if there is no
tomorrow, got the money from?
Have they stopped to consider
how those people are going to recoup
the money they are throwing
around when they get into office?
Of course the answer is obvious.
They are not Father Christmas. All
the money they are sharing is a
means to an end. They have to recoup
it if they get into office by looting
the government coffers.
Imo people will have no say.
They will not be able to hold them
accountable, because they have
been settled during the campaigns.
But what have they been settled
with? Peanuts! Money that can't do
anything for them?
Many Imo people have been
collecting money from politicians
for the past 19 years with nothing
to show for it.
What have they done with the
money? What has the money done
for them?
Why don't the people forget
money, delay their gratification, and
support a man who can rebuild Imo
so that their children have jobs
when they leave school, their retired
wives have their pensions and
they, the men, have an environment
which allows their businesses
to thrive?
Nneji has done it before our eyes,
I have no doubts he can do it again
when he gets to the Government
House.
Let the people of Imo put him
there to manage our resources more
prudently to achieve better results.
We won't regret it.
I hope I have been able to convince
you, as I have convinced a
few others, that stingy Nneji is the
way.
Imo could do with some "stinginess",
though I prefer to call it prudence.
We have seen where a culture of
frivolity, "settlement" and unbridled
extravagance has landed us.
Okoro contributed this from
Owerri.
:Vanguard
News
:@vanguardnews
By Emmanuel Elebeke
ZARIA—THE
Nigerian
Communications
Commission, NCC says it
sustained focus on the Consumer
education from 2017 Year of
Consumer because of its avowed
commitment to serve the
consumer better in all fronts.
The Executive Vice Chairman
of the Commission, Prof. Umar
Danbatta dropped the hint on
Thursday during the 38th edition
of Consumer Town Hall Meeting,
CTM, held at Federal College of
Education, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The EVC, who was represented
at the occasion by the deputy
director, CTM, Alh. Ismail
Adedigba told the crowd that the
Commission in its estimation considers
the Consumer as the King
of the market and therefore must
be accorded basic rights and
privileges that would offer him
value for money.
In realization of the above
rights, he said the Commission
as a regulator of the industry had
developed various programmes
to empower consumers. One of
:@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES:
08052867023,
Why we sustained focus on
consumer education, by NCC boss
such programmes he said includes
the CTM to enable
tripartriate meeting between regulators,
operators and consumers to
resolve pressing consumer's issues
as it relates to provision of
telecom services.
"At NCC, we believe the Consumer
is the king in the palace of
market. The consumer must be
accorded basic rights to be heard,
educated, seek redress and right
to safety.
" Our focus on Consumer did not
end in 2017 as year of Telecom
Consumer. It has just begun as the
Commission is not in any way
winding down on our avowed
commitment to serve the Consumer
better."
Recall that the NCC had declared
2017 as the year for the
Nigerian Telecom Consumer.
During the year, the Commission
stepped up programmes
aimed at empowering and protecting
Telecom Consumers with focus
on the key drivers such as the
NCC' 622 Toll Free Line to lodge
complaints and 2442 DND short
code to stop unsolicited SMS.
2019: Delta Political Vanguard
drums support for Okowa
By Festus Ahon
A Coordinator SABA—NATIONAL
of Delta Political
Vanguard, DPV, Chief Michael
Diden has called on Deltans to
be more united in their support
for the re-election of Senator
Ifeanyi Okowa as Governor of
Delta State for a second term in
2019.
Speaking during the group’s
rally in Ozoro, Isoko South Local
Government Area of the state,
Diden told the people that the
Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa
has done well for the State and
should be given second term to
enable him complete his good
works.
He said ‘’Delta state is divided
into three Senatorial districts; South,
Central and North; Because we are
in PDP state we zoned it. The first
Governor was from Delta Central.
He ruled for eight years. The second
Governor from South, ruled
for eight years, meaning that
Okowa still has five more years
to rule Delta State.”
Expressing optimism that Isoko
Nation would give the Governor
100 per cent votes come 2019, he
said “you do not change the
winning team, is there any time
PDP won in Lagos State, Would
you throw away your own? No
Okowa, No Governor.
"For the 2019 elections, we want
to speak with one voice, we want
all our votes to be for our
Governor, Senator Ifeanyi
Okowa. Delta State is home to the
PDP. It is a thing of joy that our
followers are united, they speak
with one voice and we want them
to remain in the PDP, we will win
in every election because, we are
in the majority.
High point of the the rally was
the inauguration of Bashorun
Askia Ogie as the Vice Chairman,
Delta Political Vanguard.
Wilmar rewards 300 winners in
Mamador Kitchen Makeover
By Gabriel Olawale
LAGOS—PZ Wilmar, maker of
Mamador premium cooking
oil brand, has rewarded 372 lucky
winners in the first draw of its ongoing
national consumer
promotion, tagged ‘Mamador
Kitchen Makeover’.
The prizes won includes, Sets
of customized Cooking Pots,
Deep Fryers, Standing Cookers,
Double Door Refrigerators, Chest
Freezers, Gift Bags with one lucky
consumer, Monsurat Hammed
who won the first ultimate prize
of a full kitchen Makeover.
Speaking during the prize
presentation in Lagos, Category
Marketing Manager, Chioma
Mbanugo said the exercise was
just the first of three draws that
had been planned for the promo
and a lot more winners are
expected emerge.
“We believe that this first draw
will go a long way in showing
consumers that we mean
business when we say we want
to enhance their cooking
experience, but most importantly
that the promo is a fair and credible
one."
Chioma Mbanugo, who took
the audience through the draw
process, said that consumers who
had accumulated up to 6 stars
before the draw date and had
received a confirmation via text
would be eligible to win prizes in
the first E-raffle draw that was
being held.
She said: As we have
demonstrated today, all
participants in the Mamador
Kitchen Makeover promo have
equal chances of winning, and
they can win over and over again.
Those who are yet to get up to 6
stars need to keep buying so as
to qualify for the next draw. Congratulations
to all our lucky winners
today."