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24 — Vanguard, TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 NO fewer than 24 Magistrate and Mobile Courts have been enlisted by the Lagos State Judiciary to adjudicate on cases of waste bill defaulters and other environmental sanitation offences, including waste dumping. Making this known at the meeting of the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria, AWAMN in Lagos on Tuesday, lawyer to the Association, Mr. David Fadile, said in response to a letter of complaint by the Association about the huge outstanding waste bills not paid by customers to the operators and the continuous infraction on environmental sanitation offences by residents Covid-19 pandemic and real estate sector By Kingsley Adegboye NIGERIA’s real estate sector has not remained the same since the advent of the global Covid-19 pandemic. Following the impact of the pandemic on Nigeria’s real estate subsector, the sector has remained largely underperforming. The under performance of this sector is largely hinged on the low level of effective demand for housing. Affordable housing remains unobtainable, and given the squeeze in consumers’ purchasing power, demand has remained low. There is little or no access to housing finance or mortgage loans at affordable rates. At the same time, the cost of construction is very high and feeds directly into property pricing. Developers are yet to adopt new building technologies that 24 Magistrate Courts to Try Lagos Waste Bill Defaulters without adequate enforcement, the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, has approved and dedicated 24 magistrate and Mobile courts across the state for the trial of offenders. He listed the courts to include Court 4, Epe in the Epe Magisterial District; Court 4, Yaba; Court 6, Ebute-Metta; Court 4, Surulere and Court 2, Mushin in the Yaba Magisterial District. Court 7, Apapa, in the Apapa Magisterial District, Court 4, Ikorodu in the Ikorodu ANALYSIS can assist with quality and cost advantage. The real estate sector has been severely hit by the current pandemic. Given the impact of Covid-19 on consumers’ pockets, as well as the steep pay cuts and in some cases, job losses, new home Magisterial Duistrict, Court 3, Badagry in the Badagry Magisterial District, Courts 9, 18 and 20, Ogba and Court 2, Ogudu, all in the Ikeja Magisterial District and Courts 6 and 10, Igbosere and Court 4, Tinubu in the Lagos Magisterial District, and Court 2, Eti-Osa in Etio- Osa Magisterial District. Others, according to Fadile, which are special offences courts, include Mobile Courts Nos. 1- 6, Oshodi, Ikeja, Environmental Court No. 6, Ikeja, and Correctional Centre Court, Ikoyi. He appealed to residents to endeavour to always pay acquisition is becoming less of a priority. Furthermore, the demand for commercial property is likely to remain ever low, with many businesses managing to remain in business. Following the transition to remote work systems due to the lockdown, it is expected that businesses will incorporate more their waste bills to avoid being taken to court for sanctioning. Fadile told the PSP Operators that the courts have jurisdictions on environmental sanitation offences and fee recovery, stating that the courts were to handle cases relating to waste fee recovery and indiscriminate dumping of waste. He charged members to take advantage of the new development, sue and recover their unpaid fees once they have the evidence of servicing such a customer. “The new initiative,” Fadile remote working options for their employees and review their space requirements at the time of their lease renewals, both in the short-term and post-Covid. Essentially, office space requirements are likely to shrink to manage costs. As for the residential market, a few defaults further told the waste managers, “is meant to empower you, enhance and sustain your businesses,” asking them to work stridently to meet the expectations of government for a cleaner Lagos while advising the residents to always patronise the PSP operators as they have no other means of taking their waste for disposal. According to him, not patronising the operators is an environmental offence as waste dumping is highly frowned at by the law, warning that anyone have been recorded among renters particularly in Lagos, using flexible payment models. Rental payment cycles are still largely annual in Nigeria, hence retrenchment and lay offs are unlikely to have an immediate effect on the market performance. Wealthy Nigerians, institutions urged to fund research THE President of the Nigerian Institute of Building, NIOB, Kunle Awobodu, has urged wealthy Nigerians and institutions to invest in research for societal development. Awobodu who affirmed his firm belief in the potentials of the black man for excellence, made the call for investment in research at the second edition of the lecture series of the Association of Builders in Academia. Challenging participants to explore local sources of funding for their research endeavours, he said bringing research outputs to a finished level for society’s adoption is a crucial part of the research ecosystem. Awobodu elucidated on NIOB’s commitment to research as manifested in its *Residential estate ongoing efforts at realising the development of a world class research centre in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. According to him, part of the key objectives of the centre is to research into alternative building materials and promotion of skills for the nation’s development. The Chairman of the Association of Builders in Academia, Prof. Martin Dada, had earlier set the tone for the lecture as he welcomed participants and reminded them that men of ideas rule the world. He urged participants to continue in the search for workable ideas to advance society. Two resource persons spoke on Exploring Opportunities for Research Grants, Conferences and Publications. The resource persons were: Sani Kunya, a professor of Building and a former Sub-Dean of Students Affairs of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi; and James Rotimi, an Associate Professor of Construction Management at the Massey University, New Zealand. Kunya explained the concept of research grant and related it to the mandate and history of the Nigerian Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND. He also challenged participants to source research grants for advancing scientific knowledge, career development, increased visibility and supplementing provisions for the development of new programmes in their respective institutions. He referred to what was termed the global local context and took participants through the processes of writing research proposals for grant support. He then explained some potentials of grant support available at university levels and also TETFUND. Associate Prof. Rotimi acknowledged the need for research but emphasised that researches should aim at closing the gap between the industry and the academia, pointing out that a researcher should engage the industry to identify industry’s concerns and what he termed ‘wicked problems’ of the organisation or society. “Beyond scoring points in publications, the researcher must demonstrate the impact of his research on society or sectors thereof,” Rotimi stated. He further identified some areas of interest for a typical research funding agency which include a clear indication of the problem that needs to be solved and how it is to be solved, a credible plan for implementation and how to turn knowledge into benefits for the society. Rotimi further emphasised the need for interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary research teams to consider the research from various perspectives and the need for communication of how each member of the team would contribute to the research endeavour, while harping on the need for research proposals to align with the interests of funding taken before any of the designated magistrate courts with the evidence of not patronising the operators would have to say where and how he or she disposes his or her waste “and if found that you are involved in waste dumping, it’s a serious environmental offence.” AWAMN President, Mr. David Oriyomi, congratulated members, describing the new development as most pleasing while asking members to rededicate themselves to their service and explore the opportunity presented by the new development if they are not paid for their services. Landlord cries out over plan to demolish Victory Park Estate buildings By Onozure Dania A property owner, Mr Adebayo Shittu, has cried out over ongoing illegal demolition of his two buildings in Victory Park Estate, Ibeju- Lekki, Lagos, by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, against the order of the Court of Appeal, in Lagos. Shittu said AMCON’s action on July 28, 2021, was not only contemptuous, but also a flagrant abuse of the Court of Appeal’s judgment delivered by Justice Monica Dongban, leading two other Justices, Mudashiru Oniyagi and Jamilu Tukur, on December 15, 2020, in Lagos. He said the judgment forbade the corporation from taking any action on the said property in Victory Park Estate, in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. The judgment, he noted, was sequel to an appeal challenging the ruling of the High Court of Lagos, by Justice Coram Jose delivered on October 24, 2019, dismissing the defendant’s, now appellant’s notice of preliminary objection, granting the order of interlocutory injunction in favour of the first and second respondents, Mr Shittu and More & S.A. More Limited. According to the judgment: “The cause of action by the respondents before the trial court, as can be garnered from record, is on the transaction between the 1st and 2nd respondents and the 3rd and 4th respondents which principally centres on sale of land on which the purported residence of the 1st and 2nd respondents stands. “It is on record that the first respondent was said to have been allegedly locked out of his residence. It is on the strength of this that the learned trial judge exercised his judicial discretion restraining the 3rd and 4th respondents from any form of further restriction of the 1st and 2nd respondents from his said house pending the determination of the substantive suit.” The judgment noted that, “A judicial discretion is said to be a science of understanding to discern between falsity and truth, between a shadow and substance, between equity and colourable glosses and preference, and not to do their wills and private affection.
2023: The familiar as unknown (3) BY DAKUKU PETERSIDE WE started this series penultimate week with permutations regarding the conventions and congresses of Nigeria’s two major political parties – the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the run-up to the 2023 general elections. Last week, we examined the different scenarios that may play out during the primaries of the two political parties. In the concluding part of this series, we shall pick up our crystal ball once more to see what may play out during the 2023 campaigns and actual elections. In about 17 months, on February 23, 2023, precisely, Nigerians will troop out to vote for a president that will succeed President Buhari and most likely lead Africa’s biggest economy to the third decade of the 21st century. The choice will be between the two major political parties, the APC and the PDP. Chances are that a third major party may emerge to galvanise many interests that are not accommodated by the two major parties. This party we shall refer to as “Unknown Galvanised Party”, for want of a better name. As usual, many other smaller parties which survived the weeding by INEC will be on the ballot. A study of our electoral contest evolution shows that every election has its distinctive and unique character but the fundamentals have not changed much . A victory for the ruling APC or opposition PDP will not necessarily mean public acceptance or approval of their respective policies and programmes. However, a victory for a third platform will represent a definitive statement by Nigerians that they have rejected the old order and want a new direction, a breath of fresh air. I have my doubts about this third electoral scenario, though. Religion and ethnicity may not be the only determinants of the presidential election outcome, even though we acknowledge their huge impact. Strength of the platform or party affiliation, for its organisational capability, resources and network, may be the only constant in the choice of an electorate that is feeling frustrated by the policies and decisions of the two major political parties but have limited options. Party influence will not be based on conviction or ideology but perceived “herd mentality”. Political actors will go to the perceived winning side. Therefore, I see a new electoral map of the country emerging after 2023. All parties ought to face an electorate that wants to see a competent, cosmopolitan and confident president with a concise and coherent agenda to fix insecurity, address bourgeoning poverty and unemployment and revamp the economy. Yet, not less than 42 per cent of Nigerians, according to National Bureau of Statistics 2020, live below the poverty line; so their priority may not be strategic economic development issues but on mundane survival considerations. The major political parties will need a strong message, new narrative, and new campaign strategies to make impact as citizens are weary of failed promises. Nigerians, mostly youths, are getting more sophisticated and frustrated. The majority of elite class members do not come out to vote and may not influence the outcome of the elections. The 2023 election may be a referendum for the future of Nigeria. Five key issues could determine the outcome of the February 23 presidential election. These include the issue of geopolitical zone of the candidates, money, the incumbent President’s disposition, personality of the candidates and voter turnout/ party mobilisation. First is the issue of the zone of the candidates. There are clear indicators that the mood of Nigerians in the southern part of the country is for a president of southern extraction at this time. Historical antecedents support this. Whenever the nation seems to be at a crossroads in our history, the Northern elite is always disposed to building consensus to preserve the country’s The APC and PDP have run out of new promises to make to Nigerians; there are hardly substantive things with which to entice the populace unity. Nigerian politics have always been provincial, and very few can ignore the delicate balance of ethnicity. Any party that presents a southern candidate ought to enjoy more support. If both major national parties have candidates from the South, then it might be a fair contest. For instance, if the APC eventually picks its candidate from the Southern part of the country against a Northern candidate on the platform of PDP, the party may make a deliberate attempt to sell the candidate as a symbol for national unity and cohesion. If PDP picks a candidate from the North against a Southern candidate on the platform of APC, it may claim that gives it the chance of winning since it may get a substantial Northern vote on ethnic sentiments. This is vice versa. The second issue is that of money at a time poverty and hunger has had a devastating effect on the psyche of the populace. Elections cost money, and the party with a deeper pocket stands a better chance to influence the election outcome. Nigeria has nearly 100 million persons living below the poverty line and almost 54 per cent of employable youths being unemployed. This reality makes poverty and hunger a powerful tool to influence the outcome of the election. Voting will most likely be transactional as votes will have monetary value and will be sold and bought. Voters may prefer instant gratification. This anomaly is worse because the voters feel there is no accountability in government, so they have a sense of entitlement to get their reward instantly. Money will also play a key role in mobilisation and logistics to get voters to go out and vote. The set limit of the campaign and electoral expenditure will be meaningless no matter how well monitored. The third issue is the incumbent president’s disposition. The president has enormous powers. He can influence the electoral body, security agencies and can raise money quickly. If do-or-die, statesmanly or indifferent, the president’s disposition will substantially affect the outcome of the general elections. President Muhammadu Buhari has shown marked statesmanship in the past elections. Would he continue in this stead or do we expect a different disposition? The fourth issue is the personality of the candidates and their records. Likely, the 2023 election campaigns would be about the individuals on the ballot, those representing the two major political parties or what they symbolise. There would be an attempt to deify the flagbearers of the two major political parties and sell them as the messiah that would turn the country into an Eldorado. There may also be an attempt to sell what the individual represents, for instance, the ‘youthfulness’ of a presidential candidate. Ordinarily, anyone that is above 40 years cannot be a ‘youth’. However, Nigeria currently runs some quasigerontocracy, and any candidate below the age of 60 is considered ‘youthful’. The APC and PDP have run out of new promises to make to Nigerians. There are hardly substantive things with which to entice the populace. So, 2023 may be a time to clutch to straws. Little has changed in Nigeria after 16 years of PDP and six years of APC in power. So, the electorate may be tired of any campaign promises from the candidates promising change or improvement. The fifth issue is voters’ mobilisation and turnout. The 2023 presidential election campaigns would be very challenging for the two major political parties. APC can no longer run its campaign on the message of change. The PDP too would find it difficult to sell ‘change’ to Nigerians to get back to power at the centre, maybe because most Nigerians do not remember the days of the PDP with nostalgia. A school of thought believes that the PDP put the country in a deep hole that APC couldn’t exit the bottomless pit. The two parties are also bereft of ideology, so nothing from that area would move the needle for most Nigerians. The APC and PDP have well-crafted excellent manifestos. But that is on paper. On the actual implementation of policies or performance in office, both parties were driven by personal interests, political, tribal, religious, Vanguard, TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2021 — 25 and other exigent selfish considerations. It has never been about ideological leanings or concerns. By the way, Nigerian politicians switch political parties at will in such a nauseating manner that clearly shows that the parties are only platforms to attain political power. Political office holders willing to change parties are accepted with fanfare irrespective of achievements or lack thereof in office. Surprisingly, development and policy issues are not among the top five factors determining the February 23, 2023 election. With a population that suffers material deprivation, less than five per cent usually pays attention to strategic policy issues. The electorate are issues-averse; only a tiny section of the elite care about development issues. The state of the economy, insecurity, transparency and accountability in government and their corollary will only be issues among a negligible per cent of the elite and would have no bearing on the outcome of the elections. Beyond the acronym and symbols of the parties, most Nigerian voters do not know what they stand for or how they plan to address key development challenges.Winning the election will depend on the candidates that mobilised excellent voter turnout and convinced them to vote for them, which requires hard work and deployment of cash. The real battle is between those wishing to win the election and those working hard to win for the sake of the country they want. Those who go to work will always triumph, but the question is, what kind of country do they want? It is our considered opinion that no matter who becomes their candidate, APC would likely be the party best placed to win the presidential election in 2023. The PDP is courting imminent implosion with the recent developments within the party. The infighting, driven by self-interest and over bloated ego, will most likely continue to the 2023 elections, which would significantly weaken the opposition party in the run-up to the election. The party has been losing essential members like state governors and members of National Assembly to the APC. Most of the governors who will stay back in the party may not have much at stake, becoming virtually lame duck and their immunity coming to an end, they may not be keen to commit substantial resources to the party’s presidential campaign. The APC also has its crisis. However, the power and pull of incumbency would always force some members to bury their grievances and work to see that the party wins the election. The country is currently on tenterhooks. Nigerians’ security and economic challenges are so dire. As it is, any attempt to subvert the will of the populace by rigging the 2023 elections may take the country across the cliff from where we may never recover. To this end, both the Independent National Electoral Commission and the major political players should realise that it would not be business as usual in 2023. If most Nigerians feel that their votes did not count, the subsequent cataclysm may be such that the country may not recover from it. In conclusion, ethnicity or geopolitics, hunger and its twin money politics, petty sentiments, and a party platform with no meaning will always trump over difficult choices needed to build a prosperous nation out of a fractured, disoriented country. The election in February 2023 will reveal the option Nigerians prefer. :Vanguard News INC insists on 5% equity allocation to oil producing areas ASABA—THE Ijaw National Congress, INC, has described as unacceptable the 3 per cent equity allocation to oil producing areas recommended by the National Assembly in the recently passed Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, insisting on a minimum of 5 per cent. In a statement, the spokesperson of the group, Oyakemeagbegha Ezonebi, said no effort would be spared towards ensuring that 5% equity was allocated to oil producing areas of the Niger Delta, and flayed a group of Ijaw elders which recently visited the Minister of State, Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, for applauding him for his role in the 3 per cent allocation in the Petroleum Industry Bill. He stated that the 5 per cent option would have been chosen to assuage the fears of the people of Niger Delta, stressing that the region should have significant value for its oil wealth. Ezonebi maintained that the Niger Delta deserved a better deal, emphasizing that 5 per cent equity allocation was not too much for a region that had sustained the nation's economy, with virtually nothing to show for it. The Ijaw apex group recalled that the northern part of the country had supported the 5 per cent equity earlier suggested before the passage of the PIB and wondered why the 3 per cent option had to fly, just as it argued that it was unthinkable for any person or group of Ijaw people to prefer 3 per cent to 5 per cent. It affirned its demand for a minimum of 5 per cent, insisting that the resource justice was paramount to the Niger Delta and nothing less than 5 per cent would be excepted. Ezonebi appealed to the various Ijaw groups in the country to speak in one voice and allow the INC, which is the apex socio cultural organisation of the Ijaw nation, to speak on national issues as it concerned the ljaw nation. Delta 2023: Isoko'll be mindful of choice of gov candidate —IDU By Ochuko Akuopha OLEH—ISOKO Development Union, IDU, the apex social-cultural organization of the Isoko nation, has said that the people of the Isoko nation would look critically and be mindful of which gubernatorial candidate they would support in the 2023 general election. Speaking at the IDU Unity House in Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, when leaders of the Ijaw nation visited to solicit the support of the Isoko nation for their governorship ambition, President General of the IDU, Prof. Chris Akpotu said the Isoko people "will not take 2023 as a mere political jamboree. It is something that has to do with our tomorrow. " Akpotu said: "The reason we will critically look at the candidates come 2023 is not because of personal interest but because of the fact that we need a candidate who will be able to reposition Delta and strengthen what is on ground. "It is a dog that you know that you can play with it's teeth; we will not play with the one who will bark at us or when it is time for sharing he will say leave Isoko, let them remain there. "We know the ones that are with us before now, we know the ones when the need arise we always fall back to them. It is the event of yesterday that will determine our today and tomorrow." Earlier, the leader of the Ijaw delegation, former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo stressed the need for the Ijaw people to be given the opportunity to govern the state in 2023. He said "When Delta central said that 'it is our turn,' that is what prompted us to come out and correct that illusion. "It is not the question of 'my turn', it is the question of ethnic nationalities putting themselves forward to the entire Delta State to support the candidates they feel can govern the state. On his part patron of the IDU, Chief Iduh Amadhe, said: "We will call a special meeting of the Isoko political class and let them know of your mission."
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10082021

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