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A standing ovation for Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu (Photos)

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Many years ago, juju maestro, Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye,  popularly known as King Sunny Ade thrilled Nigerians with a particular track that is more relevant today than it was when aired – Bibiire Kose Fowora. The song was to honour Erelu Abiola Dosunmu, the Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos. The track, “Biibire Kose Fowora” loosely translates as “A noble birth is not something to be bought”.

There is no doubt that Erelu Kuti IV of Lagos, Her Royal Highness, Dr Abiola Dosunmu, a highly distinguished woman, has used the privilege of her birth to impact her community, the yoruba race and the world at large.

It is thus not surprising that the revered monarch, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II recently crowned her Yeye Oodua of the source; Queen Mother of the House of Oduduwa. This is a testament to her contributions promoting commerce, art, science, sport, culture, education, research, charity, poverty alleviation and other societal causes too numerous to mention.

In an elaborate ceremony that took place on Friday, July 22, 2022, at the palace of the Ooni in Ile Ife, Osun State in the presence of dignitaries from all walks of life, Erelu Dosunmu was formally decorated with her new title. This was followed by traditional prayers and a cultural festival at the Erelu Abiola Foundation on Lagos Island. Subsequently a thanksgiving mass was held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Victoria Island, Lagos followed by the grand reception at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos.

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Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

Yeye Oodua, HRH, Erelu Dr. Abiola Dosunmu

The events were attended by top figures in Yorubaland including Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Otunba Gbenga Daniel former governor of Ogun State, HRM Oba Alayeluwa Saheed Ademola Elegushi amongst others.

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In his remarks, Ooni noted that Erelu is a woman who has done a lot to propagate the Yoruba culture and unify the tribe. It should be noted that by her title, Erelu Dosunmu, is the mother of kings (Oba of Lagos), both past and present. Born a princess, she went on to become the queen mother and queen regent of Lagos. Beyond being a mere title, her position is recognised by the government in the same first-class category of monarchs according to the laws of Lagos State.

According to the history books, the first Erelu Kuti started the dynasty the men are currently enjoying. She was a queen but gave her crown to her son, and the direct descendants have been reigning for 400 years. A goal-getter from an early age, Erelu Dosunmu is also an advocate for gender parity, women’s development, women empowerment, and leadership.

Considering her endowments, many would have expected her to be involved in partisan politics, but she stated that her title bars her from doing that. She said, “I am the Erelu Kuti of Lagos and the title is recognised by the chieftaincy laws of Lagos State. It bars me from active politics. At the time I took up the title, there weren’t many Nigerians, outside the traditional rulers, who were involved in traditional institutions.

“I saw it as an important platform to make a difference, especially because I had lived a greater part of my life abroad and I had come to appreciate my identity, in terms of my culture and tradition.

When I became the Erelu, I worked hand-in-hand with the king and we were visible, making interventions in government affairs. If the king could not be somewhere, I would represent him. It was a beautiful collaboration between the government and traditional institutions.”

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Speaking on the significance of the Erelu title, she said, “Being Erelu is not just about being beautiful, for the last 20 years of the late King of Lagos, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan II, I was one of his closest confidantes. It is a three-in-one title― Erelu Kuti, Erelu of Lagos, and Erelu Oba. The Erelu’s duties include advising the king on social matters, advising him on people deserving of titles, making sure things run well at the palace, and all those are in the gazette of the chieftaincy laws of the state.”

It should be recalled that Erelu Kuti was a member of the first Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3 to 14, 1992. She was also a part of the negotiations for foreign debt cancellation for Nigeria during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and Chairman of the Lagos State Tree Planting and Beautification Committee. Other worthy  of note affiliations include the Institute of International affairs as well as representing Nigeria at environmental summits.

It is also to her credit that she revolutionised the traditional Aso Oke sector to become the multi-million dollar industry it is today. Many years ago, she established a shop on Bond Street, London, United Kingdom to promote aso oke. The renowned fashion designer, Adebayo Jones, worked with her as an intern then. So good was she in showcasing aso oke that even people from the Middle East were excited about the traditional fabrics.

A woman of many parts, she also has a title from the Royal Kingdom of Belgium. Speaking on how the title came about, she once said, “When Lagos State was the capital of the country, the diplomatic community was usually welcomed by the palace of the Oba of Lagos. It was my portfolio to receive ambassadors, entertain them, show them around, and provide whatever they needed in terms of enlightenment. Those activities got me involved with the diplomatic community.”

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Over the years, Erelu Dosunmu has interacted with presidents and high-ranking officials from different countries. For those who haven’t followed her life religiously, little is said about her humanitarian strides. One of the many high points of ERAF was the rehabilitation of street children and school dropouts. An avowed philanthropist, she has often spoken about her passion for helping the underprivileged. It was to further this objective that she established the Erelu Abiola Foundation, which has contributed positively to the lives of many members of society.

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When Erelu Dosunmu smiles, the world smiles along with her, not because everything is perfect but because in her, they see a woman who has over the years rebirthed herself into what she is today.

Oluwatosin Ojebisi contributed this piece from Lagos

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Opinion

Budget padding: Your integrity intact, Tinubu tells Senators

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President Bola Tinubu on Thursday told the leadership of the 10th Senate that the integrity of the National Assembly remains intact in the thick of allegations of budget padding over the last few weeks.

He said his administration will always encourage cooperation between the executive and judiciary for the advancement of the nation.

Tinubu said this when he hosted the leadership of the Senate to a dinner on Thursday to break the Ramadan fast at the State House, Abuja.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement released in the early hours of Friday titled ‘President Tinubu: We will not allow anyone to undermine our security; killers of soldiers in Delta State will face certain justice.’

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Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central, PDP) had alleged that the Tinubu-led government is implementing a budget other than the one approved on January 1, 2024.

Ningi, who chaired the Northern Senators’ Forum and Senate Committee on Population, had contended in a BBC Hausa Service interview that a N25tn budget was debated and passed, not the N28.7tn that is currently being implemented.

He maintained that N3.7tn could not be accounted for in the 2024 budget.

However, at plenary on March 12, the Senate suspended Senator Ningi for three months over this claim.

Reacting to the allegations for the first time in public, Tinubu said, “I know the arithmetic of the budget and the numbers that I brought to the National Assembly, and I know what numbers came back.

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“I appreciate all of you for the expeditious handling of the budget. Thank you very much.

“Those who are talking about malicious embellishment in the budget; they did not understand the arithmetic and did not refer to the baseline of what I brought. But your integrity is intact.”

Tinubu thanked the lawmakers, adding that Nigerians are at the “turning corner” of the economic challenges.

“The natural challenge we are facing will be over. On the current economic difficulty, we are about turning the corner.

“Our revenue has improved. All we have to do is to control expenditures and manage ourselves better.

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“Light is at the end of the tunnel, and Nigerians will soon smile again,” the President affirmed.

Tinubu also thanked members of the National Assembly for the speedy attention given to the Student Loan Amendment Bill, urging more tolerance, forgiveness, and charity during Ramadan.

He said the perpetrators of the killing of soldiers in Delta State will face certain justice, warning that his administration will not tolerate attacks on the military and security infrastructure.

The President also affirmed that the military would continue to enjoy the support of his administration in neutralising security threats across the country.

“Our armed forces are working hard, and we will not allow attackers to undermine the integrity and value of our armed forces and its leadership.

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“We will continue to encourage and fight for our sovereignty, our individual rights to exist, and we will succeed in banishing poverty from our land,’’ the President stated.

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In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, thanked the President for hosting the lawmakers, noting that regular interactions would enhance understanding and productive governance.

“We bring you greetings from the 10th senate. We bring you assurances of continuous collaboration because we believe strongly that for us to have two brothers from the National Assembly as President and Vice-President, and even the Chief of Staff as our member, we have no option but to work with you, and to do everything possible for this administration to succeed,’’ said Akpabio.

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Opinion

Only seven banks can meet CBN recapitalisation requirements – Report

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No fewer than 17 out of the existing 24 Deposit Money Banks may be unable to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s capital requirement if it is increased from its current N25bn, according to a report by Ernst and Young.

The new report, titled “Navigating the Horizon: Charting the Course for Banks amid Plans for Recapitalisation”, noted that if the apex bank raised the capital base of commercial banks in the country by 15-fold from the current N25bn, only seven banks may survive.

The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, had in several fora stated that the apex bank would consider an increase in the minimum capital base of banks in the country as part of its efforts to strengthen their capacity to support Nigeria’s drive to become a $1tn economy by 2026.

The current capital base is stratified based on the type of banking license – banks with regional, national and international licenses are currently expected to maintain a minimum capital base of N10bn, N25bn and N50bn, respectively.

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The proposed increase in the capital base is coming nearly two decades after the CBN’s 2004 banking reform, which led to an increase of the then prevailing capital base from N2bn to N25bn.

The 2004 banking reform was characterised by massive mergers and acquisition activities, which ultimately resulted in the reduction of the number of banks in the country from 89 to 25 banks.

Theheute in an exclusive report last year, indicated that chief executive officers and other top executives of Deposit Money Banks had begun moves to raise fresh capital to bolster their respective institutions’ capital base through preliminary merger and acquisition talks.

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In the last few months, FBN Holdings, Wema Bank and Jaiz Bank had proposed Rights Issues, while Fidelity Bank announced plans to raise additional capital via the issuance of 13,200 billion ordinary shares via public offer and rights issue.

Ernst and Young, a global financial services company, said in the report that some banks may depend on different recapitalisation options, which include mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, placements and/or right issues and undistributed profit (retained earnings) despite financial soundness indicators show that Nigerian banks were largely safe and resilient as of 2023.

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According to the report, the recent plan by the CBN to increase the capital base of banks will lead to a series of mergers and acquisitions as witnessed during the last recapitalisation exercise in 2004/2005.

The report read partly, “The recent plan by the CBN to increase the capital base of banks could again lead to M&A activities but not as widespread as was the case in 2004/2005 given the relatively solid financial positions of the banks today as well as the occurrence of several M&A activities in the banking sector over the past 10 years.

“While the CBN governor did not indicate the magnitude of the proposed hike in the capital base, we have assumed what the proposed increment will be based on three different scenarios underpinned by current macroeconomic conditions. On the back of that, we were able to determine the number of banks (across the three licence types) that may fall below the new minimum capital thresholds.

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“In a worst-case scenario, i.e., given a capital multiplier of 15, about 17 out of 24 banks would not meet the new minimum capital.”

The report noted that the plan to recapitalise banks was premised upon the recent devaluation of the naira in 2023.

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It explained that the exchange rate as of 2005 during the last exercise in 2005 stood at N132.9/$ but the naira currently exchange for over N1400/$.

According to the firm, this implies that the recapitalisation may require a capital multiplier of 10 or more based on the exchange rate differentials.

“On this basis, a worst-case scenario given a 15x capital multiplier for 24 banks will be considered based on the type of banking licenses held. We have benchmarked the current capital of these banks against the current capital requirement and four recapitalization scenarios,” it noted.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, in an earlier interview with our correspondent, welcomed the move to increase banks’ capital base, adding that the current capital base was grossly inadequate.

He said, “The minimum capital requirements of the banking industry need to be reviewed in the light of the considerable loss of value amid depreciating domestic currency. During the banking consolidation of 2004, the minimum capital requirement for banks was raised from N2bn to N25bn. The revised capital requirement was an equivalent of $187m. Today, the same N25bn is the equivalent of just $32.5m.

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Also, a Professor of Capital Market at the Nasarawa State University, Uche Uwaleke, urged the CBN not to coerce banks into increasing their capital base as was the case during the last recapitalisation drive; rather, they should be incentivised.

“The idea of recapitalisation of banks is a welcome one. Capital is needed to finance big-ticket projects, especially when the government is targeting a $1tn economy in a few years. But I think the strategy should be somewhat different from the approach adopted in 2005. It should be more about incentives than coercion,” he said.

Uwaleke, who is also the President of the Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, added that several Deposit Money Banks were already making moves to increase their capital base.

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Opinion

N35,000 wage award: 30 states default, Labour fumes, pensioners threaten protest

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The Nigeria Labour Congress, on Wednesday, expressed anger over the failure of about 90 per cent of states (over 30 states) in paying the wage award as agreed by the Federal Government and the organised Labour.

The NLC said this as pensioners who retired from the Federal Civil Service threatened to embark on a nationwide protest following the failure of the government to pay their wage award.

Labour leaders in Sokoto, Kano, Benue, and Bayelsa states told TheHeute on Wednesday that their state governments had no paid the wage award, while Gombe, Ogun, and Osun were paying N15,000 or N10,000.

The NLC Assistant General Secretary, NLC, Chris Onyeka, in an interview with TheHeute on Wednesday, said state governors jettisoned negotiations, as they unilaterally gave workers N10,000 without any negotiation.

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The payment of wage award to workers was one of the agreements between the organised labour and the Federal Government as one of the ways to mitigate the effect of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol.

In 2023, the NLC and Trade Union Congress entered into an agreement with the Federal Government where the latter agreed to pay a N35,000 wage award to workers for six months, as well as review the minimum wage in 2024.

On Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu in Niger State appealed to state governors to continue to pay workers in their various states the wage award till negotiations on a new minimum wage were concluded.

But speaking with one of our correspondents on Wednesday, the Assistant General Secretary, NLC lamented that about 90 per cent of states, representing over 30 states, were not paying the wage award to their workers.

He “About 90 per cent of the states have not paid wage awards. Some states I know decided to give workers N10,000 but the wage award is not decided alone.

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“There is a process for it. There must be a negotiation with the workers. Wage award is not a dash out or a charity. The process must be inclusive,” Onyeka stated.

Gombe pays N10,000

But the General Secretary of the NLC in Gombe State, Ibrahim Fika, said so far, workers had received N10,000, as the wage award had yet to be implemented by the state government.

Fika said, “Nothing yet. We have only been paid N10,000 per month. We have not received the wage award as directed by the President. We are still hopeful that workers will be duly paid the agreed amount at the right time to reduce the hardship.”

The NLC leaders in both Sokoto and Kebbi states said workers in the two states had yet to receive any wage award from their respective state governments.

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Speaking in separate interviews, the union leaders said they had commenced the process of negotiation for the wage award with the representatives of their governments.

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The Chairman, NLC, Sokoto State, Abdullahi Jungle, said the state government would soon announce the wage award to its workers.

“We are still negotiating with the government and I am sure that very soon the state government and labour leaders will agree on how much to be paid to workers,” he said.

His counterpart from Kebbi State, Murtala Usman, said, “Yes, we are still negotiating and the outcome will soon be made public.”

Meanwhile, a senior aide to the governor of Sokoto State, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the state government had been adopting different measures to cushion the effect of the current economic hardship on its workers.

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He said, “Look at the announcement made by the governor yesterday on the payment of half salary to all categories of workers including pensioners in the state to assist them in this month of Ramadan.

“This is apart from so many other measures being made available to workers including palliatives. I am sure the wage award will be addressed soon as usual.”

‘Bayelsa not paying’

In Bayelsa State, the state chapter of NLC said the state government had not been paying its workers the wage award.

The state NLC Secretary, John Angese, who stated this, said the state government had not given the organised labour a definite response on the issue of wage award.

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He said, “No, the state government is not paying workers the wage award. The government has not given us any definite answer on that matter.

“The wage award is N35,000. The Federal Government paid only two months (to its workers) and stopped, now they are about to continue. That stoppage couldn’t allow us to make any serious case (with the state government) since the national government also defaulted.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Ekiti State, Sola Adigun, said the hike in the prices of goods and services had made the wage award insignificant, hence the need for immediate conclusion of negotiation and implementation of a new living wage for workers.

Adigun said though the Ekiti State Government had since December last year been implementing the wage award for workers, “what is being implemented is not the same amount that the Federal Government expected.

“Here in Ekiti, all public servants at the states and Local Governments are given N15,000 monthly after the payment of salary. We have been paid for three months now, December, January, and February. Pensioners are being paid N10,000 monthly apart from their pensions.’’

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When contacted, Osun State TUC Chairman, Bimbo Fasasi, said the state government started paying the wage award to workers and retirees in December 2023.

Fasasi, who added that the government had paid up to February, said, “Osun is paying N15,000 for active workers and N10,000 for retirees.

“It commenced payment last December 2023 and has paid up to February 2024. By March ending we are expecting the March wage award to come.”

The Kano State Government has yet to fulfill its promise on the payment of the N20,000 wage award it agreed to pay the state and Local Government workers for six months beginning from December 2023.

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Similarly, the government has also yet to commence the payment of the N15,000 wage award it promised pensioners for three months from December 2023.

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The Chairman of the NLC, Kabiru Inuwa, said this in a telephone interview with TheHeute on Wednesday.

He said, “We agreed on N20,000 but the government has yet to begin the payment.”

According to him, the wage award was aimed at minimising the hardship being experienced by workers brought about by the fuel subsidy removal in the country but was not forthcoming in Kano State.

Efforts to get the state Commissioner of Information, Baba Dantiye, failed as his phone was switched off. He was said to be in the State Executive Council meeting.

A WhatsApp message sent to him was not replied as of the time of filing this report.

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Labour in Benue State threatened to write to the national secretariat about the non-response of the state government to the wage award demand.

The state NLC Chairman, Terungwa Igbe, said the union had written to the state government about their desire to meet with the government.

He said, “We have not heard of anything from the state government despite the letter we wrote to them to have a meeting with them.”

Asked what would be the next line of action, Igbe said, “We are going to write to our national secretariat to inform it of the development.”

Meanwhile, the state government through the Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning, Michael Oglegba, said the government would soon meet the labour union concerning the wage award.

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The Chairman, TUC, Ogun State, Akeem Lasisi, said the state government had since July commenced the payment of N10,000 palliatives to the state workers.

“We were given 40 per cent of the basic salary starting from September 2023; N10,000 palliatives started in July 2023, while we also got Christmas bonus in December, ranging from N20,000 from Level 01 to N100,000 for level 15-17.”

Pensioners threaten protest

Meanwhile, pensioners who retired from the Federal Civil Service threatened a nationwide protest following the failure of the Federal Government to pay their wage awards.

The pensioners under the aegis of Federal Civil Service Pensioners, an affiliate of the National Union of Pensioners, expressed dismay at the failure of the Tinubu-led administration to pay the wage awards despite the untold hardship currently being faced by Nigerians.

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While addressing selected members of the press in Abuja on Wednesday, the President of the Federal Civil Service Pensioners, Sunday Omezi, said pensioners were going through excruciating pains and agony.

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“We feel constrained to bring to the knowledge of the world through this medium, the excruciating pains and agony we have been subjected over the years by the same government we served vigorously and diligently with our youthful energy without blemish only to be abused, dehumanised, marginalised and neglected with reckless abandon, after sapping our energy and leaving us dejected and consigned to rot and death,” he said.

Speaking on the unpaid wage award, Omezi said, “It is pathetic and disappointing to bring to the fore, the non-payment of the N25,000 wage award promised pensioners by the government.

“It is rather distasteful that up till date, no single payment has been made to pensioners. We are hereby demanding immediate payment of the award, because it is so embarrassing for such a promise to be left unfulfilled.”

Omezi also noted that pensioners have been crying profusely the tears of pain over the years through several official representations to the government.

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“Our telling has been deliberately ignored, hence we are left with no option, but to cry out louder to the world to be informed of the pathetic condition we have been made to suffer by the same system that is expected to protest us.”

When asked whether the union would protest, Omezi said, “We are hoping it won’t get to that. That is the major reason we have this press briefing. However, if nothing is done, we may have to embark on a protest.’’

But the Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago has promised to start paying the State’s workers wage award beginning from March 2024.

The governor’s promise was the outcome of a round table negotiation with the leadership of the State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, in Minna.

Chairman of the Niger State NLC, Idrees Lafene, spoke with TheHeute in a telephone chat on Wednesday in which he said President Bola Tinubu’s comment on wage award during his visit to the State was important to the State’s Labour Union.

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He expressed confidence that the Niger State Governor would fulfill his promise to start paying the wage award from March 2024.

“I like what the president said, especially when he said governor’s should give wage award. That is the only thing hat remains for our Governor. If he is able to give wage award, he’ll be one of the best governors,” Lafene said.

Asked if the governor has started paying wage award, the NLC chairman said, “ Our agreement with the governor is this March, he said end of March, that is when he will start paying the wage award. He said he will pay N20,000”.

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