How NNPC, Oil Marketers Connive With Swiss Oil Dealers To Rob Nigeria Of Billions Of Dollars-PREMIUM TIMES

By Premium Times

A new report has detailed how the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in cohort with major Swiss oil trading companies, is draining Nigeria of billions of dollars of revenue through the sale of crude oil below the market value.
The report, titled Swiss Traders’ Opaque Deals in Nigerian, released on Monday by Swiss non-governmental advocacy organisation, the Berne Declaration, also described the schemes employed by Nigerian and foreign fuel importers, such as creating offshore subsidiaries referred to as “letterbox companies”, ship-to-ship transfer to create untraceable paperwork, payment of subsidy money to phantom and non-existing importers, and partnering with politically exposed fraudsters to defraud the country over $6.8 billion from 2009 and 2011.
Berne Declaration describes the Nigerian oil scam as the greatest fraud Africa has ever known.
The report narrates the specific roles played by seven major oil marketers and fuel importers through their shell companies in Switzerland and notorious offshore tax haven, Bermuda, to deny Nigeria billions of naira in tax earnings.

NNPC opaque deals
Describing the NNPC as the “all-powerful,” the report says the government owned corporation “plays a significant role in maintaining the ‘resource curse.”
According to the report, oil, which makes up 58 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue, is not contributing to the country’s development as much as it should. The report blames the engrained poverty and inequalities in the country partly on the siphoning of the nation’s resources through the NNPC and other shady deals by fuel importers in collusion with foreigners, especially Swiss commodity trading firms.
Prominent among these shady deals are the partnership between the NNPC and two Geneva-based commodity trading firms, Vitol and Trafigura, registered in Bermuda.
Through NNPC partnership with Vitol (the largest oil trader in Switzerland) and Trafigura (the third largest) described as ‘operational and financial black boxes’ billions of naira that should have accrued to the government are wired to Bermuda where the joint venture is established.
“In reality, the profit generated by these entities escapes State coffers, first, because no taxation in Bermuda is paid, since the tax on profits is zero,” the report stated.
“Vitol and Trafigura alone took respectively 13.44 % and 13.49 % of Nigerian crude oil exports in 2011 for a cumulative value of 6.7 billion dollars.”
More than 56 per cent of oil put up for sale by the NNPC in 2011 valued at $14.004 billion were sold to Swiss companies or Nigerian companies with “letterbox” subsidiaries in Switzerland.
The report shows how NNPC is cashing in on the disrepair of the country’s refineries to feed its fraudulent partnership with these oil dealers. Despite the fact that local refineries operate at less than 40 per cent capacity, the NNPC still allocates crude to them as if they were operating at full capacity. The excess allocations are then sold to Geneva-based companies or Nigerian oil marketers through their letterbox subsidiaries in Switzerland at knockdown prices or exchanged for refined petroleum products in shady swap contract.
“Nigeria is the only major producing country that sells 100% of its crude to private traders rather than market it itself and benefiting from the resulting added value. A number of beneficiaries of export allocations are nothing but letterbox companies whose sole merit is that they are linked to high-ranking political officials or their entourage,” the report stated, a view similar to that by a Nigerian government investigation team headed former anti-graft boss, Nuhu Ribadu.
The report suggested that Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) and their fronts are also cashing in on the absence of money laundering legislation in Switzerland to hide their loots. In fact, many of the “letterbox” subsidiaries may have been set up for that specific reason.
“Politically-linked holders of such letterboxes are known, in banking terminology, as ‘politically exposed persons’ (PEPs), towards whom any financial intermediary must exercise particular duties of due diligence by virtue of the law on money laundering in order to ensure the legality of the funds. In Switzerland traders are not subjected to such duties and have no obligation to question the credibility of their partners. This leaves them with full latitude to trade with such fake entities. But in Nigeria such entities represent a major part of the ‘market’,” the report explains.
Geneva, a haven for Nigerian Fraudsters
Oil importers that have been indicted in the subsidy scam have found a convenient hide out in Geneva where they have established subsidiaries.
Berne Declaration explains why Geneva has become a haven for these companies:
“There are two reasons underlying the creation of these subsidiaries… In certain cases, it is a matter of benefiting from the tax that the cartons offer for companies working primarily abroad – which is undoubtedly relevant for a Nigerian importer in other case the primary motivation is to get closer to banks specialising in financing trading. This hope has often proven vain due to the reputation of Nigeria and the relative anonymity of these firms. This is all the more so since several of these companies have no real activities in Switzerland, have contended themselves just with an address in a fiduciary or lawyer’s office.”
The report identifies seven major Nigerian fuel importers as the worst culprits. They include:
MRS Group, which owns a subsidiary, called Petrowest Services SA. MRS Group was indicted by the Technical Committee on Payment of Fuel Subsidy for collecting tens of millions of dollars between 2011 and 2012 that it could not back up with documents of physical transactions.
The Presidential Committee on Verification and reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payment later cleared MRS. The committee did not give any reasons to show that its transactions were legitimate, according to the Swiss report.
Ontario Oil and Gas limited owned by Ugo-Ngadi Adaoha has a Swiss Subsidiary named Ontario Trading and located at the premises of Nimex Petroleum in Geneva. Nimex Petroleum was once suspended from trading in Nigeria for not supplying required maritime documents.
Mrs. Ugo-Ngadi was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, in August 2012 for fraud and conspiracy but was later released on bail. Ontario was indicted for over N4 billion false subsidy claims.
The report revealed that despite dropping Ontario Oil and Gas from the list of fuel importers for 2013, the company was allowed to continue its crude oil export business.
Rahamaniyya Group, which owns a subsidiary called Rahamaniyya Oil and Gas SA in Geneva since October 2010 is also located in the premises of the shady Nimex Petroleum which seems to be acting as an incubator for shady companies.
The company was asked to reimburse over N507 million subsidy funds collected, but has not been stopped from importing fuel.

Tridax Energy and Limited and Mezcor Limited have Swiss subsidiaries named Tridax SA and Mezcor SA in Geneva. They both received N2.544 billion ($15.9 million) without importing any petroleum products. In fact, the companies received permits to import products before applying for it. The companies, according to the Swiss report, have been traced to close associates and the younger brother of the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Sahara Energy’s Swiss subsidiary is called Sahara International Pte Limited. The company was requested to reimburse the government’s N6 billion subsidy fund it falsely collected. Despite importing less fuel than they should have and have been paid for, the company is still being allowed to import fuel.
There is also the Lagos-based Aiteo Energy Resources Limited owned by Benedict Peter and Francis Peter. Its subsidiary in Geneva is called Aiteo Suisse AG. Aiteo was asked to reimburse the government over N578 million in subsidy fund it falsely collected. Just like Tridax and Mezcor, Aiteo also received the permit to import fuel without requesting for it.
Efforts to reach the NNPC spokesperson, Tunmini Green, on the agency’s reaction to the report were unsuccessful. Ms. Green’s phone was switched off.
Download full report here
 

"Salami: the face of Nigeria’s judiciary" - By Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

“And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.” J. Dryden

Former Chief Justice Muhammadu Lawal Uwaris is not a man given to outbursts or postures that should attract more than the most minimal of attention to himself. He has been very selective in his public appearances and comments and although he has been active in support of many laudable causes, he has steered clear of controversial issues. This could not have been easy. His seminal contribution to democratic governance in the headship of an electoral reform initiative under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua has been substantially ignored. The electoral process today is arguably no better than it was in 2006-2007, and 2015 will test its integrity even more vigorously. He has access to the multiple points of collapse in governance standards in the manner he helps state governments see themselves, and hopefully, improve.

Compared to retired Justice Isa Ayo Salami, Uwais is a very lucky man indeed. He reached the apex of his career and retired with accolades. Justice Salami retired while under “the longest suspension in the history of the Nigerian Judiciary... over alleged misconduct.” While Justice Uwais career will provide a case study for the place of integrity and intellect in the judiciary, Justice Salami’s exit will continue to generate bitter disputes over whether he is a hero or a villain. Justice Uwais retired an accomplished and fulfilled man. Justice Salami is bitter, and his last statement was to leave the people who treated him unfairly to God. Justice Uwais left the perilous partisan political terrain relatively unscathed. Justice Salami left as a partisan hero on the one hand, and on the other, the subject of accusation by other partisan interests that he was pandering to partisan and ethnic interests as President of the Court of Appeal.

When the two distinguished jurists met last week at the launching of a book on the life of Justice Salami, the latter found some comfort in the verdict of former CJN Uwais. The National Judicial Council (NJC) according to Uwais, treated Salami unfairly. He said President Jonathan and the NJC acted wrongly in the manner Salami was suspended and removed from office.

The book launch and the comments of former CJN Uwais remind the nation of a deeply disturbing trend which has progressively subverted the Nigerian judiciary under the damaging influence of partisan politics. The gripping drama which initially involved two long-standing colleagues, one a Chief Justice and the other President of Court of Appeal then widened to involve the National Judicial Council. It then brought in President Jonathan, whose party was at the heart of the legal dispute, and then just about every credible organ of the justice system. It split the legal and judicial community right down the middle, and literally by the day, made the issues and their modes of resolution more political than legal.

The judicial system was turned inside out by the adoption of every conceivable manoeuvre. Mediations failed. The same judiciary answerable to the NJC was being asked to determine Justice Salami’s case. Pride and egos took center stage. Salami’s age and years of service ticked on. Time was the final arbiter. He retired without what he hoped for.

Chief Justice Uwais said it was disturbing, “to say the least, that the NJC whose membership consist of eminent and experienced judges and lawyers, should act in the manner they treated Hon Justice Salami.” Weighty, damning conclusions from a man given to measured words. Perhaps a day will come when some of the reasons why the integrity implicit in the NJC, at least according to Uwais, could be questioned with such certainty. Could the career-long, difficult personal relations between former Chief Justice Katsina-Alu and Justice Salami have survived all the checks and balances in the judicial system to have the final say in the fate of Salami? Could Katsina-Alu have had powers to manipulate the entire disciplinary processes available, and defy every form of intervention and mediation, to keep Salami out? Did Katsina-Alu commit the type of infraction that will offend Salami’s professional integrity, but give him the type of muscle to “deal” with Salami? Did Salami commit an offence or infraction or breached discipline on a scale deserving his suspension and failure to prevent his removal from office?

Nigerians live with impunity all around, but they know what it means when someone says he leaves them to God. Nonetheless, Nigerians should worry over, and probe this sad chapter in our history until some sense is made out of all the anger and bitterness it is generating. This will not be easy. The guests and the crowd at the book launch alone represent evidence that partisan politics has muddied up the waters, so much so that it may be difficult to tell fish from the fisherman. As far as the chieftains of the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are concerned, Salami is hero, sacrificed to the greed and corruption which is embodied in the PDP. He is integrity personified, an activist jurist who was unwilling to sell electoral victories to the ruling party.

Salami’s accusers were not at his book launch, but they have had their say. They say he was a stubborn tribal champion, dishing out judgements to a political party. They say they have evidence that he had been compromised. They say only his huge ego and pride prevented a resolution of his disciplinary case. He was a bad example to young jurists, a recalcitrant old man who had been more at home with politicians of the ACN colour than with colleagues in the Bench.

The real matter of concern, however, should be that the weaknesses of the judicial system have been badly exposed and manipulated, and they could be made even more vulnerable as we move towards 2015. If all the panels set up were unable to reinstate Salami, and all the court cases were about a disciplinary process, and not about the substantive issue of corruption at the highest achelons of the judiciary then we have reasons to worry about the possibility that electoral disputes will compromise the judiciary further.

The judiciary has been dragged into the center stage of the electoral process, because of its relative weaknesses which are being made worse by corruption and power. There is the idea among politicians that courts give more political mandates than ballot boxes. The judiciary will be tried and exposed every step of the way beyond 2015. Starting from the on-going litigations around the PDP leadership, courts will be asked to rule on party leaders, candidates, rules, winners and losers. Politicians who know the game well will put aside a substantial chunk of their campaign funds for litigation. Very senior lawyers will prepare to milk the system as they have done since 1999. Can the leadership of the judiciary stem the tide, or has it lost the battle long before Salami became a key player?

The assaults on the integrity of the Nigerian judiciary compound the problems of building a fairly credible electoral process for the nation. With so much of the quality and legitimacy of our democratic system riding on the manner INEC and the courts discharge their responsibilities, the failure of the justice system to say whether Salami is a hero or a villain in the battle to protect the judiciary from the effects of partisan influences will continue to worry Nigerians. Salami’s cheerleaders are not doing him huge favours in clothing him and his otherwise glowing career in partisan and ethnic robes. His story would have been better told without them. As it is, we will now have to worry constantly whether our highest judicial officers are in pockets of politicians, or are partisan activists in judicial garbs. Either way, this is tragic for a nation desperate for some glimmer of integrity in its institutions.

Corruption: There Is No Governance In Nigeria – Ezekwesili

Pioneer Director-General of Budget
Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (Due
Process Unit), Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has called
on Nigerian leaders to take seriously, the
corruption charges levelled against Nigeria
by economy monitoring organisations, both
nationally and internationally.
She spoke at a forum on leadership
organised by the Day Star Christian Centre in
Lagos on Wednesday.
According to her, if the current
administration claims to be fighting
corruption and rating bodies still scores the
country high in graft, it means no significant
progress had been made in the fight against
the menace.
Ezekwesili, a chartered accountant and a co-
founder of Berlin-based Transparency
International, said after 53 years of
independence, Nigeria had no governance
but merely “massive transaction of
operations”.
She said: “There is no good governance in
Nigeria. Good governance is about
governance that gives the highest possible
results and it is on the basis that most of the
time, the best choices of policies are being
made and that results are being clearly
achieved.
“If you look at the misalignment of our
resources and the results, it will tell you that
we have less than the kind of effective
governance that we should have.
According to her, “The government should
review the rankings and tackle corruption as
it should to ensure that obstacles hindering
Nigeria from becoming great are removed.
Recall that the former Minister of Education,
early in the year, alleged that the
governments of presidents Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan,
squandered $67 billion in foreign reserve.
“In 2007, the incoming Administration was
handed $45Billion in Foreign Reserve plus
$22Billion,” she stated.
But the allegation was described as
“outlandish and clearly fictitious” by the
Minister of Information, Labaran Maku.
He also said the damning comment by the
former Vice President (African Region) of the
World Bank on education sector, was a self-
indictment as she presided over the sector
without making any positive impact on it.
The Minister added that her criticism only
amounts to hypocrisy as she contributed to
its sorry state because despite receiving
N458.1billion between 2006 and 2007 for the
sector, there is nothing to see in terms of
achievements.
“If she says education has not worked, it
means she is saying she did not work”,
Maku.
In her response, Ezekwesili said: “I Challenge
them to a public debate of facts regarding
2007 Excess Crude Account (ECA) and
foreign reserve and last five and half years
oil revenue.”
However, the Federal Government is yet to
agree to the debate, despite boasting that it
would publicly take on the former Minister,
to present its case.

Daily Post

15 Health Benefits of the Cashew Nut

Below listed are the benefits of cashew nuts.
1. Prevents Cancer:
Proanthocyanidins are a class of flavonols which fight against tumor cells by stopping them to divide further. These proanthocyanidins and high copper content in cashew nuts help fight against cancerous cells and keeps you away from colon cancer. This is one of the major cashew nut benefits.
2. Healthy Heart:
Cashews contain low fat content when compared to other nuts and that too in the oleic acid form which is very healthy for heart. They are cholesterol free and the antioxidants present keeps you away from heart diseases.
3. Lowers High Blood Pressure:
Cashew nuts lower your blood pressure with the help of magnesium present in them.
4. Helps Hair:
Copper is the mineral which helps your hair get that color. So if you take cashews which are full of copper content, you can get that black hair that you always wished for.
5. Healthy Bones:
Like calcium, magnesium is also important for bone health which is the main content in cashew nuts.
6. Healthy Nerves:
Magnesium is stored on the bones surface which prevents calcium from entering the nerve cells and thus keeps the blood vessels and muscles relaxed. Insufficient amount of magnesium can lead calcium to enter the blood vessels leading them to contract. It also leads to high blood pressure, migraine headache etc.
7. Prevents Gallstones:
Daily intake of cashew nut can reduce the risk of developing gallstones up to 25%.
8. Helps in Weight Loss:
Even though cashew nuts are considered as fats, it contains good cholesterol. So contrary to popular belief, those who eat cashews at least twice a week gain less weight when compared to those who eat less.

9. Anti-oxidants:
Selenium, copper, magnesium etc. act as co-factors for many enzymes.
10. Helps Digestion:
Cashew nuts help in growth and development, nucleic acid synthesis and digestion.
11. High on Vitamins:
Cashew nuts are rich in vitamins like riboflavin, pantothenic acid, thiamin, niacin etc. These vitamins keep you safe from sideroblastic anemia, pellagra, etc.
12. Healthy Gums and Teeth:
As mentioned before, the magnesium content present in cashew nuts is very good for bones. So it gives healthy teeth as well as strong gums to hold them.
13. Pleasant sleep:
After menopause, these cashew nuts can give you relaxed and pleasant sleep during nights.
14. Free Radicals:
Cashew nuts help our body to utilize iron properly and eliminate free radicals which cause health problems.
15. Macular Degeneration:
Cashew nuts have the ability to filter Sun’s UV rays and protect us from macular degeneration.
Now that you know the health benefits of Cashew nuts, ensure that you eat a few once every week I am sure you already love them.

InformationNigeria

ALLEDGED WORLD BANK DOCUMENT NAMES TOP NIGERIANS AND THEIR LOOT IN FOREIGN BANKS

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A list of Nigeria's prominent citizens and the monies they allegedly looted from the treasury and stashed in foreign banks in London, the United States and Germany was said to have been allegedly despatched to President Umaru Yar'Adua recently by the World Bank.

The purported World Bank list which has the names of former Presidents Gen Ibrahim Babangida, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, late Gen Sani Abacha, former Adviser to President Shehu Shagari Alhaji Umaru Dikko, former Adviser to late
Gen Abacha, Alhaji Wada Nas, former Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Tom Ikimi, former Chief of General Staff Rear Admiral Mike Akhigbe, former National Security Adviser to late Gen Abacha, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, former Central Bank
Governor Mr Paul Ugwuma and Mohammed Abacha, late Gen Abacha's son was emailed to xclusivenigeria.com yesterday.

Others on the list are former Petroleum Resources ministers Mr Dan Etete and Mr. Don Etiebet, late Gen Abacha's relative Alhaji Abdulkadir Abacha, detained Chief Security Officer to late Gen Abacha, Major Al-Mustapha, former ministers Mr. Anthony Ani, Bashir Dalhatu, and Alhaji Hassan Adamu.

Others are former Chief of Army Staff under Gen Abacha, Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi; former Chief of General Staff Gen T.Y. Danjuma; Gen Wushishi and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Gen Jerry Useni.

Gen Babangida topped the purported World Bank list with 6billion pounds sterling allegedly stashed in London banks, 7billion dollars in Swiss banks, 2billion dollars in US banks and 9billion deutsche marks in Germany. Former head of state Gen Abubakar allegedly has 1.3billion pounds in London banks, 2.3billion dollars in Swiss banks, and 800million in the USA. Late Gen Abacha was said to have 9billion pounds in London, 4billion in Swiss banks, 800million in the US, and
3million in Germany.

Rear Admiral Akhigbe, according to the purported World Bank document, is said to have stashed away 1.2billion in London; 2.4billion dollars in Switzerlamd; 600million in the US; and 1billion deutsche marks in Germany.
Gen Useni's loot was said to be 3billion in London; 2billion in Switzerland; 1billion in the US; and 900million in Germany.

According to the document which is currently being circulated in the blogosphere and was emailed to xclusivenigeria.com yesterday, Alhaji's Gwarzo's loot was said to be 1billion in London banks, 2billion in Switzerland; 1.3billion in the USA; and 700million in Germany. Alhaji Umaru Dikko, according to the alleged World Bank document, has 4.5billion in London; 1.4billion in Switzerland; 700million in the USA; and 345million in
Germany.
Read more at http://www.xclusivenigeria.com.

 

KanoOnline

Time To Thin The Herd

CBS commentator, Andy Rooney on women over 40: "As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?', here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!

— with Mary Benyameen and 2 others.

How can you add alcohol to music? You will go mad —Victor Uwaifo

Professor Victor Uwaifo (MON) remains one of the few Nigerians who took their genius as musicians beyond the shores of Africa. A successful sculptor, an adored guitarist, a fecund composer and a university don, Uwaifo’s life is a rare blend of talents. In this interaction with KEHINDE OYETIMI, the maestro speaks on life at 72, his marriage and his career, among others. Excerpts:

You said that what inspired one of your greatest hits was your encounter with a mermaid locally called Mammy water at the Lagos beach. When last did you visit that particular place?

I don’t think it has a house. Going back there is not a problem. I have been there before. I went there when I went to shoot some films some few years back. It was the encounter with the mammy water that gave birth to the song Guitar Boy. It is almost 50 years after the song was written and it is enduring. It is very evergreen. It pushed me up after the production of Joromi. The succession of the hits continued; the repertoire is long and unending.

Are you not thinking about collaboration with the ilk of your generation, especially Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Ade and others who have contributed immensely to the history of Nigeria’s music?

I have done some music collaborations with some of these young ones. People like Tuface, Dare Art Alade. Some other artistes and saxophonists were in the production. We did a remix of Joromi. When you listen to it, you will be able to draw comparisons between the one I did many years ago and the one that I just produced with them. It was a different rendition of that classic song.

But don’t you get bothered about the quality of music that is being produced by many of these young artists?

They should go and learn how to play musical instruments. My problem with them is that they do not know how to play these instruments. But again I must say that the modern day music has improved the quality of recording. I am not talking about the quality of the content of the music but advancement in technology has given birth to the technical quality of the recording. In those days, it was just a monologue. A band had to be present; that showed how versatile the musician was expected to be. You were not allowed to make mistakes when you were performing live with your band. If you did, there would be consequences. The performance was more tasking, more rigorous. If you made a hit, you made it but if you didn’t, you didn’t. It was a period of spontaneity and expertise. You were expected to know what you were doing. It graduated from track recording (stereo) to multi-track. Today what we find is Digi-track. One person can single-handedly produce a track without the assistance of any other person. That is what advancement in technology has given today. All the percussions have been imputed; all he needs to do is to know the right sound combination and before you know, a musical track has been produced. Anyone can produce music given your knowledge of the computer. But that does not make you a musician.

How are you coping with all these?

The effect of this is that it makes those who claim to be musicians very lazy. In those days when we embarked on live performances, each member of the band was expected to be very familiar with his instrument. A mistake was not tolerated. Every member of the band mattered. It was a unity of production. Making a mistake could cost the entire band more damage than could be imagined. In those days when I started, we had no access to keyboards; you were expected to produce sounds that were similar to those of the piano. That was how live bands were known. We travelled far and wide. We went on road shows. When these young one started, they started badly. They were miming to CDs. Sometimes you will see the deficiencies in the recordings. When they go out to perform, the DJ will play something different from what the artist has requested, and then you will see the artiste get angry and start quarrelling. You don’t quarrel with music. That is the difference between my generation and what you see today. But people do not know this. I wish they really know. It is like cheating in the examination hall. A candidate who is not prepared for the examination is associated with answer sheets during the examination. He doesn’t know what to write but he has the answers somewhere. He writes what he is given and then he passes. That is what these young ones who call themselves musicians do with the computer and the resources of technology. That is the nearest equivalent that I can give.
Soon I will play all the categories of the seven guitars that shaped my life as a guitarist. I will play the classical guitar, the double neck guitar, the magic guitar, the revolving guitar, the AK-47 guitar, the electric acoustic guitar and the keyboard guitar in one rendition.
The way I have tried my best in encouraging them is that I still run a music school—Victor Uwaifo Music Academy—through which we recently graduated some students.

Many people recall that Joromi was a hit. How much did you make and what did you do with the proceeds?

The sale was not immediate but after six months, it sold in millions. Almost 50 years after, it still sells in the millions. If the distributor refused to order from the record company, it would be difficult to sell. There have been demands inside and outside Africa and that has been the reason for the huge sales. But to ask me what I did with the money will be difficult to answer. All I remember doing was to re-invest in my musical equipment. I bought vehicles to travel for performances.

What kind of parents shaped your growth?

I come from a middle upper class family. My father was in business after serving as a civil servant for some time. He retired and became a full contractor. My mother was a full time housewife. I come from a polygamous home. I was the last but one out of 13 children. I was number 12 on the line. Music runs in our blood. Many of my siblings were good at music. I have siblings who are judges, engineers, teachers, all that. There was a time that we formed the Uwaifo Quartet. I happened to be the guitarist. One late Mr Emmanuel Fadaka would come from Ibadan to Benin to record our performances. Our voices were heard in the 50s on the radio.

How did your parents feel when they heard you guys on the radio and what pranks did you play as a child?

Even though my parents liked music, they weren’t quite comfortable when I was taking the guitar too seriously and beyond the house. I was less than 12 years old when I started playing. In those days guitarists and palm wine drinkers were viewed together and seen as layouts. Guitarists usually ended up in bars, drunk. It was not a thing that a parent would like the child to end up in. But I proved them wrong even in their graves. I promised that I would make them proud. I was doing well in school. I was a sportsman. I led my school in the high jump. I was very proactive. As a child, I was very creative. I have taken that creativity to adulthood. I have just invented another guitar. It is called AK-47. I invented it about two weeks ago. It is crafted in the form of a gun but it is a guitar.
I played pranks as a child. I knew very early that spirits wore white. I would take my father’s white bedsheet and place it over my body. I would sidle into crowds in the night and when they saw me they would all run, thinking that it was indeed a spirit. A day came when a man suspected a foul play with the spirit who usually came out in the moonlight evenings. He hid himself away from the crowd that night and watched me. I had put on the white bed sheet and I was moving to the crowd. Everybody ran away as usual but the man would not run. He had come closer. When I saw that he was not running but moving towards me, I ran away.

You made distinctions as a student at the Yaba College of Technology and a First Class at the University of Benin. Was it just genius or hard work?

My greatest enemy is a failure. The failure goes with fear. I did my best to conquer failure. I went the extra mile. I was not out to make a first class. I didn’t want the young ones in the class to see me as an unserious person. So I did more than everybody else. I just ensured that I did my best. The same thing also played out at the Yaba College earlier.

It is very common to find young artists today who are unable to manage fame. They are promiscuous; their father many children from different women. You celebrated long years of your marriage to your wife. You don’t have more than one wife. How were you able to avoid all these?

It is a discipline. A stick of cigarette has never touched my lips. I don’t drink. The music is enough intoxicating. How can you add alcohol to music? You will go mad. There is youthful exuberance. For me, I regarded discipline as the most important thing in my youth. I don’t have any child outside my matrimony and I will never. All my children were from my wife. It gives me peace of mind. There are many distractions.

You look very energetic at 72. What is the secret?

Time runs after me. I take the lead which is why I am always busy and have something to occupy my time. Time wasted is time murdered. I can’t rest now. If I rest, my talent will go to rest.

How often do you get inspired and what inspires you?

Inspiration is like sound waves and vision. When in tune with your extra perception, it sends the right signals into your brain box. God is the ultimate creator and artist. I am just a tool of implementation. Music is an interpretation of many vibrations of sound arranged in harmony, pleasant to the ears and companion to man both in times of joy and distress.