PIA: NNPC will cease to exist within six months, says Mele Kyari by Wasilat Azeez

The federal government says the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will cease to exist within the next six months as specified by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). Advertisement Speaking with Arise TV on Monday, Mele Kyari, group managing director of NNPC, said the national oil company would be transformed into a private company that would pay taxes and dividends to its shareholders. He said the new company would be incorporated under the Company Allied Matters Act (CAMA). On Monday, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law . Advertisement Kyari explained that all liabilities and assets of the NNPC will be transferred to the new company. He noted that some toxic assets may be excluded. “Coming back to the NNPC, the provision of the law clearly states that the corporation will be transformed into a CAMA company. This meaning of this is that the company will just be another privately owned company, in a sense,” Kyari said. Advertisement “This company will pay taxes, royalties and dividends to its shareholders. This isn’t the situation today because the corporation has no such obligation. This has stalled its development, its growth and its prosperity. “According to the new Petroleum Industry Act, a new company will be incorporated within six months . That means all assets and liabilities of the NNPC will be transferred to the new company. “Not all of them, by the way. The bill is very clear. Some toxic assets of the corporation may not be transferred. The federation or shareholders can decide to keep some of the assets and leave some with the corporation. “Therefore, you are going to have a much more efficient, much more slimmer, much more commercial national oil company.”

Why I Made Nigeria Member Of Islamic Organisation – IBB By Ukpe Philip

Nigeria’s former Head of State, Ibrahim Badamusi Babangida (IBB), has denied having plan to Islamise Nigeria when he enrolled the country as a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The former military leader who recently clocked 80, made the clarification during an interview on Channels TV. The OIC consists of about 50 countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Nigeria became its member in 1986 under IBB. The OIC models the collective voice of Muslims as well as protects the interest of the Muslim world. IBB’s registration of Nigeria as a member of the OIC had at different times sparked criticisms from individuals and groups who argued that the move contravened provisions of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution. But the retired army general said, ” No government has ever said so (that Nigeria is an Islamic state), including my own government.” He explained that, “We never said Islam is the official religion of Nigeria. But our constitution allows us to enter any organisation for the benefit of the country or for the benefit of the people of the country.” Nigeria’s membership of the Islamic organisation had since resulted in several criticisms from religious groups and Civil Society Organisations. Some groups have accused the former Head of State of engineering a religious crisis in the country by that singular act. “The relationship between Christians and Muslims deteriorated when Nigeria was admitted as a full member of Organisation of the Islamic Conference,” said DR Maryam Abdullahi, a delegate representing Civil Society Organisation, at the 2014 National Conference. Most recently (May 26), the IOC called on Nigeria to join other Islamic countries to punish Israel for launching rockets into Gaza, Palestine, in retaliation to rockets fired into the country by the Islamic Resistance Movement popularly called Hamas. But the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which is the apex body of Christians in the country criticised the call and warned President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration against taking sides with the IOC. CAN had said: “We are worried that Nigeria which was wrongly labelled an Islamic State because of her unlawful membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has been taking side with the Palestinians since the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari. Hence why the Turkish President asked Nigeria to identify with the Palestinians.”

PDP peace pact crumbles, Obasanjo, Secondus in closed-door meeting by John Alechenu and Daud Olatunji

Wike’s group kicks as Secondus plans Oct national convention shift There were strong indications on Thursday that power blocs in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party had sidestepped some of the agreements reached at the party’s expanded National Executive Committee meeting held on Tuesday, August 10. It was gathered that though it was agreed at the meeting that the party’s national convention should hold in October, the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee was advancing reasons why the date was no longer feasible. But sources in the party said the rival power bloc led by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, dismissed Secondus’ excuse, saying it was a ploy to sit tight. It was gathered that based on the fresh crisis in the party, it might hold another NEC meeting next month. Recall that crisis hit the PDP two weeks ago following alleged moves by a group within the party to remove Secondus on the grounds that he was plotting to install his loyalists as members of the National Convention Committee to ensure his re-emergence as the national chairman. The PUNCH had on August 11 reported that the PDP, at its expanded NEC meeting held the previous day, reached a middle-of-the-road agreement to satisfy the warring groups. According to the report, the party rejected moves by the Wike group to remove Secondus. To pacify the Wike group, the party moved the national convention, which was initially scheduled for December, back to October. A source in the party, stated on Thursday, “This is the premise upon which the peace pact was built. Members of Wike’s group sheathed their swords, because the convention was shifted to October, but from all indications, Secondus is not ready for any convention in October.” It was gathered that the NWC had been unable to reach a consensus on the schedule of activities to be presented to NEC ahead of the setting up of the zoning and national convention planning committee. This, our correspondents gathered, was largely responsible for the rescheduling of the NWC meeting to next Tuesday. Based on a truce brokered by governors and other party leaders after last week’s expanded NEC meeting, the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said among other things, “All processes leading to an early national convention in October be immediately activated by relevant party organs, especially the National Executive Committee. “The meeting requested the NEC to immediately constitute a zoning committee for party offices and another committee for national elective offices.” A party leader, who confided in The PUNCH, explained that not much progress was made in the direction of convening a NEC meeting to set up the zoning and convention committees. The source said, “To be quite honest with you, we, like most party members, are worried about the fact that we still have outstanding congresses in nine states and the Anambra State governorship election coming up on November 9. “We cannot, as a party, afford to go into the Anambra election with a divided house. We are also uncomfortable with the disposition of the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who has literally washed his hands off the Anambra election. “Be that as it may, we will soon constitute the national campaign council and the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, may head it.” Another source at the meeting said, “Whatever we do, we must take into account the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission. “We have issued notices of our activities for the Ekiti and Osun elections. Most of the activities will be held between September and October. By the end of October, we will be heading for the Anambra election, which is on November 6; then, we can talk about our convention. We are likely to convene another expanded meeting to explain the situation to our leaders. “One thing is certain, all members of this party, irrespective of tendency, are committed to the stability and growth of the PDP.” However, one of those opposed to Secondus, who also spoke in confidence for fear of retribution said, “It is clear that the issues our leaders tried to deal with are still there. “We agreed that NEC should constitute the zoning and convention committees immediately; go back to the communiqué read by Governor Tambuwal after last week’s expanded meeting, but what is happening today?” It was further gathered that the seven deputies, who resigned their positions, had withdrawn their resignation letters and would be attending the NWC meeting slated for Tuesday. When contacted, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Diran Odeyemi, who is one of those who resigned, confirmed this development. He said, “We resigned because we were not fairly treated. We accused the national chairman of not playing the role of a leader, but his response was that the constitution does not give us any role other than working with our principals or in their absence, acting on their behalf. “We still accused him of not involving us; we informed him that as a leader, he should have found a way of involving us in administering the party, because we were elected and we represent people, who are members of our party. “He admitted at the end of the day, apologised and assured us that that particular aspect of the constitution would be addressed. With that and with follow-up calls by members of the BoT and our respected leaders and elders, we had no choice (but to return). “In my case, I represent the South-West; we have an election in Osun very soon and I don’t have the support of leaders at home that I should resign, so also in Oyo State. The decision of my constituency is that since you’ve made your point known and an apology has been tendered and a promise of redress has been made, you have to pull back.” Meanwhile, the national chairman of the party, Secondus, on Thursday, held a closed-door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta. The meeting, which lasted for more than one hour and ended at 2.06pm, was held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. A source at the meeting told one of our correspondents that the national chairman took his time to narrate his ordeal and troubles in running the party to the former President. The source added that Secondus was able to convince Obasanjo to intervene to settle the crisis. The source said the former President maintained his stance that he was not interested in partisan politics, but his doors were open for advice. It was also gathered that the meeting between Obasanjo and Secondus was a fallout of an earlier meeting held in Minna, Niger State. “He (Secondus) narrated his ordeals to Obasanjo and urged him to intervene and save the party from collapse. Although the former President said he had left partisan politics, he stated that he would always offer his advice,” the source stated. While addressing journalists after the meeting, the PDP Chairman said he came to see Obasanjo as an elder statesman in order for him to advise the present government. He said, “I am here with members of my team as well as the PDP executive in Ogun State to tap from the wealth of Baba’s knowledge as a statesman. “It has been very difficult lately because Baba is a global personality, resolving issues across the world. In fact, the last place I learnt Baba visited was Afghanistan; despite the situation in that country, he went there and came back alive. “So, my team and I are very grateful and we give glory to God. We have discussed Nigeria. Nigeria first before any other thing. Yes, we belong to a political party, but if we don’t have a country, where do we practice democracy? “We need to have a peaceful country where democracy can strive and at this point, we need Chief Obasanjo to come in with solutions. “We are aware of insecurity, the poor economy, banditry, kidnapping all over the country; and we can’t continue to watch without reaching out to the elders so that they can come to gather and advise the present government. That is the duty of a statesman.” Obasanjo, on his part, maintained that though the situation of Nigeria was very bad, it was not irredeemable. “Every right-thinking individual knows that the Nigerian situation is very bad, but it is not irredeemable,” he stated. Obasanjo stated that Secondus did not visit him because of partisan politics, but because he was concerned about the situation of the nation. He said, “You have not visited me because of partisan politics, but you have visited me as a person, who is concerned about where Nigeria is and where Nigeria may be descending into if the right action is not taken. “And I couldn’t agree with you more; every right-thinking Nigerian and every lover of Nigeria will agree that Nigeria is not what it should be today, unless there is something else wrong with them. “The situation is bad, very bad, but the situation is not irredeemable. That is where the hope lies. The situation is very bad, but it is not hopelessly irredeemable.” t PUNCH.

Buni battles five suits, 100 APC members seek removal by Olalekan Adetayo and Lesi Nwisagbo

NO fewer than five cases are currently before different courts on the eligibility or otherwise of Governor Mai Mala Buni holding the positions of the Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress and governor of Yobe State at the same time., investigation by The PUNCH has revealed. Of the five pending cases, three were initiated by members of the ruling party while the Peoples Democratic Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party initiated one each. One of the cases filed by party members was one instituted by one Okosisi Ngwu. Ngwu had asked the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory to sack Buni-led CECPC and nullify all actions it has so far taken, including the recent ward congresses. The request forms part of the reliefs in a suit marked FCT/HC/CV/1824/2021. Listed as defendants are the APC and all CECPC members that include Buni; Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola; Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello; former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; Stella Okorete; Dr. James Lalu, Senator Abubakar Yusuf; Akinyemi Olaide; David Leon; Abba Ali; Prof. Tahir Mamman; Ismail Ahmed and Senator John Akpanudoedehe. Another chieftain of the party, Bashir Bolarinwa, also instituted a case against the Buni-led CECPC. Bolarinwa, who was removed by the CECPC as Chairman of the party in Kwara state, is asking the High Court of the FCT to declare the entire panel illegal. He said it was wrong for Buni and his counterparts from Niger and Osun states to preside over affairs of the APC. Among other appeal, Bolarinwa urged the court to determine whether the appointment of the 2nd-and 14th defendants; chairman and members of CECPC; was not legal without ratification of the Board of Trustees of the 1st defendant, having regards to Article 18 (II) of the APC Constitution. Bolarinwa’s application was filed on August 16, 2021 with suit no CV/2006/2021. The latest among cases by party members is the one instituted by about 100 APC members in Benue State. They sued the party and Buni, seeking dissolution of the 13-member committee and nullification of all their actions. Also listed as co-defendant in the originating summon registered as FHC/ABJ/CS/938/2021, are the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the Independent National Electoral Commission and others. The motion for interlocutory injunction was filed by their lawyer, Mr Samuel Irabor at the Federal High Court, Abuja on August 18, 2021. The PDP, on its part, urged a court to sack Buni for taking up another executive position as the chairman of the party’s CECPC. In the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, the opposition party argued that combining the governor’s office with another executive position is a constitutional violation. It claimed that the Yobe State governor’s office and that of the deputy governor, Idi Gubana, have therefore become vacant after Buni took up the APC appointment. The suit was marked FHC/ABJ/CS/885/2021. On its part, the NNPP dragged the APC to the Federal High Court Abuja, asking that the ruling party be disqualified from contesting the forthcoming chairmanship position election in the Abuja Municipal Council slated for February 12, 2022. In the originating summons dated July 28, 2021, with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/514/2021, the party joined INEC, APC, Mohammed Ikwa and Buni as defendants. The opposition party said the Caretaker Committee set up by the APC upon the dissolution of the elected National Working Committee by the National Executive Committee on June 25, 2020 has no lawful powers to administer the affairs of the party. According to the suit the, Buni’s emergence as the chairman of the caretaker committee, “is void ab initio and no action ca be founded on it.” 100 APC members pray court to dissolve Buni-led committee One hundred members of the All Progressives Congress have approached the Federal High Court Abuja praying for the dissolution of the Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee of the party and asking for the nullification of their actions. In the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/938/2021, the plaintiffs argued that the Caretaker Committee which constituted of 13 members was below the required membership of 24 persons spread across not less than two-third of all the states and the Federal Capital Territory for any governing body of a political party, whether substantive or acting, as stipulated under Section 223 (2) (b) of the constitution. They also argued that the fact that the Caretaker Committee was headed by Mai Mala Buni, a serving governor and thereby holding dual executive offices was against the provisions of Section 183 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 17(4) of the constitution. By their assertions, they stated that only the National Working Committee of the party could constitute a Caretaker Committee as provided under Article 13(4)(xvi) of the APC Constitution. Relying on the provisions of the APC Constitution, the plaintiffs also asserted that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who administered the oath of service on Mai Mala Buni as the Caretaker Chairman lacked the power to do so since he is neither a member of the NWC nor NEC. Also, joined as defendants are the AGF, the Independent National Electoral Commission and others. The suit was filed by their lawyer, Samuel Irabor. PUNCH.

Anger in Edo over Sultan of Shuwa Arabs planned installation by Chukwudi Akasike and Adeyinka Adedipe

THE plan by a group of persons to install a sultan in Edo State has sparked angry reactions from the people and government of the state on Thursday. The Edo State Government and the Pan Niger Delta Forum were among those who condemned the arrangement to install a sultan in the state. An online invitation by the group suspected to be from Fulani had slated the event for Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22, with the venue at Rialto Hotel in Eyaen, a suburb of Benin City, the state capital. Coronation of sultan in Edo sacrilegious, says Edo In a statement on Thursday, the Secretary to the Edo State Government, Osarodion Ogie, assured the people that a firm and decisive action would be taken to prevent the actualisation of the “illegal and sacrilegious act”. The statement reads, “The Edo State Government has been inundated with complaints from indigenes and residents of the state over the purported move to embark on the coronation of one Idriss Addano as ‘Sultan of Shuwa Arab of Edo State’. “The Edo State Government wishes to state as follows: That whether or not this event is held at the said or any other location within the state by individuals who clearly have sinister motives and are trying to abuse the well-known Edo hospitality by their act of sacrilege, it will constitute a direct assault on the traditions, custom and culture of the people of Edo State. “Under the Edo State Traditional Rulers and Chiefs Law, it is an offence for anyone to proclaim himself, or allow himself to be proclaimed as the holder of any traditional title not recognized under the said law and/or without the approval of the appropriate authorities.” Coronation plan part of Fulani-Hausa expansionist agenda – PANDEF On his part, the spokesman of PANDEF, Mr. Ken Robinson, said the planned coronation was part of the Fulani-Hausa expansionist agenda to continue to dominate other tribes in Nigeria

“We may not be too surprised that they are being emboldened by the happenings in Afghanistan. It is part of territorial expansion; it is conquest! That is division. “And they have sent in their foot soldiers as herdsmen before now, thinking that they will just overrun the territory, but they are just kidding, because that will not happen in the South-South,” he stressed. Also, an Edo indigene and owner of the hotel where the coronation was to hold, Mr. Enogie Iduriase, said he would not allow his facility to be used for any unwholesome business in his area Read Also Outrage over plan to turban Sultan of Shuwa Arab of Edo He said, “I am a traditional ruler as well as the son of the Oba of Benin. I will not allow any facility to be used for any unwholesome business. The Oba of Benin is superior to any other Oba. I don’t know any Sultan of Shuwa Arab.” Shuwa Arab Sultan coronation in Edo postpone – Seriki’s spokesman When The PUNCH contacted a number on the RSVP, the receiver, who only identified himself as the spokesman for Seriki, said the event had been called off indefinitely. Asked if the Oba of Benin was informed about the planned ceremony, he said, “There is an error on the invitation; it was after distributing the card they noticed an error on the (invitation) card. The typist wanted to write party and not coronation. When told to identify himself, he said, “My name? I don’t have a name; I am the spokesman for Seriki, Shuwa Arab. I have postponed everything and everything has stopped. Announce it to all your readers; let them know that it (coronation of Sultan Arab of Edo State) has been postponed. ‘Benin Palace not aware of planned coronation’ The Secretary to the Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, denied the palace’s knowledge of the coronation of Addano as the Sultan in Edo State. He stated that the only thing known to him was Seriki Hausawa, who was turbaned and not coronated. According to him, it is only the Oba of Benin that can be coronated in the kingdom. Efforts made to get Addano’s reaction were not successful. PUNCH.

Strike: Court invites resident doctors as group seeks restraining order. Agency Report

The National Industrial Court, Abuja, on Thursday invited the striking doctors by directing a Non-Governmental Organisation seeking a restraining order, to place them on motion on notice. The NGO, Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International, through an ex-parte application had prayed that the court should order the striking doctors under the aegis of National Association of Resident Doctors, who embarked on the industrial action on August 2, back to work. The vacation judge, Justice John Targema, after listening to the application in his ruling however said, “I have carefully considered the processes filed by the Applicant herein. “I have looked especially on the affidavit of extreme urgency, the grounds of the application, the affidavit in support of same and arguments of counsel for the Applicant. “I also weighed the submissions and arguments of counsel on the law as it stands on this application. “By Order 17, Rule 14 ( 5) of NICN proceedings 2017, this court can make or refuse to make the order sought, or may direct the motion to be made on notice to the parties affected. “The affected parties ought to be put on notice before a trial court grants a restraining order, when a trial court makes an order of restraint exparte, the order is made in breach of the provisions of section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution ( as amended). “Having considered the arguments of learned counsel for the Applicant and the law as stated, I am inclined to invite the defendants/respondents on grounds of fair hearing,” the judge ruled. The judge in addition ordered that the motion be made on notice to the parties affected by the application. He also directed that hearing notice be issued, served on the defendants and proof of service of the motion on notice and all originating processes on the defendants be filed in the case file before the next adjourned date. Targema concluded by saying that the said date shall be determined by the president of the court who will reassign the file and both parties would be notified accordingly. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that preceding the court ruling, the Applicant through an ex parte application challenged the on-going industrial action, which according to them had crippled the health sector. The Executive Director of the NGO, Kingdom Okere, had sought an order compelling and mandating the striking members of NARD to immediately suspend their ongoing strike, resume duties on ground that the strike now constituted national health emergency and amounts to denial of access to health care to Nigerians. Joined in the suit as co-defendants are NARD chairman, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuya; Incorporated Trustees of Nigerian Medical and Dental Association, Minister of Health. Others are Federal Ministry of Health, Minister of Labour and Productivity and Attorney General of the Federation/ Minister of Justice (NAN)

Ayida: The Rise and Demise of Nigeria’s Super Permanent Secretary

Few illustrious government officials gave Nigeria’s civil service their all, the late Allison Ayida was regarded as one of the few good men that ever walked corridors of power, writes Bayo Akinloye You would be forgiven if you claimed you did not know Allison Ayida. Yet, it would be a great disservice to integrity, honesty and commitment if you did not take time to find who Ayida was. He was born in 1930 and reportedly died on October 11, 2018 at the age of 88 years at St. Nicholas Hospital in Lagos. For those who knew him, Ayida was a former super permanent secretary and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation during the military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo – not much of him is known by Nigerians about “this exemplary retired civil servant because of his quiet disposition”. Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Chief P. C. Asiodu and Ayida were known to be technocrats of calm temperament but effective in their work as public servants – and appropriately referred to as “super permanent secretaries”. The trio were reputed to have crafted most of the policies and programmes of the military administrations of that time. They were also regarded as the “silent voices behind the military programmes and policies of the time” running a system of civil service almost devoid of corruption. It is little wonder President Muhammadu Buhari Friday could urge younger Nigerians and public servants to imitate the uncommon patriotism of former secretary to the Government of the Federation, who was buried on Friday. “Nigeria will surely miss his wide experience in public and private services. We need people like him and his colleagues, the celebrated super permanent secretaries, who exhibited remarkable commitment to the progress and unity of the country,” Buhari said. Another prominent Nigerian, who also paid tributes to Ayida, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, described his death, as a big national loss and special breed Nigerian and civil servant extraordinaire. “Ayida was a celebrated, outstanding and revered son of Warri Kingdom, a nationalist, an enigma, and a profile of what Nigeria was and should have been. He was a disciplined, transparent and detribalised public servant who was highly respected by his peers and his subordinates for his sound knowledge of the Public Service and establishment matters. “Ayida was a man with a well nurtured, perceptive and resolute mind. He was always clear in his mind on what to do at any given time, and the choices he made set him apart from the pack. They (Ayida and the other ‘super permanent secretaries’) were determined to pursue the national project and eventual glory of the Nigerian state by restoring a nation that had fought a civil war and required rehabilitation,” Atiku said. The politics of boundary dispute and ceding of some oil wells between Delta and Ondo states were some of the issues that thoroughly tested his acumen and problem solving ability. Atiku added: “His calmness, humility and forthrightness played out in waving through the tumultuous water of ethnic and communal politics involved as he operated with the sensibility of a patriot.” According to a policy expert and public commentator, Tunji Olaopa, the administrative history of Nigeria’s public service will not be complete without the mention of Ayida. He further asserted that just a mention of Ayida’s name will be a serious disservice to the historic role that he played in the attempt to reconfigure the public service system, as well as put the Nigerian project right back on track administratively. “Like the legendary Simeon Adebo and Jerome Udoji, Ayida belonged in what we affectionately, and with a bit of nostalgia, refer to as the golden years of public administration in Nigeria. And even more so, he was one of the “notorious” super permanent secretaries whose roles in the prosecution of the Nigerian Civil War have been the subject of positive and negative analyses. Together with Ahmed Joda, Ime Ebong, Ahmed Joda, S. O. Wey, Phillip Asiodu, and so on, Allison Ayida played a significant and crucial administrative part that had a lot to do with their vision of the Nigerian project, as well as the professional credentials they had acquired as public administrators,” Olaopa stated. Ayida, like Adebo, Udoji and other exemplary civil servants of the first-generation pioneers, was invested the best that the British administrative training could muster – they were professionals who imbibed the ethos and values of what it means to be public servants. In the early 1950s after a stint at the King’s College, Lagos, Ayida attended Queen’s College, Oxford, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economic. By the time he returned to Nigeria, the country was already well into the post-colonial trajectory that would allow him to show his class. He made the tight list of permanent secretaries that Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi collected as part of the Federal Executive Council – and was put in charge of the Economic Development Ministry. It was a ministry regarded as where the military received the best education about how to take Nigeria forward. As if the sudden desperation enabled by the 1966 coup was not enough, Ayida and the rest of the bureaucrats watched with horror as the country was thrown into the tension of an approaching war, Olaopa recalled. Yet, you might have wondered what made Ayida and his ilk super permanent secretaries? “They became ‘super’ because they lived in an interesting but unpalatable time which tasked their patriotic sensibilities and their professional capabilities to the limit. Nigeria was about to go to war and these public servants were confronted with the unenviable task of fashioning a policy framework for war time and post-war Nigeria,” Olaopa pointed out. “For instance, there was a pending issue of drafting the second national development plan which was ongoing with the crucial assistance of the renowned economist, Prof. Ojetunji Aboyade. The impending civil war therefore provided a severe cloud of limitation around which these professionals needed to work. “But like the gold that becomes refined when taken through the furnace, Ayida and the other super permanent secretaries turned their well-honed professional capacity and patriotic fervour came to the rescue. And there was no dithering. Several political commentaries have been written about the supposedly notorious roles played by Ayida and his colleagues in advising Gowon about the war.” Olaopa asserted.