By : Ike Abiagom & Joyce Uhuegbue

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ome leaders are born, some achieve leadership, some have leadership thrust upon them, while only very few have all three embedded in them. Jude Obinna Nwankwo , the founding Chairman, How To Grow Limited, the trail-blazing business/Financial  mogul par excellence from  Anambra State, is one of the few good men. He is an embodiment of cerebral articulation, the essence of unparalleled philanthropy, the epitome of intellectual and breathtaking simplicity. The personification of undiluted humanness, the perfect example of leadership symbolism, the paragon of idealism, the soul of humanity, the heart of warrior, the perfect gentleman. It is certainly impossible to gloss over his attributes for greatness. He is a perfect gentleman, a man of valour, the bringer of rain. In the gallery of great leaders and great men, he is without doubt, a rare masterpiece.

The true worth of a man is in the way he treats people who are absolutely in need. If you care about people in need, you are actually making a contribution to the development of the nation. We need to give life back to the people. We need to see how we can use the available resources for everybody; create opportunities for all and care, especially for those who are truly in need. The gap between the rich and the poor should be bridged. We must strike a balance with our resources.” This is the Philosophy of Mr Jude Obinna Nwankwo.

In this exclusive interview with Newsbreeze Magazine,he stressed on the need to inculcate the culture and attitude of daily SAVINGS for the betterment of  lives in  Nigeria..

Excerpts:

Sir, Can we meet you ?

 I am Mr Jude Obinna Nwankwo and am from Anambra State.

 Sir, can you tell us more about Your company How To Grow Ltd.,?

How To Grow Limited is a limited liability company. We desire among other things to create an institution where quality service delivery is a priority. An institution that cares for your financial growth, property management and quality constructed buildings. How To Grow Limited is an institution aimed at providing essential services to the general public. Such services include:

• Financial Management
• Building Constructions
• Estate Development/Management

Since its establishment in the year 2000 and since then we have nine branches now, How To Grow Limited has consistently built relationships with her customer, focusing on the fundamentals of good strategy, strong liquidity, risk management and leadership.Over these years, How To Grow Limited has played a key role in financially empowering her numerous customer through inculcating in them the culture and attitude of SAVINGS. This prudent financial management and integrity has mapped us out as the best brand in Micro/Thrift Savings within Onitsha in Anambra State, Nigeria and its environs in consonance with the brand vision. We ensure that our client get not only his desire but also value for his money. Our designs are superb. Our teams are professionals.

Our brand promise is to always deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence. This commitment is anchored on the company’s inherent values of passion, honesty, integrity, team work and people.

Sir, Can you tell us the  working Principles of this Institution?

Our Working Principles we mean those unique attributes, perceptions, norms and values that every staff of this organization must possess and portray. Those principles determine our character, approach to issues and our sense of service to people. Those working principles are what we called the 4Fs and they are:

Focus: This principle concerns with our sense of purpose, our vision and mission; our sense of commitment to self goal; our consistency to quality service delivery.

Every staff of the organization must portray this sense of duty and internal motivation.

Financial Management:

It is one thing to make money; it is another thing to manage such fund. In this part of the world, people expend money not necessarily to satisfy their needs but on the sheer fact that they have the money at hand. This perception made people to spend inappropriately and end up always in need of money.

We really don’t know how to grow money through proper planning and investment. There is this high propensity to spend than to save for rainy day. Yet we struggle daily to make money. And this is what we do in How To Grow Multi-Purpose cooperative limited. We help our members in planning and managing their financial lives through Micro Savings and Loans.

We:

• Teach our members how to save by encouraging them to save daily.
• Teach them how to manage their funds by encouraging them to invest properly.
• Teach and guide them on investment plans, processes and management.
• Save them from financial frustration.
• Help them in realization of their dreams and goals.

We help in poverty eradication through our Micro credit facilities with little or no interest at all.

1. Focus: This principle concerns with our sense of purpose, our vision and mission; our sense of commitment to self goal; our consistency to quality service delivery.

Every staff of the organization must portray this sense of duty and internal motivation.

1. Fast: All the activities in this organization is time bound hence, this principle looks at effective and efficient time management. It also considers physical and mental fitness, agility, smartness and multi-tasking skills.

• Friendly: In How To Grow Limited, we believe that things get better when people get closer. We aspire at all times to ensure mutual understanding between the company and her clients. We value our clients and respect their individual differences. Just Come Let’s Reason Like Friends.

Flexible: In How To Grow Limited, a level playing ground exists for all. We so much believe in dialogue and we always empathize with our clients.

Sir, Apart from Savings and Financial Management, what other services do you render to the Public?

Thank you ,We have How To Grow Electronics and Properties , which is a subsidiary of How To Grow Group that deals specifically on genuine, durable and quality electronics and other household properties.

Our interest is to ensure that genuine electronic products are brought closer to the people hence, save them from buying fake products that are prevalent in the open market.We deal on quality brands such as LG Products, Samsung Products, Midea Products, Thermocool Products, Termashi Products and any other quality brand in the country.

We ensure that all our products are of good quality and standard. We equally ensure that all our products especially the electronics have warranty.

We offer this after-sales-service to give our clients convenience. However, the customer has an option here. We maintain and service every product purchased from us especially those ones on warranty.

We have experts who install gadgets especially those that are very technical.

What would you like to be remembered for ?

I will like to be remembered as a man who helped people in planning and managing their financial lives through Micro Savings, make them to grow financially and be financially independent.

[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n Thursday, the Federal High Court in Lagos sentenced a serving senator and former governor of Abia State, Orji Kalu, to 12 years in prison after convicting him of N7.65 billion fraud.

Justice Mohammed Idris pronounced Mr Kalu guilty of the charge in a trial that lasted for 12 years.

Mr Kalu was tried alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and Udeh Udeogu, who was Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalu’s tenure as governor.

In this analysis, let looks at the rise and fall of Mr Kalu who has been in politics since the return of democratic rule in 1999.

The rise

Born on April 21, 1960, the year Nigeria became independent, Mr Kalu was elected governor of Abia State in the 4th republic.

He served two terms as governor of Abia State from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007, under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Prior to his election, he served as the chairman of the Borno Water Board and the chairman of the Cooperative and Commerce Bank Limited.

Mr Kalu is the chairman of the Daily Sun, a Nigerian daily print newspaper published in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. The newspaper was incorporated on March 29, 2001, and began production as a weekly on January 18, 2003, and as a daily on June 16, 2003, while he was serving as governor.

He also doubles as the chairman of the New Telegraph which targets domestic and foreign readers in major urban centres throughout the country and covers political, social, and cultural issues.

These two newspapers emanated from SLOK Holding, a conglomerate that consists of a number of companies, including the Ojialex Furniture Company, SLOK Nigeria Limited, SLOK United Kingdom Limited, Adamawa Publishers Limited, SLOK Vegetable Oil, Aba, SLOK Paper Factory, Aba, SLOK United States Incorporated, SLOK Ghana, Togo, Cotonou, Guinea, South Africa, Liberia, Botswana, SLOK Korea, Supreme Oil Limited, SLOK Airlines, and First International Bank Limited.

The Trial

On July 11, 2007, Mr Kalu was arrested by EFCC on charges of corruption while serving as the governor of Abia State. He was later released on bail, and accused the Olusegun Obasanjo regime of persecuting him during and after his tenure in office, an accusation mentioned by former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell in his book, “Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink.”

He faced prosecution alongside a former Director of Finance and Accounts at the Abia State Government House during Mr Kalu’s tenure, Ude Udeogo, and Mr Kalu’s company, Slok Nigeria Limited.

Though he left office in 2007, in October 2016, EFCC renewed its prosecution and preferred 34 count charges against Mr Kalu. But he and Mr Udeogo pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail.

The EFCC ultimately reactivated Mr Kalu’s case last year, filing amended graft charges of up to N7.7 billion against him. In November 2018, a judge frowned at Mr Kalu’s foreign travel without the permission of the court and the EFCC.

Senatorial Bid

The fact that he was standing corruption trial did not deter the former Abia governor from returning to Nigeria and successfully contesting a senatorial election.

He had in 2015 lost his bid to be elected senator. But he returned in 2019.

He won the Abia North senatorial election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in February 2019.

Mr Kalu won with 30,580 votes while the closest opposition candidate from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mao Ohuabunwa, recorded 21,940 votes.

He later emerged as the Senate Chief whip.

Mr Kalu is a staunch supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari. He once said the president is a “close friend and father, who deserves all the support to make Nigeria better.”

The Fall

After 12 years of standing trial, he was eventually sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday.

In one of the counts against him, the EFCC alleged that Mr Kalu “did procure Slok Nigeria Limited – a company solely owned by you and members of your family – to retain in its account, domiciled with the then Inland Bank Plc, Apapa branch, Lagos, an aggregate sum of N7,197,871,208.7 on your behalf.”

The prosecution claimed that the N7.1 billion “formed part of the funds illegally derived from the treasury of the Abia State Government and which was converted into several bank drafts before they were paid into the said company’s account.”

The prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, said the ex-governor violated Section 17(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, and was liable to be punished under Section 16 of the same Act.

Apart from the N7.1bn, which he was accused of laundering, the ex-governor and the other defendants were also accused of receiving a total of N460 million allegedly stolen from the Abia State Government treasury between July and December 2002.

The prosecutor said they breached Section 427 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap 77, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990. During the trial, the prosecution called 19 witnesses while the defendants testified on behalf of themselves.

Mr Kalu was found guilty of all the 39-count charge filed against him by the EFCC.

Mr Kalu, on Thursday. reportedly smiled at reporters and said, ‘2023, here we come’ as he was led out of the courtroom by Correctional Services officials after his sentencing.

He later reportedly said: “Where are you taking us to now? Please don’t handcuff me. I will follow you.”

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Uyo Zonal Office in a joint operation with some of the Commission’s operatives from Abuja, in the early hours of Thursday, November 28th, stormed a building described as ‘YAHOO ACADEMY’, allegedly used solely for the training of youngsters in various aspects of cyber criminality.

During the raid on Essien Essien Street, Ikot Ibiok village in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, 23 suspects including operators and trainees were arrested. The suspects were between the ages of 19 and 35.

They have confessed that they were undergoing training in various aspects of cyber criminality such as Love Scam, Online Trading Scam, Theft Identity etc.

By: Emeji K. Noble

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]ino Melaye of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has lost his bid to retain his seat at the Senate as Smart Adeyemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been pronounced winner of the Kogi West senatorial district rerun election Saturday.

Mr Adeyemi polled 88,373 votes while Mr Melaye recorded 62,133 votes, according to the result announced by the returning officer, Olajide Lawal. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had a week ago declared the election inconclusive because the margin between Mr Adeyemi and Mr Melaye is lower than the number of “registered voters in 53 polling units of the 20 registration areas in the zone where elections were cancelled.”

After the initial election, both candidates had respectively polled 80,118 and 59,548 votes.

The margin of 20,570 votes between the two candidates was far less than the 43,127 registered voters in the 53 polling units where elections were cancelled. Hence, the rerun.

Mr Melaye rejected the results at the time.

Mr Adeyemi is returning to the Senate about five years after he lost the seat to Mr Melaye at the 2015 election.

Grassroots Publishers  reported earlier today that a relatively large number of voters turned out on for Saturday’s supplementary poll.

Voters and INEC Staff started arriving polling units early in some of the centres.

Simultaneous accreditation and voting started at 8:15 a.m at Inuwa Lenge Open Space PU 04 in Lokoja.

A team of Policemen was also on ground to keep the peace.

A voter, Malam Bala, 60, expressed satisfaction with the exercise and hoped it would not be “scattered again.

“I am happy with the way it is going. No crisis. No fighting. They should just let us vote and they count it. We don’t need to fight. I am happy with the way we are calm,” he said.