Akpabio Exposes Nigerian Lawmakers...

Nigerian Minister, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Godswill Akpabio,  has submitted a list of lawmakers and companies who were awarded contracts of the commission.

 

Last week, The NDDC Minister who was summoned by the House of Reps committee to explain the misappropriation of funds in the Commisson going up to N40billion, disclosed 60 percent of NDDC contracts were awarded to lawmakers and their companies.

 

However, the panel did not allow Akpabio to expatiate on these claims.

 

Femi Gbajabiamila, Speaker, House of Reps who accused Akpabio of making unsubstantiated claims to discredit the reps, dared the Minister to publish the names of lawmakers and their companies or risk the wrath of the house.

 

The Minister who took the threat seriously submitted the list of lawmakers who benefited from NDDC contract in a letter addressed to the National Assembly last  Thursday which was also sent to Abubakar Malami, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation.

 Senator Nwaoboshi (Delta North) was awarded 53 contracts while Nicholas Mutu got 74 contracts.

 Sen Matthew Urhoghide (Delta South), Sam Anyanwu, including some Edo and Ondo lawmakers are among the beneficiaries of the commission’s contracts.

 It was discovered that Senator Peter Nwaoboshi was awarded 53 projects while Nicholas Mutu was involved in 74 projects.

 The letter read in part: “May I extend to Mr Speaker the compliments of my office and those of the staff of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

 “I refer to the resolution of the House passed on the 21st July 2020 and forwarded to me on the same day Ref. NASS/HR/LEG/3/36/VOL.ll/O8 directing me to respond to the contents therein within 48 hours

 “The investigating Committee on NDDC refused and/or neglected to give me the opportunity to explain that reference to most NDDC contracts yearly being awarded since 2001 from the records allegedly to members of the National Assembty in both Chambers were done without the knowledge of the alleged beneficiaries. However, the two Chairmen of the Committees in both Chambers had adequate knowledge;

 “I never referred to members of the 9th National Assembly as beneficiaries of NDDC contracts as NDDC is yet to fully implement any NDDC budget since the commencement of the 9th National Assembly. In fact. the 2019 budget passed in February and harmonised between the 4th and 5th of March 2020 was received by the Commission in the middle of April, 2020, when same was designated to expire on the 31st of May, 2020.

 “However, it is pertinent to point out that the Clerk of the National Assembly forwarded a letter Ref. NASS/CNA/115/VOL.38/1175, dated 20th March, 2020, without attaching the budget details indicating that the 2020 budget of the NDDC passed into Law was being forwarded (copy of the letter is attached as Annexure ‘A’).

 This anomaly was brought to the attention of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee investigating a purported financial recklessness by the management of the commission in July 2020, though the first outcry was on allegation of missing N40bn which was totally untrue;

 “It has always been known that the two chairmen of the committees on NDDC in both chambers yearly exhibit unusual influence to the exclusion of committee members and even the management of the NDDC in appropriating funds to details embellished in the budget after passage of line items at the plenaries.

 “In the 2019 budget, the Executive Director Projects forwarded to me the attached list of 19 Nos. old contracts amounting to almost N9bn after tax, that the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on NDDC, Honourable Tunji-Ojo, insisted the IMC of NDDC must pay before 2019 budget details could be released to the commission.

 Source: The Herald

Nigeria's CAC adopts electronic distribution of company certificates

As from August 10, 2020, the Corporate Affairs Commission [CAC] will commence full implementation of an electronic system for company registration.With the new development, companies’ registration certificates would henceforth be sent to customers through courier or by electronic service of their choice as against the former practice where the firms come to the commission to physically collect their certificates.

Last week Thursday, some lawyer customers besieged the CAC headquarters in Abuja to protest against the commission’s new method of distributing certificates that they claimed was not favourable.

The Registrar-General and Chief Executive, CAC, Garba Abubakar, who spoke to journalists in Abuja at weekend on some of the reforms being implemented under his leadership, said the new method was adopted to avoid physical contact with clients.

“Based on global standards, company registrations are done electronically without physical presence. The era when lawyers besiege the commission to conduct such transactions is over,” he said.

According to Abubakar, the new electronic system will help to speed up the registration process as well as protect the integrity of documents issued by the CAC.

“The new system is also part of measures to comply with the COVID-19 protocols on physical distancing. These are unusual times as the country has been shut for over two months. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, things have not returned to normal because our system is not fully electronic. We have to interface with customers as we are expected to carry out registration. With the restrictions, it is almost impossible to provide full services the way we did in the past.’He said the CAC had also eliminated the process of searching records manually, following the discovery that it was being compromised.

Abubakar disclosed that two weeks ago, two lawyers were caught at the commission tampering with documents during the process of manual searches. On why CAC delisted Ohanaeze Ndigbo cultural organization, the commission’s boss said it was due to a security report.

‘’We wrote to the security agencies and were told that the organization was yet to get security clearance. Also, we are telling similar organizations such as the South South, Middle Belt, Arewa and North East fora to make sure they get security clearance before we can register them.’’

Source: Guardian

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INTERVIEW WITH ENGR. DR. SAMUEL OLIVER EFFIOM

"I have published over 22 scholarly research articles in reputable high quality peer-reviewed journals..."

- Engr. Dr. Samuel Oliver Effiom, a young scholar who bagged a Ph.D at 28, recounts....

 INTERVIEW WITH ENGR. DR. SAMUEL OLIVER EFFIOM

 Engr. Dr. Samuel Oliver is an exceptional youth with tremendous, influential success and intimidating credentials. At the age of 28, in the year 2017, young Samuel bagged a Ph.D in Energy & Power Engineering, specializing in Aeroderivative Propulsion Systems Performance and Environmental Sustainability, from the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia state, east of Nigeria.

An Alumnus of Cranfield University, United Kingdom, where he obtained his Master's degree in Thermal Power (Gas Turbine/Aerospace Propulsion Technology), Dr. Samuel Effiom, is a University Don who has spent only less than a decade in the academic environment but astonishingly, has published over 22 scholarly researched articles in reputable high quality peer-reviewed journals.

Effiom, is also a practicing Engineer and Consultant, who engages in several developmental engineering projects within and outside his state of origin, Cross River, Nigeria.

In this interview with GLOBAL ACHIEVERS MEDIA, Engr. Dr. Samuel Oliver Effiom talks about his path to success and the positive exploit he hopes to make in the future.

GAM: Can we meet you?

EFFIOM: Yes, you can! I am Samuel Oliver Effiom. I am an Engineer by profession.  I love breaking stereotypes and am always fanatical about airplanes.

I play various roles such as a husband to a loving wife, son to adoring parents, an elder brother to four siblings, best friend to an older sister, friend to a supportive community and a teacher to young minds.

My natural gift in science and mathematics has led me to become a top-performing Mechanical/Aerospace Engineer with years of professional experience in propulsion & power systems availability and reliability, applied energy & environmental sustainability, engine health monitoring & performance, computational techniques in engineering, engineering project management, strategic partnership & contract management, and Engineering education & research.

The city of Calabar, Nigeria has played a great role in my formative years. From reciting the alphabets in kindergarten at St. Christopher Nursery/Primary School and learning about science, spirituality and morality at Immaculate Conception Seminary, Mfamosing, in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State up to becoming a Mechanical Engineering graduate of Cross River University of Technology.

My first reality check was while I was away in the United Kingdom for my Master’s in Aerospace program and I had to adapt to the culture shock. I further obtained a Ph.D in Energy & Power Engineering, specializing in Aeroderivative Propulsion Systems Performance and Environmental Sustainability from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, at the age of 28 in 2017.

GAM: Can you share some of the moments and memories of growing up days?

EFFIOM: As a young child then, I was one of those children that did not like the idea of going to school. I give some credit to my Dad because he often chased me to the school gate every morning, and anything short of that meant I would skip school. The consistency is one of the foundations of who I am today.

Another memory that stands out while growing up was my childhood home. We lived in a Polytechnic Staff Quarters that could be accessible to anyone. It was amazing how my parents were able to filter through the environment by monitoring kids we met with at the time. In a family of six children, we quickly learnt to play together and fought each other those times. Now, we have been each other’s best friends till date. Having disciplinarians as parents meant that activities, like what we watched on TV, the games we played, where we visit, and so on, were controlled by our parents. I have very present parents who were very involved in my life and that helped me through academics, emotional maturity and all.

My life style of focus, studiousness and hardwork were groomed from an early stage so it is no surprise that I am where I am today.

GAM: What course did you read in the University and what informed your choice of your course of study?

EFFIOM: Mechanical Engineering was my only obvious choice. Airplanes have always made me smile. I was always curious about how they work and engineering was a way for me to find that out. From the onset, numbers were always easy for me as well as Mathematics and Physics subjects in school.

Fortunately for me and with the help of my mentors; Engr. Maurice Ken Leo & Engr. Prof. Fidelis Abam, I found my path in the field of Mechanical Engineering. My sole dream of design and operation of airplanes, sustainable energy systems, and efficient power generation solutions drove my study through the years.

GAM: How can you deploy your knowledge in your field of study to the development of your country?

EFFIOM: As an academic, I feel privileged to interact with young people daily. My goal is to shape the mind of the young Nigerian and broaden his horizon. Lecturing in the field of Applied Energy and Propulsion Engineering allows me to uncover my students individuality in the class room and help them apply their creativity in the society. I have a firm belief that anyone can learn and so none is left behind under my mentorship.

Being a researcher, I have offered professional services to humanity in teaching and novel multi-disciplinary research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I have published over 22 scholarly research articles in reputable high quality peer-reviewed journals (as found in my Google scholar account) and I have worked in collaboration with researchers in diaspora on Applied Energy, Power and Aerospace Propulsion Developmental Research Projects. I also render professional services to improve the quality of learned engineering journals through peer reviewing.

As a practicing Engineer and Consultant, I engage in several developmental engineering projects within Cross River State, offer professional and community services to clients and proactively spearhead the long-term success of projects in Nigeria.

Giving back to the society is one of my daily mantras and very recently, my team of Engineers designed and built devices that can be accessible to low income class citizens in any health care service station during the current COVID 19 pandemic. We designed an indigenous low-cost miniature mechanical ventilator to aid infected patients and a wireless social distancing electronic tracking device to prevent virus contagion.

GAM: You acquired your Ph.D at a very young age of 28. How did you feel about it?

EFFIOM: I felt a sense of satisfaction. Schooling abroad for my second degree was an important factor to acquiring a Ph.D. A new environment exposed me to different cultures, ideas and norms. I met even younger scholars with big ideas and different solving approach to what I was used to. I was reassured of the possibility when I met Dr. Michael Borg and Dr. Burhan Saeed who bagged a Ph.D in Offshore and Wind Energy Engineering at 24 and Ph.D in Aeronautical Engineering at 26, respectively.

GAM: What were some of the challenges you faced on your path to success?

EFFIOM: One striking challenge was a change in environment. Before then, I had never left home and I had to learn to adapt to a new lifestyle. Insufficient fund was a constraint. This enabled me to develop skills such as; budgeting, savings, delayed gratification, etc.

Emotional burnouts was also a problem and one way I overcame that was by journaling my activities and schedules to ensure that no task or deadline was missed. Accepting these challenges and facing them head-on paved way to my success.

GAM: What are your dreams or plans for your community, state, and country?

EFFIOM: I aspire to be a key player in promoting engineering education in Nigeria and to make meaningful contributions in fostering the well-being of young Engineers and engineering students.

My dream is to change wrong perceptions of engineering in Nigeria such as lack of jobs, low income, poor technical know-how, etc. I desire to have a dynamic collaboration with local and international agencies, engineering parastatals, government, and institutions to set up free academic virtual resource/support services, and computational engineering resource laboratories to assist young Engineers in their learning process.

Upcoming projects will be revealed in due time.

GAM: If you were to change anything in your country, what would that be?

EFFIOM: The educational system and engineering curriculum. It should be designed to be entrepreneurial driven and industry-focused by linking theoretical module application to everyday challenges especially within industry and current best practices. This will make the young graduate engineers more resourceful and self-employed. Also, students will have the ample opportunity to embellish their theoretical knowledge with real world examples and scenarios. This will make them more practical and innovative.

GAM: You are newly married, can you tell us how you met your wife?

EFFIOM: All thanks to the engineering profession. We met at a conference during our postgraduate study in the United Kingdom. During the Q and A, she asked a question, her voice caught my attention and since then, I have stuck to her.

GAM: How is your social life, and what do you enjoy doing outside official hours?

EFFIOM: A glass of chilled Campari is my go-to happy place. I do not just work to earn a living but to have a life. My family is my core and so getting to do activities with them is always a pleasure.

GAM: Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?

EFFIOM: I would have attained the peak of my career as a professor. As a young professor, I would be in an influential position to motivate young Engineers to break common stereotypes. I would also like to build an institution that caters for holistic development of an engineer.

GAM: Are you comfortable with the leadership and state of affairs in your country?

EFFIOM: Nigeria is very much behind in governing and socio-economic trends compared to most African and European countries and our current government needs to adopt working policies from thriving western countries.

GAM: Do you hope to go into politics sometimes in the future?

EFFIOM: Currently, I do not think I would be a right fit for Politics in Nigeria. However, it could be a nice idea if an opportunity allows me to serve the country.

GAM: Do you have any regret in life?

EFFIOM: I ensure my life is not filled with regret because I always give all I have towards my goal at every moment of my life. This has absolved me from every guilt or possible disappointment, since I tackled my challenges with the capacity available-to at each time.

GAM: Sometime last year, you were honoured with an award by this media platform. How did you feel about it?

EFFIOM: Despite the fact that I never saw it coming, I was overwhelmingly pleased, honoured, and humbled to accept the award. It spurred me to do more. I keep being grateful to God and all who made it possible and were part of my educational voyage.

GAM: As a University teacher, what is your assessment of the standard of education in Nigeria as compared to developed countries of the world?

EFFIOM: The Nigerian educational system needs to improve if we want to improve the state of our society. There are problems of corruption, poor budgeting, and embezzling, poor infrastructure, paucity of quality teaching personnel, unconducive learning environment, and limited funding, as a result of neglect from authorities. Within the institution, several challenges such as; Politics, tribalism, prejudice, corruption, cultism, victimization, and laziness have been known to cause brain drain in Nigeria.

The efforts of the university community is not to be undermined, however there is only so much we can contribute.

GAM: How do you feel each time University dons are in the news on ‘sex for mark’, bribery or for other scandalized reasons?

EFFIOM: Disheartening! Such acts are disastrous to the system and should be totally condemned. They are traceable to the ills I  earlier mentioned.  They have eroded the spirit of excellence and hard work amongst undergraduates with good potentials and have posed different levels of mishap and psycho-social trauma on the affected students.

GAM: What legacies would you like to bequeath to the world?

EFFIOM: My dream is to help young minds maximize their potentials. I want to ensure that every role I take as I ascend through life motivates others to be the best of themselves.

GAM: Thank you for your time.

EFFIOM: Thank you immensely for the honour.

Iran reports more than 2,000 virus cases

Iran on Wednesday announced more than 2,000 new coronavirus infections, in line with a recent surge in cases that President Hassan Rouhani attributed to increased testing.

“When more tests are done, then naturally more cases are identified,” Rouhani told a televised meeting of his cabinet.

But the high number of recent cases “does not have a negative aspect to it, and people should not worry”, he added.

Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said the 2,011 infections confirmed in the past 24 hours had raised Iran’s overall caseload to 177,938.

She added that fatalities had reached 8,506 with 81 new deaths over the same period.

The ministry says it has carried out more than one million COVID-19 tests since it reported the country’s first cases on February 19.

There has been scepticism at home and abroad about Iran’s official figures, with concerns the real toll could be much higher.

Rising infection figures since a low in early May and lax observance of social distancing have worried authorities, which have reiterated calls for strict adherence to health protocols.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN

WTO accepts Okonjo-Iweala, Buhari’s nominee for DG, shuns Egypt’s protest...

World Trade Organisation (WTO) has accepted the nomination of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Buhari’s nominee for Director-General.

This is coming after the Egyptian government which earlier nominated Mr. Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh for the same position, kicked against Okonjo-Iweala’s nomination.

Egypt argued that Nigeria had violated the rules that governed the WTO which gave a deadline of November 30th, 2019 for African countries to submit their candidates for the Director-General position, hence Iweala’s candidacy should not be recognized.

However, WTO disclosed it has extended the nomination period till July 8, 2020. “According to the timetable, Accepting Dr. Ngozi’s nomination, WTO put up a statement on its official website. It reads, “Nigeria, on June 09 2020, nominated Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the post of WTO Director-General to succeed the current Director-General, Mr Roberto Azevedo, who has announced he will step down on 31 August 2020.”

SOURCE: HERALD

My regret: "seeing my children leaving Nigeria in search of greener pastures." - Amb. Nkoyo Toyo

INTERVIEW WITH AMBASSADOR NKOYO TOYO

Intro:

Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo is a torch bearer and an outstanding female politician in Nigeria. Currently, the CEO of Green Money  Initiative of Gov Ayade of Cross River State, She is a former Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti and also served as the Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)  and Peace and Security Council (PSC).  She is also a former member, House of Representatives and  represented Calabar-Odukpani Federal Constituency and has served as a Board member of several international and national organisations.

A great campaigner for the advancement and empowerment of women and girls, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo stands out in numerous endeavors geared towards  enabling better livelihoods especially for the poor, women and youths in the society.

In this interview with GLOBAL ACHIEVERS in Nigeria, Ambassador Nkoyo Toyo relives memories of her childhood years and shares stories of her successes and some setbacks in the course of her career. 

GAM: Can we meet you?

TOYO: I am the seventh child of Etubom Esu Bassey Duke and Evangelist Blessing Bassey Duke.

I trained as a lawyer with an LLM as well as M.A in governance  and development. I started as a state counsel in the Cross River State Ministry of Justice and became involved in issues of human rights, gender and development. I later migrated into politics and became of a politician. In my years in the gender and development work, I  was the founder of a national NGO known as the Gender and Development Action (GADA). 

GADA is committed to the pursuit of gender equality and women's empowerment in Nigeria and a vision to see a more socially equitable 

A former Nigerian Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, I also served as the Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)  and Peace and Security Council (PSC).  

Also, a former member House of Representatives, I represented Calabar-Odukpani Federal Constituency. I have also served aa a Board member of several international and national organisations.  Currently, I support His Excellency with the implementation of G-Money, an agriculture initiative of Governor Ben Ayade.

GAM: How was growing up like and what really influenced you as a child? 

TOYO: My very early childhood years were impacted by the civil war as my family was trapped in Biafra. Not withstanding, we lived in relative safety owing to the good will of the Oguta people of Imo State.  My maternal grandmother is Oguta and her family was extremely accommodating of us

GAM: Can you share some of those childhood moments that formed unforgettable memories?

TOYO: Though very young, the one that stayed with me was seeing the suffering of the war and remembering how people were moving around within Eastern Nigeria in search of safety. .It will be recall that they were not only trekking long distances, they were also trying to avoid the invading Nigerian forces and at the time because of a deliberate policy of starvation of the Biafran enclave, children suffered from kwashokor and malnutrition. These movement of persons as refugees and IDPs remain ingrained in my very young and innocent mind. I had always known first hand that conflicts are bad for the citizens of countries and just the sheer sense of pain, suffering and deprivation would put things in context for all to see. 

GAM: You have been involved in active politics and have held several elected and appointive positions. What is your perception of politics in your part of the world?

TOYO: Politics all over the world results in exposure of participants to competitive spaces which raises some expectations and becomes a reason for people who are also competing to be less complimentary of each other.  Politics is about winning and using any strength or advantage available to individuals to overshadow opponents. So politics can be nasty, intense and bitter and it does not matter who is involved. However, once you know that it is about winning, men and women with interest in winning, become primed to absorb different experiences including violence, oppression of processes of voting, absence of justice fairness within the party structures, excessive use of money to procure support and even the role of godfathers in politics. However, nobody is ever prepared enough for what will be thrown by opponents on them. For women who tend to be overtly sensitive about their reputation, the effect of what is said and done can be devastating. Women react differently to these pressures which in my experience is a throwback to some of the discrimination that women suffer from the wider society, particularly when they are in the job market. Notwithstanding, I am aware that there are unique experiences of discrimination in politics for women depending on whether she is  married, divorced or unmarried. In my case, being married to someone from Akwa Ibom was used against me. The voters were fed with the fact that I cannot be trusted as I was not married to someone from Cross River and that my loyalty will be to Akwa Ibom. 

GAM: Were there times in your political career you were treated unfairly because of your gender?

TOYO: Clearly the space for inclusion of women is far narrower than those available to men and the challenges for women who have some competence is that they are seen as a threat, knowing fully well that they can easily replace men in any position.  In the end, there is need to encourage more  woman to contest so that the issue of women in politics becomes more normalized. Normalization means that they will become more  able to withstand the rigours of politics and compete on the same terms as men. One of the ways is to use affirmative action in the short term to increase the numbers as this will ensure that women form strong bases within the working committees of the party itself and are able to influence the processes being used to discriminate against women and seek ways to maintain qualified women in the race or ensure their participation without much impediments. 

A case in point is when in one election, only two days to the primaries, I was disqualified in ways orchestrated by the then party chairman Ekpo Okon. I was told that I had not attached my certificate of indigeneship to my application and so could not contest the election. This was after a lot had been done to abuse the minds of my constituents by claiming that being married to someone from Akwa Ibom i could be trusted. These tricks are usually played on people who are not seen as 'insiders' in the party politics or did not come into politics with the overt support of a godfather or party leader. In this case, the election has nothing to do with the popularity of the candidate.   

GAM: How much have you done to improve women participation in politics?

TOYO: I have been at the forefront of many activities starting in 1986 with the first political summit for Nigerian women which produced the political agenda for Nigerian women. I also was one of the national conveners of a group that tried to influence both the 1999 Constitution of the FRN. Under Obasanjo, I participated in many efforts at engendering the Constitution of the Peoples' Democratic Party and this is why we have provision within it for 35% affirmative Action. Beyond having the provisions in the PDP constitution, in 2014, I led the struggle for the inclusion of women in the organs of the Party particularly the National Working Committee of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by mobilizing women to contest for many positions in the party and demanding the implementation of the 35% affirmative action as provided by its constitution. That did not happen in 2014 but the pressure mounted was formidable and in 2020 February, the PDP adopted at its NEC a resolution to domesticate  the 35%  affirmative action for women in all the organs of the party, starting from the wards. 

GAM: What is your take on the security situation in the country? Do you think the government is doing enough to combat killings and kidnappings in the country?

TOYO: Not only is the government not doing enough, I think institutionally the police and military officials are overstretched. There is a lot of internal disservice to the security forces and without internal cohesion and support, the country is at a loss. We are told that poor equipping and training including intelligence gathering is undermining the work of the security forces in many ways. Other dimensions are the role of ethnicity and religious bias which are deeply rooted in these organs. Apart from these, there is the lack of proper background checks on most of those recruited and their general poor educational and technical exposure which makes them victims in the hands of  sophisticated and violent criminals and insurgents.  

GAM: What is your take on granting full autonomy to the local government?

TOYO: It is  two sided.   If it is allowed to work, it would help development at the grassroots but it has been undermined for so long that the skills and competences needed to run the LGAs are lacking. Consequently, it will take time before we start seeing and feeling the advantages of granting full autonomy to the LG system. For a long time, it has served to provide patronage for the boys and this defeats the actual purpose for the creation of LGAs which was development for the people.  In all, while autonomy is needed, it has to be made to work for the people. 

GAM: Where do you see Nigeria in the next ten years?

TOYO: If something drastic does not happen to reverse the mistrust of those who govern us, I fear like former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said, there may be calls for self determination and not just the restructuring of the country. The echoes of war and disintegration are everywhere and this may become difficult to contain in due season. The clock of unbundling Nigeria is ticking very quickly and fast too.

GAM: If you were to change anything in your life. What would that be?

TOYO: I would say that I would think more deliberately about how to maintain the right balance between my national work and what I do in the state. Until 2003, I had very little interaction with the state politically. I also did not make the connection between political leadership and the work I did as a development activist. This meant that i helped to advance what could be described as an academic distancing of service to the people whether in politics or in development. 

GAM: You are the Co-ordinator of N-power in your state. How impactful do you think the programme has been so far?

TOYO: Let me start by commending any form of Social investment programme because it bridges the gap between the provisions of government to the general population and the ability of the state to make up for the circumstances of the vulnerable. I believe Npower which was under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) was one project that has been overshadowed by the 2019 elections as the youth in many states were seen as agents of the ruling party. This impression is not entirely true and hopefully now that the new Ministry of Humanitarian affairs and Social Welfare is reviewing the NSIP,  it will do divorce of politics and better positioned to assess its achievements from the perspective of its vision and purpose rather than in terms of monies spent which was phenomenal. Nigeria with its size of extreme poverty population needs a social investment programme and this was an ambitious attempt to shift the country towards some redistribution of wealth through creating employability among Nigerian youth.

GAM: How do you combine your busy schedules with family life?

TOYO: I do much of my work from home and this gives me access to what is going on around me and I can intervene at will.

GAM:  What are your hobbies?

TOYO: I love dancing and engagement in Efik cultural activities

GAM: What advice do you have for the youths?

TOYO: Take one thing at a time and work on it until you dominate it and became a champion or expert at doing that thing. Skills are important. You cannot talk your way through a competitive world, you will be required to demonstrate your capabilities at some point. I will tell youth that we are all talented but many young people prefer to be jacks of all trade and master of none. They can only go so far as generalist but even further as experts in something. This has implications for their  employability. 

GAM: Do you have any regret in life?

TOYO: Seeing my children leaving Nigeria in search of greener pastures elsewhere because of the state of Nigeria's economy and the country. They increasingly are building a life for themselves in other countries and are not likely to return to share in my life long vision for a better country. 

GAM: What really do you want to be remembered for?

TOYO: I believe in my time in Politics I will like to be remembered for the future I made wtithin the state, particularly my campaign for the issues of Bakassi, the attraction of a large Shongai type farm in less than 4 years to my constituency and my many other programmes within Cross River State. I will be keen to see that the work of getting our  youth to access opportunities to better themselves will be appreciated and my over three decades of work on women's rights, which resulted in several national efforts will be stamped in the annals of the history of Nigeria as was the case with Mrs Margaret Ekpo.

GAM: Thank you for granting us this interview.

TOYO: You are welcome.