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Army evacuates dead Shiites after attacks

Drama as EFCC re-arrests ex-NIMASA boss Akpolobokemi

El-Zakzaky, wife alive, in our custody –Army

AZA MSUE AND UBONG UKPONG Buratai

Vol. 5 N0. 1265

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roops yesterday evacuated the bodies of Shiite Muslims killed in two days of

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

clashes with the army in Zaria, Kaduna State, home base of pro-Iranian group, CONTINUED ON PAGE 3>>

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EFCC arraigns Dasuki, 3 others over N32bn fraud ...pleads not guilty, remanded in EFCC custody

Dokpesi gets N400m bail

DOOSUUR IWAMBE ABUJA

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ederal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama,

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yesterday, ordered that former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, and Director of Finance and AdministraCONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

Synagogue building collapse: COREN begins trial of engineers P.8 Subsidy protest: Killer DPO, Fabunmi bags 10 years in jail P.8

L-R: Second Vice President of Nigeria Football Federation/Chairman of League Management Company, Alhaji Sheu Dikko; CAF Executive Committee Member/ President of Republic of Benin Football Federation, Mr Moucharafou Anjorin; Globacom Business Director, Abuja, Mr Kemi Kaka; Glo Brand Specialist, Anne Achimugu and ex-Super Eagles player, Folorunso Okenla, at the unveiling of CAF and Globacom top nominees for Glo CAF African Player of the Year, in Abuja.

20 killed in fresh Plateau violence ... Police commissioner drafts men to the scene P.12

Anti-graft: NGE wants payment to media executives investigated

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Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Court sets aside Infrastructural Bank/ Motorways concession P.6

Africa must assert position in global oil market P.7 –Kachikwu

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News

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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Army evacuates dead Shiites after attacks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

its spokesman and residents said. The army carried out crackdowns on Saturday and early Sunday against the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, IMN, and arrested its leader Ibrahim Zakzaky.

“We have reports that bodies of our members killed outside the house of our leader are being evacuated in trucks by soldiers,” IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa told AFP. Musa also said Zakzaky had been arrested.

“Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky was arrested this morning (yesterday) in his demolished home by soldiers where he had been holed up in a room that was spared from the fire that gutted the house from grenades,” he said.

IMN, which seeks to establish an Islamic state through an Iranian-styled revolution, has been at loggerheads with Nigeria’s secular authorities, leading to occasionally violent confrontations. Zakzaky has periodically been incarcerated for alleged incitement and subversion.

The north is predominantly Muslim and largely Sunni.

Musa said the victims of the fighting included his wife, son and the former IMN spokesman.

“We can’t give a precise figure of the deaths but it is huge given the number of the members that answered the call to protect the house from the invading soldiers,” he said.

He said the group’s leader had been unable to leave the house “because of the gunshot wounds he sustained in the indiscriminate fire soldiers opened on the house and his followers who tried to protect it,” he said.

“We gathered he was taken to Kaduna (70 kilometres away). We got in touch with the medical doctor that is treating him who confirmed to us that our leader is critically ill from four gunshot wounds he sustained.

“He was shot at four times, this the doctor confirmed,” Musa told AFP. Witnesses also spoke of soldiers removing bodies around Zakzaky’s house.

“This morning, soldiers started evacuating corpses of followers of Zakzaky in

trucks for possible disposal,” resident Bashir Bello told AFP. “A large number of his followers were gunned down around his house on Saturday through Sunday morning where they had congregated to protect the house from military invasion,” he said.

He said soldiers had mounted security checks

as residents and motorists were being searched before entering the area. The latest violence was sparked when Shiite faithful on Saturday blocked the main road outside their Husseiniyya religious centre, where hundreds had gathered for a ceremony.

The military claimed the Shiites attacked the convoy of the Chief of

Army Staff, Yusuf Buratai, which left soldiers no option but to retaliate.

The group however denied the claim.

Iran has called on Nigeria to take “prompt and serious” action to protect Shia, Tehran-based Tasnim news agency reports.

“It is a worrying incident and prompt measures are needed to calm the situ-

ation,” it quotes Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif as telling his Nigerian counterpart Geoffrey Onyeama in a phone call.

Meanwhile, military authorities yesterday announced that El zakzaky is in protective custody.

Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, GOC, 1 Div Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi

Oyebade, said the sect leader and the wife are in their custody.

The GOC, who was flanked by Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Usman Shehu, also stated that, at the appropriate time Sheik El zakzaky will speak to his followers.

Narrating what transpired in Zaria, the GOC CONTINUED ON PAGE 3>>

LEFT: High Chief Raymond Dokpesi arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday. RIGHT: Former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd); former NNPC Director, Alhaji Aminu Baba Kusa and former Director Administration and Finance, Office of NSA, Alhaji Salisu Shuaibu, after being arraigned at the FCT High Court by EFCC in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTOS: ROTIMI OSASONA

EFCC arraigns Dasuki, 3 others over N32bn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

tion at the NSA’s office, Shuaibu Salisu, be remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, till today when the application for their bail will be heard.

The trial Judge, Justice Hussein Baba, gave the order after Dasuki and Salisu pleaded not guilty to the fresh 19 count charges bordering on alleged illegal diversion of public funds preferred against them by the Federal Government.

The accused include Dasuki (1st defendant), Salisu (2nd), Aminu Baba-Kusa (3rd), Acacia Holdings Limited (4th) and Reliance Referral Hospital Hospital Limited (5th).

According to the charge sheet read to the accused persons by the court registrar, the sum of N1.45bn was transferred into the account of Acacia Holdings Limited for special prayers; N170m was used for the purchase of a four-bedroom duplex; N2.1bn was paid into the account of DAAR Investment

and Holding Company Limited; N380m was shared to support re-election of members of the House of Representatives; and another N750m was paid into the account of Reliance Referral Hospital Limited for special prayers.

Other expenditures include the payment of N670m to a publisher; transfer of N260m to Chief Tony Anenih and another N345m traced to Dr, Iyorchia Ayu, erstwhile Senate President.

Counsel to Dasuki, Ahmed Raji, SAN, informed the court immediately after they took their plea that he had filed an application for his bail application since the offences in which the accused is standing trial is bailable.

He said: “The charge was served on us on December 8, 2015, and without wasting time, we file an application for bail on December 9.

“The prosecution has served us a counter affidavit this morning (Monday) and we will need time to file a reply to the prosecution’s counter affidavit.”

The charges read in part: “That you Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, whilst being National Security Adviser and Shaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser and Hon. Waripamowei Dudafa (now at large) whilst being Senior Special Assistant, Domestic Affairs to the President on or about 27th November within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: the sum of N10bn being part of the funds in the account of the National Security Adviser with the CBN, the equivalent of which sum you received from the CBN in foreign currencies to wit: $47m and 5.6m Euros committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you claimed to have distributed same to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Primary Election delegates and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Pe-

nal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004.

“That you Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, whilst being National Security Adviser and Shaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, between 22nd January 2015 and 19th March 2015 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: N2,120,000,000 which was in the account of National Security Adviser with the CBN committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property by remitting the said sum into the account of DAAR Investment and Holding Company Limited controlled by one Dr. Raymond Dokpesi for the funding of media activities for the 2015 Presidential Election Campaign for the PDP and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004.

“That you Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, whilst being National Security Adviser and Shaibu Salisu, whilst being the Director of Finance and Administration in the Office of the National Security Adviser on or about 12th December 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacities entrusted with dominion over certain properties to wit: N90m, which was in the account of the ONSA with Diamond Bank Plc, committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property by remitting the said sum into the account of Brains and Hammers Limited for the purchase of 7-bedroom duplex house at No.11 Mansur Bamalli Drive (D1064), Apo 1 Abuja and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 315 of the Penal Code Act, Cap 532, Vol.4, LFN 2004.

Justice Baba after listening to both submissions adjourned hearing of the various applications till today at CONTINUED ON PAGE 3>>

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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Army evacuates dead Shiites after attacks said, the advance team of the Chief of Army Staff, that normally clear the road for him, did that on the faithful day, leading to the Emirs palace up to Zaria city center, but when they went back to come with the COAS, the road had been blocked by El zakzaky’s followers.

He said the Army Chief ’s convoy was blocked and all entreaties for them to leave the road proved abortive.

“We did not want to engage them but at a point they started throwing mis-

siles and it became clear that the life of the COAS was in danger. They were attacking with spears, arrows and other weapons.

“So the Army had to force their way with minimum force and went ahead to see the Emir.

“Then we got reports that the Shiites started mobilising their members all around Zaria and environs from all their enclaves.

“The Shiites members in their numbers mobilised and were attacking security forces around Zaria and we had to bring in minimum

force to bring the situation under control.

“Because of the report we had of their mobilising, we had to secure their bases. In the event they attacked us with bow and arrow, stones, catapult and other weapons,” he said.

The GOC urged the sect members to be law abiding.

“They have been taking law into their hands and we cannot allow that to go on,” he added.

According to him, before now, the sect had been blocking highways, adding that even at a time a gover-

nor was denied passage and was told to alight from his car.

“As I am speaking to you, there is happiness and jubilation in Zaria because the people have never experienced freedom for a long time,” the GOC added.

Answering questions on whether there was a police permit before the procession, Usman said the sect members were a law unto themselves as they don’t respect any constituted authority or obey any law.

He noted that the group has never honour any invi-

tation from the police.

In a related development, the Army said it has petitioned National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, over the alleged assassination attempt on Buratai.

Our correspondent learnt that the two-page petition was submitted to NHRC, by the Chief of Administration of the Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Adamu Abubakar.

He averred therein that personnel on the entourage of the Chief of Army Staff responded to gunshots fired at their convoy by members

of the sect in order to provide a safe corridor for the Army Chief and his convoy.

“The Chief of Army Staff wishes to reiterate and assure the Shiites nationwide that the Nigerian Army is not in any way against them but was forced to respond to the brutal attack by some misguided elements within them,” he said in the petition.

Director of Army public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, further confirmed to our correspondent that the Army filed a petition with the rights commission.

Insecurity: Nigeria’ll overcome –IARN boss PETER EKANEM

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n administrator, Professor Jacob Etinagbedia, has

lamented the pervasive corruption in Nigerian society.

He also said that increased Boko Haram activities in the past year,

kidnappings and other violent acts have made many citizens unsafe and insecure.

“Public safety is the most fundamental re-

sponsibility of any state, and Nigeria has failed in this regard,” said Etinagbedia, who is also Director-General, Institute of Chartered Administra-

tors and Researchers of Nigeria, IARN, on Saturday in Lagos.

However, he stated: “In spite of all these, Nigeria has not come to the end

L-R: Commissioner for Science and Technology, Adamawa State, Alhaji Ahmed Rufai; Commissioner for Science and Technology, Taraba State, Alhaji Hassan Gassol; Senior Special Adviser to Ebonyi State Governor on ICT, Prince Ajah Nwabueze and Minister of Science and Technology, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, during the Interactive Forum with Commissioners for Science and Technology in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

EFCC arraigns Dasuki, 3 others over N32bn fraud CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

12 noon.

Meanwhile, Justice Gabriel Kolawale of the Federal High Court, Abuja yesterday granted bail to the embattled former Chairman, DAAR Communications Plc, the owner of African Independent Television, AIT, and Ray Power Radio, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, in the sum of N200m and two sureties in like sum.

The judge, however, ordered that Dokpesi should be remanded in Kuje prisons until the terms of the bail conditions are met.

Justice Kolawale, who

granted the request of the accused for bail following his arraignment on a sixcount charge by EFCC, also ordered that the sureties should be government officers not below the rank of Director either serving or retired.

He held that in case the sureties are serving Directors, each must produce a letter from their permanent secretary confirming their status and appointment while for the retired Director, he ordered that the sureties must produce government gazette in which he or she was listed to show that

he or she retired as a director.

The judge also ordered that if the accused choose to produce an entrepreneur as his guarantor, the entrepreneur shall produce three years consecutive income tax and that each of the guarantors must have landed property worth N200m that must have been certified by qualified estate surveyor and the property deeds should be deposited with the court Registrar.

The sureties must also swear to an affidavit of means that in the event that the accused jumped bail they

forfeit the said property.

Justice Kolawole also ordered Dokpesi to deposit his international passport with the Deputy Registrar of the court who would serve as a committee to verify the property and the claims of guarantors.

The court also made an order that Dokpesi should not be re-arrested.

Justice Kolawole said in the event that any government agency wants to investigate him, the agency should write him through his lawyer who should produce him for interview or investigation between the

hours of 10a.m. and 6.30p.m.

He said the order was necessary to prevent government agencies from perverting the cause of justice and at the same time allow them carry out their statutory duties.

The trial will commence on 17, Feb 2016.

It would be recalled that EFCC, about a week ago, arrested Dokpesi and former Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, in connection with the ongoing investigation into arms procurement by the NSA during the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

of the road, there is hope and with God’s intervention, including supporting our security agencies, we shall overcome.”

While urging an all-inclusive support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s APC government, the IARN boss urged the administration to employ its change mantra to address all the country’s ills, including corruption, nepotism, and other vices.

He said to move the country forward the change must encapsulate character reformation in whatever we do, proactive identification and discipline of all the “bad eggs portraying Nigeria in bad light, no matter how highly placed.”

Also, Deaconess Olubukola Ajibola-Ojodu, executive secretary of Amuwo Odofin Local Government, said all Nigerians must key into the message of change for a more united and prosperous country.

Ajibola-Ojodu, who was among those invested with Award of Fellowship of the institute at the event, said Lagos was already a beneficiary of that change, with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s passion to impact on the state, particularly at the grassroots.

She also called on women to join in driving the change in the society by joining politics, stressing that with over 20 years experience in politics, politics is a veritable platform for women to show their capability to perform.

Photo

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

NEWS

Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu (left) and Permanent Secretary, Dr. (Mrs) Jemila Soara, during a World Press briefing on the hosting of 6th African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition in March 2016, in Abuja, yesterday.

L-R: FRSC Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi; ADC-Corps MARSHAL, Agujobi Nonso and Special Assistant to Corps Marshal, Asom Julius, during Agujobi’s decoration as Route Commander, yesterday.

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L-R: MD, FBN Capital Limited, Mr. Kayode Akinkugbe; Chairman, Capital Market Solicitors Association (CMSA), Mrs. Yinka Edu and MD, FBN Capital Asset Management, Mr. Michael Oyebola, at the CMSA Business Luncheon on ‘Making the Capital Market a Catalyst for Change’ in Lagos, recently.

L-R: Beneficiary, Rachael Adio; Nollywood Actress, Susan Peters-Croon; wife of former Governor of Lagos, Mrs Abimbola Fashola and Nollywood actor, Steve Onu, during the distribution of food stuffs to women by Mrs Fashola and friends at Ketu area of Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

National News

FG employs 9 physically-challenged ex-corps members, 164 oth-

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ederal Government yesterday employed nine ex-corps members, suffered one form of disability or the other in the course of their one year national service.

Letters of employment were also issued to 164 excorps members, winners of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Presidential Award.

Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Mrs Joan Ayo, issued the letters to the ex-corps members at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The nine ex-corps members are beneficiaries of the NYSC Hope Alive Initiative; they are living with different disabilities they suffered during the one year national service.

Ayo explained that the awardees were recognised and issued with employment letters based on merit, as each of them

distinguished themselves in character and learning during their service year.

She said they exhibited professionalism and patriotism in the course of their national service, adding that they were dedicated, transparent and accountable in their duties.

The chairman blamed delay in the issuance of the letters to the transition process from one government to another and commended the awardees for exhibiting maturity and patience.

Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Winifred Oyo-Ita, urged the beneficiaries to continue to be of good conduct and behaviour as they enter into the service.

Director-General of NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, urged the awardees to be of good behaviour as they were the “mirror” others looked up to.

He reassured prospective corps members of Federal Government’s assistance and support if they ever suffered any

form of disability during their one year national service.

Miss Ijeoma Igheghe, one of the recipients of Hope Alive Initiative, said she sustained injuries on her face, hands and legs when her cooking gas exploded while serving in Imo State in 2013.

Igheghe, a graduate of Mass Communication, University of Benin, said she thought all hope was lost until NYSC management introduced an initiative to assist corps members with disability.

She said the beneficiaries had earlier received financial support from the NYSC. According to her, Heritage Bank promised to assist them but they are yet to receive anything from them.

Mr. Adesope Adedeji, one of the recipients of the NYSC Presidential Award, said he distinguished himself by constructing a borehole and evacuating a refuse dump.

According to him, he carried out the humanitarian activities in a local

community in Adamawa State in 2013.

He said his efforts earned him the title of Best Youth Corps Member in the state and also recipient of the NYSC Presidential Award.

Adedeji, who hails from Oyo State, is a graduate of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Ibadan.

Ex-corps members who received letters of employment cut across various states covering all the six geo-political zones of the country.

Council poll: Court dismisses suit against Ekiti SIEC …PDP candidates get flags Abiodun Nejo Ado Ekiti

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n Ado Ekiti High Court yesterday dismissed a suit

filed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in

the state challenging the composition of the State Independent

Electoral

Commission, SIEC. Justice

Dele

Omoto-

sho in his judgment said members of the electoral commission

were

duly

appointed to conduct elections into councils in the state.

APC had approached the court challenging the composition of members, who the party alleged were card-carrying members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state.

With the judgment, the electoral body has been given the nod to conduct elections into the 16 council areas of the state scheduled for Saturday December 19.

But APC condemned the judgment, saying it would appeal against it to ensure “the charade called

SIEC does not stand”.

APC State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement said the judgment has further confirmed that Ekiti State judiciary is in chains, alleging that the judge was partial in his judgement, which evidently stood law and logic on its head.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Court sets aside the infrastructure bank/motorways concession

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Federal High Court in Lagos has set aside a fresh Concession Agreement on the LagosIbadan Expressway reconstruction project.

While delivering his ruling in a suit filed by BiCourtney Highway Services Limited against the Attorney General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Works, the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), the Infrastructure Bank Plc and Motorway Assets Limited (MAL) on Friday, the Court granted a Mandatory Injunction on the fresh concession agreement, purportedly signed by the defendants on January 16, 2015, as prayed by the Plaintiff/Applicant.

Among the prayers sought

by Bi-Courtney in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/727/2015 was an Order of Mandatory Injunction setting aside the Concession Agreement granted MAL, over the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the form of a Finance, Operate and Transfer arrangement involving the Federal Authorities. The Court held that the grant of the Concession to MAL in the circumstances of the case was a flagrant disregard of the established principles of law.

Bi-Courtney also sought in its application an “Interlocutory Injunction restraining all the Defendants/ Respondents, particularly the 1st, 2nd and 5th Defendants/Respondents, from implementing, giving effect to, actualizing, operating or, howsoever, taking any steps or actions whatsoever in furtherance of, or pursuant to, the Concession Agreement dated 16th January 2015, between the 1st, 2nd and the 5th Defendants/Respondents, which purports to grant a concession over the LagosIbadan Expressway in the form of a Finance, Operate and Transfer arrangement to the 5th Defendant, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit herein.”

Just before delivering the ruling, the defendants sought to prevent the Court from delivering the said ruling by filing an application in court. The Court deprecated the attempt to arrest its ruling and proceeded to deliver the said ruling and granted “an order of mandatory injunction…setting aside the Concession Agreement dated 16th January 2015 between the 1st, 2nd and the 5th Defendants/Respondents, which purports to grant a concession over the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in

the form of a Finance, Operate and Transfer arrangement to the 5th Defendant.”

MAL had announced on November 4, 2015, that it was looking for N150 billion for the second tranche of funds to execute the road project as the new private sector investor in charge of the redevelopment after the controversial cancellation of the Concession Agreement with Bi-Courtney on November 19, 2012, even as Federal agencies maintained that there was no new concession agreement on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

The ICRC had issued a statement on December 3, revealing that it was not aware of any new concession on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway granted as required by law and the National Policy on Public Private Partnership.

Bi-Courtney had also insisted that the revocation of its concession agreement with the Federal Government (FG) on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was illegal and without recourse to due process. The Company claimed that the FG was substantially responsible for the delay in the reconstruction work on the road. It had stated in several fora that the action of the Federal Government was seriously inimical to the development of infrastructure in Nigeria.

Drama as EFCC rearrests ex-NIMASA boss, Akpolobokemi •Amaechi orders audit of agency Wale Igbintade

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n a somewhat commando style, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday rearrested former DirectorGeneral of Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Patrick Akpolobokemi, within the premises of the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The former NIMASA boss, who is facing about three different criminal trials, was bundled into a waiting Toyota Hiace bus by armed EFCC operatives numbering about 10, immediately after stepping out of court.

Operatives of the antigraft agency pounced on the former NIMASA DG while coming out of the court following adjournment of his trial over alleged theft of N2.6bn by Justice Ibrahim Buba till January 18, 2016.

Akpobolokemi was about to enter his car outside the court when he was accosted by two EFCC operatives and two armed mobile policemen.

Electricity consumers reject tariff hike

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ome electricity consumers in Lagos yesterday kicked against the plan to increase electricity tariff as announced by Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos that Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) had to fulfill some obligations before considering any increment.

NAN recalls that the minister, at a news conference in Abuja on December 8, said that electricity tariff would slightly go up.

He, however, said the government would meet with the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, to ensure that consumers and investors are not cheated.

Reacting to the planned increase, Mr Abdul-Rasak Osho, chairman, Iponri Estate Residents Association, told NAN that consumers had kicked against it during the consultative forum organised by DISCOs in

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Lagos.

He said consumers had condemned the plan because power supply is not regular.

The chairman said consumers were paying for electricity supply that was not available and so there was no need for the planned increment. ``The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Plc (EKEDP) met with us more than three times on the issue and we objected to the increment because we are not enjoying power supply.

“They promised to improve on the supply and we said when the power improved, we would come back and talk again.

“It is strange to now hear the minister saying the tariff will increase.

“Honestly, there is nothing to increase because in the last three days, we have not had power supply and at the end of the month, they will bring outrageous bills,’’ he said.

Thereafter, the encounter degenerated into a scuffle with the armed policemen calling for reinforcement.

He was manhandled and forced into the bus after he resisted and vowed not to follow the detectives to their office.

Efforts by his team of lawyers led by Dr. Joseph Nwobike, SAN, to stop his re-arrest were rebuffed by the armed detectives.

The EFCC has not given reasons for re-arresting him, though he had met the initial bail conditions imposed by the court.

Those charged alongside Akpolobokemi include Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba; Ekene Nwakuche; Governor Amechee Juan; Blockz and Stonez Nigeria Limited and Al-Kenzo Nigeria Limited.

They are charged on 22 counts of alleged theft of N2.6bn before the court.

The accused persons

in a charge marked FHC/ L/511c/15, were alleged to have on or about February 4, 2014, conspired among themselves to commit the act by converting the said sum, property of NIMASA, which was derived from stealing.

They were also alleged to have with intent to defraud, conspired among themselves by inducing the federal government of Nigeria to approve and deliver the said sum, under the false pretence that the said sum represented the cost for the implementation of the International Ship and Ports Security, ISPS Code in Nigeria ports.

The alleged offences according to the anti-graft agency prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, are contrary to sections 15(1), 18(a) 8(a), 1(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) (Amendment) Act, 2012, and punishable under section 15(3) and 1(3) of the same Act.

In another criminal charge by EFCC, Akpolobokemi and nine others were last Thursday arraigned before Justice Saliu Saidu of the same court on a 30 count-charge of alleged theft of N3.4 billion.

Those charged alongside the former NIMASA boss before Justice Saliu Saidu led court are Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba; Ekene Nwakuche; Felix Bob-Nabena; Captain Warredi Enisouh; Governor Amechee Juan; Ugo Frederick and Timi Alari Al-kenzo Limited and Penniel Engineering Services Limited.

Though, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges and admitted to different bail conditions, the court ordered that they all be remanded in prison custody pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, while it adjourned the case till January 29, 2016 for trial.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Fresh policies on ease of doing business coming –Buhari Rotimi Fadeyi Abuja

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resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said his administration would soon introduce more policies to further ease the process of doing business in the country.

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Buhari

made the statement after a presentation at the Presidential Villa on enhancing Nigeria’s trade and economic competitiveness.

The president said the new policies would be focused on increasing efficiency and transparency in government operations, and the blocking of leakages from revenue generating agencies.

Buhari said his administration was fully commit-

ted to closing all loopholes in revenue generating agencies, increasing their efficiency in trade facilitation and ensuring transparency in all government businesses so as to attract greater foreign direct investments into the country.

The president added that the Nigeria Customs Service, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies would be

encouraged to adopt some of the positive ideas contained in the presentation for implementation next year.

A representative of the company that made the presentation, Mr. Lim Chee Boon, had told Buhari that virtually all the countries that implemented its solutions have successfully reduced corruption in their import and export processes.

Workers of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) during their congress to resist sack of some aviation workers in PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN Lagos, yesterday.

Africa must assert position in global oil market –Kachikwu …Nigeria hosts African oil producers in March 2016 Chidi Ugwu Abuja

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resident, African Petroleum Producers Association, APPA, and Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has restated the need for Africa to assert its position in the global oil market.

Kachikwu made the remark yesterday during a press conference organised by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to announce the forthcoming 6th Africa Petroleum Congress and Exhibition, CAPE VI, which comes up in March 2016.

He said over the years Africa had always been the bride waiting to be courted by the two powerful factions at the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, adding that there was need for Africa to stop sitting aside and begin to en-

force its positions in the global oil market.

“The general consensus is that Africa had always been seen like a non-aligning group. You have two main factions in the OPEC meetings and Africa is always in the middle layer waiting to be courted. But I think we need to do more than just sitting aside and just waiting to be courted; I think we need to enforce our own positions. We are probably the poorest members of the group, the least develop members of the group, and probably in terms of efficiency in terms of our resources, and so we need to be able ask to get more.

“In my growing up years, I know of the time when APPA was a lot more powerful. I think they were more powerful when they were eight members than when they were 18. I think APPA needs to meet more often, needs to strat-

FG advocates review of science, technology curricula Regina Otokpa Abuja

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ederal Government has advocated the review of school curricula to reflect the importance of science and technology in nation building.

Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said this while delivering his keynote address at the meeting of the National Council on Science and Technology in Abuja yesterday, stressing the urgent need of educating students across all levels on the critical role science and technology has to play in enhancing sustainable development.

This was even as he urged all state governments to revive the scholarship scheme once practiced in secondary schools, for best students in Mathematics and the Sciences.

He further challenged states without a ministry of science and technology to ensure the ministry is established to strengthen full utilisation of science technology innovations to improve the quality of livelihood of all Nigerians.

According to him, sci-

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ence technology innovations have the propensity to solve the various challenges confronting the country, including insecurity, poverty, unemployment and corruption.

He said: “I want to use this opportunity to call on all state governments, who have not established a Ministry of Science and Technology to do so.

“I also wish to emphasise the urgent need for a comprehensive curriculum review in our primary, secondary and tertiary institutions to effectively reflect the importance of science and technology in nation building.”

While lamenting the lackadaisical attitude of Nigeria towards exploiting its numerous natural resources to strengthen the economy, Onu explained that science and technology if fully deployed, could rank Nigeria among the most technologically developed countries in the world.

“As we are fully aware, many countries that lack abundant natural resources have employed technology to become some of the largest economies in the world. “

Aviation unions protest against Aero Contractors’ board …allege lack of professionalism

Olusegun Koiki

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eading unions in the Nigerian aviation According to him, the egise more often, needs to industry yesterday speak with one voice and event will also be organ- afternoon staged a peaceful to stop being self- competi- ised concurrently with protest against the board of tive among themselves,” other statutory summits the oldest airline in Nigehe said. of APPA including the ria, Aero Contractors.

He added that Nigeria 7th meeting of APPA DaThe unions, National will be playing host to the tabank Local Administra- Union of Air Transport 6th African Petroleum tors, meeting of the Ad- Employees, NUATE, and Producers Congress and Hoc Committee of Legal Air Transport Senior Staff Exhibition, CAPE VI, Experts of APPA, the 14th Services Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, alleged from 15th to 17th March, Edition of the National that the present board as 2016, in Abuja. The event Oil Companies, NOCs, constituted lacked profesis being organised by Afconference, the 49th meet- sionalism. rican Petroleum Producing of the Committee of The unions, however, ers Association, APPA, Experts of APPA Fund charged the Asset Managein conjunction with the ment Company of Nigeria, Ministry of Petroleum Re- and 7th Session of the AMCON, which had taken sources and AME Trade Council of ministers of over management of the Limited, United Kingdom. APPA Fund. airline in the past few years He added that event to dissolve the present manCHANGE OF NAME which will feature the agement over what it called I, formerly known and addressed 33rd Ordinary Session of as CHUKWURA OLUCHUKWU mismanagement and insenCHIOMA, now wish to be known the APPA Council of Minsitivity to staff welfare. and addressed as EMEGWARA ister meeting, will be atThe unions with its OLUCHUKWU CHIOMA. All Mirror of tended byNational the ministers former documents remain valid.

Tuesday , December 15, 2015 members, mostly staff of www.nationalmirroronline.net General public take note.

APPA member countries. the airline numbering over 800, staged over three hours CONFIRMATION OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME fpeaceful protest around the This is to confirm that I, ONYEOZIRI I formerly known as Omale CHINAGOROM DESMOND airport and ended it at the TOCHUKWU is one and the same Isaiah now to be addressed person as OZOEMENE ISREAL airline’s headquarters at TOCHUKWU. That all documents as Itodo Isiaira Isaiah, bearing both names are mine and the Murtala Muhammed remain valid. General public and former documents remain Airport, MMA, Ikeja, LaAuthorities Concerned should please valid,general public note. take note. gos.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

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The protesting workers with their union leaders sang various solidarity songs and carried placards with annoying inscriptions to press home their demands.

Speaking at the rally, President of ATSSSAN, Benjamin Okewu, passed a vote of no confidence on the four-man board appointed

by AMCON to run the airline.

He insisted that the present crop of management was mismanaging the airline rather than uplift its fortunes.

He alleged that plans were underway to sack over 1,000 staff of the airline by the management for no just reason, stressing that the management was bereft of aviation practices.

Speaking in the same vein, the General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, stated that the management of the airline had been taking the unions for granted and that while the CONFIRMATION OF NAME fmanagement and the board were allegedly benefiting from the airline, the workers who are critical stakeholders in Aero were not taken care of.

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South West

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Subsidy murder: DPO jailed 10 years Wale Igbintade

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L-R: Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and Acting Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro, during the facility visit by the Ministerial delegation to NIMASA Resource Centre at Kirikiri, Lagos, yesterday.

Synagogue: COREN begins trial of engineers over misconduct Olufemi Adeosun ABUJA

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ouncil for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, yesterday began the trial of two engineers involved in the Synagogue building collapse for alleged professional misconduct.

Over 116 people, including foreign nationals, died on September 12, 2014, when a six-storey building belonging to the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN, collapsed.

While the Lagos State government Coroner's Inquest had last week indicted the church for 'criminal negligence', the council in charge of regulating engineer-

ing practice in Nigeria has begun an enquiry into the matter to establish whether two of its members, namely: Engrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akimbela Fatiregun, who were involved in the construction of the edifice, are liable for professional misconduct.

At the first sitting of the council’s investigative panel yesterday in Abuja, the two engineers, represented by their lawyer, Oluseun Akimbola, objected to the trial, saying it would be subjudice since the case was also ongoing at the Lagos State High Court.

However, the seven-man panel headed by Engr. Nurudeen Rafindadi, insisted that the investigation should

go on irrespective of the court cases, stressing that the council has the power to investigate its registered members on any allegation of professional misconduct.

According to him, while the court has power over criminal matters, COREN, being the council in charge of discipline and regulation of engineering practice in the country, also has the power to look into professional misconduct of its members.

He said: “This panel was constituted by COREN to investigate the alleged professional misconduct of the two registered members. It has the mandate to conduct the investigation. It is neither in pursuant of Coroner Inquest verdict or State High Court

proceedings. Our job is to investigate the matter and avail the council of our findings. It is within the power of the council to sanction any registered member found to have violated code of professional conduct."

Rafindadi stated that the court injunction upon which the lawyer to the two engineers was basing his argument for stoppage of the trial by COREN was issued against the Lagos State government.

He maintained that the two suspects must appear before the panel at a date that would be communicated to them with all necessary document information that would aid the investigation.

Ekiti Muslims protest property take-over Abiodun Nejo ADO EKITI

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uslims in Ekiti State yesterday protested against the state government forcibly taking over an expanse of land belonging to them in the state capital on which they were planning to erect some structures.

The aggrieved Muslims said the government must rescind its decision on the expanse of land located within the premises of OlaOluwa Muslims Grammar School, which they had acquired over 50 years ago.

The Muslims, who massed at the Central Mosque as early as 7:30am marched to the portion of the land in protest and in the process dislodged government officials sent by the Ministry of Works to map out the already bulldozed land.

While the Muslims said they were planning to build an international mosque, international youth centre, hospital and a tertiary institution on the land, sources in the Ministry of Works said the government had earmarked the place for the building of housing units and hotel.

Speaking on behalf of

the protesters, Alhaji Azees Ibiyemi described the government’s action as very embarrassing, saying no consultation was held with the Muslim community before embarking on the project.

He said about 65 hectares of land were acquired

by Muslims on that portion out of which the secondary and primary schools were constructed by Muslim community before being taken over by government, saying the unoccupied expanse of land was still their legal property.

“We have the Certificate of Occupancy with us and the survey plan. This land

belongs to all the Muslims in Ekiti. We decided not to collect compensation when the schools were taken over by government so that we can make use of the remaining land.

“The government had taken over a portion of AUD secondary school for the construction of Ministry of Works and the pilot school in Ajilosun and no compensations were paid. The schools owned

by Catholic, Anglican and Baptist have large expanse of land, why must Muslims be targeted as victims of land seizure by government?” he asked.

Lagos High Court yesterday convicted and sentenced a former Divisional Police Officer (DPO), of Pen Cinema Police Station, CSP Segun Fabunmi, to 10 years imprisonment over the murder of one Ademola Daramola.

The late Ademola was murdered at Yahaya Abatan Junction, Ogba, Lagos, during the fuel subsidy protest on January 9, 2012.

Delivering judgment, Justice Olabisi Akinlade held that the prosecution proved the charge of murder beyond all reasonable doubt.

Fabunmi was arraigned on May 5, 2013, by the Lagos State government on a sevencount charge bordering on murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm.

At the time of the incident, the defendant was the DPO of Pen Cinema Police Station, Agege, and had led his men to Yaya-Abatan area of Ogba following intelligence report that there was a

disturbance in that area.

While Justice Akinlade agreed with the defendant that there was indeed a mob at the scene of the incident, she observed that the convict gave conflicting testimonies on how an attempt was made to snatch his AK-47 rifle and who fired the weapon.

The court also rejected the defence counsel's argument that the shooting was the result of an accident when the defendant struggled with the mob to retain possession of his rifle.

"The only conclusion that can be drawn is that the defendant recklessly shot his rifle and in the process the bullet hit the deceased. He definitely knew that shooting an AK47 can cause grievous bodily harm to anyone the bullet hit.

"The fact that he was on a lawful duty did not mean that he should have shot his gun sporadically," the court held.

She said: "The defence of provocation will avail the defendant. It is evident that there was no time for his passion to cool before the gun was fired."

Cadet officers kill Ondo varsity student Ojo Oyewamide AKURE

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embers of a paramilitary organisation operating at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungaba Akoko, AAUA, have allegedly killed a part four student of the Ondo State-owned institution, Olumuyiwa Ewarawon.

Ewarawon was said to have been attacked by suspected cadet officers led by one Adeola Adedoyin, a student of philosophy department.

The deceased, who was a psychology student and lived in a private hostel outside the school’s campus, was the only son of his aged mother.

It was learnt that the school authorities had proscribed all paramilitary organisations in the institution, following the incident.

However, the family of Ewarawon has insisted on justice, saying the culprits must be made to face the law.

In a petition to Commissioner of Police, father of the deceased, Chief Goodluck Ibitoye Ewarawon,

alleged that his son was attacked in his room at Shanghai Hostel in Akungba in the early hours of Sunday, November 29, by armed gang of seven boys who claimed to be student Cadet Officers.

The petition, filed by Ewarawon's counsel, Olufemi Meduoye, stated: "The armed assailants broke into Olumuyiwa’s room while he was asleep and attacked him, brutalised, bruised and inflicted on him fatal injuries from which he fell into coma.

"The gang dumped Olumuyiwa’s helpless body at the General Hospital, Iwaro-Oka Akoko, where good Samaritans brought the incident to the attention of the family, three clear days after.”

The family said the body of Ewarawon was taken from the hospital to Trauma Centre, Ondo, which instantly referred the case to Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife. According to the family, the boy never came out of coma till he died on December 6.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South West

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Aregbesola proposes N150.7bn 2016 budget

…asks assembly not to increase MDAs’ votes B oladale Bamigbola

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sun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola yesterday pleaded with the House of Assembly not to accede to any request for upward review of votes to ministries due to dwindling revenue available to the state.

Presenting a draft budget of N150.7 billion for 2016 before the Assembly, Aregbesola, who was represented by Permanent Secretary, Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Segun Olorunsogo, who laid the proposal, said the budget size compared to that of 2015 was reduced by 25.3 per cent due to economic downturn in the country.

The governor said the budget had already been

Aregbesola

overstretched; stressing that reviewing upward the votes of ministries, departments and agencies would make its implementation problematic.

The draft has recurrent expenditure of N82,744,396,580.00, representing 54.9 per cent, and capital expenditure of N67,983,848,960.00,

representing 45.1 per cent, while it has recurrent revenue of N113,185,677,170.00 and capital receipt of N37,542,568,370.00.

The governor in a letter read by Deputy Speaker, Akintunde Adegboye, informed the assembly that the proposed budget reflected economic realities of the state and the country.

He disclosed that situation of the nation's economy prevented Osun from effective implementation of the 2015 budget, saying this would compel the state to be more pragmatic in its revenue drive.

Shortly after presenting the budget, Olorunsogo explained that the major goal of the 2016 appropriation was the completion of ongo-

ing projects embarked on by the government.

He added that to ensure high level implementation and performance of the budget, the assembly should ensure non-reliance on revenue from the Federation Account.

He added that the state would renew its aggressive collection of Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, especially the revenue collectable from the MDAs as well as the informal sectors of the economy.

He further posited that government would set up an all-inclusive Revenue Monitoring Committee towards offering continuous direction at ensuring improved revenue collection and blockage of revenue leakages.

Civil servants laud Ambode over bonus

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orkers of Lagos State government on Monday lauded Governor Akinwunmi Ambode over payment of 25 per cent of their basic salary as end-of-year bonus.

The workers, who are to enjoy the benefit, include employees of local governments and State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB. Some of the workers who spoke with our reporter expressed deep appreciation and delight over what they described as one of the numerous steps taken by the governor to accord public servants in the state their rightful position in the scheme of things and better their lot.

According to Jamiu Olawale, though previous administrations in the state had been paying end of the year bonuses ranging between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of their basic salaries, Ambode’s gesture of paying 25 per cent is not only a welcome development but also commendable.

Another worker, who gave

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his name as Oluwafemi Braimah, said recognising the importance of public service as the engine room for government, the administration of Ambode has continued to embark on capacity building, which has further enhanced staff productivity, and is doing everything that would make life more comfortable for public servants in the state and the general public at large.

“In addition, the present administration has also restored the dignity of the public service through the various reform programmes geared towards professionalism and competence to enhance service delivery in the state,” Braimah said.

A director in the Ministry of Establishment and Training, who preferred anonymity, said since inception of Ambode’s administration, public servants have been appointed as head of key government agencies where they have continued to display great professionalism and competence in their areas of assigned responsibilities.

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South East

Biafra: Court to rule on Kanu’s bail Thursday Doosuur Iwambe ABUJA

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ustice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja will on Thursday December 17, 2015, rule on the bail application of the self-acclaimed leader of the Biafran Republic, Nnamdi Kanu.

When the matter came up for hearing yesterday, Counsel to Nnamdi Kanu asked the court to set aside an order it earlier granted to the DSS operatives to detain him for 90 days on alleged investigation of terrorism against him by the Federal Government.

He urged the court to grant his client bail.

While opposing the application, counsel to DSS, Mr Moses Idakwo, asked the court not to admit the suspect to bail because he was allegedly involved in terrorism acts.

The DSS counsel told the court that the Federal Government was in possession of bank accounts of the accused person for dollars and pound sterling from where he had been financing terrorism acts against the country.

Besides, the counsel also submitted that Kanu has dual citizenship of Britain

and Nigeria and could flee and escape justice if allowed to go on bail.

Justice Ademola after listening to all the submissions adjourned till Thursday, Dec 17, 2015, to rule on the bail application.

It would be recalled that Kanu had been in detention of the Department of State Security (DSS) since October this year, when he was apprehended by DSS operatives and moved to Abuja.

Kanu, who is founder of Radio Biafra and Director General of the Indigenous People of Biafra Republic, also asked the court to strike out a criminal charge with reference no FHC/ABJ/ CS/873/2015 brought against him by the SSS. In a motion on notice argued before Justice Adeniyi Ademola, Kanu applied for an order of the court admitting him to bail and also directing the DSS to obey an order of the Chief Magistrate’s Court, which had earlier granted him bail in the motion argued by his counsel, Mr. Egechukwu Obetta.

Kanu claimed that the order of the Federal High Court that permitted the SSS to detain him for 90 days pending the investigation of terrorism allegations against him was obtained fraudulently by the DSS.

Group gives JUSUN 7 days to end strike in Anambra

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oncerned Judiciary Workers, a splinter group of the striking Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN, in Anambra State, has given the union seven days to call off its three-month-old strike.

Protem Chairman of the group, Mr Chirah Ozioma, made the call in Awka on Monday after meeting with some judiciary workers.

Ozioma accused the state executive of JUSUN led by Mr Mark Ifezue of misleading the workforce and frustrating efforts by the state government to end the strike.

“We decided to call this meeting to inform the workers of the true position of things. The truth is that workers are now hungry.

“Governor Willie Obiano has been labour-friendly, kind and magnanimous

in handling the matter and had paid the November salary even without negotiating with the workers.

“The government has promised to look into the demands of the workers in the third quarter of 2016.

“We wonder why Ifezue vehemently refused to sign the agreement reached between the government and the union during the meeting of December 8 to end the strike.

“Having evaluated the position of the government, we feel the JUSUN executive is frustrating series of efforts to call off the strike.

“When the seven days ultimatum expires and JUSUN refuses to sign the agreement, we will take drastic measures to reopen the courts within the confines of the law. Ozioma, also a judiciary staff member, said.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Imo to sack indolent workers ...sets aside N11bn to pay health workers 9 months’ salary arrears

Chris Njoku OWERRI

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mo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday unveiled plans to sack indolent and inefficient workers to create more opportunities for those who are hard working.

Speaking to newsmen in Owerri, the governor disclosed that majority of Imo workers are corrupt, indolent and inefficient, adding that henceforth those discovered with these traits would be suspended before being shown the way out.

He said the worse culprits are the health workers, who he said collect the fattest salaries and yet do not show commensurate service to Imo people to justify the salaries they earn.

“The health workers have completely failed the people of Imo State, no single hospital in the state is working, doctors and nurses are not always on their duty posts, yet every month they collect their salaries, I pay them CONMESS and CONHESS salaries. I have set aside N11 billion to pay them their nine months salaries since

they have agreed to drop some of their demands.”

According to him, Imo State pays the highest salaries to workers than any state in the federation, “so in Imo State I was paying N4 billion every month to workers, for four years I have paid N16 billion to workers alone, who are not up to 40,000.”

However, the governor revealed he would apply the carrot and stick approach on workers who are found wanting, pointing out that before this year the list of affected workers would be made public.

The governor said he would by next year create job opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.

He said in line with his industrialisation policy, he has set aside N16 billion for the creation of small scale industries for unemployed graduates.

On the huge wage bill, the governor announced the resolve of his administration to cut the salaries of all political appointees, adding that the security vote of the deputy governor would be slashed by 20 per cent.

L-R: Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; his Ebonyi State counterpart, Dave Umahi and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, at the South East Stakeholders Forum at Government House, Enugu, yesterday.

VC seeks focus on agric to save economy Chris Njoku OWERRI

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s oil prices continue to nosedive in the international market, Vice Chancellor of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Professor Hilary Odo Edoga has called for an urgent need to focus more on agriculture to save the nation’s economy from total collapse.

He stated that the move would not only enable the citizenry to enjoy the benefits associated with a diversified economy that are multicultural in nature, it would equally increase food production in the country.

The professor noted that although the country relies on the production and export of crude oil as her

main economic mainstay, she could still diversify to agricultural productions and manufacturing sector thereby creating a tripod stand in her economic base.

Edoga made the statement in a paper entitled “Diversifying Nigeria’s Economy: The role of Media in agricultural revolution and food security,” which he delivered at the 2015 special Media Forum organised by the Correspondents Chapel, NUJ, Imo State, Owerri.

Dwelling extensively on the importance of agricultural revolution and food security, the vice chancellor noted that a number of policies and programmes such as operation feed the nation, food for all by the year 2000, 7-point agenda, vision 2020 put in place by previous administrations in the coun-

try to achieve food security eventually crumbled as a result of poor implementation, insufficiency and unreliable data, institutional weakness as well as lack of political will.

Edoga, however, said that mass communication could play a decisive role in promoting human capacity development for agricultural revolution and food security in the country, adding that there was every need for the government to utilise the importance of the media in information dissemination.

He described mass media or communication technologies as powerful tools for informing people and providing them with knowledge and skills they require to put agricultural science and production input to best use.

In an address earlier, Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr. Athan Agbakwuru, explained that the occasion was meant to bring members and some distinguished Nigerians together for a broad based discourse on current state of the nation.

Agbakwuru disclosed that a flagship project for the chapel next year was to establish an ultra modern newsroom, which had been estimated at N20 million.

He said the proposed newsroom when established would promote cohesion among members, adding that the chapel had continued to play pioneering role in sanitising the practice of journalism in the state by promoting professional excellence.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

News

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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Anti-graft war: Dogara warns c'ttee heads against bribery Ubong Ukpong ABUJA

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ouse of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday warned lawmakers, especially chairmen and their deputies to shun acts of corruption in order not to compromise the image and mission of the 8th National Assembly.

The speaker sounded the warning at a retreat organised for chairmen and deputies of House committees of the National Assembly, warning also that they could not come out of such corrupt fraternisation untainted.

"You must not succumb to persons or institutions that will seek to influence your judgment through

corrupt means. If you take bribe from any person, you will impugn and destroy the integrity of the House as an institution. You will also scandalise yourself. You will compromise the image and the mission of the 8th Assembly. I wish to warn that we should avoid being dragged into the murky waters of corruption because we cannot beat the swines that specialise in wrestling there, in their own game.

Once you are sucked in, you are dead. Corrupt practices are and will never be part of the legislative agenda of the 8th Assembly," Dogara warned.

He charged them to focus on exposing waste, corruption and inefficiency in the executive by carrying out

thorough investigation of their activities.

"For emphasis, our chairmen and their deputies should lead their various committees in the war against corruption and graft.

Our investigative activities must be based only on the need to expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution or administration of laws within our legislative competence and in the administration of funds appropriated by the National Assembly," he said.

He stressed the power of the National Assembly to summon any person to give evidence or as witness during its investigative duties, saying, "The Constitution in Section 89 further empowers the National Assembly

to summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence, procure documents, and issue warrants to compel the attendance of a reluctant witness.

"The Committee on Rules and Business must ensure that henceforth all Resolutions requiring investigative hearing must have a legislative purpose stated in the Resolution itself, in order to pass judicial scrutiny, where necessary."

The speaker emphasised that parliaments are indispensable institutions of representative democracy with the sole aim to represent the people and ensure that public policy is informed by citizens' views and voices and legislation for the common good that responds to the

needs of the citizens.

He noted, however, that the committees are not meant to weaken the Execu-

tive, but are constitutionally empowered as agents of the House to prevent misuse and abuse of executive power.

We’ll submit proposal on new minimum wage —TUC

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rade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, yesterday said plans by some states not to pay the minimum wage would not deter it from submitting a proposal to review workers’ salaries.

The TUC said this in a 13-point communiqué signed by its President, Bobooi Kaigama, at the end of its National Executive Council meeting in Lagos.

Some governors had said they could no longer pay the N18,000 minimum wage signed into law in March 2011 by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The governors blamed it on the poor state of the economy, heightened by the dwindling price of oil which hit an all-time low of $35 per barrel last week.

The TUC said the statement attributed to the governors was diversionary, as minimum wage was due for upward review.

It regretted that governors make excuses when issues concern the interests of workers and the masses.

“The question of impo-

sition does not arise since the negotiations leading to the enactment of minimum wage passed through all the tenets of the International Labour Organisation’s tripartism.

“The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the government, as well as the organised labour and government (as regulator), were all involved,’’ the communiqué said.

It called on the Federal Government to settle all outstanding salaries, promotion, and other allowances owed federal workers since compilation of the indebtedness had since been concluded.

The communiqué commended the federal government for the bailout extended to needy states to pay arrears of workers’ salary and urged affected states to ensure judicious use of the funds.

On fuel scarcity, the communiqué urged the government to revamp existing oil refineries and build new ones to end incessant scarcity and the fuel subsidy issue in the country.

Dankwambo tasks revenue board on TIN registration Barge conveying people to Ode-Itsekiri in Warri South to witness the coronation of the new Olu of Warri, Prince Godfrey Emiko, at the weekend.

Wale Igbintade

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Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed a suit filed by Stanbic IBTC Plc against the Financial Reporting Council, FRC, over N1 billion sanction imposed by the body.

Stanbic IBTC had instituted the suit against FRC seeking to know if the regulatory body has the power to determine its failure to register with National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP, as a criminal offence.

Ruling on the reliefs sought by Stanbic IBTC, Justice Ibrahim Buba held that the reliefs cannot be granted by the court.

The judge held that upon

N1bn sanction: Court dismisses Stanbic IBTC suit against FRC evidences before him, he was unable to answer all the questions raised in favour of the plaintiff.

Justice Buba held that the contract entered into by Stanbic IBTC with the Standard Bank of South Africa was against the provisions of Section 7 of the NOTAP Act, which seeks to protect the country from being used as dumping ground.

"The court cannot find any merit in the instant originating summons and it is accordingly dismissed," he said.

The FRCN had sanctioned Stanbic IBTC over its audited accounts for 2013

and 2014.

It had since August 3, 2015 been investigating Stanbic IBTC Holdings audited accounts for the year ended December 2014.

The investigations concern liabilities accrued in the plaintiff’s 2014 accounts in respect of franchise fees owed Standard Bank of South Africa, the registration of which it said has been pending before the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) since 2011.

Stanbic IBTC later sued, praying the court to determine whether FRCN acted beyond its powers.

It also sought a declaration that failure to register a “registrable” agreement under the NOTAP Act is not a criminal offence.

It also sought a declaration that the effect of nonregistration of an agreement under the NOTAP Act is as stated in section 7 of the NOTAP Act, namely to prevent payment or remittance of money to any person outside Nigeria in respect of the unregistered agreement.

The bank had in its originating summons prayed the court to determine among others whether FRC has the power to impose a fine of N1 billion on it.

Williams Attah GOMBE

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ombe State Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo has urged the Board of Internal Revenue to sustain the momentum of capturing eligible tax payers for higher revenue in the state.

The governor’s call followed the successful capturing of a considerable number of Tax Payers Identification Number, TIN, in the state.

He spoke when Chairman of the state’s Board of Internal Revenue, Muazu Atiku, visited his office to capture and register him for TIN number.

Dankwambo said capturing the database of eligible taxpayers in the state will enable the government plan well for the

state in executing its mandate for the people.

The governor, who congratulated the Board for recording considerable success in database generation, called on people of the state to use the opportunity to key in, stressing that it is free, simple and fast.

He also warned that failure to register now might prove costly in future considering that almost all official dealings and business transactions will be based on possessing the TIN. Earlier, the Permanent Secretary and Chairman of the State Board of Internal Revenue, Alhaji Atiku, explained that possessing TIN is so important because all official and business transactions will depend on possessing it.

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North

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

20 killed in fresh Plateau violence JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

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elative peace in Plateau State was on Sunday night punctured when gunmen attacked Kwata village in Jos South Local Government Area, killing 14 people and injuring several others.

Not done, the gunmen yesterday moved to Tahoss village and killed six other people, bringing the number of those killed in the last two days to 20.

According to one of

the villagers, Mr John Dalyop, who escaped the attack, the gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen had written to warn the community of Kwata, Trade Centre, and Kuru that they were not going to enjoy a peaceful Christmas season, but the communities took the warning lightly.

However, on Sunday night the Fulani lived up to their threat when they attacked about six houses in Kwata, leaving not less than 14 people dead.

Dalyop said the at-

tackers, who arrived the community at about 9pm, broke into their houses through the weak doors and windows, most of which are made from zinc roofing sheets.

“They hacked down helpless children and women, leaving them in the pool of their blood.

Others, who tried to escape into nearby bush were shot by the attackers.”

When our correspondent visited the community, it was wailing and weeping all the way, as people that have their

relatives in the community hurried to see if they were spared.

Another source from the community, who described the incident as dastardly, added that the attackers communicated only in English and Hausa languages throughout the raid, adding that men in the community were yet to return home from the outside where they had gone to relax. He said he hid in between ridges of the farmland all through the 30 minutes raid, adding that security operatives

Cross section of students of Government Girls Secondary School, Kafin Madaki, during Governor Muhammed Abubakar’s inspection visit to the school in Ganjuwa LGA of Bauchi State, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

Anti-graft: NGE wants suspicious payment to media executives investigated

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igerian Guild of Editors, NGE, has called for thorough investigation into alleged involvement of some media executives in suspicious payments from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retired).

The call is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 4th Quarterly Standing Committee meeting in Abuja.

“The Guild calls for thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the involvement of some media executives in the payments from the office of the former National Security Adviser in the

interest of fairness and justice.’’

The communiqué, however, commended the Federal Government for its efforts to recover stolen public funds in the country and urged the government to ensure fairness in the process.

“It notes the efforts of the Federal Government to recover stolen public funds and commends the courage behind it, while urging the government to respect the fundamental human rights of suspects in the process.’’

The communiqué also urged the government to thoroughly investigate every corruption case and pursue same diligently to logical conclusion.

It advised judges to be circumspect in granting injunctions and be more painstaking in the adjudication of corruption cases.

It also urged the National Assembly to expunge Section 24 of the Cyber Crime Act, which was considered to be more obnoxious than the Frivolous Petitions Bill.

“The Guild restates its warning against any attempt to gag the press or tamper with the freedom of expression of Nigerians.

“It therefore, tasks the Senate to retrace its steps with respect to the Frivolous Petitions Bill, which is against the freedom of the press.’’

The communiqué

warned state governments not to renege in the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage and urged them to improve on their internally generated revenue, reduce the cost of governance and ensure due process in the award of contracts.

“The Guild is alarmed by the downward slide of the Naira, which has impacted negatively on the purchasing power of Nigerians and wants the Federal Government to diversify the country’s revenue base to shore up the value of the national currency.’’

It noted with concern the perennial fuel scarcity in the country and called on the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

only arrived about an hour after the attackers had escaped into nearby hills.

Corpses of the victims littered the attacked compounds, while the injured had been rushed to hospital at the time of filing this report.

When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of the police command, DSP Abu Emmanuel, confirmed the attack in the community, he however, said casualty figures could not be ascertained.

“Police commissioner has drafted men to the scene of the incidence.

“Efforts are on to ensure the perpetrators of the act are arrested.

We are appealing to the public to go about their normal businesses as the situation has been put under control. He added.

In a related development, the Operation Safe Haven, OPSH, deployed to restore law and order in Jos has alerted citizens of the state of an imminent plot by “never do wells” to breach the peace in the state as a result of the recent confrontation between soldiers and members of Shiite Islamic sect in Kaduna.

According to a statement signed by Captain Iweha Ikedichi, the media and information officer, reads that; “Available information reveals that some persons are bent on disturbing the state through religious crisis.

“The never do wells” behind the plot to destabilise and disrupt the peace currently being enjoyed are angered by the unsuccessful attack on the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, by the Shiite Islamic sect in far away Zaria, Kaduna State. The OPSH restates its determination to prevent a relapse to an era of crisis and violence and would take all necessary measures in line with its mandate to prevent any loss of life or property.”

“Similarly, the OPSH uses this medium to warn enemies of peace, especially around Riyom and Barkin Ladi Local Government Areas.

“You will recall that following the assumption of command by Major General Tagbo Ude as Commander of OPSH, that relative peace was gradually being restored to the troubled hinterlands of Plateau State. This peace is, however, threatened by the lack of cooperation by residents within these areas.

“Following measures already put in place in these areas and the entreaties by OPSH to allow security agents mediate in situations among parties in the dispute, the OPSH states that it would not tolerate any situation forthwith where its personnel would be subject of or casualties of attacks. A recent case in point where personnel of OPSH were gruesomely murdered over this weekend would be the last.

“Additionally, members of the general public are reminded that the 169 cows recovered by the OPSH from rustlers recently are still in the custody of the OPSH. “Members of the general public, who have lost cattle are requested to come forward for identification of the cattle for immediate release. “ Park operators and managers, executives of market unions, leaders of mosques and churches, relaxation spots operators are all reminded to emplace security measures around their vicinities” “The OPSH while assuring residents within its area of operational responsibility of their safety at all times, it however, would like to warn trouble makers to desist forthwith or be ready to endure a heavy hand from security agencies.

“It assures that any information provided about these never do wells would be treated with absolute confidentiality.

“We also continue to thank the good people of our communities for their co-operation in providing prompt information to security agencies bordering on public safety,” the statement further added.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

SUPER TUESDAY Nigeria’s future depends on agriculture –Nkem-Abonta

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

13

Politics

14

Lalong’s efforts at evolving a new Plateau James Abraham JOS

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hen the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC declared Governor Simon Lalong winner of the April gubernatorial election in Plateau state, the coast was cleared for him to bring about his dream of a new Plateau.

The mandate given to him by the people of the state to better their lots was further consolidated recently when the elections petitions tribunal affirmed his victory at the poll, thus putting a no verdict to the opposition’s claim that he came into power on a stolen mandate But how far has the governor fared in the last six months after taking over the reins of governance? Is the APC administration which rode to power under the mantra of change on course? How much progress has been made so far and what are the achievements. What about the challenges and which options are being considered as a way forward?

In seeking answers to these questions and more, the people of the state last week gathered at the Banquet Hall of Government House in Jos, the state capital. Since he assumed office as Governor, it was the first of such gathering which brought in attendance senior citizens of the state including members of the opposition political parties, community leaders, past and present public office holders .

For a government that promised to carry everybody along, it was not surprising to see at the venue even those who had not been anywhere close to Government House for many years due to alleged political persecution by past administrations By 12:08 p.m , the Governor walked into the expansive hall which was already filled to capacity and for more than one hour, the stakeholders were glued to their chairs listening to the Governor as he rendered account of his stewardship in the last six months.

Lalong said:”Upon assumption of office, we made it clear that our government is people- oriented, and that our patriotic desire is to serve and is therefore anchored on the pursuit of truth and the enthronement of a governance process that shows commitment to social justice, economic progress and respect for the rule of law.Our activities since assumption of office therefore, have been based on the pursuit of these ideals”.

“Today, I am formally addressing you as key stakeholders in the Plateau project so that together, we can take stock of the Governance process on the Plateau, and with your inputs, we can drive positively the impact of the change mantra upon which we came into office.

Continuing the Governor said:”In the consciousness with which I assumed leadership of our dear State, we made promises and gave assurances of what would be done in a term of four years. This is with the expectations that at the time of our pronouncements; our projections of the workings of government and the condition, with which we would be taking over the mantle of leadership, will not be any worse than we have imagined. While we struggle with competing demands, we are not despairing, because of the economic downturn that has reduced income projections to the least ever expected. We are committed to sustaining the hope of our people in a government that feels their pain and is religiously committed to alleviating their sufferings, through the search for alternative sources of income and the appropriate use of our common wealth”.

The Governor had on many occasions lamented the

Lalong

poor financial profile of the state which he blamed on the past administration. The development prompted him to set up a committee to probe the past regime.

The committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Sonni Tyoden had since submitted its report indicting the former administration of financial impropriety running into billions of naira.

Addressing the issues, Lalong declared he would leave no stone unturned to recover the funds as well as reposition governance structures for effective service delivery.

“Let me restate like I did in my address during the public presentation of the Transition Committee Report, that we are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Committee through a four pronged approach; Firstly, through the instrumentality of law, we would immediately pursue the recovery of funds and all government properties annexed or carted away. These include monies fraudulently siphoned through the instrumentality of State agencies for which works have not been done or have not reached the level of payments.

“Secondly, the restructuring of governance with the merger of some ministries, departments and agencies as well as the implementation of a civil service reform that addresses the injustices in promotions, appointments and postings would be sustained. This we have already started in earnest and we will sustain it under the new Head of Civil Service of the State. “ Thirdly, we will ensure the prioritization of projects and completion of on-going projects with emphasis on completing those that address the Five Policy Thrust of this administration, namely, Peace, Security and Good Governance; Human Capital Development and Social Welfare; Agriculture and Rural Development; Entrepreneurship and Industrialization and Physical Infrastructure and Environment “ Fourthly, we will ensure that the setting up of Technical and Professional Audit Committees to sustain the tracking and recovery process of funds and the application of funds to certain projects, programs and institutions.

“In all these, we have assured citizens that the desire

of government is not to witch-hunt but to ensure that through probity, accountability and transparency, value for money is obtained in all on-going projects.

However, the Governor pointed out that despite the lean financial situation of the state, his government was able to record some achievements in twenty-five critical areas which included payment of workers salary arrears from November 2014 to August 2015 ; Pension arrears of up to five months amidst the painstaking verification exercise that had to be done, given the inconclusive biometric exercise that was inherited; payment of seven months arrears of Security Allowances for Personnel of the Special Task Force (Operation Safe Havens) in Plateau State as well as almost completed Road Rehabilitation and Construction on 18 Metropolitan Roads.

Other areas of intervention which the Governor listed included near completion of road networks on the Federal Low cost Housing estate, commencement and sustained construction work on the Rantya Road network; purchased and distributed of 650 trucks of fertilizer on assumption of office through a community based distribution; donation of a Coaster Bus to the Permanent Orientation Camp of the NYSC to aid mobility, resumption of intensive work on the Secretariat fly – over bridge, Yakubu Gowon Road Extension to the Old Airport Junction and the State Secretariat Complex; Completed and commissioned the Remodeled West of Mines High Court building that facilitated the Appointment by the National Judicial Council of three additional Judges out of the six applied for, Payment of counter funds for the Community Social Development Agency (CSDP), World Bank Assisted Projects, the PADP food security and Wheat value chain for Fadam III Project and; the World Bank Assisted Sustainable Water and Sanitation Project; completed the House of Assembly Complex Legislative Chamber as well as purchased vehicles for the three arms of government and provision of accommodation in line with NJC requirements for the three (3) appointed Judges among others.

Addressing the issue of non - appointment of commissioners by the APC administration which has been generating anxiety among stakeholders, the Governor said that the delay was not deliberate as everything was being done to resolve all contending issues He said:”Let me use this opportunity to also assure you that we are on course with respect to the appointment of commissioners and the constitution of Boards, Agencies and Institutions. Nominations have been received, security vetting has been done and the process of final submission and presentation to the House of Assembly is on course. In all of these, what seems like a delay is the process we undertook in the selection and the need to streamline our exercise to reflect the lean government bureaucracy adopted at the Federal Level as well as the consideration of the current financial predicament confronting us as a State and the Nation.

The state Accountant General who corroborated the Governor on the poor finances of the state said the situation was so bad that government may not be able to pay salaries as at and when due if the situation does not improve. He further disclosed that Government was unable to access IGR in the past five months due to indebtedness until last month adding that, the amount is so huge that government would continue to service those debts in the next twenty years with little or nothing left to develop the state. With the gloomy picture of the state economy as painted by the Governor, the stakeholders left the meeting wondering how far the APC administration would go to rescue the state in line with its change mantra.

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Politics

What informed your sponsoring of the bill for an act to provide for the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Export and Commodity Brokers of Nigeria ?

Well, you see, it depends on where you have interest.

Mine is on agriculture and adding value to agricultural products. You can see that we now depends on oil and having one single form of revenue wouldn’t be healthy for any nation. Currently, oil is no longer doing well. The oil price is falling internationally and nationally which is giving us a great concern. Be that as it may be, we have to virtually depart from oil-based revenue, diversify and seek ways and means through which we can increase our revenue. Any country that depends on import will never have a foreign exchange reserve. Therefore, the essence of this is to make sure we begin to export what is exportable, add value to agricultural products and then see what we can do. You see, most Nigerian agricultural products cannot meet export requirements because they don’t have the required improvements on them. We must add value. If, for instance, you want to export cocoa, you must add some value. May be in terms of packaging and preservation and so on .So, there will be nothing to lose, we have all to gain, if we have the institute that will be able to control, regulate, research and improve what we can produce.

This bill seeks to establish the chartered institute of export and commodity brokers of Nigeria to be charged among other things with the responsibilities to determine the level of education needed before a person can become a member of the institute and to practice export and commodity trade as a business.

It further seeks to establish a governing council of the institute which shall have the responsibility of managing the institute, setting up operational standard for educators and practice requirements.

Objectives of the bill are not far fetched. The main objective of this bill would be to promote industry and commerce particularly exports and international trade which is the corner-stone of every country’s foreign exchange earnings. So, what do we do in Nigeria if we don’t export?

The bill also seeks to research and locate all exportable products from agriculture, mineral resources and manufactured goods that are available in Nigeria for export. If we are to research for these goods, locate them, put them in exportable form and export them our country will be better for it.

Also, the institute would partner with relevant agencies and companies in creating an interchange point between the commodity producers, Nigerian distributors and export merchants for the storage of their products and to quicken product’s inspection for export. And liaise with federal, state and private sector, local governments and relevant agencies in Nigeria on how to make all export processing zones in Nigeria to be functioning, viable and to see that more of such are established for the promotion and exportation of make in Nigeria goods.

You can see that most free zones are not functioning.

What happened to TINAPA? What happened to most free zones? They are not working. They are not functional and are not optimally used because of lack of knowledge, interest and not been adequately informed and even when informed, they don’t know how to export. Therefore, the bill seeks to train most Nigerians on commodity trade, practical approach to export as a business and on how to benefit from untapped commodity wealth in Nigeria.

What is Malaysia and Singapore doing today? Malaysia is exporting agricultural products like palm oil. What about cocoa? Ghana is surviving from cocoa. That’s what they are doing. Can’t we export our ginger? Can’t we export our cassava, groundnut or palm oil? Do you know that palm oil is more expensive than crude oil? A litre of petrol is N90.00 and a bottle of red oil is N300.00. And a drum of crude oil internationally is less than 50 dollars which if converted to naira is less than N15, 000. A drum of red oil is over N100,000. So, why are we wasting time? This is God-given. Therefore, you can see that the responsibility of the commodity brokers will be to research and identify all products be it agricultural or mineral resources in either semi-manufactured or finished products for export and, serve as intermediary between the commodity producers and export merchants. So, if you look at the merits of the bill, it will improve success factors of government export promotion policy and associate with government

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigeria’s future depends on agriculture –Nkem-Abonta Hon. Uzoma Nkem-Abonta is a PDP member representing Ukwa East and Ukwa West Federal Constituency of Abia State. Currently, he is sponsoring a bill for an act to provide for the establishment of the Chartered Institute of Export and Commodity Brokers of Nigeria that has just passed second reading. In this interview, he spoke with GEORGE OPARA on the objectives and merits of the bill and other political matters. Excerpts:

Thus, it will create employment, it will create economic viability. It will also get us foreign exchange. Recall, former President Obasanjo went into cassava initiative without even making plan for export. That year, the whole country was flooded with cassava. There was cassava slump. We could not preserve and export the cassava. The farmers lost. The following year, they refused to farm. So, this institute will be able to fill that gap through research, warehousing etc. why is it that when you order one shipload of rice from America, they get it for you? It is because of the brokers who have arranged production, adding value, storage shipping and packaging. And that problem is gone off the farmer. The farmer only produces, makes his money. Somebody adds value, stores and arranges for export. And those who want to import will go to accredited exporters who are licensed, well known, and credible and would place the order. That is how it should be. So let’s get the agricultural sector organized if we must forge ahead.

Nkem-Abonta

for better export policy implementation. Which means our export policy will be encouraged. The government ideas or concern for export must be pushed. It must be private sector-driven. And this bill seeks to establish the institute that will drive that If you say government says export, if it is not private-driven, we are going nowhere because government has no business in doing business.

That’s why the export promotion council with part of its objectives to encourage export is not doing much. And it is not going to do much better. It can only do what it is doing now. But with this institute, it will be able to research and determine what is exportable and how we can harness the government policy to achieve what we want?

That is what I considered and that is why I sponsored this bill for consideration.

What about the roles of the commodity brokers?

The commodity brokers are to research and identify all products be it agriculture, mineral resources and manufactured goods either semi-manufactured or finished goods for export. And the brokers serve as intermediary between the commodity producers and export merchants.

Let me give you an example, if you need to export palm oil, you must be able to have them in exportable quality, in good shape and well stored. And you know that you can get the best quality of palm oil if you mill them within 2-3 days of harvest. These local farmers cannot do that.

They don’t even have the machine to mill it. Therefore, a commodity broker who installs a mill will lure the local farmers to come there and mill and they pay the cost of what is milled. He secures it and gets a buyer who comes to the point to trade. So, the commodity broker is the link between the producer and buyer. Also, this method and process can be applied to other products for export trade.

What is the progress of the bill in the house?

The bill has scaled through the second reading and has been referred to relevant committees. I am sure the 8th assembly in the ear of change will work assiduously to see that the bill gets to the senate and Mr. President for his assent,so that we may have a turnaround in agriculture, our hope is only in agriculture.

But this bill had some challenges in 2006 and 2014.

I didn’t quite appreciate what you mean by challenges.

The making of laws is a rigorous process. I know I introduced this bill in the 7th assembly; they argued it but in the wisdom of the house, didn’t see the need for the institute to be because they had thought that government has no business in establishing and funding such an institute.

But whatever that can bring the policy of government to grow now that it is very clear that we know that oil revenue is dwindling, we must look for an option. And the next thing is agriculture. So, the challenges from the dwindling oil revenue have exposed the need why this bill will now scale through so that we can go on as a country.

You were in 6th, 7th and now 8th assembly. What do you think is peculiar with the present assembly?

I know that in the 6th and 7th Assembly of Rt. Hon. Dimeji Bankole and Rt Hon. Tambuwal, we have parliamentary disagreements that influenced how we took off but there were stability until the end of the sessions, though with few defections from the PDP to APC in the 7th assembly. However, the 8th assembly came with its challenges with the PDP as opposition which also made the house to be robust in its parliamentary engagements.

Those of us in the PDP have to tight up our belt and face the work.

You were a member of the House of Representatives who used to playing the politics of the majority but now you are in opposition. How do you feel?

I have no ill-feelings. Opposition is a good thing in democracy. It is credible. All we need to do is to play credible opposition. To be in opposition does not mean you are not part of government. Opposition has a very important role to play. We must be on the watch of the ruling APC to save Nigeria. I am happy to be doing an opposition job.

It is not a bad job except we have ill-feelings. Opposition will even help the ruling party to achieve and also save Nigeria.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

15

A PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MIRROR NEWSPAPERS

Police lawyers threaten to resign over non-promotion Richard Ndoma CALABAR

A

ggrieved police personnel who qualified as lawyers while in service on Saturday evening threatened to resign following exclusion of their names from the ongoing promotion excise for graduates in the police force.

The aggrieved policemen and women who spoke to journalists in Calabar said such exclusion was un-called for and decried their exclusion from the ongoing promotion exercise for what they termed “favouritism and man-know-man” approach adopted by some police commands in selecting those they preferred for the promotion interview scheduled to take place

at the police headquarters in Abuja this week.

The aggrieved policemen and women who were over twenty, said that the president of NBA, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, did call on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to expedite action on the promotion of policemen who had qualified as lawyers and were still in the rank and file, a request the IG agreed to implement, stressing that they were shocked that the police authority was trying to do the contrary despite the plea by the NBA president.

“When the ongoing promotion exercise came, we thought police lawyers who are still in the rank and file would all be elevated but we are surprised that in some commands just three or

two names were selected for the interview” Corporal Justine Ebema said .

Another police lawyer said she had qualified as a lawyer and was called to Bar since 2009.

She said that despite the fact that she had been handling police matters in Zone Six Police Command covering Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Ebonyi states her name was skipped from the exercise.

“I hardly know any rest from Monday to Friday as I move from court to court in the six sates of Zone Six just to prosecute police matters,” she said.

She said even though he recently got a commendation certificate from the Inspector General of Police for successfully defending and discharging a

suit against an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, for N500 million he was not recognized in the promotion exercise.

“In the examination which was cancelled, I scored 72 and during the screening exercise I presented my certificates and no issue was raised. I am wondering what yard stick was used to pick those to attend the interview while the rest of us were left out”.

The angry police men and women added that their resignation won’t help the police because the Criminal Prosecution Act recently passed by the Senate prohibits the prosecution of criminal matters by those who were not lawyers and as such the police needed to keep their services.

People protesting disappearance of corpse of their family member from the Central Hospital Mortuary in Benin, yesterday.

Rivers deputy governor renews call against domestic violence

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ivers Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo, has renewed the call on stakeholders to support the fight against domestic violence in the country.

A statement by the deputy governor’s Press Secretary, Paul Damgbor, on Monday, quoted her as making the call during the 2015 edition of the International Day for Elimination of

Violence against women.

Banigo, according to the statement, said the issue of domestic violence against women was on the increase in Africa, particularly in Nigeria.

She urged security agencies to start treating cases of domestic violence as criminal offences, instead of family issues.

The statement also quoted Banigo as tasking families and

other stakeholders on the need to proffer solutions to the problems and challenges posed by domestic violence.

It remains an unsettled reality that women all over the world face higher risk of violence than men.

Statistics show that about 60 million forcibly displaced persons are women and many who flee war-torn areas are often exploited

by unscrupulous persons,’’ the statement quoted her as saying.

The deputy governor said that women, as home managers, needed to be given adequate support by family members for good family development. ``This issue requires the input of all and sundry; a peaceful family is crucial for raising good children,’’ she was quoted as saying.

Don’t accept NULGE award, NLC warns Ayade Richard Ndoma CALABAR

T

he Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Cross River Wing, yesterday warned the governor of Cross River State, Prof.

Ben Ayade, not to take the proposed award of excellence and most labour friendly governor planned to be bestowed on him by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in the state.

NLC stated that receipt of such an award by governor Ayade would amount to the highest level of fraud.

State chairman of NLC, Mr John Ushie, gave the warning on Friday in Calabar during a press conference with journalists.

He said no individual union had the mandate to confer such award, much less a union that is discredited and suspended by the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state.

“We therefore urged Prof.Ben Ayade to discountenance such a proposition or any kind aimed at beguiling him against the realities on ground ,” the NLC boss in Cross River State maintained.

“For the benefit of doubt, NULGE cannot confer that award on him. To do that will be making a fool of the process, for now, NULGE is suspended as a member of the NLC and cannot give any Labour based award by itself or on behalf of anyone or body.

“We also want to make it clear that the decision to levy members for the proposed Labour House was taken by the leadership of all unions at the second meeting. No union has the mandate to withdraw from the contributions or to direct the government to cease the deductions especially as such deductions have been approved by his excellency, the governor,” the union said.

Ushie said that the three affiliated unions were suspended for failing to participate in the strike the NLC called on October 2, 2015, to press home their demands for better welfare of workers in the state.

National Mirror recalled that NLC and TUC in the state had on October 2, 2015, called out its members to embark on strike for non-payment of promotion arrears, funding of MDAs, non-payment of check-off dues and other.

It would also be recalled that the strike went on for four days and it was suspended when a Memorandum of Understanding was reached between the state government and the labour unions.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oshiomhole presents N111.5bn 2016 budget

G

overnor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has presented the state’s 2016 budget of N111.5 billion to the state House of Assembly for approval.

Tagged “Budget of Finishing Well” the 2016 budget is 12.6% lower than the 2015 budget which was revised downward to N127.01 billion due to economic realities.

While presenting the budget, the governor said the “reduction is in line with current economic realities, especially developments in the international oil market and the dwindling inflows from the Federation Account.”

He said the policy focus of the Year 2016 Budget is the completion or near completion of ongoing road construction/rehabilitation projects across the state.

He noted that roads at various stages of completion would be accorded priority.

Capital expenditure will take N58.9 billion representing 52.84% of the total budget, while the proposed recurrent expenditure is N52.6 billion representing 47.16% of the budget.

A breakdown of the budget shows that Education and Health sub-sectors take the lion share of the budget with N14 billion each followed byroads infrastructure at N9.24 billion and Flood and erosion control at N8 billion.

The governor assured people of the state that “In 2016 fiscal year, efforts would be geared towards substantial completion of all the outstanding Storm Water projects across the state, the completion of the Auchi, Queen Ede and Ekekhuan Gully Erosion remediation projects, substantial completion of all current streetlight projects and institutionalization of the process of maintenance of all built infrastructure, streetlights, drains etc.

“This administration is currently working on the designs for the following seven gully erosion sites approved: Ibore, Ewu, Emu, Ogiso/Osunde, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), and Auchi Agenebode Road gully erosion sites.

“The designs of Flood and Erosion Control Structures for Gapiona/Adesuwa Grammar School road to de-flood the Western part of the Benin City GRA, covering about 9 square kilometres is at advance stage. Also designs for Urora Community in Benin City and Igbe Quarters in Auchi are being carried out.”

On funding for the budget, Governor Oshiomhole said “it is now a common knowledge that given the vagaries in the international oil market, we can no longer depend on the revenue from federal sources to implement our development agenda. Therefore, it is imperative for this administration to look inward through expansion

C’River holds children carnival at Tinapa of our internal revenue base. In Year 2016, focused attention will be given to the actualisation of new revenue sources such as the Land Use Charge and the automation of revenue collection process via the implementation of Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS).

“It is our desire to sustain the sensitisation of our people to see the need for prompt payment of taxes in order to execute the laudable peopleoriented programmes/projects of this administration. On our part as Government, committed to the principles of transparency and accountability, let me assure you that we will make judicious use of all revenues at our disposal. While we remain true to our pledge, I wish to appeal once again to all and sundry not to politicise this important issue that borders on civic responsibility and our collective survival as a State and as a people.”

L-R: Etisalat Nigeria’s Community Relations Officer, Mr. Tochukwu Okafor; Anantigha traditional leader, HRH, Muri Joe Edem; Executive Chairman, Calabar South LGA, Rt. Hon.(Mrs.) Majorie Eyo Asuquo; Specialist, Government Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Abdulwahab Umoru, and Supervisor for Health, Calabar South LGA, Dr. Henrietta Henshaw, during the Etisalat-Traffina Community Maternal Health Platforms Programme in Calabar South, Cross River State, at the weekend.

Yuletide: Delta police to arrest fireworks sellers, users Elo Ogwara WARRI

D

elta State Police Command has promised to arrest and prosecute sellers and users of fireworks in the state, this festive season.

This is in line with efforts by the

Nigerian Police to reduce crime rates to the barest minimum as citizens go about their business during the Christmas period.

In a press release circulated among newsmen yesterday, DSP Celestina Kalu, Police Public Relations Officer, noted that the Command had positioned its men

across the state to control the use of fireworks or rockets.

Calling on parents and guardians to check the activities of their wards, she added that anyone caught selling or using them would be apprehended and made to face the law.

“Delta State Police Command has deployed detectives to all parts

of the state to clamp down on sellers and users of fireworks during the approaching festive periods.

Anyone arrested will be prosecuted in line with the extant law.

“Parents are once more warned to advise their children/ wards to refrain the use of fireworks,” the statement reads.

Richard Ndoma CALABAR

A

rrangement has been concluded by the government of Cross River State to hold the Calabar Children Carnival at the Tinapa Business and Leisure Resorts Water Parks, Calabar.

Government has also shifted the climax of the calabar carnival which was supposed to hold on December 27,to 28 of this month given the fact that 27 is a Sunday and it would coincide with church activities.

The Cross River Commissioner for Information, Barr. Rosemary Archibong, disclosed this while fielding questions from journalists yesterday.

He said that the state government decided to change the venue from the Botany Garden along Mary Slessor Avenue to Tinapa water parks to avoid children from roaming the street.

Archibong dispelled the allegations that state government was scared of the criminality on-going at the Botany garden.

He added that the government had a very sophisticated strategy to beef up security at the Christmas carnival village to tackle the scare of “Skolombo boys”which brought fear to Calabar residence.

The Commissioner called for objective contribution to the Ayade government stressing that the present administration was poised to encourage economic activities, adding that government was fully prepared to promote and market the state to the outside world to woo investors.

Archibong maintained that even though the state had gone through a lot of stress despite the loss of the state value system, “We don’t want people to be saying government is their own and not our own, we want to adopt the culture of running the government in a good way.”

The commissioner maintained that one of the policy thrusts of the Prof. Ben Ayade`s led- administration was to create room for objective contribution by the people of the state to governance.

Speaking on the theme of the 2016 carnival - Climate Change – he said climate change has in recent time posed a lot of problems to people within the West African sub-region, hence this year`s carnival would witness beauty queens who would come into Calabar from Brazil and Burundi.

He said Chinese acrobats would also be around to grace the occasion.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Views

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

17

Biafra: Dealing with causes of discontent Sunday Onyemaechi Eze There is a time in the life of a nation when the bitter truth of the glitches surrounding her nationhood must be told.

Any nation which takes freedom, equality, equity, justice and fairness for granted must brace up for the manner of challenges confronting Nigeria at the moment.

There is no love lost among the numerous ethnic blocks on which the country stands. The bogus sense of love and unity bandied around is discernible even to the uninformed. The reality, of course, is a sick nation in dire need of “truth” as a life support for survival.

At Nigeria’s independence, a huge crack on her unity walls was already visible and extremely threatening. Owing to the sublime desire for self-governance, which was the rave of that moment, the nation brushed aside very serious contentious national issues such as, agreed form of government, revenue sharing formula etc. The nation forgot or purposely refused to revert back to resolving them after clinching the coveted independence trophy. Many years after, the nation is immersed in and hunted by these old simmering challenges.

The discordant tunes by leaders of the three major ethnic groups and the political developments before and after independence were good indicators that our union was a pathetic nuptial of expediency. Their views on the unity of Nigeria were contradictory. First, “Nigeria is not a nation. It is a mere geographical

expression – Obafemi Awolowo. Second, “It is better we disintegrate in peace and not in pieces.” - Nnamdi Azikiwe. Third, “Let us understand our differences. I am a Muslim and a northerner. You are a Christian, an Easterner. By understanding our differences, we can build unity in our country.” - Ahmadu Bello. The effect of this disharmony shoved the nation into the 1962 Western Nigerian crisis and the secession attempt of Eastern Nigeria in 1967 and the resultant 30 month civil war.

Now, old and emerging trends of discontents across the land ably represented

by Boko Haram and their ruthless trademark of serial massacre of over 10, 000 people in the North; the agitation for resource control in the Niger-Delta; and the new mantra for self-determination by Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) have menacingly emerged. The reincarnation of the vanquished and forgotten “secessionist ideology” has really found a new lease of life in Nnamdi Kanu. Before his arrest, Nnamdi, a one man- energeticsquad pushing for the realisation of the state of Biafra through his pirate radio station and other activities, was a thorn in the flesh of the Federal Government. His mass medium is a vociferous channel for chastising government and Nigeria which he labeled a “zoo.”

The approach to views expressed by these groups might have defiled ratio-

AT NIGERIA’S INDEPENDENCE, A HUGE CRACK ON HER UNITY WALLS WAS ALREADY VISIBLE AND EXTREMELY THREATENING nal reasoning and the best standards of civilised articulation of opinions, but they are all by-products of the pre- and post-independence era blunders, which should be urgently and appropriately addressed. This piece aligns totally with avid proponents of a united and indivisible Nigeria, but these clear snags that tend to hold the nation hostage must be addressed.

The world over, agitation either for selfdetermination, or any attempts by groups to draw attention their plight, is never a crime. Meeting demands of the agitators through the instrumentalities of dialogue, referendum and legislations matters most.

At no time did England hound Alex Salmond for championing the independence of Scotland from Britain. Salman Rushdie once enthused that “two things form the bedrock of any society - freedom of expression and rule of law. If you don’t have those things; you don’t have a free country.”

The impression of alienation from key derivatives of national till, whether real or utterly imagined, compels non-state

actors to take up arms against nations.

Many will definitely disagree with views of some “dissidents” on certain issues, but their harmless positions are inalienable in a democratic dispensation, where one is free and protected by law to ventilate his views no matter whose horse is gored.

“I regard freedom of expression as the primary right without which one cannot have a proper functioning of democracy.”Lord Hailsham.

A man considered a terrorist in Israel is a patriotic hero in Gaza or Palestine.

Only truth heals old and festering wounds of injustice, inequality in any society. No amount of arm twisting or application of raw force will stifle agitations for fairness and inclusiveness in governance. It will rather strengthen it, attracts for them sympathy from international community, or worse still, aggravates the entire issue.

President Muhammadu Buhari should place high premium on healing these old staggering national wounds before the end of this tenure.

I recommend robust national dialogue designed to untie recurring knotty national issues should be embraced by President Buhari, especially in this era of change.

A number of old documents bearing far reaching recommendations on the way forward should be dusted from the archives and acted upon.

Eze, a media and communications specialist, wrote via sunnyeze02@ yahoo.com and can be reached on 08060901201

Whose interest is SERAP serving?

ISSACHAR ODION

I

am often amazed at the proclivity of some idle persons for claims that are not only exaggerated, but also completely baseless. These ambitious individuals are usually used by paymasters to spin all sorts of specious tales whilst hiding behind the mask of non-governmental organisations, civil society or pressure group of various nomenclatures. Their ostensible motivation is public interest, but their real goal is to get back at perceived enemies of their sponsors and, perhaps, gain some popularity for themselves in the process. One group that appears to have mastered this art is the so-called Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).

An examination of the group’s activities, compared to its stated objectives, shows that SERAP is little more than a terribly misguided set of noisemakers. While the group is touted as a non-profit organisation established “to promote transparency and accountability in the public and private sectors through human rights”, recent developments have shown that the organisation is nothing but a bunch of attention-seeking opportunists. In fact, one doubts if it is really an organisation and not a “one-man battalion” with the unseemly prominence of one Adetokunbo Mumuni, who is believed to be the body’s Executive Director.

Anyone who has been following SERAP’s press releases and “media noise” would easily understand what I am talking about. The latest in the series of uncouth

debates generated by the group is its false alarm about the recovered Abacha loot. In a statement made available to the public on November 29, 2015, SERAP alleged mismanagement of the recovered funds and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to probe ex-minister of finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. How do you call for the probe of someone, who facilitated the recovery of the loot and ensured its judicious disbursement?

Alluding to records purportedly obtained from the World Bank, SERAP says it is “closely studying and scrutinising with a view to discovering whether the documents contain details that Nigerians would like to see and whether the information corresponds to the facts on the ground”. In the same breath, however, he calls for the probe of the former minister of finance. Isn’t it instructive that the group has proceeded to pass judgement while acknowledging that it had not done due diligence to conclude its scrutiny and investigations?

Contrary to SERAP’s claims that the disbursement of the fund was not monitored, the World Bank, indeed, monitored how the money was spent, together with a group of Nigerian and Swiss NGOs. Beyond monitoring, they issued a report which is well documented at the World Bank. The gist of the entire process has been in the public domain for about a decade. Apparently, the bank has furnished SERAP with the relevant documents in this regard, and the latter is attempting to twist the information to defame Dr Okonjo-Iweala and sully her reputation.

The World Bank specifically stated in

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS HAVE SHOWN THAT THE ORGANISATION IS NOTHING BUT A BUNCH

OF ATTENTION-SEEKING OPPORTUNISTS one of its reports that the monitoring and analysis of repatriated fund utilisation was undertaken both at the macro and micro levels. While the macro level involved analysis of general budget expenditure trends, the micro level deployed a field survey of randomly selected projects funded under the program. In its December 2006 report, a 58-page document, the World Bank clearly affirmed that in spite of expected difficulties recorded in the joint monitoring exercise – being the first of its kind – the process was largely successful. It earned a seal of approval from the government and civil society, both of whom acknowledged that they found the exercise valuable.

Now, where was SERAP when these reports were published and jointly attested to by international observers, government representatives, and reputable civil society organisations? The monitoring exercise involved bodies like the Nigeria Society of Engineers, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Action Aid International, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, among others. It is laughable that an organisation which claimed to have been in existence since 2004 has only just woken up

in 2015 to raise issues where none exists.

Well, the good news is that SERAP and its sponsors are about to be revealed for who they really are. So, Nigerians will not be deceived anymore by their antics.

It will be recalled that this same Mumuni was used to call for the revocation of Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment on the board of GAVI, owned by Bill and Melinda Gates, for spurious claims that the former minister favoured GAVI while in office.

The silliness of SERAP is made glaring when one considers that the money in question was not Nigeria’s money in the first place. It was GAVI’s donation to Nigeria for the immunisation of Nigerian children, for which GAVI later discovered inappropriate use of $2.2 million of the funds, and therefore, called for a refund of that amount. An official release of GAVI’s finding was published on its site several months ago to set the record straight on this transaction.

I think it’s high time Mumuni, his hurting sponsors and SERAP shut up. That Okonjo-Iweala woman is too smart and too formidable a target for their puerile and uncoordinated stratagem.

Odion, a Political Scientist, wrote from Port Harcourt, Rivers State Send your views by mail or sms to PMB 10001, Ikoyi, or our Email: mail@ nationalmirroronline.net mirrorlagos@ yahoo.com or 08164966858 (SMS only). The Editor reserves the right to edit and reject views or photographs.

Pseudonyms may be used but must be clearly marked as such.

Editorial

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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All the Facts, All the Sides A PUBLICATION OF GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LTD BARRISTER JIMOH IBRAHIM, CFR PUBLISHER

SUNDAY OLAJIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR/CEO BEN MEMULETIWON ACTING DAILY EDITOR GBEMI OLUJOBI SATURDAY EDITOR AYO OLESIN SUNDAY EDITOR DOZIE OKEBALAMA COORDINATOR, EDITORIAL BOARD CALLISTUS OKE EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR OBIORA IFOH ACTING ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

Nigeria’s abysmal doctor–population ratio

R

eports have it that roughly 44 per cent of World Health Organisation (WHO) member-states have less than one physician per 1,000 population. Nigeria eminently counts among such distressed states. The world health body says for any country to thumb its chest as having enough doctors for its population, the ratio ought to be 1:600, in other words, one doctor for every 600 persons.

So far, experts say the ratio is not constant across the globe, but underdeveloped countries (like Nigeria and the entire sub-Saharan African countries) are more disadvantaged, followed by nations sincerely striving to develop economically. The ratio is far better in the developed world. Incidentally, Cuba, a country that is yet to join the league of acclaimed developed nations, has the best doctorpatient ratio in the world. The number of medical colleges, infrastructure, government planning, lucrative opportunities on completion of medical studies, etc., are said to be some of the factors that affect doctor-population ratio.

A report credited to Mrs. Folashade Ogunsola, a professor of medicine and Chair, Association of Colleges of Medicine of Nigeria (ACMN),

recently, said Nigeria required at least 237,000 medical doctors to meet WHO’s-prescribed doctor-patient ratio. Speaking at a medically-related event organised by the National Universities’ Commission in Abuja, Mrs. Ogunsola, also described as the Provost, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, lamented thus: “A country that boasts of 25 doctors per every 100,000 population (using 39,210 doctors for 158 million people) is far below the standard… We will need about 237, 000 medical doctors; and we have about 35,000 working in the country today.

We have trained more than that, (but) many of them have left the country, while many others are in different professions — banking, music and so on… Assuming no doctor leaves this country after being trained; going by the number coming from our medical schools every year, it will take us about 100 years to have the number of doctors we need…

We have to re-think how we are training medical doctors and how we are funding our medical schools”.

Indeed, Mrs. Ogunsola’s claim that 35,000 doctors are currently working in the country seems more encouraging when compared with the position of the President,

December 15, 1970 South Korean ferry, ‘Namyong Ho’, capsized in the Korea Strait, killing over 300 people. The Korea Strait is a sea passage between Japan and South Korea, connecting the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the western channel and the Tsushima Strait (eastern channel). It is about 200 km (120 mi) wide and averages about 90 to 100 meters (300 ft) deep.

THIS CAN ONLY BE GOTTEN RIGHT WHEN PUBLIC OFFICERS ARE COMPELLED TO PATRONISE

NIGERIAN

HOSPITALS Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, three years ago, that out of 65,000 doctors registered in Nigeria, only 25, 000 or roughly 30 percent were practising in the country. Enabulele said doctors were travelling out of the country alarmingly because of deficiencies in the country’s unflattering healthcare system Worse still, even those of them that stay behind to practice do so with scant commitment to the country and the dictates/ethics of their calling. About three months back, we recall, the Chief Medical Director of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Oyo State, Professor Temitope Alonge, disclosed that Nigerian doctors contributed largely to the current challenges facing the nation’s health sector.

As a keynote speaker at the inauguration of the Tri-State Heart and Cardiovascular centre at the Babcock University, Ilisan- Remo, Ogun State, Alonge was quoted as saying

ON THIS DAY December 15, 1976 An oil tanker, MV Argo Merchant, ran aground near Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States, causing one of the worst marine oil spills in history. The vessel was a Liberian-flagged oil tanker built by Howaldtswerke in Hamburg, Germany in 1953. Throughout the vessel’s troubled past, she was involved in more than a dozen major shipping mishaps, including two other groundings in Indonesia, Sicily and a collision in Japan.

that many medical doctors had turned the profession into conduits to milk many unsuspecting patients; and the country by extension, in the name of medical tourism abroad.

He said such doctors turned themselves into businessmen and women by using their certificates to pursue overseas treatment for patients that could be treated successfully at home, in order to collect huge sums of money as rebate from foreign hospitals they refer patients to. Some of them, Alonge says, make as much as N5 million as commission on every 10 patients they refer to Indian hospitals for renal or cardiovascular- related diseases, for example.

It is, nonetheless, baseless blaming doctors in dire need of job opportunities, encouraging remuneration, wellequipped, decent and hospitable working environment.

Reversing the trend, therefore, implies that the government at all levels should be more responsive and responsible by fixing Nigerian hospitals. But it would seem this can only be gotten right when public officers are compelled to patronise Nigerian hospitals, instead of travelling abroad at the slightest opportunity to tuck in their bloated tummies.

December 15, 2010 A boat carrying 90 asylum seekers crashed into rocks off the coast of Christmas Island, Australia, killing 48 people. But 42 survivors were rescued. At about 6.30 a.m. local time, the boat laden with the asylum seekers, mostly from Iraq and Iran, collided with rocks at ‘Flying Fish Cove’ and was smashed against the nearby cliffs, complicating rescue attempts. For about one hour, the boat was washed back and forth away from the cliff.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

SIM card registration firms lack capacity –NATCOM chief 22

Airports’ infrastructure projects to gulp $30bn –Stakeholders 21

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19

Real Estate Finance Culture War 2 –Women and Home 26 Ownership AIRLINES’ FLIGHT SCHEDULES Med-View Airline

Analysing fuel scarcity syndrome from its political dimensions Despite the efforts of the government, the nation’s prolonged fuel scarcity has not subsided.

UDEME AKPAN, who has been monitoring the problem in the past few months, in this analysis reports that the development has entered the realm of politics as oil marketers seek to get their outstanding subsidies paid at all cost before the end of each financial year.

W

hen the bell that ushered in the current fuel scarcity started to toll about two months ago, there were no strong indications that it would last for a very long time.

First, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, promised to pump more supplies to the domestic market.

The Executive Director, Commercial of the Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, Mr. Justine Ezeala, had indicated that 1.4 billion litres of petrol were

available for distribution. Ezeala had maintained that as part of measures to tackle the scarcity, PPMC had increased the volume of petrol being trucked out to fuel stations across major cities in the country, adding that most of the 37 NNPC Retail Mega Stations across the country have been directed to commence 24-hour service.

“NNPC Retail has 513 retail outlets all over the country and the strategy is that every one of these stations is designed to have prod-

We need to put in place fool proof measures to ensures that stations across the nooks and crannies of the country are wet to guarantee easy access at government approved rates even as the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have been directed to ensure strict compliance to the N87 per litre regime at all filling stations

ucts at all times. In addition we have decided that most of the mega stations will adopt 24 hours operation model and where for security reasons that cannot be met, we are going to have extended hours of operation in such location starting from 5am and end till about 10 p.m daily,” he said.

Second, the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR had threatened to sanction operators involved in illegal activities, including hoarding, diversion and arbitrary pricing of the product.

It stated: “The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) wishes to inform the General Public that it has set up a 24 hours surveillance monitoring team of petrol stations nationwide to ensure unhindered sale of petroleum products at government regulated prices.

This is in response to reported cases of panic buying in some Petrol Stations across the country.

“The DPR wishes to state that the current stock level of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in depots nationwide is about 365million litres and we are also expecting over 800million seaborne litres to be discharged before the end of the week. This translates to a stock level for thirty (30) days’ supply.’’

“To further ensure the supply of products, DPR has fast tracked the grant of product import permits and vessel clearing process to aid rapid stock build up for importers. We hereby appeal to all Depots and Petroleum Product Retail Outlets nationwide to ensure that products are sold at government regulated price as the DPR will not hesitate to enforce CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Lagos- Abuja (Mon-Fri): 07.00, 08.50, 12.00, 16.30. Abuja- Lagos (Mon-Fri): 09.00, 14.00, 15.00, 18.30. Lagos-Yola (Mon-Fri): 8.50am. Yola-Lagos (Mon-Fri): 13.00. Lagos- PHC (Mon-Fri): 17.00. PHC-Lagos: 19.00. Abuja-Yola: 11.00. Yola-Abuja: 13.00.

Lagos-Abuja (Sat): 08.00, 08.50.

Abuja-Lagos (Sat): 10.00, 15.00.

Lagos-PHC (Sat): 17.00. PHC-Lagos (Sat): 19.00. Lagos-Yola (Sat): 08.50. Yola-Lagos (Sat): 13.00

Dana Air Abuja-Lagos 9am, 1pm, 5.28pm daily Lagos-Abuja 7am, 11am, 1.23pm,3.30pm daily Lagos-PH: 7.20AM, Ph-Abuja9.54am, Abuja-ph: 3.30pm and Ph-Lagos: 5.28pm daily Lagos-Uyo: 9.20am, Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am, Abuja-Uyo 1.05pm, Uyo-Lagos: 3pm daily Weekends Lagos-Abuja: 7.02am, 9am, 3.30pm Abuja-Lagos: 9am, 2.20pm and 5.28pm Lagos -Phc: 11.07am Phc-Lagos: 1.05pm Phc-Abuja: 12.51pm Abuja-Phc: 10.50am Lagos-Uyo: 9.18am Uyo-LOS -3.03pm Uyo-Abuja: 11.07am Abuja-Uyo: 1.05pm

Aero Contractors Lag-Abj: 06.50, 13.30, 16.30, 19.45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun), 12.30 (Sun) 16.45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07.30, 13.00, 19.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat, 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 (Sun, 18.30 Sat) Lag-Benin: 07.45, 11.00, 15.30 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun) 12.30 (Sun 15.30 (Sat) Ben-Lag: 09.15, 12.30, 17.00 (Mon-Fri/Sat/Sun) 17.00 (Sat) 14.00 (Sun)Lag-Owe: 7.45am, 2pm daily

20

Business News

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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Analysing fuel scarcity syndrome from its political dimensions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

necessary sanctions against any erring marketer. The General Public is hereby advised not to engage in panic buying as there is adequate supply of petroleum Products nationwide,’’ the Department added.

But investigations showed that the scarcity lasted mainly because oil marketers are using it as a strategy to attract strong commitment from the Federal Government. In order words, it was reliably gathered that the marketers felt the settlement of their subsidies would be delayed till 2016 if the scarcity is not sustained to attract much attention.

A survey showed that most of the stations under-utilised their facilities in selling fuel to users. For instance, many of them with commercial stocks use only one or two pumps in dispensing the product to motorist and other users, thus causing long queues to emerge in their stations.

The scarcity has also been fuelled by other factors, especially pipeline vandalism. Available data showed that a total of 531 million litres of petrol valued at over N50 billion was lost to pipeline vandals between January and September, 2015, at the problematic System 2B Pipeline network which stretches from the Atlas Cove in Lagos to Ilorin.

In a presentation to the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, Managing Director of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, PPMC, a subsidiary of the NNPC, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, indicated that the losses which accrued from the incessant hacking of the pipeline at the Arepo to Mosimi axis of the pipeline artery has made the task of providing seamless flow of petroleum products to retail outlets more burdensome.

Nnamdi-Ogbue maintained that despite the challenge posed by the unavailability of the vital System 2B Pipeline network, the PPMC has continued to ensure that the country remains wet with petrol through massive truck-out from depots in Lagos, Oghara and recently Calabar. The managing director noted that the spirited efforts made so far by the Corporation to entrench zero fuel queues across the country were hampered by the activities of some unscrupulous marketers involved in hoarding, sharp practices and diversion of petroleum products for sale in black markets across the country.

Consequently, much was not experienced until the NNPC and DPR adopted much drastic measures to ensure fuel gets to consumers at the N87 government regulated price through the engagement of the Department of State Services, DSS and Economic and the Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The engagement of the security agencies is also meant to assist in the monitoring of nationwide fuel truck-out to retail outlets. The NNPC assured that it was doing everything possible to normalize the fuel supply and distribution situation.

The Group Executive Director Com-

Adeosun

Kachikwu

mercial and Investment of the Corporation, Dr. Babatunde Adeniran, said any marketers found wanting in the sale of petroleum products including the NNPC Retail outlet dealers, would be sanctioned appropriately.

Adeniran maintained that there would be no sacred cows as the Corporation was working round the clock by supplying sufficient petroleum products to marketers to ensure that Nigerians enjoyed a yuletide season without the pain of fuel queues.

“We must all make sure that petroleum products get across to Nigerians at the regulated price especially as the yuletide season approaches. We have enough products and we want to plead with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) not to be involved in the diversion of petroleum products in order to avoid causing untold hardship to motorists,” Adeniran enjoined.

However, Kachikwu has re-assured Nigerians that the current fuel scarcity would not roll over to the yuletide.

Kachikwu who was on a tour of depots in Lagos made the remark during a visit to Nipco affirmed that December is a critical month in term of the demand for product to enable movement across the country.

“We need to put in place fool proof measures to ensures that stations across the nooks and crannies of the country are wet to guarantee easy access at government approved rates even as the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) have been directed to ensure strict compliance to the N87 per litre regime at all

filling stations.”

The Minister expressed concern and indeed apologized to the populace on the current scarcity but noted that all hands are on deck to address the monster. Acknowledging the support of Nipco especially with her commencement of product imports, Kachikwu implored other marketers to follow suit as all pending obligations to them in the realm of subsidy payments, and other ancillary commitments.

The Minister commended the efforts of NIPCO so far referring to the company as a Nigerian investment sitting on a Nigerian soil adding “we need to rally round the company and support her in the overall interest of the nation and its populace” NIPCO has already imported 37 million liters of petrol even when most marketers had shun importation owing to the outstanding subsidy claims of over N413 billion which although government had approved but is yet to be appropriated by the National Assembly for payment The Managing Director of NIPCO, Mr. Venkataraman Venkatapathy, indicated that the company had remained an ally of government in ensuring product availability across the country through its depot operations and branded stations and independent marketer’s outlets who load in the terminal.

He noted that pricing of petroleum products at its depot had always been at the government approved depot rates adding that concerted efforts are also made to ensure that only registered

the settlement of the outstanding claims was very critical to the survival

of the downstream sector of the nation’s

petroleum industry, adding that the huge indebtedness has affected the capacity of marketers to import fuel into the nation

marketers with verifiable outlets load in the company.

Venkatapathy implored government to look into the area of gas especially in the realm of Compressed Natural Gas as vehicular fuel as such feat will save the nation and the citizenry hiccups always experienced in the importation of liquid fuels .

This has attracted comments of some stakeholders.

The Executive Secretary of Major Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Mr. Femi Olawore indicated that the settlement of the outstanding claims was very critical to the survival of the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum industry, adding that the huge indebtedness has affected the capacity of marketers to import fuel into the nation.

Olawore observed that fuel importation is a collective responsibility that should not be left for NNPC alone.

The Chairman of International Energy Services Limited, Dr. Diran Fawibe, indicated that the nation should look beyond massive fuel importations.

He made a strong case for the construction of new refineries as the importation has assisted other nations to create many multiplier effects, especially employment and capacity building while creating massive unemployment and abject poverty in Nigeria.

But many local and foreign investors would not likely invest as the sector is still regulated by the Federal Government. Consequently, the government has been tasked to deregulate the sector in order to attract much local and foreign capital. The Executive Director of Spaces for Change, Mrs. Victoria Ohaeri, said the expected investment would not be realised without the passage of the nation’s Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB into law.

Be that as it may, Nigerians are waiting to see the options the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration will adopt not only to tackle the scarcity but also several issues in the downstream sector of the nation’s petroleum industry.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

21

Airports’ infrastructure projects to gulp $30bn –Stakeholders Olusegun Koiki

F

or Nigerian airports to boast of infrastructure standards as obtain in leading airports globally, experts have projected that at least $30 billion would be required to put in place the necessary operational facilities within the next 30 years.

This is as stakeholders in the nation’s aviation industry emphasized that high interest rate on loans would continue for a long time as long as commercial banks remained the primary source of financing critical projects in the country.

Speaking at the first anniversary colloquium Nigeria Travel Mart.com, stakeholders in the sector decried that Nigeria had poor infrastructure and planning to grow the sector.

The Vice President, Revenue Management, Porter Airlines, Toronto, Canada, Mr. Chris Amenechi in his paper, ‘Aviation 2045 in Nigeria – The way forward,’ identified poor record of security, safety, infrastructure, regulation, government policy, high operating costs and low patronage as some of the challenges bedeviling players in the sector, despite the many opportunities in the sector.

Amenechi explained that the Nigerian aviation industry had significant commercial and infrastructure advantage, adding that the sector in the nation had the

potential to drive significant export and income through visionary leadership utilising natural talent.

But, lamented that leadership in the country in the past 30 years had not been consistent or visionary enough to drive the sector to achieve all its potential.

He insisted that with the injection of $30 billion dollars in the next 30 years, the sector would deliver a world class industry and fuel the nation’s economic growth.

The industry player hinted that with such funds, aviation in the country would cater for over 200 million passengers a yearly, creates world class airports that are intermodal hubs, ensures robust general and recreational aviation industry, made Nigeria as a preferred aviation investment destination, Nigeria as a top 10 source of world class aviation talent and put Nigeria as a top 10 global aviation gateway among others.

He explained: “The industry spans the breadth of airlines, airports, intermodal transport infrastructure, maintenance and overhaul, hospitality, tourism, technology, manufacturing, distribution, airway infrastructure, cargo/logistics and defense among others.

“The aviation industry can be one of the triggers to drive the nation’s economy by this and subsequent administration. The previous missteps have left it mori-

ACI commences FAAN’s staff training on airport safety, others Olusegun Koiki

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irports Council International, ACI, has begun the training of the staff of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, following the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, it reached with the agency.

A statement issued by the General Manager, Corporate Communications, FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati, recalled that the Managing Director of FAAN, Engr. Saleh Dunoma and President of ACI, Angela Gittens had recently signed an MoU on the partnership.

Dati hinted that the training, which is being conducted by Mr. Kevin Cooper courtesy of ACI and taking place in Lagos and Abuja, would draw beneficiaries from the two airports.

He explained that the subsidised training was offered by ACI, following the successful participation of the Lagos and Abuja staff in the Airport Excellence, Apex, review exercise, with a proviso that participants of the trainings were pre-determined by the Apex Safety team.

The training modules, which included, Global Safety Network, GSN 1, Safety Management Systems, aimed at a comprehensive review of the Safety Management Systems, SMS, and offering of understanding on correct implementation of the airport environment.

“The course also offered the essential guidance on establishing, implementing and enhancing SMS. GSN 2, which deals with airside safety and operations, provides an overview of all aspects of airside safety and operations.

bund for the most part so it is not a surprise Nigeria is lagging behind among its peers.”

The Chief Executive Officer, , Kitari Consult Limited, Ali Magashi said that unlike in other climes, commercial banks remained the only

source of sourcing financing for the sector, saying that this does not augur well for aviation development.

He noted that poor credit rating, high interest rate, over-regulated financial system, over regu-

lation and expensive procedures by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, on impending start-ups, poor and hostility business environment and exploitation by NCAA through multiple inspections of aircraft.

L-R: Mr Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chairman, Dangote Group; Mr Gbenga Oyebode, Former Chairman, Access Bank Plc and Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, President, the Nigerian Stock Exchange at the Celebratory Dinner in honour of Mr Oyebode who retired from the Board of Access Bank Plc recently in Lagos.

Lagos reviews pension payment to deceased employees’ families Isaac Asabor

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he Lagos State Government is reviewing payment of an additional 20 percent of accruable rights to the family of a deceased staff apart from the basic entitlements under the State Pension Law 2007.

The move is intended to provide solace and ameliorate the hardship that may arise in the event of the death of a Lagos State staff while in active service, According to a statement issued by the State Ministry of Finance, the proposal is part of effort by the present administration to provide succor and ameliorate the effect in case of death of a staff while in active service on family members and relatives.

In addition, the State Government has also extended the Acci-

dent Insurance policy for all its employees to cover accidental acts during the active service years of the concerned staff regardless of the period of occurrence including weekends, unlike in the past where the policy was only accessible to staff who were injured during working days and hours.

The state government assured that it would continue to play the lead role in prioritizing the welfare of all those in its employees while in active service and will make provision for commensurate financial welfare and succor for them in case of unexpected occurrences while on duty.

It would be recalled that the Lagos State Pension Reform Law 2007 stipulates that the life insurance policy will be

made mandatory for employees through the appropriate insurance company to pay money that is up to three years basic emoluments of the concerned staff, comprising of Basic Salary, Housing Allowance and Transport Allowance as benefits for the relative in case of an employee’s death while in service.

The Lagos State Pension Reform Law 2007 stipulates that the life insurance policy will be made mandatory for employees through the appropriate insurance company to pay money that is up to three years basic emoluments of the concerned staff, comprising of Basic Salary, Housing Allowance and Transport Allowance as benefits for the relative in case of an employee’s death while in service.

Beneficiaries laud Airtel’s education support Isaiah Erhiawarien

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utstanding students in the 2015 Unified Tertiary Matriculations Examinations (UTME), who were honoured at the maiden edition of the Pass.ng Excellence Awards, have lauded Airtel Nigeria, and the exams preparatory and e-testing platform, Pass.ng for contributing to the success in their education.

The 10 students, Joshua Ani, Faith Bamidele, Segun Popoola, Benjamin Alegbeleye, Abiodun Wasiu, Prince Andrew, Abdulrazak Lawal, Ekpunobi Nzube, Jomiloju

Ojewale and Blessed Omoghene, were all presented with brand new laptops at the awards event.

They noted that the Pass.ng app made available on Airtel network enabled them to prepare adequately for their examinations and it contributed to their outstanding performance in the 2015 UTME. Joshua Ani, who is studying Economics at the University of Lagos thanked “God for everything, and I say a sincere thank you to the team of scholars at Pass.ng. I appreciate all your efforts for exposing the secret of the great UTME. Keep on with the good work of

excellence.”

Abdulrazak Lawal, a 100 level Law student of University of Ilorin, said he came across a link which he opened only to see the home page of Pass.ng saying, “I took the JAMB tests every other day till I did my exam and came out in flying colours. I thank the people behind this idea.“

Mrs. Elizabeth Alegbeleye, mother of one of the outstanding students, Benjamin Alegbeleye, commended the network provider for making the preparation and examination easier for students.

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Business News

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SIM card registration firms lack capacity Airbus revs up operations to meet 2015 delivery target –NATCOM chief Isaiah Erhiawarien

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he President of National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria, NATCOMS, Mr. Deolu Ogunbanjo, has blamed the slow pace of SIM card registration across the country on the low capacity of the companies engaged for the exercise by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. The NATCOMS’ boss, who made this disclosure during an exclusive interview with National Mirror, noted that the companies failed to appoint qualified agents to conduct the exercise.

According to him, the inability of the agents to ask the right questions from subscribers, some of who are illiterates, accounted for the slowdown of the exercise and more particularly, the hitches being experienced by both telecom operators and subscribers on voice calls and messages on daily basis.

Ogunbanjo, who confirmed that he personally monitored the exercise in Lagos while other subscribers were assigned to monitor the exercise in different parts of the country, said the SIM card registration exercise was further compounded by NCC’s order to telecoms to disconnect subscribers without appreciating the challenges millions of them were going through in their efforts to register their numbers.

He said: “Concerning the uncompleted SIM card registration, it is rather unfortunate that since the NCC engaged the seven companies to do the SIM card

registration they could not perform.These seven companies did not follow due diligence when they engaged their SIM card registration agents.

“They actually got a lot of them engaged but in the course of doing their job, the agents rather than asking the subscribers to answer all the questions required to fill the SI card registration they were asking just a few questions, in fact the biometric that they captured were not complete. What I discovered was that most the facial capturing and the finger thumb that they did were not properly done.

“Also the mobile operators engaged their own agents, unfortunately they also did not follow due diligence just like the NCC engaged agents. So both NCC and the network operators did not follow due diligence in the conduct of the exercise and that was what has brought us to where we are now.

“We have expected that when the NCC noticed that the exercise was not properly done, it should have asked the subscribers to go to the nearest service centre of the operator to complete the registration. But instead, it instructed the mobile operators to disconnect the subscribers without due notice to the subscriber”, the NATCOMS chief added According to him, it is the responsibility of the NCC and the operators to sort out the issue of improperly registered SIM card, adding that it is not for the operator alone as the NCC has done.

He advised that regulator and the operators should work out a way to ensure that the subscribers do not suffer.

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irbus Group SE may struggle to meet its goal of delivering more jetliners this year than it did in 2014, after the shipment of 556 planes through November left it needing to hand over at least 74 this month.

The European planemaker must accelerate output by 24 aircraft, or almost 50 percent, in December compared with the average for the first 11 months in order to meet the target set last January, according to calculations based on delivery and order numbers released Monday.

Airbus’s latest A350 model, which had its first handover in December 2014, achieved only 10 deliveries in the 11 months plus one more last week, leaving it four short of the manufacturer’s full-year target. Spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said the Toulouse, France-based company is still aiming to hand over 15 A350s this year and that employees are focused on meeting targets.

While the fourth quarter tends to be heaviest for deliveries, it’s unusual to have so many planes

outstanding by the first week of December, said Richard Aboulafia, vice president of Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia. Christmas holidays will also begin to eat into production capacity later in the month.

“Part of the problem may be the completion of interiors, especially on the seat front,” Aboulafia said.

Zodiac Aerospace of France fell 6,000 seats behind schedule at the peak of delays, and Fabrice Bregier, who heads Airbus’s planemaking unit, said in October that suppliers are struggling to cope with a production ramp-up on the A350 that’s slated to see 30 planes built in 2016.

On the order front, Airbus has already beaten its goal of racking up deals for more new planes in 2015 than the 630 it had anticipated handing over, with agreements in place to supply a net 1,007 aircraft as of the end Nov. 30.

That’s also opened up a wide lead over Boeing, which had attracted 568 new orders, net of cancellations, as of Dec. 2.

Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund records Profit for Q4

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orway’s $842 billion sovereign wealth fund says it will bounce back from the losses it suffered in the second and third quarters as a bid to dump bonds and raise stakes in equities and property pays off.

The fund “has been reducing dramatically” its bond holdings over the past five years, Yngve Slyngstad, its chief executive officer, said in an interview in Paris on Tuesday.

While the fund sees “a challenging investment environment” ahead of next week’s Federal Reserve decision, a strategy L-R: Former President, Institute of Directors (IOD), Femi Ekundayo; the Institute’s President, , Yemi Akeju and Chair- of selling bonds paid off at the man, Keystone Bank Limited, Moyo Ajekigbe, during the Annual IOD 2015 Dinner/Award, where Ajekigbe received end of this year. “We have got Director Development Award in Lagos last weekend. everything we lost in the third quarter back in the fourth quarter -- so it’s going to be another positive year for the fund.” we want to be in the position to help reduce the high rate of The investor posted its biggest REGINA OTOKPA poverty and unemployment, by produce many of the things that loss in four years last quarter as n its efforts to diversify the creating an enabling environ- we import today because we beChinese stocks and the prospect lieve that will help us to create economy, the Federal Gov- ment for local production of of a U.S. rate increase wiped trilernment at the weekend goods presently imported into job for our people and also help lions of dollars off the value of hinted of ongoing plans to ad- the country. To achieve this, the us to create wealth so as to help global markets. The fund also had vance technological develop- minister expressed the readi- reduce the rate of poverty. a loss in the second quarter, its “In the ministry we have ment through its technology ness of the Federal Government first in three years, amid falling transfer promotion initiative. to collaborate and provide a soft technology transfer promotion global debt and equity markets.

Disclosing this at a meeting landing for countries willing to initiative, this initiative is to Against that backdrop, the with the Ambassador of Spain transfer relevant information help us fast track technology defund has long argued in favor of velopment and we will be very to Nigeria, Alfonso Sabastin, the about their technology. being allowed to expand the asMinister of Science and TechHe said: “We are very happy happy if Spanish companies set classes in which it invests. In nology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said that our trade relations through can come into Nigeria to make a letter to the Finance Ministry that the initiative would kick Ministry of Science and Tech- money, the opportunity is there published on Tuesday, it sought off in 2016. nology is working to diversify but also to help transfer technolpermission to invest as much as According to him, this would the economy of Nigeria and ogy knowledge to Nigerians.

FG to adopt technology transfer for growth

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5 percent of its portfolio in infrastructure. It also wants to double its real estate allocation to 10 percent.

While the fund has the backing of a government-appointed expert group on its infrastructure request, its real estate goal was shot down by the same group.

The Finance Ministry is due to make a decision in the spring of next year, it said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the investment climate continues to be difficult.

Negative interest rates “in many countries” are posing challenges to the fund’s investment strategy, Slyngstad said.

“It has become a new reality that all investors have to be thinking about in considering how to position themselves,” he said.

“What we have been doing is reducing our bond holdings and increasing our holdings in equities and real estate and that may well continue.”

The fund, which has grown more than six-fold amid a boom in oil prices over the past decade, is facing a new era with state cash injections set to end as early as next year. Budget documents released in October showed the government will withdraw about $440 million next year as it uses up all its direct oil revenue to cushion the economy from a slump in crude prices.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Real Estate & Environment Stakeholders set priority areas for new Environment Minister The appointment of Hadjia Amina Mohammed as Environment Minister has raised the bar of expectations in the sector, but stakeholders believe her experience and exposure working in the sustainable development circles may not translate to much in growing the sector except she brings it to bear on addressing the myriad of environmental challenges in the country. Olufemi Adeosun writes.

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he appointment of Amina Mohammed as the Minister of Environment by President Muhammadu Buhari has not only been described by sector’s analysts as desirable for moving the sector forward, it has, however, come with burden of expectations from all stakeholders.

According to environment experts, the expectations of a magic wand from this sustainable development expert are not misplaced given her level of exposure as a one-time Senior Special Assistant to the Nigerian President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Special Adviser on post-2015 development planning Mohammed to the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

While viewing her appointment as a practical demonstration of the com- el rise in the coastal areas, and erosion An environment enthusiast and mitment of the present administra- in the south-east, would determine her chief executive officer, Connected tion to bringing environment issues level of success in the all-important Development(CODE), Mr. Hamzat Lato the front-burner of socio-economic sector. wal, commended the President for the development, the stakeholders enjoined the new minister to justify the m quite excited that for the confidence reposed in her by setting achievable targets for the environfirst time after so many years ment in the short, medium and short we now have a technocrat as an run.

For instance, they urged her to imenvironment minister owever mediately set out plans, backed up we need to see actions geared with appropriate institutional framework, that would help in addressing towards popularizing climate the various environmental challenges confronting the nation. According to education so that communities them, the way she handles the issue of can take ownership of it desertification which is threatening the livelihood of millions of people in overtime the northern part of the country and as well as curtail the issues of sea lev-

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NIESV inducts new members, harps on professionalism 26

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200 countries adopt ‘Historic’ Paris climate deal 27

choice of Amina Mohammed as the environment minister, noting that it was the first time in the annals of the nation that a technocrat would be appointed to man the ministry.

On his expectations from the minister, he stated,” I’m quite excited that for the first time after so many years, we now have a technocrat as an environment minister. However, we need to see actions geared towards popularizing climate education so that communities can take ownership of it overtime.

“Also, now the we have a global binding climate deal as an exciting outcome from Paris COP21 and seeing “madam minister” at the fore front shaping the discussions that inspired a concrete CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Emirates unveils ‘United for Wildlife’ Airbus 27

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Tuesday, December 18, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Stakeholders set priority areas for new Environment Minister CONTINUED FROM 25

outcome, it is time we held a national COP (Conference of People, not even parties in this case) in Nigeria to set priorities and timelines in achieving them. Also, we need to see synergy between government MDAs, private sector, academia, media, youth, civil society groups, women groups, farmers, indigenous vulnerable groups coming together to tackle the impact of climate change being championed under the leadership of our brand new minister.

Hamzat, who is also a co-founder of “Follow the Money”, a fiscal discipline advocacy group, warned that the minister would need to urgently investigate the controversies trailing the N9.2billion clean cookstoves intervention programme designed for rural women to curb indoor air pollution and desertification arising from indiscriminate felling of trees for domestic purposes.

According to him, getting to the root of the matter with a view to making the intervention programme achieve its set goals would build more confidence in her leadership to ensure transparency and accountability moving forward on all the activities of her ministry.

He also called on the minister to put in place policies that would promote green investment, noting that the people want to see international partnership around investments in clean and renewable energy which can create sustainable jobs for our teeming young people who are currently unemployed.

Hamzat clarified: “Climate change has hampered the achievement of vision 2020 and if not urgently and appropriately addressed, it would also hamper Nigeria in achieving the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Madam minister should see the Environment Ministry as the most important sector that would address most, if not all our social vices as a vibrant Environment Ministry would create an enabling environment and a level ground for social, economic, political progressions which would in turn lead and inspire other sectors to fall in line towards achieving real and tangible change.

“Her greatest allies should be the media as it would provide her a platform to popularise her programmes and reach every Nigerian, most importantly our grass roots who are most vulnerable. Timely and adequate information is key for policy decisions and actions as it shapes sustainability and ownership by all”, the environmentalist added.

In his views, Chief Executive, Charity Aid and Development Foundation for Africa, Mr. Patric Tolani, stressed that under the new minister, Nigerians would want the country to begin to domesticate some of the agreement

reached with the rest of the world.

He added, “This is a very important ministry especially given the developments in the International parlance regarding the obligation of countries to meet their carbon emission reduction targets. A lot is going on in the international environment which many Nigerians are not aware of. I expect this ministry to downgrade our obligations from the level of fantasy to reality.

“The truth is, global warming is a reality. For developing countries, we are not only contributing to the devastation of the environment, which is probably inevitable given our level of development; but in case the level of degradation of the plant and animal life continues with the attendant cata-

strophic events, we are the least prepared to mitigate the impact of such occurrences.”

For the minister to make the desired impact, the grassroots development expert, urged the her to establish a good rapport with other relevant ministries, stressing that environment is a cross-cutting issue that needs the cooperation of other sectors to succeed.

“The minister must be able to work with her colleagues in ministries such as power, housing, oil and gas to extract their commitment to mainstream environmental issues into their project planning and execution framework.

“Although the implementation of the Renewable Energy and Efficiency policy sits with the Ministry of Power

The need to start benefiting from the requisite credits from carbon reduction projects has become very urgent as well.

This will help the

country to drive more resources into the country and also give the international community the insight into the commendable efforts we are making to promote carbon emission reduction programmes in the country

Commissioning of Bank of Industry-funded Solar power project in Osun State... recently

as the lead agency; I strongly believe that the Minister of Environment should take the bull by the horns and ensure that more is done to achieve the target that we have set for ourselves in deploying more non-fossil fuel powered energy projects in the country.

“The need to start benefiting from the requisite credits from carbon reduction projects has become very urgent as well. This will help the country to drive more resources into the country and also give the international community the insight into the commendable efforts we are making to promote carbon emission reduction programmes in the country,” he noted.

He also advised the minister to recalibrate the perception that the public hold about that ministry and give it a profile that would make the government and the public know the importance of the environment to reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development.

An Abuja based environmentalist, Mrs. Aisha Buba, wants the minister to mainstream the issue of gender into the environment beyond rhetoric, saying that all over the world, women and children are always the vulnerable groups in the event of any environmental hazard.

She also stressed the imperative of creation of awareness on the issues of environment, which according to her, would help to inculcate the culture of environment protection in the lives of the local dwellers, rather than spending huge amount of money on curative and bail-outs.

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Real Estate & Environment

NIESV inducts new members, harps on professionalism

MORTGAGE NOTES

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with Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja Email: Nike@MVPSolutionsinc.com https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=35277333

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Real Estate Finance Culture War 2 –Women and Home Ownership

wrote at length last time, about the mortgage finance industry needs to rethink the verbiage used in marketing its products, to help the consumer market get more comfortable, and therefore more willing to access mortgage finance.

This week I would like to discuss the challenges facing women in home ownership. While my primary focus is Nigeria, I am aware that the issues I will raise today apply to pretty much every “developing country” in today’s global system.

In several cultures worldwide, it is sad but true, that women are very much second class citizens. In fact, I would say women are third class citizens because a woman’s children have a say in her husband’s family, while she does not. This is the concept of the “chattel wife” as seen over and over again in our system.

We have a system where a woman goes through years of education and multiple degrees, attains the highest levels in her career, and works as hard, if not harder than most of her colleagues, yet when she steps into her husband’s family home, she becomes almost nothing more than a shadow–seen and not heard. Her CEO status is taken off at the door along with her shoes, and her place until she leaves at the end of the day, is in the kitchen.

In several societies, a woman cannot own property, or even accept employment, without her husband’s permission. Again, the traditional role of the woman has been to give up her natural impulses to achieve at the highest levels available to her, in deference to the traditional notion that she has no rights or privileges beyond those magnanimously ascribed to her by her husband. Young women are advised not to be too successful, and if they are successful, not to live a life commensurate with their level of achievement, because driving a Mercedes Benz or owning a luxury apartment would “intimidate” would-be suitors, and doom her to the “horror” of never getting married.

Nowhere is this travesty more apparent than in the area of home ownership. It is amazing that in 2015, with the world class education and access to enlightenment in our society, a woman (traditionally) still has no ownership in her own marital home. We still have a system where, upon a man’s death, his wife is forcibly ejected from the home

she shared with her spouse, (in several cases, along with her children), and the husband’s family takes over the property.

The saddest part of this is that, though very few men will admit it; these women had actually supported their spouses throughout the construction of the property, contributing both in cash and in kind towards it. As if that would not be devastating enough, these families proceed to basically loot their deceased brother’s home, impounding any vehicle, clothing, jewellery and other items of value, with the assertion that it “belonged to their son’, as if the poor wife played no part whatsoever, in the husband’s economic growth.

It must be seen as a challenge for all of us, especially our new Minister for Housing, Attorney Babatunde Raji Fashola, a seasoned Legal Practitioner, and his housing team, to focus squarely on addressing this injustice. We must start to talk about the unfairness of this practice. We must start to recognize a woman’s right to have a spousal interest in her marital home at a level superior to his family’s interest. We must allow women, nay; we must EMPOWER women, to confidently seek to become home owners in their own right, should they so wish. With the advent of a much more robust lands registry, the notion of customary courts deciding such property matters should be widely discouraged, and what we call “Homestead Rights” must be established. A homestead right simply refers to a prima facie right of a spouse, to remain in the house she has shared with her husband (or the other way around). Even a mortgage lien is subordinate to a homestead right, and that right can only be waived with the written consent of the spouse. I am convinced that this would quickly contribute to the stabilization of women’s’ lives and homes after the devastation of the loss of their spouse.

One of the most efficient

ways to empower homebuyer purchases in women would be through the provision of Down Payment Assistance (DPA) funds.

In several countries, Down Payment Assistance is provided by the government to assist citizens with a portion of their down payment for an owner occupied loan, in those sections of the populace that a need to increase ownership is identified. A DPA is usually monetary in nature, and is provided on behalf of a home buyer that has completed some preapproval processes, especially homebuyer education and counselling, to reduce the amount she would have to come up with, as her portion of the funds to purchase the property she is interested in.

I have ALWAYS thought that I would absolutely LOVE to set up an NGO/Non Profit foundation, simply for this purpose. The need for such assistance is so obvious to me, that I am surprised the government has not done anything nationally on this matter. Our mothers should not be cast out on the streets, with the children they birthed during their marriage, simply because their husband is no more. This is immoral, inhumane, and should be roundly condemned anywhere it exists.

With all the hoopla about the “17 million housing deficit”, I would xxxxx have expected someone to realize that the number is not just made up of the male, but also includes the female gender of the population.

So please let us stop with the fake posturing and gimmicks, and actually address the areas of our system that need correction…and I would put it to you that not only would the real estate market see a large influx of new buyers, but we will have made provision for the widow and the orphan, which is a duty placed on all of us.

As usual, I welcome all comments on this article. I can be reached by email at nike@mvpsolutionsinc.com, on LinkedIn at Adenike Fasanya-Osilaja, and please follow me on Twitter @ NikeFinancePro.

ABOUT THE WRITER Fasanya-Osilaja a lawyer and mortgage expert has owned and operated Marvel Ventures Mortgage, Inc. (www.marvelmortgage.com), a Chicagobased Mortgage Brokerage Company since 2000 and has worked in the US Mortgage industry since 1996. She also consults and facilitates industryrequired activities, from set up of mortgage organisations to documentation, training and compliance.

he President of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), EVS James Olorugun has called on all estate surveyors and valuers across the country to up hold the tenets of professionalism in the course of discharging their duties to the clients.

Olorugun made the call during the 2015 Associates’ Induction Ceremony for 342 new inductees in Abuja.

He explained that practising the profession within the ambit of law would stand them out among other professions in the country.

The NIESV boss noted that the role of estate surveyors and valuers could not be neglected or substituted in the fight against corruption.

He faulted the decision of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to do away with the estate surveyors and valuers in the declaration of assets by public office holders as required by the law.

According to him, most of the assets declared by the owners were not the actual worth of the properties on ground, because they were not done by the professionals.

Delivering his keynote address, the former President of the NIESV, Emeka Eleh tasked the newly inductees and other members of the institution to

desist from sharp practices that would not safeguard the interest of real estate clients and other corporate organizations.

According to him, “This sector of our practice is obviously the one that has mostly put us in bad light in the public domain.

While it is known that the practice of agency is open to all as at now, it is also true that it is a sector that can easily set us apart from the quacks if our members will act professionally in their dealings.”

He informed that the institution had also put in place stringent processes and code of ethics which all members are meant to abide by to ensure discipline and adherence to professional ethics.

Eleh urged the new inductees to pursue more knowledge and specialize in distinct area of practice warning against the move of hurrying up to setup a one man business at the early stage of the profession.

“I urge you not to be in a hurry to immediately set up a one man shop, while this is your right, the market and your institution is gravitating towards mega firms and strong partnerships where members with multiple specialist competencies within the scope of the profession can team up to set up a practice as is done in Britain and other parts of the developed World,” he said.

Housing sector key to tackling youth unemployment –FHA

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he Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Professor Mohammed Al-Amin has stated the imperative of the housing sector the development of the nation,adding that the sector presents great opportunities for the realization of the youth employment objectives of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Al-Amin made this known in Abuja while receiving the Exemplary Leadership of Excellence Award conferred on him by the Arewa Youth Parliament.

He said the sector had about 78 housing related jobs that could take many of the nation’s unemployed youths off the streets.

The FHA boss however, lamented the current shortage of artisans in the various fields of the housing industry which he said had led to the continued importation of skilled personnel from neighbouring countries to take jobs that should be carried out by Nigerian youths.

He said the government would soon commence the implementation of its housing programme

and advised the youths to acquire the relevant skills to make them employable in the sector.

He said at the event held at the Authority’s headquarters in Abuja that the reform document prepared for the organization, rather than strengthen it for better performance had risked the Authority’s mandate especially that of social housing.

Al Amin said his Management team which came into office 12 months ago had succeeded in putting the FHA in the right direction and had effected a structural re-alignment of its operational system in line with international best practices and good corporate governance.

According to him, measures are also being introduced to block leakages, check corruption and ensure financial prudence.

He said the workforce had been re-organized in line with

the principles of service efficiency and improved productivity while computer automation in documentation and record keeping of the Authority’s assets was also introduced.

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200 countries adopt ‘Historic’ Paris climate deal …Pact flawed for imposing no sanctions on countries that fail to reduce emissions

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early 200 nations adopted the first global pact to fight climate change on Saturday, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that don’t.

Loud applause erupted in the conference hall outside Paris after French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius gavelled the agreement Saturday. Some delegates started crying. Others embraced.

The countries had been negoti-

ating the pact for four years after earlier attempts to reach such a deal failed.

This accord marks the first time all countries are expected to pitch in — the previous emissions treaty, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, only included rich countries. Canada signed on to Kyoto, but later backed out in 2011.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement calling the agreement “historic, ambitious and balanced.”

“Canadians can be proud of the

strong and positive role we played during these very important international negotiations to address one of the biggest challenges of our generation,” he said. “There is much tough work that still needs to be accomplished both at home and around the world to implement the agreement.”

He promised to meet with the premiers within the next 90 days.

“We will move towards a climate resilient economy, and we will invest in public transit, green infrastructure and clean technolo-

FROM LEFT: Retail Marketing Manager, Total Nigeria Plc, Henrietta Isokpan; Country Commercial Manager, DHL Express Nigeria, Olaniran Fafowora; Retail Manager, West Africa, DHL Express , Abiola Olaniyi, and Network Development Manager, Total Nigeria Plc , Maxence Bourgoing, at the Inauguration of Partnership Between DHL and Total Plc in Lagos recently.

gies to create new jobs and support our communities,” he said. “Internationally, we will provide significant support to help developing countries reduce their emissions and deal with the impacts of climate change.”

U.S. President Barack Obama hailed the accord reached as strong and historic, calling it the best chance to save the planet from the effects of global climate change.

“Today the American people can be proud because this historic tweeted: “History is made. For our children UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon called it “a monumental triumph for people and planet.”

“History will remember this day,” he said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the pact will “prevent the worst most devastating consequences of climate change from ever happening.”

“It’s a victory for all of the planet and for future generations,” he said.

Brazilian Environment Min-

E

said: “We welcome the efforts and commitment made by Emirates airline to combat the illegal wildlife trade. This is more than just an environmental issue.

The illegal wildlife trade is now recognized as a serious and organised transnational crime.

It drives corruption, is linked to money laundering and can damage economic development in many of the world’s poorest countries and communities.

It will take a concerted effort, involving not only effective deterrents against poaching and smuggling, and vigilance in policing

and punishing these crimes, but also efforts to increase consumer education to cut demand to protect these animals for the future.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Many animals, in particular African elephants, rhinos, tigers, and pangolins, are under extreme pressure because of an unprecedented spike in the illegal wildlife trade.

The world is in a global poaching crisis, and everyone has to do their part to stop this, before it is too late.

(Source -worldairlinenews.com)

espite improvements in the negative equity rate, mortgages are holding back housing market from full recovery, an investigation reveals.

The rate of negative equity among home owners dropped in the third quarter of 2015, according to the feelers.

It is revealed that a declining negative equity will allow some home owners, who are yet to refinance or have been waiting to sell before mortgage rates rise, which would likely happen soon.

According to the feelers, negative equity affects not just home owners, but entire markets where high rates of negative equity are slowing recovery.

COP 21 Solutions: Experts unveil DiyaOne as indoor air purifier

A

s global actions against climate change hotup, some experts have unveiled DiyaOne as the first neuro-inspired robot that can analyze and purify indoor air.

It was a major attraction at the “Solutions COP 21” exhibition held recently.

Diya One was showcased at the booths of the Institute National de la Protection Industrielle as well as the French’s multinational, ENGIE.

Ramesh Caussy presented his project during the “Breakthrough Night” dedicated to innovation.

Tagged, “the R2-D2 of climate change” by the international media due to its resemblance to the mythical Star Wars robot, DiyaOne was equipped with artificial intelligence. It moves around silently on its own, eliminating particulate and chemical pollution.

After analysing the compo-

(Source - .cbc.ca/news/world)

Negative equity causes lull in Nigeria’s housing market

Emirates unveils ‘United for Wildlife’ Airbus D mirates (Dubai) has revealed its first Airbus A380 wearing a special livery in support of United for Wildlife, a global collaboration that unites the efforts of the world’s leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

This livery features 6 wildlife species threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, and aims to raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and communicate the need for urgent action. #WhoseSideAreYouOn. Two massive Emirates A380 jets take to the skies this week, wearing special livery in support of United for Wildlife, a global collaboration that unites the efforts of the world’s leading wildlife charities in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.

The beautiful livery, featuring some of the planet’s wildlife threatened by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, aims to raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade and communicate the need for urgent action.

The Rt Hon The Lord Hague of Richmond, Chair of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce

agreement is a tribute to American leadership. Over the past seven years, we’ve transformed the United States into the global leader in fighting climate change,” Obama said.

He said the accord shows what is possible when the world stands as one, adding: “This agreement represents the best chance we have to save the one planet that we’ve got.”

Shortly after the deal was adopted, Canadian Environment Minister Catherine McKenna ister Izabella Teixeira added: “Today, we’ve proven that it’s possible for every country to come together, hand in hand, to do its part to fight climate change.”

The agreement, South African Environment Minister Edna Molewa said, “can map a turning point to a better and safer world.”

The deal now needs to be ratified by individual governments — at least 55 countries representing at least 55 per cent of global emissions — before taking effect in 2020.

sition of indoor air using integrated sensors, DiyaOne robot then purifies it with extreme precision. The robot also delivers other functions, such as reducing energy consumption and managing maintenance requests from occupants.

DiyaOne can work in museums, public buildings, schools and offices. Its abilities have been officially validated by the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment in France.

Negative equity is one of the most persistent reminders of the housing market crash. Home owners, who owe more on their mortgage than their homes worth cannot sell, which holds back markets from recovering.

This has remained a major barrier to full recovery in certain property markets. In Lagos for example, some home owners have less than 20 percent equity in their home and therefore cannot cover the cost of selling their home and buying another.

The improving rate means those people may be able to sell or refinance their homes before mortgage interest rates rise, as they are expected to do in the coming year.

Negative equity has become almost an afterthought in a handful of the nation’s hottest markets, but it is holding back the recovery in dozens of markets nationwide.

‘Despite steady declines in negative equity, many cities are still facing tight inventory, especially among entry level homes.

Those homes that are available are often not in demand and stay on the market for a long time.

This can be extremely frustrating for buyers and sellers alike, as they come face to face with the difficult side effects of negative equity.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Jobs & Career

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

23

Workers flaw FG’s, states’ stance on lower minimum wage Sylva Emeka-Okereke

U

neasy calm has taken over the nation’s labour sector as States and Federal Governments workers have threatened to down-tool, if their requests are not met.

While the state governments are battling their workers over payment or non-payment of the agreed N18, 000 minimum wages, the federal workers have read riot act to the Federal Government over the same minimum wages.

However, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has said that the review of national minimum wage is a constitutional matter that cannot be achieved by mere protest or agitations without recourse to the National Assembly.

Ngige, who was reacting to recent remarks by some state governors and the organized labour movement on the need for a review of the nation’s minimum wage from N18, 000 said both those who clamouring for the upward review of the minimum wage as well as those against it, cannot change the situation, unless there is another dialogue with the workers union and the National Assembly repeals the National Minimum Wage Act. Some state governors had complained that they lack the resources to pay the current 18,000 minimum wage, owing to dwindling resources, forcing the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, to reduce the amount as a way out of the economic challenges in some states.

It would be recalled that governors from the 36 states of the federation had agreed that with the poor state of the nation’s economy, they can no longer pay the N18, 000 minimum wages to workers.

The NGF at its meeting at the old banquet hall of the Presidential Villa last month announced that the dwindling prices of oil had drastically affected their states’ income.

The forum said that it has planned to hold a round-table meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to find a solution to the economic situation confronting the country.

However, this outburst has generated serious reactions from many Nigerians, who have kicked against the NGF’s decision to reduce the N18, 000 minimum wages being paid to Nigerian workers.

The NLC has since intensified its call on the Federal Government to increase the minimum wage of Nigerian workers, saying that workers can no longer cope with N18, 000 wages.

President of the NLC, Mr Ayuba Waba said that there is need for government to diversify from the oil-dependent economy, make electric-

Ngige

NLC President, Wabba

It is callous, it is unheard-of and a confirmation of total failure on the parts of those governors.

They don’t have any

other option, but to resign

ity stable as well as creating new jobs for the unemployed youths, rather than proposing a reduction in wages.

A former Vice President of the NLC, Issa Aremu has advised governors, who are not willing to sustain the N18, 000 minimum wages for workers to resign from office.

Aremu said such governors have no reason to lead the people or remain in office, urging them to resign as they can no longer carter for the workers.

Also, the Chairman of Committee for the Defence of Human Rights in Ogun State, Comrade Yinka Folarin, expressed his displeasure over the situation, describing it as ‘anti-people as well as betrayal of the confidence reposed in them.

In his own submission, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state contradicted the views of some of his colleagues, saying he would rather continue to put pressure on the rich to pay their taxes regularly, than reducing the salaries and wages of workers in the state.

The governor, who restated his opposition to reduction of workers’ salaries as being contemplated by the Governors Forum, advised state governments to look inwards to boost their internally-generated revenue to enable them maintain the N18, 000 minimum wages.

“You have to pay tax, they are telling me who are you? And I’m like I’m government and if you don’t pay who have houses in other coun-

tries; you pay your land use charge. And when you come to Edo, you think you can use bold face.

No, I squeeze you.

“If you don’t pay, we take you to court, we secure conviction and we send you to prison.

And we have secured convictions; we destroyed properties of rich people and they are excreting.

Well, this kind of excreting is not something that smells. We just squeeze the money out of their pockets’’, he stated.

Corroborating Oshiomhole’s statement, Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike said he would never be a party to the reduction of the minimum wage for workers as canvassed by the Governors’ Forum.

Wike said the state government will continue to pay salaries of workers regularly because the multiplier effect is critical to social stability.

According to him, “Rivers State will not be a party to the reduction of the minimum wage.

Rivers state will not reduce the minimum wage.

The state government will continue to pay the salaries of workers because we believe that the worker deserves his wage.”

He however noted that his administration is committed to workers’ welfare; hence it cleared outstanding three months salaries owed workers upon assumption of duty.

He pointed out that the state government also paid the six months pension arrears it inherited, saying non-payment of salaries in the past led to untold hardship to the people as most civil ser-

vants supported different strata of the society.

The governor said rather than reduce the minimum wage, government at all levels should work towards addressing the numerous developmental challenges facing the nation.

He said that it is high time political leaders stopped trading blames and focused on solving the problems facing the people.

“We must tackle our problems and stop playing games with the challenges facing our people’’, he stated while explaining that he has resolved to run an inclusive government because he believes that all political parties can contribute to the development of the state.

According to him, after election there is a need for people to close ranks in the interest of good governance and development.

He decried the mischief of members of the opposition APC during their protest march, saying it is unfortunate that they played politics with human lives.

Nigerian workers have also charged the Senate leadership to ensure that Nigerians are delivered from the shackles of poverty, which have resulted in large-scale corruption.

Reacting, the Chairman of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Mr Wole Shokunbi told the National Mirror that governors have no basis to reduce the minimum wages, saying instead what workers are demanding is the living wages.

Shokunbi, who works at state government’s media house, said the upward review of the minimum wage would go a long way to ameliorate the suffering of the Nigerian workers.

He however urged President Mohammadu Buhari to spearhead the upward review of the salaries, ensure the stability of the economy while also building capacity for Nigerian workers.

A Federal Government worker, who only gave his name as Ishaiku, urged the state and federal government to enhance the workers’ salaries to be able to get the best out of them, arguing that a depressed and dejected worker cannot give his or her best.

According to him, it is unthinkable that the minimum wage that workers had complained was not taking them home is what the state governments are saying they want to scale it down.

“It is callous, it is unheard-of and a confirmation of total failure on the parts of those governors. They don’t have any other option, but to resign’’, he stated.

Benin graduates urge FG to sustain GIS for job creation potential Isaac Asabor

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he Federal Government has been advised to sustain the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) in order to check the high level of graduates’ unemployment in the country.

Participants in the Federal Ministry of Finance sponsored three-day training in Benin, Edo State, made the appeal in their

separate testimonies at the workshop. Over 91 participants are taking part in Career Development and Entrepreneurship Training for GIS Interns.

The participants expressed optimism that continuation of the scheme would increase the chances of GIS beneficiaries to become self-reliant and employable in the saturated labour market.

They said aside the initial chal-

lenges encountered at their differentplaces of internship, “many of us have learnt to become selfconfident, self-reliant and ready to become employers of labour from our field experiences.’’

A participant, Mr Martin Eholo, a graduate of History, said he had already learnt how to grow palm seedlings from his farm house internship training experience.

Miss Judith Enabulele said although she read Economics, ``I have become proficient in computer programming and office management from my internship.’’

Earlier, Mr. Peter Papka, Project Director, Graduate Internship Scheme, Career Development and Entrepreneurship Training for Interns in the Federal Ministry of Finance, said the training would be beneficial.

According to him, the training is to evaluate the job market and the interns’ understanding of entrepreneurship development before their exit from the programme.

Papka said that government was optimistic that the participants had acquired skills and experience that would place them in a position to contribute meaningfully to national development.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Aviation

Stakeholders chart roadmap to aviation sector’s sustainable growth

Aviation experts and other stakeholders at a one-day seminar in Lagos last week noted that the Nigerian aviation industry was lagging behind at all fronts and proffered solutions to the myriad of problems the highly technical and capacity-intensive industry.

OLUSEGUN KOIKI writes.

U

nder-investment, decaying infrastructure, poor regulations, multiple taxations and policy summersaults have been identified as some of the major challenges confronting the Nigerian aviation industry.

Despite the Federal Government’s investments on equipment recently like the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria, TRACON, scheme at the cost of 66.5m Euros from the Thales of France, communication equipment, ongoing construction of five new terminals with the $500 million loans obtained from Chinese Government, re-modelling of 22 airports in two phases with billions of naira and granting of N300 billion intervention fund to the nation’s carriers, the entire Nigerian aviation industry is still lagging behind in several fronts.

Participants at the 1st anniversary colloquium organised by the Nigeria Travels Mart. com in Lagos last week with the theme: ‘Leapfrogging Nigeria Aviation to Match her Potentials,’ decried that the inability of succeeding governments in Nigeria to invest in concrete airport infrastructure, poor maintenance culture and short lifespan of the nation’s airlines had relegated the Nigeria aviation industry to the background.

Participants warned that if these trends were not changed, it could further deteriorate the existing poor safety records in the sector.

They however proffered solutions to the myriads of challenges militating against growth in the sector.

The Vice President, Revenue Management, Porter Airlines, Toronto, Canada in his paper ‘Nigeria 2045; Transforming Nigeria to be an aviation global leader, Mr. Chris Amenechi noted that each of Africa’s three major airport hubs is associated with a large, efficient stateowned carrier.

He mentioned South African Airlines in Johannesburg, Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, and Kenya Airways in Nairobi while another 17 of the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa continued to operate weak state-owned carriers in very small, protected markets.

Amenechi explained that those carriers survive heavily due to substantial government subsidies and often represented a considerable drain on public finances.

He observed that poor record of security and safety, infrastructure, poor regulation and government policy, high operating costs and low patronage are some of the challenges confronting the weak state-owned carriers.

He reiterated that development of the aviation industry in Africa would drive regional integration, intra-African business, trade, tourism as well as cultural exchange boost and mitigation of chronic transport problems faced by the 16 landlocked African countries.

Amenechi further hinted that the Nigerian aviation industry had significant commercial and infrastructure upside and had the poten-

L-R: Managing Director, Atlantic Aviation; Shaf Syed, Vice President, Revenue Management, Porter Airlines, Canada; Mr. Chris Amenechi, CEO Ropeways Transport Limited; Captain Dapo Olumide, Publisher/CEO Nigeriatravelsmart.com; Simon Tumba, Managing Director, MMA2; Christophe Penninck at the NigeriaTravelsMart.com, NTM, 1st anniversary colloquium held in Lagos recently.

The Avio Bridge at the international wing of Lagos airport ceased to function since 1985 and no one seems to be embarrassed about this. We have set mediocrity as the new benchmark for excellence and we have adjusted our minds to a new low tial to drive significant export and income through visionary leadership utilising natural talent.

He however decried that the leadership over the last 30 years had not been consistent or visionary enough, stressing that the previous missteps had left it moribund for the most part.

He maintained that for Nigerian aviation industry to move forward and fuel the nation’s economic growth, it required $30 billion for the next 30 years, representing $1 billion annually.

“The industry spans the breadth of airlines, airports, intermodal transport infrastructure, maintenance and overhaul, hospitality, tourism, technology, manufacturing, distribution, airway infrastructure, cargo and logistics and defense.

“Nigerian aviation requires the appropriate leadership like what was experienced in the mobile communications industry after the advent of democracy in the country. The aviation industry can be one of the triggers to drive the nation’s economy by this and subsequent administrations.”

Also, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited, BASL, Mr. Christophe Peninck in his paper, ‘Airports of the future; The models for Nigeria,’ declared that Nigeria lacked both strong airline and good airports.

He further attributed the challenges militating against growth to include absence of con-

stant supply of electricity, legal issues against private partners and concessionaires by the Federal Government, high taxes on importation of equipment and spares by the Nigeria Customs Service and unavailability of foreign currency.

He also mentioned existence of several airports, regulatory authorities, several unviable and unnecessary airports, poor road infrastructure for cargo operations and many multiple gateways in the sector as those challenges drawing the sector backward.

Peninck, however, said that the nation’s aviation industry still had some potential for growth. He mentioned the high population, educated population, important diaspora and availability of willing investors as some of the things that would drive development to the sector.

He noted that to achieve all these, the government must privatize the airports, managements in all the agencies must tailor their style like private investors, provision of constant electricity, protection of domestic airline operators while landing and navigational equipment at various airports must be upgraded.

He explained: “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, should be privatised and not remain an authority. The government should no longer inject any funds to FAAN again and the government would benefit from better efficiency and higher revenue.

“FAAN as presently composed can’t present

good performance as there is no transparency with their revenue, tenders and hiring processes. The agencies cannot also prioritise its essentials and can’t maintain its current terminals while the runways are consistently in bad shape.”

The Chief Executive Officer, Ropeways Transport and a former Managing Director in Virgin Nigeria, Capt. Dapo Olumide, declared that the only way to move the Nigerian aviation industry forward was by providing infrastructure.

Olumide also advised that Nigeria should avoid extolling mediocrity in its bid to find solution to the teething challenges aviation industry.

He insisted that the country’s aviation industry had remained stagnant for over three decades and had learnt nothing over the years as the same problems still pervade its atmosphere.

“You cannot determine the future if you do not know the past. Kano Airport when it was built in 1936 was built to accommodate just 100 passengers, even at then, the capacity was not enough because the airport then could carry 107 passengers. Now, 60 years down the line, the airport is still with the same capacity.

“The Avio Bridge at the international wing of Lagos airport ceased to function since 1985 and no one seems to be embarrassed about this.

We have set mediocrity as the new benchmark for excellence and we have adjusted our minds to a new low,” he said, The Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Kitari Consult Limited, Ali Magashi also mentioned the availability of several financial institutions for accessing loans by industry airlines as challenging confronting the airline sub-sector.

Magashi expressed that unlike in the other climes, commercial banks in Nigeria remained the only channel of sourcing financing for the sector, stressing that with this, interests paid on secured loans would remain high in the country, adding that this does not augur well for aviation development.

He listed poor credit rating, high interest rate, over-regulated financial system, over regulation and expensive procedures by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, on impending start-ups, poor and hostility business environment and exploitation by NCAA through multiple inspections of aircraft as some of the challenges facing the airline subsector in the country.

He called on the government to imbibe targeted and effective subsidy, intervention guarantee fund with very low interest rate and longer tenure and reduction of multiple taxation that impeded airline’s revenues to the carriers.

He added, “Government initiatives in recent times are either misplaced or wrongly implemented. The borrowing of $500 million from Chinese banks recently to finance terminals constructions was a misplaced priority.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

29

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Stakeholders decry poor air connectivity within Africa, seek collaboration Stories: Olusegun Koiki

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takeholders and professionals in the Nigerian aviation industry have called on African governments to enhance air connectivity within the continent.

Airline operators in the sector were also advised to collaborate more in order to enhance revenue generation and compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world.

Speaking at one-day seminar organised by the Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, AFARN, players in the sector decried that it was more problematic for air travellers to connect some countries within the continent than most European countries.

In his paper, ‘Collaboration for Sustained Aviation in Nigeria’ by the Area Manager, South West Africa, Mr. Samson Fatokun, lamented that connectivity within the continent was poor, adding that Nigeria as a country was yet to connect to some African countries due to the absence of airlines that fly directly to those places.

He specifically mentioned that to connect Niger from Nigeria, air travellers would first fly to Europe or some African countries, which indicated that more time, would be spent transiting between the two countries.

He however noted that the International Air Transport Association,

shegzzy4live2000@yahoo.co.uk 08186007273

10 years after Sosoliso aircraft mishap, has anything changed?

I One of the ground handlng equipment of NAHCO

IATA, was looking at connecting the continent through Gross Domestic Product, GDP, adding that this would lead to more productivity within players in the sector.

Fatokun also identified bad government policies, owner-manager syndrome, poor business acumen as some of the barriers militating against collaboration.

He said, “Collaboration is key for aviation development including airlines, airports, travel agents, air navigation service providers, civil aviation authorities and industry partners.

“Building collaboration within the industry is key in Africa. IATA wants more collaboration in the industry for more profits, efficiency and safety in the sector.”

Also, the President of Aviation Round Table, ART, Mr. Gbenga Olowo called for co-ordinated security system at all the Nigerian airports just as we have in the United States,

US, and several European countries.

He insisted that if US, which it described as the most targeted country in the world by terrorists could have a co-ordinated security system, he said there was no reason for Nigeria not to follow suit.

“All the security agencies can collect data from one agency, rather than several agencies asking for your passport and visa at every stage of your processes. Every sector of the country including aviation in Nigeria must change. The best standard of the world is what we must copy if we are to remain there by 2015,” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, AFARN President, Mr. Kingsley Nwokoma maintained that collaboration was key in the global aviation industry.

He urged all operators to play their roles collectively working together to bring the enabling change, but noted that the year 2015 was a challenging one in the industry generally; air cargo sector where the volume nosedived and also in passenger sector.

Dana Air opens Accra route, to increase fleet in 2016

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“We are confident with the brand route, the airline would attract passengers with consistency, high safety, and performance of the airline. I think good in-flight services and fair airfare Dana would take the lead very quickly.

In fact, we were heavier today than regime.

He explained that the airline came some of our established competitors. to the route with passion to serve We came with 26 passengers today its teeming clients, adding that its while some of our competitors came introductory fare of $112 one-way with eight and we are leaving with was about $80 cheaper than the fares about 15 on board today. That’s not bad charged by existing airlines on the since we started the sales of the tickets about three days ago.” route.

He said, “You need to look at the quality of the services you are rendering. We’ve got Nigerian carriers he Nigerian Aviation Handling and now, we have Ghanaian carrier Company, NAHCo, Plc has flying. You have to look at the quality been awarded the Regulated of service, on-time performance, pricAgent Third, Ra 3, country validation ing and genera package of the passenfor its Port Harcourt Airport, PHA, gers, which has not been too compleoperations by the International Civil mentary.

Aviation Organisation, ICAO. The Ra 3 brings to three the number of airports where NAHCO Aviance has secured the all-important validation.

Statement issued in Lagos by the spokesman of the ground handling company, Mr. Tayo Ajakaye hinted that Nahco aviance was the first ground handling company in the country to pass and receive the Ra3 Validation in compliance with the European Union The Boeing 737-400 aircraft for national carrier regulatory requirements. he competition on Lagos-Accra route became more intense over the weekend with the commencement of daily flight operations on Lagos-Accra route by Dana Air. This is just as the airline promised to increase its fleet by 2016, probably with different brand of aircraft.

The airline said that it would bring its unique selling point, which is ontime performance and cheaper airfares to its new route, stressing that service of reliable airline was built around schedule integrity and safety, which remains the pivotal of Dana’s entire operations.

Commenting on the new route, the Manager, Dana Air, Ghana, Mr. Sukhjinder Mann assured that despite the obvious competition on the

Airside

t was 10 years ago last Thursday, November 10, 2005 to be precise when the entire Nigerian and global aviation industry was thrown into gnashing of teeth, no thanks to the air accident involving Sosoliso air crash in Port Harcourt.

The aircraft a Boeing 737-200, had departed Abuja to Port Harcourt Airport with 107 passengers and crew members, mainly students of a private school in Abuja, but crashed at the Port Harcourt Airport in the presence of the fire fighters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN. All the victims including Pastor Bimbo Odukoya were burnt alive with just one survivor. The aircraft was said to have been hit by windshear at the edge of the runway.

Though, as expected, there were several fire brigade approaches by the Federal Government to prevent recurrence, but 10 months later, an-

other disaster struck involving an ADC aircraft.

The question on the lips of Airside is what has changed in the past 10 years when some families lost their loved once, breadwinners and family members? The families of the bereaved are yet to be paid compensation as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO? Can air travellers today board the planes; relax onboard without silent prayers until their aircraft touch down? If they can, can their loved ones they told they were travelling through the Nigerian airports and airplanes truly have a rest mind until they receive another call of ‘we’ve landed’ from their loved ones?

Airside says things have improved over the years, but we still have a long way to go to be at par with our counterparts anywhere in the world.

The N5bn court case against Virgin Atlantic Airways

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he public was inundated last week of the news that the recently sacked 20 cabin crew members of one of the British carriers flying into Nigeria, Virgin Atlantic Airways had instituted N5 billion legal suits against the airline for wrongful dismissal.

The airline had in November sacked the 20 air-hostesses who were only given three weeks’ notice without any severance package regardless of their length of service with the airline.

Also, the airline had in 2014 closed its Nigerian call centre and let go of all the Nigerian staff working in that department. Although, the Marketing Manager and Communications of the airline, Mrs. Kudirat Scott-Igbene, claimed that the airline was only cutting cost.

Airside agrees that an employer can decided to dispense with its em-

ployees at any given time, but insists the labour law must be strictly followed.

Airside says that it is against the provisions of labour law of the country for the airline to sack the crew just like that without paying them their severance packages. Can it try this in its home country without facing the music? Nigerians are regularly taken for a ride by foreign carriers in conjunction with their local partners. Airside believes this must stop.

Airside urges the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Productivity should take up this issue in defence of the rights of the affected workers to ensured justice is done. Airside, like every other concerned aviation professionals, wholly supports the legal action instituted by the workers. Injustice to one is injustice to all.

ICAO issues NAHCO Ra3 Validation for P/H operations

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Ajakaye noted that the company had previously received the first for the Lagos operations in 2013, followed

by Abuja and now Port Harcourt.

He insisted that the three stations were vital to the company’s operations and efforts were also in top gear to secure same for other equally important stations where it operates.

He added, “With this validation, nahco aviance has reaffirmed its position as the ground handler of choice for major airlines operating aircraft from Nigeria to the European Union.

It further means that shipments emanating from its facility would be directly accepted in all EU Countries.

“Like other licenses, the Ra3 Validation, which is a critical requirement

for EU bound flights will aid in drastically reducing the cost of acquiring ACC3 validation for the airline’s operations.”

The statement quoted Chief Commercial Officer, NAHCO, Mr. Seyi Adewale, as saying that the import of these licenses for the client airlines would be a reduction in the cost of doing business.

He added that despite the negative and unpleasant attention generated by the ‘worst airport’ gown on the Port Harcourt Airport, the management was undeterred, stressing that in order to show its nationalism, NAHCO had deployed all its resources and compliance capabilities to reverse the impression.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Insurance

CIFMIS strategises to raise insurance education standards Isaac Asabor

T

he Rector of Centre for Insurance and Financial Management Studies, CIFMS, Mrs. Yeside Oyetayo, has reiterated the commitment of the insurance training institution to provide quality insurance education in the country.

She disclosed this during the Institute’s leadership visit, led by the President, Lady Isioma Chukwuma, to National Mirror recently.

She said that the College was established to provide a long lasting solution to manpower training and development problem of the insurance Industry in Nigeria by the Council of the Institute.

Oyetayo listed some of the objectives of the institute to include, the provision of qualitative education

and training for persons engaged in the practice of insurance and allied services throughout Nigeria and also the provision of consultancy services in the fields of insurance and financial services for the insurance industry in particular and the financial sector of the economy in general.

According to her, the institute also undertakes research on all aspects of insurance and allied subjects relevant to the economic development of the nation. Related to the foregoing objective of the institution is the collection of relevant data on the insurance industry, maintenance of a database and provision of information on all aspects of insurance for public use.

The insurance expert re-affirmed the resolve of the President of the Institute to accelerate the “development of the Centre for Insurance and Financial Management Studies (CIFMS) with

ARIAN links CIIN to low membership strength

…vows to fight quackery in industry Isaac Asabor

T

he Association of Registered Insurance Agents of Nigeria, (ARIAN), has alleged that the proficiency test being organized by the Chartered Insurance Insurance of Nigeria (CIIN) as one of the requirements needed for an agent to be licensed has been responsible for the low membership strength of the association.

The President of the association, Mr. Olamerun Gbadebo made the

Gbadebo

disclosure at the association’s 2015 conference in Lagos, noting that the constraint posed by the requirement has led to the association making several deliberations, meetings, courtesy visits to CIIN but that the problem still remains.

He pointed out that the association had widely consulted with relevant stakeholders on the next line of actions to take as it that all deliberations and round table discussions carried out so far would not yield result.

According to him, the singular act has increased the number of unregistered NAICOM insurance agents Gbadebo said that in two years under his leadership, the association had grown its membership from 2,810 to 5713, stressing that the association is however making efforts to raise its membership strength to 20,000 by 2020.

Meanwhile, he also hinted that in its efforts to ensure that the association develops as projected and plays its expected role as a body in the insurance industry, it has resolved sustain the fight against fake insurance agents who are bringing the image of the industry to disrepute.

a view to accomplishing early take-off of academic programmes as well as promoting greater bonding amongst the various Arms of the Insurance industry.”

Oyetayo explained that for objectives of the institute to be achieved, the Diploma programmes in insurance studies and financial studies were now being offered at the institution which is located at Km 40, Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Asese Village, Ogun State.

According to her, the institution, which is a training arm of the CIIN, also offers courses on part-time basis in order to accommodate insurance and financial institution workers who are desirous of offering courses of their choice without taking the risk of resigning from their jobs.

Other courses she listed as being offered by CIFMIS were, short term courses which include Takaful Agen-

Oyetayo

cy certification while also providing training for those that are newly recruited into insurance and financial institutions.

Leppard Underwriting, Abelard partner for improved operations

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wo of SA’s oldest underwriters, Leppard Underwriting and Abelard Underwriting Agency, have announced a merger that will see Abelard becoming part of Leppard Underwriting, bringing additional capacity, skills, lines of business, products and scale.

“Both organisations share a common vision for growth and skills development. This augurs well for brokers and clients of both UMAs, who stand to receive even better service and product choice under the new arrangement,” Leppard said in a company statement.

“We want the broker market to consider us their preferred underwriter for these specialist classes,” says Steve von Roretz of Leppard Underwriting.

“As a relatively small UMA this will give us the opportunity to compete and grow market share through the development of new products. We will also benefit through the combined expertise and market networks of both entities,” David Cox from Abelard added. Lombard Partnerships, the business support and licence partner of Leppard Underwriting, is also very positive about the merger.

“Current market conditions, specifically the increased cost of regulatory oversight, the need to invest in technology and the rise of the direct supply chain, make it vital for UMAs to scale up in order to remain viable. The Leppard Underwriting/Abelard union is a perfect example of two companies coming together with the right intentions for the mutual benefit of both organisations. We look forward to working closely with the Leppard Underwriting and Abelard teams under the new arrangement,” says Doug Laburn, head of Lombard Partnerships.

(Source: riskafrica.com)

Broker network, Austbrokers, targets expansion

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UB Group has announced that it is in the process of expanding its rounded risk solutions services into the marine and logistics industries.

The company, through its 100%-owned subsidiary AustbrokersSydney, is looking to establish a joint venture agreement with an industry veteran, the Group

confirmed to Insurance Business.

“AUB Group, through its 100% owned subsidiary, AustbrokersSydney, is currently in the process of extending its total risk solutions capability to the marine and logistics industries,” the Group said.

“This initiative will be established via a joint venture arrangement with Neil Hiller, currently

General Manager Marine Speciality Risks forQBE.” It was announced yesterday that Hiller would leave his role at QBE to “take up a new opportunity,” and he would be replaced by incoming national manager of marine specialty risks at the insurer, Tim Air. (Source: .insurancebusinessonline.com.au)

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Money

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

31

Stakeholders task MfBs on high cost of operations Udo Onyeka

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icrofinance Banks, MfBs, operating in the country have been charged to reduce their operating cost, if they still want to remain business and fulfill their mandate of financing micro, small and medium businesses.

According to many experts and market watchers, a major problem of many micro banks is that they operate above their income by sometimes competing with commercial banks and in the process incur huge loses.

Managing Director, Rofenik Associates and Investments Limited, Mr. Femi Ogunje, said that since majority of MfBs are operating like mini-commercial banks, using well-furnished buildings as banking hall, using exotic cars, among others, these, he added, eat into the little income they make, thereby threatening their balance sheets. If the trend continues, he fears most of the banks might close shops for inability to cope with that high operating cost.

According to him, most of them were created out of the commercial banks; hence, they think, act and spend like commercial banks.

“To sustain that life,MfBs charge very high interest rates, mostly monthly interest, to the detriment of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs growth, which in most case result in huge non performing loans.

Ogunje also said the prudential guidelines for MfBs, discourage them from lending to the real sector, adding that, “For example, why should a day overdue be classified, when MSMEs that take the loans sometimes grant 30 days or more credits. Instead of structuring their loans along this reality, they will rather shy away from real sector and face buying and selling,” he said.

Again many stakeholders have said that there was no proper framework for the MfBs to operate in regards to how a concise an MfB should be or look like.

A Lagos based financial consultant, Emeka Onyebule, said for microfinance banks to be managed profitably that operators of these all

CBN Gov., Emefiele

Whensu

It is important to re-emphasise that SMEs are globally regarded as the backbone of any economy and therefore when given adequate support,

SMEs

can spur significant economic growth including improved living standards important financial institutions must wake up to the reality that they cannot sustain that huge operating cost over time, hence, need to cut unnecessary cost and live within their income bracket.

Revealing the huge bad loans hanging over the neck of many MfBs, President, National Association of Microfinance Banks, NAMB, Mr. Valentine Whensu, had said, no fewer than six million Nigerians are indebted to microfinance banks in the country.

Whensu noted that the total loans owed microfinance banks by customers have risen

to N80bn a situation, he said, was affecting, not only the liquidity status of the concerned financial institutions, but also the entire microfinance industry.

According to him, “In Lagos State alone, about two to three years ago, over N40bn of the loans MfBs granted are not repaid by customers, hence, are now regarded and been treated as bad loans.

According to him the introduction of credit reporting and credit checks have however reduced the hither growing bad loans.

“Anybody that gives you loan now will con-

duct a credit check on you, so it is beginning to reduce bad loans. But if you look at the country as whole, it is not less than between N70bn and N80bn,”Whensu had said.

Meanwhile to ease lending to micro and small enterprises, MSMEs a Credit Expert, Mr. Edwin Idegwu, has called on the Federal Government to create National Credit Guarantee Corporation, NCGC. Idegwu, who stated this, at a recent event in Lagos, urged the current administration, led by President Mohammed Buhari, to rise up quickly to set up this agency, which would serve as a motivating factor and ensure that the Deposit Money Banks and MfBs lend directly to the small business operators across the nation without much difficulties.

If the corporation is set up by the Federal Government with strong capital base and very robust operating fund, he noted that the corporation would serve as collateral and security for people, that is, the SMEs who want to borrow money for business growth.

“Surprisingly, up till today, Nigerian government is still not dreaming of creating this national platform that would support the development of SMEs,” he said.

Noting that the country need to strengthen its credit market for economic prosperity, especially at a time of impending recession, he added that, if this is done, it would improve or reduce unemployment market through real sector lending and foster economic expansion, particularly through adequate credit support for SMEs. “It is important to re-emphasise that SMEs are globally regarded as the backbone of any economy and therefore when given adequate support, SMEs can spur significant economic growth including improved living standards, bring about substantial local capital formation and achieve high level of productivity and capabilities. They have also been identified as a vehicle for employment generation and providing opportunities for entrepreneurial sourcing, training, development and empowerment,” he stressed.

CBN to review N15bn collateral for SWIFT

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he Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, said it would review the N15bn collateral required from banks that make use of Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, SWIFT, hosted service connection, for both domestic and international payment traffic.

Currently, all settlement banks are required to have N15 billion as collateral pledged with CBN, irrespective of their volume of operations for the service being provided by the SWIFT. This has led to a situation where some banks’ activities are over-collaterised while some are under- collaterised.

Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, CBN, Alhaji Sulaiman Barau who disclosed this at the CBN/ SWIFT Executives’ interactive session in Lagos, said the bank was planning to review the existing collateral regime to make it more equitable and

efficient.

“We are looking at a system whereby before the end of next year, we come up with new collateral management system. So, we are going to move from defaulter based, to a survivor based,” he said.

To enable it do that under the PSV2020, Barau explained, the CBN has set up four different boards, including the Real Time Gross Settlement System ,RTGS, the mobile payment system and others. The aims of setting up these boards, he stressed, was for them to look at the whole gamut of collateral management and “come up with recommendations on how best to do this, what statistics is to be used, what per centage of transactions.”

According to Barau, who was represented by Director, Banking & Payments System Department, CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun, the apex bank is work-

ing on that, even as he remained optimistic that when the new collateral management system is implemented, it will be a big boost to payment system generally.

Pursuant to the CBN’s Payment System Vision 2020 (PSV2020), the apex bank had mandated use of the hosted service by the country’s banking community in order to strengthen the Nigerian financial market and ensure it meets global best practices for financial crime compliance.

Vision 2020 calls for a “Nationally Utilised and Internationally Recognised” payments system and provides a robust platform to support Nigeria’s continued economic growth.

“The importance of the payments system in any market economy cannot be over-emphasized. In particular, the link between the efficiency of the payments system, the effectiveness with which monetary policy is con-

ducted, the soundness of the financial sector and, indeed, the overall performance of the economy is very strong.

“Thus, central banks the world over have more than cursory interest in the development of payments and settlement systems,” he added.

The move by the CBN mirrors those of leading payment systems around the world and In Africa. Nigeria is the 20th country in Africa to adopt SWIFT for its domestic payments as well as its international payments infrastructure. Globally, clearing and settlement systems in more than 90 countries, carrying more than 240 million payments a year, already rely on SWIFT. Head of Africa South, SWIFT, Hugo Smit, said: “By ensuring that Nigeria’s infrastructure is interoperable with both regional and international platforms, the move to SWIFT means that the Nigerian financial commu-

nity will be easily able to interoperate within the West African Monetary Zone as this regional harmonisation project matures.“ He explained that SWIFT does not facilitate funds transfer, rather, it sends payment orders, which must be settled by correspondent accounts that the institutions have with each other.

Each financial institution to exchange banking transactions, he pointed out, must have a banking relationship by either being a bank or affiliating itself with one ,or more, so as to enjoy those particular business features.

Industry associations and central banks around the world are developing market infrastructure systems for the clearing and settlement of high value interbank payments, Real Time Gross Settlement systems, RTGS and multi-currency cash payments, with the objective of eliminating settlement risk.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Capital Market

Targeting lower transaction costs in capital market for growth Johnson Okanlawon

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orried by the persistent complaints of high transactions costs on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the Securities Exchange Commission, the local bourse and the stock broking are rallying to reduce transaction cost on the Exchange come 2016.

Recent research by Meristem Securities Limited showed that Nigeria’s statutory fees (exclusive of brokerage commission) remain the highest not only in Africa but also in major emerging markets across the globe.

Before the research, the Exchange had stated it would embark on a cost analysis with the aim of reducing cost of transactions and make the market more attractive.

Stockbrokers earn only 1.350 per cent of the total cost of 4.04 per cent charges on the equity transactions.

The rest goes to the SEC, Central Securities Clearing System, CSCS, NSE and statutorily charges such as stamp duty and Value Added Tax, VAT. Some market operators had argued that given the fact the regulators get money from registration, penalties and others, they ought to receive very minimal commission on secondary market transactions.

The research firm stated that the relatively high costs of transactions on the NSE called for concern to investors particularly at the retail segment of the market with such charges as the stamp duty still being charged on every transaction, which takes place on an electronic platform.

“On reviewing transaction costs across global markets, we note that transaction cost appears highest in Ghana, followed by Nigeria, while the United States, US, has the least transaction cost with no charges on stock trades.

“Hence, lower cost of transaction appears consistent with the level of market development and by implication, market efficiency, as costs are lower in US, China, India and South Africa which are more developed compared with the Nigerian and Ghanaian markets,” the firm added.

Meanwhile, the SEC recently amended the fees on secondary market transactions of federal, state, local government bonds and Debentures of Public Limited Companies. In a notice obtained from the commission’s website, the amendment was expanded to include money market products as well as other derivative products to be traded in the financial markets, particularly on SEC registered platforms.

The commission said that the appli-

Ade Bajomo

Kyari Bukar

It means that every key player in the market, SEC, NSE, brokers, issuing houses, registrars will have a look at ways and means they can review

their fees.

We have looked at the fees structures in many jurisdictions. What we are looking at is how we can move the

market forward.

I believe that if the fees are relatively low, it will probably spur more transaction in the market

cable rate has been changed from 0.1 per cent to 0.0002 per cent (a 5000 per cent reduction) of secondary market transactions. The Exchange had also embarked on a cost analysis with the aim of reducing cost of transactions and making the stock market more attractive as it commenced the reduction of the cost of its Trade Alert service by about N1.24 billion.

This reduction is being achieved through the scrapping of 0.06 per cent charge on every trade on the Exchange and an introduction of an enhanced notification system, X-Alert, which will be charged at a flat fee of N4 per transaction.

The Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, NSE, Mr. Ade Bajomo, said that the enhanced X-Alert is a service that will allow the investing public knows when a transaction has been made on their account.

“Each time investors buy or sell a security, an alert is sent to them via a text message to the recipient’s mobile phone or via an e-mail to the recipient’s mailbox. So, what that does is to bring real time notification plus transparency to the market at market rates while safeguarding against unauthorised sale or purchase of securities,” he

said.

Bajomo noted that the big difference for the investing community was that rather than pay 0.12 per cent of every trade round-trip, investors will now pay a flat fee of N4.00.

He said: “Based on 2013 figures, the trade alert charges with the old system was some N1.25 billion; with the improved notification system, however, the annual cost of the alerts would be some N5.52 million based on a N4 flat fee – that is a reduction of N1.24 billion per annum in the cost incurred by in-

Trading floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange

vestors transacting in the market.”

The Managing Director, CSCS, Mr. Kyari Bukar, said that the enhanced service was delivered in real time to customers while urging all customers to ensure that their brokers are provided with up to date mobile phone numbers and email accounts to enable the notification system work effectively and provide timely update on all account transactions.

There are also the added benefits of effective fraud alert in cases of unauthorised transactions on account, reduction in time spent confirming trades and an enhancement of transparency between the trader and its clients.

On the outlook for 2016, the Director General of SEC, Mounir Gwazo said that some of the initiatives the commission will carry out in 2016, within the master plan, is the issue of transaction cost.

He said, “We did an excellent research, we find out that Nigeria is very expensive in terms of transaction in the market. A committee has been set up under the leadership of Ade Bajomo, to look at how we can make transaction in the market a little bit cheaper.

“And it means that every key player in the market, SEC, NSE, brokers, issuing houses, registrars will have a look at ways and means they can review their fees. We have looked at the fees structures in many jurisdictions.

What we are looking at is how we can move the market forward. I believe that if the fees are relatively low, it will probably spur more transaction in the market.

“So, what you may lose in the market in the short term in terms of drop in your income would be compensated in the medium to long term by the transactions. We believe the work has almost been completed. I was told that by the end of January, the work of the committee will be completed.”

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Generating more power for better life in Akwa Ibom Ofofon Jimmy

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he Akwa Ibom State government has scored the Bull’s eye again. It’s wholly owned independent power plant, Ibom Power Company, was recently presented a licence by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to expand its capacity by 494mw.

This translates to an increase from 191mw to 685mw.

This achievement is enormous for a government whose major economic plank is industrialisation.

In his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, after overwhelmingly winning the April 11 election, Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, the banker-turned politician, reaffirmed his commitment to turning around the economy of the state through industrialisation. According to him, his intention is “To leverage and build on the Uncommon Transformation of Governor Godswill Akpabio’s administration and sustainable public-private sector initiative, thereby opening up opportunities for growth and improved living standards.”

Little wonder, therefore, the news of the licensing was like a sweet music in his ears. Excited by this huge achievement, Governor Emmanuel remarked: “I am proud to say that even with several challenges in the industry, Ibom Power is contributing 113mw of generation to the national grid and this is highly commendable.

This achievement did not come by accident, it happened because our state government over the years invested heavily in the power sector value chain.”

Like Oliver Twist, and knowing the role power plays in industrialisation process, he also told NERC officials at the presentation ceremony: “Consistent with the policy of my administration to industrialise the state, we would soon come for embedded generation licence that would supply power to our industrial estates to be established along the coastal line,” adding “we will partner with NERC and other stakeholders in the country to make our state a model of steady power supply for industrialisation and sustainable development consistent with our ‘dakkada’ movement.”

Explaining the benefits of the approval by NERC, Dr. Victor Udo said: “This licence expansion will allow Ibom Power to contribute significantly towards the solution of the national electricity problems. His Excellency’s administration seeks to make the state a power exporting hub in the federation.’’

The governor’s statements vividly capture the essence and efficacy of the milestone achievement. Power is a great enabler of growth in any economy and he clearly understands this. This explains the thoughtfulness of the state to partner more with NERC and other stakeholders in the country to make the state a model of steady power supply for industrialisation and sustainable development consistent with its ‘dakkada’ movement. It further shows that governance can work to power the economy where government means serious business and is committed to making a difference. With the state government enabling; a stable gas processing plant that now supplies gas not only to Ibom Power but also to Alaoji power plant in Abia State, Unicem and Odukpani power plant in Cross River State and to a fertiliser plant in Rivers State.

Ordinarily, the expansion licence implies more power supply to the Akwa Ibom economy. It means more income, savings, and investment on which the models of vibrant and forward looking economies are anchored.

From the analytical standpoint, the propensity to increase the state’s production possibility curves is bound to rise significantly with the knock-on effect of these critical factors in accelerating productivity and development in various timeframes.

With more income streams engendered by greater

Dr. Victor Udom (left) and Governor Emmanuel Udom (right) during the presentation of licence for expansion of capacity

availability of power supply, it is expected that the middle class would grow, unleashing higher demand, taste, expectations and preferences that need to be satisfied.

With the need would also evolve investors and entrepreneurs to seize the new windows of opportunity in the competition to satisfy the demands of this important class.

On the part of government, the licence expansion translates to higher prospects of growing the internally generated revenue (IGR), especially now that the global oil price shocks has resulted the monthly revenue allocation being plummeted. The envisaged growth would be unlocked not by higher tax rates or multiple taxes, but by widening the tax net to capture more payers (income earners and entrepreneurs and investors) through PAYE, companies’ income tax, VAT, etc.

Of course, more revenue for government means more fund to finance more projects and improve citizens’ welfare and achieve more inclusive growth.

It further implies more employment generation, especially when the formal and informal sectors are deftly empowered to enhance the emergence of the third market. The youths of the state need to be gainfully employed, and this brings home the real impact of the steps being taken by government to increase and stabilise power supply in the state. This would reduce the incidence of such societal ills as youth restiveness, insecurity, kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism in the state.

Perhaps those who do not appreciate the importance of power in an economy should try to live without it for some months. They should then have another scenario where there is quality power supply and the evolution of even such small scale businesses as motor mechanics, barbers, hairdressers, welders, furniture makers, etc. After all, more than 90 per cent of the communities in the state already have distribution infrastructure. Then would they have a better understanding of the state government’s decision to commit the princely sum of $22million to building the transmission line that

links Ibom Power to the rest of the national grid and wait for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to refund the money and take over ownership of the line consistent with the National Energy Policy.

It feels good that despite these development footprints, the government is not showing any signs of fatigue or resting on its oars. Dr. Udo says Ibom Plant’s immediate next steps would be: “to continue the site preparation for phase two, aggressively pursue a PPA with NBET, select the best of several investors complete all other commercial agreements, EPC, O&M, and commence procurements and construction for the project as soon as possible.”

It is, therefore, trite that the government is already on a higher gear towards achieving the 100 per cent mark in this direction. Dr. Udo clearly demonstrates this in his statement: “Our rural electrification projects are in place to ensure100 per cent coverage. The state invested in the Port Harcourt Distribution Company (PHEDC) in addition to gas infrastructure, transmission lines and utility competency will soon payoff.”

Therefore, the building blocks necessary for steady power supply in the state are in place. A better commercial and technical operation of the distribution system is the missing link.

It is also worth celebrating that the state has developed the capacity to manage the power system operationally, technically and financially. “As part of Governor Udom Emmanuel’s capacity building programme, we have developed power utility management competency in Akwa Ibom State. Today, Ibom Power is operated by indigenes of our state. And for the first time, we recently celebrated 114 days without forced outage.

We have also developed competency for commercial and technical management of the power distribution across the entire State,” adds Udo. It is cheery news for Akwa Ibom and Nigeria.

Jimmy lives and works in Abuja

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Tuesday, December 15, 2015

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Politics

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

35

How Abubakar, Dogara finally reconciled Ezekiel Titus BAUCHI

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n adage that says there is no permanent enemy or permanent friend in politics apparently describe the current political development going on in Bauchi State where two perceived foe, Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar of Bauchi state and the Speaker, Federal House of Representatives,. Rt Hon. Yakubu Dogara are already embracing each other.

The duo has been at loggerhead since Dogara nursed the ambition of becoming the number four citizen and after his emergence.

It is true that the two political gladiators were friends and are both lawyers before joining politics apparently to contribute their quota to the development of Bauchi state.

Both of them were also in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP before defecting to the APC in order to further the lots of their people with provision of democracy dividends.

Their decision to dumped the PDP was because it was evident that the PDP was said to have lost focus and failed to satisfy the yearning and aspirations of people of Bauchi state.

At different political fora, the duos had maintained that their decision to dump the PDP was as a result of what they described as the party’s insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians as well as its reign of impunity and corruption.

They therefore wanted to effect a change and so picked their bags and joined the All Progressive Congress, APC with its promise of change .The idea of positive change finally brought the two together with Dogara allegedly perfected the emergence of Abubakar as the APC governorship candidate . Not only that he was said to have mobilized the entire Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa-Balewa and other areas under his influence in the state for the Muhammadu Buhari and Abubakar for them to emerge as the president and governor respectively under the APC This development it was gathered irked other aspirants especially from the PDP where he was tutored as a politician as he floored even the then PDP National l Chairman, Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu in his home unit Dogara’s political influence in Bauchi allegedly forced Yuguda’s anointed PDP candidate not to take his campaign to Dass, Bogoro and Tafawa-balewa federal constituencies Immediately Abubakar was declared as governor by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC ,and subsequently took over on May 29, 2015, Dogara took the pains to personally grace the occasion of his swearing-in and accompanied him to Ramat House where the governor entertained his guests after the swearing-in ceremony..

So with the cordiality between the two of them it was expected that Abubakar should support Dogara’s quest to become the Speaker, Federal House of Reps since one good turn deserves another, but things took a different dimension between him and Dogara .Though Abubakar had maintained at different times that there is no rift between him and Dogara, it was learned that he was not visible when Dogara was struggling to become the Speaker.

It was expected that Abubakar should personally pay a visit to Dogara after his emergence as speaker but it was gathered that he only delegated his deputy, some prominent Emirs and few elites to visit Dogara but he did not even personally congratulated him The grouse of Abubakar against Dogara according to sources was the alleged calling on Dogara by the youths in the state to take a shot at the state governorship in 2019.

At a wedding ceremony of the son of Bauchi state deputy governor, . the irate youths clashed with Abubakar’s security escorts when they were hailing Dogara and calling him the next governor by 2019 even in the presence of Abubakar and his entourage as well as other important dignitaries .

Unperturbed by Abubakar’s security presence, the youths in their hundreds shouted Dogara 2019 no shaking in Hausa language .Since then Abubakar is said to have been annoyed with the speaker for allegedly nursing ambition to take over from him in 2019..

The governor’s allege rift with the speaker had attract-

Abubakar

Dogara

The duos had maintained that their decision to dump the PDP was as a result

of what they described as

the party’s insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians as well as its reign of impunity and corruption ed wide criticism among politicians in the state who feel it may affect Federal presence in the state and rather want Abubakar to join hands with Dogara to bring positive change to the state in line with the change mantra of APC It would be recalled that Abubakar had allegedly sacked acting council chairmen in Bogoro and Dass for paying homage to the speaker in Abuja as a demonstration of supporting their own son and it was also said that the governor was not happy when the assembly members visited Dogara to congratulate him.

It was learnt that Abubakar had allegedly delegated his chief of staff, chairman committee on recovery of government properties, a retired army general and two others to pave the way to pacify Dogara to forget the old ways and chart a new course for a rebirth and mending of fences with the two of them coming together for the development of Bauchi state Abubakar stormed Dogara’s office for reconciliation

even when it was believed that Dogara had no grouse against him and was said to have been received warmly at the Speaker office.

The governor had said that the purpose of the visit was to identify with the speaker for all the good things he had been doing to stabilise the polity.

“The task of stabilizing the polity is herculean and requires men and women who have clarity of thoughts and ability to stabilise the polity to occupy the positions such as that occupied by the speaker,” Abubakar said.

The governor lauded the lawmakers in the 8th National Assembly, expressing the hope that they do their constituents and nation proud Speaking during the visit , Dogara urged the APC- led Federal Government to make conscious efforts to fulfill the promise made during the 2015 elections “Our people have witnessed bad leadership, especially in the last eight years; it will be a disaster if we don’t safe this situation,” Dogara said.

He stated that Bauchi was a typical example of a situation where the people gave overwhelming support to the APC in all the elections into the two arms of government, because they looked forward to a better life under the ‘’change’regime.

Dogara urged the governor to ensure that he brought together all Federal Government appointees from Bauchi state together in order to harness their resources for the progress and development of the state.

Although many had described the reconciliation as washing the dirty linen of APC administration of Bauchi under Abubakar on the street considering the influence and commitment of Dogara to APC and cautioned Dogara to be watchful so as not to allow himself to be ridicule by politicians

Fashola distributes yuletide package for indigent women in Lagos Robert Awokuse

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ife of the Minister for Works, Power and Housing, Mrs Abimbola Fashola has put smiles on the faces of thousands of indigent women in Lagos who cannot afford to make provision for their family at Christmas.

Mrs. Fashola who went round different areas in Lagos with trailer loads of food

items contained in ‘Ghanamust-go-bag’, stormed Ketu area in Kosofe local government area of Lagos on Sunday with her team, distributing the food.

The wife of the former governor of the state said “the essence of such good gesture is to extend love to others at Christmas, particularly those who cannot afford such items on their own, and who would have loved to have such provision for their family this Christmas.”

Reacting to questions from journalists on why she has chosen only women as beneficiaries of such benevolent act, she said: “The women are the ones who suffer for their children, they know where the shoe pinches, they are the ones that are readily available and ever since I have been doing it, the women have always been the beneficiaries.”

The benevolent act according to her is what she does regularly on quarterly

basis, not just during yuletide season, and promised to make it a monthly affair if she gets the necessary support.

Beyond the distribution of food items, she said she also ameliorate the plight of the women who come to her from time to time with their needs and that she gives them necessary support as it is within her limited resources, adding that, she gives aid to them for screening of breasts for cancer for its prevention.

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Politics

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oyo APC welcomes Alao-Akala to its fold Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

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he last may not have been heard about the expected defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC in Oyo State of the former governor of the state, Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, as the party has denied ever issuing a statement against his intention to join the ruling party in the state.

The party in a statement issued by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Wasiu Sadare, said the claim by a national newspaper on Monday did not reflect the position of the party.

Sadare, was reported in a national daily (not National Mirror), to have stated that the party is not aware of Alao-Akala’s planned defection to the party.

But wondering why he was quoted, Sadare took to his social media wall to express his feeling, apparently because of expected backlash from the party leadership.

Writing on his Facebook wall on Monday morning, he said, “This is another political tribulation. May God help me.”

However while clarifying the position of the party in the statement, he said, “The All Progressives

Congress in Oyo State has denied media reports which had it that it denied the knowledge of former Governor Adebayo AlaoAkala’s overtures to join its fold from the Labour Party where he contested the last gubernatorial election in the state.”

“One of the national daily (names withheld) reported on Monday that the Oyo State Chapter of the APC claimed that it was not in the know of AlaoAkala’s moves to lead all his supporters across the state to defect massively to the ruling party in a matter of time.

“The party faulted the newspaper reports which

it claimed did not reflect its true position on the matter of the former governor and his supporters joining the APC as new members.

“It is unfortunate that the media reports quoted Oyo APC’s spokesman as granting a fresh interview on this particular matter when, in fact, it is undeniable that the last and only time he spoke with the newspaper’s reporter in question was eight days ago.

“Be that as it may, the news reports did not reflect our true position on the matter. First, no political party would shut its doors at new members since the game of politics is better played with more people

and naturally, attracting new members from the opposition camps is a welcome development to any virile political party in a democracy.

“Second, the person of Otunba Adebayo AlaoAkala is a big player in the political turf as far as Oyo State is concerned and if he is seeing a need for him to join the APC, we would welcome him. However, he would be expected to toe the line of our party constitution as it provides for eli-

Anti-Ugwuanyi suit: APC accuses member of perjury Emmanuel Ezeh ENUGU

E

L-R: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Sulieman Yusuf Lasun; Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara and former member, House of Representatives, Hon. Mohammed Kumalia, at the a-day Retreat for Chairmen and Deputy Chairmen of Committees of House of Representatives yesterday.

Appeal Court decides Wike’s fate today Dennis Naku

PORT HARCOURT

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here was palpable tension in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP awaits what becomes the fate of Governor Nyesom Wike in his appeal against the nullification of his election by the State Election Petition Tribunal which sat in Abuja.

The Court of Appeal is expected to deliver judgment today on the matter.

Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state in the last general election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside had won at the Tribunal, hence Wike had approached the Court of Appeal to set aside the ruling of the Tribunal.

It will be recalled that the Appeal Court had nullified twelve of the thirteen House of Representatives

seats in the state initially won by the PDP. Also, all three senatorial seats in the states won by the PDP in the last general elections were nullified by the Appeal Court which also ordered a re-run within sixty and ninety days as the case may be.

Meanwhile, neither Governor Nyesom Wike nor any official of the state government had reacted to the various nullification, even as his fate as to whether he will remain as governor of the oil and gas rich state hangs in the balance.

Although the governor was yet to fully constitute his cabinet, none of his aides, including commissioners and special advisers are willing to comment on the nullification of all but one of the National Assembly seats initially won by the party, PDP. It was gathered that the governor gave standing

orders for his aides not to attack the judiciary, saying, “as a lawyer, I am not trained to insult the judiciary.”

Some residents of the state are of the view that the ‘political Tsunami’ may also catch up with Governor Wike, while others argue that he still has to approach the Supreme Court if he fails to get a favorable judg-

ment from the lower court, depending on their party affiliation or sympathy.

But the machinery of government has been slow in the state, with many attributing the inability of the governor to properly constitute his cabinet, including assigning portfolios to over 20 newly inaugurated commissioners to the pending cases in court.

nugu State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Barr. Ben Nwoye, yesterday distanced himself from the law suit against Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC. The suit was filed to oppose Ugwuanyi’s plan to set up caretaker committees for the 17 Local Government Councils in the State.

Nwoye insisted that there was no time the state working committee of the party met and decided to challenge the action of the governor in court.

Nwoye expressed dismay that some destabilising agents in the party took a decision without informing him as the chairman of the party and other members of the state working committee of the party.

He stated that though the setting up of caretaker committee in local government areas was unconstitutional, he was happy that one of the reasons the governor gave for not conduct-

Aregbesola presents N150.7bn budget

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overnor of Osun State, Mr Rauf Aregbesola has presented the 2016 draft budget of N150.7 billion before the State House of Assembly.

The budget was presented on behalf of the Governor by the Permanent Secretary, Budget and Economic Planning, Mr Segun Olorunsogo at the plenary on Monday.

The proposed budget size is reduced by 25.3 per cent than the 2015 budget, which stood

at N201.7 billion.

The draft had the recurrent expenditure of N82,744,396,580.00 representing 54.9 per cent and capital expenditure of N67,983,848,960.00, representing 45.1 per cent, while it has the recurrent revenue of N113,185,677,170.00 and capital receipt of N37,542,568,370.00.

In a letter read by the Deputy Speaker, Akintunde Adegboye who presided over the plenary notifying the Assem-

gible person(s) who want(s) to join as new members.

“Lastly, our doors are open to chieftains and members of the opposition in the state, including Otunba Alao-Akala and his supporters, as their joining the APC at this period would be a pointer to the fact that the governing party was doing it right in the state and more citizens are being convinced to join hands with our governor in his quest to move Oyo State forward”, he added.

bly on his approval for the presentation of the budget, the governor said the proposed budget reflected the economic realities of the state and Nigeria in general.

He said the economic situation prevented the state from effective implementation of the 2015 budget, saying this would compel the state to be more pragmatic in its revenue drive as the present situation could not cater for the revenue plan of the state.

ing the election was that he had embarked on the process of restructuring the local government system in the state.

Nwoye added that he would be happy if the governor would restructure the local government system in the state to enable the votes of people to count, saying he would only support a credible election at the local government level.

He noted that in the past, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP never conducted any credible elections at the local government level, stressing that all the candidates of the APC that attempted to challenge the candidates of the PDP in the past were disqualified.

Nwoye used the opportunity to announce that Honourable Hyacinth Chibueze Ngwu has emerged the South-East Zonal Publicity Secretary of the party.

The APC chairman in the state regretted that some destabilising agents in the party had continued to work hard to destroy the APC in the state.

Similarly, the party had in a letter signed by its State Legal Adviser, B.N. Nebe, said that its State Executive Committee did not give the plaintiff “the authority to sue any person, body or group on behalf of the party”.

The party’s State Legal Adviser frowned at the affidavit the plaintiff deposed in suit no. E/362/ 2015: APC and 17 Ors. Vs. ENSIEC and 24 Ors, where he among other averments, stated that he had the consent and mandate of the party to do so.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Mark not sincere with Idoma, group alleges

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he Dan Onjeh Volunteer Network has alleged that former Senator representing the Benue South-senatorial district, Senator David Mark was not in any way sincere with the Idoma people during the 16 years he held sway as the Senate President.

The Director of Communication and Strategy of the Network, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi said this in a statement issued by the group in Abuja yesterday.

The group said David Mark does not represent any hope of emancipation for the Idoma race.

According to him, the visit of Senator David Mark to the palace of the Ochi Idoma, Elias Obekpa is an indication that he is ready to do everything possible to get re-elected back to the Senate after ignoring every courtesy that befits the Och’Idoma throughout his 16 years tenure as the senate President.

He said it is ridiculous that David Mark has suddenly realized that there is an Idoma race and not David Mark family alone in

Politics

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Benue State.

The group urged the people to vote for a genuine emancipator which the APC candidate, Comrade Dan Onjeh represents in every ramification and not give in to the temptation of looking back to vote David Mark.

“Let it be known to our former Senator and his cotravelers in their infamy that the people of Zone C have decided to support the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Dan Onjeh in the forthcoming rerun Senatorial election in Benue South Senatorial District and there is no looking back” “We were shocked to see that our own emperor has suddenly repented to visit the Ochi’Idoma’s palace, drive in an open roof car and even has the courtesy to exchange pleasantries with the common people whose interest he abandoned for personal gains, this to us is a grand display of the funniest comedy of the year 2015 though it is still not enough to sway the voters when they shall march to elect Dan Onjeh as their Senator.”

37

Adamawa Assembly debunks impeachment moves against Gov Livinus Menedi YOLA

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damawa state House of Assembly has distanced itself from alleged plots to impeach the state Governor, Sen. Mohammed Umaru Jibrilla Bindow, following accusations of sundry financial malfeasance against the governor running into N54 billion.

The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kabiru Mijinywa ,who led deliberations brought under matter of urgent public importance, yesterday after the House approved another N940m for the governor as counterpart funding, considered the alleged malicious media report about ‘plans’ by some members in the state legislature to commence impeachment moves against the Governor as false.

He blatantly accused mem-

bers of the journalism profession of collecting bribe from top government officials to write their stories.

The speaker’s accusations came barely one week after some editors of national dailies were in the state on invitation of the state government to inspect some of the Governor Umaru Jibrilla ‘s projects in the state .

Mijinywa who spoke yesterday in an angry tone during the plenary session of the House was visibly angry over the report in a national daily (not National Mirror) which made the expose about massive approvals running into N54 billion to cover for expenditures undertaken by the administration.

“Nigerian journalists will go and collect money to write fake reports , if they are looking for money from the governor they should not involve Adamawa Assembly in their black mar-

ket activities,” he said in an angry tone.

The speaker who has also been allegedly quizzed by the EFCC over the petition filed by a suspended chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Budget and Public Accounts alleging complicity of the House over financial brigandage by the governor, fingered journalists in his travails, urged the reporter to retract the impeachment report against the governor within 24 hours or else the organization will regret publishing the story.

“Been a journalist is just an opportunity, so journalists should not see themselves as special people in the society or that they can intimidate people to get money and go free ,” he stated The chief whip of the House, Alhaji Hassan Burguma , in his contribution said the report of plans to impeach the governor by

the House did not only constitute a defamation on the character of the Assembly members , noted that it was calculated to create friction between the governor and House members .

The member representing Mayo-Belwa constituency, Alhaji Musa Mahmood ( APC), moved a motion directing security agents to arrest the writer of the offensive report and bring him before the floor of the assembly to disclose the source of his information.

It would be recalled that Gov. Bindow, has attracted the ire of unfavourable media coverage following unsavoury disclosure by the chairman of House committee on Finance, Budget and Public accounts, Abdulrahaman Isa, (APC) representing Mubi constituency which he followed up with a petition to EFCC to investigate the approvals wherein he also called for the Governor’s resignation.

Group urges Alaafin to install Tinubu Aare Onakankanfo

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ising from a twoday inaugural meeting in Lagos, a pressure group, YorubaHome and in the Diaspora Initiative (YOHID) has called on the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, to consider installing the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the new Aare Onakankanfo (Generalissimo) of Yorubaland.

The last holder of the coveted Yoruba traditional title, Chief M.K.O Abiola, died in 1998, 17 years ago.

The group in a communiqué issued after the meeting in Lagos, and signed by its coordinator, Prince Peter Oyeleye Fasua, and secretary, Mr. Tunde Fajimbola, said Tinubu as an agent of change, is a transformational political leader who has been championing the cause of possibilities.

“Besides, he has helped bring the Yoruba race to a strategic reckoning in the affairs of this country, to the extent that no Yoruba man can claim that his

race is marginalised in any way.

“For such a man who is never discouraged, who has been spending his money, resources and time to ensure that the Yoruba race is lifted to a heroic status in the politics of the Nigerian nation is spectacular.

“Here is a man who has helped everyone to one political victory or the other, to various appointments and elevation; yet he has refused to go for any position or contest for anything. Therefore, the best the Yoruba race can give back to him in appreciation is the landmark honour of installing him as the Aare Onakankanfo of Yoruba land, and that is why we call on His Royal Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, to give this suggestion a serious thought,” the group prodded.

Besides, the YOHID stated that there are other philosophical advantages in giving Tinubu the needed encouragement to do more for Yorubaland.

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Rev. Ibikunle Onasanya; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Chief Adedayo Adeneye; Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, Mr. Rotimi Durojaiye and Special Assistant to the Governor on Information, Mr. Yemisi Fadairo when the commissioner defended his ministry’s 2016 Budget estimate before members of the Ogun State House of Assembly.

My victory, triumph over opposition’s falsehood –Odebunmi Kemi Olaitan IBADAN

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member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Segun Dokun Odebunmi has described his electoral victory at the Court of Appeal as the triumph of truth over falshehood of the opposition .

Odebunmi who is the only Peoples Democratic Party, PDP House of Representatives member from Oyo State, while speaking with journalists in Ibadan yesterday, said the judg-

ment was not only an affirmation of his victory, it has also padlocked the mouth of his political detractors who are bent on disrupting his good plan and vision for the people of his federal constituency, Surulere/ Ogo Oluwa.

It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal’s three-man panel sitting in Ibadan, last Thursday, gave a unanimous judgment, affirming the decision of the state National and House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal which upheld his election.

The panel led by Justice M.L. Shuaib, held that the appeals of both Hon. Israel Ogundiran of the Labour Party (LP) and Hon. Mathew Abioye of the All Progressives Congress, APC lacked merits and stand dismissed.

Odebunmi who is the Chairman, House Committee on National Orientation and Values, said “the judiciary in Nigeria is gradually taking its normal shape and position as the last hope of the common man, we now have people of integrity manning the

system and I am sure it is good for Nigeria as the overall effect will be on sanity and development of our nation”.

While calling for collaboration with his political opponents in moving the constituency forward, he said “ my doors are always open for anybody who is interested in the development of the state and my constituency irrespective of political affiliation, politics is just a game but what is paramount is the growth and development of my constituency and state”.

38

Features

In this report, JUSTIN TYOPUUSU takes a look at the water scarcity challenge facing Jalingo residents and efforts by Taraba State government and African Development Bank, AFDB, to end the scarcity in the capital city.

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cientific research has shown that water covers 70 per cent of the earth leaving only 30 per cent to dry land. In spite of this large volume of water, potable drinking water has been the problem facing many African countries.

Considering the large portion occupied by water, water is expected to be very cheap and available almost for everyone. Ironically, however, water has remained one almost unavailable.

Efforts by African governments to make water available have led to establishment of water resources ministries at federal, regional and state levels in most countries.

In Nigeria, for example, politicians have over the years listed the provision of potable water to citizens during campaigns as their priority if elected. This is an attestation to the fact that water, though important, has become a rarity.

It is not an overstatement to say that till date, millions of Nigerians have not seen a tap with water running from it. Many Nigerian citizens lack access to potable water, and as a result are open to diseases like cholera, typhoid, fever and diarrhoea among others because of the bad water they use, said Dr. Nadir Sanhir, a Nigeriabased Indian doctor.

Nigerian citizens shoulder the responsibilities that are supposed to be reserved for the government. For example, the average Nigerian provides almost all the basic necessities of life like water, electricity and healthcare.

“They mobilise and patch roads in their communities and many drink in the same ponds with animals and nobody seems to care,” said Ms. Mimie John.

In Taraba, the pain of water scarcity has continued to bite harder on residents of Jalingo, the state capital, not to talk of those in the rural areas, especially during the dry seasons. This is despite efforts by successive administrations to provide water for the people.

In Jalingo, accessing potable water by residents remains a major problem forcing residents of the city to rely on local water vendors popularly called Mai ruwa in Hausa and few streams stretching through the city and its environs. Public water supply has also remained exclusive for a few people.

In Mayo Dassa and Kona areas of the city, there are tales of woes and anguish whenever the stream that divides the two communities dries up during dry season.

The stream is the only source of water for the people.

When the stream dries up, residents of the communities are left with no other option than to buy from ‘Mai Ruwa’ (water vendors), whose source of water is unknown.

The cry for water resonates everywhere in the city.

Residents of Lassandi, Sabon Gari, Roadblock, Mile Six and Aungwan Gaadi amongst others bemoan the recurrent shortage of water and have been calling on government to provide water for them.

From Lankaviri in Lau to Chanchanji in Takum local government, Yorro to Kurmi, Ibi to Karim Lamido, it is commonplace to see animals competing with humans for water in open ponds without drainage system.

During his campaign for the governorship seat, Governor Darius Ishaku, in obvious recognition of the need to provide water for the people, sank boreholes in at least five communities even before elections were held.

Water, they say, is life. The governor, on assumption of office, quickly moved in to complement his efforts in providing water for the people as part of his rescue mission.

He immediately released N8 million to the state water board to ensure that water runs in the state capital.

With this move, taps are today running with water in some parts of the state capital. The governor, within the

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Taraba and plans to end water scarcity

They mobilise and patch roads in their communities and many drink in the same ponds with animals and nobody seems to care

first three weeks in office, met with the African Development Bank, AFDB, where formalities were completed for adequate supply of water. The agreement was signed in 2012.

General Manager, Taraba State Water Supply Agency, Engr. Musa Buba, when approached for insight into the project, told National Mirror that AFDB granted the state a long term loan of N3.6 billion payable in 40 years with an additional moratorium of 10 years making it a total of 50 years for the provision of water in Jalingo and its environs.

“Taraba State government in 2009 approached the bank for a loan to enable the state provide water for her citizens and the loan was fully signed in 2012, but work did not commence until the governor took over office.

As a former cabinet minister he knew what to do and he did, leading to the commencement of physical implementation this year.

“The demand of water in the first phase of the project between now and 2025 is put at 27,054m3 of water per day. And by 2035 we are expected to be generating 47,273m3 per day and this is our target and we hope to achieve it.”

Buba said that work on the water project were being handled by Apex Height, CGC, Ghasalaz and China Zhonghao who are doing the drilling and rehabilitation of existing boreholes totaling 40 across three locations in Jalingo, the state capital, as well as laying of transmission channels for conveying water to reservoirs covering 250 km in Jalingo and the new Jalingo settlements.

Allaying fears that the project would not be completed on schedule or that its funds would be diverted, the General Manager of the State Water Board said, “the

Ishaku

project is being monitored by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Water Resources and AFDB and we are not expecting any failure.”

“By the end of January, Jalingo residents will start seeing improvement in water supply. Mind you all the contracts were awarded by the African Development Bank, putting several things into consideration and we are not expecting any failure,” he assured.

On how the water works would be maintained, Buba said the agency was not generating revenue at the moment because of poor service delivery, but he assured that when completed it would be commercialized and it will enable the agency to generate revenue.

With the speed at which work is progressing on the water works, water vendors in the state will soon be out of business.

Mrs. Jamila Abdulhamid hailed the project, saying the water works, when completed, would help reduce the suffering faced by residents of Jalingo who buy water from vendors without knowing the sources.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Features

39

How inefficiency keeps MagboroMowe in perpetual darkness Francis Suberu

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arkness has been reigning supreme in Magboro/ Mowe axis of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for several years now as a few conspirators, united in negligence and suspected corruption keep frustrating all efforts to light up the area.

It is no longer news that hundreds of thousands of worker and officials in Lagos State live at MagboroMowe axis as Lagos city center is already over populated. Though, these suburbs are delineated as part of Ogun State, they provide easy and quick access to Lagos metropolis which has endeared many hitherto Lagos residents to the areas.

Residents in these areas now feel jinxed, thinking a time may never come when the area would be lit up and delivered from perennial darkness.

Despite optimism from millions of Nigerians in the area of improved power supply since the assumption of office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the teeming residents, accounting for over half of Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State are still singing the old dirge of non-existent power supply.

Investigations recently carried out by our correspondent have revealed that one major factor that has kept residents of the communities in perpetual darkness is inefficiency and lack of commitment to work.

Our correspondent gathered that the people of the areas had initially hoped to have electricity before the end of the year (2015) owing to a contract awarded to that effect by the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) to one Gioco Nigeria Limited, a company based in Ibadan, Oyo State.

However, their hopes dimmed when they got the wind of a perceived intrigues playing out among major stakeholders, including the contractor, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

The contract awarded to Gioco by NIPP was to be completed in December 2014 and divided into two phases. The first segment runs from Oke Aro power base in Lagos suburb, to Gaun town in Magboro while the second segment is from Magboro via Mountain of Fire to Mowe where there is a step-down facility.

Findings revealed that the first phase had been completed but the second phase, running from Magboro to Mowe is where the bottleneck is and this has become a source of worry to residents in the axis.

By the terms of the project, Gioco is expected to report regularly to NIPP on the state of the project, while Ibadan DISCO is to perform an oversight function, since the project on completion will be used by it for power distribution and revenue generation.

When the communities noticed that the project had dragged on beyond its completion period, they offered to help the contractor hasten up the work. This prompted the people, through their Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Residents Associations, to pull monetary resources together to assist.

One of the community stakeholders who preferred to remain anonymous said the communities had expended invaluable resources in terms of human, financial and material resources to hasten the completion of the projects but they were continuously being dribbled.

“There were times that the community supplied sand to the contractor while erecting poles, there were time we hired engineers on our own account to fix jumpers on the lines, we expended hundreds of thousand just to assist in this project. Even though we knew Gioco had been paid for the contract, we still went ahead to support,” he stressed.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola

Gioco chairman was just evasive, he was not definite on when and how he would redress the situation,

he kept on telling us his

Chief Engineer (Kola) was going to Bayelsa State to commission another

project, so the waiting game continues

The community leader added that the CDAs went to the extent of inter-facing with the Mountain of Fire and Miracles (MFM) Church when it was discovered that one of the church’s street light poles was on the alignment of the electricity cables.

He also said that the same intervention was done at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), noting that both MFM and RCCG did the needful through the CDAs intervention.

“If the people had not been involved on behalf of the contractor, would it have been easy for the contractor to just remove some of these poles on the alignment, or how easy would it have been for Gioco’s Chief Engineer, Mr. Kola, to walk up to MFM and RCCG that they should come and relocate their poles. All these the Churches

did at no cost to the contractor, all through our intervention,” the angry community leader highlighted.

Meanwhile, some officials of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company were not left out in the largesse coming from the communities.

Findings revealed that on different occasions when the officials were on sight-seeing or inspections, they were well taken care of in terms of food and drinks and other necessities because the communities were desperate to have electricity restored to them after a long period of outage.

Some members of other communities privy to the developments accused Ibadan Disco of deliberately plunging the people into darkness.

According to them, some of the areas from Ibafo via Olowotedo to part of Mowe were enjoying electricity till late last year; however, the IBEDC official in charge of Mowe-Ofada, one Engineer Otti decided to cut the areas off for reasons yet to be known.

Residents in the area got their biggest disappointment last October when they discovered that the long awaited light would no longer be switched-on as a lot of infractions were seen.

It was gathered that all attempts made to energise the lines became futile because the lines kept tripping-off because of substandard materials used in the construction.

The dilemma of the people now is that IBEDC that will take possession of the facility on completion does not have the authority to sanction the contractor for the shoddy job done, just as it cannot compel NIPP that awarded the contract to penalise the contractor.

One of our sources said, “IBEDC is trying to be diplomatic in dealing with NIPP because NIPP is a higher authority. Although the revenue generation of IBEDC is being affected it cannot do anything despite being under pressure to make money.”

The source revealed that at the instance of the affected communities, a meeting was held between them, IBEDC officials and the Chairman of Gioco Nigeria Limited, on how to correct the infractions; unfortunately, the contractor remained non-committal.

“You can imagine, Gioco Chairman was just evasive, he was not definite on when and how he would redress the situation, he kept on telling us his Chief Engineer (Kola) was going to Bayelsa State to commission another project, so the waiting game continues.

“Despite the fact that the communities were ready to hire supporting engineers at our own cost, this man still remained uncommitted. This is not the first time we will be offering to help; when IBEDC complained of shortage of staff, we hired three engineers at no cost to IBEDC. That was the extent we went and we are still ready to do more,” he hinted.

On whether the affected communities had been able to reach out to the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the community residents affirmed that there had not been any noticeable intervention from NERC yet.

“There has not been any impact from the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) because there is yet to be any direct interaction between us and the NERC,” he stated.

However, it was exclusively gathered that a petition was sent by some people in the areas to the NIPP but it was no clear if the petition got to the appropriate quarters.

All those who spoke however appealed to the Minister of Power- Mr. Babatunde Fashola, and the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NERC- Dr. Sam Amadi, to look into the saga, investigate and prosecute the contractor as well as bring succour to thousands of people living in the areas.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

40

Tiger Brands sells 65.7% stake in Dangote Flour Mills Stories: Johnson Okanlawon

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outh Africa’s Tiger Brands said it would sell its 65.7 per cent stake in its loss making Nigerian division to Dangote Industries Limited for $1.

Tiger Brands, South Africa’s biggest consumer foods maker, said Dangote Industries will give Tiger Brands an immediate cash injection of 0.7 billion rand ($46.1 million).

Tiger Brands will assume and settle the unit’s debt of 0.4 billion rand.

Tiger Brands has not made money from Tiger Branded Consumer Goods of Nigeria, formerly known as Dangote Flour

Mills, since paying nearly $200 million for a 65 per cent stake in the firm three years ago.

The Chief Executive of Tiger Brand, Mr Peter Matlare, however said the suspension of funding to the miller did not erode the confidence the company has on the Nigerian economy.

According to him, apart from retaining its stakes in other investments in Nigeria, the company will consider new acquisitions whenever an opportunity arises.

“We will look at all opportunities and consider them on their merits.

This action is not a vote

of no confidence in Nigeria, as Tiger Brands retains its 50 per cent interest in UAC Foods and its 100 per cent interest in Deli Foods.

“Africa remains fundamental to Tiger’s international growth strategy and we will continue to develop in these markets and invest appropriately to drive penetration. Despite some challenges in our African businesses, expansion in Africa represents a growth opportunity for the group,” he added.

With the withdrawal of further funding to Tiger Branded Consumer Goods , which has been struggling with losses

over the years, he said a variety of options are being considered, which could include a partnership, a sale, a merger, but no decision has as yet been made.

An analyst at Cape town-based Avior Capital Markets, Jiten Bechoo believes the move would enhance Tiger Brands’ earnings in the longer term.

“In the longer term, Nigeria will probably be a good place to be if you have scale, but Tiger Brands would probably have to refinance Dangote and probably take it a step forward by, for example, going into baking,” Bechoo said.

Equities shed 0.33% on profit taking

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rading in equities closed on a negative note on the Nigerian Stock Exchange yesterday, as some investors took profit from the previous gain.

The All Share Index depreciated 0.33 per cent to close at 27,179.28 points, as against the increase of 0. 23 per cent recorded on Friday to close at 27,268.71 points.

Market capitalization shed N31 billion to

close at N9.344 trillion, in contrast to the rise of N21 billion recorded on Friday to close at N9.375 trillion.

Tiger Brands Plc led the gainers’ table with 11 kobo or 9.57 per cent to close at N1.26 per share, followed by Berger Paints Plc with 49 kobo or 4.97 per cent to close at N10.34 per share.

Vanleer Plc added 46 kobo or 4.91 per cent to close at N9.83 per share,

while Ikeja Hotel Plc appreciated 15 kobo or 4.78 per cent to close at N3.29 per share.

Law Union Plc gained three kobo or 4.48 per cent to close at 70 kobo per share.

Conversely, Eterna Oil Plc dropped nine kobo or 5.03 per cent to close at N1.70 per share, while Oando Plc shed 27 kobo or five per cent to close at N5.13 per share.

Livestock Plc declined

Diageo appoints Guinness Nigeria exclusive distributor

G

uinness Nigeria has agreed to acquisition of the distribution rights to Diageo International Premium Spirits, IPS, brands in Nigeria.

As part of the transaction, Guinness Nigeria will also take over various assets including the current inventory of Diageo Brands Nigeria Limited, the whollyowned Diageo business which currently distributes and markets the IPS brands in Nigeria.

A statement by Guinness yesterday said the

consideration

for

the

best performing, most

transaction is approxi-

trusted

and

respected

mately N2.35billion.

consumer products com-

The transaction is ex-

pany in Nigeria by lever-

pected to be concluded

aging the strength of our

by December 31, 2015

unparalleled

and the new distribu-

of beer, adult premium

tion agreement for the

non-alcoholic

IPS brands will become

ready to drink as well as

effective on January 1,

spirits.

portfolio drinks,

CHANGE

% CHANGE

1.15

1.26

0.11

9.57

BERGER

9.85

10.34

0.49

4.97

VANLEER

9.37

9.83

0.46

4.91

IKEJAHOTEL

3.14

3.29

0.15

4.78

LAWUNION

0.67

0.70

0.03

4.48

LEARNAFRCA

0.78

0.81

0.03

3.85

FLOURMILL

20.47

21.00

0.53

2.59

0.02

2.22

cent to close at N1.34 per

1.96

share, while Nigeria Po-

WAPCO

90.00

91.34

1.34

1.49

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS

lice Microfinance Bank Plc dipped five kobo or 4.95 per cent to close at 96 kobo per share.

Vitafoam Plc depreci-

COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

ETERNA

1.79

1.70

-0.09

-5.03

OANDO

5.40

5.13

-0.27

-5.00

LIVESTOCK

1.41

1.34

-0.07

-4.96

NPFMCRFBK

1.01

0.96

-0.05

-4.95

ated 24 kobo or 4.90 per

VITAFOAM

4.90

4.66

-0.24

-4.90

cent to close at N4.66 per

PORTPAINT

3.95

3.76

-0.19

-4.81

share.

STANBIC

16.90

16.11

-0.79

-4.67

A total of 417.8 million

PAINTCOM

1.09

1.04

-0.05

-4.59

shares valued at N2.97

CUTIX

1.56

1.49

-0.07

-4.49

billion were exchanged

FIDSON

2.68

2.56

-0.12

-4.48

in 2,710 deals.

FGN Bonds

Bid

Description

within the market,” he added.

Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

13

Crude oil price

$58.96

Exchange

Rates (N)

WAUA

270

USD

196.95

EURO

214

CFA

0.32 1.64

ria brand portfolio best

Mr. Peter Ndegwa, ex-

fits our strategy of fill-

202

plained that the trans-

ing the gap in our total

SWISS FRANC

action

POUNDS STERLING

293

SDR

273

segments

CLOSING

TIGERBRANDS

2.45

tor of Guinness Nigeria,

across

OPENING

0.92

YEN

pete

GAINERS COMPANY

127.45

with the Guinness Nige-

ambition to create the

Stock Updates

0.90

The Managing Direc-

lio, and allows us to com-

Market capitalisation 9.34trn

125.00

all regulatory approvals.

beverage alcohol portfo-

Market indicators All-Share Index 27,179.28 points

WEMABANK

“The integration of

facilitate

US Dollar

$1

N196.95

GUINNESS

the Diageo IPS brands

will

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

seven kobo or 4.96 per

2016 subject to receiving

the achievement of its

Source: NSE

Offer

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

15.10 27-APR-2017

1.40

109.23

7.96

110.23

7.25

16.00 29-JUN-2019

3.57

114.46

10.98

115.46

10.67

15.54 13-FEB-2020

4.19

113.05

11.51

114.05

11.23

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.15

120.86

11.55

121.86

11.34

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.28

114.28

11.47

115.28

11.30

10.00 23-JUL-2030

14.63 88.52

11.65

89.52

11.49

Closing Market Prices of December 4, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

03-Mar-16

4.02

4.06

02-Jun-16

6.03

6.22

01-Dec-16

6.10

6.49

NIBOR Tenor

Rate (%)

O/N

0.9517

1M

9.5198

3M

11.4512

6M

13.3440 CBN Clearing Rates of December 7, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

41

Community Mirror

Our responsibility is to ensure we have best operating laws for the telecommunication industry, within the next three to four weeks we shall come up with a master plan for the telecommunication sector.

–Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu

A

notorious cattle rustler, identified as Adamu Belo, nicknamed Adede, has been arrested and paraded by the Kebbi State Police Command.

Adede who was apprehended by a patrol team of the command, apart from being a notorious criminal who specialises in cattle rustling, also reportedly engaged in armed robbery and kidnappings in and around the Bagudo Local Government Area of the state.

Parading Adede at the Command’s headquarters in Birnin Kebbi alongside four other suspected criminals that have reportedly been terrorising the state on armed robbery, kidnapping, theft and cattle rustling, the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Yakubu Jibrin, said significant success had been recorded within the short time he arrived at the Command.

According to the CP, “Adede, apart from being a notorious criminal who specialises in cattle rustling, also engaged in armed robbery and kidnappings in and around the Bagudo local government area of the state and New-Bussa LGA of Niger State.

“He was once convicted for cow theft in New-Bussa Magistrate Court in Niger

Cattle rustler, 4 others arrested in Kebbi

P

resident of Women Arise, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin has said that despite efforts by governmental and non-governmental organisations to curb gender based violence, it is still on the rise.

Okei –Odumakin who was speaking at the one-day multi-stakeholders’ sensitization meeting on prevalence of gender based violence andactivities to mark the international Human Rights Day in Lagos recent-

Dare Akogun

E

vents to commemorate the annual iwude festival of Ijesa land is scheduled to commence on Thursday, 17th December, 2015 with AYO GAME which is being coordinated by a respected Chief and elder, Chief Ayo Agbede, Lorunyin of Ijesa.

Motorists queue for fuel on the Airport road as scarcity of the commodity persists in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

State, but he did not repent but rather forged ahead in his notorious activities.

“It is our collective resolution as officers and men of the Kebbi State Command to make the state a crime-free state this end of the year and beyond.

“During their arrest, 16

locally made pistol, three pieces of charms, five locally made pellets, one cutlass, and four pieces of iron were recovered from them.

“Investigation by the police revealed that the leader of the gang, Ali Labaran, was a member of a syndicate that manufactured and

sold locally made guns to armed robbers operating in Beba area of the state.

“The suspects would be taken to court and would face charges of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of firearms, among others,” the police boss affirmed.

Gender-based violence increasing –Okei-Odumakin Ayo Esan

Iwude-Ijesha 2015 to commence this week

ly said that out of every ten women in Nigeria about five of them have gone through gender based violence .

She said that there are still flagrant violations of fundamental human rights saying in term of freedom of movements, you find out that the fight against terror has made it in such a way that there is infringement on fundamental human rights.

Okei-Odumakin said the terrorists have continued to waste human lives and that their activities have resulted in colossal loss of lives

and properties.

“And that is why we joined the World in saying that women that are vulnerable, children that are vulnerable, there is the need to protect them, there is need to protect lives and properties and also those who protect us, the police and other security operatives must also note that in as much as they want to protect human lives they should do that in line with the constitution.

“Today we want everyone to join hands; we want everyone to speak out, we want those that violate funda-

mental human rights, those that are engaged in violence against women to note that the days of impunity are over”, she said.

She also called on victims of gender based violence to reach out to human rights activists saying they are always there for them.

Part of the activities organized to mark the International Human Rights Day by the Women Arise is the showing of a Gender Based Violence, GBV Documentary Movie and testimonies by survivors of gender based violence.

This was disclosed by the chairman, annual iwude ijesa planning committee, the Loofosan, Ifosan, Ilesa Chief Olu Falomo at a press conference held in Lagos.

According to him the festival affords Owa Obokun the opportunity to remember his ancestors, pay homage to them, and prayers to God for the good of his people, peace and prosperity in the land and abundant blessing for his subjects.

“In the spirit of the revival of our culture and tradition, we plan to make the modern day youth more conversant with this interesting game. It promises to be an interesting event with prizes and gifts for the participants donated by International Breweries Plc” he stated.

Other activities of the festival include a special Jumat service On Friday, December 18, at the Osu Central Mosque in Atakunmosa West Local Government.

“The Grand Finale will feature the traditional IwudeIjesa outing by HIM, Oba Dr. Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland while the festival will be rounded up with a Royal Reception in the evening on that day, at the pavilion in front of Obokunbusi Town Hall at which we expect the Governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, as our Chief Host supported by other special dignitaries.

“Finally Sunday, 27th December will be dedicated to the Christian faithful at a special Church Thanksgiving service Committee at St. John’s cathedral, Iloro, Ilesa at 10:00am,” he added.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

42 47

World News

Sanctions toughen us. We have own philosophy and our own ideology and our natural resources are our own.

–Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe

Migrant crisis historic test for Europe –Merkel with Agency report

T

Sinai crash: ‘No proof of terrorism’ Migrants in a make shift accommodation in Germany but has come to us.”

More than one million refugees have come to Germany so far this year, the country’s officials said.

Meanwhile, authorities in Greece have been struggling to cope with growing numbers of migrants in its capital, Athens, as Balkan countries block their route further north.

An agreement to provide subsidised accommodation for migrants was signed yesterday.

The deal between the Greek government, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Commission will help to provide housing for 20, 000 new arrivals in Athens.

Paris attacks: ‘Ring leader operated on phone’

T

he ringleader of the Paris attacks last month appears to have directed the three terrorists inside the Bataclan theatre by phone from a few blocks away, according to a French terrorism expert.

A witness has also told French investigators that they saw Abdelhamid Abaaoud standing in a doorway yelling into his phone for about an hour.

Coup: Burundi puts dozens on trial

T

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza

SA names third in-a-week minister South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, has appointed the experienced Pravin Gordhan as his third finance minister within a week.

Gordhan replaces the little-known David van Rooyen who had only been in the job since Thursday last week.

Zuma sacked previous finance minister Nhlanhla Nene last week in a widely-criticised move that sent the rand to record lows and caused the stock market to tumble, the developments coming amid concern over South Africa’s struggling economy.

Gordhan was widely respected when he served as South Africa’s finance minister from 2009 until 2014.

Analysts said his re-appointment was designed to quell market discontent and restore some confidence.

Afolabi Gambari

he German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday described the migrant crisis as a historic test for Europe.

Merkel, who defended her policy on migrants at the annual conference of her CDU party, said that Germany had stood by its humanitarian duties.

Merkel’s decision to welcome refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war has not been popular within her own party.

She rejected the idea of an upper limit on migrant numbers, sought by some in her own party and by the leader of the CDU’s powerful Bavarian sister party, the CSU. “However, the flow of migrants would be reduced and this is a step that some members of the party have been calling for,” she explained, adding, “Such a reduction is in the interest of Germany and in the interest of the migrants themselves.”

The German leader said the decision by Germany and Austria to allow in migrants stranded in the Hungarian capital, after many started walking towards the border on September 4, was a humanitarian imperative.

“Something that was far away from us, that we have seen on television, is now literally at our front door,” she further said.

“The war in Syria, the barrel bombings by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the spread of IS in Syria and Iraq, the fact that Libya has no functioning government, the situation in Afghanistan, all that is no longer far away

AFRICAN BULLETIN

he leader of September’s short-lived coup in Burkina Faso, General Gilbert Diendere, has been charged with complicity in the October 15, 1987 murder of former President Thomas Sankara.

Diendere is the most senior official to be charged.

Sankara was murdered by a group of soldiers, but the exact circumstances of his death have remained a mystery.

An autopsy found that his body was riddled with bullets, his family’s lawyer said recently.

Sankara was succeeded by Blaise Compaore who stayed in

power for 27 years, before being ousted by street protests in 2014.

Investigations have revealed that Diendere, who later became Compaore’s intelligence chief, was a close friend and political ally of Sankara at the time of his death.

The general has however not commented on the charges, but his lawyers said yesterday that they would prepare a response.

Investigations into the murder made little progress during Compaore’s iron-fisted rule.

Diendere is already in detention, facing charges in connection with September’s sevenday coup.

That night, the witness had several times gone to a car parked nearby, and Abaaoud had been there every time.

They described the man as very agitated. When the witness later walked past him, they were able to see his face.

Abaaoud’s head was shaved and he was wearing layers of loose clothing, but when photographs were later published in the media the witness immediately recognized him and alerted the authorities.

The prosecutor, Francois Molins, had said on November 24 that Abaaoud’s phone was geo-located in the vicinity of the attacks between 10:28pm and 12:28am that night, including in proximity to the Bataclan before the attack was over.

Abaaoud, who had previously appeared in videos produced by ISIS, and the group claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks the day after they occurred, was killed five days later when police raided an apartment in the Paris district of St. Denis, along with a female cousin and a man who has not been identified.

Egyptian investigators yesterday said they have so far found no proof that terrorism caused a Russian jet to crash in the Sinai in October, killing 224 people.

The plane came down en route to Russia from the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

A group linked to so-called Islamic State (IS) said it bombed the plane in which all the victims were Russians.

Russia has said a bomb brought down the Metrojet Airbus, after finding what it said were “traces of foreign explosives” on the debris.

Kremlin also vowed to “find and punish” the perpetrators and spokesman Dmitry Peskov re-iterated yesterday that “our experts concluded this was a terrorist attack”.

IS-shouting man stabs teacher A teacher has been attacked in a preschool class in Aubervilliers, a suburb of the French capital, Paris, by a man citing so-called Islamic State.

The attacker shouted: “This is for Daesh [Islamic State]. It’s a warning,” stabbing the teacher with a box cutter or scissors before fleeing.

Reports however said the life of the teacher, 45, who was alone in the room, is not in danger.

France remains on high alert after the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 that left 130 people dead.

The attacker reportedly arrived wearing a balaclava and gloves but was unarmed and used weapons he found in the classroom.

The attacker fled on foot and is still on the run. But a manhunt is under way.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

43

New emir of Keffi emerges IGBAWASE UKUMBA LAFIA

A

new emir of Keffi, Dr. Shehu Usman Yamusa II, emerged yesterday through a successful selection exercise conducted in Keffi, Nasarawa State government has announced.

A statement issued to journalists by secretary to the state government, SSG, Umaru Azores Suleiman, said the emir succeeds his late father, Mo-

Sokoto State Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Alhaji Musa Ausa (2nd L) inspecting parade by NYSC members of the 2015, Batch ‘’ B’’, Stream two, deployed in the state during their passing out ceremony at the Permanent Orientation Camp at Wamakko, Sokoto State, yesterday.

PHOTO:NAN

Court summons IGP over contempt …says he’s not above the law

N

ational Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, has ordered the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon Arase, to appear before it on February 8, 2016, to explain why he should not be jailed for contempt.

Justice Peter Lifu gave the order in a ruling he delivered on Monday in a post-judgment case on wrongful dismissal of Sgt. Atabo Okpanashi. ‘‘The IG thinks he is a big fish and has refused to obey court order and has not even sent a representative or any apologies all through the case. He feels he can do anything with

impunity. ‘‘With this new era of change, one would have thought the IG, being the number one law enforcer, would have known that he is not above the law and must comply with court orders. ‘‘By the rules of the court, my oath of office and regulations of the National Judicial Council, I order that the IG be present in court on February 8 to show why an order for committal to prison should not be made against him. ``It is not good that the Nigeria Police Force, a public institution, and the court, another public in-

stitution, should be on a collision course, it would create a state of anarchy. ``On December 2, this court granted a short adjournment till today for the police to purge itself of contempt by registering appearance. ``The refusal of the IG to appear before the court after several notices were served on him is the height of impunity,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, recalls that Okpanashi had sued the police for alleged wrongful dismissal, and demanded payment of all his entitlements and emoluments.

On May 13, 2014, the court had in a judgment

ordered the reinstatement of the sergeant and the payment of all his entitlements and emoluments.

The court had held that Okpanashi was wrongfully dismissed in July 2009 on the purported allegations of discreditable conduct, breach of contract and corrupt practices leveled against him by the police.

More than one and a half year after the judgment, and the Police Service Commission, PSC, complied with the court by reinstating Okpanashi on December 8, the IG had, however, failed to effect the payment of Okpanashi’s entitlements, hence the court case.

G

overnor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has said any guest without valid identification card will not be checked into hotels in the state as from January 2016.

Tambuwal spoke on Monday in Sokoto at the inauguration of the fourstar Taraka International

Hotel.

“This new policy, which mandates all guests in all hotels in the state to present valid ID cards before they are checked in, will come into effect from January 2016,’’ he said.

The governor, represented by Commissioner for Commerce, Industries and Tourism, Aminu Bel-

lo, urged ‘‘all hoteliers in the state to cooperate with government and other security agencies.

“The policy became imperative in view of the prevailing security situation in the state as nothing should be left to chance.

“All guests coming into the state and other resi-

GOMBE

S

tudents of Gombe State University under the aegis of Gombe State Students Association, GOSA, have appealed to lecturers of the school to shelve their planned strike.

The students, while briefing journalists said the proposed industrial ac-

tion, if carried out, would negatively affect their academic calendar and elongate their stay in school.

President of the students’ union, Jalili Abdulaziz Umar, also called on the state government to actualise its promise of immediately offsetting the over N400 million backlog of allowances owed the lecturers.

The lecturers under the banner of the Academic

Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Gombe State University chapter, had in a briefing last week warned that they would be forced to embark on strike should the government refuse to use the opportunity of availability of bailout funds to offset their allowances.

According to the students’ leader, “we want the state to take immediate action because we will be

PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

N

iger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has threatened to deal with any public school principal that forces students to pay examination fees for the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, and National Examination Councils, NECO, in the state.

Bello said parents were to pay for one of the two of WAEC or NECO, while the state government picks the bill for the other.

He explained that his government would main-

dents should bear with the new policy, as it is aimed at further enhancing security of lives and property,’’ Tambuwal said.

He urged people of the state and other wealthy individuals to continue to invest in the tourism sector to boost business in the state.

at the receiving end and our academic calendar obstructed.”

Though the student union leaders commended Gombe government’s efforts in the education sector, especially in paying their scholarship allowances, the students, however, lamented that Gombe pays the lowest bursary allowance in the entire NorthEast states.

tain the status-quo on payment of one of the exams as embarked on by the immediate past administration for Senior Secondary School Examination, SSSE, for students.

Against this backdrop, the governor warned that any principal that flouts the directive would be dealt with.

He then urged parents to report any principal that may want to force their children and wards to pay for the two examinations, stressing that government’s policy on NECO/WAEC stands and should be strictly adhered to.

FG orders NESREA to clampdown on law violators ABUJA

Shelve strike, Gombe varsity students beg ASUU WILLIAMS ATTAH

Bello threatens principals over WAEC/NECO fees

OLUFEMI ADEOSUN

No valid ID, no hotel lodging in Sokoto –Tambuwal

hammed Chindo Yamusa II, the immediate past emir of Keffi, who died on December 4.

According to the statement, the new emir is a descendant of the AbduZango royal family and holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in energy laws.

It added that until his new appointment, the new emir was a senior lecturer in the faculty of law, Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

F

ederal Government has given marching orders to the National Environmental Standard and Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, to enforce the nation’s environmental laws.

Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, during the opening session of the National Dialogue on tImplementation of National Environmental Regulations in Abuja yesterday, said all environmental laws must be enforced to protect the nation’s economy, its people and the environment.

She stressed that collaboration with relevant stakeholders, both in public and private sectors, was key to protecting the environment.

Director-General of

NESREA, Dr. Lawrence Anukam, stated that the year’s regulatory dialogue was designed with a view to evaluating the agency’s performance in the implementation of its environmental regulations.

According to him, the forum also presents a unique opportunity for NESREA to brainstorm with the relevant stakeholders to seek solutions to the challenges arising in the course of operating the regulations.

Since inception, NESREA has formulated 33 national environmental regulations across different sectors of the nation’s economy. The regulations have since been gazetted and operational.

He therefore, urged any practitioner having problem with any of the regulations to speak up for a thorough deliberation by the various participants.

44

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to confirm that Josephine Chinweokwu Aboyim and Josephine Chinwe Aboyim belong to one and the same person. All documents bearing these names to remain valid. general public take note

OJO:I Formerly known and addressed as OJO OLUWASEGUN ABIODUN. Now wish to be known and address as Mr ATIPO OLUWASEGUN ABIODUN.All fomer document remain valid.National Open University Of Nigeria NOUN and general public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

OGWUCHE: I, formerly known and addressed as OGWUCHE ECHE, now wish to be known, called and addressed as AMEH DONMICHAEL ECHE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

ADEFARATI: I, formerly known and addressed as MODUPE FUNKE ADEFARATI, now wish to be known, called and addressed as MODUPE FUNKE OBAYEMI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ONUEGBU: I, formerly known and addressed as CHINEMEREM ONUEGBU, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OKEZIE ONYINYECHI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note. .

CHANGE OF NAME AZEEZ: I, formerly known as AZEEZ LUKMAN ADEOLA, now wish to be known and addressed as LASISI LUKMAN ADEOLA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME ONAFUYE: I, formerly known and addressed as ONAFUYE YETUNDE ADETUTU, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OJURI YETUNDE ADETUTU. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ODOH: I, formerly known and addressed as ODOH INNOCENT, now wish to be known and addressed as INNOCENT NNAMANI CHIDIEBERE. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME I formerly known and addressed as MISS OLASUNKANMI OLABISI, henceforth wish to be known and addressed as MRS. JIBUNOH OLABISI. All former documents remain valid. General Public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

This is to confirm that I, IYKE IKECHUKWU OKEUGO is one and same person that is known, called and addressed as IYKE ISHMAEL OKEUGO. That all documents bearing both names are mine and remain valid. General public and Authorities Concerned should please take note.

AYENI: I, formerly known and addressed as AYENI MICHAELMARY OLUSEGUN MARIA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OLUSEGUN MARIA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

FUNSHO: I, formerly known and addressed as FUNSHO ADEMOLA GBENGA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as AINA ADEMOLA GBENGA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

OMUNERI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OMUNERI PRECIOUS OBINWANNE and MISS OMUNERI PRECIOUS OBIOMA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as MRS AKU PRECIOUS OBINWANNE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

OHILEBO: I, formerly known and addressed as OHILEBO MICHAEL LUCKY, now wish to be known, called and addressed as EKEINDE MICHAEL LUCKY. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME UDEMBA: I, formerly known as UDEMBA IJEOMA AGATHA, now wish to be known and addressed as OKOLI IJEOMA AGATHA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME IBRAHIMU: I, formerly known as IBRAHIMU OMOSALEWA, now wish to be known and addressed as OKENIYI FASILAT OMOSALEW. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME NNADI: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NNADI CHINYERE LOVETH, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS EZEA CHINYERE LOVETH. All former documents remain valid.

NYSC and general public should take note.

We, formerly known as ONUOHA, now wish to be known and addressed as OBODOECHI. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

OGWUDU: I, formerly known and addressed as EDWIN OGWUDU OGWUDU, now wish to be known and addressed as OGWUDU EDWIN NWAITE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

EZE: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS EZE NNEKA MONNICK, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ONUH MONICA NNEKA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

MARYANN: I, formerly known and addressed as AWARA AMAKA MARYANN, now wish to be known and addressed as AWARA AMAKA PRECIOUS. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME NWATU: I, formerly known and addressed as NWATU ONYEKACHI, now wish to be known and addressed as NWACHUKWU ONYEKACHI. All former documents remain valid.

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NNAJI: I, formerly known and addressed as NNAJI CHINASA, now wish to be known and addressed as EZE EDNA NKEIRUKA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

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This is to confirm that DANIEL FRIDAY, FRIDAY UDOH EKANNE AND EKANEM FRIDAY UDO refer to one and same person, now wish to be known and addressed as EKANEM FRIDAY UDO. All former documents bearing the three (3) names remain valid. General public please take note.

This is to confirm that JACQUELINE CHIDI AKPATA,CHIDI AKPATA and JACQUELINE AKPATA refers to one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as AKPATA JACQUELINE. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

This is to confirm that ONOVO SUNDAY ESSIOT, ONOVO ESSIOT AGWUABUCHI and ONOVO SUNDAY AGWUABUCHI refers to one and the same person, now wish to be known and addressed as ONOVO SUNDAY ESSIOT. All former documents remain valid.

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Formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajiero Onwuanaku Blessing Chioma, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. OnuChukwu Blessing Chioma.

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ARIMIYO: I, formerly known and addressed as ADEDOTUN EZEKIEL ARIMIYO, now wish to be known, called and addressed as ADEDOTUN ARIMIYO ADEMUYIWA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME NWODO: I, formerly known and addressed as MISS NWODO NDIDIAMAKA PATIENCE, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS NWODO-OKUDO NDIDIAMAKA PATIENCE. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

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OGHENEVWEDE: I, formerly known and addressed as OGHENEVWEDE MAYOR DAVISON, now wish to be known, called and addressed as OGHENEVWEDE KEVWE DAVISON. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

DADA: I, formerly known and addressed as FLORENCE OLOTU DADA, now wish to be known, called and addressed as FLORENCE ADEYEMI GBENGA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

I’m not scared of AFN Olympic standard –Amadi 47

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

45

Sport

Our male and female teams’ qualification for Rio Olympics football are an indication that our Vision 2022 is in order –South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan

My team not good for Olympic gold medal yet –Siasia

C

Glo-CAF Awards

Amuneke carried shoulder high by his players in Chile

Amuneke guns for Coach of the Year Everest Onyewuchi

T

he Coach of Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, who won a fifth FIFA U-17 World Cup for the nation in Chile, in October, Emmanuel Amuneke, is in the running for the 2015 CAF Coach of the Year award.

At a joint press conference the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its sponsor, Globacom, held in Abuja yesterday, it was revealed that Amuneke, who won the African Player title in 1994, is vying for the title with Mali U-17 coach, Baye Ba, Etoile Sportive de Sahel’s Fawzi Benzarti, Frenchman Hervé Renard, who led Cote d’ivore to win the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea and Patrice Carteron, who won the CAF Champions League with TP Mazembe.

CAF Executive Committee

…Osimhen, Nwakali for Youth Player title …Ayew, Aubameyang challenge Toure Member, Mr. Moucharafou Anjorin, who released the names alongside Globacom’s Business Director, North West, Mr. Kemi Kaka, at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, also announced that Golden Eaglets captain, Kelechi Nwakali and the highest goal scorer in Chile, Victor Osimhen, are among the shortlist for the Youth Player award.

Although no Nigerian is in the final three-man shortlist for the African Player of the Year that has Andrew Ayew of Ghana and Swansea City FC, PierreEmerick Aubameyang of Gabon & Borrussia Dortmund and four-time winner, Yaya Toure of Cote d’Ivoire and Manchester

City, Super Falcons’ Ngozi Ebere is shortlisted for the Women Player of the Year award.

The names of top three finalists for the Africa-based ‘Player of the Year’ Award were also released. They are: Mbwana Aly Samatta of Tanzania and TP Mazembe, Baghdad Bounedjah of Algeria and Etoile du Sahel and Robert Kidiaba of Dmocratic Republic of Congo and TP Mazembe.

National Mirror learnt that the lists were prepared through a vigorous selection process by the technical, football and media committees of CAF, taking into account the performance of the nominees for their national teams and clubs from January

to November this year.

Winners of the various awards will be crowned at the Awards Night holding at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on 7th January, 2016.

Speaking at the event, Kaka who represented Globacom, said, “This is the eleventh year of Glo-CAF partnership and we at Glo take pride in the significant strides our alliance with CAF has achieved in raising the quality and popularity of football in Africa.

“Globacom will continue to use its clout in sports sponsorships in Africa to encourage people in sports, African culture and business to excel.”

oach Samson Siasia has urged his players not to rest on their oars after winning the Africa U-23 Nations Cup last weekend and qualifying for the football event of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Nigeria beat Algeria 2-1 last Saturday to win the trophy.

Despite the success Siasia does not feel his side were at their best.

“We are happy we’ve won a very difficult tournament but there’s a lot of work to be done between now and August,” he told BBC Sport.

“I wasn’t even sure we could make it to the final but through hard work and intense discussions after every game ensured the boys corrected their mistakes - we came out victorious.

“There can be no substitute for hard work, concentration, serious focus and that’s what we’re going to do.

“If you don’t get it right, you’re in trouble at a major tournament like the Olympics. We still have a lot of tidying up to do over all.”

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has praised the presence and activities of the Nigerian Ambassador to Senegal and Mauritania, Mrs. Katyen Jackden, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Christian Ohaa and the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Alhassan Yakmut in Dakar last Saturday for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations final between Nigeria and Algeria.

NFF 1st Vice President, Barr. Seyi Akinwunmi, lauded the trio for the efforts they put into motivating the Nigeria U-23 squad ahead of the final match.

46

Sports

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Barca’s Messi taking on Arsenal players in a past match

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Paulo Dybala

UCL Rd of 16: Arsenal face Barcelona again

A

rsenal will face holders Barcelona in the Champions League last 16.

Chelsea have been drawn against Paris St-Germain for the third consecutive season, while Manchester City face Dynamo Kiev.

Roma versus Real Madrid and Juventus, last year’s beaten finalists, against Bayern Munich are two of the standout matches in the draw.

First legs are scheduled to take

place on 16-17 and 23-24 February.

Return legs are on 8-9 and 15-16 March.

The winners of each group, including Chelsea and Manchester City, are at home in the second legs, while Arsenal will host their first leg.

Barcelona v Arsenal is a repeat of the 2006 final, which the Spanish champions won 2-1 thanks to two late goals in Paris.

The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on 18 March with the semi-final line-up drawn on 15 April.

The Fixtures Gent vs Wolfsburg Roma vs Real Madrid Paris St-Germain vs Chelsea Arsenal vs Barcelona Juventus vs Bayern Munich PSV Eindhoven vs At. Madrid Benfica v Zenit St Petersburg Dynamo Kiev v Manchester City

Wrestling: Chad, Niger, Liberia woo Kodei

T

here are strong indications that the Republic of Chad, Republic of Niger, Liberia and Senegal are in hot chase for Head Coach, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Victor Kodei.

Kodei led Team Nigeria wrestlers to the 11th All Africa Games in Congo and won a total of 17 medals for the nation, consisting of nine gold, five silver and four bronze medals, to become the highest medal winning sport for Nigeria at the Games.

Kodei had in the past tutored Senegal and Chad, this giving them the upper edge over countries like Niger and Liberia.

In 2012, Kodei qualified Senegalese wrestlers for the London Olympics, upsetting Nigerian wrestlers, while in Chad he came 2nd in freestyle at the ju-

nior cadet championship first in the history of Chad It will be recalled that the Liberia National Olympic Committee (LNOC) in partnership with the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) used Kodei as chief facilitator at the wrestling seminar in Monrovia.

In his reaction, Kodei denied claims that he had taken offers from any other countries.

“I’m proudly Nigeria and will give my best to the nation,” he said.

The 15 times Africa champion said he would make sure Nigeria qualifies for Rio 2016 Olympics.

Meanwhile, Nigeria wrestler, Odunayo Adekuoroye, was at her best again as she defeated India’s Lalita Sherawat of Bengaluru Yodhas in the 53Kg of the Pro Wrestling League (PWL).

Adekuoroye who represented team Mumbai Garuda won Sherawat by 10-0 points (technical point) within three minutes of the first round.

She maintained a clean score and now boosts the chances of making team

Mumbai Garuda go top of the ladder.

The two-time Africa Champion will on Thursday battle another Indian wrestler, Babita Kumari, representing Up Warriors as she dreams of keeping an unbeaten record.

Dybala not for sale –Juve

C

hampions Juventus have denied media reports that striker Paulo Dybala, who has scored eight Serie A goals this season including a late strike in the 3-1 victory over Fiorentina last weekend, may leave the club.

“We do not want to sell him neither this season nor in the following ones as we have invested a considerable sum on him,” chief executive, Giuseppe Marott,a told Mediaset Premium television.

“Dybala is a player who is growing and who has not yet shown his full potential.”

Juve’s win last Sunday lifted them to fourth in the table with 30 points, six behind leaders Inter Milan.

“We’ve one league game left this calendar year and we’re now very close to where we needed to be at this stage,” said Dybala.

Juve play second from bottom Carpi this Sunday in their final match before the winter break.

NFF holds AGM tomorrow

T Kodei

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will hold its 71st Annual General Assembly at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja tomorrow.

The opening ceremony will start at 10am.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed yesterday that the Minister of Youth

and Sports, Barrister Solomon Dalung, will declare the big event open.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Christian Ohaa and the Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Alhassan Yakmut, are also expected.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

47

Mercyjacob_26@yahoo.com Tel: 08063056537

I’m not scared of AFN Olympic standard –Amadi

Amadi

World bits…

WOA opposes ban on Russian athletes

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Amadi

F

emale long jump gold medalist at the 11th All African Games in Congo Brazzaville, Chinazom Amadi has stated that she is not disturbed by Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) recent released Rio 2016 Olympic entry standard for athletes insisting that it is just a number.

Amadi who went to the African Games as an underdog athlete, in an interview with National Mirror expressed confidence that she will surpass the federation standard as she has set her attention on the Olympics.

“For me I am not losing sleep because of the AFN Rio 2016 entry standard for athletes, it is just a number, I believe for anybody to make it in life you have to be positive and work hard to earn the success.

“The standard is not much

by the grace of God I will surely meet up with the standard even though it’s not an easy task.

“Just as I told my friends before leaving for the African Games that I was going to win a gold medal in long jump, because I was convinced that I had put in enough hard work,so I am working hard to ensure I meet up with the federation standard.”

Recently AFN released entry standard for athletes intending to represent Nigeria at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, as well as monetary incentives for athletes that achieve the federation’s entry standard,.

The athletes intending to compete in the men and women 100m must run 10.09secs and 11.10secs.

For the 200m, the men must run 20.20secs and the women 22.50secs. In the 400m, the

entry standard is 45.20secs for men and 50.90secs for women.

For athletes intending to compete in the men 800m, the standard is 1.45.30secs and 2.00.00secs for women.

While the men’s high jump standard is 2.31metres and women 1.98metres. Men long jumpers must jump 8.20meters and women 6.90meters.

Speaking further Amadi assured her admirers that she would do better than what she did in African Games at the Olympics.

“No matter what I was able to achieve at the African Games in Brazzaville I have put them behind my focus is on the big one which is the 2016 Olympics Game Amadi said.

“My next target is to keep working hard to make the Rio Olympics team. With my effort in Congo, it is expected of me to put up a better performance.”

Star Quote…

I want to be the king of sprints because I think I am

Asafa Powell

he global association of Olympic athletes says it’s unfair that all of Russia’s track and field athletes have been banned from international competition because of allegations of state-sponsored doping.

The World Olympians Association calls for an “urgent solution” that allows athletes who have not been involved in doping to be able to compete.

The WOA issued a statement Monday saying clean athletes should “have their rights and their reputations protected and

honored.”

Russia’s athletics federation was suspended by the IAAF following a report by a World AntiDoping Agency panel that detailed widespread doping. The sanction could keep Russian track and field athletes out of next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The WOA suggests that athletes from suspended countries who have clean doping records could undergo “extraordinary testing sessions” clearing them to compete.

ARAF gets WADA conditions

T

he nation was suspended from participating in athletics events following the publication of the World AntiDoping Agency’s (Wada) landmark report last month, which alleged several instances of doping in Russian athletics.

Following the report, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has drafted Reinstatement Conditions, which must be backed up by verification criteria, before Russian athletes can compete again.

ARAF must comply with the requirements of Wada and the IAAF

Anti-Doping Rules, as well as introduce a “comprehensive code of ethics” and “reasonable term limits for all its officials”. None of its directors, officers or staff are allowed to have had any previous involvement with doping.

All disciplinary cases against athletes and support personnel must be resolved within three months, while cases involving international-level athletes will be prosecuted by the IAAF before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Wada will determine how the cases involving national-level athletes will be resolved.

Cross country championship: Hassan, Kaya emerge victorious

S

ifan Hassan and Ali Kaya delivered dominant performances to win the senior titles at the European Cross Country Championships in the French town of Hyeres on Sunday (13).

The senior men’s and women’s races saw Kaya and Hassan stamp their class on their respective

fields on a day of fast and furious racing.

Hassan surprised many by dictating the pace from early on in the women’s race. The world 1500m bronze medallist was in no mood to wait around, even over 8km. But the Dutch athlete almost paid the price for her impatience.

WORLD RECORD

Fastest time to burst three balloons with the back Fastest marathon dribbling two basketballs

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1264 Tuesday, December 15, 2015

The fastest time to burst three balloons with the back is 12 seconds, set by Julia Gunthel, aka ‘Zlata’ (Germany), on 23 November 2007.

Leveraging gas to power Nigeria E lectricity plays a fundamental role in the socio-economic progress and development of every nation. It facilitates the provision of basic amenities, essential health care, food, communication and transport. It is also responsible for powering industries, from manufacturing to mining to agriculture to e-commerce to real estate and much more.

The Nigerian energy industry is arguably one of the most inefficient in meeting the energy needs of its consumers. The persisting energy crises have weakened the progress of industrialization, hindered development, and contributed negatively to the quality of life in a country where majority of the populace lives on less than $2 a day.

Guest Columnist

Dawn Idiodi Dimowo

According to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, Nigeria has proven reserves of well over 5 trillion m³, the largest proven gas reserves in Africa. With gas reserves far greater than our oil reserves, gas not only has the potential to power Nigeria for the next 50+ years, it also offers a comparably cheaper and cleaner way of generating energy.

Nigeria has reportedly flared more gas than any other country in the world despite the fact that the benefits of gas go beyond the socio-economic. Gas discoveries in Nigeria have, for the most part, been incidental to oil exploration and production activities.

As a result, despite the associated environmental hazards of gas flaring, experts say Nigeria used to flare about 1.2 billion cubic feet of gas a day (bcf/d), which could fuel about 7000MW of efficient thermal electric power, over 1,400 agro-processing facilities, 350 textile plants, and 70 fertilizer plants with a plethora of opportunities to create over one million jobs. This amount of gas flared represents 12.5 percent of all globally flared gas. Between January and September 2014, Nigeria lost about $1 billion from gas flaring by oil companies operating in the country. This figure has now reduced by almost 50 percent, due to a realisation of the value of gas.

IOCs such as Shell recently announced they will focus their future investments in Nigeria on gas. Indigenous companies have also increased their own focus on the gas industry. For example, the indigenous oil and gas firm, Seplat Petroleum Development Company has invested $300m in the gas

BETWEEN JANUARY AND SEPTEMBER 2014, NIGERIA LOST ABOUT $1 BILLION FROM GAS FLARING BY OIL COMPANIES OPERATING IN THE COUNTRY business. The company also expanded its gas processing facility in Oben, Edo State to boost power generation in the region.

Oando PLC is another example. Their mid-stream subsidiary has begun the expansion of the Trans Amadi gas pipeline located in Port Harcourt, as well as a further extensive build-out of its vast Lagos gas grid to connect off-takers located on the Ijora-Marina-Bonny Camp axis. The company has earmarked its approach as part of a longterm strategy to drive gas production and supply in every industrial centre in Nigeria.

Oando has also announced plans to invest $36 million in the construction of three gascompression plants in the country within the next one year.

A final example can be found in Seven Energy, which recently secured a $495 million loan from a consortium of Nigerian and international lenders to help fund its spending to supply gas to the domestic market. Seven has already invested $1 billion in related projects in the southeast gas fields along with the related infrastructure and pipelines so it can sell gas into the domestic market for use in power generation and in-

dustrial consumption. These projects are all timely especially considering that domestic gas demand is projected to reach 5 billion cubic feet daily in the next two years.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts overall power generation in Africa to increase its current level of 17 percent to above 25 percent by 2040, further spurring an economy such as Nigeria’s, which is projected to grow to $4.2 trillion by 2040 and take its place as the world’s 4th largest economy.

This clearly outlines the trajectory of the global energy industry.

Undoubtedly, the transformation of Nigeria’s power sector is key to driving economic growth. The power privatisation process and the simultaneous process of divestment by major IOCs from gas rich, onshore Nigeria Delta assets heralded a period of investment in gas processing and distribution infrastructure that is vital to the long term success of the power industry, but much work remains to be done. It is imperative that the government commits to accelerating and finishing the work that has been started in this area.

In certain areas, incentives, concessions, and enabling policies are still required.

Institutions such as the World Bank have recognised this; its Partial Risk Guarantee Scheme in Nigeria is the largest such scheme in the world. To provide the guarantees many investors are seeking, there has to be a regulatory process to enhance the creditworthiness of gas off-takers, along with the bankability and enforceability of domestic supply contracts as well as the gas price regime.

The benefits, if a viable framework is implemented, are exponential and indisputable. It is a simple fact that improving power generation and supply will have a considerable impact on our annual economic growth.

Dimowo is an Abuja-based consultant with africapractice and previously worked at the office of Legal Affairs of INTERPOL in Lyon, France

Sport Extra

S

wiss authorities are said to be reviewing 133 reports of suspicious financial activities linked to the decisions

by FIFA to let Russia and Qatar host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals, the Swiss Office of the

FIFA: Swiss investigates 133 deals Attorney General (OAG) said yesterday.

According to Reuters, that was up from the 103 cases the OAG had reported in August in its investigation of suspect-

ed corruption at FIFA’s Zurich headquarters.

Russia and Qatar have denied wrongdoing.

An OAG spokeswoman said by email in response to a Reuters’ que-

ry that the suspicious activity reports came from a Swiss financial intelligence unit called the Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS).

“These reports are related to the ongoing criminal proceedings around the allocation of the Football World Cup 2018 and 2022,” she added.

Hayatou

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