Thursday, august 27, 2015 (new)

Drug trafficking: FG orders DSS to begin screening of crew members OLUSEGUN KOIKI

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ederal Government has ordered the Department of State Security Service, DSS,

Daura

Vol. 5 N0. 1187

to henceforth carry out stringent screening of all crew members of airlines, especially those operating regional and international routes.

This is as the manage-

Thursday, August 27, 2015

ment of Arik Air on Tuesday commenced critical investigation into activities of its ground staff following the arrest of one of its crew members, CONTINUED ON PAGE 2>>

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Thursday, August 27,

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Policemen recovering on Tuesday the body of a boy who lagoon, at by his mother while attemp was allege Marina, Lagos dly , yesterday. ting murder/suicide, drowned PHOTO: YINKA inside ADEPARUSI the

Woman throws child into lagoon, jumps in too P.10

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Salary arrears

N150

TOLA AKINMUTIMI

CBN begins funds disbursement to states Zamfara, Kwara first to access money

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entral Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday disclosed that it had granted approval to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) on their request to provide financial accommodation to state governments to enable them pay the backlog of salaries of workers.

A statement by the apex bank indicated the approval was sequel to the decision by National Economic Council (NEC) at

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Govt to probe Second Niger Bridge contract –ICPC boss

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INSIGHT

F l supply: Fuel l DPR, PPMC battle erring marketers

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L-R: Members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Emir of Fika, Alhaji Muhammadu Abali Ibu Idrissa; Okumagbe of Luleha, Oba Timothy Ayo Omobare; Obi of Obinugwo, Oba Cletus Ilomironeja; Emir of Kasaure, Alhaji Najib Adamu Hassan; Alayemore of Ido Osun, Oba Aderemi Adedapo and Chairman/Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, during a condolence visit to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on the demise of the Onni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, at the governor’s office, Abere, Osogbo, yesterday.

NNPC cancels contract for crude oil delivery to refineries

Agbaje loses again as Appeal Court affirms Ambode’s election P.47

Terminates offshore processing agreements

Agbaje

5,000 liberated from Dikwa, says NEMA

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CBN begins funds disbursement to states CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

its meeting of 29th June, 2015 requesting it, in collaboration with other stakeholders, to appraise and consider ways of liquidating the outstanding staff salaries owed by state and local governments nationwide.

According to CBN, the conditions for accessing the loan facility include, resolutions of the State Economic Council authorising the borrowing and State House of Assembly consenting to the loan package, as well as issuance of Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) to ensure timely repayment.

The bank stated further that out of the 27 states involved, funds had been disbursed to two states namely, Zamfara and Kwara states that met the requirements as agreed with their respective banks.

It also assured that efforts would be made in the coming days to conclude disbursements to other states so that all outstanding salaries to civil servants could be fully paid.

It would be recalled that early July, the President had approved the release of N713.7 billion intervention funds for the state to pay workers’ salaries.

The bailout was part of a three-pronged relief package intended to end workers’ plight, particularly in over 20 states,

where salaries and other entitlements of workers were not paid for several months.

These include the sharing of about $2.1 billion (about N413.7 billion) in fresh allocation between the states and the federal government to be sourced from recent Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Company Limited’s remittance to the Federation Account; and a Central Bank-packaged special intervention fund that will offer financing to the states, ranging from between N250 billion to N300

billion, as a soft loan available to states to access for the purposes of paying backlog of salaries.

Also included was a debt relief programme proposed by the Debt Management Office (DMO), which would help states restructure their commercial loans estimated at over N660 billion, and extend such loans’ life span while reducing their debtservicing expenditures.

Based on the financial lifeline, the President ordered the discontinuation of deductions from monthly allocations to

states at source, as the federal government indicated its intention to “use its influence to guarantee the elongation of the loans for the benefit of the states”.

In addition to the cash largesse, the three tiers of government were also to share $1.7 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA).

The initiative of the CBN to commence the disbursement of funds to the states is expected to douse industrial tensions in most of the states where workers are still being owed salary.

For instance, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) had, on August 8, said it was determined to follow up on banks withholding the bailout funds being provided by the federal government for payment of workers’ salary.

The president of the union, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, made the promise at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, and urged the banks holding back the bailout funds to consider the plight of workers in the affected states.

He gave a commitment that the congress would make frantic efforts to ensure workers did not suffer for the inability of state government to pay its debt.

Wabba said: “NLC will not fold its hands and see that workers are not paid.

Salary is not the only area where bail out has been extended. In the past, the federal government had bailed out banks.

“The issue of salary payment is very important and must not be toyed with by state or any private organisation,” he warned.

L-R: Representative of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Lagos State/Financial Secretary, Pastor Leke Akinola; Deeper Life Bible Church moderator, Pastor Joseph Fasanmi; Church Secretary, Deeper Life Bible Church, Jerry Asemota and PFN State Co-ordinator, Women Wing, Rev. Glory Akpabio, during a media briefing to announce the Lagos City Wide Crusade, yesterday.

Drug trafficking: FG orders DSS to begin screening of crew members CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Mr. Chika Ugwu Udensi in Heathrow, London in United Kingdom over drug possession.

A presidency source confided in our correspondent that the federal government was highly embarrassed by the involvement of the crew in the dastardly act.

To this end, the Presidency had ordered the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Aviation, Mrs. Binta Bello, to immediately write a circular to the DSS to continuously carry out strict checks on cabin crew members while all the privileges they hitherto enjoyed should be scrapped.

Though, crew members

pass through the same security checks with the passengers, they were given some privileges by the security operatives, which might have stopped by the arrest of Udensi in London.

Also, an Arik Air source confided in our correspondent that the airline had immediately commenced investigation of all its ground staff.

A source close to the airline at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos confided in our correspondent yesterday that the management on Tuesday and Wednesday carried out internal screening of all its ground staff including drivers that drive into

the airstrip, crew buses that convey the crew to the airport, internal security officials attached to the aircraft and other ground personnel.

Also, its crew members flying both local and international routes are currently being investigated by the airline to ascertain their level of involvement in the dastardly act.

The source claimed that the management felt the apprehended crew member carried out the act in connivance with some ground staff, adding that some of the crew members had been caught in the past for the same act without the knowledge of the public.

Another source alleged

that some security agencies like the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS; Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS; State Security Service, SSS; National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA; Nigeria Police and several other security agencies at the nation’s airport might have connived with the suspect.

When our correspondent contacted the spokesman of Arik Air on phone, he simply replied that the airline was investigating the matter and was fully cooperating with the relevant authorities on the matter.

It would be recalled that an Arik Air crew was on Monday night arrested

in London with 20 kg of substance suspected to be cocaine.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on Tuesday threatened to sanction Arik Air over the arrest and added that investigation had commenced immediately into the operations of the airline.

The statement added, “The agency will carry out full scale investigation into this case to ascertain those behind the criminal act. We shall work closely with our international collaborators on the matter. Arik Airline will be sanctioned if found wanting.

“The agency shall invoke section 25 of the

NDLEA Act against the airline, which states that it shall be the duty of every commercial carrier to take reasonable precaution to ensure that its means of transport are not used in the commission of offences under this Act.” Meanwhile, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, said it had invited the entire crew on Arik Air flight W3101 that left the country for London Heathrow Airport on Monday for questioning over cocaine trafficking.

Media statement by the spokesman of the antigraft agency, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, stated that CONTINUED ON PAGE 5>>

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

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Photo

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NEWS

L-R: General Manager, SINOMA International Engineering Ltd, Mr. Yin Zhisong; CEO, Mr. Shen Jun; President/Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Industries Ltd, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Group Executive Director, Mr. Devacumar Edwin, during new projects contract-signing ceremony for the construction of eleven new cement plants across Africa, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: ADEMOLA AKINLABI

L-R: President, Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), Mr. John Ehiguese; Director, Corporate Communications/CSR, Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Oparah and Vice President, PRCAN, Mr. Muyiwa Akintunde at PRCAN’s second monthly breakfast meeting in Lagos, yesterday.

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L-R: Head of ICT, National Mirror Newspapers, Mrs. Esther Uwadia; Sales and Distribution Manager, Mr. Femi Sobowale; Advert Manager, Mr. Ganiyu Bello; Chairman of Council, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), Dr. Nat Ofo and Acting Registrar, Mrs. Nkechi Onyenso, during courtesy visit by ICSAN executive to National Mirror on the forthcoming ICSAN 2015 Annual Conference and Dinner Awards, in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

L-R: Tender Business Manager, Nestle Infant Nutrition, Mrs Bola Ofowe; Category Manager, Dr Rizwan Yusuf; Field Operation Manager, Dr Yvonne Olaloku; Keynote Speaker and Head of Pediatrician, Ikorodu General Hospital, Dr Oluwabiyi Olufunmi and Pediatrician, Randle General Hospital, Surulere, Dr Mustapha Akinwale, at the Nestle Nutrition Scientific Symposium In Lagos, yesterday.

National News

N1trn scam: Petitioner wants Lamorde prosecuted •Senate unity forum kicks against probe

G eorge Oji ABUJA

S

enate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Petitions was yesterday regaled with details of unremitted recoveries by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, totalling N2.051 trillion.

This was during a public hearing at the National Assembly on a petition written by one George Uboh, Chief Executive Officer of Panic Alert Security Systems, a property and financial recovery firm against Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde.

The petitioner stated during his presentations that out of the N2.051trn, Lamorde is to account for N1trn, which he has

failed to provide explanations for its whereabouts.

Uboh explained that the alleged un-remitted refunds comprised seized properties, assets and funds of individuals under investigation by the commission.

He also accused Lamorde of doctoring bank accounts and diversion of already seized loots.

Uboh said he came about the sum through the commission’s own account.

He said: “In December 02, 2011, via a letter sent to the Chairman, House Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, EFCC stated that the aggregate recoveries from 2004 to 2011 (8 financial years) was N1,326,754,554,482:80.

“EFCC did not mention where the N1.3trn recovered was remitted to. EFCC’s claim that it did not recover up to a trillion is completely false.”

The petitioner subsequently gave the breakdown of the un-remitted recoveries as follows; 2004 (N7,070,693,130:00), 2005 (N965,651,737,039:00), 2006 (N6,622,261,783:79), 2007 (N7,700,150,381:20), 2008 (N18,141,628,546:98), ( 2 0 0 9 - - N130,885,187,726:83), 2010 (N52,877,464,867:00) and 2011 (N137,805,431,008:08).

He disclosed further that in the commission’s summary of monetary recoveries covering the period 2003 to 2013 (11 financial years), the aggregate recoveries was

N497bn, but did not mention where the money was remitted to.

Uboh who stated that the documents submitted were prepared under the chairmanship of Lamorde went further to disclose that the total recoveries to be remitted as confirmed by EFCC are N1.995trn, N48.9bn, N7.3bn and N.4bn, which put the total figure at N2.051trn.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, had earlier asked representatives of Lamorde, led by EFCC’s Director of Legal Services, Chile Okoroma out of the hearing room.

This is because the commission had written the committee, asking to be excused from yesterday’s event, while seeking for a future date to appear.

Meanwhile, members of the Unity Forum in

the senate, the group that supported the election of Senator Ahmed Lawan as President, yesterday opposed the public hearing.

The forum claimed that the public hearing was unconstitutional and illegal because it did not follow the laid down procedures of the senate.

The group in a statement jointly signed by Senators George Akume, Ahmed Lawan, Abu Ibrahim and Barnabas Gemade said the probe did not follow the senate rule as contained in rule 41(1-3) of the Senate Standing Orders, which specifically states how petitions are handled by the parliament.

“In standard parliamentary practice, a petition is routed through either a senator or a member of the House of

Representatives.

Upon receipt of such petition, the representative, will inform the presiding officer of the chamber, and thereafter present the petition in plenary.

“Upon presentation in plenary, the presiding officer will invite the senator/representative to lay the same petition on the table in the chamber, which automatically becomes a public document.

“Thereafter, the presiding officer will refer the petition to the appropriate committee for consideration upon which, it would be returned to the senate in plenary. In this regard, nothing of the sort happened.

“We stand against this probe. It is illegal and unconstitutional because it did not follow our rules,” the group said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

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NNPC cancels contract for crude oil delivery to refineries CHIDI UGWU ABUJA

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igerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday announced cancellation of contract for the delivery of crude oil to the nation’s refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ohi Alegbe, in a statement said.

The current contract was cancelled due to exorbitant cost and inappropriate process of engagement.

He stated that the new measures were aimed at cost reduction and strengthening of operational efficiency across its value chain, adding that the decision was taken after proper evaluation and in line with the terms of contract.

The Corporation noted that as a stop-gap measure, NIDAS Marine Limited, a subsidiary of the NNPC had been engaged to provide crude delivery service on negotiated industry standard rate pending the establishment of substantive contract.

“We have also commenced a rigorous and transparent process of

securing capable and competitive contractors for the delivery of crude oil by marine vessels to Port Harcourt and Warri/ Kaduna Refineries pending the restoration of the Crude Pipeline infrastructure,’’ the Corporation stated.

NNPC explained that it resorted to the delivery of crude oil to the refineries by marine vessels following incessant attacks on the Bonny-Port Harcourt refinery pipeline and the Escravos crude pipelines by vandals and oil thieves resulting in the complete unavailability of the pipelines in 2013.

The Corporation also announced the termination of the Offshore Processing Agreements, OPA, entered into in January, 2015 with three companies, namely - Duke Oil Company Inc., Aiteo Energy Resources Limited and Sahara Energy Resources (Nig) Ltd. Under the agreement, NNPC allocates a total of 210, 000 barrels of crude oil per day for refining at offshore locations in exchange for petroleum products at pre-agreed yield pattern.

“However after detailed appraisal of the operation and its terms of agreement, the NNPC is convinced that the current

Drug trafficking: FG orders DSS to begin screening of crew members CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

the entire crew member including some support staff that worked on the flight before it departed Lagos were currently before narcotic investigators at the Ikoyi headquarters of the NDLEA. The crew invited included two pilots and members of the cabin crew comprising an Australian and a South African.

He added that the invitation, which was made by the agency, was swiftly complied with by the management of Arik Air. The statement added, “The crew members were conveyed to the NDLEA office in an official bus belonging to Arik Air. This is part of ongoing investigation to determine their level of involvement in

the smuggling of 20 kg of cocaine found with Chika Egwu Udensi, a member of the cabin crew in London.

“The latest Range Rover car belonging to the prime suspect parked on the airline’s premises had also been moved to the NDLEA office as exhibit.”

He emphasised that the agency’s Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade, had promised to carry out elaborate investigation in the ongoing case.

He maintained that all persons involved in the dastardly act would be exposed and prosecuted accordingly, adding that NDLEA had made remarkable progress in her counter-narcotic efforts and would resist any act capable of reversing the gains so far recorded.

OPA is skewed in favour of the companies such that the value of product delivered is significantly lower than the equivalent crude oil allocated for the programme,’’ the Corporation said.

The NNPC also observed that the structure of the agreement does not guarantee unimpeded supply of petroleum products as delivery terms were not optimal.

To address these lapses, the NNPC informed that it had commenced the

process of establishing alternative OPA based on optimum yield pattern with tender processing fees.

“After due appraisal of performance trajectory, we have invited Messrs.

Oando, Sahara Energy, Calson, MRS, Duke Oil, BP/Nigermed and Total Trading to bid for the new Offshore Processing Agreement while we have engaged AITEO, Sahara Energy and Duke Oil to exit the current OPA,’’ the NNPC stated.

On the status of the crude for product exchange agreement (SWAP) reportedly entered into by the NNPC and some oil traders, the Corporation informed that the last SWAP arrangement lapsed in December, 2014 and was never renewed.

The NNPC also informed that it had obtained the permission of President Muhammadu Buhari to kick-start the tendering process for the 2015/2016 Crude Oil Term

Contract for the evacuation of Nigeria’s crude oil equity from the various crude and condensate production arrangements.

The Corporation noted that the process which would commence with the advertisement of the Crude Oil Term contract in both National and International print media for a period of one month has been carefully structured to weed out ``briefcase companies’’ and rent seekers.

L-R: Head of delegation, Smartcity Group, Prof. Pat Utomi; Chief Executive Officer, Smartcity Dubai, Mr. Jaber Bin Hafez; Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; Managing Director, Smartycity Lagos, Mr. Uzo Udemba and Strategy Director, Smartcity Dubai, Mr. Shadi Khoja, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Lagos, yesterday.

26 states, FCT to benefit from N27bn World Bank community development fund

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orld Bank, through its Community and Social Development Project, CSDP, is set to start disbursing additional $140m (N27.6bn), to 26 states and FCT, for community-driven projects.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, by the World Bank Nigeria Senior Communications Specialist, Mr. Obadiah Tohomdet.

According to the statement, after the recent disbursement, the amount disbursed so far from 2009 when the project started till date would be $340m.

It would be recalled that the first phase of the World Bank funding benefited more than 5,600 communities and about two million people in 26 states of the federation.

“States to benefit from the additional financing will focus on the most vulnerable households in poor communities in the country.

“The additional financing is expected to fund micro-

project facilities such as rehabilitation and construction of schools, health centres, rural electrification, rural transport, community housing schemes, rural market infrastructure and other key amenities.

“This projects will not only help vulnerable people in the short term, including those in conflict-affected areas, but will also help build and rebuild long-lasting partnership between local governments and communities,” it stated.

The bank said that vulnerable groups such as internally displaced poor persons, marginalised or chronically poor households, widows and the physically challenged, will also benefit from special grants in the projects.

It stated that the latest disbursement will end on December 31, 2017.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product, GDP, has grown by 2. 57 per cent in the second quarter of 2015, compared with the preceding quarter.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that GDP is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period.

The figure is contained in a GDP report for the second quarter of 2015 released by Dr Yemi Kale, the Statistician-General of the Federation on Wednesday in Abuja.

Kale said that the percentage of the GDP was lower by 1. 61 per cent points from the growth recorded in the preceding quarter in 2015.

He said the percentage was also lower by 4.19 per cent point from the growth recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2014.

According to him, the nation’s GDP grew by 2.35 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms.

He, however, said that aggregate GDP stood at N22,859,153.01m (in nominal terms) at basic prices in the quarter.

“Compared to the second quarter 2014 value of N21,734,829. 86 million,

nominal GDP was 5.17 per cent higher.

“Nominal GDP growth was also higher relative to growth recorded in first quarter of 2015 by 0.85 per cent points.’’

Kale explained that the Nigerian economy could be more clearly understood according to the oil and nonoil sector classifications.

During the period under review, he said that oil production stood at 2.05 million barrels per day (mbpd), 5.9 per cent lower from production in the first quarter of 2015.

The statistician-general said oil production was also lower relative to the corresponding quarter in 2014 by 7.3 per cent when output was recorded at 2.21 mbpd.

Meanwhile, he said growth in the non-oil sector was largely driven by the activities of Trade, Crop Production, Construction and Telecommunications.

“The non-oil sector grew by 3.46 per cent in real terms in second quarter of 2015.

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Policemen recovering the body of a boy who was allegedly drowned on Tuesday by his mother while attempting suicide, inside the lagoon at Marina, Lagos, yesterday.

PHOTO: YINKA ADEPARUSI

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Kai begins work on Broad Street, Lagos.

PHOTO: SAMUEL ADETIMEHIN

Suicide mission

Woman throws child into lagoon, jumps in too

•Local divers saved woman, found boy dead Yinka Adeparusi

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hat could have led a young woman to fling her son into the lagoon as she also jumped into it in a suicidal bid? This is the riddle that many on the Lagos Island are yet to find an answer to.

It was Tuesday evening at the Leventis Bus Stop area of Marina and normal business activities were going on when the young woman whose identity remains unknown was noticed making a phone call to someone presumed to be her husband.

Although the tone of the discussion was laced with anger and pain, not many knew that it was an action that would precede a suicide attempt.

But suddenly and in a fit of madness, she flung her son into the lagoon to the consternation of all.

She did not wait to watch what would become the fate of the poor boy before she also jumped into the lagoon.

Those standing by, among whom are some local divers, who saw the unfolding drama

could not believe their eyes.

But the scene was not one to watch for long as they quickly dived into the lagoon on a rescue mission as others watched in bewilderment.

Their efforts yielded fruit shortly after with the rescue of the woman as she was returned to the shore.

But the same could not be said of the baby. He was nowhere to be found.

Additional efforts were made but to no avail. The boy was gone.

Said an eye witness who refused to disclose his name: “We stood here discussing when we noticed the woman angrily speaking with someone suspected to be her husband on the phone as she stood on the wedge fencing the lagoon away.

But suddenly, she flung the baby into the lagoon and jumped into it too. That was when those around who could swim dived in to rescue her. Unfortunately, the boy could not be found.”

The second day after the suicide mission, however, the body of the boy was found floating on the lagoon. He was lifeless.

The woman, upon rescue was handed over to the police at the Marine Police Station at the Leventis Bus Stop.

The boy’s lifeless body was also handed over to the police.

Further investigation by our correspondent revealed that the woman had been taken away from the police station as at the time of going to press while the corpse of his son deposited in a mortuary.

It would be recalled that about four years ago, Lagosians watched in amazement at the Leventis bus stop in Marina, Lagos, when a ministerial nominee, Mr. Al-Mustaim Alade Abaniwonda, aged 56, dived into the lagoon under mysterious circumstances about 3pm.

He eventually drowned in the lagoon.

Abaniwonda was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate for Lagos East in the April 9, 2011 National Assembly election.

According to Abaniwonda’s driver, simply identified as Wasiu, the senatorial candidate, who lost to the incumbent Senator Tunde Ashafa of the Action

Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and whose name was among the list of 10 nominees sent to President Goodluck Jonathan at the time for consideration as minister from Lagos State, was coming from a bank on Lagos Island when he told the driver that he was pressed and would need to use the toilet.

Wasiu said: “He ate his food after we left the bank and he told me he was going to use a toilet down there. That was all until I heard people shouting.

He was still struggling to get out when I got there but he later went down inside the water.”

Wasiu was promptly arrested by police officers attached to the Marine Police Division at whose backyard the incident took place.

It was gathered that when the politician jumped into the river, he was still able to stand upright but he deliberately walked into a deeper portion of the lagoon.

A toilet operator, said: “We didn’t know what happened in the vehicle before he came down. But when he got to us, he told us he wanted to use our toilet. We were still looking for the

key and water when he walked towards the river.

“He took off his jacket, wristwatch, wallet and made for the lagoon side. We were even telling him that is not the toilet, he insisted on going towards other direction. We called him again and he answered in Yoruba saying: Ani mo fe se gaa, meaning, “I want to defecate”. All of a sudden we just saw him in the lagoon.

The Epe-born politician, was a senatorial candidate for Lagos East under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the ACN before crossing over to the PDP in 2003 after he sought to contest the senatorial district’s ticket on ACN’s platform but was asked to step down for the eventual winner of the ticket, Hon. Olorunnibe Mamora, Abaniwonda holds a first degree from the University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife).

He is the founder and managing partner of Alade Abaniwonda & Partners, an investment company, with offices at the CSS Bookshop building, Broad Street, Lagos.

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

PSC approves redeployment of 37 CPs

Nigeria’s judiciary more developed than ours –Kenya CJ

Omeiza Ajayi

Ise-Oluwa Ige,

olice Service Commission, PSC, has approved redeployment of 37 Police Commissioners to State Commands and the Federal Capital Territory.

This was contained in a statement signed by Head, Press and Public and Relations of the PSC, Ikechukwu Ani. He said the redeployment is in line with Section 215 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers the Commission to appoint officers to states as Commissioners of Police.

Affected in the deployment are Emmanuel Ojukwu, who has been deployed to Kogi State and Ikechukwu Nwodibo, who was posted toTaraba.

Others are J. Habila (Abia), Adejo Gabriel Adaji (Adamawa), Muritala U. Mani (Akwa Ibom), Karma Hosea (Anambra), Mohammed K. Mohammed (Bauchi), P. Okafor (Bayelsa) and Dibai Yakadi (Benue).

Also affected are Opadokun (Borno), Henry Fadairo (Cross River), Usman Bala Alkali (Delta), P. Abdallah (Ebonyi), Chris Ezike (Edo), Etop James (Ekiti), Mohammed Adamu (Enugu), Wilson Inalegwu (FCT), Austin Iwar (Gombe), Taiwo Lakanu (Imo), Tilli Abubakar (Jigawa), U.U. Shehu (Kaduna), M. Katsina (Kano), U. Abdullahi (Katsina), Yakubu O. Jubrin (Kebbi) and E. Amadasun (Kwara).

Others are F. Owoseni (Lagos), Mohammed Sani Usman (Nasarawa), Abubakar Marafa (Niger), Abdulmajid Ali (Ogun), M. Ogbodu (Ondo), K. Shodipo (Osun), Leye Oyebade (Oyo), Nasiru Oki (Plateau), Hyelasinda Kimo Musa (Rivers), Salisu F. Abdullahi (Sokoto), Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim (Yobe) and Femi Ogunbayode (Zamfara).

Chairman of the Commission, Sir Mike Okiro said the deployment was to reinvigorate the state commands for more effective and efficient policing in line with the Change Agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

He advised the state commissioners to take their jobs seriously and ensure that they are committed to the enforcement of law and order and protection of lives and properties within the ambits of the rule of law.

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ABUJA

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(Front row) L-R: Director, Election Party Members, Mr. Bala Shittu; Acting Chairman of INEC, Hajia Amina Zakari; newly elected Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Movement, Alhaji Bashir Ibrahim; Deputy Chairman of IPAC, Dr. Onwubuya Breakforth and other members, during their inauguration in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

FG to probe Second Niger Bridge contract –ICRC boss

•NSIA spends N438m on consultancy fees Tola Akinmutimi and Rotimi Fadeyi

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ederal Government is to review the cost of the Second Niger Bridge to determine actual cost of the project.

Speaking with State House Correspondents shortly after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Director General of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC, Aminu Diko, said his agency has asked the Ministry of Works to review the contract and justify how much the project should cost.

“We will also talk about the actual cost of the bridge, eventually, we have asked the Ministry of Works to

review it and justify how much the project should cost,” Diko said.

The director general said he discussed the project with the President.

According to him, the commission in performing its regulatory oversight have been discussing with the Ministry of Works, especially some issues it was not comfortable with.

The ICRC chairman said communities around the project site are complaining that their lands have been taken and are yet to be compensated by government “As a matter of fact, we got a letter from Onitsha traditional council complaining that they have not been adequately represented in the transaction.

“These kinds of issues

we are not saying that something has not been done properly, but we need to be convinced that these few problems are sorted out properly,” Diko said.

He said although he may not be able to speak on the status of the project, adding that studies needed to be carried out on the integrity of the bridge, which would take time.

He explained that the project was not something that could be completed in the next six months, even as he appealed to Nigerians to be patient.

Meanwhile, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA, yesterday said $2.21m (about N438m) has been spent on the project as consultancy expenses.

A statement issued by

the NSIA’s Vice President Infrastructure Investment and Special Advisor to the Managing Director, Obinna Ihedioha, said the amount was spent on consultancy services on the two phases of the project.

Ihedioha stated that while $247,586 (about N49.02m) was paid to consultants on the due diligence phase, the balance of $1.96mor N388.02mwas spent on the project development phase.

He listed the consultancy services to include work in Legal, Financial, Technical & Engineering and Environmental & Social Impact Advisory, provided by various credible and well-recognised Nigerian and international professional services entities.

Orubebe, Oshiomhole row deepens Omeiza Ajayi

W

ar of words between former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe and Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomole, deepened yesterday with the former minister saying the governor’s attempt to link his critical advice to President Muhammadu Buhari to be wary of popular Villa sycophants to his fears of a possible probe with connection to the East-West road project shows he lacks focus.

The governor had in his reaction to Orubebe’s earlier advice to the president, labeled him as a clown, who he said, was afraid of the impending probe of the former minister’s handling of

the amnesty programme.

In his counter-reaction, Orubebe maintained that the governor has failed to address the issue of sycophancy, which he accused him of.

He argued that his integrity and high level of accountability all through his six years service to the nation as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs cannot be matched nor compromised.

He said: “I am proud to have been a vital instrument used by God to take the once abandoned EastWest road project to an admirable 80 per cent level of completion. It’s unfortunate that our respected Niger Delta could produce the likes of Oshiomhole, who is a garage boy that should be at the motor park.”

Elder Orubebe, who threatened to expose him more, said: “I will disgrace him publicly and tell the world about his dubious deeds as governor. I am going to open his can of worms to the point that Nigerians will stone him if they see him on the streets.

I don’t talk carelessly, as I have my facts to prove my points.”

On allegation of embezzling several billions of naira under his tenure as minister of Niger Delta, he said: “I am not afraid of probe. I am a man of integrity under whose watch the abandoned 42 bridges and 1, 040 culverts that was initially without design was upgraded to the level it is today.

“Every reasonable Ni-

ger Deltan and Nigerians at large know that I am the admired face of the East West road, I can stand tall anywhere and anytime to defend my administration as well as account for every dime that was allocated for the several projects we embarked upon.”

Reacting to the statement by the governor that he should be cooling off in jail following his actions at the 2015 presidential election collation centre, Orubebe said he had already apologised to Nigerians over his “wrong approach to a just cause”. ”Yes, I had a just cause that was deliberately ignored, as one who felt cheated, and so reacted,” he said.

hief Justice and President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, Dr Willy Mutunga, has said some aspects of Nigeria’s judiciary are ahead of theirs in Kenya.

Mutunga, who spoke during a roundtable discussion with Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, alongside other justices of the Supreme Court, said he would send a delegation of judicial officers in Kenya to Nigeria to understudy the templates of the nation’s judiciary with a view to adopting same to tackle some prevailing issues in Kenya’s judiciary.

Among other justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria present at the roundtable discussion were Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, John Afolabi Fabiyi, Mary Peter-Odili, Chima Centus Nweze and Inyang Okoro.

Mutunga said: “Kenya has Judicial Training Institute, but the National Judicial Institute in Nigeria is unarguably the biggest in Africa, and the idea to train judges and the supporting staff of the courts is a lesson for us back home.”

He extended an invitation to the CJN and other justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to visit Kenya as a way of factoring greater relations and exchange of ideas generally in order to advance African jurisprudence worthy of export abroad.

In his response, Justice Mohammed noted that despite the fact that Kenya and Nigeria are many miles apart, they still share common goals and aspirations as the two nations are currently battling corruption, insurgency and poverty.

The CJN said it has become imperative for the Bar and the Bench in the two nations to deepen their relations, promote interface and collaboration on such matters as anti-corruption, reduction in the delay in case disposition in order to tackle corruption and insurgency.

Nigeria’s judiciary, the CJN said has constantly initiated policies, guidelines and disciplinary measures to address issues of discipline in the judiciary and the pervasive influence of politicians and politically connected persons in courts.

12

News

Wednesday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

ICSAN to set standard for corporate governance Saidat Alausa

P

resident and Chairman, Governing Council, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, Dr. Nat Ofo, has said that the institute is all out to set standard for corporate governance in the country.

He said as a leading professional body in corporate governance and administration, they are also poised to educate Nigerians on best practices, which would help curb corruption in the country.

He disclosed this during a courtesy visit to National Mirror yesterday.

According to him, there is need to create awareness on the new concept in corporate organisations such as the independent non-executive directors and dual audit committee in corporate Nigeria.

“That is why our institute is aimed at promoting good governance practices within and outside corporate world so that companies can grow beyond the person that established it.”

Also during the visit, the Acting Registrar, Mrs. Nkechi Onyenso, explained that ICSAN is the only body that does not give honourary awards as members can only qualify by writing appropriate examinations.

“For that reason alone I can boldly say we can fit in anywhere we find ourselves because our members are fully equipped in corporate governance hence they are transparent in what they do as well as best practices.”

On how to qualify for the examination, Onyenso said individual that have Ordinary National Diploma, OND, can apply for the institute’s examination but would have to write more papers than those that have higher qualifications.

Highlighting activities of the body, the president disclosed that ICSAN will hold its 2015 Annual Conference and Dinner Awards on September 10 and 11 at Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

The theme of the conference according to him is “Disclosure and Transparency: A paradigm Shift in Corporate Nigeria.

“The institute considers the need for disclosure and transparency in every segment of corporate Nigeria in line with the resolve of the present administration to clean the country,” he explained.

Receiving the delegation on behalf of the management, Advert Manager, Mr. Ganiu Bello thanked the team for the visit and assured them of National Mirror’s support whenever the need arises.

14 die in Ondo road crash Ojo Oyewamide, AKURE

F

ourteen people yesterday died while two others were injured in a road crash at Akinfosile along BeninOre expressway in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

The victims, whose identities were not known as at press time, included 11 males, two females and a little boy.

Bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital, Ore, while those who sustained injuries are receiving treatment.

Eyewitnesses ascribed the crash to overspeeding and reckless driving by drivers of the two vehicles.

Head of Operations of

the State Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Akin Adedipe, said the crash occurred at about 4pm involving a Toyota Hiace bus and a trailer.

Adedipe said while the bus with registration number AYB287XA belonged to God is Good Motors, the trailer with registration number MGA 26AX belonged to Dangote Transport Company.

According to him, items recovered from the scene of the crash included four SIM cards, eight ATM cards, a sum of N39,699 and other personal effects.

He cautioned motorists against overspending on the highways, asking them to strictly adhere to traffic rules and regulations in order to avoid crashes.

Leader of European Union delegation, Mr. Brian O’ Neil (2nd left); Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, retired Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (3rd left); Programme Manager, Instrument for Stability, Alexandra Noll (4th right); Project Officer, Social Sector and Community Development, Mr. Temitayo Omole (3rd right) with officers of the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, during the visit of EU delegation to Boroh in Abuja, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

British envoy lauds Osun post-election development Boladale Bamigbola, OSOGBO

D

eputy Head of Political Section of the British High Commission (Abuja), Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Fleming, has commended the progress Osun State has

made since August 9, 2014 when gubernatorial poll was held.

Fleming, who was on a two-day visit to the state to assess progress that has been made a year after Aregbesola’s re-election, said from his observations, evidence on ground has showed the governor was

delivering on his promises to people of the state.

The envoy said he was touring states in the country to scout for investment potentials for British companies.

He identified Osun as one of the country’s leading agriculture-based states that is capable to meet the

Dangote sets up cement plant in Nepal …pumps in $4.34bn for 25 new plants

D

angote Cement Plc has expanded its frontiers to Asia, by constructing a 3 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa), Cement Plant in Nepal, as part of its new investment of $4.34 billion into 10 African countries.

Chairman of Dangote Cement, Aliko Dangote who revealed this at the signing ceremony of the new plants to be constructed, in partnership with Sinoma, a construction firm, renowned for construction of ultra-modern cement plants worldwide, assured Nigerians that, the country will no longer be used as a dumping ground, as the company, now has capacity to export 10 million metric tons of cement outside the country.

Currently in 15 African countries, excluding Kenya, Niger and Mali, which are new projects. The company’s current total capacity stands at 48mmtpa, out of which Nigeria alone has the largest chunk of 29.3mmtpa.

The company will also on Thursday commissioned its new plant in Cameroon

with a total capacity of 1.5mmtpa Chatting with newsmen yesterday after the signing ceremony, Dangote said: “…..We are not only building cement plants in Africa, we have gone far away to NEPAL to build a 3 million metric tons Cement Plant capacity and by the time all these our new projects are completed in the next two years, Dangote Cement will have more than 70 million capacity but we are not going to stop there, hopefully, by 2020, our targets is getting to somewhere around 100 million tons capacity. I can assure you categorically that Africa will not lack cement now and even in the future…Africa will be self -sufficient rather than be a dumping ground for other manufacturers of cement. “ The new Plants for which agreement was signed was on the construction of the following Plants: 3mmtpa in Nepal, 2.5mmtpa in Ethiopia, 3mmtpa in both Kenya 1&2; 1.5mmtpa in Zambia; 1.5mmtpa in Senegal, 1.5mmtpa in Niger, 1.5mmtpa in Mali, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana also have Plants of 1.5mmtpa ca-

pacity respectively.

It would be recalled that Dangote Cement recently commissioned its 1.5 million metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) capacity cement plant valued at $400 million with a 30 megawatts coal plant to power the factory.

The project was inaugurated by Zambia President , Edgar Chagwa Lungu, at Masasiti district, Ndola, Zambia.

The event was graced by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole and his wife; Tony Elumelu, Chairman UBA Plc; and Chief Kola Jamodu, Chairman Nestle Nigeria Plc; Niyi Adebayo, former Governor Ekiti State, among other VIPs from Nigeria and Zambia.

Speaking at the events, Osinbajo, said the projects was very significant to bilateral relationship that has existed between Nigeria and Zambia.

He lauded the government of Zambia and the people for having approved the projects and nurtured it to completion.

needs of British companies, which now focuses on agriculture-oriented businesses.

He noted that the governorship election of August 9 in the state, which preceded the March 2015 general elections in the country, was quite significant on the part of the state and the country at large.

Fleming affirmed that Osun is one of investors’ area of interests, hence the necessity to visit and look around for available opportunities.

“Osun State is strategic in agriculture and business. It is pertinent for us to visit a year after the election to see the progress being made. Some of the British companies are interested in agriculturebased businesses now. So we want to know what the state is doing in terms of infrastructure and business opportunities available in the state,” Fleming said.

Responding on behalf of the government, the Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti, commended the British government for its intervention in the country’s general election, which guaranteed it’s free and fair conduct.

Adeoti said the state is a haven for investors because of the available infrastructure, peace and security which the Aregbesola administration takes with great interests.

He harped on the fact that power distribution and supply is central to investors and Osun is the nation’s centre of distribution, which guarantees regular supply of electricity.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Lai Mohammed Preamble: Political Parties efore going into the main topic of this presentation, let me say a thing or two about political parties, which are at the core of the presentation.

Political parties are very important, because they are the cornerstone of representative democracy, hence they need to be well organised and managed, if they are to ensure the success of democratic governance.

In recognition of its important role, the National Democratic Institute, NDI, in the US describes political parties thus, and I quote: ‘’Political parties are a central feature of any democracy. They are the vehicles by which citizens come together freely to campaign for public office, express their interests and needs, and define their aspirations for their society. While there are parties without democracy, there can be no democracy without political parties.’’

Any democracy needs strong and sustainable political parties with the capacity to represent citizens and provide policy choices that demonstrate their ability to govern for the public good. Therefore, without parties, modern representative democracy is unworkable.

In representative democracies, political parties that win elections participate directly in governing a nation. Even parties that lose still play an important role by keeping the government of the day on its toes, serving as the voice of their members and supporters and for others who might not agree with some of the policies and activities of the elected government.

The realisation of the above goaded the founders of the various legacy parties that dissolved into the All Progressives Congress, APC, to come together to form the party.

Because of their deep understanding of the fact that only a strong and well-managed political party can serve as a platform for the realisation of their quest to win power at the centre, my party’s founding fathers built a party with a formidable structure which, less than two years after it was formed, achieved the unprecedented feat of becoming the first opposition party to unseat a ruling party in our country, Nigeria.

As you are aware, APC marked only its second anniversary on July 31, the date in 2013 that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC registered the party, even though it was officially founded on February 6 of the same year.

Today, two years plus a few weeks after the APC came into being, we are here as the ruling party!

B

Gains Now to the gains of the last general elections. Arguably the biggest gain of the last election was the generally successful organisation of the elections and the fact

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

13

Politics

Role of parties in sustaining gains of 2015 polls: The APC Perspective

Buhari

Osinbajo

Odigie-Oyegun

Saraki

DURING THE

LAST ELECTIONS,

NIGERIANS SIMPLY TOOK CHARGE AND TOOK POSSESSION OF THE CAMPAIGN AND EVEN POLICED THE

ELECTION.

NOWHERE

WAS THIS MORE NOTICEABLE THAN IN THE

NEW MEDIA

that the results were largely acceptable to most Nigerians.

Despite the pre-election fears of rigging and violence, and the unprecedentedlyvicious electioneering campaign, the elections were widely adjudged to be free, fair,

credible and mostly violence-free.

This made it easier not just for politicians but for ordinary Nigerians to accept the outcome.

Many have attributed the success of the polls to the use of technology, especially the smart card readers, SCRs, and the biometric voter’s card.

I concur, even though much work still needs to be done to ensure the smooth functioning of the SCRs. The problems encountered in some areas over the use of the SCRs are not insurmountable, and I believe INEC has factored this into its preparations for the two gubernatorial elections that are due this year, first in Kogi State on Saturday, November 21, and then in Bayelsa State on Saturday, December 5.

Another big gain from the last elections is the actualisation of what is called ‘People’s Power’. In other words, that in a representative democracy like the one we are practising here, the ultimate power resides in the people. The last elections provided the opportunity for

Nigerians to prove right the saying by French novelist, Victor Hugo, that ‘’When a people are determined for change, no army can stop them.’’ Now, the Nigerian people have taken possession of their own fortunes and can punish any government with the power of their votes. This will put governments at all level on their toes and eventually become a catalyst for good governance.

The elections have also shown that when a party is well established and organised, it can become a movement that will galvanise the entire nation. In other words, while political parties are platforms for achieving certain goals, including winning elections, the polls themselves are won and lost by the people, both within and outside the parties.

During the last elections, Nigerians simply took charge and took possession of the campaign and even policed the election. Nowhere was this more noticeable than in the New Media, or the Social Media if you like.

Also, the elections have shown to what extent a candidate with a high integrity and credibility quotient can mobilise a whole nation.

Without mincing words, only a man like Muhammadu Buhari could have inspired the kind of cult followership that was witnessed during the electioneering campaign for the last elections. The support cut across religion, ethnicity and regional considerations.

As emotive as religion could be, a multireligious nation like ours becomes united when they see a leader with credibility, irrespective of his religion. The lesson from this is that if more and more people of integrity populate the political space, we will have less and less problems, first in our choice of those who lead us and secondly, we will get a bounce in the area of good governance. There is no doubt that the effect of this will be felt in future elections.

Equally important is the choice of Prof. Yemi Osibajo as the running mate to President Buhari. The choice of the running mate to Buhari pushed our party to the limit, because that choice needed to address the religious concerns that were raised before the elections, as well as meet the geo-political considerations that emerged with the choice of Buhari. Impressive as the resume of Prof. Osibajo is, his choice would not have complemented that of Buhari if it had not responded to the religious and regional concerns that were raised at the time.

Of course, it is not just an issue of who was picked as the party’s standard bearer CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

14

Politics

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 but also how such a person was picked.

Herein lies the importance of internal democracy in the party and the transparency of the choice of the candidates.

The very transparent and open manner in which candidate Buhari emerged as the presidential candidate of the APC, was a major factor in our eventual victory in the March 28 presidential election, as well as the local and international acclaim that greeted the choice. Had the process that led to his emergence not been open and transparent, as it was, there is no way the APC would have enjoyed the kind of widespread support it enjoyed within and outside the party in the run-up to the elections.

Then of course the manifesto of a political party and the ability of the opposition to correctly dissect the weaknesses of a party in power can go a long way in determining how the electorate will vote.

The manifesto of my party, especially concerning the key areas of the economy, especially the spiralling unemployment, as well as insecurity, the fight against corruption and the welfare of the people, directly address the deficits from the failings of the past governments as well as the immediate problems besetting the populace, hence they appeal to the electorate.

The gain here is that in a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society like ours, political parties will realise, more and more, that they should not appeal to regional, ethnic or religious sentiments. Rather, they should be pan-Nigeria while also designing a platform that will appeal to the citizenry. If these lessons had been learnt much earlier, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as a party would not have been in power for 16 years.

Even with its self-description as the biggest political party in Africa, an opposition party that transcends region, religion and ethnicity and one that parades a purposeful manifesto could have won power at the centre much earlier.

There is also the gain that will result from the realisation that in a multi-party democracy, it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog, according to American author and humorist, Mark Twain.

With the humongous resources available to the PDP, and the enormous power of patronage and coercion at the disposal of the PDP-led Federal Government, it would have been easy to give the last elections to the PDP. During the electioneering campaign, the PDP outgunned the APC on many flanks: the then ruling party outspent the opposition in the area of advertisements, whether in the print or electronic media. According to a report credited to Compliance and Content Monitoring Limited, of the N3.23 billion spent on political campaign advertisements during the last electioneering campaign, the PDP spent N2.5 billion or 77 per cent of the total, compared to N728 million or 23 per cent spent by the APC. The PDP also hired the best of columnists and talking heads that popped up ubiquitously at many radio and television stations, in addition to floating all sorts of organisations that campaigned for it, even before the official takeoff of the campaign.

Despite being outgunned on all flanks, however, the opposition remained focused

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Role of parties in sustaining gains of 2015 polls: The APC Perspective

Lai Mohammed

Tinubu

THE TASK OF SUSTAINING THE GAINS OF THE LAST GENERAL ELECTIONS HAS BEEN MADE EASY BY THE REALISATION THAT

NIGERIANS HAVE

TAKEN THEIR DESTINY IN THEIR OWN HANDS and kept strictly to its script, refusing to allow the PDP to set agenda for it.

The lesson here is that no amount of money or sweet-mouthed salesmen can sell a bad product. A government in power swims or sinks with its performance. This will have a salutary effect on the electioneering campaigns for future elections Then of course, the last elections showed that campaigns should be about issues. Smear campaigns can and do backfire, especially when it is so crass and targeted at an innocent and upright personality.

Despite the ugliness of the last electioneering campaign, as far as mudslinging is concerned, there is a big gain from what happened during the last campaign, especially because of the eventual outcome: in future, political parties will stick more to issues than dwell on smear campaigns. Political parties will spend more time selling themselves to the electorate than worrying about why the other party should not be voted for.

Yet, another major gain from the last election is that the power of the media, of the youth and of the various civil society organisations, CSOs, would be harnessed more by political parties in future electioneering campaigns. From the experience of my party, these groups are indispensable to the success of any election.

Youths simply hijacked and owned our campaign on the Social Media, and the effect was devastating on the then ruling party. Also, the CSOs, especially those that are working to ensure free, fair and credible elections, came together under the Election Situation Room to monitor developments before, during and after the elections. They became very effective

in keeping INEC and even the political parties in check.

Finally, the international community proved that it was a key ally in the holding of successful polls. But for the role played by the United States and other Western countries during the last general elections, the outcome might have been different. The role played especially by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, and the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs remains fresh in the minds of Nigerians.

As President Buhari said during his recent visit to the US, ‘’Nigeria will remain ever grateful to President Barack Obama and the United States for making Nigeria to consolidate its gains on a democratic system.

The visit of the Secretary of State, when he visited Nigeria to see the President and the whole government of Nigeria, see the chairman of INEC for Nigeria, and see the operation was very clear and a positive trend that saw us through for this credible election we had.’’

Sustaining the gains The task of sustaining the gains of the last general elections has been made easy by the realisation that Nigerians have taken their destiny in their own hands, and that absolute power resides in the people. In the aftermath of the elections, therefore, parties must ensure that there is no disconnect between them and the people. There must also be constant interaction between the government and the people.

That is why my party, the APC, organised an induction course for its members in the National Assembly, so they - as representatives of the people - can have symbiotic relations between their party; that is between the party and the legislature; between the legislature and the executive, and between the party and the executive.

Constant rapport between lawmakers and their party will ensure that they key into their parties’ agenda. We have given every one of our members in the National Assembly a copy of our manifesto, so they will see what laws need to be passed to ensure the implementation of the manifesto. We encourage regular meetings between our members in the legislature and the executive, and between the party and

the executive Also, despite the doctrine of the separation of power, the relationship between the legislature and the executive should not be adversorial but complementary.

After all, both have the party as their father, so to say.

Then there is the National Conference for the party as well as its members in the legislature and in the executive to deliberate on how far the party is meeting its electoral promises.

It is also important that, through the instrumentality of the party, the government continues to engage the critical sectors - youths, non-governmental organisations, NGOs, women, people living with disability, the organised private sector, OPS, organised labour and other groups.

The party must ensure that the government meets regularly with these critical sectors, and that there is a two-way communication between the government and these sectors.

My party has also set up a mechanism for assessing, continuously, government’s performance and tracking whether or not the government is meeting its electoral promises. An advisory team to the National Chairman of the party, made up of technocrats, will track how the government is faring and also make suggestions to the chairman in this regard.

The party must also not lose sight and forget those critical elements that brought it to power: Social Media, youths, women and other sectors; and must continue to engage them as it did during the election time.

The party must continue to keep the people informed on what the government is doing. It won’t be a bad idea for the party to issue regular bulletins in this regard.

There must be synergy between the party on one hand, as well as the executive and the legislature on the other hand. This is because once the elections are over; it is up to the executive and the legislature to actualise the party’s manifesto. This is why my party can’t afford to be indifferent to what is happening in the executive and the legislature.

The party should help the executive to ensure that only competent people serve in government, so that the essence of governance - the welfare and security of the citizens - can be achieved.

Finally, but not less important, is the issue of internal democracy in the party and the transparency of the choice of its candidates. Having realised the kind of bounce we received from the transparent primaries that were conducted in Lagos to pick our presidential candidate, it is incumbent on us to sustain this very key issue of internal democracy within the party, and the transparency in the selection of candidates for the various elective posts.

If these outlined steps are implemented to the letter, the gains of the 2015 general elections will no doubt be sustained.

•Alhaji Mohammed, APC National Publicity Secretary, presented this paper at the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, conference.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Politics

Thursday, August 27, 2015

15

Defamation: Ex-TETFUND boss threatens court action •Demands apology

EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

F

ormer executive secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFUND, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu has threatened court action against one Yalwa Dawa Chali with an option to retract his recent radio statement This was just as he demanded public apology within one week and described the radio programme, anchored by Chali, as intended to drag his image to the mud.

In a letter addressed to Chali, dated August 14 and made available to National Mirror, An-Nur Chambers, acting on the instruction of the former executive secretary of TETFUND, said: “Our client informed us that you made some defamatory statement against the person of Professor Yakubu, the erstwhile executive secretary of TETFUND, his family and friends, during Glo FM programme: ‘Ga Fili Ga Doki,’ which was aired August 6.”

According to counsel to

Yakubu, the statement’s intent and purpose were made in order to lower the reputation of those affected in the estimation of ordinary man in the society An-Nur Chambers noted that Chali’s radio statements attracted public outcry against his client’s reputation, describing the statements as ridiculous and aimed to honour the current TETFUND boss The letter stressed that Chali should retract his earlier statement on the same radio programme, considering their long relationship as well as write an apology letters to the Maishanu family, Professor Yakubu and his friends, who were not specified in the said letter.

It added: “However, failure to heed to this request, we shall be left with no option than to institute court action to claim specific damages including apology in national dailies.”

A counsel from An-Nur Chambers, Barr Barau, told National Mirror that Chali did not specifically mentioned his client’s name

Tribunal to deliver judgment in Ashikodi petition on Sept 29 MATTHEW IRINOYE

N

ational Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Lagos, yesterday set aside September 29, to deliver judgment in a petition filed

by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for Surulere I federal constituency of Lagos State, Mr. Tony Ashikodi, challenging the declaration of Femi Gbajabiamila of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the March 28 election.

Tribunal chairman, Justice C.U Anwuka fixed the date after listening to the submission and adoption of written address by counsel to parties.

Ashokodi, had petitioned the tribunal, challenging Gbajabiamila’s victory, alleging irregularities during the election, which he said, breached the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

Ashikodi’s counsel, Kanu Onuah, had at the resumed hearing of the petition, sub-

mitted that Gbajabiamila was not duly elected or returned by the majority of lawful votes cast at the election held on March 28.

He prayed the court to void the election by reason of manifest breach and violation of the Electoral Act 2010, adding that fresh election be ordered to be conducted by the INEC for the constituency.

However, counsel to first and second respondents, Mr. Omotayo Olatunbosun and T.N Olaitan respectively submitted that the petitioner’s argument was based on misconception of the law and a misrepresentation of facts.

He said: “The only witness called by the petitioner was himself. His testimony constitutes best documentary hearsay. All he said about the occurrence of the event was that he briefly visited the ward collation centres. There was no attempt on the part of the petitioner to call persons who actually witnessed the alleged events of alterations, cancellations, manipulations and falsification.”

or that of his family and friends, but his statement was describing Prof Yakubu, because he had served as TETFUND boss and is from Bauchi State He said should Chali failed to apologise as demanded, it will be left to the court to determine defarmation against his client.

But reacting, Chali had told newsmen that he never named anybody during his radio programme, saying the letter he received from counsel to Yakubu was a fire brigade approach to smear his image and a disservice to nation building

He said: “Honestly, I did not name anybody during my radio programme, but am surprised to have received a letter asking me to retract my statements against the former TETFUND boss through his counsel, Barr Barau.”

He urged those challenging the radio programme to carefully listen to it and have a rethink with a view to sheath their swords for peace to reign.

It could be recalled that there have been allegations against unnamed former TETFUND boss and his agents of sponsoring me-

dia campaign against the current TETFUND boss, Professor Sulaiman Elias Bogoro, with the intent to summarily oust him from office Meanwhile Bauchi State Muslim Youth Council, MYC, has cautioned Muslim communities to shun their religious, ethnic and political difference to support the incumbent TETFUND boss, Professor Bogoro, as he contributes towards nation building MYC chairman, Ustaz Yakubu Usman Chima, said in Bauchi this at the weekend at a prayer session

organised in honour of Bogoro.

Chima added that the MYC will not fold its arm watching credible public servants like Bogoro being intimidated on the platter of religious and ethnic sentiments, even when his detractors had failed the nation while in office.

He said what is playing out now was a repeat of what happened when even Bauchi State indigenes kicked against Yakubu Dogara during the National Assembly election where he finally emerged as Speaker in spite of all odds.

L-R: Former governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, during the NBA showcase session with the theme, “Contribution of Lawyers in Public Office to National Development”, during the 55th Annual General Conference 2015 of the association in Abuja, on Tuesday.

INEC’ll conduct free, fair, credible poll –Kogi REC WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

I

ndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it is poised to conduct free, fair and credible gubernatorial election in Kogi State.

Kogi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Alhaji Hussein Halilu Pai, who disclosed this while briefing

newsmen on the activities of the commission ahead of the gubernatorial election in the state, added that preparation is in top gear for the conduct hitch free election in the state.

Pai disclosed that Continuous Voter Registration, CVR and distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, will commence simultaneously from September 2 to 7.

He pointed out that the

lessons learnt from previous election will be used in raising the bar during the forthcoming gubernatorial election, stressing that INEC will use Kogi election to display improved processes and rigour.

The REC stated that INEC will carry out a CVR exercise and those registered will have their cards printed on time for the election, adding

that voters’ transfer will also be supported.

He added that 10 direct data capturing machines, DDCM, will be deployed in each of the 21 local government areas of the state to be manned by two personnel, adding that the distribution of PVCs would soon commence for those that could not collect before the 2015 elections.

Rep tasks Buhari on equity, justice, inclusive leadership TORDUE SALEM ABUJA

F

ormer chairman of Drugs and Narcotics Committee of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bassey Etim, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to distribute appointments to his cabinet in line with the religious, political and ethnic structure of the country.

The former lawmaker and a leading anti-cyber-

crime campaigner and expert, spoke with journalists yesterday in Abuja.

Commending President Buhari for his proposal to set up special courts to try cases of sleaze and graft in public offices, Etim however advised that for the war against corruption to succeed, the government must be seen to be just in its appointment of officials into government.

He said: “In a federalism or federal entity like

Nigeria, there can be no justice without equity. It’s not enough to get qualified appointees in government, but the appointees must reflect the religious, political and cultural diversity of Nigeria. In other words, every geopolitical zone; including the areas that didn’t vote for the President, must be well represented in his cabinet.

“Even in America, China and other developed countries, the Principle

of Federal Character is entrenched and recognized. You cannot sit down and run a government of merit by sacrificing Federal Character.

You cannot place some Nigerians above others. It’s not about merit alone, it’s about equity.

“The issue of merit should not be used to destroy the provisions of the constitution. When you take out justice, the government will be running without a break.”

16

Politics

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Again, tribunal dismisses Okowa, PDP’s objections

SPN tasks Buhari on education, flays Ajimobi

...Admits SCR records as exhibits

KEMI OLAITAN

THEOPHILUS ONOJEGHEN WARRI

T

he Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Asaba, the Delta State capital has dismissed objections brought before it by the trio of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, enjoining the tribunal not to admit Smart Card Readers, SCRs’ unit by unit accreditation of voters’ document as exhibits.

Tribunal chairman, Justice Nasiru Gunmi after thorough examination of the objections accepted the card readers’ documents as exhibit, ruling that the document satisfies the requirement of Section 104 (2) of the Evidence Act. Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the April 11 gubernatorial election, is challenging the victory of Governor Okowa of the PDP as winner of the poll.

At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, petitioner and APC counsel, Chief Thompson Okpoko, SAN, called two subpoenaed INEC witnesses to tender documents and give oral evidence before the tribunal to substantiate the claims that the poll was marred by irregularities.

While opposing admissibility of two documents, witnesses’ statements on oath tendered by Mrs. Abimbola Olaloyi, Assistant Director, Information Communication Technology, ICT, at INEC’s office in Abuja, counsel to Okowa, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN, said that the documents were not listed, pleaded or properly certified.

Izinyon explained that Section 104(2) of the Evidence Act provides that a witness’s statement on oath should have an engraved stamp, signature and the designation of the officer and his name superimposed on the document.

Also, PDP counsel, Timothy Kehinde, SAN, aligned with Okowa’s counsel, arguing that the parties are bound by their pleading, and therefore averred that document pleaded and frontloaded were different from the one INEC is bring

in as witness statement PW1B. INEC counsel, Damien Dodo, SAN, also aligned with the submissions of Izinyon and Kehinde.

However, Chief Okpoko argued that the documents tendered by INEC were pleaded, adding that it was stated in Paragraph 4 of the petitioner’s reply to the first respondent’s reply of the petition.

He further averred that having pleaded unit by unit accreditation of voters report in the petition, “I am at a loss as to how the respondents can claim they were taken by surprise. At the onset, we stated that we were going to rely on polling unit by polling units’ reports. We listed those documents. The object of pleadings is hereby satisfied. Both documents comply strictly with Section 104(2) of the Evidence Act.” On whether the documents ought to be frontloaded, Okpoko said: “That it is not necessary, as the documents are in the custody of INEC, and INEC is a party to this suit. Can we now go to our opponent to sign the witnesses’ statements on oath? We should be realistic. When the person you have subpoenaed are to come to court to present the documents, it needs not be frontloaded or listed.

I humbly submit that these documents be admitted.”

Justice Nasiru Gunmi said: “We have examined this application on the face of the document tendered and we are satisfied that the document satisfies the requirement of Section 104 (2) of the Evidence Act to justify the admission of these documents.

“We are of the view that signature is the most important aspect of certification, and therefore the documents meet certification requirement. We, therefore, overrule the objection of the admission of this document, and therefore admit the documents as exhibits PW1A and PW1B.” The tribunal also dismissed the objections raised

by Okowa, PDP and INEC to the admissibility of INEC press statement on the use of SCRs for accreditation of voters, Aproved Guideline and Regulation for the conduct of the poll and manual for election officials.

IBADAN

O

yo State Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, yesterday tasked President Muhammadu Buhari and all state governors to adhere to UNESCO’s prescribed 26 per cent budget allocation to education to rescue the future of the country.

SPN, in a statement issued by its secretary, Comrade Abiodun Bamgboye, said only a fully committed investment in education can reverse the trend of mass failure in examinations nationwide and in Oyo State in

particular.

It also condemned the decision of the APC-led government in the state to stop payment of West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination, WASSCE, fee for potential candidates in public secondary schools as well as the introduction of N3,000 as developmental fees for students across public schools in the state.

Calling for the immediate and unconditional reversal of the decision and insisting on the need for adequate and proper funding of public education and other social services as the most reliable step towards

curbing the menace of mass failure in external examination like WASSCE, SPN faulted government’s argument that students’ unseriousness was responsible for the mass failure witnessed in WASSCE in the state and that such mass failure can only be curbed by the combined effect of re-introducing fee in public schools and making parents responsible for payment of WASSCE fees of their children.

It blamed students’ poor academic performance in public schools on the embrace of neo-liberal policies like cut in social spending on education, health care, infra-

structure coupled with commercialisation and privatisation of social services, forced

by IMF and World Bank on Nigerian governments.

Bamgboye added that the decisions by the Oyo State government will no doubt increase the economic woes of workers and the poor masses in the state, noting that the population of parents of students in public schools in the state is largely public workers, retirees and poor traders and artisans who have been victims of the various anti-people policies of the Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led government right from its inception.

L-R: Legal Adviser, Lagos State National Conscience Party, NCP, Marcus Eyarhono; National Deputy Chairman, National Democratic Congress, NDC, Prince Goodluck Obi; National Chairman, United Democratic Party, UDP, Mr Godson Okoye; NCP 2015 presidential candidate , Chief Martin Onovo; National Chairman of NCP, Dr Yanusa Tanko, during NCP’s celebration of its victory at the Court of Appeal in Lagos yesterday.

PHOTO:NAN

Esan youths want Edo Central to produce next gov DEBORAH DIDI

A

s preparation for the 2016 gubernatorial election in Edo State gathers steam, Esan Youth Movement, EYM, an umbrella body for all youths in Esan has demanded that the governorship of the state be zoned to Edo Central senatorial district to take over from Governor Adams Oshiomhole in the spirit of equity and fair play.

EYM said having observed the pattern that the governorship in the state has been going since its creation among the three senatorial districts of the state, it has come to the conclusion that since the other two districts have had their fair share of governance of eight years of two terms, it now behooves on leaders of the various political parties to ensure that the Central zone is given exclusive right to produce the

next governor in line with the spirit of equity.

In a press release signed by its President and Secretary, Steve Amedu and Steve Okougbo respectively, EYM noted that though the principle of zoning and rotation of power may not have been expressly mentioned in the constitution, the constitution still made provisions for managing such situations.

It said: “The third schedule, part one of the constitution established the Federal Character Commission, and section 153(1)(c) established the Federal Character Commission to ensure the compliance of all organs and bodies of government and with the provisions of section 14(3) and (4), paragraph 8(1)(b) which states that ‘in giving effect to the provisions of section 14(3) and (4) of this constitution, the Commission shall have the powers to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with the principles of propor-

tional sharing of all bureaucratic, economic, media and political posts at all levels of government’.

“This section is intended to promote unity, equity, fairness and justice, and to check predominance of persons or majority ethnic or sectional groups from holding on to government powers to the exclusion of other minority groups.”

Noting that Edo State like other states of the federation is divided into three senatorial districts, South, Central and North, EYM added however that “the doctrine of rotation of powers therefore means that power must rotate among these three senatorial districts in other to promote equity, fairness and justice, thereby guaranteeing even and equal participation in the government of our dear Edo State.”

It argued that this position has in the past been observed religiously with

understanding and dialogue, adding: “From our recent political history as Edo State, former Governor John Odigie-Oyegun from Edo South ruled the state for a period of one year and eight months.

In 1999, the leaders agreed that since Edo South did not complete its tenure, they should be allowed to take the first shot, this brought Chief Lucky Igbenedion.”

They added however that when it was the turn of Central in 2007 and Prof Oseriemhen Osunbor emerged the governor, the tribunal truncated his administration and gave the seat to Adams Oshiomhole from North, who is about rounding up his second term.

It said: “Equity now demands that power should shift to Edo Central. We believe that it is only when Edo Central produces the governor of the state in 2016 that the demands of equity, fairness and justice would have been fulfilled.”

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

19

Education Today Redefining the qualifications for UTME 23

ASUU proffers solution to LASU crisis

Saidat Alausa

T

he Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo has, since inception, been known to be crisis-prone but the last four years have been particularly turbulent for the institution as the office of the Vice Chancellor has been right at the centre of the crisis. First, it was Prof. Lateef Hussein who was removed unceremoniously and now the current forceful sack of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oladapo Obafunwa who was chased out of his office on March 16, 2015 and his consequent banishment from office.

With the new administration under, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode everybody thought that LASU crisis will soon be over but it however got messier as Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos State zone, urged the Lagos state governor, Mr. Ambode to choose between LASU and Prof. John Obafunwa as the Vice-Chancellor.

ASUU Lagos zone comprises all the universities in the south west zone of the country.

ASUU made the demand at LASU during a press briefing to educate the general public about the development in the state university, last week.

ASUU South West zone speaking through its zonal coordinator Dr. Sola Nasir said, if the visitor of the university loves Obafunwa, he should make a place for him at the state house and ‘certainly’ not LASU. According to him, Obafunwa no longer belong to the university and he should simply look for something else to do as nobody wants him again as the vice- chancellor of LASU. He said since Obafunwa has shown gross incompetence in the management of the institution, he should give way for a competent and credible person to manage the university for glory.

“If at the end of the day, some influential persons influence his return as the Vice-chancellor of the university, ASUU will not accept him. Obafunwa has done his best, but his best is not good enough for the university. He does not have what it takes to run a purposeful university system.

“He cannot give what he does not have, we want to tell the governor to choose between the state university and Obafunwa, but for ASUU, it will choose LASU” he said.

Adesola Nassir said aside from the Vice Chancellor’s inability to institute peace on campus and thereby provide the clement en-

L-R: Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Tai Solarin University of Education, Dr. Bayo Akinsanya, Lagos Zonal Coordinator, ASUU, Dr. Adesola Nassir and Chairman, ASUU-LASU, Dr. Adekunle Idris during the press conference, last week. INSET (Document of allegation against the ViceChancellor by ASUU).

vironment for teaching and research; his incompetence in several aspects of university and inability to complement government funding are some of the major issues at the heart of the LASU crises.

“The vice chancellor has not instituted an environment to foster growth in the institution. The problem created by the Obafunwa is not allowing him to access the intervention fund for the development of the university.

The intervention fund is limited to five years and if LASU does not access them it will be lost and since the fund does not require counter funding, there is no reason LASU should not access them.

The fund is meant for the development of the university facilities, including the staff, not limited to academic. LASU is not witnessing any serious development because Obafunwa was opposed to working with the community.” he said.

According to him, LASU has about five billion naira lying waste with the federal government and if these moneys were not accessed in the five years it would be refunded to the federal government.

He said if the N5 billion was accessed it would assist the university to develop the better.

“For a Vice-Chancellor to be pelted with

Again, KADPOLY for Enactus World Cup 21

sachets of water and forced out of office is the highest humiliation that could be done to any office holder and it means the VC has lost his integrity from the community he is handling and what is expected of him is to throw in the towel and honourably bow out of office but it appears the VC has lost his sense of shame,” he said.

The coordinator also accused the VC of using illegal Budget Monitoring Committee to request for Assessment Intervention Funds thereby denying access to the balance of billions of naira allocated and due to LASU as well as destruction of the image of LASU through unnecessary exposure of purely internal matters.

“He is also maintaining two tenure appointments with the State Government as Chief Medical Examiner (Coroner) and ViceChancellor pari passu. His inability to effect payment of increment in salary arrears, various moonlighting activities to the detriment of the proper administration of the university, victimisation of union activists such as the indefensible withdrawal of the ASUU-LASU chairperson’s PhD certificate and unlawful interdiction of staff are some of his impunities.

Nasir however said that one of the ways of maintaining peace on the campus was for the

I’m retired as a fulfilled perm sec —Erogbogbo 20

visitor, who is the governor to constitute with immediate effect a visitation panel to look into the affairs of the institution.

In addition to that, he said the governor should immediately commence the process for the appointment of a new vice- chancellor and implementations of the University Miscellaneous Provision Act, 2012 in LASU. The university don said that the visitation panel when constituted will find out the main problems confronting the institution and the findings would give the governor a clear understanding of the institution to make policy statement on the administration of the university.

“For whatever reason, the visitor to LASU cannot afford to reject the call by the union for a visitation panel because it is on one hand statutorily due, and on other, the artificial earthquake engineered by the outgoing university administration has impacted corrosively on the founding pillar of the institution such that the treatment that will bestow a lasting solution must start with thorough and diligent diagnosis.”

He cited the crises in other sister institutions such as Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ekiti State University among others, which, until the visitor stepped into the matter, the CONTINUE ON PAGE 23

State government no longer funds tertiary institutions

—TETfund boss 22

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Views

Thursday, August 27 2015

Still on corruption and Nigeria EXISTENTIAL HUMANISM

FRY

NDUBUISI Professor Ndubuisi is of the Dept of Philosophy, UNILAG fryndubuisi@nationalmirroronline.net (08023016709 SMS only)

I

t is a brute fact that corruption is the bane of this country. It has distorted and derailed the laudable programmes of various administrations and dampened the expectations of many Nigerians for better life. Fighting corruption is like fighting a war; it requires courage. All the previous attempts at fighting this monster have ended with scandals of their own and led to counter accusations. And the greatest irony is that it is not only that the agencies entrusted with the responsibility of fighting corruption are corrupt, but often times they help themselves with recovered loots.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration came to power on a promise to rid the country of corruption. He has really gone down to work. The way and manner he has been doing this have raised contentious issues. There have been allegations of vendetta and selective justice against him. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Buhari of using his anti-corruption crusade to silence

the opposition. Similarly, the former minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has saidd the allegation of diversion of loans from China Exim Bank against her was meant to make her a culprit in a non-existent scandal. It is really surprising that the Permanent Secretary in the Finance Ministry could make such weighty unsubstantial allegation.

The Presidency had earlier come out with a press statement that the accusation of being influenced in the corruption crusade cannot be substantiated. This was in reaction to the allegation from Igbo leaders on the lack of transparency in the anti-corruption war.

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm on the PDP’s frantic efforts to undermine the anti-corruption war, insisting it would not be deterred by mounting opposition of the PDP and its hirelings. The ruling party appealed to Nigerians to give the necessary support to President Buhari in his tough and crucial task of tracing and recovering all the loots of the past 16 years and ensuring that the looters face justice. ‘’Truly, what sort of governance can go on if the billions of naira in a few hands are not recovered?” it said.

The party argued that while the government needed every kobo of this looted funds to bring the kind of change it promised Nigerians, it reiterated that leaving such amount of money in the hands of few looters was not healthy for the country, as such funds could be deployed to de-

IF BUHARI

ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO DO THINGS

DIFFERENTLY, IT MUST PUT THE NATION FIRST BEFORE ANY OTHER CONSIDERATIONS stabilize the country. ‘’No one will be surprised if the looters use their dirty funds to sponsor public demonstrations against the government’s determination to recover the funds ‘’, the APC spokesman, Lai Mohammed asserted. He equally argued that to allow these looters that have privatised our collective commonwealth get away with their loots is offering a thump-up for looting; adding that no responsible government would allow this.

There are immense legal and moral issues inherent in this development. It must be noted that equality is equity, and justice is like oxygen that sustains humanity.

Even in the war against corruption, there is the need for justice and equity. If the anticorruption war becomes parochial, political and ethnic-friendly, there will be cause for worry. The impression being created is that it is only in the oil sector that there is corruption. This is a wrong and cooked

17

thinking. There could be as much fraud in the Customs and Immigration Service, as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Department. To give the impression that the war is only critical in the oil sector shows the level of phobia we have about oil. We must not let the looters of our national treasury go free.

But for the current war against corruption to be meaningful and different from the experience of the past, there must be no discrimination at any level.

There have been accusations and counter accusations on the corruption scourge.

Nigerians want all the leads to be followed; they want a holistic war on corruption. Nobody should be treated like a sacred cow.

Doing that is corruption in itself. More importantly, we must not allow our treasury looters to go scot free. It has become imperative for us to see corruption beyond pecuniary benefits.

It is corruption at any time we embark on any actions not in the higher interest of the nation and humanity. Thus, appointing people to sensitive positions for no other reasons other than their closeness to the seat of power is corruption. The nation is indeed immensely injured by such acts. If Buhari administration wants to do things differently, it must put the nation first before any other considerations. It will be interesting to see the President live up to his word of “being for all, and belonging to nobody”.

On Buhari’s charge to the judiciary

W

hile declaring open the 55th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) last Sunday in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari urged Nigerian lawyers to shun all forms of unethical and corrupt practices in the course of their duties as ministers in the temple of justice and vanguard of rule of law. Specifically, he urged lawyers to desist from circumventing the law all in the bid to protect clients who engage in shady deals.

President Buhari said inter-alia: “Ability to manipulate and frustrate the legal system is the crowning glory of the corrupt and, as may be expected, this has left many legal practitioners and law courts tainted in an ugly way.

We need to make our courts functional and effective again…Nigeria needs ethical lawyers who always keep the end of justice in mind and will never sacrifice the integrity of the legal system to cover the misdeeds of their clients, no matter how lucrative the brief may be”.

With this charge, the President, once again, underscores the importance of the judiciary in a democracy. Of all the three arms of government, the judiciary is the most educated and most professional! But most importantly, the organ is very critical and strategic to national survival.

This rests on the fact that the judiciary of any modern nation plays a cardinal role in the harmonious co-existence of the populace; it furnishes a popular medium of social engineering for resolving the conflicting interests that would otherwise induce fractious tensions in the polity. It is the bastion

WHEN THIS HALLOWED INSTITUTION IS AFFLICTED WITH SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

CANCER OF CORRUPTION, THERE IS A GENUINE REASON FOR CONCERN of hope, the succour for the downtrodden, and the vanguard of social justice.

So, when this hallowed institution is afflicted with self-destructive cancer of corruption, there is a genuine reason for concern. That is the concern of Mr. President, who has set himself the monumental assignment of fighting corruption.

It is the postulation of this writer that the judiciary, in spite of all barrages and attacks in recent times, is still the least corrupt democratic institution in Nigeria! The reason is very simple, while there is no any specific requirement, other than basic O-Level education for any person to be elected a legislator or even the Executive President; it is a different ball game for lawyers and judges, who invariably constitute the judiciary. Every member of a judiciary is not only a graduate, but also someone who has undergone some special training that conditions him to be the advocate of the rule of law.

To start with, the Council of Legal Education engages in thorough screening of candidates before admission into the law school. Even after this, the Honourable Body of Bench-

ers would conduct its own screening before calling candidates to the Bar. In addition, if a person aspires to become a judge, he would first have to post 10 years of unblemished record as a legal practitioner, after which he would have to brave the selection process of the appropriate Judicial Service Commission, then the National Judicial Commission (NJC) is ever at alert to cast him off the Bench ignominiously if found to be corrupt!

Even if a person did not set out as honest, all these built-in mechanisms would have equipped even the most deviant character with some measure of moral censorship. There have also been many cases of judges being removed from the Bench.

The list in this regard includes a former judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, Justice Chukwuemeka Nwaogwugwu; ex-judge of the Lagos High Court, Justice Adebayo Manuwa; a former Chief judge of the Abia State High Court, Justice Kalu Amah and former judge, Federal High Court, Justice Wilson Egbo-Egbo. Other victims were Justice Stanley Nnaji, former judge of the Enugu State High Court was sacked for his ignoble role in the Anambra State political scandal in 2004.

In February 2013, Justice T.D. Naron and Justice Charles Achibong, were suspended from the hallowed Bench. Which of the other arms has this kind of nurturing and self-cleansing for its members? Of course, this never means we don’t have corrupt judges on the Bench

CRITICAL STROKES

KAYODE

KETEFE

kketefe@nationalmirroronline.net 08032147720 (SMS only)

and corrupt lawyers at the Bar, one is only stressing that their number is far lower, relative to members of other arms of government.

Be that as it may, I readily agree we must never rest on our oars; the judiciary is such a delicate institution that we must always keep nurturing and guarding it with utmost vigilance. Perhaps, there will always be challenges of corruption at individual level rocking the hallowed organ for a long time to come, but the cancer must never be allowed to become malignant as to endanger the judiciary at the institutional level, lest the whole nation is doomed. That is the reason President Buhari’s admonition must be taken very seriously.

Ketefe may be followed on twitter @ Ketesco 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.

18

Editorial

Thursday August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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 ISE-OLUWA IGE ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF AUGUSTUS IMEKAN ACTING HEAD, GRAPHICS

Shame of ‘baby factories’ in the land

A

daily national newspaper (not National Mirror) recently dedicated its entire report on the South East geopolitical zone to the ‘lucrative’ business of illegal baby production factories. Of all the five South East states – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo – x-rayed in the report, only Ebonyi escaped with a clean health bill on the scourge, though with some bruises. The only dark sides reported against Ebonyi were cases of incessant teenage pregnancies, dumping of newly-born babies in gutters and road sides, and of course incidents of rape, common across virtually all states in the country.

Abia is an acknowledged notorious baby factory – Nma Charity/ Maternity Rehabilitation Centre – exists in Umukpeyi Village in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area. The lady that runs the outfit, one Nma (Mrs.) Charity is said to be waxing stronger despite the declaration of her establishment by the Abia State government and police as illegal.

There is also one Dr. Ezuma, who operates the illegal business from bases located in Aba, Abia State’s commercial hub and Owerri, the neighbouring Imo State capital.

During two different police raids on Nma Charity/Maternity Rehabilitation Centre, 28 young girls were arrested, with 26 of them nursing various stages of preg-

nancy. Two others that were obviously pregnant as well were at the facility to conduct pregnancy test.

In Anambra State, it was alleged that motherless babies’ homes run by the government were the chief culprits, with some depraved officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development as accomplices. They allegedly sell a baby boy for N200, 000 and a girl-child for N150,000.

Security operatives have raided a baby factory in Atani town, as well as in Okpoko and Nkpor, all communities located very close to Onitsha. Others are in Ihiala and Odekpe.

In Enugu, State, one of such facilities was uncovered in Etiti Amankwo in Ngwo, Udi Local Government Area, last June from where the police picked up nine pregnant teenage girls. According to the Enugu State Police Command, Tex Hospital and Maternity Home, the operator of the baby factory, claimed being in possession of a 2007 provisional approval certificate issued by the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

In Imo, the business thrived for a long time undetected until Police Commissioner Mohammed Katsina was posted to the state.

The first baby factory in Imo, Amaefule Babies Home, owned by one ‘Mrs. 1000’, was uncovered in Umuaka in Njaba Local Govern-

THE PROBLEM FESTERS BECAUSE OF THE DESPERATION

OF CHILD-ADOPTIONSEEKING COUPLES TO CIRCUMVENT DUE PROCESSES ment Area. Reports said the girls kept in Amaefule Babies Home were forced into pregnancy and deprived of communication with the outside world. They were crammed into dingy rooms and subjected to all manner of forced labour and servitude. Another was found in Amuzi, Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of the state. Being witnessed in Imo State, sadly, is also what reports described as ‘the hawk system’, a situation where baby hunters who no longer have easy access to new-born babies from illegal baby factories target where a new baby is due to be born, or mothers walking along the streets with their babies and snatch such babies by force whenever they have the opportunity to do so and vanish.

The problem of baby factories is common nationwide, notwithstanding the relatively in-depth exposure of the rot in the South East. It is not as if the federal and state governments lack legitimate

ON THIS DAY

August 27, 1985

August 27, 2003

The Nigerian government, then headed by Major General Muhammadu Buhari, was peacefully overthrown by the then Army Chief of Staff, Major General Ibrahim Babangida. Babangida, (born August 17, 1941) ruled from August 27, 1985 until he ‘stepped aside’ from office on August 27, 1993, after his controversial annulment of the presidential election held on June 12 that year.

The first six-party-talks which brought together South and North Korea, United States, China, Japan and Russia, was convened to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns that trailed North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. North Korea was a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but she withdrew in 2003, citing the failure of the US to fulfill its own end of the ‘Agreed Framework’.

processes for the adoption of children by couples in need. The problem festers because of the desperation of child-adoptionseeking couples to circumvent due processes, on the one hand and the readiness of morally bankrupt staff of government departments and agencies charged with the registration and regulation of orphanages or maternity facilities to compromise their responsibilities, on the other.

Indeed, most times, the teenagers that produce the babies end up as mere victims of heartless local child trafficking and abuse.

They are hardly well-fed; and they are paid peanuts for any child they bear, while their captors resell their kids at huge costs. It is not too late for the federal and state governments to arrest this national drift into moral depravity. The first step, naturally, is to rid all government agencies overseeing orphanages and maternity facilities of bad eggs and ensure that those left to handle the job approach it with all sense of responsibility, moral rectitude and discipline through close supervision and monitoring. Culprits directly or indirectly linked with the racket should also face the wrath of the law if the government is truly committed to curbing this dirty business cum modern-day slavery.

August 27, 2013 Riots between Hindu and Muslim religious communities started at Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The clashes resulted in at least 62 deaths, involving 42 Muslims and 20 Hindus. About 93 were injured and more than 50,000 others displaced. By September 17, the curfew imposed was lifted from all riot-affected areas.

The incident was said to be “the worst violence in Uttar Pradesh’s in recent history”.

20

Education Today

CRUTECH VC charges new students on good conduct Richard Ndoma CALABAR

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he Vice Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology, CRUTECH, Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh has charged the newly admitted students of the institution to take their academic seriously so that they can graduate in flying colours stressing that it was only through hard work that students could excel in their course of study.

He said this during the matriculation ceremony for the 2014/2015 academic session.

He lauded the new students for choosing CRUTECH as their first choice and adding that they made the right decision by making the institution a place they want to study.

The VC urged the new students to shun cultism; examination malpractice all form of anti-social behaviour as such anti social behaviour was capable of ruining their future adding that the school management has no time to condone any form of deviant behaviour in the institution.

“I feel exited to see you as my new students, your par-

ents have worked so hard to ensure that you secure admission into this institution, I advised that you don’t put them to shame, take your academic seriously and make good results so that tomorrow, you can be useful to the society,” he said Also speaking at the ceremony, the Acting Registrar of the institution, Mr. Gabriel Beshel said that the institution reiterated the institution`s commitment to always impact positive values to the students who pass through the school.

He stressed that apart from the academic knowledge and other skills that the institution impact on students, the university was also poised to ensure that students’ pass through the school imbibing the right behaviours, character that would shape their way of life even after graduation.

The matriculation which was the 13th edition had new students that cut across Faculties of Science, Communication, Technology, Engineering, Education and Environmental Science.

A total of 2,296 students matriculated at the ceremony.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

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I’m retired as a fulfilled perm sec —Erogbogbo Tunbosun Ogundare

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uesday, August 18, 2015 would remain memorable for the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Omolara Erogbogo. It was the day she officially bowed out of service of the Lagos State government amid pomp after spending 33 years.

Erogbodo joined the state civil service in 1982 as a Higher Executive Officer in the State House of Assembly where she served as a legislative clerk and had worked in various ministries and agencies including Works, Environment, Finance, Hospitals Management Board, Youth, Sport and Social Development, among others before she was appointed in 2008 by Fashola’s administration as a perm sec of the Ministry of Education. She served in that capacity till her retirement last week.

The 60-year-old mother of four however expressed her profound gratitude to God for being there for her all through her career and to those who contributed in one way or the other to who she is today.

In view of that, she proudly announced to the mammoth crowd who graced her retirement party including the Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Oluranti Adebule and the immediate past commissioner of the ministry, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye that she indeed retired from the service as a fulfilled person.

According to her, the journey was

Erogbogbo not all that smooth. I had some rough part too. But with perseverance, focus and determination and above all, help of God, I saw and conquered.

While thanking the state government for giving her the opportunity to contribute her own quota to the development of education sector and the Lagos economy in general, Erogbogbo urged junior officers to give their jobs a deserved attention, stressing that God rewards await every diligent worker.

In her remark at the occasion, the deputy governor, Dr. Adebule described Erogbogbo as a humble person who was not found wanting throughout the period she served the state.

She noted that the government really appreciated Erogbogbo’s immense contribution to the state, saying her leadership style was in no small measure fostered unity and peace as well as progress among workers.

“Erogbogbo was very loyal and dedicated in office. She served Lagos State without blemish. On many occasions she had done the state proud.

That is why I will implore those of you who are still in service to emulate her virtues as well as give total support to her successor in office. Lagos State will continue to reward excellence,” Adebule said.

Also, the immediate past Commissioner of Education in the state, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye who Erogbogbo worked closely with till retirement also praised her, saying she was very reliable.

According to her, I witnessed Erogbogbo’s firsthand commitment and passion to service during my tenure as a commissioner in the same ministry and I thank you for giving me ‘your all’ thus making my stay in the ministry memorable. I always had absolute confidence in your disposition to work and ability to handle pressure. I will continue to cherish your sincere cooperation. And I wish you continuous happiness, divine grace, good health and greater opportunities in your future endeavours.

Erogbogbo, an alumnus of University of Lagos, Akoka and that of Lagos State University, Ojo is a multipleaward winning civil servant.

AUN abhors cheating —Ensign Livinus Menedi YOLA

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resident, American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State, Margee Ensign has said the institution will continue to abhor cheating because of the effect of the vice on the value of its degree and that of the future of its graduates.

She said this during the matriculation of new students, the class of 2019 at the institution on Monday.

Ms Ensign who stressed that the AUN will continue to abhor cheating just as it begins its second decade of academic activities said its reason for doing so was for relevance and to secure the future of the African continent.

According to her, if the institution which already has a splendid model for the country and known as a place for world class education and academic integrity and excellence, then it shall continue to be beacon to the continent and impact its future.

She said the reason the AUN placed a high premium

on excellence and integrity, and abhorred cheating which had become rampant in schools and even in the public place, is because of its concern for the value of its degree and the future of graduates which also affects the future of the African continent.

Ensign who explained that a good university is a place where students and faculty work hard, however noted that its quality still boils down to the quality of its staff and students and pledged that as it enters its second decade as Africa’s premier development university it would still continue to uphold its tenets of service, integrity and excellence.

Over 100 students matriculated at the ceremony with each having an average score of 211 in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examination.

Assistant Vice President Recruitment and Marketing, Mr. Linus Ikyurav in his remark said that the new students were carefully selected out of the 900 who applied to study in the institution.

L-R:Registrar, Covenant University, Pastor Olamide Olusegun (2nd left); Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charles Ayo; Representative of the Chancellor, Pastor Yemi Nathaniel; Lecturer and Fulbright Professor to the university, Prof. Nana Derby; Dean, School of Post Graduate Studies, Prof. Shallom Chinedu and Dean, Leadership and Development Studies, Prof. Charles Ogulogu and other Deans during the institution’s 42nd public lecture, recently.

Abia govt assures mission schools of assistance George Opara ABIA

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bia state government has assured the management of mission schools of assistance especially in its effort at restoring discipline in schools.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu made this disclosure in Umuahia recently, during a courtesy visit by the interdenominational committee on the return of schools in Abia

state.

The governor said there was need for the committee and officials of government to sit together and look at government’s resources and find a way of aiding the schools already returned to the churches.

He admitted that mission schools have the capacity to impact positive education on students through the inculcation of good morals and sound education.

He stated that govern-

ment could not lay off teachers in mission schools but regretted that most teachers were unwilling to remain in mission schools due to the close monitoring of such teachers by the missions.

He affirmed hat education and upbringing of children were important issues in his administration and expressed strong sentiments about the return of schools since according to him he was a beneficiary of mission schools.

In his remark, the leader of the delegation and Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia Archdiocese, Most Rev. Agwu said that churches would continue to work in partnership with the government to make Abia take the lead in education.

He appealed to the government to support mission schools to rehabilitate dilapidated infrastructure as well as return all primary and secondary schools owned by the churches to them.

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Topfaith Academy holds aptitude test Saturday Tunbosun Ogundare

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he authorities of Topfaith Academy of Arts and Science (TAAS), Mkpatak in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State will this Saturday conduct aptitude test for students applying to undergo one-year International University Foundation Programme (IUFP) and International Degree Foundation Programme (IDFP) as well as two-year Cambridge ‘A’ Level course in the institution from the 2015/2016 academic session.

The aptitude test will take place at the school campus at Mkpatak for all applicants across the country.

The Chairman, Board of Governors of the academy, Dr. Emmanuel Abraham in a press release, stated that the students under any of the three programmes have the opportunity to secure direct entry admission into the academy’s affiliate tertiary institutions overseas to study their dream courses.

He listed such courses to include Law, medicine, Engineering, Computer/

ICT, Aeronautic Technology, Psychology, Accounting, Management Studies, Economics, Journalism/Media, International Relations/Development, Political Science, Theatre Arts, Tourism/Hospitality, among numerous others.

He also listed UK-based universities such as Buckingham, Middlesex, Coventry, Wales, Kent, Essex, Sussex, Nottingham, Thames Valley, Bedfordshire, Herfordshire, Queen Mary and Rothampton universities as some of the institutions that the academy is affiliated to.

The academy is also affiliated according to him to Waterloo and Vancouver Island universities in Canada; University of Massachusetts and New York Institute of Technology in the USA; Edit Cowan University in Australia; University of Debrecen Medical School in Hungary; University of Nicosia and The Europa University, Cyprus and some others.

Abraham however promised the applicants of fairness and transparency in the conduct of the Saturday’s aptitude test, noting that the academy will commence next academic session by September.

FUTO launches six commuter buses to ease transportation Chris Njoku OWERRI

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ederal University Technology Owerri, FUTO, Imo State has launched six commuter buses to ease staff transportation in the university.

Speaking at the launching, the Vice- Chancellor, Prof. Chigozie Asiabaka said the essence of the buses is to provide means of transportation for the staff to make them work more effectively and efficiently and to enable them come to work and leave on time.

The VC assured that

Asiakaba

Education Today

Thursday, August 27, 2015

fares for the fully air conditioned buses will be made affordable for the staff of the university provided such staff would show means of identification on demand, adding that details of the routes would be worked out to ensure that every staff benefits from the project.

He disclosed that management is working out plans to also provide intra campus shuttle in the institution.

The vice-chancellor who explained that the school had made effort in the past to provide similar buses in the campus but regretted that it could not work because of the way the contractors handled the project.

He thanked God for all what the management team had been able to achieve since the inception of the current administration, adding that he was just an instrument used by God to accomplish the goals.

21

Again, KADPOLY for Enactus World Cup Yinka Adeparusi

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aduna Polytechnic will represent Nigeria this year at the Enactus World Cup in South Africa after students from the institution came out top during a fiercely contested battle for sustainable development projects with other participating institutions in the just concluded Enactus Nigeria National Competition in Lagos.

The institution came second last year and first the year before.

However, the marathon event, which lasted two days, beginning from Tuesday, August 12 paraded over 20

tertiary institutions across the country, with each of them showcasing their various developmental projects carried out in the last one year in various villages and towns in 27 states of the federation.

The University of Agriculture, Markurdi, and Ekiti State University, emerged first and second runners-up of the competition respectively.

Speaking on the longterm impact of the competition, the Board Chair of Enactus Nigeria, Mrs. Bernardine Okeke, said the overall objective of the competition was to develop entrepreneurial instincts of the undergraduates

and encourage them to be economically self-reliant after graduation while at the same time contributing meaningfully to people in their host communities even while they are still students.

“Entrepreneurship is now in-thing not only in Nigeria but also all over the world as the era where white collar jobs are waiting for graduates are no more.

So, we need to develop as many young students as possible to think about creating those jobs and at the same time adding values to the society,” she explained.

In his remark, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle,

Winning team from Kaduna Polytechnic celebrating with the trophy.

Saidat Alausa

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n a bid to have a better Nigeria that would be free of corruption, every citizen, especially the youth should practice converse patriotism where loyalty is first towards the nation as practiced in most developed nations of the world.

This was the submission of a Chief War Marshal of the Man O’ War Nigeria, Prof. Adewale Dipeolu, while delivering a lecture titled, “The Role of the Youth in Building a New Nigeria” at the Pre-National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) campaign, held for final year students of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State.

The programme was to prepare them ahead of their NYSC programme.

He said although the world has changed to a global village but the issues and facts that gave rise to patri-

who was a special guest at the event, was enthused by the quality of presentations by the students, even as he declared all competitors as winners, regardless of the judges’ ruling.

He however asked them not to relent but to strive harder so as to be able to achieve their aspirations for life.

A member of the winning team from Kaduna Polytechnic who is in her 2nd year studying Tourism Management, Miriam Yusuf, revealed that her participation in the event had heightened her self confidence.

For the first time ever, Enactus World Cup will be held on African soil.

PHOTO YINKA ADEPARUSI

Be patriotic, Don tells youths

otic movement towards the demand for independence from colonial masters are still the same issues and facts that “we are still confronted with 55 years after independence.”

Prof. Dipeolu, who identified corruption as the major challenge facing the country, defined the malaise as the abuse of bestowed power or position to acquire personal benefits.

Stressing that the youths had a vital role to play in bringing about change that the country needed, Prof.

Dipeolu pointed out that, “young people are social actors of change.”

“They are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also partners of today. The youths are a powerful force to be reckoned with in any nation where the government is mindful of its future because the power of the youth can be utilised as a constructive or destructive force,” he emphasised.

Speaking on what it takes to have a New Nigeria, the Guest Lecturer said “re-branding Nigeria simply means to redefine our nationhood and engage wholly in the process of national renewal to attain a lofty height, where national interest is exalted far and above personal, ethnoreligious and regional interests.

Professor Dipeolu charged the youths to see

nation building as a lifetime opportunity given to them to discharge their obligations to their beloved country adding that, “despite our enormous challenges as a nation, we still have the faith that we shall get to the promise land someday”.

Highlights of the activities for the programme included an endurance trek; physical exercises; parade training; and the award of certificates to participants.

L-R: Director, Executive Secretary Office, Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Mallam, Aliyu Na’iya; Executive Secretary, TETFUND, Prof.

Suleiman Bogoro and Taraba State Governor Ishaku Darius, during a working visit by the governor to TETFUND in Abuja, recently. PHOTO: ROTIMI OSASONA

Education Today

22

Educationists tasked on national devt Tunbosun Ogundare

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ducationists in the country have been urged to evolve strategies that would enhance national develop-

ment.

The Director, Special Needs Education in the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Elijah Akinyemi made the call while delivering a keynote address at a 2-day capacity workshop organised for teachers in private primary and secondary schools in the state held in Abeokuta, recently.

He said since the world was changing rapidly, educational insights, goals and service delivery strategies must be periodically examined and repositioned to achieve a meaningful national development.

He said the current administration in the state would not renege in affordable and qualitative functional education to residents irrespective of gender, religion or place of origin.

While reiterating the importance of training and retraining of teachers to improve service delivery, Akinyemi urged participants to concentrate and contribute meaningfully to the training sessions.

He noted the workshop was to acquaint them with the latest best practices in courses offering, systematic presentation of facts, ideas, skills and techniques to their students.

In his address of welcome earlier, Director of Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Abidemi Bammeke, said the training was to equip them with the required strategies for the delivery of new curriculum in order to lay a solid foundation for a pragmatic approach to modern trend in education.

Delivering a paper titled: Overview of the philosophy of the New Revised Basic Curriculum”, Dr. Moses Salau of the Nigerian Education Research and Development Council, said the new curriculum was aimed at producing school leavers with strong moral and ethical values, actualised government 7-point and transformation agenda for national development.

UNILAG faculty of science holds seminar

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he monthly seminar series of the Faculty of Science, University of Lagos will hold today, Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 12 noon in the institution.

The seminar will feature Dr. Onadeko, who will speak on “Aspects of Anuran (Amphibia) Study-A product of biological diversity.”

The event is open to all academic staff, graduate students, final year students and other members of the community who are interested in the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Dr. Onadeko is a thorough-bred alumna of the University of Lagos where he obtained First, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Zoology in 1994, 1997 and 2009, respectively.

He joined the academia sixteen years ago as a graduate Assistant in 1999 and that same year, rose to become an assistant lecturer in the Department of Zoology where presently he is a Senior Lecturer.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Livinus Menedi YOLA

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he Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust fund, Prof. Suleiman Bogoro has raised alarm over the withdrawal of most state governments from funding tertiary institutions set up by them.

He also observed that nearly 80 percent of educational facilities and infrastructures provided in some of the state owned tertiary institutions have been funded by TETfund.

Bogoro spoke to newsmen in Yola during the combined convocation ceremony of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology,

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State government no longer funds tertiary institutions —TETfund boss MAUTECH, Yola, where he commissioned and unveiled, the first out of the 7 Academic Publishing Centers, funded by TETFund to be established in each of the six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said the commission had noticed regression in funding of some tertiary institutions by those who owned them.

Bogoro who equally expressed disapproval of a situation whereby less than a quarter of the funds appropriated in the

budgets for capital allocations end up being the actual sum utilized for education, said the situation called for concern as the situation had caused most managers of tertiary institutions to seek the support of TETFund to help out of this difficulties.

He advised that tertiary institutions should be established when the owners have the capacity to fund them and that state government should stop playing politics with education.

Bogoro however said that

TETFUND has been able to revived education in the country because before now the sector was said to have noose dived because of the declining commitment of funds to tertiary education.

He explained that the refocusing of the education trust fund which was thinly spread across the educational sector to mainly tertiary institutions in the country has helped to salvage its infrastructural deficits and reversed its previous dismal ratings.

Chancellor, Lead City University, Ibadan, Prof. Gabriel Ogunmola (6TH left); Chairman governing council, Prof. Jide Owoeye (middle) and the ViceChancellor, Prof. Olufemi Onabajo ((6th right)) with the beneficiaries of the Owner Occupying Housing Scheme of the university during the handing-over ceremony.

Lead City University unveils housing scheme for staff Saidat Alausa

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he management of Lead City University, Ibadan Oyo State has displayed its consciousness for staff’s welfare again by unveiling an ‘Owner Occupying Housing Scheme’ for members of its workforce.

The management recently commissioned a 72 flats housing estate, built about 200 meters to the main campus of the institution in an event coordinated by the chancellor of

the school, Prof. Gabriel Ogunmola and the chairman governing council, Prof. Jide Owoeye.

The Chancellor while presenting keys to the first batch of beneficiaries among the members of the staffs described the scheme as a good development meant to facilitate their settling down for better service delivery.

“This has shown the genuine concern of the management for your welfare and that is why its payment was structured in manner that would be convenient for you.”

Also speaking the institution’s ViceChancellor, Prof. Olufemi Onabajo, said the scheme which is in tandem with the Lead City University’s policies of ensuring good welfare package for its staff, is in its first phase, as more people would benefit when the project reach its final stage.

“The idea behind the scheme is to meet the needed comfort of our staff, just like the federal government’s housing scheme for middle income earner,” He noted.

Be good ambassadors, Proprietress urges Alumni

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he Proprietress, Treasure Chest Schools, Ota, Ogun State, Mrs. Ifeoma Ihemadu has enjoined old students of schools to be good ambassadors of their alma maters for the benefit of the school and the

nation in general. she gave the advice during the graduation and prize-giving day ceremony of the school held recently at the school premises.

Ihemadu told the graduating students that by being good am-

bassadors of their alma maters, the society would be better for it, adding that, “You must always keep the flag of your former school flying wherever you may be”.

Congratulating the outgoing

L-R(front row): Deputy Director, Entrepreneurship education, National Board for Technical Education, Abdu Isa Kafarmata (3rd left); Rector, Yaba College of Technology, Mrs. Margaret Ladipo; Director, Planning Research and Statistics, NBTE, Mr. Ekpenyong Ekpenyong with other rectors and guests during a training workshop on entrepreneurship for polytechnics and similar institutions held in Yaba College of Technology, recently.

students, the Proprietress urged them to continue to maintain good characters as they proceed in their career and wherever they go in the interest of themselves and the society at large.

“All the pupils should bear in mind that as they are treasures in this school, they are also treasures to the society. We must do our best to keep our flag flying and God will see us through in life.

“Pupils should study harder because God is moving you to higher classes. You should continue to maintain good behaviours even in the society”, Mrs. Ihemadu stated.

The occasion featured poems recitation; cultural displays; distribution of prizes to deserving students and the emergence of new “Miss Treasure Chest”, Miss Adebimpe Adewusi.

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Education Today

Thursday, August 27, 2015

23

Redefining the qualifications for UTME

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he educational sector in Nigeria has suffered severe setbacks in recent times. High on the list of problems of the university system is lack of planning, poor funding, poor management and more troubling still, corruption at different levels of its operation.

The most obvious manifestations of these ailments are poor infrastructural development and increased admissions quota with the resultant overcrowded classroom and laboratories. The short supply in the number and quality of academic staff militates against the mandate of the universities to produce high quality of graduates to man key positions in the nations industrial and administrative set up.

A major reason for the poor quality of products of the university system is the quality of the raw materials admitted through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) through its annual Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). There are many reasons why JAMB has not succeeded in presenting the right caliber of candidates for admission into the Nigerian university system.

Apart from the poor quality of training the candidates receive at the primary and secondary levels of education, there are problems in the selection process.

The first and most crucial factor is the failure of JAMB to establish the correct qualification for candidates who desire to sit for the UTME. From 2008 to 2014 a period covering seven years, between 1,351,557 and 1,695,878 candidates sat for Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) conducted by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination annually. Between 188,442 and 649,156 obtained credit passes in five subjects including English language and Mathematics.

These examinations were characterized by high levels of examination malpractice which reduced the level of confidence in the candidates thus presented to the universities for admission.

In the 2015, 1,593,442 candidates sat for the SSCE conducted

by WAEC out of which 616,370 obtained credit passes in five

The first and most crucial factor is the failure of JAMB to establish the correct qualification for candidates who desire to sit for the UTME

subjects, including English language and Mathematics. In the same year, a total of 1,475,600 candidates enrolled for UTME conducted by JAMB. This is nearly two and half times the actual number of candidates that secured the five credits (including English language and Mathematics) required for admission into most tertiary institutions in Nigeria. In essence, it is obvious that the majority of candidates who enrolled for the UTME may not have possessed the necessary credits required for enrollment into the nation’s universities and other tertiary institutions.

Consequently, such candidates would not be able to register in their respective programmes even if offered admission

by JAMB. This represents a significant waste of resources imposed on the candidates and their sponsors through poorly articulated policy that serves neither the students nor the educational system that is purportedly been promoted by the policy makers. The JAMB policy which permits candidates who do not yet possess the requisite qualifications for admission to register for, and write the UTME should be reviewed

without delay. This would immediately reduce the number of candidates presenting for the nation’s annual admission exercise and ensure a more manageable exercise.

To achieve this major policy shift, it would be necessary for the results of the SSCE to be released and the status of each potential candidate known before the conduct of the UTME. This would necessitate redesigning the JAMB application form to include information on requisite credits in the SSCE and hence suitability for admission into the universities and other tertiary institutions in the country. With this suggestion the UTME would be shifted to August while the PostUTME screening exercise would be scheduled for September.

The normal academic year would then commence in October with a mid-semester break and Christmas holiday for December. The shift in the date of the UTME will give the candidates ample time to prepare for the examination after SSCE. Cooperation between the major examinations bodies and JAMB would greatly facilitate the verification of information presented by the candidates and further streamline the admission process. An expected outcome of this cooperation would be the reduction in the prevalence of falsification of SSCE results which are quite rampant in the tertiary institutions. There are reported cases of candidates admitted into the Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Some Universities who continue sitting for the SSCE two or four years after admission as the case may be, to enable them obtain and present the missing credits before graduation.

The general belief that over a million and half candidates are chasing after less than half a million vacancies in Nigerian tertiary institutions is a great fallacy. Attempts to solve this nonexistent problem has lead to panic actions among education administrators in our country with crucial funds being diverted to the establishment new substandard institutions, and gross underfunding of existing ones. This has resulted in further erosion of the quality of our educational system and the unintended imposition of mediocrity and underdevelopment on our nation.

Council lauds FUTA on building technology dept ASUU Proffers solution to LASU crisis Tunbosun Ogundare

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he Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has described the Department of Building Technology of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) as world class in terms of its curriculum and configuration.

The leader of accreditation team from the council, Prof. Kabir Bala made the commendation during their statutory visit to the department recently.

He adjudged the curriculum of the department as one of the best he has ever come across, saying it has global acceptability.

About facilities, the don declared that the department also paraded state-of-the art equipment capable of enhancing both teaching and learning.

While commenting on the quality of staff,

Prof. Bala said “I am happy with the crop of staff in the school considering the age of the school,” adding that teamwork is seen among the staff as all of them were involved in the accreditation exercise.

He also commended the university library, saying it has good collections of books that can assist the students in their fields of study.

According to him, the e-library is an advantage as it will guide the students and even open them up to what operates in some other schools of building in and outside Nigeria.

Welcoming the visitors, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, who was represented by his deputy in charge of Academic, Prof. Tunde Arayela thanked the team for being thorough and detailed in their observations.

He however promised them that the university would not stop at improving on its facilities.

L-R: Remi Willoughby of Robo Global Educational Consulting, using robotics to teach children, during summer learning at Total Child Education Foundation in Lagos, recently.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

institutions did not know peace.

“The silence of the office of the visitor is already being misconstrued to the point that the vice-chancellor and his cohorts are already on the verge of using students particularly from outside, to alter the graveyard peace in the university, while thinking that such a move will ensure his second term,” he added.

He said if the present crisis in the university orchestrated by the vice-chancellor was allowed to continue, posterity will hold ASUU accountable to the administration failure, stressing that the union was duty bond to make preventive contributions.

“To escape such a historic condemnation, we will like to appreciate His Excellency’s baggage of pressures behind the scene and offer our sincere suggestions towards promoting the fortune of LASU in the comity of universities and we hope he will be kind to listen to us.

We wish to use this opportunity to plead with the visitor to take step to institute a policy direction which would emanate from visitation to LASU. The visitor should thereafter constitute a Governing Council consisting of experienced men and women of deserved honour, arising from proven integrity and above all, with clear- headed understanding of purpose and operations of university system.

This is the first step towards lasting solution in LASU. Furthermore, the process for the appointment of a vice-chancellor should commence immediately and due process without any interference be enforced. LASU cannot afford to get it wrong again “he added.

He accused the vice-chancellor of making clandestine moves to use some ill-informed students mainly from outside LASU to foment additional crisis in the university, saying that the union was ready for such action.

Nasir therefore advised students of LASU, who according to him, are their ally in the restoration of dignity to LASU to focus on their studies as ASUU members were doing all things within their means to ensure a smooth session.

The union also used the opportunity to appeal to the visitor to call the vice chancellor to order so that lasting peace can continue to reign in LASU” he stated.

Also speaking, the chairman of LASU – ASUU, Dr. Idris Adekunle said that LASU has suffered for long under Obafunwa and it is time for the state government to find lasting solution to the crisis through institution of visitation panel.

According to him, it is only the visitation panel that will unravel the causes of the problems in LASU, saying that with the panel report the governor will be able make a policy statement on the university.

He said that ASUU was poised to move the institution forward and it has been doing so all these years.

According to him, despite the crisis rocking the university, ASUU members are teaching students and have even conducted examinations which many lecturers are presently marking and grading.

The VC however refused to join issues with the union when National Mirror contacted him for comments. He pleaded that he would like to remain silent for now and promised to tell his own story on another day.

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Edited by: Saidat Alausa saidat_alausa@yahoo.com 08027633686

NAQSS to Buhari, use professionals to fight corruption

z

Temitope Yakubu

QTY SURVEY FEDPOLY, ADO-EKITI.

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ational Association of Quantity Surveying Students (NAQSS), South West Chapter had called on President Muhammed Buhari to use professionals to fight corruption in the construction industry.

The call was made in a statement jointly signed by its President; Eniola Ayodele, Vice President; Adegoke Alegunleye, General Secretary; Raheem Balogun and Publicity Secretary Hassan Musodiq at the end of the association’s annual congress at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, recently.

The association also commend the effort of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors(NIQS) and all other professional bodies in the industry for putting forward interrelationship and effort been made to protect the ethical standard of the industry.

The association also enjoined professionals in the construction industry to intervene in the incessant rate of building collapse in the country in order to protect the life and property of Nigerians.

The statement also stated that the body is really concerned about the unpleased state of infrastructural development in the country and the regular increase in midway abandonment of government project. This they said is hindering the development of the nation which it said is caused by lack of proper planning and high level of corruption by Public office holders, government officials and contractors who deem it fit to take or give kickbacks to inflate contracts thereby making it difficult for them to complete the work.

The association called on professionals in the industry to put more effort in the campaign and also propose more programmes that will ensure the success of government at all levels in providing good and affordable housing and infrastructures for her citizens.

It also urged government, stakeholders and management of schools offering quantity surveying to show more commitment and invest more into the training of young focus, resolute and innovative minds seeking interest in the profession.

They also want the relevant bodies to immediately improved on the curriculum as the world is fast moving into a global city with the daily improvement in technology.

Miftaudeen Raji UNILAG

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ommunicators for Christ Fellowship (CFC), University of Lagos, recently organised academic summit where media practitioners were invited to examine critical issues and perspectives in the digital age media.

The academic summit which had its first edition in 2009 is a platform where veterans in various spheres of communication speak to students on pressing issues relevant to development of the media in the media industry and how to build professional careers.

The summit was tagged “The Digital Age Media: A Marriage of Skills Opportunities and Technology.”

The programme had a panel session, drama, presentations, awards, workshop and exhibition among others.

The president of CFC and convener of the summit, Ayomide Ekerin said the 6th edition was aimed at helping students understand that there is a world beyond the class.

He added that the summit was targeted at spurring students to tap from the ever present opportunities in the digital age.

Ace journalist and talk-show host for 99.3 Nigeria Info, Fola Afolayan moderated the panelists session with the like of Saturday Punch Editor, Mrs. Olabisi DejiFolutile, Red Media Africa, Mr.

UNILAG: Fellowship holds academic summit for Mass Comm students

Chude Jideonwo, and CMC Connect, Mr. Yomi Badejo,.

Others included MD, Noah’s Ark Communications, Mr. Lanre Adisa and Deputy Director Programmes TVC, Mrs. Morayo Afolabi-Brown.

Representing the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Rahamon Bello, the Dean Students Affairs, Prof. Babatunde Babawale, commended the students for the summit noting that he expects more of such from the department.

The Head of Department, Dr. Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika stated that the department also recognised the

dynamism in the world and media industries thus, committed to helping students understand the world beyond the classroom.

The Keynote Speaker, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi said that students of mass communication and media professionals must begin to think of how to make impact on the media they have a dream of working for.

“The platforms are changing every day. You must begin to think out of the box and break new grounds, have the required skills to tap into the available opportunities

out there, keep yourself updated and be abreast of the emerging technologies of communications.”

The climax of the summit was a workshop which spread across diverse areas of mass communication.

The facilitators, after being presented with distinguished personality award, tasked the students to position themselves in the right perspective and keep learning new things in technology and the media.

Participants were also presented certificates on the training.

Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology Owerri, FUTO, Prof. Chigozie Asiabaka cutting the tape during the launching of six buses at the university, recently.

ITF enlightens FCET students on importance of SIWES Emeka Chukwuemeka FCET UMUNZE

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he Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) Unit of the Federal College of Education, Technical in collaboration with Industrial Training Fund (ITF) South-East zonal office Awka, recently organised an orienta-

tion for NCE students on their expectations and obligations to the scheme.

In his address, SIWES coordinator, Dr. Ugwuogo urged the students to put in their best during the industrial training programme, which according to him, was introduced by the Federal Government in 1973 to bridge the gap between theory and practice among products of tertiary institutions.

He added that it is strategically designed to

Cross section of students, Federal College of Education, Technical, Umunze, during an orientation programme organised by the institution’s Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme and Industrial Training Fund, South-East zone, recently.

prepare and expose students of tertiary institutions to the situations they would encounter after graduation.

Addressing the students, the ITF Awka Area Manager, Mrs. Chinwe Okpara, appreciated the students for turning out en masse; she commended the lecturers for instilling good morals on the students.

She urged students not to play truancy, but take the practice of SIWES seriously as the experience will help them later in life when they eventually got into the labour market.

Okpara frowned at the behaviour of some students who see SIWES period as a holiday extension and also warned that ITF Awka will be monitoring the exercise from time to time without notice.

Speaking on the topic, “Roles and Responsibilities of stakeholders in SIWES,” Head of Training ITF Zonal office, Awka, Mrs. Chioma Egbobe, noted that the efficiency of SIWES depends mainly on the Federal Government, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), supervisory agencies (NUC, NBTE,NCCE), the Employers, and the students.

The provost of the college, Prof. Ogbuagu commended ITF for coming to educate the students on the importance of SIWES training.

He however lauded the federal government

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

25

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Edited by: Saidat Alausa saidat_alausa@yahoo.com 08027633686

KWASU inaugurates ASUU caretaker committee Quadri Babatunde

400L, MASS COMM. KWASU, MALETE

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wara State University, Malete, established in 2009, is now about to witness union activities, after the five-year waiting period stipulated by both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and Kwara State University conditions of Service and Regulations (chapter Eleven, sub section 11.3:1).

At the keenly contested election which took place five Officers were elected to run the affairs of the union until a new exco is elected.

In his acceptance speech, the Chairman-elect, Dr. Dauda Adeshola, called on the members to be resolute in their determination to bargain for better conditions of service for their members in the university.

He also made it known that the association will not in any way contravene the laid down rules and regulations of the university.

He therefore pledged the loyalty of the union to the university authority and the government of Kwara State.

Speaking at the inauguration, a well-known journalism teacher, Prof. Innocent Okoye, described the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as the Chief Defender of tertiary education in Nigeria.

He averred that there was no positive development in the country’s university that was not as a result of the union’s struggles, adding that the union had saved the country’s tertiary institutions from remaining as glorified secondary schools.

The don paid glowing tribute to those he called “heroes of ASUU struggles”, including Professors Dipo Fashina, Asisi Asobie, Attahiru Jega, Festus Iyayi, Alvan Awuzie, among many others.

The newly elected executives are, Chairman, Dr. Dauda Adeshola; Secretary, Dr. Shehu AbdulGaniyu Salau; P.R.O, Dr. Ayotunde Alao; Treasurer, Mr. Mohammed Danjuma and Assistant Secretary, Mr. olayinka Olaogun

AAUA emerges most subscribed university in South West ‘Yomi Ayeleso

300L, BUS ADMIN AAUA

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he Joint Admissions and matriculation Board, JAMB, has listed Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko as the most subscribed university in the south west Nigeria and the 20th most-sought after Nigerian university.

According to JAMB’s statistics of choice institutions 2015, 22,832 candidates chose AAUA as 1st choice, while 165,202 candidates as 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice respectively.

Speaking on the latest ranking by JAMB, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Bolanle Ogungbamila said the ranking does not come as a surprise being the most-soughtafter university, saying the relatively stable academic calendar, the academic content and programmes are the unique selling point of the institution.

He also said the tuition fee being charged is the most affordable in institutions across the country; hence the need for applicants to preferred the school.

In a text message to Campus News, the commissioner for Education in Ondo State, Jide Adejuyigbe said the heavy investment of the state government in education sector is beginning to yield good results.

He said the ranking confirms the status of AAUA as the leading state university in Nigeria.

President, American University of Nigeria (AUN) Yola, Dr. Margee Ensign (middle) with some staff and new students of the university, during the 2015 pledge ceremony of the institution in Yola, Adamawa State, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Excitement as UNIBEN holds festival of music and art

Eddy Uwoghiren

300L, MED AND SURG, UNIBEN

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here. They will help to groom these young talents.”

Mc Fresh Bliss added that aside, the entertainment, the talents that would be discovered would be well mentored for future events.

The stage was later set for performances with the likes of Shawn Baby, Lord Ranz amongst others thrilled the audience with musical performances.

Paintings and drawings were done by JideOffor Akume, an Optometry student who won the season one Edition of the

UNIBEN Campus Free Sketch that held few months ago.

The audience was stunned by the Poetry Word of Garrick Graham, a 400 level Law undergraduate.

Highpoint of the event was dance performances by House of Epitome and The Real Steppers who stunned the audience with scintillating performances.

Lawrence Osarenkoe a graduate of UNIBEN popularly called Mc Casino wrapped the event with his performance.

t was excitements galore recently when University of Benin had the maiden Edition of the university’s Festival of Music and Arts.

The event was organised by Izzy 100 Premium Entertainment in collaboration with the office of the Director of Socials, UNIBEN Student Union Government.

In his opening speech, Manager of Izzy 100% Premium Entertainment, Ovwata Ochuko popularly called Mc Fresh Bliss on campus said he organised the event with a view to connecting both alumni and present students of the university in the entertainment industry.

“For years UNIBEN has been grooming lots of talented music artist and entertainers. Most of them do not usually have the platform to showcase their talents. With this event, the platform has been made for them. This will serve as a spring board to propel them into the entertainment industry. Also, our alumni Cross section of University of Benin students during the institution’s Festival of Music in the Entertainment industry are also and Arts held at the institution, recently.

Student leader tasks youth on patriotism Kemi Busari

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he President of the National Association of Ondo Students (NAOSS) Adeolu Iwakun has urged Nigeria youths to be more patriotic and seek peace in all of their endeavours.

He gave the charge at the International Youth Day organised by Orange FM in Akure, recently.

Describing the youth as a veritable tool for national

transformation, he emphasised that without them, a country cannot boast of a sustainable development.

“The youths are the today and tomorrow of every nation. They represent the present because they supply the needed energy and tomorrow because it is their effort that shapes the future of the country.”

Speaking further, Iwakun enjoined the youth to be law abiding and peace-loving in their daily activities.

“As Nigerian Youths, we

need to develop a patriotic spirit. We need civic re-orientation in order to ameliorate the challenges of corruption, insecurity, social decadence and poverty which has exposed the entire political, administrative and economic systems to destruction ever since independence in 1960.”

Tasking the leaders to be of good example, he challenged them to give more roles to the youth.

“Youths must be considered when making political appointments at all levels of

government; they must be fully incorporated so that they can develop the positive attitudes and thoughts needed for an ideal society because it is what is impacted in the youths today that reflect the future of the country.”

He however advised the youth to re-unite, speak with one voice and influence the leaders to do the right thing at the right time.

Speaking on the federal government anti-corruption crusade, he stated that he is in support.

zzzzz

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

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ATIONAL MIRROR front and inside pages of August 13 did not circulate all the facts: “Auditor-General raises alarm (the alarm—irrespective of headlining) over missing N183bn” “My grouse with (about) Nigerian media—Obasanjo” Next is NATIONAL MIRROR Editorial of the edition under review: “…ostensibly as a first step in the country’s search for remediation of the grave damages (damage) done to Ogoniland by decades of oil exploration.” ‘Damage’ is mostly uncountable except in reparative (compensatory/judicial) circumstances. “…some of these states have not even shown willingness to pay despite our various pleads to them.” Education Today: various pleas with them “Why Ambode shouldn’t handover (hand over) Aunty Ayo Girls to investor—Parents” “Of carry-overs, make-up (make-ups), re-sits exams (resit exams)” ”Beehive of activities at Nnamdi Azikiwe Street, Lagos” Broad Street: hive of activity “Principals (Principals’) Cup gets October date” Lastly from National Mirror under focus: “Gumel, Choue condole (condole with or console) Nnaji” The PUNCH AM BUSINESS of August 12 takes over from National Mirror of August 13, 2015, with just two faults: “Nigeria is currently passing through a financial storm.” Can anyone tell me the function of ‘currently’ here in the same environment with ‘is’?

“The handwriting (The writing) was on the wall for years.”

Wrong: as a result Right: because “Abia North: Youths besiege tribunal, want Kalu declare (declared) winner” “Police probe officer for drunkeness (drunkenness)” “Agric union commissions (inaugurates) N7m house” “Nigeria (Nigerian) textile industry needs N137bn lifeline” “Okowa’s antidote for (to) Delta debt burden” National Mirror Views Page of August 6 contributed copiously to last week’s grammatical infractions: “…irrespective of what the world think (thinks) about them.” The ‘world’ is mostly singular.

“Many saw the development as an affront on (to) power

Wrong: Raise alarm (the alarm) sharing…political balancing and party supremacy.”

“The PDP did all it could to reverse the situation but nothing change (changed) at the end of the day.”

“Accusing fingers (The finger) then were (was) pointed at the leaders of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria….”

Finally from existential humanism column: “This requires a good measure of Independent (independence) by its leadership.”

“EKSU celebrates hitch free e-post UTME” A rewrite: EKSU celebrates hitchfree e-post-UTME “FirstBank flags off (auspicates) radio programme for SMEs” There are restrictions on usage of ‘flag off’ as a phrasal verb—it is mostly used in motor racing and similar sporting activities.

“Feuding NURTW, RTEAN members remanded in prison” It is either ‘remand in custody’ or ‘remand on bail’, depending on context. ‘Remand in prison’ is awkward. It makes good sense to apply only ‘remand’, which means the suspect is returned to confinement usually in prison or occasionally police/EFCC/ NDLEA/et al custody until the next adjourned date.

“203 micro finance (micro-finance) banks fail returns’ rendition” “Sokoto ALGON commends Buhari over (for/on) states, LGs (LGs’) bailout” “Let’s have part time (part-time) legislators” “Customs clinic, COWA office commissioned (inaugurated) at Western Marine Command” ‘Commission’ requires special (verbal) application.

“Group lauds senator’s N150m poverty alleviation (povertyalleviation) programme” “Kidnapped victim killed after abductors collected N2m” Crime Watch Today: kidnap victim “Corpses constitute great health harzard” Spell-check: hazard “Shippers’ Council to unveil cargo tracking (cargo-tracking) scheme” “…the lawmakers’ budgets are approved by same (the same) legislators without outside oversight.”

Over 12,000 candidates sit for FUNAAB post-UTME Stories by Saidat Alausa

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o fewer than 12,500 candidates participated in this year’s Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) screening exercise, conducted by the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, Ogun State.

According to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of the University, Prof. Waheed Adekojo, the exercise was a huge success.

He added that the university was not prepared to start training and retraining half-baked candidates when admitted, as this could lead to a drawback in attaining the set objectives of FUNAAB hence the screening to get best candidates for the university.

While comparing the screening exercise with those of previous years, Prof. Waheed listed the improvement recorded to include the adoption of finger-print screening and biometrics by every candidate before being allowed to sit for the examination.

He said this was made possible because every candidate’s data had been domiciled with the university with the relevant information, to guard against impersonation.

The Chairperson, Admissions Committee of the university, Prof. Oluyemisi Eromosele, also gave a pass-mark to the exercise.

The Director of Academic Planning, Professor Olukayode Akinyemi, while reviewing the exercise, commended the efforts of the government in bench-marking the admission process, because

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

it would allow many prospective students to have access to other levels of higher education such as the polytechnics and colleges of education.

Professor Akinyemi, however, disclosed that FUNAAB could only admit about 3,500 applicants.

Overheard for the umpteenth time: “How is (are) your children?” “When are you returning back?” Delete ‘back’!

FEEDBACK TAYO Ogunbiyi’s ‘For President Buhari the clock is already tickling’instead of ‘ticking’ close to WORDSWORTH on Page 66 of THE NATION ON SUNDAY of July 26, 2015, is like singeing the beard of the lion. Thank you for your very educative column. (Wilfred Akemu, Aladja, Delta State/08037152175) EKITI State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said the challenges that have brought the Oodua Investment Group to its knees “date” (dated) back to several years. – DAILY SUN NATIONAL NEWS Page, July 23, 2015. Special notes on grammar and usage: “date back (to)” inflects dates back—dating back—dated back; “date from” inflects also like “hard back to”, “stretch back to”, “go back to”, “trace back to”, “refer back to” (a phrasal verb), “fall back to”, etc.

Examples: The amalgamation of the Southern and Northern protectorates of Nigeria dated back to Sunday, January 1, 1914. The Nigerian independence dated back to Saturday, October 1, 1960. Segun Okeowo’s activist trajectory dated back to his days in Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, Ondo State, where he was also the Students’ Union Leader. – THE NATION’S SECOND EDITORIAL, January 31, 2014. Meanwhile, the Second Niger Bridge idea was first mooted in 1979, which shows the bridge, as a vote–milking sop, dated back to the Second Republic, from 1979–1983. – THE NATION’S SECOND EDITORIAL, July 22, 2015. For further information, see COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY and THORNDIKE & BARNHART BEGINNING DICTIONARY (page 214).

Ebere, you are another word man and word–watcher, keep it up, man! (BAYO OGUNTUNASE/08056180046).

CHEERS! I “hail” and not “hale” him. Chief Buari AbuOloto is “Hale & Hearty @ 71” and not “Hail & Hearty” as used in the congratulatory advert placed on Page 70, The Nation, Aug. 9. (KOLA DANISA/ 07068074257)

Lawmaker boosts education in constituency

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he lawmaker representing Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency 1, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Mutiu Shadimu has boosted education in his constituency.

He organises a free tutorial for students writing this

year’s November/ December West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), General Certificate Examination (GCE).

Giving reasons for organising the tutorial, Hon. Shadimu on a tour of the different tutorial centres in the area said it is in fulfill-

Lawmaker representing Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency 1, Hon. Mutiu Shadimu (middle) with students at one of the tutorials centre for candidates writing November/ December West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), General Certificate Examination (GCE)organised by the lawmaker.

ment of his electioneering campaign and his love for education.

“We organised this tutorial for you as a part of fulfillment of my electioneering campaigns and personal love for education,” he told the students.

The lawmaker said he will continue to support the youth and education in his constituency to curb the menace of drop outs and hooliganism in the society.

Shadimu advised the students to utilise the free tutorial for improvement in their studies.

Showing gratitude to the lawmaker, one of the students, Rahimot thanked him for the gesture and promised that the opportunity offered them would be effectively utilised.

Shadimu promised that he will continue to give support to education in his constituency.

Business Thursday, August 27, 2015

Nigeria ranks high in e-mail fraud

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FG, Chinese firm sign pact on sorghum production 28

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

VAT on services of banks and other financial institutions

Fowler pledges collaboration to boost tax revenue Tola Akinmutimi

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he Acting Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, Mr. Babatunde Fowler, has promised to collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to shore-up tax revenue and improve on the country’s tax administration.

Fowler made this known when he took over the mantle of leadership from the outgoing Acting Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mr. Sunday Ogungbesan in Abuja.

According to him, the new change of leadership at FIRS is predicated on the resolve of the Presidency to ensure maximum increase in tax revenue as the era of absolute dependency on oil proceeds was over.

The FIRS’ boss said that the FIRS must take the lead in the tax revenue collection and must be ready to share information and ideas with the States Board of Internal Revenue (SBIR) in order to take tax administration in the country to another level.

He clarified: “My vision and mission is neither to alter

the existing management organogram structure in FIRS nor lay-off management staff from their duty posts, but to take FIRS as well as the nation’s tax system to an enviable height.

“This we cannot achieve all alone without a robust partnership and collaboration of all stakeholders within and outside the system. We must build a synergy for a healthy exchange of information be-

tween FIRS and SBIR. “This synergy will produce the best form of revenue generation in the FIRS and the states in general as well as ensuring that over dependency on oil revenue becomes a thing of the past,” Fowler explained.

He said that the antidote to the economic mire was for the Service to raise revenue accruing from tax collection to “records high” so that govern-

ment programme would be well funded.

Ogungbesan had solicited for more cooperation as FIRS share a similar vision with Fowler saying, “the Chairman needs the support of all staff to succeed in the business of raising revenue and we must not loss sight to satisfy the government.’’

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.

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ational President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (MAN), Dr. Ray Jacobs, has faulted industrialization programmes of previous governments in Imo State, saying that they could not succeed because of failure to effectively involve the private sector in their implementation.

Jacobs, in his keynote address captioned, “Process for Trade and Investment in Imo State, the need for public-private-partnership,” delivered

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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

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, (centre), Arc. Sonny Echono, FNIA; President, Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA), Arc. Waheed Brimmo, and Chairman, Archibuilt Development Services, Arc. M.J Faworaja, at the 2015 Archibuilt Exhibition in Abuja

Why industrialization policies fail in Imo – MAN CHRIS NJOKU, OWERRI

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at the Imo State Trade and Investment Centre Owerri, Imo State, stressed the need for the current state government to provide credible and workable industrial blue-print that will ensure adequate participation of the private sector and ensure that corruption is reduced to the barest minimum, if the industrialization programme will succeed.

The MAN President harped on the need for government to ensure adequate security and provide and equip all existing industrial estates with necessary infrastructure to attract foreign and local investors.

He described the Igbo as very industrious and hardworking people which is typical of the Imo man and stressed the need for the state government to encourage investors at all costs to help develop the state pointing out that many states in Nigeria have hundreds of industries.

Declaring open the Imo State Government-sponsored Trade and Investment Forum at the Imo State Trade and Investment Centre complex, formerly Ahiajoku, the State Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha, disclosed that his trips abroad aimed at attracting investors and industrialists to the state

have started yielding concrete results, as the first set of investors have arrived the state to begin work on their projects.

Governor Okorocha identified some of the industrialists from abroad who were at the Imo Trade and Investment Forum to participate in the event to include industrialists who are from South Korea who will develop the Oguta Blue Lake of Treasure into a world-class tourism complex and another team from that country which will build the towering 1000 apartment adjacent the Imo Trade and Investment Centre.

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Business News

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG, Chinese firm sign pact on sorghum production Tola Akinmutimi

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he Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) on Tuesday disclosed that the Federal Government would partner a Chinese company, Sang-Liang Technology Development Centre (STDC), for cultivating improved sweet sorghum in the country.

The plan, which was contained in a statement issued by the Council’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Chuks Ngaha, , indicated the Council on behalf of the government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the company on the partnership. The Council stated that the initiative was part its efforts to add value to local raw materials in order to stimulate employment opportunities and create wealth for the nation.

It clarified: “The agreement with STDC is for the processing and development of sweet sorghum into food and industrial and energy products to

add value to local raw materials and create wealth.”

The statement noted that the Council would receive the sole franchise for the distribution of the improved sweet sorghum seedlings, planting materials and its technology in West Africa.

“The council seeks to domesticate the technology for sweet sorghum production and processing in Nigeria.

Consequently, the agreement includes joint establishment of a comprehensive industrial model project on the development of sweet sorghum”, RMRDC added.

According to the agency, the Chinese company will provide technical support and expertise, including conducting the initial soil testing and other related activities while the Council would partner Niger State Government for land provision for the pilot project of cultivating improved sweet sorghum seeds.

It disclosed that the state government recently provided some hectares of land for the project.

The Council stated that the

Euro may emerge as unsafe haven

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he notion that the euro could be a haven in times of turmoil seemed preposterous just a few weeks ago. Yet that’s exactly what it’s become as the world gets rocked by everything from devaluations to bear markets in stocks.

The euro has surged almost 4 percent against a basket of developed-nations peers in the past month, the biggest gain in the group. It’s up against more of the world’s major currencies than the dollar, yen, Swiss franc or pound.

And it’s climbing even as the European Central Bank expands the supply of euros.

While the rally signals confidence in the 19-nation currency union following the Greek crisis, it also complicates the ECB’s efforts to jump-start the economy.

That’s because a stronger exchange rate has the potential to curb exports and slow inflation. “Safe-haven flows have been mainly targeted at the euro, which I think is stunning,” said Thu Lan Nguyen, a strategist in Frankfurt at Commerzbank AG. “The ECB won’t just stand aside and may start to try to verbally weaken the currency. That’s their prime instrument for delivering inflation.”

China’s shock devaluation this month sparked a rout in emerging markets that’s prompted investors

to unwind carry trades funded in euros. These deals involved borrowing at the ECB’s near-zero interest rates to fund higher-yielding purchases, and canceling them means buying euros back.

Growing skepticism that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates in September is also supporting Europe’s single currency at the expense of the dollar.

The ECB’s quantitative-easing program is even starting to support the euro by reassuring investors there’s demand for European assets. The purchases started out debasing the currency by putting more money into circulation.

“As the euro’s been funding China carry trades, a position wind-up has seen it soar,” said Neil Mellor, a senior foreign-exchange strategist at Bank of New York Mellon Corp. in London.

“In the longer run, though, the strong-dollar view will prevail because of the divergent monetary policies.”

The euro rose above $1.17 on Monday for the first time since Jan. 15, when Switzerland abandoned its euro-franc limit. That capped its biggest four-day rally since 2009, and the single currency retreated on Tuesday, falling 1.3 percent to $1.1467 at 9:11 a.m. in New York. (Source – Bloomberg.com)

collaboration shall also see STDC facilitating the replication of the sweet sorghum village industry in other states of the federation, adding that it has also been engaged

in discussions with various stakeholders in Taraba, Adamawa, Kebbi, Bauchi and Gombe states to fashion out areas of collaboration on the project.

The Council was established to develop raw materials and facilitate the adoption of machinery and processes for raw materials utilisation.

L-R: Manager, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Idiareno Atimomo; Director, Public Affairs, Bayero University, Kano, Ahmad Shehu; Specialist, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Michael Nwoseh and Operator Channel Manager, Tecno Mobile, Opeyemi Adeleke, during the Cliqfest event at Bayero University Campus, Kano, recently.

Buhari cancels crude swap deals SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE with agency report

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ederal Government has cancelled offshore processing and crude swap deals for refined oil products.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who approved the cancellation of the deals between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and oil marketers said the deals, initiated by the immediate past government were designed to supply gasoline for crude as the country relies on imports for domestic consumption.

Nigeria is short of gasoline, as its neglected refining sector operates below capacity. The country

allocated 210,000 barrels per day of crude to swap for products in 2015.

The President, according to his Media Spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina has expressed displeasure over the oil swap deal.

A source at the NNPC said President cancelled the contracts for half of the 445,000 barrels per day of crude earmarked for Nigeria’s refineries were used in the swap deals.

While noting that government has not completely dumped the idea of swaps, however, he said the aim was to re-evaluate the contracts.

President Buhari had appointed a former Exxon Executive, Mr Emmanuel Kachikwu to head the NNPC with a brief to root out cor-

ruption at the state-oil firm.

Kachikwu however assured that he would review all production-sharing contracts and joint venture agreements with its partners.

Crude-for-products swaps became controversial after several Nigerian officials raised questions about their transparency, including the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, an EITI affiliate as well as the Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi.

Nigerian authorities in June launched an investigation to determine whether the government had been short-changed in the scheme. The outcome of the investigation is yet to be announced.

Reinsurance rate declines amid pressure - Fitch

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he global reinsurance market shows signs that the pressure on pricing due to soft market conditions is slowing, as rate declines decelerated at the mid-year renewals, but reinsurers, despite remaining profitable, are still under pressure, according to Fitch. Reinsurance market pricing “could be approaching a new equilibrium” according to Fitch Ratings in a just released sector report.

After consecutive quarters of pressure over recent years, the rating agency has joined the widely held view that a floor is emerging, at least in some areas

of the market.

Despite the signs that a floor could emerge on pricing in reinsurance, Fitch remains negative on the fundamental outlook for the sector and warns that, while still profitable, there are negative pressures on reinsurers which are apparent in their recent underwriting results.

Reinsurance pricing has been pressured by inflows of new money from investors ranging from private equity, to pension funds, hedge funds and other investors in insurance-linked securities (ILS).

Fitch notes that the flow of

alternative capital into reinsurance is slowing slightly, particularly from collateralized reinsurance. Fitch also notes that ILS pricing has stabilised, with a spread of around 100bps between the returns of ILS and high-yield bonds. Fitch says that it believes that “capital market investors may have a waning appetite for reinsurance risk.”

This is interesting. At the recent mid-year renewals there was perhaps more reinsurance capacity underwritten on a collateralized basis by ILS funds and investors than ever before.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Business News

Thursday, August 27, 2015

29

CBN lifts ban on subsidiary ownership by merchant banks Tola Akinmutimi

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he Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, on Tuesday issued a new circular revising the old policy which disallowed merchant banks from owning subsidiaries for the sole purpose of capital market and asset management activities.

The Circular with Ref No FPR/DIR/CIR/GEN/05/12 titled ‘Guidelines of Operations of Group Structure by Merchant Banks in Nigeria’ stated that despite the Revised banking model in 2010 which made provision for re-emergence of merchant banking activities in the country, efforts by the newly licensed merchant banks to carry on capital market and management activities had been constrained by provisions of Section 188 of the Securities and Investment Act 2007 and Pension Commission Rules.

The apex banking institution stated that the new circular was issued to remove all constraints to merchant banks’ operations as they relate to capital market and asset management activities with a view to enabling them play active roles in the capital market and pension subsectors of the economy.

To address the challenges, the CBN indicated that Section 5(1) (e) of Regulation 3 had been

amended to allow merchant banks own subsidiaries for the sole purpose of capital market and asset management activities.

This is even as it also attached to the circular signed for the Director, Financial Policy and Regulations Department of the Bank, Osaretin Oyewumi, and which takes immediate effect, the Guidelines of Operation of Group Structure by merchant banks that own such downstream.

CBN clarified: “Following the introduction of the new banking model in 2010, which made provision for re-emergence of merchant banking activities in Nigeria, the CBN licensed a number of merchant banks. The activities of merchant banks were stated in: The CBN Regulation tagged ‘CBN Scope, Conditions and Minimu Standard for Merchant Banking No 2, 2010. Permissible activities under the guidelines include assets management and capital market activities.

“However, efforts by the newly licensed merchant banks to carry on capital market and asset management activities were constrained by provision of Section 188 of Investment & Securities Act, (ISA) 2007 and Pension Commission rules, which require merchant banks to incorporate a separate legal

Nigeria to host RemitAfrica 2015

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obileMoneyAfrica will host the RemitAfrica conference on Nov 04 – 05 in Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria, Africa’s largest remittance nation.

Remittance providers and stakeholders such as money transfer operators, financial services providers, financial technology providers, vendors, agent network operators, mobile financial services providers, regulators and stakeholders from the supply and demand side of the remittance industry will be meeting at the RemitAfrica 2015.

The formal market for international and cross border money transfer to Africa is still young and faces typical emerging markets challenges when compared to more established markets. A competitive market space is required to foster technology innovation, access and drive the expansion necessary to reduce cost and reach underserved areas.

According to a recent report by the World Bank, the growth of remittances to Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to slow to 0.9 percent in 2015, amounting to $33 billion.

Globally, it is expected to reach $586 billion in 2015, though at a slower growth rate of 0.4% due to economic conditions and is expected to accelerate again to reach an estimated $636 billion in 2017.

Africa has made great strides in mobile technology adoption and penetration; however, despite the pervasive coverage of such mobile networks across Africa, technological innovation has yet to drive down costs in remittance markets.

The barriers to cost-reduction, challenges and opportunities in the African remittance market, improving efficiency at the last mile, the role of non- bank financial institutions and the emergence of digital remittances such as mobile money, online transfers and crypto-currencies in lowering remittance cost for Africans are some of the subject matter areas to be considered at the conference planned for Lagos, Nigeria.

First round of speakers from leading providers such as TransferTo, Xpressmoney, sendcashglobal, Ecobank, Ericsson, cash4africa, moneygram, Mahindracomviva, inpay and other industry leaders have been confirmed.

entity to carry out such activities. These developments hindered effective operations of merchant banking business in Nigeria.

“TO address this challenge and elevate merchant banks to the right position to play active role in the capital market and

pension sub-sectors of the economy, the CBN hereby amends the provision of Section 5 (1) (e) of Regulation 3 to allow merchant banks own subsidiaries for the purpose of capital market and asset management activities”, it added.

The CBN however warned

that no merchant bank is allowed to use its depositors’ funds for the incorporation of a capital market or asset management subsidiary or use depositors; funds for any trading activity through the subsidiary except when carrying out express instructions from clients.

L–R: Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Group Chairman, FBN Holding Plc, Dr. Oba Otundeko; Chief Executive Officer, The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema and Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Jim Ovia, during the NSE premium board launch in Lagos, yesterday.

Environment Ministry inaugurates quality service committee SYLVA EMEKA-OKEREKE

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ederal Ministry of Environment has inaugurated a Ministerial Servicom Committee to ensure delivery of quality service to Nigerians.

Administering the oath of office to members of the committee, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Nana Fatima Mede promised to serve Nigeria in fair, honest, and transparent manners, urging other committee members to abide by the core values of service delivery.

She noted that government would ensure that the country takes its rightful position in the comity of nations.

Nana Mede further hinted that Nigerians have a role to play in contributing their quota in ensuring the growth of the country.

She also urged members to take the tasks seriously, adding that Nigeria is regarded as the most populous black nation with emerging economy, especially in service delivery.

According to her, it is a privilege to serve the country and be remembered for contributing towards moving the country

forward, urging members to be more committed and dedicated to the service of their country.

Director of Reform Co-ordination, Belema Wakama however noted that Nigeria Civil Service has been described as inefficient, inept and corrupt by stakeholders and as such, characterized by service failures, recalling that federal government introduced SERVICOM in 2004, making it mandatory for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to have functional units and committees.

She further informed that suggestion boxes, directional charts and rolling banners have been used to indicate the ministry’s mission, vision and mandate mounted at very strategic locations; explaining that presently history has been made with the inauguration of the Ministerial SERVICOM Committee to move the Ministry to the next level.

The Committee’s terms of reference include, spearheading departments’ service delivery initiative through SERVICOM compliance; serving as links between respective departments and the Department of Reform Coordination and Service Im-

provement and facilitating safe and conducive working environment for staff at all the levels of service delivery.

Others are, troubleshooting service failures and developing proposals to address them in respective departments and units as well as researching and identifying good practices that can be adopted or adapted to improve service delivery in the Ministry.

Representative from the national body of SERVICOM, Nnenna Akajemeli in her submission said the event was aimed at re-invigorating and repositioning the Ministry and its parastatals for quality service delivery.

She therefore said the timing of the event was most appropriate and could not have been better than now, bearing in mind the significant role which the Federal Ministry of Environment plays in the socio-economic development of the country.

She said, ‘’the primary purpose of governance is the provision of basic services that will improve the quality of life of the citizens, protect lives and propert’’.

30

Taxation

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

VAT on services of banks and other financial institutions T he Value Added Tax Act Cap V1 LFN 2004 (as amended) imposes a tax known as Value Added Tax (VAT) on taxable goods and services. Part 2 of the First Schedule to the Act only exempts services rendered by Community banks, Peoples bank and Mortgage institutions from VAT. Accordingly, all banks and financial institutions, except those exempted are required to charge VAT on services rendered by them to their customers and account for same to the Federal Inland Revenue Service.This is in line with Section 2 of the Act, which stipulates that “the tax shall be charged and payable on the supply of all goods and services (in this Act referred to as “taxable goods and services”) other than those goods and services listed in the First Schedule to this Act.

Definition of Bank and other Financial Institutions These are legal entities incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA)of 1990 and engage in banking and financial activities as defined by the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act(BOFIA), 1991. They are companies within the financialsector of the Nigerian economy and are either publicly quoted or private companies. Banks will ordinarily include commercial banks, merchant banks and development banks while other financial institutions will include; finance houses, insurance companies, re-insurance companies,stock-brokerage firms, investment companies and financial consultants.

VAT Liability Banks in particular, charge commission, fees, or other charges for services rendered to theircustomers. VAT calculations are expected to be based only on the charges made forservices rendered. It should however, be noted that the focus of VAT is on the charges leviedon customers for the consumption of services rendered

by Banks.

The provision of loans and advances does not in itself constitute a vatable service but thereare other ancillary services to the provision of bank loan/advances or bank overdrafts, which arevatable.

The documentation and perfection of loan/overdraft agreements are examplesof such ancillary services and fees charged,which would attract VAT. The resultant interest chargeable on the loans and overdraft is however not vatable.

Insurance companies’ brokers/agents earn commission, loss adjusters earn fees, surveyors earn fees, brokers earn commission and agents earn commission for various services rendered to the Insurance Companies. The services which generated these income are vatable services, andeven though the premium received on policies is not vatable as it represents cost of risk tothe insured, the commission paid to brokers/agent from premium

. Fowler

will attract VAT; with theburden of VAT being borne by the insurance company itself.

Vatable Services Rendered by Financial Institutions In arriving at what constitutes vatable financial services, a distinction should be made betweenactivities that constitute return on investment and consumption of services rendered by financialinstitutions.All charges arising from the services of banks and financial institutions will ordinarily attract VAT and they include among others, the following: • Commissions/fees charged on forex trading or remittance; • Commission on turnover (COT), ledger fees etc; • Legal and other fees chargeable on lease arrangements; • Fees charged for advisory services e.g. mergers and acquisition, financial strategy counseling etc; • Fees chargeable on public/private issues; • Debt conversion fees; • Fees/commission on asset trading; • Fees earned on fund management; • Fees and commissions earned on letters of credit/documentary collection to finance import/export; • Commissions on sale of Bank drafts/certified cheques; • Fees chargeable on stock-brokerage and trust services; • Commissions paid to brokers, reinsurers, underwriters and other insurance agents by an insurer.

Services of Banks and Other Fi-

nancial Institutions not Liable to VAT A simple criteria for determining whether a service is vatable or not is the identification of those activities that constitute return on investment as distinct from those that represent consumption of services. The services of Banks and other Financial Institutions that willnot attract VAT include: • Premium on insurance policies; • Interest on loans/advances and overdraft facilities; • Interest on savings accounts; • Interest on bank deposits; • Dividends; • Interbank placements; and • Profit/gain on disposal of government securities.

VAT Registration and Rendition of Returns Banks and other Financial Institutions are taxable persons within the provisions of the VAT Act and all services rendered by them are taxable with the exception of the servicesof Peoples Bank, Community Banks and Mortgage Institutions, which are exempted by theVAT Act. These Banks and Other Financial Institutions are to register for tax with the relevant tax office and obtain TIN. VAT returns are tobe made regularly to the relevant tax office within twenty one (21) days after the month oftransaction.

Accounting Procedure and Records to be kept by Banks The mode of operation in the banks does not permit the issuance of tax invoices to customers. The VAT charges therefore have to bereflectedin the customers’ statements of accounts in order to enhance disclosure and easy verificationby tax officers. Banks and other Financial

Institutions are required to adopt the following simple methods of recording their transactions for VAT purposes: (i) When any service is identified as vatable, internal entries are raised by the Bank for the cost of the service plus 5% VAT. (ii) The Bank is expected to debit the account of the customer accordingly with the cost of the service plus the 5% VAT charged. (iii) Credit the Income account of the Bank or Institution with the income elementof the charge excluding the VAT (iv) Credit the FIRS VAT account in the particular Bank or Institution with the 5% VATdeducted from (ii) to arrive at (iii).

Section 16 subsection (b) provides that where input tax exceeds output tax, the taxpayer will be entitled to refund of the excess tax from the FIRS on production of such documents as theFIRS may, from time to time require. With regards to banks and otherfinancial institutions, thisis not applicable because of the provision of Section 17 of Value Added Tax Act on allowable input tax, which provides that input tax on any overhead, service, and general administration of any business which otherwise can be expended through the income statement (profit and loss accounts) shall not be allowed as a deduction from output tax.

It is a common knowledge that the bank and other Financial Institutions render services; they do not produce goods and therefore regarded as final consumer of those goods purchased or servicesrendered to them. In this connection, all input VAT payable in respect of assets purchasedfor use in the banks and other Financial Institutions should be added to the cost of the assets on which capitalallowances may be claimed. Similarly, all VAT payable in respect of services consumed by the bank should be regarded as part of normal operational expenses chargeable to Statement of Profit or Loss Account. Under no circumstance should input tax on such items be claimed or deducted from output tax collected. Banks and other Financial Institutions cannot claim or deduct any input tax suffered.

The entire amount collected on behalf of the FIRS should be promptly remitted in whole as prescribed by the law.

The Central Bank The position of the Central bank with regards to VAT payment is not different from that of otherbanks in the system.

The Central Bank performs nearly all the services listed in paragraph 4 aboveand also acts as banker to other banks.

It is therefore expected that VAT would be charged on payments made to it by the banks for vatable services rendered to them. This makes it necessaryfor the Central Bank to register for VAT purposes.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Info Tech

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

31

Poor regulation hampers competition in telecom industry Experts say the anti-competitive practices in the nation’s telecoms industry may likely affect the healthy competition, which drives economy and boost customers’ confidence through value additions. Isaiah Erhiawarien reports.

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ompetition, they say is a tool to affirm dominance in any given sector, however, experts say such practice may negatively impact on consumers, especially in the nation’s telecom industry, if urgent steps were not taken to stem the tide.

Investigation by National Mirror reveals that as far back as 2011, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, discovered what it described as anti-competitive practices among telecom operators in the country.

This shocking revelation came in September 2012, on the heels of the NCC engaging KPMG Consulting, an independent consultant on professional services, to carry out a study on the level of competition in the industry.

Consequently, a stakeholders’ forum was held to sample opinion of some stakeholders as well as getting inputs of telecom operators on the current level of competition in the industry, as part of efforts to accomplish the study.

The consultants sought to define various markets for telecommunication services to determine dominance in one or more telecoms market, provide mergers and acquisitions and takeovers, to forestall anticompetition practices while developing regulatory guidelines for competition in specific telecoms market amongst others.

However, recent development seems to have put consumers and the telecos under pressures.

A telecom expert, Mr Tolu Akinluyi said consumers have never had it better over the issue of competition as they are at the receiving end of the rung.

According to him, competition is supposed to be a good thing for consumers, saying it is meant to create a situation in which they get the best value for goods and services.

“At the moment, consumers have never had it better, they can choose their devices from an increasing list of manufacturers at constantly decreasing prices, choose their connectivity from a bouquet of offers with constantly decreasing prices and choose their applications from a collection of low cost or free options”, he said.

A Senior Manager in Accenture Nigeria, Akinluyi said the trend of competition in the industry pops-up several questions on how competition is impacting on consumers, stressing that “whilst competition can be a very useful tool in providing value to consumers, it can also create scenario, which undermine the benefits it is meant

Tolu

Prof. Danbata

competition is supposed to be a good

thing for consumers ... meant to create a situation in which they get the best value for goods and services to provide.”

He however questioned the possibility of the industry players in ensuring a vibrant telecoms sector, suggesting that for consumer to get value for their money, adding that regulators must be able maintain a healthy balance between competitive policies (to provide value for consumers), and policies aimed at ensuring that companies can continue to thrive and provide jobs, benefits to shareholders, as well as tax revenue.

He explained that telecoms subscribers have much higher expectations from their service providers, even as telecoms operators are scrambling to find ways of providing stress-free customer service to address the needs of their subscribers, while at the same time avoiding losing them to rivals.

While expressing the possibility of the trend of competition transforming into sour taste for both the consumers and the operators he said that device manufacturers and telecoms operators start could go

out of business.

He added that very soon mobile operators may not be able to compete effectively as they have to use their limited spectrum to provide the quality of service (QoS) guarantees that traditional voice services demand, whilst trying to compete against providers who do not have this challenge.

Akinluyi observed that if competition persists, the operators may not be able to sustain better and cheaper services when the reality of license fees renewal, equipment replacement and tax payment stare them noting that government should be able protect the industry.

The present trend of competition in the industry was however blamed on the last leadership of the NCC, according to an Abuja based telecoms commentator, Jare Oladunmoye, who described the competition in the industry as another form of monopoly.

According to him, the failure of the NCC

to follow due process to curtail a looming monopoly by an industry player raises concerns as it is obligated to promote fair competition and prevent the misuse of market power or anti-competitive practices by any licensee.

According to him, for the economy to thrive, it must be free to a level-playing field, to competition and to free choice by the consumer noting that “We cannot afford to go back to the era when the monopolist bullied the consumer into submission.

Investors seeking adherence to regulations to guide their decisions are bound to be disturbed where the industry regulator undertakes far reaching policies without any form of engagement with the industry stakeholders.”

He said that the Nigerian consumer’s ability to choose and the opportunities to expand the Nigerian economy via the survival of multiple businesses is under threat stressing that the regulator cannot afford to stand by and watch as other operators wriggle in pains.

Spokesman for the Commission, Mr. Tony Ojobo said that the regulator will continue to discourage unhealthy competition in the industry saying that it is obvious that it is not in the interest of all stakeholders.

He said that the NCC believes that anticompetition would stifle growth in the industry, and could push smaller operators out of business, if not addressed.

32

Info Tech

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Huawei’s P8 gains market support

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ince is global launch in April, Huawei’s P8 smartphone has received acclaim after being identified by the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) as the ‘European Consumer Smartphone 2015 2016’.

This is the third year the ICT service and solutions provider has received the recognition.

In 2013 and 2014 the company received the same award for its Ascend P6 and Ascend P7 respectively.

EISA lauded Huawei for delivering what it described as “improved camera performance and surprisingly high‐end craftsmanship that gives this affordable device a truly sophisticated appearance.”

The organisation highlighted the P8’s battery capacity; lens and HD display features, specifically.

In a press statement following the announcement Huawei paid tribute to the technical specifications of the device, mentioning its low-light camera, light painting facility, dual-antenna design and rapid switching technology.

“We are proud to be presented

with this award for the third year in a row. We are committed to challenging the industry and revolutionising how a smartphone is used,” said Consumer Business Group chief marketing officer Glory Zhang on behalf of the 28-year-old company.

The P8 was launched in South Africa in early July and is already available to the rest of the continent.

There have been reports of stock shortages in some stores in South Africa, and Huawei has confirmed that it is working on getting fresh supplies for these retailers.

At the time of the launch Huawei Consumer Business Group general manager in SA, Charlene Munilall said Huawei experienced the strongest growth in the Middle East and Africa region and the goal is to position the P8 as the most userfriendly smartphone for consumers globally.

Earlier this year the company announced that Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region contributed 35% to the company’s overall revenue in the 2014 financial year.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nigeria ranks high in e-mail fraud Stories by Isaiah Erhiawarien

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igeria has been listed as a high spamming country, where spammers use global contacts to lure their victims into sharing personal details, aimed at fleecing huge sums of money.

According to the latest Kaspersky report for the second quarter of 2015(Q2, 2015) on spamming and phishing, the spam activities were high during the presidential elections as recipients were told they could get $2 million, which the elected President was ready to send as compensation.

Nigerian spammers lure vulnerable users into sharing personal details.

“Although the percentage of spam in email traffic decreased by 5.8 percentage points from the previous quarter from 59.2 per cent to 53.4 per cent, Q2 2015 saw a marked increase in the use of world events in spam emails,” the report said.

Kaspersky revealed that mailings included fraudulent notifications of lottery wins for tickets to watch the Olympic Games in Brazil, 2016, in an attempt to persuade recipients to provide fraudsters with personal data to receive their ‘win.

The report noted that most “Nigerian” letters originated from free email accounts such as yahoo and Gmail, even though the author was representing an organisation.

However, some fraudsters tried to make the name and address of the sender look more legitimate.

Anti-spam Analyst at Kaspersky Lab, Tatyana Shcherbakova advised that for users protect themselves from attack they should not open emails from unknown senders and remember not to click links in these emails, or open any attachments saying that some fraudsters try to make the name and address of the sender look more legitimate.

The report said that the

country is known for its notorious email scams across the globe adding that many Nigerian fraudsters have been arrested all over the globe for executing what is called the 419 scams tricking users into believing they have won something, but are required to send an upfront processing fee.

In May this year, a man was sentenced to three years in jail in the US after he was accused of fraudulently obtaining US$1 million from conning office suppliers.

“The scheme employed “phishing” attacks, which used fraudulent e-mails and websites that mimicked the legitimate e-mails and web pages of U.S. government agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Employees of those agencies visited the fake web pages and provided their email account usernames and passwords,” the FBI said after the arrest.

L-R: Chairman, Board of Trustees, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCOM), Mr. Waheed Kadiri; President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Mr. Femi Olomola; President, ATOPCOM, Moses Ogunleye and President, Town Planners Registration Council, Prof. Layi Egunjobi, during the 7th annual general meeting of ATOPCON in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

End user telecoms spending to hit $71m by 2019

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pending on end-user communications services in subSaharan Africa is expected to grow steadily in the next five years to reach $71 million in 2019.

Gartner’s “Hype Cycle for ICT in Africa, 2015” report, identifies over 30 key technologies and describes how they will impact business performance during the next 10 years, innovations in information and communication technology, ICT, are dramatically changing the way African governments and businesses operate.

The report revealed that sophisticated data mining is being used in smart agriculture in several countries to improve how crops are grown by predicting weather, demand and outbreaks of disease.

It however, pointed out that the

biggest challenge remains the fact that one solution does not suit all countries in Africa adding that companies trying to grow their business operations throughout the continent must understand the local market conditions within each country.

The report said that small deals stress the business models of many global vendors, to the advantage of local companies saying that Africa is emerging in terms of the deployment and use of communications infrastructure.

Gartner said that the largest group of enterprise solutions are likely to experience “growing pains” as the ecosystems mature and expectations exceed performance centres on payment saying that it includes digital wallets,

retail mobile payments and direct communications service provider billing.

Consumers’ lack of enthusiasm for retail mobile payments (mainly due to security concerns) and the unwillingness of large, multichannel retailers to invest in mobile payment processing infrastructures have put this technology almost in the Trough of Disillusionment. Mass global adoption is five to 10 years away.

Senior Research Analyst at Gartner, Mbula Schoen said that the Hype Cycle aims to help global strategic officers and domestic chief information officers from the private and public sectors take account of the current state of important technologies across Africa.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Info Tech

Thursday, August 27, 2015

33

Government Technology

South Africa overtakes Nigeria in domain name registration Stories by Isaiah Erhiawarien

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espite surpassing South Africa Internet penetration across Africa, latest report revealed that South Africa on the other has overtaken Nigeria in the number of domain name registration, hitting a high mark of one million to lead Nigeria which, trails with 60,000 domain registration.

South Africa’s domain name of co.za, according to the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) reached the one million mark for registered domain names with the registration of www.vulindlela-hpt. co.za.

According to a statement, the registration comes 20 years after there were only 450 registered .co.za domains by the end of 1995.

South Africa’s Internet country code top-level domain is .za, while co.za is the second-level country code domain available for general use by South African and non-South African persons and entities.

Chief Executive Officer, ZACR, Lucky Masilela described the development as a landmark for the local Web saying that it clearly demonstrates that the South African ICT sector in gen-

eral, and the domain name sector in particular, are on a firm upwards trajectory.

“ZACR has now joined a small group of registry operators worldwide who administer a sixfigure domain space. Even by international standards, the one million mark is a fantastic and sought-after milestone,” said Masilela.

The ZACR operates co.za, web. za, org.za, net.za and the city top level domains (cTLDs) of .capetown (‘dotCapeTown’), .joburg (‘dotJoburg’) and .durban (‘dotDurban).

However, the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), the body in charge of the registration of Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain name (ccTLD), otherwise known as ‘.ng domain name’, had in 2013 set a target of registering 250, 000 domain names in the country, after over 20 years of internet revolution in the country.

And early this year it announced a successful achievement of 60,000 domain name registration after it had re-set same target of 250,000 in 2014, which is 24 per cent.

At an interactive session with journalist, President of NiRA, Mrs Mary Uduma expressed op-

L-R: Directors of Fortis Micro Finance Bank Plc, Danjuma Usman and Deji Fisho; Board Chairman, Felix Achibiri; Company Secretary, Wandoo Aibangbee and Managing Director, Mr. Kunle Oketikun, during the 2nd annual general meeting of the bank in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

timism about the growth of the sector saying that when NIRA took over from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in 2009, the Nigeria had 2,000 registered domain names but has been able to increase the number to 60,000.

According to NiRA domain, report from January 1 to No-

vember 30, 2014, additional 1,742 domain names were registered, with renewal of 828 domain names and transfer of 33 domain names, bringing it to a total of 2,603 domain names recorded in the month of November 2014.

NiRA listed the three factors militating against the speedy registration of .ng domain name

in the country to include lack of access to the internet, fear of insecurity in trading with .ng domain name, and blunt refusal by most Nigerians in patronising Nigerian products.

The number of NiRA accredited Registrars increased to 47, with some applications still undergoing processing.

Financial Technology

Financial firms lack fraud prevention tools Stories by Isaiah Erhiawarien

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sample of 131 banks and payment services companies in 26 countries in Africa including Nigeria has revealed the lack of preventive measures to reduce the growth in the numbers of financial cybercrime.

Latest, IT Security Risks Survey 2015 from B2B International said that about half of banks and payment systems prefer to handle cyber incidents when they happen, rather than invest in tools to prevent them.

The survey, which also involved more than 5000 company representatives, showed that 48 per cent of financial organisations said they take measures to protect their clients from online fraud, aiming at mitigating the consequences rather than preventing incidents entirely.

Additionally, 29 per cent of the companies said it is cheaper and more effective to address cases of fraud as they occur, rather than to attempt to pre-

vent them.

According to the bank representatives and payment service operators, whenever a cyberfraud incident involving a client’s account occurs, only 41 per cent of organisations necessarily take measures to prevent such an incident from re-occurring in the future.

According to B2B, the most popular policy among companies is to try to find out who was behind the attack financial organisations adding that about 36 per cent of companies conduct an analysis of the vulnerability exploited in the attack.

Meanwhile, a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report said in the past two years, sophisticated cyber adversaries around the world have launched powerful distributed denial of service attacks against banks, siphoned off billions of dollars from deposit accounts, stolen millions of payment card records, and infiltrated many national stock exchanges.

PwC observed that despite

these attacks, many global financial services companies have not implemented the right processes and technologies to prevent, detect, and respond to security risks stressing that “many adequately address threats from third parties and “insiders” like

employees and partners with trusted access.”

Commenting on the report, A Principal in PwC’s Cyber Security Practice, Joe Nocera noted that financial services firms are at greater risk than ever stressing that by all estimates those

threats will only increase.

He urged organisations to strategically invest in the right combination of security processes, technologies, and awareness and training programmes.

Jumia to market Android One

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umia, online store is to market the newly launched Google’s Android One in Nigeria.

According to Jumia, the choice of its store is because it has 15 per cent market shareholder of Smartphone sales across Nigeria, saying that it is a world-class organisation and maintains its status as Nigeria’s number one online retail store.

The company said that the new partnership will drive the implementation of its e-commerce model adding that the partnership will bring Jumia closer to accomplishing its ultimate goal of placing one Smart-

phone in the hands of every Nigerian.

The Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Africa, Mr. Jeremy Doutte said his company entered into the partnership because “Any forward-looking organisation must have real time, cuttingedge wits at the fulcrum of its business operations and that, is what Jumia Nigeria consistently espouses in pushing the frontiers of its operations to everyone in the country.”

He added that, “Jumia will continue to drive and make premium technological equipment available to Nigerians at an affordable price.”

Google has just introduced an affordable Smartphone in six African countries to enable lowincome earners to gain access to an interconnected device. Nigeria is the first to sell the device, which will be followed by Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco in the coming weeks.

The price for the Hot 2 phones starts at N17, 500, which makes it a steep markdown from other Smartphones.

Google Vice President, Caesar Sengupta said the combination of the Google software, Infinix hardware, MTN network support and Jumia helps to facilitate easy delivery of the device to consumers.

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Global News

Thursday, August 27, 2015

New home sales rise; consumer confidence at 7-month high

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ew U.S. single-family home sales rebounded in July and consumer confidence increased to a seven-month high in August, pointing to underlying strength in the economy that could still allow the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year.

Other data on Tuesday showed moderate gains in house prices, which should support consumer spending and keep home purchasing affordable, especially for first-time buyers.

New home sales increased 5.4 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 507,000 units, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Those sales, which account for 8.3 per cent of the market, were up 25.8 per cent compared to July of last year.

In a second report, the Conference Board said its consumer index jumped to 101.5 this month, the highest reading since January, amid optimism over the labor market. The index was up from July’s reading of 91.0.

Prices for U.S. Treasuries fell after the data, while stocks slightly pared solid gains. The U.S. dollar was stronger against a basket of currencies.

The reports, which added to a steady stream of data that have painted an upbeat picture of the U.S. econo-

Housing estate in U.S.

my amid global turmoil, are likely to be welcomed by Fed officials.

Chances of a September interest rate hike have diminished in the wake of the Fed’s July 28-29 policy meeting, which showed officials at the U.S. central bank worried about persistently low inflation.

A global stock market sell-off, sparked by slowing economic growth in China, and renewed weakness in crude oil prices also have cast doubts on the prospect of monetary policy tightening next month.

Barclays on Monday pushed back its forecast for the first rate increase

since 2006 to March of next year from September 2015, citing the global stock markets turbulence.

The U.S. housing market is gaining stream, with data last week showing home resales jumped to a near 8-1/2year high in July and groundbreaking on new home building climbing to its highest level since October 2007.

The recovery in the sector, which touches almost all spheres of the U.S. economy, is being driven by a tightening labor market. Solid job growth is boosting confidence among Americans and encouraging young adults to move into homes of their own.

China cuts rates, reserve ratio after stocks plummet again

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hina’s central bank cut interest rates and lowered the amount of reserves banks must hold for the second time in two months on Tuesday, ratcheting up support for a stuttering economy and a plunging stock market that has sent shockwaves around the globe.

The moves came after Chinese stocks tumbled again on Tuesday, as investors despaired at the lack of policy action from Beijing in response to recent data suggesting the downturn in the world’s secondlargest economy was deepening.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said it was cutting the oneyear benchmark bank lending rate by 25 basis points to 4.6 per cent, cutting one-year benchmark deposit rates by the same amount, and reducing reserve requirements (RRR) by 50 basis points to 18 per cent for

China’s Central Bank Governor Zhou Xiaochuan

most big banks.

Major Chinese stock indexes nosedived more than seven per cent on Tuesday, hitting their lowest levels since December, following a more than 8 percent plunge on Monday.

The slump had resumed last week despite Beijing’s efforts to arrest a 30 per cent crash earlier in the summer with hundreds of billions of dollars of state-backed share purchases.

This time, the government appeared to be sitting on its hands until Tuesday’s response, which aimed more at shoring up economic fundamentals than underpinning stocks.

“Although this has some elements of giving comfort to the market, this is more about giving a real boost to the real economy so the government can continue to have its seven per cent growth rate fulfilled,” said Liu Li-Gang, China economist at ANZ Bank in Hong Kong.

Liu said the RRR cut was the most significant element of the PBOC action, as it would inject 650 billion yuan ($101 billion), into the economy and ease concerns of a “hard landing”.

China, one of the main engines of the world economy, has overtaken Greece at the top of the worry list of global investors, who fret its economy is growing at a much slower pace than the official seven per cent target for 2015.

“Currently, there is still downward pressure on China’s economic growth,” the central bank said in a

separate statement. “There is also relatively big volatility in global financial markets, which require more flexible usage of monetary policy tools.”

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the situation in China would be discussed by G20 nations.

The CSI300 index .CSI300 of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen dropped 7.1 per cent on Tuesday, while the Shanghai Composite Index .SSEC fell 7.6 percent to close below the psychologically significant 3,000-point level.

Underscoring the panic gripping the retail investors who dominate China’s stock markets, all index futures contracts fell by the maximum 10 percent daily limit, pointing to expectations of even deeper losses.

Though the PBOC move came after domestic markets had closed, stock markets in Europe jumped, and U.S. stock futures were also given a lift.

After the turmoil in China rocked world equity and commodity markets on Monday, policymakers elsewhere in Asia sought to soothe fears about the broader impact on the global economy.

“I think it’s important that people don’t hyperventilate about these types of things,” said Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whose country is heavily exposed to China, the biggest consumer of its commodity exports.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Fire at Japan Kawasaki steel plant near Haneda airport

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large fire has broken out at a steel plant near Haneda airport south of the Japanese capital, Tokyo.

There have been no reports of injuries, say Japanese officials.

A fire official told AFP news agency the blaze started at a twometre-tall (6.7ft) cooling tower at a factory owned by a unit of Nippon Steel.

Haneda airport is about 25km (15.5 miles) from central Tokyo.

The steel plant is situated in the city of Kawasaki, which is next to the airport.

Passengers at the airport uploaded pictures of the fire on social media showing large plumes of black smoke.

One Twitter user wrote (in Japanese): “I was about to board my flight at a gate at Haneda airport when I realised many people were looking outside the window so I went over and realised there was a huge fire.

“Our flight was delayed by 15 to 20 minutes, and the pilot said it was partly because of the fire (but no major issue).

“Because of recent news about explosions in Yokosuka and China,

I started wondering if it was something similar and people were looking nervous.

“The pilot also said they received a lot of enquiries about whether there was any accident.”

Media captionA large plume of smoke rose above the site of the blaze at a Japanese steel plant The fire spread to a factory next door operated by consumer goods company Kao, and 600 employees were evacuated, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK reported.

There was no immediate impact on the airport, NHK also said.

Japan Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 faces stylus issue

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ome early adopters of a new Samsung phone have said the device’s stylus suffers from a design flaw.

The S-Pen stylus for Galaxy Note 5 models can be stored within the body of the phone, but when inserted upside down it appears to snag on an internal mechanism.

Users have reported that when the stylus is then forcibly removed it can damage the S-Pen, the Note 5, or both.

Samsung said users should follow the instruction manual.

The stylus should be inserted by the pointed end first and is designed to fit snugly into the Note 5 handset via a spring-loaded mechanism.

However, it can also be inserted upside down but can jam when in this position.

Tech news website Android Police has reported that removal of the wrongly inserted stylus caused a detection feature for the S-Pen to stop

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

working permanently.

Some Reddit users have also noticed the problem.

“A firm pull freed the stylus but popped off the click mechanism on the end, leaving the cap deep in the holster,” wrote one.

Another said their S-Pen stopped working after it was removed from the incorrect position. “A simple mistake and a bad design, I expect to see a lot more of these types of posts,” the user wrote.

In a statement, Samsung said: “We highly recommend our Galaxy Note 5 users follow the instructions in the user guide to ensure they do not experience such an unexpected scenario caused by reinserting the SPen in the other way around.”

“It seems like the sort of thing that shouldn’t be overlooked,” said Vijay Michalik, an information and communication technologies analyst for Frost & Sullivan.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Thursday, August 27 2015

Brands & Marketing

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Wal-Mart’s planned foray into Nigeria’s retail market unsettles stakeholders Stakeholders in the retail industry are concerned that Wal-Mart’s entry into the Nigerian retail market may portend danger for small players, DAVID AUDU reports.

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very conglomerate and multinational corporation desires to establish presence and compete in large markets. The rebasing of Nigerian economy in 2013 placed her as the largest economy in Africa, over South Africa, and far ahead of many other African counties.

According to the World Bank, with a population of nearly 180 million and a purchasing power parity, PPP, equivalent of 32 per cent of world average, a GDP per capita PPP averaging $3742.63 from 1990 until 2014, reaching an all time high of $5606.56 in 2014, Nigeria by all estimation an attractive market to global retail stores.

Today, there are quite a few global retail stores in the country including, Shoprite, Park N Shop, PEP Store, Adide, Game and Mr. Price, among others.

When the South African owned Shoprite entered Nigeria in 2005, the country’s retail industry was adjudged to be grossly under serviced with enough room for many to operate. Since then Shoprite has established over 12 stores with plans to open many more.

Shoprite is percieved as the biggest retail store to berth in Nigeria today, and with its aggressive expansion drive it is certainly a formidable force in Nigeria retail business.

But that may soon change as it will be challenged by the American retail behemoth, Wal-Mart, which is making inroad into Nigeria.

If recent reports are anything to go by, Lagos may be the first city to host Wal-Mart.

This was made clear as Wal-Mart’s top executives for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Canada, led by Shelley Broader, met with the Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently.

It was reported that after a ‘fruitful talk, it appears Ambode was excitet at the prospect of Walmart opening up stores across the mega-city he governs’.

He said: “We have a population of over 21 million people and four million of that population is in the middle class, therefore Wal-Mart would create job opportunities for

WE HAVE A POPULATION OF OVER 21 MILLION PEOPLE AND FOUR MILLION OF THAT POPULATION IS IN THE MIDDLE CLASS, THEREFORE WAL-MART WOULD CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAGOS’ BULGING YOUTH DEMOGRAPHIC Lagos’ bulging youth demographic.

“We want to make sure that we attract as much investment in Lagos that can help us to take our youths off the streets and give them employment,” he said.

No doubt, these are words of expectations from a leader who expects that jobs are provided for his citizens. Ordinarilly, thinking of Wal-Mart coming to Nigeria will elicite some forms of joy, but not for the series of concerns raised about the company’s track records in terms of how it deals with employees and other arm twisting business dealing, particularly, the less financially endowed ones.

An article by a Nigerian Professor living in Ottawa, Canada, Chidi Oguamanam, did raise some serious issues about Wal-Mart’ operations in America and globally.

“On the face of it, the Wal-Mart brand has incredible, value-chain development potential. But Wal-Mart does not have an

enviable profile in regard to its dealings with the desk-end employees it habitually confines to minimum wage.

“Though there is also the unwritten argument that such jobs are not for life. This is the reason Wal-Mart remains the contemporary global face of historic tension between capital and labour”.

Similarly, in an investigative report by New York Times, a former executive also provided detail on how Walmart “had paid bribes to obtain permits in virtually every corner of the country.”

Investigations revealed questionable payments and how the company was also forced to close operations in Germany and Korea in 2006 and has faced major challenges in Brazil and China.

It is this negative burden of a global retail player that is flagging off a lot of concerns in the minds of local retailers in Nigerian.

In an open letter to President Mohammadu Buhari and Governor Ambode, signed by its General Secretary, Gbenga Komolafe, a group, the Federation of Informal Workers Organisation of Nigeria, FIWON, denounced the planned presence of Walmart, saying they “are convinced the corporation portends serious threats and dangers that, on the whole will negate the optimistic expectations of Governor Ambode in providing jobs for Nigeria.

“We are concerned because millions of retail businesses including street and market vendors, some of who happen to be our members face the threat of being displaced from business by this global behemoth. As it

is, millions of jobs have been lost in Nigeria in the last two decades as a result of Nigeria’s extreme open market policy which has turned the country to a dumping ground of, very often, fake, sub-substandard goods from all over the world especially, in recent years, China.

They argued that given Nigeria’s well known infrastructural deficiencies, “Nigerian manufactured goods stood no chance as hundreds of factories closed down, rendering millions of Nigerians jobless or with low paying work in the informal sectors of the economy”, the letter stated.

The petition reminded Nigerian authorities of Walmart antecedent, noting that the company is “renowned for its record of systematically easing out small time retailers in the communities because of its low wage, undercutting low pricing policy which is made possible by its slave camp manufacturing plants in South East Asia, and will easily uproot local retailers and neighbourhood markets in Lagos.

“We are sure of this outcome because of Walmart’s antecedence from its home country, the United States of America and also across so many other countries it operates.”

The group noted that studies after studies have shown that while Walmart offers some low paying jobs, it actually uproots several more people from their retail business, than it offers its poverty wage jobs’.

The group therefore called on Presiden Buhari and Ambode to do what they say the Public Advocate of New York did two years ago when faced with the pressure to allow Walmart enters New York, “that is, conduct a comprehensive impact assessment of what will be the effect on local retail business if Walmart enters Lagos.

Oguamanam however argued in favour of constructive engagement between Nigeria and particularly Lagos in this case. If not for anything, for the very obvious, Nigeria has a distinctive factor endowment as Africa’s largest economy and arguably the continent’s largest skilled middle class.

He therefore advised that Nigerian government and other regulators to ensure they do not allow Wal-Mart and its ilk to play into the long-held but skewed philosophy of American monopolists that give strength to the strong in the market the right to destroy its neighbour, those that are weaker.

“Wal-Mart in Africa must be prepared to operate with a commitment to balance wealth with the commonwealth, a lesson long lost to corporate America, but which must form a foundation for the new corporate-driven, commercial, and economic transformation happening across Africa and in Nigeria in particular”, Oguamanam added.

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Brands & Marketing

Thursday, August 27, 2015

PRACAN harps on knowledge sharing to improve professionalism DAVID AUDU

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n furtherance to achieving its mandate of standardising the practise of Public Relations in Nigeria, the Public Relations Consultant Association of Nigeria, PRCAN, held its second monthly knowledge sharing series known as the PRCAN Monthly Breakfast Meetingin Lagos recently.

The association President, Mr. John Ehiguese, said at the session that knowledge sharing sessions were important to the growth of the profession, adding that “sessions like this will definitely improve professionalism in the practise of Public relations in Nigeria and it would further bridge the gap between clients and Public Relations consultants” The session, which,had the Vice President, Corporate Communications & CSR,Airtel Nigeria, Emeka,Oparah, as the guest

speaker discussed the importance of effective crisis management.

During his presentation titled ‘Crisis Management as a Strategic Leadership Imperative’, Oparah commended the association for the effort made to improve the practice of Public relations in Nigeria by improving knowledge of member agencies through knowledge sharing sessions with partners on the client side.

Citing examples of international brands that have been able to overcome crisis situations and become stronger as a result of the strategic management of the crisis situation,he said “crisis situations can be turned around in favour of the organization if strategically managed. Almost every crisis contains within itself the seeds of success and the roots of failure, the essence of Crisis Management is, therefore, finding and harvesting the poten-

tial success.”

He identified six stages of crisis management that must be followed, noting that if the processes are adhered to, there is a very high probability that the organization would come out stronger from the crisis“ Oparah listed the stages as, avoiding the crisis, preparing to manage the crisis, recognising the crisis, ccontaining the crisis, rresolving the crisis and profiting from the crisis.

On the role of practitioners in times of crisis, the communication expert advised practitioners to always take the lead.

“Nobody should tell the story of an organisation better than the PR Manager, if a PR Manager wants to remain relevant he must take the lead, be Professional, demonstrate his knowledge of the business and proffer solutions that are linkable to the success of the organization”, he said.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

New Omo 100gram pack goes door-to-door in Awka DAVID AUDU

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nilever Nigeria Plc’s recently introduced its 100 gram Omo Fast Actionpack to residents of Awka in Anambra State.

The team, led by Nollywood superstar and Omo Brand Ambassador, Chioma ChukwukaAkpotha visited various homes in the Ngozika Estate to hand them complimentary 100 gram Omo packs while informing them about the superior stain removing technology and power of the detergent.

Chioma described the initiative as a means of creating awareness for the new pocketfriendly 100 gm detergent which retains Omo’s fastest tough stain removing power.

“The great thing about the 100 gram pack is that while it cost just N50, it still delivers the same quality cleaning performance the Omo brand is known

Life Beer empowers entrepreneurs with N3m DAVID AUDU

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L-R: Baale of Ayetoro-Ajegunle, Saheed Fakunle; Chief Executive Officer, Brainbox Media, Akpomejeme Oghenerukevwe and Chief Executive Officer, Blast Media, Mr. Ogaga Wowo, during a news conference on Ajegunle Fashion and Design Week 2015 in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ promo winners emerge DAVID AUDU

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wo winners have emerged in the on-going PEAK ‘Reach for Millions’ promo. Both winners incidentally came from the nation’s federal capital, Abuja.

Little known hairdresser, Ms Anthony Comfort Omagwu, 30, is the first lucky Nigerian to win a million naira in a promo aimed at rewarding consumers for their 60 years of loyalty towards Peak milk.

Minchi Dandoka, 39, is the second winner of the promo. Dandoka works with a construction company and also lives in Gwari Local Council in Abuja.

The first winner, Comfort Omagwu who claimed to be ‘doubting Thomas’ said she tried her luck on advice from a friend after seeing the

promo’s advert on billboards across the city of Abuja. She also narrated how she tried her luck on several attempts.

Comfort also said she was overwhelmed and couldn’t believe she can have a million naira overnight.

Joyous Comfort said she intends to open a big hairdressing salon with her ‘gift’ from PEAK. The second million naira winner, Minchi Dandoka had on two occasions witnessed two people around him winning a car and a million naira in past promos also from PEAK way back in 2007. He insisted that was what spurred him to give PEAK ‘Reach for 60 Millions’ promo a trial.

Dandoka claimed to have prayed before participating in the promo, and expressed gratitude to PEAK. In his words, “Peak Milk really em-

barrasses me with blessings.” He however happily stated that he will invest properly with the money.

Aside the two star prize winners, 93 consumers including Keshiro Precious, Kyrian Anamdu, Olusola Adeyemo, Emmanuel okechukwu, Lukman babtunde, Ugochukwu okafor, Danazumi Hassan and Akpocha timothy have also won N15, 000 each. 91 lucky customers also received N10, 000 each while 60 other customers went away with N5, 000 each for participating in the promo.

The peak representative at the cheque presentation, Mr. Ikechukwu Okereke, the Regional Sales Manager for North Central FrieslandCampina WAMCO in Abuja, told the audience that the Peak ‘Reach for Millions’ promo is designed to show love to the consumers.

and trusted for,” she added.

One of the residents, Emeka Moneme, expressed that, “My family and I have been using Omo for as long as I can remember. It is the most effective stain remover we know, and the 100 gram pack will enable me and my wife get more value at less cost.”

The visit was capped off with an exciting ‘Ultimate Showdown’ washing contest, in the market and as always, Omo came out as the champion of the detergents in Awka Omo Brand Manager, Sarah Adoki,noted that the 100 gram pack proves Omo is an innovative and responsive to the needs of its teeming consumers. “The 100 gram pack was introduced to make Omo more available to a greater number of consumers at less cost. It’s the same quality and at only N50 naira, there is no better bargain in the market today”.

ife Continental Lager Beer, a brand from the stables of Nigerian Breweries Plc, has improved the fortunes of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the South Eastern part of Nigeria with 12 budding SMEs benefitting from its ongoing “Life Continental Beer Progress Booster Radio Project”.

The brand doled out additional N3 million to the third set of 12 winners whose proposals were considered outstanding amongst those who received during the month, bringing the total numbers to 36.

Addressing the successful budding entrepreneurs at the Cheque and Certificate presentation held at Ama Brewery of NB Plc, Enugu; Mr.

Olalekan Okubanjo, the Packaging Manager urged the winners to stay focused on their goals and to invest wisely in their chosen ventures.

He assured them that the brand will not abandon them in their endeavour to move their enterprises to the next level. His words: “The panel of experts that assessed and judged your business proposals will monitor your progress. They will be there to mentor and provide valuable advice, when necessary”.

Depending on their performance afterwards, Okubanjo disclosed that there is still an opportunity for the winners to win an additional N250,000 only ‘if your business venture is adjudged to have progressed to the next level in the next few months’.

BBC1 hunts agency for Christmas social campaign

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he British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, is considering its agency options for a campaign to promote BBC One at Christmas.

The corporation has been speaking to agencies about creating a social campaign for BBC One to ramp up its online presence over Christmas.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “We occasionally meet with agencies that we may be interested in working with in the future on specialist project-based work, however, we do not comment on individual projects.”

The BBC uses Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R as its retained creative agency. Although when the agency won the hotly contested pitch for the account in Febru-

ary, the BBC said it would offer “specialist project-based opportunities to the wider advertising and creative community.”

For example, it is using Bartle Bogle Hegarty for activity around Strictly Come Dancing, after the agency dazzled them in the pitch.

During one meeting at the agency’s offices, BBC marketers were treated to an all-staff dancing performance to the programme’s theme tune.

Havas Media is the BBC’s media agency.

The Government kicked off a wholesale review of the BBC last month, which will include looking at its funding and scope of work.

The news comes days after BBC One was ranked as the third most social media-savvy of the five terrestrial broadcast networks.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Brands & Marketing

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Brandmycar introduces Pay-Per Data option DAVID AUDU

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rand My Car, one of Nigeria’s out-of-home vehicle advertising company has rolled out an initiative geared towards giving more value to its customers on its advertising platform.

Tagged “Pay-Per-Data,” the initiative frees brands from the doubts about upfront OOH advertising rentals and enables them to pay based on estimated eyeballs reached during campaign periods.

According to the Managing Director of Brandmycar, Amaka Okolo, the initiative is driven by emerging global best-practice in the industry which prescribes the inclusion of measurable and verifiable data in the business, giving room for a lot more transparency in OOH rental billing processes.

To ensure this becomes the standard, Okolo said Brandmycar has introduced a short code, to which customers are only required to respond to Call to Action set by advertisers.

All text messages by responders are Free. For example Text “WIN” to 5555. This will activate a data-driven monitoring on deployed campaigns

and advertisers will only have to pay for each respondent to their campaign/Call to Action.

Recall that Brand My Car was launched in the Nigerian market last year and spoke of allowing private car owners to earn extra income on their cars by turning them into mobile advertising platforms. Today, BMC has expanded its catchment to cabs and “Keke” areas in response to client demands to well-targeted, costfriendly campaigns.

Explaining how the Pay-perData works, Okolo said the client is allowed to first identify the target market after which BMC deploys advertisers’ campaign based on agreed placement platform.

“The Campaign is monitored online real-time by both BMC and Advertiser through a customized solution and the client only pays for data of respondents to campaign. Minimum data cut-off is 5,000. Advertisers can end campaign once target set is reached. It is only at this time that the Advertiser sends BMC campaign material and pays only for printing of material,” she explained.

Amaka further said that Brandmycar provides the added value of

conducting a recce exercise on behalf of clients based on the profiled target market to ensure maximum reach to those that are pre-planned to be exposed to the campaign.

“If an advertiser desires to reach students in an urban area like Lagos, we go to the field and make sure the vehicles on which the campaigns would be deployed are ones with very high exposure to the communities, destinations and routes of the students,” she said.

She listed Cost Effectiveness, realtime tracking and value for money as the prime benefits of the unique advertising channel and said enabling “selective audience targeting by demographics, interest, lifestyle among others is critical to an advertisers goal of effective campaign delivery.

“At Brandmycar, the ultimate goal is to convert viewers into new Customers. We provide all the gateways necessary to bring qualified leads to advertisers, offering automated lead capture from beginning to end in real-time. And advertisers can view the results of their advertising spend, and make educated adjustments to campaigns as needed,” she concluded.

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OLX, Mandilas partner on vehicle valuation, diagnostic services DAVID AUDU

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igeria’s online classifieds, OLX, recently announced its partnership with Mandilas, a player in the auto industry in a strategic relationship that will offer users on the OLX platform free vehicle valuation and diagnostic services.

In addition, Mandilas will list its vehicles on the OLX platform in an effort to attract buyers from across the country.

OLX country manager, Lola Masha said thepartnership would reinforce OLX’s commitment to enhancing its users experience on the platform and also provides a nationwide reach for Mandilas.

She noted that “this collaboration with Mandilas validates the effectiveness of OLX as a platform with a wide range of vehicles where buyers can find great car deals and trade with trusted sellers”.

The partnership will offer eligible users who post their cars for sale on the OLX site, an opportunity to have their cars screened and evaluated for free.

At the end of the screening, the user will get an evaluation certificate from Mandilas that will state the current market value

of the car as well as the condition of each part of the car.

This will benefit both the buyer who is worried about the worth and condition of the car they want to buy and the seller who is not sure of the monetary value of the car.

While expressing delight working with OLX, the General Manager, Mandilas, Stephen Gladwin stated that “the partnership with OLX will help build trust amongst Nigerians who are in the market to buy or sell their used cars because of the certificate they get at the end of the screening process”.

Gladwin added, “over the years, Mandilas has built a reputation of providing unrivalled service in the auto industry. We are excited about the partnership with OLX, the number 1 online classifieds site in Nigeria. OLX has provided a platform where users can feel safe buying and selling used vehicles across the country.’’

OLX is a classifieds platform in growth markets and is availablein more than 40 countries and over 50 languages. OLX connects local people tobuy, sell or exchange used goods and services by making it fast and easyfor anyone to post an ad through the mobile app.

UTV Media in talks with ITV

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L-R: Regional Sales Manager, Lagos, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr. Taofeek Ajisebutu; Marketing Manager, Mr. Friday Enaholo; Managing Director, Spine Pharmacy Ltd, Mr. Iyke Ezeanuna; General Manager, Sales, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr Abayomi Alli-Balogun and Corporate Services Manager, Mr. Oladimeji Oduyebo, during Fidson Healthcare Plc Retail Reward Programme in Lagos, recently.

TV Media, the owner of Talksport, has confirmed it is in talks with ITV over the sale of its TV assets.

The Belfast-based company’s share price climbed 10 per cent in early trading this morning to 172 pence in response to speculation about the deal, which emerged over the weekend in Irish newspapers.

This morning, a spokeswoman for UTV said: “The Board of UTV Media plc (“UTV”) notes the recent media speculation

and confirms that it is in discussions regarding a potential sale of its television assets.

“Discussions are ongoing and may or may not result in such a transaction being agreed. A further announcement will be made when appropriate.”

UTV Media owns 12 local radio stations in England, as well as Talksport and Sport, the free magazine. It oversees the running of the ITV network across Northern Ireland since Ulster Television was founded in 1959.

Capri-Sonne excites children with ‘The Minions’ promo DAVID AUDU

I

n furtherance of the global partnership between Capri-Sonne and Universal Studios, Chi Limited, maker of Capri-Sonne natural fruit drink in Nigeria, has unveiled a promo package to coincide with the global release of the movie The Minions.

Children across Nigeria now have an opportunity to win free Minions gifts inside every carton of their favourite Capri-Sonne they buy within

the promo period. Gift items include Beach Ball, magnet, goggle, magnetic frame, key chain, activity set and various minion merchandise and toys.

The Capri-Sonne Minions Promo is being amplified nationwide with a media campaign running on major national, regional television channels and radio stations in the country. Simultaneously, campaign is being driven through advertisements on Print, Billboards and digital platforms like Twitter and

Facebook where young fans can win loads of free gifts by participating in fun Minions games. Consumer engagement platforms such as trade activations in open markets and consumer activations like taste trials in schools and shopping malls has commenced in various cities to connect with the consumers.

According to Deepanjan Roy, Managing Director, Chi Limited, “we are confident that the Capri-Sonne Minions Promo will resonate with chil-

dren across Nigeria and in-

Me franchise.

crease product consumption

small, yellow impulsive crea-

and brand affinity. Minions

tures with odd innocence that

are hugely popular amongst

endears them to viewers and

children the world over and

make them relatable. They

we have no doubt that the

have hundreds of thousands

Capri-Sonne Minions Promo

of fans around the world and

will create excitement, buzz,

have become a huge commer-

adventure and fun which

cial success worldwide.

Capri-Sonne has been known

Minions are

Capri-Sonne is kids’ drink fruit drink in Nigeria and is

for over the years.”

The Minions is a 2015 3D

available in variants of Or-

com-

ange, Apple, Pineapple, Multi-

edy film and a presequel/

vitamins, Fan-Drink, Straw-

spin off to the Despicable

berry and Tropical fruits.

computer-animated

38

Insight

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Fuel supply: DPR, PPMC

F

or about two months, Nigerians were subjected to severe fuel scarcity, characterised by untold illegalities such as long queues, higher prices, pump manipulation, diversion and black market sales. At the peak of the crisis, petrol sold at between N130 and N400 per litre in Lagos and other parts of the nation.

The situation was the same at black markets where operators had a field day in most of the outlets, particularly as petrol attendants preferred to sell to them in jerry cans for negotiated cash payback.

At the road sides near the filling stations, racketeers were selling10 litre kegs at N2, 000 while a five litre keg was sold at about N1, 200, depending on the location within the metropolis.

It took the intervention of some stakeholders, especially the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that pumped additional supplies to the domestic market to tackle the scarcity.

The officials who visited many filling stations in Abuja noted that as supplier of last resort, the corporation made positive impact. The disclosure that its downstream subsidiary, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) had 1.1billion litres stock level, representing 27 days sufficiency assisted to end the scarcity.

With this and other promises, consumers thought the long era of their exploitation would soon come to an end.

But they were mistaken. A market survey showed that many marketers still exploit the masses, especially in the outskirts of the cities such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Bayelsa states. Some of them who preferred not to be named maintained that they got supplies during the era of high fuel prices. They indicated that the old stocks had to be sold at high prices to enable them recover funds invested into their businesses.

But a visit to some depots, including Mossimi showed that there was no justification for many marketers to exploit the masses through the perpetuation of illegalities. First, it was reliably learnt that marketers had sold out all old stocks because of high demand for the product.

Second, the pump price of petrol that used to be in excess of N90 has since dropped to N77.66 per litre.

This, including margins that are allowed by the Federal Government have increased the per litre price to N87. A top official of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) who preferred not to be named, maintained that the profits and other margins of stakeholders have been factored into the price.

“There are no reasons for any marketer to sell at arbitrary prices because at the current price of N87 per litre of fuel, every operator can recover costs and make reasonable profit. The government that seeks to sustain the current fuel subsidy is strongly opposed to any forms of exploitation. We are aware that the Department of Petroleum Resources has initiated efforts targeted at tackling the

Nigerians are expected to heave a sigh of relief following the end of the nation’s prolonged fuel scarcity. But UDEME AKPAN reports that many marketers continue to perpetuate illegalities despite the repeated warnings of agencies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

Officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, sealing a filling station for selling petrol above the official pump price, in Jos, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN unacceptable situation,” he maintained.

Expectedly, the DPR, has cautioned oil marketers against buying or selling petroleum products above governmarket survey showed that many ment regulated prices. The warning is contained in a statement signed by Mr. marketers still exploit the masses George Ene-Ita, DPR Deputy Manager, Communications.

According to the especially in the outskirts of the cities statement, the warning stemmed from such as agos buja ort arcourt the persistent sharp practices in the petroleum products supply chain with and ayelsa states regards to the official pump price of products. “Dealers in petroleum products who are either sellers or buyers are hereby warned against buying or selling above the government regulated prices. past without much impact. keter said.

Unlicensed third party buyers that opResponding, Mudei had charged the A few weeks ago, the representative erate outside of the Petroleum Products of the director of the agency, Mr. Ahmed major and independent marketers to reMarketing Company, Depots and Petro- Mudei, said at a crucial engagement with port in writing so that the agency can inleum Pricing Marketers Association of marketers that DPR was not aware of the tervene accordingly. He maintained that Nigeria (DAPPMA) and Major Oil Mar- long list of excuses they put forward to it is illegal for marketers to use excuses keters Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) justify high prices. Before then, the oil as the reasons for exploiting the poor are hereby warned to desist or face the marketers had argued that it was not pos- masses, thus defeating government efwrath of the law,” it said. sible for them to sell petrol at N87 Federal forts to provide fuel at a regulated price The statement warned marketers to Government regulated price as they lift- to the general public. desist from illegal diversion of the prod- ed it at N95 per litre from the depots.

“Some marketers have consistently “This is the sad reality of the situa- flouted government’s directives by sellucts. It said that any marketer caught diverting petroleum products would either tion; showing that there is no way con- ing above ex-depot price which in turn be fined N200 per litre or prosecuted. But sumers can get the product at N87 per li- translates to higher prices at the pump. there are strong indications that such tre official price of the government. The The meeting is therefore convened to warnings might have fallen on deaf ears, price has to be high because we have to reiterate the resolve of the Department especially the ill-equipped department make profit after spending so much and of Petroleum Resources to ensure that and others had issued such threats in the queuing for weeks at the depots,” a mar- henceforth, the DPR would not allow a

A

,

L

,A B

,P

H

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Insight

Thursday, August 27, 2015

battle erring marketers situation whereby supply of PMS is dictated by the private interests of marketers and dealers to the detriment of the Nigerian public, neither will the department condone any act of selling PMS above official pump price in government licensed facilities under any guise whatsoever.

“We therefore once more caution those of you who still engage in the practice of selling PMS and DPK above government stipulated prices or who engage in acts of hoarding of these products, to desist from it in the interest of the public, the economy and your petroleum business. We wish to remind you that the DPR is capable of activating all conditions that may lead to the denial of any marketer from further participation in the PSF scheme and the withdrawal of licenses of a facility, “he said Besides DPR, the NNPC had also issued similar warning that henceforth any oil marketer found to be involved in products diversion will have its Bulk Purchase Agreement with its mid-stream subsidiary, the PPMC revoked. The warning was issued in the face of persistent tightness of supply being experienced in the country despite huge load-outs from PPMC depots by both major and independent marketers, a situation that has been traced to diversion.

The NNPC indicated that PPMC had revoked the lifting license (Bulk Purchase Agreement) of three independent marketers for engaging in products diversion and sundry infractions. The affected marketers are Funo Alfa, Organiser West Africa, and Rich Oil. The sanction is with immediate effect. It warned marketers to desist from products diversion, hoarding, and any other form of sharp practices as it would not hesitate to wield the big stick against any marketer found wanting, adding that it is closely monitoring the market and that the withdrawal of lifting licenses of erring marketers is a continuous exercise.

These and other measures would not likely bring the desired succour without the construction of new refineries to expand the nation’s current 445,000 barrels per day capacity of its four plants. The Executive Secretary of Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association (DAPPMA), Mr. Olufemi Adewole, maintained that building new refineries remains a lasting solution to the nation’s fuel challenge. He indicated that oil marketers are not opposed to investing in refineries but are being constrained by many challenges that abound in the sector.

“It is not that marketers are not willing to construct new refineries in the nation. The truth is that the environment does not encourage investment in the sector. The Federal Government had in the past issued licenses to investors to build refineries. But none of them did so. That shows that there is something wrong with the sector that affects the construction of the refineries.”

“For instance, it is wrong for the government to peg the prices of some petroleum products, including petrol

NNPC GMD, Ibe Kachikwu

Building new refineries remains a lasting solution to the nation’s

er. Second, there are other challenges, including distribution issues as a result of oil theft and pipeline vandalism in virtually all parts of the nation. Third, there is the problem of inadequate and unstable power supply,” he added.

Despite the severity of issues, stakeholders believe that the problems are not insurmountable. Almost all parties, including marketers are optimistic that they can be tackled and eliminated. But the Federal Government should have the political will to address these and other problems that stare the sector in the face. The government should ensure it makes consistent policies which cannot be reversed. The oil theft and pipeline vandalism should be tackled to pave the way for seamless distribution of products.

The government and other stakeholders should work toward ensuring that there is serious improvement in power generation, transmission and distribution in the nation. This is said to be desirable in order to release commercial quantities of fuel which consumers currently utilise to fuel private generators in homes, industries and offices nationwide

39

for other applications.

National Mirror investigations showed that the task of finding lasting solutions to the nation’s fuel challenge should not be left for marketers and government alone. It is against this backdrop that the Port Harcourt-based energy analyst, Mr. Bala Zaka, mooted that others, especially the legislators should assist to pass the nation’s Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into law without further delay. He maintained that the eventual passage of the PIB into law would culminate in increased inflow of domestic and foreign investments into many sectors, including refining and distribution of petroleum products.

This means that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration needs not only the right policies and competencies of officials, but also the support and contributions of others, especially legislators, financiers and labour.

From all indications, all stakeholders need to act fast, knowing that the entire world is waiting to see how the various challenges that affect adequate fuel supply in the leading oil and gas producing nation would be tackled.

fuel challenge and expect investors to stake resources in the sector. They would not invest because they believe that the forces of demand and supply should be allowed to determine prices in order to enable them recover their investments. This is imperative because they should be able to break even after about five – seven years. Even the banks would not fund the investments because they expect to get their monies back. “There are many challenges. First, there is the problem of inconsistent government policies. One administration can emerge with a new policy which could be reversed by anoth-

Motorists on queue waiting to buy fuel

Officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources, checking conformity with official pump price of petrol, at a filling station in Jos, recently.

PHOTO: NAN

40

Cocktail

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Oddities

Cat ignores pet door, turns handle to enter house

A

pet owner who spent an hour and a half installing a cat door shared video of his feline companion’s “epic” rejection of the offering.

The “Epic Cat Door Fail” video, posted to YouTube by user Philo Cat, features Philo the cat in his owner’s yard after the installation of a cat door.

“Yesterday, I spent an

hour and half installing a new cat door so Philo the Cat could come and go as he pleases. This is his reaction,” the cat’s owner wrote in the video’s description.

The video shows Philo approach the door at his owner’s prompting and -- without a second glance at the cat door -hop up on his hind legs to turn the door handle to enter the house in the style of a human.

Truck bursts on hitting low Massachusetts railroad bridge P

olice in Massachusetts said a truck seen bursting upon colliding with a low train bridge was the fifth vehicle damaged at the underpass this year.

A video posted to YouTube by Lt. Leo Hoban of the Westwood Police Department shows the

empty produce truck attempt to go through the 10-foot-6-inch tall underpass Thursday and burst when the top of the truck collides with the bridge.

Police said the roof of the truck was sheared off, but the driver was not injured.

Hoban shared a second video Monday showing a truck come to a stop

when it collides with the same bridge. He wrote the video is “not as exciting as some.”

The bridge has been struck a total six times this year, police said.

Boy, 12, trips, puts hole in $1.5 million painting

S

ecurity cameras at a Taiwan art exhibition captured the moment a 12-year-old tripped and punched a hole in a $1.5 million Paolo Porpora oil painting.

Organizers of the “Face of Leonardo: Images of a Genius” exhibition at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei released footage of the beverage-holding

boy tripping next to the still life and putting his fist through the bottom of the canvas before freezing in apparent horror at his mistake.

Sun Chi-hsuan, the exhibit’s organizer, said the boy’s family will not be charged for restoration costs and the $1.5 million painting, titled “Flowers,” was insured.

“The painting’s bottom

right is damaged,” Sun told reporters. “The boy’s hand made contact with the artwork and left a hole the size of a fist.”

A post on the exhibition’s Facebook page thanked restoration specialist Tsai Shun-jen for helping to quickly restore the 350-year-old painting. The post included photos of the experts working to repair the canvas.

A truck bursts open upon striking the low railroad bridge in Westwood, Mass.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Capital Market

Thursday, August 27, 2015

41

Index drops 2%, Wema Bank, FCMB among top gainers E quities index on the Nigerian Stock Exchange fell again yesterday by 2.3 per cent, the same margin of decline in the Market Capitalization, thereby making the Year-to-Date return to stand at -18.81%.

The All Share Index (ASI) closed at 28,137.65 compared to the previous day’s 28,807.00 index while market capitaliza-

tion closed at N9.670 trillion against previous close of N9.900 trillion.

According to the official trading report on the NSE, the volume traded decreased by 19.91% from 604.024 million to 483.741 million, while the total value of stock increased by 74.29% from N2.922 billion to N5.093 billion in 4,673 deals.

The statistics on the

trading trends showed further that financial services sector led the activity chart with 408.836 million shares exchanged for N4.1 billion, followed by the Conglomerates with 49.613 million shares traded for N0.1 billion. A further analysis showed that Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Oil And Gas sectors followed in that order on the activity chart.

U.S. stocks rise after 6-Day selloff

U

.S. stocks advanced, with gains picking up momentum as investors made another go at finding a floor to the steepest losing streak in four years after yesterday’s early rally evaporated.

Technology companies led the gains, echoing Tuesday’s action, with Apple Inc., Google Inc. and Intel Inc. rising at least 4.2 percent.

Amazon.com Inc. surged 6.7 percent, and Netflix Inc. posted a two-day gain of 11 percent. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. increased more than 3.9 percent.

Cameron International Corp. soared 41 percent after agreeing to be bought by Schlumberger

Ltd. in a $14.8 billion deal.

The rally accelerated in the final hour, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbing 3.3 percent to 1,928.97 at 3:18 p.m. in New York, on track for its biggest gain since November 2011. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 533.55 points, or 3.4 percent, to 16,199.99. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 3.6 percent, and was also heading toward its strongest gain since 2011.

“This type of shortterm rally shouldn’t be much surprise given recent weakness,” said Chad Morganlander, a money manager at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. in Florham Park, New Jersey, which oversees about

$170 billion. “Eventually the reality that valuations have come off so much will come into play.”

The recent turmoil in global stock markets sparked by growth concerns has reduced expectations for the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates as soon as next month. New York Fed Bank President William Dudley said Wednesday the upheaval has reduced the case for raising rates in September, while cautioning it’s important not to overreact to short-term developments.

Traders are pricing in a one-in-four chance the central bank will act at its next meeting, down from almost even odds before China’s surprise currency

The report also indicated that Guaranty, Zenithbank, Access, Transcorp and UBA were the most active stocks by volume while Dangsugar, Wemabank, Costain, Vitafoam and FCMB emerged the highest price gainers on the chart.

On the losers chart, PZ, NNFM, FBNH, Transcorp and Learnafrca topped.

A

The global selloff, brought on by weak Chinese economic data, threatens to crimp global growth and create financial conditions unsuitable for a initial policy tightening in the United States, he said.

“At this moment, the decision to begin the normalization process at the September FOMC meeting seems less compelling to me than it was a few weeks ago,” Dudley told reporters at the New York Fed, of the policy-making Federal Open Market Committee.

But an initial rate hike “could become more compelling by the time of the meeting as we get additional information on how the U.S. economy is performing and (on) international financial market developments, all of

which are important to shaping the U.S. economic outlook,” he said.

Only a “large and prolonged” stock market drop could potentially weigh on Americans’ willingness to spend, he added.

Asked about the possibility of another round of stimulative bond-buying, Dudley said the U.S. central bank is “a long way from” that. He added that the market turmoil “is not a U.S. problem” and was sparked by “developments abroad.”

While the U.S. labor market has been strong, prompting many Fed officials to consider hiking rates in September, inflation has been weak with little sign of rebounding.

JPMorgan’s chief U.S. economist, Michael Feroli, wrote that the Fed’s

Inter-Bank Rate Naira

US Dollar

$1

N197 Market indicators All-Share Index 30,042.38 points

devaluation earlier this month.

Fed policy makers remain focused on economic data, which financial markets can influence, Dudley said, through the wealth effect on U.S. households.

A report today showed orders for capital goods increased in July by the most in more than a year, indicating corporate spending was finding its footing prior to the turmoil in financial markets. Orders for all durable goods -- items meant to last at least three years -- rose 2 percent, exceeding all forecasts of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

(Source – Bloomberg.com)

Market turmoil makes Sept rate hike ‘less compelling’

n interest rate hike next month seems less appropriate given the threat posed to the U.S. economy over recent global market turmoil, an influential Federal Reserve official said on Wednesday.

In the clearest indication yet that fears of a Chinese economic slowdown could influence U.S. monetary policy, New York Fed President William Dudley said the prospect of a September rate hike “seems less compelling” than it was only weeks ago.

Dudley, a dovish policymaker and close ally of Fed Chair Janet Yellen, however left the door open to raising rates for the first time in nearly a decade when the U.S. central bank holds a policy meeting Sept. 16-17.

Source: NSE

message was that, “while a September liftoff is not ruled out, the onus is on the data to remain strong and for markets to calm in order for that to happen.”

(Source- Reuters.com) Rate (%) Inflation

8.2

MPR

13

Crude oil price

$58.96

Market capitalisation 10.30trn

Stock Updates GAINERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

CHANGE

% CHANGE

PAINTCOM

0.96

1.00

0.04

4.17

MAYBAKER

1.27

1.30

0.03

2.36

DANGCEM

180.00

183.00

3.00

1.67

AFRIPRUD

2.80

2.65

0.02

0.76

FLOURMILL

25.31

25.41

0.10

0.40

ETI

18.67

18.70

0.03

0.16

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

CHANGE

% CHANGE

LOSERS COMPANY

OPENING

CLOSING

TRANSCORP

2.61

2.37

-0.24

-9.20

OANDO

11.40

10.83

-0.57

-5.00

OKOMUOIL

24.05

22.85

-1.20

-4.99

NNFM

12.83

12.19

-0.64

-4.99

CADBURY

30.06

28.56

-1.50

-4.99

GLAXOSMITH

38.00

36.11

-1.89

-4.97

IKEJAHOTEL

3.31

3.15

-0.16

-4.83

MANSARD

2.54

2.42

-0.12

-4.72

UNITYBNK

1.71

1.63

-0.08

-4.68

UBN

7.29

6.95

-0.34

-4.66

FGN Bonds

Offer

Bid

Description

Price

Yield

Price

Yield

15.10 27-APR-2017

1.67

98.92

15.81

99.07

15.71

16.00 29-JUN-2019

3.84

100.43

15.82

100.73

15.72

15.54 13-FEB-2020

4.47

99.00

15.85

99.30

15.76

16.39 27-JAN-2022

6.42

102.34

15.79

102.64

15.71

14.20 14-MAR-2024

8.55

92.09

15.92

92.39

15.85

10.00 23-JUL-2030

14.91 68.00

15.58

68.30

15.50

Closing Market Prices of August 26, 2015

Treasury Bills Maturity Date

Bid

Offer

Exchange

Rates (N)

26-Nov-15

16.04

16.71

WAUA

270

USD

197

25-Feb-16

15.62

16.95

EURO

214

4-Aug-16

13.90

16.00

CFA

0.32

YEN

1.64

Tenor

Rate (%)

SWISS FRANC

202

O/N

84.3333

POUNDS STERLING

293

1M

18.8604

3M

20.3230

SDR

273

6M

21.9967

NIBOR

The Fixings of August 26, 2015

42

South West

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Ooni Stool open to all Ruling Houses —Osinkola …says family set to fill the stool

Boladale Bamigbola OSOGBO

A

s race for who fills the vacant stool of Ooni of Ile Ife gathers momentum, Osinkola Ruling House, yesterday said all the ruling houses in the town are eligible to present contestants.

The ruling house based its position on the variation to the 1977 Ooni Chieftaincy Declaration that allowed Ogboru Ruling House presented a candidate in 1980, who later emerged out of 54 contestants, adding that the

variation has “technically thrown the race open”.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of the family in Ile Ife, Prince Olakunle Aderemi, a son to the 49th Ooni, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, explained that Osinkola ruling house which has 5 families, despite being the eldest, had the least number of Ooni.

Aderemi said the ruling house had only filled Ooni stool 4 times while Lafogido had, had 8 past Ooni and Giesi, 6.

He added that Ogboru Ruling House that just left the throne had produced 5

Ooni and “in the spirit of fairness, Oshinkola should be allowed to produce the next monarch for the town”.

He further explained: “Before 1930, there was no chieftaincy declaration guiding selection of Ooni.

In 1957, the first chieftaincy declaration came into being.

In 1977 there was alteration and some variations were provided. Those variations were relied upon to pave way for the emergence of Ooni Sijuade in 1980.

“What we seek is that the variations that were considered then should once again

be activated for us Osinkola to be considered to fill the stool.”

He maintained that whenever the Osinkola’s reign as Ooni, Ile Ife usually witness peace and development in all spheres, stressing that the facts to support their position were evident during the reign of Oba Adesoji Aderemi.

According to him, 6 capable contestants from Osinkola Ruling House that have met all the demands of would-be Ooni have already signified intention to fill the stool.

L-R: Olojudo of Ojudo, Oba Aderemi Adedapo; Obalufe of Ife, Oba S. F. Omisakin; President, Ife Development Board, Prof. Muiz Opeloye and leader of the delegation/Etsu Nupe, Ahaji Abubakar Yahaya, during a condolence visit by the National Traditional Council of Nigeria to Ife chiefs, yesterday.

Femi Oyeweso, ABEOKUTA

F

ormer president Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday enjoined Nigerian youths as well as adults desirous of further studies to take advantage of the unique opportunity presented by the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) to upgrade their knowledge.

The former president gave the admonition while hosting the executives members of NOUN Alumni Association led by its President, Mr. Phil Colman and the South-West Vice President, Ayeni Olutope who paid a courtesy visit on him at his Presidential Hilltop mansion in Abeokuta, the Ogun state.

Speaking against the background of scrambling for admission and crisis gen-

NOUN, great access to acquire higher education ­—Obasanjo erated by over population of admission seekers into the conventional universities, Obasanjo declared that Nigerians no longer have any excuse for not being able to access higher education.

He maintained that NOUN, since its take off in the year 2005 when he was still the president, has provided a viable alternative to conventional higher institutions particularly for adults who are desirous of university education.

“Nobody in Nigeria will say he doesn’t have access to higher education with NOUN, except he doesn’t want. I saw some students complaining about law accreditation in NOUN, but I

hope the Law programme has come to stay”.

Obasanjo, who himself is an alumnus of the institution, having bagged a degree in Theology, sarcastically disclosed that he declined an offer to undergo his mandatory one year National Youths Service Corp (NYSC) programme on the ground that he was already overaged.

“After his graduation, somebody sent me a letter asking me to come for my NYSC year in his company; unfortunately, there is an age limit”.

In his response, president of the NOUN Alumni Association, Colman thanked Obasanjo for “opening up

university education space with the establishment of NOUN”.

He assured law graduates of the institution that they have assurance from Obasanjo that they will soon enrol in Law Schools across the nation.

In his own remarks, the Ogun state chairman of NOUNAA, Chief Bode Mustapha urged Nigerians to make use of the NOUN opportunity.

He stated that the institution now boast of a royal father, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona as a law student and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, former governor of Osun State as student of Theology.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Ambode assures Lagosians on food security Francis Suberu

C

onsidering the importance of food to sustainable growth and development, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said the state will encourage partnership with agro business, so as to ensure food security in the state.

The Governor spoke when he received the Irish Ambassador Sean Hoy, at the Lagos House, Alausa, Ikeja yesterday.

According him, his administration was looking to expand the agricultural sector and increase the production capacity of its farmers in the nearest future.

Governor Ambode who also met with a team of investors from the United Arab Emirates, led by Professor Pat Utomi, restated the commitment of his administration to evolve policies and initiatives that would transform the city state into a destination for investors across the globe.

He said in less than 100 days of his administration, efforts were made to create an atmosphere for investors to look towards the direction of the state and for existing businesses to thrive.

The governor said that the state’s commercial strength with a population of predominantly youths, makes it unarguably the home of the future of investment in Nigeria.

Ambode

He assured the investors of his administration’s support in the areas they intend to partner with the government; just as he restated his commitment to the rule of law, judicial freedom and security.

Professor Utomi, in his remarks said the group of investors from the UAE is aspiring to play a role that will significantly change the business climate in the state revealing that they are looking to invest as much as $10billion in the state within a period of time.

“Smart City Dubai which has a track record of transforming a desert village in one generation to the world’s business hub, my hope and my expectation is that this initiative will make that happen for Lagos and be part of the inspiration along with other projects that you are driving, Eko Atlantic and a host of others, to make this a hub for which the economic emancipation of the black man”, he said.

Al-Muminaat harps on women empowerment for nation building Saidat Alausa

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nonprofit organisation, Al-Mu’minaat has said that there is need to empower women in order to build the nation.

This was stated by the President of the organisation, Hajia Aisha Idris during a courtesy visit to National Mirror yesterday.

She explained that women empowerment is important if Nigeria want to achieve the change the nation is craving for.

Explaining that media tour is part of the activities for their annual celebration, the leader of the Muslim organisation said that one of the objectives of the NGO was to expose Muslim wom-

en to more knowledge about the religion.

She listed activities of the organisation to include vocational training, guidance and counseling, humanitarian visit, joint Tarbiyyah and prison visitation among others.

Commending National Mirror, Hajia Idris said the organisation decided to come for the visit because the Newspaper has been partnering with them over the years through prompt reporting of their activities.

Receiving the organisation on behalf of the management, Advert Manager, Mr. Ganiu Bello urged the organisation to create more awareness among youths on the need to shun vices that can hinder their future.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Young & Next Generation

Thursday, August 27, 2015

43

CHYDAN rewards 20 brilliant teens with N4m Leonard Okachie

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hampions Youths Development Association of Nigeria, CHYDAN has rewarded 20 brilliant students with the sum of four million naira (N4m) for emerging as the best in their written scholarship interview.

They were among the 159 secondary school students from various schools in Lagos State that participated in the interview that held last Saturday at the National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

The students were tested in Mathematics, English and Current Affairs under the strict supervision of some CHYDAN officials and the media.

When the result was released on Monday, each of the 20 of them, who scored the highest marks, was rewarded with N200, 000 cash prize.

The beneficiaries included: Aminat Nura , Christian Nzelu , Mary Solomon, Mackson Simon , Cyril Edodi , Sola Shittu , Justina Mercy, Vicent Akume, Dauda Bukola , Inikpi Okpanachi, Kumi Akawo , Others were James Adeniji, Joseph Bulus, Umma Hussaini, Balogun Tolani , Amaka Chinedu, Magnus Emeka, Kemi Tosin, Peter John , Hope Reuben.

Shortly after the written interview, some of the participants who spoke with Young &Next Generation, expressed happiness for the opportunity to participate in such an intellectual exercise.

One of the participants, Hannah Zekeri , who is a student at

Jubril Martin College, Lagos said: “ I feel happy because the interview gave the opportunity to test my knowledge. I was able to express my feelings towards my country and what is happening in the society.

“I thank the organisers for encouraging a programme like this because it will help students build their writing skills and make them independent as well as encourage them to read.”

Another participant Eze Angella, from Iponri Grammar School said: “I felt a little bit awkward because I found the Mathematics tough. The English and Current Affairs were okay. I’m very happy for the organisers because it is an avenue to enlighten students.”

Similarly, Angella’s schoolmate Oluchi Ineke expressed that she like such a programme because it is meant for meant for the less privileged, to encourage and assist them their education.

“I tried my best but I found the Mathematics more challenging. I was not surprise by the kind of questions that were set because I’m in Government School and we are used to it. I read newspapers and listen to news, so I was comfortable with the Current Affairs and English” remarked Oluchi, whose ambition is to become a lawyer.

For 14-year-old Hassan Umaru of Glittering Stars College, such exercise would not only test the students’ knowledge but also make them to take their take their education seriously.

Hassan, who was beaming with smile said: “I feel happy

A cross section of participants at the CHYDAN scholarship test in Lagos recently. that in participated in the writing competition because I found it easy and interesting.

I found the letter writing aspect particularly interesting because we have been taught in our school.

“My dream is to become a medical doctor and I know that it entails a lot of hard work and commitment in my studies. So, it is a good initiative by the organisers but I want to do more publicity so that more people will benefit from this next time.”

However, the Lagos State Coordinator of CHYDAN, Comrade Lanre Uthman disclosed that 50 more students/pupils

from both secondary and primary schools will be rewarded with N10 million cash prize in the next edition of the exercise that will hold by October and it will be strictly by performance.

He noted that since inception of CHYDAN in 2011, it has empowered over 10 thousand Nigerian youths in different parts of

the country.

Uthman therefore called on corporate bodies, international organisations, wealthy individuals and government at all levels to support CHYDAN financially or materially to enable it empower more youths and encourage them in quest for selfrealization.

Parents urged to encourage dance among children, youths

Nigeria’s Stars on Earth Dance crew at the 2014 World Hip Hop Dance championship in USA.

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amous Nigerian dancer, Mrs. Karayat Ameh popularly called “Kaffy” has urged parents and governments to support dance among children and youths.

Kaffy made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Ijoda

Dance Burnout classes at Body Rox Studio, Silverbird Galleria in Abuja.

She said that dance had grown and improved beyond mere fun and entertainment to professionalism, adding “It is also a way of maintaining focus and improving ones reasoning

ability.’’

Kaffy emphasised the need for every individual in the society, irrespective of the sector to invest in dance for moral and financial development. .

“I have been touring other parts of the country but have not been to Abuja for this, so I brought what I do to Abuja.

I came to inspire people to see music as part of life.

“My desire is to inspire people to dance professionally which is a way of having fun and getting people to be happy with themselves and enjoy who they are. We need to give our body a break, this class needs to change young peoples’ lives.’’

Making reference to PSquare, she said “with appropriate support, a child that has flare for dance will be very successful because dance is a major

part of them. Let’s team up and take dance to another level.

“My son is three years old and dance has made him amazing in school, dancing opens up their brain and helps them to absorb fast in what they do.I have watched him close and noticed that he comprehends easily than his peers. I also want to encourage youths to apply diligence in whatever they do, “she said.

The mother of two, who started professional dancing in year 2000, added that parents should encourage their children to do arts because art was an integral part of life.

“Personally I want to reach out to Arts Centres; I have helped and housed so many people. Most of the dance competitions in the country today can testify that I have thought them one way or the other both on

dance and how to survive,” she maintained.

Ruth Aske, one of the participants said that dancing enabled her to keep fit and maintain flexibility.

“I used to be very fat and shapeless, and people make joke at me. I do dance exercise at least twice a week,” she said.

Mrs. June Osagide, a business woman and a mother of three children, who participated, said her daughter’s dream “is to be a dancer’’.

“I have always been dancing, so I was invited and she accompanied and supported her.`I make sure I support my children in whatever they aspire to be in life.I want to use this medium to encourage other parents to support their children in their ambition and pursuit in life,” Osagide said.

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Young & Next Generation

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Celebrities lift orphans at KONAMII 2015 Leonard Okachie

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ome of Nigeria’s biggest names in the entertainment industry recently gathered to celebrate KONAMII 2015 inter-orphanage homes football competition and charity soccer fiesta.

The event which held at the Campus mini stadium, Igbosere, Lagos Island had superstar musicians MI, Seyi Shay, Naeto C, Solidstar, Ruggedman, comedian AY among many others show support for the orphanages who took part in the football matches.

With about 4,000 Lagos youths in attendance, the event featured four orphanages namely, Lekki Motherless Babies Home, Lekki, Love Home Orphanage, Magodo, Heritage Homes Orphanage, Ajah, Sought After Orphanage Home, Ajah.

Other activities at the event also featured several novelty matches including matchups between Team Konamii and Team Lagos, Covenant University and Redeemers University and a celebrity game pitting Team Chocolate City (MI, Milli, Koker , Don L37,) against Team AY Live made up of Rugged Man, Ink Edwards , Sensei Uche , Solid Star, DJ Lambo and Ketchup.

Covenant University and Redeemers University cancelled each other out while Team Konamii and Team Lagos also ended in a goalless draw.

Other guests present included Sexy Steel, Ink Edwards , Sensei Uche , Dija,

VJ ADAMS, Solid Star, Dj Lambo, Zamir Of LOS, Ketchup, Milli, Koker and Don L37.

Speaking at the event, Founder/President, Change Africa Project, Olamide Olabisi stated, “KONAMII was born out of a passion for helping the less privileged and orphans in our society by blending the idea of football, entertainment and charity to raise funds, provide gifts and give orphans a sense of belonging in the society. The ultimate goal is to give them a better future.”

From gate fees and a donation of 1000 Naira from each spectator at the event, the sum of 600,000 Naira was raised for the four orphanage homes as well as two desktop computers, one split-unit air conditioner, two flat screen television, foodstuff, baby drugs, clothes and other items.

Instituted in 2012, the event aims to provide orphanage homes with practical support through sports and improve their minds, bridge the gap between the privileged and the less privileged and

most importantly give them a better future.

The event is the brainchild of Olamide Olabisi, Gbenga Sanusi, Kola Lawal, Posi Lawore, Tunde Awodiji and Tofola Fabamwo, all of whom are undergraduates at the University of Lagos.

The event, which also included activities like ball juggling, mascot displays and a gift presentation was supported

by Integrated Trust, Black House Media Group, Hello Food, Uber and Bobby Taylor Company.

Guests at KONAMII 2015 inter-orphanage homes football competition in Lagos.

Science for Kids Transgender youth have typical hormone levels – Study Why is the ocean salty?

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ohanna Olson, MD, and her colleagues at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, provide care for the largest number of transyouth in the U.S. and have enrolled 101 patients in a study to determine the safety and efficacy of treatment that helps patients bring their bodies into closer alignment with their gender of identity.

Baseline characteristics of these individuals have been published on July 21 in the Journal of Adolescent Health and include a significant finding: transgender individuals have sex hormone levels consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth.

“We’ve now put to rest the residual belief that transgender experience is a result of a hormone imbalance,” says Olson. “It’s not.”

The classification of “boy” or “girl” given to babies at birth--their assigned sex--is typically based on external genitalia. Transgender individuals have a gender identity different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

The persistent distress and anxiety that may result from this dissonance is called gender dysphoria. Young people with gender dysphoria are seeking medical care at a younger age and in greater numbers than ever before.

The 101 individuals enrolled in this study include nearly equivalent numbers of individuals assigned “male” at birth but who identify as transfeminine (51.5%) and individuals assigned “female” at birth but who identify as transmasculine (48.5%).

Participants, who were 12 to 24 years old, identified a discrepancy with their gender of

assignment on average at about 8 years of age but disclosed it to their families much later (17.1 years). Living with this “secret” for such a long period of time may have a negative impact on mental health.

Thirty-five percent of participants experienced depression within clinical ranges. Over half of the youth reported having considered suicide and 30% had made at least one attempt.

“My goal is to move kids who are having a gender atypical experience from survive to thrive,” said Olson. “With this study we hope to identify the best way to accomplish that.”

Subsequent reports of this ongoing study will track the safety and efficacy of medical intervention as well as the impact of intervention on quality of life, high-risk behaviours, suicidality and depression.

Source: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

Bar beach, Lagos.

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ou may know that the oceans cover about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, and that about 97 percent of all water on and in the Earth is saline—there’s a lot of salty water on our planet. By some estimates, if the salt in the ocean could be removed and spread evenly over the Earth’s land surface it would form a layer more than 500 feet (166 meters) thick, about the height of a 40-story office building (NOAA).

But, where did all this salt come from? If you get into folk stories and mythology you will see that almost every culture has a story explaining how the oceans became salty. The answer is really very simple. Salt in the ocean comes from rocks on land. Here’s how it works: The rain that falls on the land contains some dissolved carbon dioxide from the surrounding air. This causes the rainwater to be slightly acidic due to carbonic acid. The rain physically erodes the rock and the acids chemically break down the rocks and carries salts and minerals along in a dissolved state as ions.

The ions in the runoff are carried to the streams and rivers and then to the ocean. Many of the dissolved ions are used by organisms in the ocean and are removed from the water. Others are not used up and are left for long periods of time where their concentrations increase over time.

The two ions that are present most often in seawater are chloride and sodium. These two make up over 90% of all dissolved ions in seawater. By the way, the concentration of salt in seawater (salinity) is about 35 parts per thousand. In other words, about 35 of 1,000 (3.5%) of the weight of seawater comes from the dissolved salts; in a cubic mile of seawater the weight of the salt, as sodium chloride, would be about 120

million tons . And, just so you don’t think seawater is worthless, a cubic mile of it also can contain up to 25 pounds of gold (at a concentration of 0.000005 parts per million). Before you go out and try alchemy on seawater, though, just think about how big a cubic mile is (1 cubic mile contains 1,101,117,147,000 gallons!).

Rivers and surface runoff are not the only source of dissolved salts. Hydrothermal vents are recently-discovered features on the crest of oceanic ridges that contribute dissolved minerals to the oceans.

These vents are the exit point on the ocean floor from which sea water that has seeped into the rocks of the oceanic crust has become hotter, has dissolved some of the minerals from the crust, and then flows back into the ocean. With the hot water comes large amounts of dissolved minerals.

Estimates of the amount of hydrothermal fluids now flowing from these vents indicate that the entire volume of the oceans could seep through the oceanic crust in about 10 million years. Thus, this process has a very important effect on salinity. The reactions between seawater and oceanic basalt, the rock of ocean crust, are not one-way, however; some of the dissolved salts react with the rock and are removed from seawater.

A final process that provides salts to the oceans is submarine volcanism, the eruption of volcanoes under water. This is similar to the previous process in that seawater is reacting with hot rock and dissolving some of the mineral constituents.

Source: Argonne National Laboratory and The University of Texas at Dallas.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Media

Thursday, August 27, 2015

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NUJ will ensure social media regulation – President Leonard Okachie

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resident, Nigerian Union of Journalist, NUJ, Mr. Waheed Odusile has restated the Union’s resolve to bring sanity to the social media in Nigeria.

Odusile, who have been speaking publicly about social media regulation, even before his recent election as NUJ President, said that online publications try to a large extent to operate within the ethics of journalism profession, but nobody regulates them.

“We are looking at how we will bring them under the control of the NUJ and make them accountable for what they do.

There are bloggers and those on twitter, you know them. Leaving them to their own devices has not been healthy,” he said during an interview with the media.

Asked how intended to execute the plan considering different platforms of

the social media, Odusile said: “Something is difficult to do does not mean that it can’t be done. We intend to have a summit to which will be invited the major players in online and the social media to discuss how we can develop the sectors.

“We intend to give recognition to the good ones, so that you need to check yourself if you are not on our list. We will project those on our list as the practitioners we can vouch for.”

The NUJ President also decried the activities of quacks, which have bedevilled the noble profession but regretted lack of legal frame work to address such menace.

He stated thus: “We have a peculiar problem with handling quack journalists legally. While quacks in other professions are punished by law, it is not so in journalism. We have a committee charged with tackling quack journalists.

Each state council of the NUJ has that committee.

Online publisher in court over defamation P ublisher of a news website, Naijahottestgist.com, has been arraigned by the police before a Federal High Court, Lagos for allegedly publishing a defamatory story against the Managing Director of Fidelity bank PLC. The accused, Seun Oloketuyi, 39, is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on defamation.

The prosecutor, Mr. Olakanmi Omisope, told the court that the accused committed the alleged offences sometime in June, in Lagos.

He said that the accused, knowingly and intentionally, published a defamatory story on the internet against one Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank PLC. Omisope alleged that the accused published the said defamatory story in www. naijahottestgist.com, in order to annoy, and insult Okonkwo.

The prosecutor also alleged that the accused knew that the information he published was false.

He said that the offences contravened Section 24 (1) (b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention) Act, 2015, and Section 375 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecutor, however, urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody pending trial.

Counsel to the Accused, Mr A. A. Adetunji, asked the court to allow him make an oral application for bail of the accused.

However, the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Yunusa, in his ruling, remanded the

accused in Ikoyi prison, and adjourned the case to Sept. 1, for hearing Of a formal application for bai.

Section 24 (1) of the Cybercrime Act provides that any person who intentionally or knowingly sends a message which is grossly offensive or obscene and found to be false, by means of computer network, is liable on conviction to a fine of N7, 000 or three years imprisonment or both.

Bloggers and social media workshop.

In a particular incident in Abuja here, some fake journalists were caught and charged to court. To our surprise, the judge asked us, ‘Who gave you the order to arrest them or to stop them from working?’ In other words, there is no law to check quack journalists. Quackery will remain to disgrace journalism as long as there is no law to execute them.”

He disclosed that NUJ is reworking a bill that was started but got stuck, hoping that the bill would be made into law.

Odusile continued: “We proposed the bill to the National Assembly some years back. It’s called Journalism Practitioners Enhancement Bill. We appeal to members of the National Assembly to help us when we come before them with this bill. Incidentally they are among the ones that fake journalists blackmail to

get money.

“The bill contains provision against people who pose as journalists but are not. The bill also proposes that a media house must bank certain amount of money to pay salary and settle other staff entitlements in case of a default.

That bill was shut down but we want to bring it back now and make it such that journalism will be recognized by law as a profession in Nigeria so that breaches of the rules of journalism can be penalized.

“Part of the law will be that you cannot owe your workers their salary, that if you do, this is the penalty. We need law to do so many things.

“Broadly speaking, we need law to bring more sanity into how journalists practice and to protect journalists in the course of their practice.”

Defence of Nigeria’s image vital to sustainable reputation –NIPR Abiodun Nejo ADO EKITI

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igerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) President, Dr. Rotimi Oladele, has said that a veritable way out of the dented image quagmire bedevilling Nigeria is by embracing and properly managing the country’s image by going all out to defend its integrity.

Oladele said that building a sustainable reputation for Nigeria could only be achieved when citizens adhered strictly to the laid down institutional values and norms which were opposed to corruption.

The NIPR boss, who spoke in Ado Ekiti during the inauguration of the Ekiti State Chapter of the Institute, admonished the new members of the executive and Public Relations (PR) practitioners in the state to

be up and doing.

The new executive members are Prince Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu (Chairman), Mr. Stanley Familoye (Vice Chairman), Mr. Omololu Anthony Adesua (Secretary) and Mr. Kayode Adebusuyi (Assistant Secretary), Mr. Ayokunle Osakinle (Public Relations Executive).

Others are Mr. Femi Bamisaye (Auditor), Mr. Olasunkanmi Ekundayo (Financial Secretary), Ms Funke Rotimi (Treasurer), while Mrs. Bimbo Yusuff, Mr. Omotayo Peter and Mr. Wole Adeleye will serve as exofficio members.

Oladele, who is the NIPR Governing Board chairman, tasked PR practitioners to embrace the crusade of stimulating instantaneous change in the country’s economic revival which had been bedeviled by corruption and other societal ills.

He, however, expressed hope that “Nigeria is a sellable brand, only that all manag-

ers of government institutions at all levels should be committed to building a sustainable reputation for the country”.

Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Hon. Lanre Ogunsuyi, who pledged the state government’s support for NIPR activities in the state, however, challenged PR practitioners and the media to help in rebuilding the image of Ekiti State.

In his address at the event which was the first time the state chapter was officially inaugurated by NIPR President, the Chairman, Prince Ade Adeyemi-Adejolu, promised to support the national body to take the state chapter to greater heights.

Among dignitaries at the event were the Head of Service in Ekiti State, Dr. Olubenga Faseluka; the Alaaye of Efon Kingdom, Oba E.A. Aladejare; and the Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State who was represented by the Area Commander of Ado-Ekiti, ACP Adewale Harry.

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Media

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National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Obong of Calabar tasks journalists on objectivity Richard Ndoma CALABAR

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bong of Calabar,His Eminence Ekpo Okon Abasi Otu,the V hascharged journalists in the country to be very objective in their reportage rather than slanting information for material gains.

He advised journalists to shun acts of corruption and bias so as to build an egalitarian society urging report in a manner that their report would attract development to the state and the nation at large.

“If I do anything wrong just write it so that I can come begging and also go begging the public for forgiveness instead of trying to shield me” the monarch said, adding that it is only in truth that the society can become a better place.

Abasi Otu dropped the charge while addressing journalists from the Correspondent Chapel who paid him

Tamarsha Khanyile

Nigerian union of journalists, Lagos State chapter, during a protest

a courtesy visit in his palace in Calabar.

“Journalism profession just like the judiciary is always the last hope

of the common man”The Obong said.

Responding, the Chairman of the Correspondent Chapel, Mr..Judex Okoro of the Sun Newspaper assured

the monarch that he would do everything within his power to ensure that members stick to the ethics of the profession.

FRSC to create NUJ special marshal unit in Niger

Media Abroad

Respect media, South African editors tell ANC F

Priscilla Dennis MINNA.

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he South Africa National Editors Forum (Sanef) has urged the ANC to respect the media’s right to be critical, as the ruling party released a document outlining a “battle plan” to boost its image.

The African National Congress said in a discussion document on communication that it was under attack from the media.

This is according to the party’s National General Council (NGC) 2015 documents, which provide status updates on party resolutions made at its 2012 Mangaung conference.

Chairperson Mpumelelo Mkhabela said his organisation is “humbled by the fact that the governing party is leading a discussion among its members on media issues.

“Whatever the direction or conclusion of the discussion, it should be within the parameters set by the constitution,” Mkhabela said in a statement to News24.

Article Continues After Advertisement”We hope there will be due regard to the important role the media plays in society more broadly and in enhancing the quality of our democracy.

“The quality of our democracy is measured not only in holding regular, clean elections and socio economic empowerment (all of which are exceedingly important), but also on how the state respects the media’s right to remain critical without worrying about any threats,” Mkhabela said.

ANC members will meet in Midrand in October to discuss mid-term progress on aspects ranging from social transformation to international relations.

One set of NGC documents titled ‘Communications and Battle of Ideas’ particularly criticises the media.

“There is a ganging up on the ANC and the movement’s representatives by the media analysts, media commentators, the ultra-left and ultra-right forces,” reads the document.

Mpumelelo Mkhabelo

Article Continues After Advertisement”All the media outlets including unfortunately the public broadcasting outlets are dominated by the persistent attack on the NDR (National Democratic Revolution),” the document notes.

The party also slams what it calls “gutter journalism” and says media studies graduates have been exposed to a status quo that promotes “sensational reporting and lacks a great deal regarding development communication with little training in terms of government communication”.

The ANC , subsequently, says it plans drawing up a “battle plan” to “include engagements with strategic allies and other progressive forces that can influence media and help drive the thrust of the national democratic revolution in the media platform spaces”.

“The battle plan should help reignite the national dialogue and focus it on the radical transformation trajectory,” says the ANC. “The battle plan must encompass all platforms and provide creative and innovative ways of bringing about the mass participation of ANC cadres beyond the official spokespersons of the movement in order to set the agenda,” the ANC adds.

- News24wire

ederal Road Safety Corp FRSC has concluded plans to constitute a special marshal unit of Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ in Niger State in order to mobilize journalists for road safety in the state.

Speaking during a visit by the unions’ executive led by its chairman, Mallam Mohammed Mohammed, the state Sector Commander of the corps, Mrs. Susan Ajenge said setting up the special marshal unit for journalists will enable them play a vital role in becoming core players in the campaign to make road accident free and in turn, mobilize the public for same purpose.

She explained that due to the adequate reportage accorded to the activities of the corps and the

FRSC boss, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi

strategic role played by Journalists in the society, establishing the marshal made up of the practitioners will be worthwhile.

The sector commandant then enjoined journalists to bring to the notice of the sector any act on the roads capable of putting the life of the people at risk, while assuring, “ We will always see journalists as partners in progress.”

Against, this back drop, the state Chairman of the Council, Mohammed Mohammed immediately announced a committee to be chaired by the Secretary of the Council , Abu Nmodu to liaise with the FRSC for the constitution of the special marshal unit.

He added that before now, relationship between the union and the FRSC has been cordial, while also pledging to continue the same with the sector commander, being the first female to head the command.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Broad Street Diary

Thursday, August 27, 2015

47

Appeal Court affirms Ambode’s election Wale Igbintade

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ourt of Appeal sitting in Lagos yesterday affirmed the verdict of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld the declaration of Akinwunmi Ambode as winner of the April 11, 2015, governorship election.

The appellate court aligned with the July 1, 2015, decision of the Justice Muhammad Sijaro-led tribunal, which declared as incompetent and therefore struck out the petition by the second runner-up in the said election, Jimi Agbaje, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The three-man tribunal in their ruling, which upheld Ambode’s victory, ruled that: “In the instant petition, apart from seeking an order nullifying the election of the second respondent, the petitioner did not ask for an order for fresh election.

“So if, for instance, the election is nullified, the people of Lagos State will be left in anarchy as no order can validly be made for the conduct of fresh election, same having not been sought for.

“Where such a prayer is lacking, the petition will be incompetent and academic as even the resolution of such a petition in favour of the petitioner will not confer any utilitarian value on the petitioner(s).”

Again, at the Court of Appeal yesterday, the five-man appeal panel did not only dismiss Agbaje’s appeal on the grounds of incompetence but also ordered him to compensate each of the respondents in the sum of N50,000 each.

Ambode was returned winner of the April 11, 2015, poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having polled 811,994 votes ahead of Agbaje, who polled 659,788 votes.

While arguing Ambode’s cross-appeal against Agbaje, PDP, INEC and Resident Electoral Commission (REC) before the upper court, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) submitted that Agbaje and PDP’s petition was “irredeemably defective” because it raised an issue that had no relationship with the reliefs they sought.

Olanipekun stated that one of the petitioners claimed there were “corrupt practices” during the election, which he said differed from what they pleaded.

Meanwhile, Speaker of Lagos

Ambode House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has described the Appeal Court affirmation of Ambode’s victory in the last governorship election in the state as a further confirmation of

Agbaje the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate during the election.

While reacting to the Appeal Court verdict, Rt. Hon. Obasa stated that apart from affirming

Ambode’s and APC’s victory at the election, the verdict also gave legal authority to the victory of both the governor and the party during the polls.

“This is a sweet victory and

coming from the Appeal Court, it is a further confirmation of the legality and authenticity of the victory of Mr. Governor and our great party during the election,” the Speaker said.

While congratulating Governor Ambode and the leadership of APC for the Appeal Court’s victory, Obasa stated that the decision of the Appeal Court was a clear indication that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has no justification to challenge the election result in the first place because they were beaten fair and square.

“The verdicts of both the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Appeal Court are clear indications that the PDP and its candidate ought not to have challenged results of the election in the first place because they were beaten fair and square,” Obasa said.

Speaking further, the Lagos Assembly Speaker said, “it is a sweet victory and I want to congratulate Mr. Governor and the entire leadership of the party.”

LASU dean says mass failure unconnected with Senate sitting

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uthorities of the Lagos State University (LASU) on Wednesday said the non-sitting of the institution’s Senate was not responsible for students’ mass failure in General Studies (GNS) and some other courses.

Prof. Kabir Akinyemi, Dean, Students Affairs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the prob-

lem with the result ought to have been rectified by former director of the GNS unit.

“The senate had reduced the GNS courses from six to four, while collapsing two courses; but the same content was still used by the lecturers.

“So, the problem is that the changes were not reflected in the university’s internet platform.

“All the students need do

is to get the right code for the courses, to access their result.

“Senate sitting has nothing to do with mass failure,” he said, adding that some of the students actually failed, but were just making a case out of nothing to blame the new director of the unit.

Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer of LASU’s Students Union (LASUSU), Mr Adebanjo Fatai, told NAN that

over 400 students had registered their names on the list for the mass failure.

Fatai said that since the result had already been uploaded on the university’s website, no solution was within the purview of director for GNS, except with the senate.

“It is only the senate that can sit to reconsider and upgrade the result before it is approved.”

Storekeeper, driver bolt with employer’s N4m diapers in Lagos

T

wo employees - Babatunde Tairu and Kehinde Bello - who allegedly stole their employer’s diapers valued at N4 million, were on Wednesday brought before an Ebute-Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court, Lagos.

Tairu, 35, is a driver, while a woman, Bello, 34, is the storekeeper.

Both reside at Coconut Avenue, Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

The accused are facing a two-count charge of stealing and conspiracy.

Prosecutor, Sgt. Matthew Ahkaluode, told the court that the offences were committed between February and August at No. 175, Kaduna St., Crystal Estate, Amu-

koko, and Ebute Ero Market on the island.

Akhaluode said the accused conspired and stole diapers valued at N4 million, property of their employer, Jacquine Wise.

“The duo went to the store and packed diapers without her consent since they had

spare keys.’’

The offences contravened Sections 285 (7) and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 285 prescribes a sevenyear jail term, while Section 409 stipulates two years.

The duo, however, pleaded not guilty.

Chief Magistrate, Mrs O. I. Adelaja, granted the accused bail in the sum of N400,000 each with two sureties each in like sum.

The case has been adjourned to October 26 for mention.

45 ships expected at Lagos ports

F

orty-five ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive at the Lagos ports from August 26 to September 12.

This is contained in “Shipping Position”, a daily publication of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The document said on Wednesday in Lagos the con-

tents of the expected ships were base oil, used vehicles, general cargo, frozen fish and truck heads.

Others, it said, were bulk wheat, bulk salt, steel products, containers, general cargo, bulk gypsum, aviation fuel and crude palm Olein.

The NPA explained that 17 other ships had arrived at the ports waiting to berth with

petrol, bulk gas, general cargo, frozen fish, bulk fertiliser and rice.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 22 other ships were in the ports discharging petrol, containers, bulk sugar and steel products.

Others are bulk soya bean, bulk wheat, bulk gypsum, bulk rice, truck heads, bulk sugar and base oil.

48

Broad Street Diary

S

tandard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, yesterday, launched new initiative to further reduce substandard products in circulation.

Director General of SON, Dr Joseph Odumodu, said this at a sensitisation seminar on Integration of SON’s e-certificates for processing SONCAP Form ‘M’ in Lagos.

Theme of the seminal is tagged “Trade Facilitation via Automation of SON’s Services”.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the initiative is a platform where cargoes coming into the country pass through SON’s e-certification to ascertain the kind of goods.

According to Odumodu, SON is targeting 10 per cent or less of substandard products in circulation by end of the year.

He said the organisation was able to reduce substandard products in the country from 80 per cent in 2007 to 40 per cent in 2014.

He said the organisation was targeting 10 per cent or less by end of the year.

“It is a project aimed at making life easier for all. The world is changing so fast and we have to evolve with it.

“The new system does not encourage corruption. The system is aimed at making trade easier, faster and at lesser cost as it would be beyond what customs

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SON moves to reduce substandard products in circulation

Trading on broad street in Lagos Island, Lagos, yesterday. does.

“Nigeria is a great country and as a people, we have to begin to look inward and determine the kind of future we want.

“We have crossed the rubicon and there is no going back.

“It is a new dawn and a new mandate. We are going to do it

to the letter,” he said.

Odumodu told participants that only Tin Can Island Port in Apapa was approved point of entry for importation of cables and wires.

He cautioned that anybody found using another port to bring in cables would be dealt

PHOTO: ADBIOLA ABDULHAMMED

with.

Comptroller of Customs Services, Mr Benjamin Aber, said the Customs was collaborating with SON to enroll its platform in the new system.

Aber said the purpose of the project was to serve stakeholders better.

Mr Ezra Israel, Director of Policy and Programmes, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), said FIRS was also partnering with SON to make tax payment easier.

Israel said the service had commenced administration in which taxpayers would pay their taxes online without coming to any of its branches.

Mr Joe Ajewole, Deputy Director in charge of Trade and Exchange, CBN, said the initiative was a major achievement because it would make transaction simpler.

Ajewole said the initiative would enhance business transaction in the country.

“Now, SON has made it possible for businessmen to transact businesses with soft copy.

“With just one platform, one can perform transactions without too much problem,” he said.

President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr Frank Jacob, commended SON for the initiative.

Jacob said with such a project, a businessman would do business at the comfort of his home.

Customers laud FCMB empowerment initiatives

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ustomers of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited have commended the bank for consistently initiating and supporting activities designed to empower the society, particularly its customers.

The commendations were made by Mr. Nkemakolam Egwuonwu and Mrs. Philomena Ewohimen, winners of N5 million and N1million, respectively, held last Wednesday across the country.

Speaking during the cheques presentation ceremony at the grand finale of Lagos & SouthWest Regional draw of the bank’s Millionaire Promo 2015 in Lagos, Egwuonwu, winner of N5 million cash prize, described FCMB as a true partner in progress.

According to him, one of the hallmarks of any responsible corporate organisation is the ability to maximize the wealth of its customers, adding that he was “proud to identify with the bank”.

He expressed hope that the Millionaire Promo would go a long way to turn around the fortunes of many people and therefore, advised existing and incoming customers of the bank to fully participate in it.

Also speaking, winner of the

N1million prize, Mrs. Philomena Ewohimen, said the day she won the prize was “one of the happiest days in my life. FCMB has made me proud. This money will help me a lot to further develop myself.

“Since I opened an account

with FCMB, I have not had any cause to regret and I believe I will continue to grow with the bank, because it has proved that it stands for the progress of the people.”

In his comment at the ceremony, a Deputy Director of Con-

sumer Protection Council (CPC), Mr. Joshua Nggada, lauded the bank for conducting the promo and draws, which commenced in February this year, “with integrity and transparency”.

According to him, “FCMB followed due process from the

Lagos NUT canvasses equal access to education for children

L

agos State wing of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) has urged the government to provide equal opportunity to children of learning ages in the state.

The state NUT chairman, Mr Segun Raheem, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Wednesday.

Raheem said the absence of adequate learning materials and infrastructure in some public schools within the state could bring about inequality of education standard.

“If we have good structures with government providing the necessary infrastructure to some set of students and schools, while other students and schools are not getting same fair deal.

“That to me is inequality and of course that is a cheating to those that have not got.

“It is our view that not until

every child has equal access to structures and infrastructure in schools, we will be encouraging inequality of education within the same setting,’’ Raheem said.

According to him, the collaboration among teachers, the union and stakeholders in education has increased the quality of education in public schools in the state.

He said the improved quality of education had restored the people’s confidence in public schools.

“The aftermath of the confidence has resulted in the upsurge in enrolment in public schools,’’ he said.

Raheem said that upsurge of students in schools had similarly brought about the need for government to urgently provide more structures to accommodate more students and provide conducive learning environment.

The union’s chairman, taking

a historical perspective of public schools in the state, said infrastructure development had not been commensurate with student enrolment over the years.

“When students outnumbered the available structures, schools were split into morning and afternoon session.

“That was what brought about the crash programme of Lateef Jakande, who introduced the poultry shed structures for school.

“It served its purpose as at that time with the number of schools we had in Lagos state,’’ he said, adding that as at that time the union had started encouraging government to implement UNESCO 26 per cent standard on education.

The chairman pleaded with government to urgently provide adequate structures for effective learning and growth of the education sector in the state.

beginning of the promo till the emergence of the various winners. We give kudos to the bank for coming up with this reward scheme and helping to empower Nigerians.”

Executive Director, Business Development of FCMB, Mr. Adam Nuru, assured that the bank would continue to champion and support initiatives that would enable customers fulfill their various aspirations.

Nuru pointed out that as an inclusive financial service provider, the bank will continue to scale up the level of our service delivery and empowerment programmes in line with the board’s and management’s values as a simple, reliable and helpful financial institution.

The FCMB Millionaire Promo is targeted at all segments of the society and for existing as well as potential savings account customers of the bank.

The eligible products/accounts for the promo include FCMB basic savings, kids account, Nairawise, e-savings, premium savings and third party accounts.

In all, a total of 1,932 winners emerged during the FCMB Millionaire Promo through three draws conducted in April, June and the grand finale in August.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

DFID to partner FG on war against corruption, insurgency Dennis Agbo ENUGU

U

nited Kingdom’s Department for International Development, DFID, has disclosed its readiness to partner with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to fight corruption, insurgency and enthrone social justice in the country.

The agency said it was still willing to continue the existing partnership with both the federal and state governments in the task of building capacity, giving voice to the people and eliminate diseases in the country.

Head of DFID in Nigeria, Mr. Ben Mellor, made the disclosure while speaking at the official commissioning of the new South East/ South South zonal office of DFID in Enugu.

He explained that DFID in Nigeria is in partnership with some of the state governments in its commitment to enhance pace of development and good governance, which he described as the strongest of such relationship in Africa.

In her opening address, Olachi Chuks Ronne, DFID regional coordinator for South East/South South

South East

Thursday, August 27, 2015

zones, said the organisation has worked closely with the various state governments in the zone from 2001 to the present time, especially in Anambra and Enugu states, in policy formation, economic strategies geared towards alleviating poverty among rural dwellers and improving the health of the citizens.

Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Cecelia Ezeilo, commended DFID for its contributions in the sustenance of democratic process in the state, as well as welfare of the people.

Ugwuanyi noted that DFID recently conducted an induction seminar for elected officials in the state on how to stir good governance, while it also refurbished the state high court through one of its development agencies, ‘Justice for All’.

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, who was represented by Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, expressed gratitude to DFID for its contribution in achieving the development goals of the various administrations in the state since 2001.

49

Police nab ritual killer over murder …week-old baby bought for N100,000

Chris Njoku OWERRI

H

omicide squad of Imo State Police Command yesterday smashed a ritual syndicate in the state.

Parading the suspects before newsmen in Owerri, acting Commissioner of Police, Dave Akinremi, said operatives acting on a tip-off arrested one Joy Emmanuel, a member of the syndicate, who is a nurse resident at Amafeke, Orlu, and a native of Eziobodo in Owerri West Local Government.

The suspect, the commissioner said, conspired with one Blessing Emmanuel from Ini in Akwa Ibom State, who was delivered of

a set of twins to sell one of the babies to a native doctor for N100,000.

Other members of the syndicate arrested, according to the commissioner, include Basilia Okeke, a native of Umuegbe, Amafeke, Orlu; Ijeoma Ebuke, native of Umueze-ugah in Anambra State, but residing at Akwakuma, Okpru Orlu, Willi Emmanuel of Okpotong in Ini, Akwa Ibom State; Kate Nwachukwu, of Amauzari, Amaraku in Isiala-Mbano, but resident at Ebenese Umueze-Nnachi, Ihiama, Orlu; and Ifeoma Ebemere of Umudu Amafeke, Orlu.

Also, the commissioner said the command, following a tip-off arrested one Samuel Ngozi, a native of

Isiala Ngwa South in Abia State, who claimed to be a senior Army officer of the rank of major, while terrorising citizens of Nekede in Owerri West. He said the suspect was arrested in army uniform and was found to be a fake officer, pointing out that the suspect would soon be charged to court for impersonation and attempt to commit felony.

He paraded over 20 suspects involved in various crimes, including armed robbery.

He said acting on information, operatives of the command arrested a 33 year-old leader of a gang, specialising in car snatching, Kelechi Ogbonna, who is a native of Amaeze, in

Isiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State but resides at Nekede Road in Owerri West.

According to the police boss, the suspect who is a specialist in removing cars from where they were parked with an extraordinary master key, was arrested while attempting to steal a red colour Honda CRV Jeep with registration No LND 768FL belonging to one Mr. Ihewuba Oguzie of 3 Umez Eronini Street, Ikenegbu layout Owerri.

The acting commissioner further disclosed that items recovered from the suspects include the extraordinary master key and a spanner.

Imo govt bans cult activities

I

mo State government yesterday warned persons who engaged in cult activities in institutions of learning or any part of the state to desist forthwith.

Governor Rochas Okorocha gave the warning while receiving four Hilux vans donated by the management of Skye Bank Plc at Government House, Owerri, yesterday.

He decried the alarming rate of cultism in the state and charged parents and heads of institutions to monitor and caution their children against cult activities.

“You should give them proper home training. It is very unfortunate and regrettable that children of 15 years and below involved themselves in cult activities due to association with peer groups.

“Henceforth, parents whose underage children engaged in such activities will be held responsible for their actions,” he said.

The governor thanked Skye Bank for donating the vans, saying it would assist in the campaign against crime.

He assured the bank of government’s preparedness to partner with it in other areas.

Presenting the vans, the Regional Director of the bank, Mr. Chinedu Ochiagha, said it appreciated the efforts of the state government to check crime and other vices.

He expressed the bank’s willingness to partner with the government in its efforts to make the state safe for socio-economic activities.

Okorocha

Chairman, Esha Committee on Information, Mr. Paul Nnajiofor (left) and Chairman, NUJ Enugu State Council, Chief Louis Dilibe, during inauguration of the committee in Enugu, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

Ban: Okada, tricycle operators beg Obiano for extension ...protest police extortion in Onitsha

Francis Ekpone ONITSHA

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ommercial motocyclists and tricycle operators in Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest in collaboration with coalition of the Civil Society Organisations over police extortion and ban on their operations by the state government.

The protesters, who appealed to Governor Willie Obiano to review and extend the period of ban to six months, matched from Zik’s Avenue to Upper Iweka through Port Harcourt road, Owerre road to Ugwuta road and from Awka road to old market road.

They carried placards with various inscriptions such as: ‘Gov Obiano, give us empowerment as most of us are graduates’, ‘we love you our dear governor, please, extend the ban to six months’, ‘we don’t have any means of livelihood, give us alternative’, ‘we need jobs, please don’t ban us’ and ‘we will always pay our tax, please give us loan’, among others.

It would be recalled that the state government, through Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Uju Nwogu and her Transport counterpart, Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Ejikeme on 25th May, 2015 announced the regulation of commercial cyclists and tricycle operators in some

major highways in the state.

Addressing journalists during the protest, the leader of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations, Dede Uzor A. Uzor said the essence of the peaceful rally was to appeal to the state government to extend the period of the ban to six months to enable the operators find alternative means of livelihood.

“Most of us are married and have dependants who are feeding from us and that is why we are appealing to the working governor of Anambra State to review the regulation because the security operatives are capitalising on that to extort the vulnerable and innocent commercial tricycle

and okada operators,” he said.

Coordinator, Tricycle Operators in Onitsha zone, Mr. Odirachukwumma Nwigwe, appealed to the governor to help provide buses or cabs to make it easier for them to switch over to other means of livelihood.

“Over 80 percent of the Okada and commercial tricycle operators are from Anambra State and we are more than 30,000 in this state.

“We are willing to abandon Okada and Keke business if government can pay us at least 30,000 per month.

So, we appeal to the governor to review the regulation or provide alternatives,” he said.

50

South South

Delta PRP flays move to install nuclear plant Amour Udemude ASABA

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elta State chapter of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, has condemned what it called the proposed installation of nuclear power in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by the state’s party chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Odafe Igbini, and made available yesterday to National |Mirror in Asaba, Delta PRP said the pressure and call for nuclear power plant is not only unpatriotic and selfish but clearly an indication that some Nigerians and their collaborators were bent on destroying “our dear nation, Nigeria.”

According to the statement, “our attention has been drawn to reports of renewed attempt to pressure President Muhammadu Buhari to approve the installation of nuclear power plant in Nigeria. How can any sincere Nigerian advocate such weapon of mass destruction (Nuclear plant) in Nigeria when there are increasing concerns that enemies of Nigeria have infiltrated the Nigerian Armed Forces, secu-

rity agencies and the looting of weapons and selling them to the enemies of Nigeria?

“How can any sincere Nigerian advocate such at a time President Goodluck Jonathan had raised alarm of the infiltration of Boko Haram and their sympathisers into the Presidential Villa and critical security agencies of Nigeria? How can this be advocated when corruption and unpatriotic acts are on the increase, thereby compromising the confidentiality and operations of the Nigerian security agency?” the party queried.

Igbini noted that the motive behind the call for nuclear power in Nigeria was that the advocates only seek to justify the establishment of the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission even at the expense of the peace and security of the nation.

Igbini therefore demanded the immediate scrapping of the commission as according to him, Nigeria can’t justify wasting human and natural resources in funding the commission at a time the developed nations and the world at large are shutting down existing nuclear plants.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

DESOPADEC: Itsekiri youths task Okowa on Olu’s list

Theophilus Onojeghen WARRI

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overnor Ifeanyi Okowa has been urged to stick to Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II’s recommended shortlist of people to be appointed to represent Itsekiri nation on the proposed board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC. Itsekiri youths, who made the call during the

governor’s visit to the monarch, said they would resist any name aside those submitted by their monarch for appointment as such would be a plot to arm-twist the Itsekiri on who represents them.

National President of Iteskiri National Youth Council, INYC, the umbrella body of Itsekiri youths worldwide, Esimaje Awani, who disclosed this yesterday in Warri during a chat with newsmen, said the monarch is the symbol of Itsekiri nation and en-

joined Okowa to honour the recommendation by the traditional ruler, saying it reflects the wishes of Itsekiri people.

Awani said: “It will not be business as usual for government to overlook the Olu, the symbol of Itsekiri existence, in picking our representatives in DESOPADEC and related public organs. In the past, politicians hijacked the appointments, putting square pegs in round holes in partisan interest to the detriment of our common good.”

According to the INYC leader, Okowa having visited the Itsekiri monarch for consultation ahead of the constitution of the DESOPADEC board, should honour the people by appointing those the monarch feels would move their nation forward.

The youths also called on the member representing Warri Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Daniel Reyenieju, to impress on the governor to endorse the Warri monarch’s nominee.

Bayelsa govt, UNDP, NOSDRA seek end to pipeline vandalism Osahon Julius YENAGOA

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s part of efforts to end the menace of pipeline vandalism, a major cause of environmental pollution that threatens the ecosystem and human existence in the Niger Delta region, National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, and Bayelsa State government have begun a three-day interactive session with oil-producing communities in Bayelsa.

The programme, which seeks to find lasting solution to the menace of illegal oil bunkering, oil theft and other oil-related activities that threaten the environment and human lives in the oil-rich region of Niger Delta, will educate and create awareness on the dangers of pipeline vandalism.

Speaking yesterday at the programme, Director-General and Chief Executive of NOSDRA, Peter Idabor, said the programme was devel-

oped by the agency to engage stakeholders that hitherto have not been effectively utilised in efforts to curb pipeline vandalism.

Idabor said the event was also borne out of the “need to organise town hall meetings to educate and create awareness on the dangers of pipeline vandalism in the state to emphasise the roles of and responsibilities of government, operators, host and transit communities, community-based organisations and non-government organisations and other relevant stakeholders in addressing the menace.”

While thanking the Bayelsa government for its commitment to environmental management, the DirectorGeneral said the implementation of the phase two of the programme has been expanded as it seeks to cover 25 communities in the state.

Commissioner for Environment, Inuiro Wills, who represented the state governor, Seriake Dickson, canvassed the need for collaboration between the communities, government.

Amanyanabo of Opobo, King Dandeson Jaja (middle); National President, Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Mr Saidu Abubakar (third right) and members of National SWAN Executive, during their courtesy visit to Chairman, Rivers Traditional Rulers Council in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO:NAN

Bakassi returnees protest unpaid stipend Richard Ndoma CALABAR

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akassi returnees in Cross River State yesterday appealed to the state government to pay their monthly upkeep allowance of N5,000 to save them from further hunger and starvation.

The displaced people made the appeal during a peaceful protest to the state’s Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development in Calabar.

Speaking at the protest ground, spokesperson for the returnees, Mr Duke Bassey, stated that they were angry because government had neglected them by stopping payment of the meager monthly stipend they were entitled to since 2013, stressing that the de-

velopment had brought about untold hardship on them and their families.

“We were asked to leave our ancestral homes in Abana, our fishing settlement, because it has been given to the Republic of Cameroun, and to relocate to Obutong in Ikang (Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State).

“The government out of its magnanimity decided to be giving monthly stipend of N5,000 to each registered family. They also used to bring various food items including garri, rice and beans to us.

“But since 2013, over two years now, they have stopped giving us anything; and we cannot fish there and there is nowhere to farm. So, we are left to rot.

Our children can no longer

go to school.

“We are appealing to the state government to resume the payment to avoid casualties,” he said.

Reacting, Chief Security Officer to the ministry, Mr Egan Irebu, who addressed the returnees, said that non-payment of their stipends by the state government was not deliberate. He said the delayed payment of their stipend was due to the economic meltdown which had affected the state and advised the returnees to exercise patience as government was making arrangements to address their problems immediately it settles down in office.

“You should please calm down. The government is new, barely three months in office.

“The new government

has to be informed and we have sent a memo which he is currently considering.

So, I plead that you should give him some time.

“I am sure that, you will be paid as soon as the financial situation of the state improves,” Irebu maintained.

He gave an undisclosed amount of money to the returnees as transport fare back home to Ikang.

Ben-Ayade

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

North

Thursday, August 27, 2015

51

Fuel marketer to pay N16m fine for product diversion WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

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Governor Nasir el-Rufai, Kaduna State (middle); Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III (4th left) and others, during the burial prayer for the former Secretary to Kaduna State Government, Alhaji Yahaya Hamza, in Kaduna, yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

197 die, 739 injured in road crashes in 8 months –FRSC EZEKIEL TITUS BAUCHI

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ederal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, said 197 people were killed, while 739 others sustained injuries in 172 road accidents in Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states in eight months.

Zonal Commander in charge of Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states, Sir Luka Umar Ikpi, told journalists

that the accidents covered the period of January-August 2015.

Ikpi, who spoke in Bauchi, also attributed some of the accidents to poor attitude of road users.

He expressed concern over the alarming rate of accidents in the three states, adding that the command has mapped out strategies to curb the menace.

One of the strategies, he said, was creating aware-

ness among motorists on the need to observe road traffic signs and public enlightenment on safe use of roada.

He said the campaign had been taken to churches and mosques, so that a large proportion of the motoring populace could be reached.

The FRSC boss said Living Faith and ECWA Good News Churches were among the pioneer places that the campaign

was launched, adding that it would be extended to other places of worship soon.

“During the enlightenment to this worship centres, FRSC was able to reach an approximate 4,000 people in both Living Faith and ECWA churches and soon the commission will met with Sharia commission as well as other selected mosques in Bauchi town,” Ikpi said.

petroleum marketer, Iyabu Nig Ltd, Ayingba in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State has been sanctioned by Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, for alleged diversion of over 80,000 litres of petrol within two days.

The company is to pay a fine of N16m.

Leader of DPR’s Monitoring Team, Mallam Ahmed Gambo Fagge, disclosed this while sealing off the filling station yesterday. He alleged that the owner diverted supplies meant for the station.

According to Fagge, records available to DPR indicated that the station received 40,000 litres in two batches within the week,

Sultan, others attend El-rufai’s foster father’s burial

A

n Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court yesterday ordered that four men, who allegedly robbed, kidnapped and obtained N10 million ransom from their victim be remanded in prison custody.

Magistrate Oluwadami-

5,000 liberated from Dikwa –NEMA •Borno to establish orphanage schools

INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

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ational Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, yesterday said over 5,000 persons have been liberated from communities in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Zonal coordinator of the agency in the Northeast, Alhaji Mohammed Kanar, said in Maiduguri, the state capital, that those liberated were mainly children, women and the elderly.

They were freed in the recent military operations in Gamboru/Ngala, adding that they were previously cut off from civilization and the rest of the world.

Kanar said the people were virtually imprisoned in their communities as the routes to major towns were blocked by members of Boko Haram, who cap-

tured the towns of Dikwa and Ngala and their surroundings.

He said they were living on small rations as they were compelled to depend on livestock and farm produce without allowance for trading and commerce with the rest of the world.

He said a team of officials from NEMA and the state, led by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Alhaji Usman Jidda Shuwa took food and other items to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp at Dikwa town, where the people are being accommodated.

According to Kanar, some of them have not eaten for about three days and had to trek long distances to get to Dikwa.

He noted that after consulting with the SSG, NEMA decided to evacuate those in critical conditions

to Maiduguri for proper care.

Consequently about 500 are now camped at the Sanda Kyarimi IDP camp at Custom Area of Maiduguri.

He said the remaining 4,500 in Dikwa, are in need of drugs and other essentials of life, which Kanar will be delivered to them in the next few days.

Meanwhile, Borno State Government yesterday said it intends to establish orphanage schools across the three senatorial districts for those who lost their parents to the Boko Haram crisis.

Governor Kashim Shettima disclosed this yesterday, while inaugurating a 16 man -committee to work out modalities for the reopening of schools within the Maiduguri metropolis.

All public schools were closed down in the wake

of the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls who were writing their Senior Secondary School Examination, SSCE, at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok on 14th April, 2014.

Since then, only well-todo parents were able to enroll their children in private schools in and outside the state.

Governor Shettima who was represented by Alhaji Shuwa said: “The decision by the state government to close the schools was done in national interest and national security and I believe our action is justifiable in order to avoid the repeat of the abduction of Chibok girls.

“In order not to allow our school system to collapse completely and the students/pupils to roam about the streets idly, it has become imperative to find ways of re-opening our schools at least within the state capital that has be-

totalling 80,000 litres.

He said when the team visited the station, neither the petrol attendants nor the manager were on ground to explain why the product was not being sold.

Fagge argued that if a car buys a maximum of 50 litres at a go, it would require 1,600 cars to consume the volume of product supplied, noting that the closure of the station required explanation.

Eight other filling stations were sealed for either selling above approved price, ranging from N93- N97 per litre, under delivery of product to customer by attendants and lack of functional fire extinguisher, while one station was sealed for product hoarding.

come relatively peaceful.”

The governor said the committee has two weeks within which to submit its report, pointing out that almost all public schools in the state were destroyed by the insurgents, while others were in serious dilapidated condition.

The terms of references of the committee include; to identify the total number of public schools in the state capital, including those currently accommodating Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, advised government on how best these schools could be effectively used for academic activities; evaluation of internally displaced student/pupils at the camps with a view of distributing them to existing public schools in the state capital.

The committee is also to liaise with security agencies to provide security to both IDP camps and the various schools when they are reopened among others.

lola Olanipekun ordered that the men should be remanded pending advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, DPP. The accused, Hope EdetOkon, 27; Edet Enekonu, 35; Sunday Shonuga, 34; and Isaiah Unuagbon, 31; whose addresses are unknown, are in court on a three-count charge of conspiracy, robbery and kidnapping.

“I want their files duplicated and forwarded to the DPP,” the magistrate said.

Olanipekun adjourned the case to September 16 for the DPP’s advice.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuerhi, had told the court that the men committed the offence on February 25 along Ajah Expressway, Lagos.

He said the men waylaid one Mr Akintunde Adesola and robbed him of his phones and SUV Toyota highlander.

The prosecutor said the men tied their victim, put him in the boot of the vehicle and took him to an unknown destination.

“Adesola was released after the accused obtained the sum of N10 million from his relatives.

“They had earlier dispossessed Adesola of all his valuables valued at N3.3 million.

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

El-Rufai heads Kogi APC governorship primaries OBIORA IFOH ABUJA

A L-R: Secretary to Kwara State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold; State Chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Abubakar Ayinla; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; NMA President, Dr. Lawrence Kayode Obembe and Vice President, Dr. Titus Ibekwe, during a visit to the governor in Ilorin, yesterday.

Nigeria’s economy incapable of supporting population –NPC ADEOLA TUKURU ABUJA

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hairman of National Population Commission, NPC, Eze Duruiheoma, yesterday said with an annual exponential growth rate of 3.2 per cent, Nigeria’s economy was incapable of supporting the current population in terms of provision of basic infrastructures, employment opportunities and sufficient food.

Duruiheoma stated this in Abuja during a visit by participants of the National Security Training semi-

nar from Defence Intelligence Agency, adding that the components of human population impact directly on national security.

According to him, the security implications of Nigeria’s population are being manifested in the current challenges such as militancy in the Niger Delta, Boko Haram, conflicts between farmers, among others.

“All these require proper understanding of the population dynamics in terms of fertility, mortality and migration.

“Similarly, worsening unemployment and igno-

rance reinforce poverty and they pose serious security challenges,” he said.

He, however, noted that NPC’s data on occupation, education and structures of the population help the government to take informed decisions in the process of planned intervention in these areas.

The youthful population, according to him, poses security challenges of unemployment, social vices and the breakdown of family values.

“Other security issues in the demographic profile of Nigeria include rural-

urban migration declining availability of arable land as well as decay in social infrastructure,” he said.

He urged them to use their knowledge and experience to fashion out strategies and tactics for tackling the security challenges in the country.

Responding, leader of the delegation Air Commodore Peter Uzordinma Charles (rtd) said population is key to national building.

He assured they were partnering with other security agencies to provide solutions to capacity building.

Police commissioner confirms twin blasts in Maiduguri INUSA NDAHI MAIDUGURI

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orno State Police Command yesterday confirmed the killing of a soldier and two others when twin male suicide bombers detonated explosives strapped on their body at a military checkpoint

around Gomari Airport Junction of Maiduguri metropolis on Tuesday evening.

Police Commissioner Aderemi Opadokun in a text message to National Mirror said, “Yes, there was explosion about 2210 hours yesterday (25/8/15)

by Airport roundabout, along Maiduguri- Dama-

turu Highway when two suicide bombers on foot detonated Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, strapped on their bodies during questioning, killing themselves and one security personnel.

“Scene has been visited to comb and render the area safe. Casualties evacuated to the mortu-

ary as investigation is in progress,” Opadokun said.

The police boss, however, cautioned residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious movement to the police and other security agencies, as all effort is been put in place to nip in the bud terrorism and other criminal activities.

INEC inaugurates factional IPAC exco OMEIZA AJAYI ABUJA

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ndependent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has inaugurated the Bashir Yussuf-led faction of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC. The election that led to Yusuf ’s emergence as IPAC chairman held at the commission’s head-

quarters on July 24 in accordance with the provision of Article 3(A)(i) of the political parties code of conduct 2013.

Other newly-inaugurated members of IPAC committee are Dr. Breakforth Onwubuya - Deputy Chairman (ACD), Godson Okoye - Secretary (UDP), Razak Eyiowuawi - Assistant Sec-

retary (PPN), Ogbuehi Dike- Publicity Secretary (UPP), Samaila Sifawa, Treasurer (APA) and Umar Mustapha -Financial Secretary (KP).

In the July election, Yusuf polled 14 votes to defeat his closest rival, Peter Ameh, outgoing National Secretary of IPAC, who polled 13 votes. Ameh and his supporters had

alleged irregularities in the election, indirectly accusing the commission of taking sides with Yusuf.

However, at another election held at an Abuja hotel on Tuesday, Ameh was duly elected by 16 political parties.

The IPAC is a voluntary association of Nigeria’s registered 29 political parties.

ll Progressives Congress, APC, has named Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, as head of a 7-man committee that will conduct the primary election of the party in Kogi State to determine who emerges sole flag bearer for the polls scheduled for November 29.

While Senator Magnus Abe will serve as secretary, other members include Ibrahim Sarki, Mrs. Omorge Osifor, Mohammad Wali, Lanre Asiwaju and Greg Egwu.

Inaugurating the committee yesterday at the party’s national secretariat, the APC National Organising Secretary, Osita Izunaso, charged them to take the assignment seriously, adding that all state executives of the party in the state are delegates, who will be participating in the primaries.

“You should hold a stakeholders meeting first and introduce yourselves as those who are called for this assignment. The party also requests that you should reach out to security agencies in Kogi State

upon arrival, the SSS, the police and other security agencies upon arrival so that they won’t say they were not informed,” he said.

According to him, the chairman of the committee will be the returning officer for the election primaries, adding that once the exercise starts it must not be stopped half way.

“Once you start the accreditation, you cannot postpone, once you commence, you must complete and the winners will be announced on the spot. It is not something you will go and compile and come back, it is not allowed.

“The aspirants with the highest number of votes shall be declared the winner.

“I want you to bear in mind, there is nothing like endorsement, maybe somebody will say he has been endorsed, there is nothing like that whatsoever, it is the people there that will choose,” he said.

While inaugurating the committee, the APC Deputy Chairman North, Senator Lawan Shaibu, said members of the committee were carefully chosen to do the job because they are credible.

Tallen bags leadership award

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ormer Plateau State deputy governor and All Progressives Congress, APC, Board of Trustee member, Dame Pauline Tallen, was today the recipient of ‘Woman of the Year Award 2015, at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.

Other nominees to pick awards at the 10th African Icon of Our Generation Award 2015 included Dr. Catherine Okparaeke, former ICAN president; Rev. Mercy Ezekiel, co-pastor Pentecostal Christian Mission, Lagos; Engr Samson Opaluwah, retired Director of Federal Ministry of Works; Engr Florence Seriki (MFR), Group Managing Director/CEO Omatek Computers Plc; and Dr. Nkiru Peace Obiajulu, first female President General of Trade Union Congress, TUC. The yearly award is packaged by Accolades International in collaboration with the International Centre for Comparative Leadership

for Africans & Blacks in the Diaspora, a pan-African Development Organisation.

In a statement made available to National Mirror, the event organisers said Tallen, as were other recipients, was “duly nominated, adjudged worthy and selected from across the nation” for her leadership qualities and contributions to peace and nation building.

Former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State, Prof E.T. Eshett, delivered the lecture titled ‘Reforming and Repositioning Nigeria for true Greatness and Genuine Economic Advancement.’

Chairman of Award Committee, Dr Luke Okojie, when contacted said “the honour and awards are for the beacons and agents of hope, who through their zest and zeal for excellence” had contributed to the progress of Nigeria and indeed Africa.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Thursday September 4, 2014

AAG: Lack of funds scuttles Team Nigeria departure

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

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Sport

I don’t see Angola or any one posing a threat whatsoever to our march to Russia 2018 World Cup

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–Former South Africa international, Aaron Mokoena

Glo League Result 3SC

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Gbolahan Salami

AFCON qualifier:

I’m not afraid of foreign-based –Salami …wants Norwegian Embassy to release his passport

Joel Ajay ABUJA

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head of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match between Nigeria and Tanzania on September 5 in Dares Salam, Warri Wolves striker, Gbolahan Salami, has expressed his readiness to give his foreignbased colleagues stiff competition for a starting shirt.

Gbolahan, who scored against Chad in the Super Eagles 2-0 win in June in Kaduna under Coach Stephen Keshi, told National Mirror that he was determined to establish himself in the team of new helmsman, Coach Sunday Oliseh, adding that he was not afraid of the likes of recalled Emem Eduok and Anthony Ujah

that could pose a threat to his ambition.

“I think nobody can challenge me in my position. Even if Cristian Ronaldo is invited to the Super Eagles, he needs to fight for his jersey before he can be guaranteed a place in the team. Everyone is in this team to wrestle for his place that was what the coach said.

“There is no automatic shirt for anybody. And so I’m not afraid of anybody coming from Europe or anywhere. For me, I believe we will beat Tanzania in their home ground. We will go out there with one mind to fight hard. No matter the antics of any one, including the referee or home fans, our resolve is to go and get maximum points,” said the player referred to as Mario Balotelli because of his controversial nature while on the

pitch.

Despite Coach Oliseh’s earlier decision to select only five home-based players for the AFCON 2017 qualifying battle in Dares Salam, another home-based player, Oghenekaro Etebo, believes he has what it takes to make the final 23man list expected to be unveiled middle of next week as the Europe-based invitees will hit camp on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Gbolahan Salami’s plans of featuring in the AFCON qualifier against the Taifa Stars inTanzania may hit the rocks if nothing is done to get his international passport out of the Norwegian Embassy in Abuja.

National Mirror learnt that Salami submitted his passport at the embassy after his agent reportedly got him a con-

tract with a club in their top flight league with the hope that the deal would be concluded before the end of the August transfer window.

However, the three weeks stipulated for the visa to be ready has elapsed with no word from the embassy that the visa is ready and this, apart from frustrating the striker, is threatening his chances of making Coach Oliseh’s cut for the September 5 match in Dares Salam and the friendly against Niger in Port Harcourt on September 9.

The NFF confirmed on Tuesday that the Eagles and Taifa Stars clash will kick-off at 2.30pm Nigerian time (4.30pm local time) inside the natural grass turf of the Tanzania National Stadium in Dares Salam.

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Thursday, August 27, 2015

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NNL: Atete boss preaches fair officiating

Balotelli Atete

Loanee Balotelli bids Reds ‘farewell’ R

elieved Liverpool striker, Mario Balotelli, yesterday said farewell to the Reds’ fans after he returned to Italy.

The 25-year-old striker underwent a medical at the San Siro on Tuesday but AC Milan is yet to confirm the loan

deal’s completion.

Balotelli struggled for form in his first season at Anfield and scored just one Premier League goal last season after his £16m move from Milan.

“I’m grateful to Liverpool FC and Liverpool fans for the time and opportunities you

gave me,” he said.

“It’s not a goodbye but rather a farewell. I’ll be supporting you guys all the way in every competition, unless you face AC Milan.”

Balotelli will be required to have a good behaviour clause inserted into his con-

tract with Milan if his loan deal from Liverpool is to go through, according to reports in Italy.

Reports in Italy suggest that Milan’s Chief Executive, Adriano Galliani, gave Balotelli the ‘soft landing’ to resuscitate his career.

k c a r t k bac

s r u o Sp n i h a r e B n o M

anagement of Tottenham Hotspur has expressed reservations about making a third bid for West Brom forward Saido Berahino, according to reports.

Spurs Manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is now thought to be considering alternative options as he looks to strengthen his strike force.

Spurs have already had two offers for Berahino, the most recent one being worth £21m, rejected by The Hawthorns club who value him at closer to £30m.

Relations between the two sides

have been strained since Spurs first moved to try to sign the England U-21 international and senior squad member.

Berahino submitted a written transfer request after the first bid of £18m was thrown out and he was dropped from West Brom’s squad for their 3-2 defeat to Premier League champions Chelsea.

The 22-year-old also missed his team’s Capital One Cup victory against Port Vale on Tuesday night and it remains to be seen if he will feature against Stoke on Saturday.

Berahino

Ifeanyi Eduzor

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s teams jostle for promotion ticket to next season’s GLO Premier League, management of Atete FC of Warri has appealed to the Nigeria National League to ensure adequate monitoring of the last two matches with a view to avoiding foul play.

Chairman of the Club, Julius Atete, told National Mirror yesterday that the Emeka Inyamaled NNL board should appoint the best referees to handle the matches in order that the best four teams gain promotion to the elite division.

“Only the most qualified referees should be appointed at this stage of the competition,” Atete, whose club is in contention for promotion and is second to MFM FC on the Group B log, said.

“Many club managements will be desperate to gain promotion and as such may offer financial inducements to match officials or even get involved in unwholesome alliances with some clubs,” he warned, stressing, “The board should ensure there is no biased officiating in favour of clubs seeking promotion or struggling to avoid relegation.

Atete FC will be guest of Akwa Starlets in this weekend fixtures while MFM will be away to Insurance of Benin.

National Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Sports

Thursday, August 27, 2015

55

AAG: Lack of funds scuttles Team Nigeria departure Joel Ajayi ABUJA

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Quater final fixtures Omala LGA

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Pharaohs suffer Gomaa blow

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hly’s midfielder, Saleh Gomaa, has been ruled out of Egypt’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier clash against Chad after failing to fully recover from a knee injury, the Egyptian FA announced yesterday.

The 22-year-old had been included in a 27-player squad to prepare for the encounter scheduled for September 6, before being replaced by Zamalek’s defensive midfielder Tarek Hamed.

Pharaohs’ Coach Hector Cuper called up seven foreign-

based professionals, putting his faith in a majority of locals, including 18 players from Cairo clubs Ahly and Zamalek.

The seven-time African champions resumed a training camp on Monday, as Cuper is set

to choose his final squad ahead of their trip to N’Djamena.

Egypt will be looking to secure a second consecutive win, after launching their Group G campaign with a convincing 3-0 home win over Tanzania last June.

Kogi Governor’s Cup enters q/finals Afolabi Gambari

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he 2015 Kogi State Governor’s Cup has entered the quarter-final stage with tricky pairings.

The revived soccer competition is being competed among the 21 local government areas in the state.

Omala Local Government will start the battle for the last four ticket against their counterpart from Igalamela in an all-Igala affairs between the two councils scheduled for tomorrow while Lokoja LGA will trade tackles with KabbaBunu LGA on Sunday.

Dekina LGA and Okehi LGA will jostle for

semi final berth on September 5 while the last match will be decided between Adavi Local Government and Kogi LGA next day at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja.

General Secretary of Kogi State Football Association, Augustine Ogunmola, said the semi finals have been scheduled for September 12 and 13 while the final is billed for September 26.

“Kogi State Governor, Capain Idris Ichalla Wada, will be Special Guest of Honor and will be accompanied by other stakeholders and government officials,” Ogunmola said.

The Kogi Governor’s Cup, which was last played about 10 years ago, is being revived by the Wada administration in conjunction with the state FA.

Governor Wada

xcept President Muhammadu Buhari intervenes, Team Nigeria athletes may still wait beyond their rescheduled departure date for the 11th All Africa Games (AAG) taking place next month in Brazzaville, Congo.

The National Sports Commission (NSC) had earlier fixed August 29 as the departure date for the first batch of the 450 contingent, but early in the week changed it to August 31.

However, National Mirror learnt yesterday that the N2.1billion approved by President Buhari for Nigeria’s participation in the AAG had not been released, even as the NSC DG, Alhassan Yakmut, and his delegation on Monday briefed the president on sports development generally in the country and the Brazzaville Games.

A top NSC official told our correspondent yesterday that Monday’s 31 August date is another tentative schedule.

Max Air will airlift the contingent of about 450, who will take part in 21 sports at the quadrennial, multi-sports fiesta holding between September 3 to19.

Egypt out of football events

E

gypt yesterday pulled out of next month’s African Games football events for both men and women, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

There was no official explanation for the decision of Egypt to withdraw from the AAG events.

Burundi (men) and Senegal (women) who were eliminated

by Egypt in the qualifiers were readmitted to the competition but declined because the notice was too short.

This means that Group B of the men’s event will only have three teams-Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, while Group B of the women’s event will also feature three teams-Cameroon, Ghana and South Africa.

WORLD RECORD

Most subscribers on YouTube As of 7 July 2014, “PewDiePie”, aka Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (Sweden), had 28,292,944 YouTube subscribers for his comedic videogaming highlights.

N150

Vol. 05 No. 1186 Thursday, August 27, 2015

Dele Momodu and his prophetic Pendulum: A review

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bout three weeks ago, when Bashorun Dele Momodu, Publisher of Ovation Magazine, showed up at Aso Rock for a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, one of the highlights of the visit was the personal presentation of the advanced copy of his book, Pendulum, A Book of Prophecies to the President.

As soon as this happened, tongues started wagging. “Dele Momodu is at it again,” some mused. But for some of us lucky enough to have advanced insight into the latest brew from the House of Ovation, it was deja vu indeed. At last, the much desired opus from the firebrand journalist and “loud for a purpose” publisher has finally berthed.

And what better place to give the world a sneak preview into this much anticipated book than the hallowed chambers of the Presidential Villa?

J

amaican athlete, Usain Bolt, yesterday had little trouble in qualifying for the final of the 200m at the World Championships in Beijing.

Bolt, who is looking to complete a third 100-200m double in the world championships, eased to victory in his semi-final in 19.95s

Guest Columnist

Sola S l

Ojewusi

Having thoroughly read it, I must confess that this book really deserves to be seen by President Buhari. It has been long awaited, and true to type, when this monumental collection of essays descended on the land, it came smoking, raining fire and brimstone and delightfully prescient.

Everything about the book is disturbingly yet intoxicatingly prophetic.

For instance, consider some of the 50 odd topics in the book: IN SEARCH OF NIGERIA’S OBAMA; BEFORE THE NEXT ELECTIONS BEGIN; MY 20 BILLION ADVICE TO PRESIDENT; COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF; BETWEEN BUHARI AND THE POLITICIANS; WHY BUHARI WILL DEFEAT JONATHAN; OUR LEADERS HAVE GONE MAD AGAIN; WHO IS DECEIVING THE PRESIDENT? BEFORE WE RETURN TO 1983, etc.

It was as if Bob Dee, sometimes after the 2011 presidential election, had conjured a crystal ball of journalistic prescience, determining in astonishing, often fearful precision the way the pendulum of electoral fate would swing in 2015. The simple truth about this book is that everything predicted by Dele and shouted on the mountain of his journalistic vision eventually came to pass. This is why this book really makes an interesting read. It’s simple, polemic, down to earth style is also a factor that would make it accessible to both the high and mighty and create a lasting buzz in the Nigerian reading circles.

Really, when the story of the revolution that ushered in a new political day in Nigeria is eventually told, none of the

DELE MOMODU HAS USED HIS COLUMN TO DRUM THE PROPHETIC MESSAGE OF CHANGE main dramatic personae would forget the sterling roles played by the ever-vibrant Nigerian media. But among the largely fair and patriotic reportage and analyses that really made a huge difference, the efforts of few journalists stood out. Dele Momodu’s column, Pendulum, published every Saturday by ThisDay, is among these outstanding few. Not only has this column, over the years, helped set many a national socio-political agenda, it has become the virtual weekend tonic for millions of Nigerians for its forthright, often unabashed opinions about varied national and international issues. Mercurial, incisive, passionate and hugely patriotic, Dele’s weekly opus is thoroughly intelligent and ready to tell the truth to anyone, no matter whose ox is gored.

Particularly, in the run up to the 2015 general elections, Dele Momodu had through the medium of his Pendulum column galvanized Nigerians to rise to the challenge of bad-governance, arrant corruption and impunity that characterised the polity, thereby inspiring and nurturing a strong desire for change.

Since 2011, when the nauseating national decay that would usher in a new dispensation began to rear its ugly head, Dele Momodu has used his column to drum

the prophetic message of change in the ear and heart of the government and the governed. He was courageous, even at the risk of personal safety to speak truth to authority and to call the spade of misgovernance a spade. In his column, Dele took on executive graft with such patriotic zeal that the fear of the Pendulum became the beginning of wisdom in the high echelons of government.

The column became even more interesting as the race for the 2015 general election began to assume feverish pitch.

Disillusioned by what clearly was the recalcitrant and irredeemable directionlessness of the politicians, Dele decided to pitch his tent in the progressive camp symbolised by the APC in his reckoning.

In taking this hard stand, he assured all that he would not suffer fools gladly and he was ready to take on any APC stalwart adjudged to have overstepped the line of decency, honesty and adherence to the ideas of democracy and good governance.

Indeed when the story of the progressives’ success in the 2015 election is told, Dele Momodu’s Pendulum will earn a pride of place.

In spite of his unveiled soft spot for the APC, however, Dele did not hesitate to recognise excellence among the opposition PDP, whenever one reared its head. A typical example is his effusive commendation of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State in this book for his development efforts in his state, or his rather generous appraisal of the controversial PDP leader, the mercurial Chief Tony Anenih.

It speaks volume about this patriotic journalist’s sense of fairness and his reputation as an apostle of politics without bitterness.

The book will show the reader that his sentiments and political leaning notwithstanding, Momodu is a true journalist indeed.

This pendulum is really prophetic indeed.

Ojewusi wrote via solaojewumi@yahoo.com

Sport Extra

Beijing 2015: Bolt eases to 200m final but again saw his American rival, Justin Gatlin, set the fastest time of the session.

Gatlin, who finished second behind the Jamaican in the 100, clocked 19.87s and appeared to be in cruise control for much of the last 50m.

The first of the three semis was taken by Zharnel Hughes, who reached his first international senior final with a run of 20.14s and is expecting improvement today.

“I just went out, executed my race and tried to stay relaxed and

get through the finishing line and I did that,” Bolt said.

“I was starting to strut out a bit, but you won’t be seeing that tomorrow (today).

“Think I have gotten in the groove and we can only see what happens next.”

Bolt

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