Monday, july 11, 2016 binder1

NNPC owes federation account N5trn l FAAC pushes for fresh forensic audit of corporation Abdulwahab Isa Abuja

T

he Federation Accounts Allocation

Committee (FAAC) has disclosed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is indebted to it to the tune of N5 tril-

lion over the last five years.

The debt, according to FAAC, was incurred between January 2011 and April 2016 and represents

the outstanding gross revenue from the sales of domestic crude, which were not remitted to the federation account, but withheld

by the national oil corporation.

The latest figure on NNPC's indebtedness to FAAC is contained in the special report prepared

by FAAC’s post mortem

sub-committee, a copy of which was exclusively obtained by New Telegraph over the weekend.

In the report, the committee noted that, while it CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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Senators, Reps lament cash crunch in N’Assembly Legislators, aides yet to receive June salaries Oversight functions, committee works stalled }2 Six arrested for Abuja female preacher’s murder 1

1. Widower of Pastor (Mrs.) Eunice Olawale, Pastor Elisha, in tears when the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, visited the family in Abuja… yesterday.

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2. The deceased 3. Mrs. Osinbajo (middle), with the children of the deceased.

4. The junction where she was murdered while preaching in Kubwa, Abuja.

Vigilantes nab six Boko Haram members in Lagos lUS alert: How we averted militants' attack, by police Viral hepatitis kills more than AIDS, TB - WHO

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NEWS

MONDAY, July 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Senators, Reps lament cash crunch in N’Assembly

Onwuka Nzeshi and Chukwu David Abuja

T

he economic downturn in the country is taking a toll on the activities of the National Assembly as cash crunch has hit the nation’s apex parliament.

The reality today is that lawmakers’ salaries are no longer forthcoming like in the past and oversight functions are being hampered.

New Telegraph learnt that the National Assembly members and their legislative aides are still owed June salaries and allowances. Some Special Assistants (SAs) to principal officers of the Senate were paid last in February.

A cross section of sen-

ators and members of the House of Representatives lamented that the cash crunch had prevented them from carrying out their legislative functions effectively as well as fulfilling their campaign promises to their constituents since their inauguration on June 9, 2015.

“We are not shielded from the economic reality in the country. As at today, my June salary has not been paid and I don’t have an idea as to when it will be paid. Really, the economy of the country is really affecting legislative functions,” a principal of the Senate told New Telegraph last night.

New Telegraph further learnt that the management and staff of the bureaucracy were not affected by the non-payment of salaries and al-

lowances, as they were all paid before the end of June.

Since the inauguration of the National Assembly on June 9, 2015, it has been observed that both the lawmakers and their aides had hardly received their entitlements in good time.

The situation got bad such that legislative aides were owed January, February and March salaries up till April, when they were paid backlog of their monthly emoluments.

One of the serving legislative aides, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said that the management of the National Assembly had not even paid the aides their duty tour allowances (DTA) from June last year when they resumed duty till date.

The management of the apex assembly also had issues with the legislative aides who served in the immediate last assembly, leading to the ex-aides staging a protest in September last year at the National Assembly complex over non-payment of their severance gratuity and DTA totalling N7 billion.

The legislative aides affected were those who worked with members of the Seventh National Assembly.

Some of the aides, according to inquiries made by New Telegraph, were those who served as senior legislative aides (SLA), legislative aides (LA), personal assistants (PA) and personal secretaries to Senators and House members.

The management partly paid the ex-legislative

Former President Shehu Shagari (left) with former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, when the latter visited Shagari in Sokoto...yesterday

aides by the end of January, while no specific date has been announced for the payment of the outstanding.

Senator Sam Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi North), in an interview with our correspondent, lamented that the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, had negated the first line charge status of the National Assembly, resulting in the institution being treated as ministries in terms of accessing its funds.

Egwu said that he did not believe that President Muhammadu Buhari was, in anyway, part of starving the apex parliament of funds.

He said: "Our salaries should be first line charge, but they are treating us as ministries.

The Minister of Finance should do her job properly. I am saying so because I have been in the executive.

"She was a commissioner in the state and probably she thinks that she is still there. I don't want to blame the president; the minister should just be guided to do her job well.

"The crunch has nothing to do with my family; it is only affecting my committee work. We cannot meet as a committee or go on oversight since there is no money."

Also, Senator Obinna Ogba, who represents Ebonyi Central Senatorial District on the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),

Sex scandal: Reps summon US ambassador, lawmakers, NHRC

lHearing begins Thursday Philip Nyam

Abuja

T

he House of Representatives’ joint committee on ethics and privileges and foreign affairs investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against three members of the House has invited the United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, to appear before it on Thursday, July 14.

The committee, which commences sitting on Thursday, two weeks after it was mandated to carry out the assignment, also invited the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the three lawmakers alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct.

It was New Telegraph that exclusively broke the story of the sex scandal.

Chairman of the joint committee, Hon. Ossai

Nicholas Ossai, who disclosed this at the weekend in Abuja, said the investigative hearing will be conducted in the open at Hearing Room 028 at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

Ossai had earlier hinted that the committee was working assiduously to put logistics in place for successful conduct of the exercise.

He explained that the delay in the commencement of the investigation was due to the absence of some members of the committee, who were on lesser Hajj to Saudi Arabia.

He said: “For now, the ethics and privileges committee is working behind the scene to ensure that it conducts a successful investigation into the matter in line with the mandate given to it.”

Recall that following allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against some members of the

House by the United States Embassy in Nigeria, the leadership had, on June 16, mandated the joint committee to investigate the veracity or otherwise of the allegations.

While Ossai chairs the Ethics and Privileges Committee, Hon. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (PDP, Abia) chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee. Both committees have resolved to commence investigation into the matter.

The Ambassador had, in a letter dated June 9, alleged that three members of the House namely: Hon. Mohammed Garba Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Hon. Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Mark Gbillah (APC, Benue) had, on a recent visit to US for the International Visitor Leadership Programme, brought disrepute to the parliament by allegedly soliciting for sex from prostitutes and grabbing an hotel housekeeper.

Ten lawmakers were invited by the US Govern-

ment for the conference held in Cleveland, Ohio.

Entwistle’s letter reads: “It is with regret that I must bring to your attention the following situation. Ten members of the Nigerian National Assembly recently travelled to Cleveland, Ohio as participants in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on good governance. We received troubling allegations regarding the behaviour of three members of the delegation to this, the U.S. Government’s flagship professional exchange programme.

1,934

The number of refugees and people in refugee-like situation in Yemen at the beginning of 2010.

Source: Blatantworld.com

£202,500 The monthly salary of Dirk Kuyt of Fernerbache in 2014/2015.

Source: Paywizard.co.uk

“The U.S. Department of State and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs received reports from employees of the Cleveland hotel where the representatives stayed, alleging the representatives engaged in the following behaviour.”

According to the Ambassador, “Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited for sex from her. While the housekeeper reported this to her management, this incident could have involved local law enforcement and resulted in legal consequences for Representative Gololo.

“Mark Terseer Gbillah and Samuel Ikon allegedly requested hotel parking attendants to assist them to solicit for prostitutes.”

Already, the Embassy has revoked the visas of the three lawmakers even before the commencement of the investigation.

The three lawmakers have denied the allegations.

told our correspondent in a telephone chat yesterday that the development was not unconnected with the lingering strife between the executive and the National Assembly since last year.

Ogba noted that it had become a tradition in the apex legislative assembly for the lawmakers and their aides not to receive their emoluments in good time.

He, however, stated that the situation did not affect him in meeting up his financial obligations to his family, pointing that it was only impacting negatively on his ability to fulfill his campaign promises to his constituents.

"The situation is no longer a new thing to us.

It has been so, but it is not my duty to tell you why it is so; you have to find out from the executive arm.

"Well, to answer your question, it may not be far from what you are suspecting to be the cause; that is the friction between the National Assembly and the executive.

But you can do further investigation and confirm.

"I can assure you that it is not affecting my obligations to my family because I was doing something before I came to the Senate. However, it will not allow you to fulfill your promises to your constituents," he stated.

He said that it was the responsibility of the leadership of the National Assembly to find solution to the situation and not the individual lawmakers.

Senator Samuel Anyanwu admitted that the National Assembly is facing financial difficulties.

"The financial situation is affecting everybody. I dip hand in my pocket to meet my constituency obligations. I believe that it is man-made and I think it can be addressed with time," Anyanwu told New Telegraph.

One of the legislative aides confirmed that both the lawmakers and their aides were facing difficulties as the economic downturn bites harder by the day.

According to him, the matter has been made worse because of the drastic slash in the salaries of the aides.

Since the crash in the price of crude oil and the resultant economic crisis confronting the country, it has been tales of woes.

"It is true. We have not been paid for the month of June. Legislative aides have not been paid; only the staff of the National Assembly have CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

NEWS

MONDAY, July 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

3

Vigilantes nab six Boko Haram members in Lagos Juliana Francis

L

ocal security operatives in Lagos yesterday said that they caught six suspected Boko Haram members at the weekend.

The suspects, Ibrahim Ali, Abubakar Ahmed, Babagana Ali, Goigoi Kamsalem, Ibrahim Mohammed and Adams, were arrested at three different locations in the state.

The head of the local security group, MaiKanuribe of Lagos and Seriki Hausawa of Ijora Kingdom, Alhaji Mustapha Mohammed, said five of the suspects were nabbed on Friday at IsheriOjodu, Berger and Victoria Island.

He said the sixth suspect was caught last week at Festac.

On how the suspects were recognised to be members of the sect, Mohammed said: “You know we are from Borno State, where these people also hail from. We know their communities. Our people back home do monitor them, and once they leave Maiduguri, we would be alerted so that we could be on the lookout. Once they

Legislators, aides yet to receive June salaries CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

been paid. But that notwithstanding, we are still going to resume work on Tuesday.

“For some of us, we are trying to survive but honestly many of our colleagues are not finding it funny. They cannot cope, especially those lawmakers that lost their election and didn't come back.

Some of them struggled for the job of legislative aides just to remain in the system but they are regretting now.

"There is no free money again. Some don't even come to Abuja again. People that were expecting to collect like N1 million, they cut it to N300,000 or N500,000. It is a very big problem. But anyway, I believe that one day they will pay it. I don't drink and I don't smoke so I am able to cope with the situation," he said.

A Special Assistant to one of the principal officers told New Telegraph that the last time he earned salary was in January.

“Some of us that are SAs have not been paid since February. The SAs are attached to the principal officers. That is why I rarely go to Abuja these days,” the source told New Telegraph.

arrive any community in Lagos, our members are always on ground to fish them out based on intelligence report. Once they are arrested, we hand them over to security agencies for further investigation and prosecution.”

The suspects were believed to have fled Bama, Baga and Konduga local government areas of Borno State, following military onslaughts on the terrorists in the North-East.

Mohammed said that Ibrahim Ali and Babagana Ali, who hail from Bama and Konduga local government areas respectively, were arrested at IsheriOjodu Berger, while Goigoi Kamsalem, Ibrahim Mohammed both from Bama and Abubakar Ahmed of Baga were apprehended in their hideouts on Victoria Island.

According to him, the suspects are now on their way to Maiduguri to be handed over to the troops of the Nigerian Army for further investigation.

Mohammed said his group was determined to protect Lagos from the ter-

£48,600

The weekly salary of Dirk Kuyt of Fernerbache in 2014/2015.

Source: Paywizard.co.uk

48.4%

The percentage of the urban population of Republic of Moldova in 2012.

Source: Un.org

ror of Boko Haram.

Mohammed noted that Lagos was home to many nationalities.

He added that he had invested and contributed to the development of the state since 1970 when he moved to Lagos.

Mohammed said the security group had presence in 57 local government areas in Lagos and Ogun states.

He added that several suspects had been arrested in the past by his group and were handed over to the director of Department of State Services (DSS), Shangisha, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, or commissioner of police in the state.

Mohammed added that some suspects were transferred to Maiduguri for

further investigation and prosecution.

He said that it was in recognition of his security activities that a Peugeot patrol vehicle was donated to him by the state director of DSS to aid his operation.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Command, yesterday, said it has arrested two suspected militants, who wanted to attack the mega city.

According to the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, the Command arrested two suspects who gained entry into Lagos, through the waterways.

She said the suspects were attempting to attack Igando Community, a Lagos suburb, when they were arrested.

The incident occurred

barely a week after the United States Embassy in Nigeria warned that terrorists were likely going to attack the state.

Also acting on intelligence report, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, last week, had brainstorming sessions with law enforcement agents, leading to beefed up of security in Lagos.

According to the intelligence reports, major hotels, Mile 12 Market, Third Mainland Bridge and Computer Village were likely targets of attacks.

Yesterday, Badmos said that the suspects were nabbed on Thursday and three guns and ammunition recovered from them.

She added: “Some residents of Igando alerted the police of the attempted at-

tack by the suspected militants, who came in a boat through the waterways.

Immediately, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, deployed his men to the area. Two suspects were arrested with some weapons. We’re working with every available clue to get more suspects.”

According to Badmos, the security of the area had been beefed up. She further said that the Command had begun investigation into the attempted attack.

Her words: “The police will find out who they are, where they came from and their mission. We advise members of the public in the area and other parts of the state not to panic as the police are on top of the situation.”

L-R: Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, Nigeria Stock Exchange, Mr. Adeolu Bajomo; Chairman, Skye Bank Plc., Mr. Muhammad Ahmad and Group Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, at the Exchange … on Friday

NNPC owes federation account N5trn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

had consistently directed NNPC to remit all revenues realised from domestic crude oil sales into the federation account, the corporation had always withheld part of the sales proceeds.

The post mortem subcommittee expressed concern about the lingering issue of unremitted crude oil sales to federation account

by NNPC and demanded that a fresh forensic audit should be conducted on the accounts of the NNPC. The new forensic audit, it said, should cover the period between January 2011 and December 2015.

The committee urged the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, to initiate the proposed forensic audit to ascertain the true state of the unremitted revenue.

In the report presented to FAAC at its recent session, the sub-committee noted that: "Since the issue of outstanding (remittances) had lingered for so long and the need to ensure

that all accrued revenues are paid into the federation account, the sub- committee resolved that a new forensic audit on the NNPC covering the period of January 2011 and December 2015 should be initiated and, if already in place, the Hon. Minister of Finance/ chairman of FAAC should help to facilitate the speedy completion of the audit so as to ascertain the actual amounts owed by the NNPC." A peep into the report showed details of NNPC's

indebtedness to the federation account as follows: Between January and December 2011, NNPC was allocated crude volume in barrels totalling 170,632,246 valued at N2.7 trillion, while it made payment in the sum of N1.8 trillion, leaving a gross outstanding revenue of N844.9 billion.

Similarly, between January and December 2012, the corporation was allocated a total of 160,173,448 barrels of crude oil at a purchase price of N2.5

trillion and it made a payment of N1.6 trillion into federation account, leaving an outstanding debt of N1.1 trillion.

Also, between January and December 2013, NNPC got 156,192,175 barrels of crude oil valued at N2.6 trillion and made payment of N1.5 trillion leaving an outstanding of N1.1trillion.

Between January and December of 2014, the corporation was allocated crude volume of 158,206,819 translating to N2.6 trillion,

NNPC Payment Gross Outstanding Crude VAlue of Domestic to FA (N) due to FA (N) Volume Crude Purchased (N) Jan - Dec 2011 170,632,246 2,700,450,049,923.90 1,855,505,601,451.88 844,944,448,472.00 Jan - Dec 2012 160,173,448 2,534,684,498,780.66 1,659,231,631,865.35 1,110,027,634,503.68 Jan - Dec 2013 156,192,175 2,657,209,731,508.19 1,551,935,625,000.00 1,105,274,106,508.19 Jan - Dec 2014 158,206,819 2,636,390,514,777.19 1,437,144,588,973.83 1,199,245,925,803.36 Jan - Dec 2015 157,889,648 1,676,739,619,423.71 987,540,806,965.31 689,198,812,458.40 Sub-Total 803,094,336 12,205,474,414,413.60 7,491,358,254,256.37 4,948,690,927,745.63 January, 2016 12,074,800 112,278,942,793.37 85,077,843,431.61 27,201,099,361.76 February, 2016 11,321,080 93,341,700,092.85 75,669,493,241.61 17,672,206,851.24 March, 2016 13,037,358 87,043,513,817.16 67,009,042,386.07 20,034,471,431.09 April, 2016 11,302,861 62,861,752,684.08 52,557,101,456.95 10,304,651,227.13 TOTAL 850,830,435 12,561,000,323,801.10 7,771,671,734,772.61 5,023,903,356,616.85 Year

while it paid N1.4 trillion to federation account, leaving an outstanding balance of N1.1 trillion; between January and December 2015, NNPC got crude oil volume of 157,889,648 amounting to N1.6 trillion, while it remitted N987.5 billion into the federation account, leaving an outstanding balance of N689.1 billion.

New Telegraph observed that in summary, the total debt, which the NNPC owes the federation within the period under review, amounted to N4.9 trillion.

The second tranche of the corporation's debt to the federation account covers transaction made in 2016.

According to the debt analysis report, in January 2016, a total of 12, 074,800 barrels of crude was allocated to the NNPC at the cost of N112.2 billion, but the corporation made a net payment of N85 billion, leaving an outstanding of N27.2 billion. In February 2016, the corporation

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

4

NEWS

MONDAY, July 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Kalu to Buhari: Revisit policy on BDC operations

…says FG must negotiate with Avengers, Biafrans Dan Atori MINNA

F

ormer governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to revisit the policy of his government on the operations of Bureaux de Change (BDC) in the country.

While supporting the sanitisation of the BDC operations, the business mogul declared that a blanket ban on the microfinancial sector would not augur well for the business community.

Kalu, in a statement by his media adviser, Mr. Ebere Wabara, called on Buhari to take a second look at the critical economic policy.

His word: “I appreciate President Buhari’s unflinching resolution on the re-engineering of our economy and the imperativeness of blocking all loopholes. Inasmuch as I admit that there are a few bad eggs in the BDC business, I also know that most of them are into genuine and transparent transactions bordering on currency exchange.

“I appeal to President Buhari to reconsider his stance on this because most of the BDC operators and their families depend on the business for survival, hence outlawing it will bring acute hardship and unmitigated suffering on all those affected directly or indirectly.

“A forensic analysis of the activities of the BDC

operators nationwide should be painstakingly carried out and those found wanting should be delisted while the revalidated and certified ones are allowed continuation with their official financial intermediation functions, as approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).”

The former governor stated that the Federal Government should consider the investment of the BDC operators and the social implication of the policy.

“Recently, the BDC operators paid a mandatory N35 million each to the CBN as part of their operational requirements.

Most of them must have borrowed to comply with the apex bank’s stipulation. It will be burdensome on these businessmen if

their source of livelihood is abruptly terminated.

“Apart from the social implications on family life, most of them will remain indebted to their creditors for a long time because of their incapacitation to service the loans, or worse still, make outright liquidation of the loans and meet other financial obligations.

“Equally worthy of note is the high level of unemployment in the country currently. Throwing the BDC operators out of their jobs will complicate matters and have far-reaching consequences on them, their dependants and the society generally.

“I passionately plead with President Buhari to give the BDC operators a second chance. With the sanitisation of their op-

erations as enunciated by the CBN, I am sure that, henceforth, they will not allow fresh bad eggs into their fold, as that is the only way to foreclose outlawing of their operations.”

Meanwhile, Kalu has called on the president to adopt dialogue in resolving the agitations by the Niger Delta militants and pro-Biafran groups.

Kalu spoke at the weekend in Minna, the Niger State capital, shortly after he paid Sallah homage to former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida at his Uphill residence.

His words: “The president has to negotiate. Negotiation is the answer because whether you fight with infantry brigade, you must come back to the table and negotiate. No doubt, we

Diocesan Bishop, Methodist Cathedral of Unity, Owerri, Rt. Reverend Dennis Mark (left), presenting an award of Distinguished Ambassadors of Christ to the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu, in Owerri

Airlines free to raise fares, says NCAA Wole Shadare

T

he Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has declared that all airlines’ tariffs for services rendered, which include fares, rates, add-on charges or terms and conditions of service, have been fully liberalised.

According to spokesman for NCAA, Sam Adurogboye, airfares and sundry charges have been statutorily deregulated and subjected to market forces.

While foreign airlines had raised fares on popular routes by over 70 per cent, domestic airlines are caught in the web of following suit following the decreasing purchasing power of many and the downturn in the country's economy.

The high cost of air tickets on international routes was caused by twin problems of devaluation of the naira and summer when airlines take advantage

of the volume of traffic owing to demand that far outweighs supply.

The devaluation of naira, which has affected cost of operations and high cost of maintenance, is forcing the carriers to tinker with the idea of raising airfares.

However, the aviation regulatory body noted that all air carriers or its agent are expected to file with the authority a tariff for that service showing all rates, fares and add-on charges, including the terms and conditions of free and reduced rate transportation for that service, as specified in IS.18.14.1.1.

Other requirements for airfare raise is for the carriers to obtain approval from the NCAA to introduce and or increase add-on charges or surcharges such as fuel, Internet booking, insurance, security and similar surcharges, prior to implementation.

Section 18.14.1.2. of the

Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) says all tariffs are required to be filed of 18.14.1.1 and shall be done at least seven days before the rates come into effect, except in the case of matching an existing rate for which no prior notification is required.

After the conditions must have been met, the NCAA would, therefore, approve the fares accordingly.

Adurogboye further explained that prior to the approval, all fares filed with the authority are subjected to breakeven analysis, adding that it is a continuous process.

He said that the analysis is to curb anti-competitive pricing and to ensure that fares are not too low as to impact on safety arising from inability to carry out prerequisite maintenance on their aircraft.

“On the other hand, NCAA will similarly in-

tervene if the fares are too high to avoid overpricing that will deny the teeming passengers access to air transportation.

“However, in 18.14.1.4, if an air carrier that offers a service fails to apply the fares, rates, charges or terms and conditions of carriage set out in the tariff that applies to that service, the authority may direct it to take the corrective measures it considers appropriate; and pay compensation for any expense incurred by a person adversely affected by its failure to apply the fares, rates, charges or terms and conditions set out in the tariff,” he said.

The NCAA, therefore, advised all airline operators and stakeholders to discountenance the reports and continue to operate on the atmosphere of liberalisation and level playing field the Federal Government has put in place.

have a very efficient army.

I am proud of our army.

We cannot leave our army to solve all the problems.

“President Buhari needs to negotiate with the boys in Niger Delta, the Avengers and also negotiate with the boys calling for Biafra.

Most of those boys were not born during the civil war. We need to educate them, though what they

are saying is right, because you have the right to say no, I don’t want to be here.

"The president needs to tell them why it is more meaningful to be in a bigger Nigeria, because the bigger the better. In fact, the president should annex Benin Republic, Sao Tome, Equatorial Guinea and make them part of Nigeria.”

NNPC owes federation account N5trn CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

got 11,321,080 barrels of crude valued at N93.3 billion, but it only paid the sum of N75.6 billion into federation account, leaving N17.6 billion as outstanding balance and in the month of March 2016, 13,037,358 crude volume was allocated to NNPC, amounting to N87 billion, while it paid N67 billion leaving a balance of N20 billion. In April 2016, crude volume allocated to NNPC was 11,302,861 amounting to N62.8 billion, while it paid N52.5 billion, leaving an outstanding balance of N10.3 billion.

"Members may also recall that the sub-committee had been carrying forward accounts withheld by the NNPC from domestic crude sales since 2011. The NNPC had explained over time that, the outstanding amounts include subsidy claims, pipeline maintenance, pipeline crude and product losses. The subcommittee had consistently insisted that the NNPC should provide details of how much claims were expended as necessary condition for it to accept such claims, but the NNPC till date is yet to come up with such details.

“The NNPC had also insisted that the outcome of the forensic audit on the NNPC would reveal if the corporation owed the federation or vice versa.

However, the just-concluded forensic audit covered a period up to December 2010 while the outstanding period covered by the subcommittee is from January 2011 to April 2016," a member of the FAAC post mortem sub-committee was quoted to have said.

Efforts by our correspondent to get the official position of the NNPC on the report was futile. The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mohammed Garba Deen, neither picked his call nor responded to a text message sent to his mobile line.

The corporation and its top management were, in similar manner, indicted in 2015 by a forensic audit conducted by audit firm – PriceWaterHouseCoopers.

The firm was commis-

sioned by the Federal Government to x-ray transactions of the state oil firm, following years of complain of non-transparent transactions in businesses of NNPC. Part of the recommendations of the audit firm include that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), the upstream subsidiary of the NNPC, should refund about $1.48 billion to the Federation Account for various un-reconciled transactions.

The forensic audit was commissioned following allegation by the immediate past Governor of the CBN, Lamido Sanusi that about $20 billion oil money was missing from the NNPC. FAAC, which is the custodian of the federation account, is a body chaired by the Minister of Finance. Membership of the body includes the Commissioners for Finance, Accountants-General and Auditors-General from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Other members are representatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), NNPC, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, as well as representatives of other revenue generating agencies of the government.

The body meets every month to consider revenue flows into the federation account and approve the available revenue for sharing to the three tiers of government namely federal, states and local government councils.

Additional revenues are allocated to oil mineral producing states based on the approved 13 per cent derivation formula.

49.05

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Belgium in 2000.

Source: Itu.int

N59.87bn

The total revenue of 2015 Government Quarterly Actually Collection from EDT for the 2015 Q4.

Source: Firs.gov.ng

NEWS

MONDAY, July 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

5

MDAs' restructuring delays boards, CEOs appointments

Johnchuks Onuanyim and Anule Emmanuel Abuja

T

he restructuring of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is the major factor delaying the constitution of the boards of federal agencies, parastatals and commissions and appointments of their chief executives, New Telegraph has learnt.

A competent source in the Presidency who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that until Aso Rock concludes the restructuring, the board and Chief Executive Officers’ appointments might not be released.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, at the assumption of office, trimmed down the number of the ministries from over 30 to 23. He also promised that the MDAs would be trimmed down.

The Presidency source stated that agencies like the Petroleum Products and Pricing Regulation Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalisation (Trust) Fund and others under the Ministry of Petroleum would be merged.

According to him, these are agencies responsible for subsidies of petroleum products and now that such subsidies are not visibly important, they would be merged.

"The Federal Government, in its plan to cut cost, would merge many parastatals and agencies,"

he said.

However, the source could not state when the merger would be completed for the Federal Government to make the appointments.

Every attempt made to get the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr.

Babachir Lawal; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John OdigieOyegun or the National Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, for comments, was not successful.

Buni had, in a short message service sent earlier, stated that the release of the board appointments would be made very soon.

The APC national secretary, in response to New Telegraph on when the board appointments would be released, said, "very soon".

The Steve Oronsaye-led committee on restructuring of Federal Government agencies had recommended trimming down of MDAs. However, the APC chieftains waiting to be appointed as board members or chief executive officers are grumbling and expressing disappointment over the delay.

Some of them, who spoke also on condition of anonymity, are blaming the national leadership of the party and the SGF for the delay.

According to them, the leadership of the party has not been able to as-

Abdulsalami to Avengers: Your action is causing hardship Dan Atori MINNA

F

ormer Military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has called on the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to embrace dialogue, noting that their actions have caused hardship on the people.

Abubakar spoke at the weekend when he played host to former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, at his residence in Minna, the Niger State capital.

Abdulsalami said that even the 13 per cent derivation allocated to the Niger Delta has been affected by their attacks on oil and gas installations in the oil-rich region.

According to him, “I have said before that they should really put down their arms and let’s discuss on the reasons they are fighting. Let's sit down and discuss.

"They are doing nobody any good. In fact, they are

hurting their area more than they think they are hurting Nigeria. It is their people that are most affected by the oil spill and all what they think they are fighting for.

"Now, because of their recklessness, I will put it, we are almost grounded in terms of oil exploration.

So, even the money that is being allocated to them in Niger Delta, that is the 13 per cent derivation is no longer there. So, who is suffering?"

He further called on the Avengers to give peace a chance to allow the country move forward.

He said: “Let us maintain peace, let us be our brothers’ keepers, there must be peace before any country can move forward.

Without peace you (referring to New Telegraph correspondent) couldn't have been here to visit me, or asking me this question.

So, therefore, let's give peace a chance and be our brothers’ keeper; our umbilical cord is together and cannot be separated.”

sert itself properly on the Presidency.

They are of the opinion that the party leadership was afraid of the presidency and could not suggest or send a memo to Buhari on attributes of good governance.

One of them said: "I left the United States of America to support this government believing that it is a government I can serve. I am sincerely disappointed with the delay in the appointments of the board members and chief executives."

Some other persons are also concerned on why the president nominated the career ambassadors before the politicians.

Another source told our

correspondent that powerful men who are enjoying the slush of office due to the absence of these officers want it extended and may have convinced the president to accept it as a measure to save cost.

Buhari had, in February, sacked 27 heads of federal establishments and chairmen of the boards, but is yet to replace them.

The president has, however, replaced those of PPPRA, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria (VON) and the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

He also made appointments of Director Generals for the National Orien-

£9,720

The daily salary of Dirk Kuyt of Fernerbache in 2014/2015.

Source: Paywizard.co.uk

17.02%

The percentage by which the total number of NSE Pension Index of the NSE dropped from Jan. 2015 – Dec. 2015) Source: Nigerian Stock Exchange

tation Agency (NOA) and the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The president, last week Monday, also reconstituted the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr.

Ibe Kachukwu, is to serve as chairman.

Our correspondent gathered that as it is presently, other functions that would have easily been carried out by chief executives of the yet-to-beappointed agencies and parastatals are being handled by directors in acting capacity who are now reporting to the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, the SGF and a few ministers.

According to the source, some powerful aides of the president prefer that the status quo remain for a long time because they are benefiting from the vacuum currently created by the absence of these yet to be appointed officers.

Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Aisha (right), with the wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr. Zainab Bagudu, when the president's wife paid a visit to the governor's wife on the death of her father, in Birnin Kebbi…at the weekend

Buhari’s anti-graft war not selective –Dogara Felix Nwaneri

S

peaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has dismissed claims in some quarters that the ongoing war against corruption by the Federal Government is targeted at members of the opposition.

Dogara, who spoke with journalists in Lagos at the weekend, said the reason why the searchlight of the anti-corruption agencies seems to beam more on the members of the Peoples Democrat Party (PDP) was because the party was in power for 16 years before its defeat in the 2015 general elections.

On alleged selectiveness of the war, Dogara said: “If we are talking about corruption, naturally, it will relate to those that had opportunity to serve in government. You will recall, especially, that the PDP has been in power for a number of years, more than a decade and if you were to weigh members of opposition that are in government now and had opportunity to serve, those that would have tendencies to engage in pilfering of resources, majority will come from PDP, except we

are not being realistic.

“Majority of the money that was stolen was channelled towards the PDP campaign. You know that the arms purchase monies, for instance, virtually everything was given for the prosecution of PDP campaign. I do not think a dime went to any member of the APC. We were all in government then. I can't remember a discussion like that then, but I knew when some of the funds were being given to some of our friends as well, but I believe that no one that is of APC stock was given that money.

“I don't think the fight has really been one sided.

If you recall, one of the closest allies of the president, I don't want to name him, when he was picked up, everyone was shocked that that man could be picked up. He had been one of the most dutiful, one of the people that is very close to the president, yet he wasn't spared when evidence was adduced that he benefitted from it and he had to refund the money.

“And recently, one of the closest people to the Villa as well, was picked up, he has been detained and questioned, some recoveries were made from

him and if the intention was that the fight should be one sided, I can guarantee you that if it were to be a case that would have sacred cows, these two amply qualify as sacred cows that should not be touched.”

The Speaker, however, said while there was no doubt that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to fight; the process has become a subject of concern to some people as the scale of the problem far outweighs the anticipation of the anti-graft agencies.

According to him, there should be more to the anticorruption war than arrests and arraignment in courts as conviction has a way of deterring people.

He said: “You will recall that the fight against corruption is one of the cardinal promises that Mr. President made before assumption of office. He had cause to say that we have to kill corruption before corruption kills us, and I know he is committed to fighting corruption to a standstill.

But the process of doing that has become a subject of concern to some people.

“The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is actually the agency, as we all know, that is in charge of

this fight and if you look at what it has done so far, there is even a discussion as to whether they are proceeding in the right direction and whether it is not time for us to sit down and do an assessment of how the fight has been in view of the fact that in the last one year I do not think there has been any major conviction.

“It has always been a case of this person has been arrested and detained and some things have been done or he has been charged to court and then the story ends there.

Whether if we continue like this, we will succeed in fighting corruption, only God knows. If the end is just to arrest people, charge them to court and thereafter nothing happens, no one is convicted; because conviction, even if you are not jailed, has a way of deterring people.

The fact that you are carrying that negative appellation as a former convict has the potential to deter people from corruption in the future.”

The speaker, who also spoke on the controversial Grazing Bill, said the House has halted deliberations on the matter for further consultations.

6

NEWS | national

monday, july 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari on vengeance mission –Fayose Felix Nwaneri

G

overnor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being on a vengeance mission, which explains why he is clamping down on members of the opposition political parties.

Fayose, who spoke in an interview with journalists in Ado Ekiti at the weekend, also accused the President of running Nigeria aground with his anti-people policies.

His words: “President Buhari is living true to type. If you look at the way he is governing Ni-

geria today, it is the same way he did before; by his appointments, by taking away the right of the people, by doing things without recourse for due process.”

The governor, who commended the Buhari administration’s antigraft war, however, faulted the process, saying that it is not being prosecuted in line with the law.

“Fighting corruption is a great thing. It is good but anything that does not represent the truth is simply corruption. You are oppressing some people now either because they are not from your region or because you had issues

with them before; it is a vengeance mission.

“I have never heard in the whole world, where you say that people who have issues that are not murder that bothers on capital punishment are not entitled to bail. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is harassing people to submission and forcing people to drop money. And when they get helpless, they would begin to say what they are not supposed to say. You want to go and arrest people and start looking for evidence. That is oppression.

You are supposed to have

concluded your investigations before you go and arrest people.

“How would you keep people in jail when they are not convicted yet? Nigerians don’t know that there are a lot of people in different cells of the EFCC and Department of State Services, suffering for nothing. What if at the end of the day the court releases them? Then their rights would have been violated.”

Insisting that he has no personal issues with President Buhari, Fayose said his criticisms of the president’s policies and programmes were borne

out of love for the country.

“I want to make it clear that there is nothing personal between myself and President Buhari but I want to make it expressly clear that what they are doing by cowing the people once opinion differs, is not in the interest of Nigeria.

“So, we must defend Nigeria first. The constitution is far and above any individual. The moment this constitution is being infringed upon, it doesn’t matter what they claim the person has done. It will consume the next person.”

On his alleged involve-

ment in the arms deal scandal and claims by the EFCC that money found his account was slush funds, the governor said he there was no time he had any dealing with the former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musliu Obanikoro.

“They said Obanikoro brought N1. 2 billion but I am telling you that I had no encounter with Obanikoro financially. No money was transferred to me from the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA). Money laundering or whatever they are trying to establish is a claim.”

$21.1m

The total amount of salary/winnings of Adrian Gonzalez (Baseball) for 2015.

Source: Forbes.com

Ex-NBA Chairman: Why Ogah should be sworn in

Akeem Nafiu

A

Former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), Ikeja Branch, Mr Monday Ubani, has called on the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the Acting Inspector-General of Police and the Chief Judge of Abia State to put measures in place for the swearing-in of Dr. Uche Samson Ogah as Governor of Abia State.

In a statement yesterday, Ubani, who is also the Legal Adviser to Ogah, said that in the light of last week's development wherein Justice Okon Abang of the Abuja Federal High Court, refused to reverse his earlier order sacking Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, Ogah remains the Governor of Abia State.

Ubani also dismissed as inconsequential, the judgement of the Owerri Federal High Court, which cleared Ikpeazu of forgery allegation brought against him by Sir F.N. Nwosu. He argued that Ogah’s conten-

tion against Ikpeazu at the Federal High Court, Abuja was the falsification of facts and not forgery.

Stating the difference between the Abuja and Owerri Federal High Court decisions, Ubani said: "Two things or decisions took place on July 8, 2016 at both Federal High Courts in Owerri and Abuja that require some clarifications to all and sundry. Sir F.N Nwosu, a fellow contestant in the primary election of PDP in December 2014 also took Dr Okezie Ikpeazu to court on the same tax issue. But in his own case, he made allegation of forgery against Dr Ikpeazu contrary to Section 182(j) of the 1999 Constitution as Amended.

"His contention was that since Ikpeazu was not qualified to run for the primary election because of the alleged forgery of his tax papers, he who came joint fourth(with 5 votes) should be declared the governor of the state as he and only Dr Ikpeazu signed the result sheet.

L-R: Product Manager, OTC, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr Femi Ajala; Permanent Secretary, Education District 2, Mrs. Titilayo Solarin; Astymin School Programme Coordinator, Mrs. Yetunde Adesola; Representative of Co-Curricular Department, SUBEB, Mrs. Ismail Magareth Morenike and General Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr Ola Ijimakin, during the 5th Edition of Astymin Brilliance Reward Programme in Lagos…at the weekend.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Onwuka Nzeshi ABUJA

T

he government of Canada has thrown its weight behind Nigeria in the current efforts to combat terrorism and insurgency.

This support is coming in the form of training and capacity building for security agencies in Nigeria to enable them tackle the challenges of insecurity and criminality in parts of the country.

Outgoing Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr Perry Calderwood, who disclosed this in a chat with journalists at the weekend

Abuja lands no longer for cronies, friends –Bello Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

M

inister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammed Musa Bello, has moved to check all forms of abuses associated with allocation of land in the nation's capital.

The Minister, New Telegraph reliably gathered, would soon put in place a Land Allocation Committee that would be vested with the responsibility of land allocation as against

the old practice where the Minister was the only authority allocating land.

Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Alhaji Abubakar Sani, told our Correspondent that the FCT administration under Malam Bello was determined to check excesses of the Executive, whereby lands are allocated to only friends and cronies of the Minister.

Land allocation in the FCT, according to him, would no longer be a one man show where only the Minister determines who

is allocated land. Rather, he disclosed that the Committee, when set up and inaugurated, would give the Minister all the necessary technical information and advice before allocating land.

He said: "The FCT administration under the Minister has restored the original arrangement of setting up of a land allocation committee with the primary responsibility of superintending over land allocation to individuals and corporate organisations.

Canada backs Nigeria's war against terrorism, corruption in Abuja, said that since Nigeria and Canada have enjoyed cordial diplomatic relations over the years, it was only logical that both countries would cooperate on critical sectors, such as security. He said that so far, about 100 officers of the Nigeria Police and 209 officers of the Nigeria Armed Forces have benefitted from the specialized trainings which the Canadian government had rolled out in the last two years.

"The Royal Canadian

Mounted Police has conducted various training programmes for the Nigeria Police, including post-blast investigation trainings. We have offered four courses of two weeks duration each in a period of two years. Each batch had around 30-35 officers. When you sum that up, it would be something over 100 officers that have benefitted from the training. Some of it is crimerelated, such as post-blast investigation, which is

NGE: Osun journalists congratulate New Telegraph MD Mojeed Alabi

P

rominent journalists in Osun State, including the erstwhile Special Adviser to the former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Mr. Lasisi Olagunju and ace broadcaster, Smollet Alamu, among others, have congratulated the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of New Telegraph Newspapers, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, on her election

as the Acting President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors. They described her as a worthy ambassador of the state.

In their separate congratulatory messages, they expressed their trust in Egbemode’s capacity to provide sound and qualitative leadership for the Guild, while also praying for her success in the course of her assignment as the symbol of the group.

specifically related to terrorist attacks. A good part of that training is focused on combating terrorism.

"I should also say that more than 209 Nigerian military officers have benefitted from training under the military training assistance programme in the last five or six years. A lot of that training was focused towards peace-keeping activities rather than combating terrorism. Canada has a lot of experience in peace-keeping, an expertise we can share with other countries. On that point, we have great admiration for the roles Nigeria has played in peace-keeping, contributing troops to United Nations (UN) and African Union peace-keeping operations," he said.

Calderwood applauded what he described as the "strong commitment" of the Federal Government to combat corruption in Nigeria, affirming that both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) have also demonstrated same commitment to the anti- graft war.

News|nATIONAL

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

ARG criticises ACF’s support for Buhari Temitope Ogunbanke, Wale Elegbede and Muritala Ayinla

T

he Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) yesterday condemned the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF’s support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s position that Nigeria’s unity was non-negotiable.

ARG, in a statement issued yesterday by its chairman, Hon. Olawale Oshun, said neither President Buhari nor ACF loves

Nigeria more than those advocating the re-negotiation of what binds the people of Nigeria together as a country.

The statement reads in part: “ARG state unequivocally that the unity of Nigeria is only sustainable by voluntary acquiescence of components ethnic nationalities. In our view, the problem has more to do with President Buhari’s conducts – utterances and perceived lopsided appointments – which appear to portray him as a north-centric President

instead of a pan-Nigeria President.

“Both the President and ACF need to take lessons on managing an all inclusive, pan-Nigerian government. We wonder on what consensus or authority the so-termed non-negotiable unity of Nigeria stands. Is it based on government’s ability to silence all dissenters or the capability to manage a diverse society in a manner that makes every component proud?

“Nigeria was envisioned by its founding fathers as a federal republic.”

Ambassadorial list: Senate meets Foreign Minister Tuesday Chukwu David Abuja

T

he Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs will tomorrow, meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, over alleged irregularities in the ambassadorial list recently sent to the Upper Chamber for approval by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Two members of the Committee, Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe and Sonni Ogbuoji confirmed to our correspondent that the Minister would appear before the lawmakers tomorrow but they could not establish whether the Secretary to the Government of the Federation would also be in the meeting.

The Senate had shortly before it embarked on

Sallah break three weeks ago, summoned the Minister and the SGF, Mr. Babachir Lawal, to explain why some states of the federation were omitted in the list of ambassadorial nominees pending confirmation in the Senate.

Onyeama and Lawal were also expected to make explanations to the lawmakers on perceived irregularities in the list of the nominees, including alleged selection of some junior officers in foreign service for ambassadorial appointment instead of their superior counterparts.

The Senate made the resolutions sequel to its consideration of a point of order, raised by Senator Joshua Dariye, who came under Orders 42 and 52.

However, the two public servants did not meet

FG: Only qualified teachers will make 500,000 list Mojeed Alabi

T

he Minister of State for Education, Prof.

Anthony Anwuka, has explained that the ongoing teachers’ recruitment would only be for qualified teachers.

The recruitment exercise, which is aimed at employing as much as half a million teachers to address the dearth of teachers in schools, he said, would only accommodate qualified and certified teachers to be deployed to classrooms.

The Minister, who revealed this while addressing the media during the speech and prize giving ceremony of the Queen’s College, Lagos, boasted that the teaching profession would not be allowed to suffer under his watch.

He said teaching profession was too important to be used for political pur-

pose, saying even those not qualified as teachers but employed through the process would not be deployed to classrooms until they are thoroughly trained in the art of teaching.

He said: “The teaching profession will not suffer, particularly under my watch. And I am serious about it. I am not for this crash programmes and our government will not in any way encourage the abuse of teaching profession. We will not send to classrooms, take my words for it, anyone who is not qualified to be a teacher because the danger of doing otherwise is enormous, which we cannot afford.”

The Minister commended the leadership at the Queen’s College, saying despite the enormity of the distraction created by the sexual harassment allegation, they have put it behind them and that all parties have closed ranks.

with the Senate Committee as scheduled before the National Assembly went on the short recess.

Dariye had while making his submissions, observed that the ambassadorial list was full of omissions and irregularities, and should be corrected before the Senate could consider it for approval.

7

Viral hepatitis kills more than AIDS, TB –WHO Appolonia Adeyemi

S

cientists have raised the alarm over rising global deaths linked to viral hepatitis. They say that such mortality have risen by more than 60 per cent over two decades - partly due to a growing population.

According to the findings of a study in the ‘Lancet’, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has therefore called on countries and organisations to expand vaccination programmes, focus on preventing mother-to-child transmission of Hepatitis B and increase access to treatment for Hepatitis B and C, to help ensure these targets were met.

The WHO hepatitis strategy, which was put forward in May 2016, includes targets to reduce new cases of Hepatitis B and C by 30 per cent by 2020, alongside a 10 per cent reduction in mortality.

According to the study,

viral hepatitis is one of the leading killers across the globe, with a death toll that matches AIDS or tuberculosis (TB).

WHO estimates that hepatitis infections and their complications led to 1.45 million deaths in 2013 - despite the existence of vaccines and treatments.

Similarly, the data shows that there were 1.2 million AIDS-related deaths in 2014, while TB led to 1.5 million deaths.

Deaths from diseases such as TB and malaria have dropped, the world body stated.

Data from WHO estimates that worldwide, 400 million people are living with Hepatitis B or C and between 130 to 150 million people globally have chronic Hepatitis C infection. Hepatitis causes 80

$400,000

The total amount from endorsements of Adrian Gonzalez (Baseball) for 2015.

Source: Forbes.com

per cent of liver cancer deaths, the study shows.

Hepatitis is a disease of the liver characterised by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ.

Dr. Graham Cooke of Imperial College London described the findings as startling.

He said: “Although there are effective treatments and vaccines for viral hepatitis, there is very little money invested in getting these to patients especially compared to malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB. “We have tools at our disposal to treat this disease we have vaccines to treat hepatitis A and B and we have new treatments for C. “However, the price of new medicines is beyond the reach of any country - rich or poor.”

20.7

The annual mortality rate (per 100,000) due to Alzheimer’s Disease in Texas State in 2010.

Source: Alz.org

Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan (middle), with priests and parishioners, during the dedication of St. Paul Catholic Church Building, at Gwagwalada in Abuja… yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

PDP seeks impartial LG elections in Ogun

Lawmakers raise the alarm on invasion of Ekiti

Kunle Olayeni

Sulaiman Salawudeen

Abeokuta

A

head of the October 8 local government elections in Ogun State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for impartiality and fairness in the conduct of the poll.

The PDP, under the chairmanship of Chief Adebayo Dayo, warned the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) not to compromise the election process or do the bidding of any political party.

Dayo is the party’s state chairman of the faction loyal to the Senator representing Ogun East in the

National Assembly, Buruji Kashamu.

In a statement issued yesterday by the state Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Adeniji, the PDP flayed the timetable released by OGSIEC for the council elections.

It would be recalled that the OGSIEC chairman, Alhaja Risikat Ogunfemi, had last week announced that elections would be held into the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of the state on October 8.

The development had consequently made various political parties and stakeholders in the state to prepare for the council elections.

Ado-Ekiti

M

embers of the Ekiti State House of Assembly have raised the alarm over alleged plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government (FG) to harass top functionaries of the state government, including members of the Assembly. The lawmakers urged the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to be mindful, lest “the police might be used to truncate democracy”.

The lawmakers, who described purported attempts to invade the state by 20 policemen led by one ACP Olusola Oke, as an assault on democracy, urged the new

IGP to emulate his immediate predecessor “by rejecting pressure from APC leaders from Ekiti State to use the police to cause chaos in the state, just because they lost an election that was adjudged as free, fair and credible.”

According to a statement issued at the weekend, and signed by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Kolawole Oluwawole, the lawmakers said: “harassing PDP members in Ekiti State, government officials and members of the State House ofAssembly will not help democracy in Nigeria and the international community should help Nigeria to sustain Democracy by calling the APC-led Federal Government to order.”

8

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

METRO

ABIODUN BELLO

...CRIME, CITY WATCH, COURTS

Six arrested for Abuja female preacher’s murder

Emmanuel Onani Abuja

A

t least six persons have been arrested in connection with the Saturday murder of a female pastor in Abuja, the nation’s seat of power.

This came as the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Alkali Usman, has ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, to lead investigations into the gruesome murder of the 40-year-old Deaconess Eunice Olawale.

Olawale, who was an assistant pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), was said to have been killed as she embarked on morning street evangelism.

The mother of seven was murdered at the Bolar pipeline area of Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja, between 5a.m. and 6a.m. Sources said she undertook her preaching within that period of time.

However, the FCT police said a thorough probe of the pastor’s death was being carried out.

The police also said they had taken custody of the body for autopsy.

A statement by the command reads in part: “Six suspects arrested in connection with the gruesome murder are in police custody and currently undergoing interrogation. The outcome of the investigation will be made public.

“The CP commiserates with the family members of the deceased over the unfortunate incident and assured them

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com 08023938212

and other residents of the area of the commitment and determination of the command to fish-out perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to justice.

“He also seizes this medium to enjoin residents and members of the general public to remain calm and cooperate with police in the ongoing investigation.

“Contrary to report from some sections of the media that the deceased’s head and leg were chopped-off, the command wants to state that apart from marks of injury inflicted on some parts of her body, all parts of the deceased body are intact. The police have taken custody of her remains for preservation and examination.”

Meanwhile, the wife of the vice president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, visited the

family of the late preacher yesterday.

Osinbajo, who is also a pastor in the RCCG, got to the family house about 1:30p.m.

She was received by the husband of the deceased, Pastor Elisha Olawale, children and a host of church members and loved ones.

In her condolence message, Osinbajo wrote: “May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace.”

The woman’s husband, Olawale, said his wife had been martyred for Christ.

Olawale said his wife had gone out to preach in the neighbourhood in her usual practice about 5a.m. on the Saturday only for him to hear the report of her murder.

He said: “My wife always goes out

Wife of the VicePresident, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, condoling with the widower…yesterday.

early in the morning on ‘Morning Cry’ to preach. There was a particular day she went out and she told me that there is a mosque at the back where they commented about what she said. So, I just warned. This morning (Saturday), she went around 5a.m. and I was still in bed because we did vigil which she participated for a while before she went to sleep because of the Morning Cry. “Two of my boys are footballers; so, they went to the field to play. When they came back, they told me that they heard some footballers say that they butchered a woman preaching early this morning.

“So, when I heard this, we trekked down in the shorts I was putting on. We didn’t see anybody, but we saw blood on the ground. I asked a policeman around and he said it was true but that they had taken her to Phase 4 Police Station. I went to the station with my children and when we got there, I saw the lifeless body of my wife at the back of the police van.”

Olawale described his wife as a devout Christian, who served God with everything she had.

He added: “My wife was so committed to anything that is of God. She was a reckless giver to God’s work. She rarely missed any programme in church. I see her as a martyr who died for Christ. Whether the people are caught or not, they should forgive them. My prayer is that if they can accept Christ it will be a gain for Christ.”

Another resident of the area, who pleaded anonymity, said though the community engaged the services of private guards, the effort was not enough.

According to him, the residents started facing security challenge when some boys who are mainly non-Nigerians began to settle in the area.

The man said Eunice screamed but could not be rescued before the attackers butchered her to death.

He said: “She shouted Blood of Jesus!

Blood of Jesus! She lay dead with her handset and the megaphone she used for the preaching. Really, the attack was an act of hatred and religious sentiment.”

City Briefs

Abductors free Ondo monarch Ese: Dahiru leaves prison, Babatope Okeowo Akure

A

week after he was abducted in his palace by gunmen, the Laragushin of Iyansan in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Abiodun Oyewumi, has been rescued by security agencies.

The monarch, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph, was rescued through the combined efforts of military, AntiKidnapping Unit of the police and Department of State Services (DSS).

Oyewumi, who was abducted in his palace in Iyansan, a border town between Eseodo Local Government Area and other coastal communities in Edo and Delta states, according to security sources, was rescued at Gbelegun community in Edo State.

However, there was no confirmation whether the family, the local or state government paid ransom before the monarch was eventually freed because the family

and the kidnappers had disagreed on the amount to be paid as ransom.

While the kidnappers demanded N40 million, the family offered N500,000.

But a member of the House of Representatives from Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency, Prince Mike Omogbehin, commended the security operatives especially the military, the police Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Marine Police for rescuing Oba Oyewumi.

In a statement, the lawmaker said timely intervention of the police and other security agencies ensured that the monarch regained his freedom.

Omogbehin noted that the latest development had returned calmness and removed the tension which hitherto pervaded Iyansan, since Oyewumi was abducted.

He challenged government and security agencies to give priority to the welfare of traditional rulers to enable them perform their critical roles of mobilising their subjects and stabilising the society for a better nation.

returns to Kano

was an indigene of Bayelsa State. unusa Dahiru aka Yellow, who This was contrary to insinuations is standing trial on a five-count that no indigene of Bayelsa State would charge of criminal abduction, illicit be willing to stand surety for the acsex, sexual exploitation and unlawcused because of the ethnic and reliful carnal knowledge of a minor, Miss gious sentiments the case had elicited.

Ese Oruru, has been released from the Okaka prison in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

His freedom came four months after he was arraigned and remanded for the alleged abduction of Oruru.

The defendant, it was learnt, was immediately taken to Kano, his home state, in company with his defence lawyers who usually fly into Bayelsa during court sittings.

His lead counsel, Mr. Kayode Olaosebekan, confirmed Dahiru’s release.

He said: “His people have taken him away.”

It was learnt that Dahiru’s surety Dahiru

Y

METRO

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

No bullet can penetrate my body, cultist boasts

Some of the suspects

Juliana Francis

A

35-year-old suspected cult member, Andrew Awalebi, shocked operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Lagos, when he openly bragged that no bullet could penetrate his body.

Awalebi was arrested over the weekend at Jakande Estate, Ajah area, Lagos State.

“The charm against gunshot was specially prepared for me by a herbalist in Ijebu-Isiwo, Ogun State, to save me from gunshots of land grabbers in Lekki,” he told investigators.

The suspect, who confessed that be belonged to Eiye Confraternity, was arrested about 8a.m. on Friday at a drinking pub with three other suspected cult members.

Two other members of the cult group, Adegoke Adeleke (30) and Kehinde Adebogun (31), were also picked up early Saturday morning at a hotel in Ikorodu.

According to the police, Awalebi was arrested after a member of Eiye Confraternity, Michael Thompson (24), who was arrested earlier, fingered him as their leader. Thompson was arrested a night before for robbery at National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

Awalebi, who disclosed that he worked with a popular land owner in Lekki, said that he used to earn N40,000 monthly from the property dealer for assisting him to protect his landed property in the axis.

He added: “I was initiated into Eiye Confraternity in 1996 by Banji Omisore and later in 1997.

I was promoted as its topmost leader after the death of Omisore.

We are eight members. We used to meet very early in the morning or late at night. I have been arrested

by Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), sometimes ago when my cult group caused mayhem at the Jakande Estate, inflicting injuries

on passers-by in the area.”

Other arrested cult members are Koffi Kwame (17), Daniel Olayiwola (36) and Tosin Issac (26).

It was alleged that they had all confessed to being members of the Eiye Confraternity.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmus, who confirmed the arrests, warned parents and guardians to be wary of their children and wards’ behaviour.

She said: “Charity begins at home. Parents should help police to tackle cultism in their respective localities. They should endeavor to report to the nearest police station around them if they suspect movements of their children. This will help the police to nip cultism in the bud.”

Badmos added that the suspects had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigative Department (SCID), Panti, for prosecution.

NURTW faction shatters man’s head

The late Busari

Tawo Jimoh

A

27-year-old man was killed while several others were injured on Friday, when two factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), engaged in a supremacy battle at Odunfa area of Lagos Island.

The victim, Adeoye Busari, was preparing for the Jumat service, when he was attacked and slaughtered by a man identified simply as Azeez. It was learnt that after Busari was slaughtered,

his head was then shattered with stones, while his body was later dumped inside a gutter.

Witnesses said many residents sustained various degrees of injury as a result of sporadic gunshots.

The armed hoodlums were said to be over 50. The clash paralysed commercial activities in the area.

“The clash started on Friday, after some hoodlums, who were loyal to the incumbent chairman, Sego, came to Odunfa Street and started attacking those loyal to the factional leader, Jamiu Erinfolami. Erinfolami is supposed to be made the chairman. The faction members came and started vandalising vehicles parked on the streets. They also looted shops,” a resident said.

When our correspondent visited the area on Saturday, streets like Onala, Massey, Okepopo, Odunfa and Apatir, were littered with broken bottles on the road. Vehicles

with shattered windscreens were also seen.

Another resident, Mrs. Tawa Adio, said: “The crisis started last Thursday after some hoodlums, suspected to be loyalists of the incumbent chairman from Onala, stormed Odunfa Street and started chasing people. But there were no casualties that day. The following day, which was Friday, the hoodlums came and also started shooting sporadically. They destroyed people’s shops.

“The late Busari, who was preparing for the Jumat service, was attacked and slaughtered by Azeez.

Busari’s head was shattered with stones, while his body was later dumped in a gutter in the area. The deceased would have survived the attacked, but many people had disappeared for fear they might be attacked. Busari was tortured before he was killed.”

Another resident, who did not want her name mentioned, explained that the

hoodlums actually came to kill the factional chairman.

She said: “They were not satisfied with the killing of Busari. The hoodlums, who were armed with broken bottles, went into mosques in the community, throwing bottles at those praying.

They disrupted the Jumat service and injured worshippers.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmus, confirmed the story.

She said: “There was a report that at Okepopo, Odunfa and Onola streets, Lagos Island, some hoodlums engaged themselves in physical combat. In the process, they damaged seven vehicles’ windscreens. And also, a vehicle, belonging to the police, who went there to restore peace, was damaged.

“However, three suspects, Komeji Idris, Ola Saka and Ishola Adams, were arrested in connection with the case.

They were arraigned in court on July 8, 2016.”

9

We make N20,000 daily, says pickpocket Juliana Francis

A

suspected pickpocket, Tajudeen Adeboye, arrested at Oshodi in Lagos, has confessed that he and his accomplices used to make between N10,000 and N20,000, every day, stealing from unsuspecting peoples’ pockets.

“In a day, my gang members and I make at least N10,000 to N20,000.

It, however, depends on what we find inside any bag or purse we snatched.

All telephones and other items we snatch like necklace, wrist watches and others are usually sold at cheap prices to our customers who come to meet us every night,” Adeboye, a mechanic, said.

The suspect said he was in his village, when his friend, Jelili, invited him to Lagos.

It was when he got to Oshodi that Jelili and his other gang members lured him to join them.

Adeboye’s sins found him out after operatives of the Lagos State Task Force arrested 40 miscreants and hoodlums at different hide-outs in Oshodi. Adeboye was one of the hoodlums.

The state Commis-

sioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, directed the Chairman of the Lagos State Task Force, a Superintendent of Police (SP), Mr. Olayinka Egbeyemi, to lead the operations, where 39 men and one woman, were arrested.

Owoseni also directed that all those arrested during the operations be charged to Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Courts, Ogba, Lagos.

The commissioner said his command would not relent until criminal activities were reduced across the state.

He disclosed that raiding miscreants and hoodlums in different parts of the state, particularly Oshodi, would be a continuous exercise.

Some of the suspected pickpockets

Sergeant kills man at checkpoint Taiwo Jimoh

A

police sergeant, Matthew Oche, attached to Metro Police Patrol Team, has been arrested for allegedly killing a civilian during an argument at Iddo checkpoint, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, has order the immediate arrest and detention of the sergeant.

The incident occurred at Iddo last Wednesday when the deceased, Mr. Francis Ogbole, was flagged down for a ‘Stopand-search’ by Oche. The deceased was said to be heading to his village in Benue State for his sister’s burial, when he met his death.

Ogbole’s children were said to have been with him at the time. Oche, with Force Number 372727, was alleged to have pushed Ogbole during an argument that ensued between them.

The deceased slipped and hit his head on the concrete. He died on the spot.

After flagging Ogbole down, Oche thereafter asked for the particulars’ of the vehicle. Soon, they were arguing over tinted glass permit.

One of Ogbole’s children, Mr. Ebonyi Ogbole,

said: “My father was travelling to Benue State for the burial of his younger sister when he was killed. The policeman flagged down his vehicle at Iddo Motor Park, in Oyingbo, for a ‘stop-andsearch.’ My siblings and I were in the car with him.

He was stopped by the policeman. The policeman’s patrol van’s registration number is KSF-176 EE. “The policeman requested for the necessary papers, which my father presented.

My father was about entering into his car, when the policeman stopped him.

He told my father that he couldn’t leave because the back glass of his car was tinted. My father told him that the glass wasn’t tinted; pointing out that the glass appeared so, because it was not day-light. But the policeman appeared to be looking for a way to extort my father. An argument ensued between them. Out of anger, the policeman pushed my father and he fell. He hit his head on the ground and died instantly.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident. She added that the sergeant had been arrested and detained at the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID).

10

NEWS | national

CAN condemns attacks in Saudi Arabia, United States

Yekeen Nurudeen ABUJA

T

he Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned the recent suicide attacks in the city of Madinah at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the month of Ramadan, describing it a sacrilegious act.

In a statement titled, "Condemnation of Violence in Saudi Arabia and United States of America", CAN President-elect, Revd. Supo Ayokunle urged those behind the act and other similar acts to desist from such because no good thing comes out of the acts of violence.

It stressed that vio-

lence and all acts of cruelty against humanity would end up in eternal condemnation and everlasting punishment.

"Recently, terrorists unleashed mayhem near a mosque in Saudi Arabia.

On behalf of the out-going President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor and all Christians in Nigeria, we totally condemn this sacrilegious act. We urge those behind this act and other similar acts to desist from such because no good thing comes out of the acts of violence.

“Nobody should be deceived into believing that doing violence in the name of God would attract any eternal reward.

Violence and all acts of cruelty against human-

PUBLIC NOTICE

REHOBOTH - PROPHETIC INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named MINISTRY has applied for registration with the corporate Affairs Commission Abuja under part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Dietanuru Oghenero Ojegba 2. David Olisuru Odjegba 3. Odusanya Ade Dada Margaret 4. Ogheneochuko Newton Denila AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To preach the word of God throughout the world 2. To win soul for Christ 3. To deliver people from bondage Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: TRUSTEES

PUBLIC NOTICE

VESSELS OF GRACE CHAPEL

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named has applied for registration with the corporate Affairs Commission Abuja under part C of the companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Ajelowo Olorunwa James 2. Ajelowo Anne Ene 3. Ajelowo Akinfosile 4. Ajibua Remilekun Grace 5. Audu Mercy Praise AIM AND OBJECTIVE 1. To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: PALACE SOLICITORS 08023865797

PUBLIC NOTICE

LEGACY FANS CLUB PORT HARCOURT This is to notify the general public that the above named CHURCH has applied to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Abuja for registration under Part ‘C’ of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

The Trustees are: 1. Mukaila Salami 2. Ibrahim Adewale 3. Nureni Olukutan 4. Yusuf Oloruntoyin AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To Foster Unity Of Members 2. To Promote Culture Of Yoruba 3. To Assist Members Progressively 4. To operate in accordance with the Constitution and Bye-law of the Club Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar-General, Corporate Affairs Commission, plot 420 Tigris Crescent, off Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja within 28 days of this publication.

SIGNED: K. A OLANIREGUN ESQ, SOLICITOR

ity would end up in eternal condemnation and everlasting punishment.

We therefore sympathise with all Muslims all over the world over this unfortunate development," CAN stated.

The Christian body also condemned the separate brutality by policemen in Minnesota and Louisiana against two African-Americans which led to their death.

It added that the reprisal attacks on and killing of the policemen who were protecting the people doing peaceful protest against the continuous killings of black people in America was condemnable, unjustifiable and totally irrational, noting that two wrongs can never make a right.

It urged the American government to do something to police brutality against all races in America as all lives matter.

monday, july 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

NERC charges Disco on treatment of transformer explosion victims Johnchuks Onuanyim ABUJA

T

he management of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) led by the Acting Chairman, Dr. Anthony Akah, at the weekend charged the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to give victims of transformer explosion the best medical treatment.

They gave the charge after visiting the victims at their residential houses in Tundu Wada, a suburb of Lugbe Federal Housing Estate in Abuja.

It will be recalled that on July 2, a 750 KVA electricity transformer supplying light to the Tundu Wada area exploded, and caused electrocution of some residents. Also, many other persons were injured.

Since the incident, it was observed over the weekend that the injured victims had not received good medical attention as some of them were still on admission at cottage hospitals within the area.

Akah, who visited the victims, told the AEDC top officials who were in his entourage to access the area, adding that it

is unacceptable that they have not taken the victims to a specialist and other good hospitals for better medical attention.

The NERC boss mandated the AEDC to move the victims immediately to hospitals that have facilities to run checks on them and give them the deserved treatment.

Also, he explained that the commission would carry out proper investigation of the cause of the explosion, and met out sanction where necessary.

He said: "We will apply the necessary sanctions where necessary."

CONFIRMATION/ change OF NAME

Akwaji

I, formerly known and addressed as Helen Abomaye now wish to be known and addressed as Helen Akwaji. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

Ishil

Former Military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (left), with Chairman, Board of Directors, New Telegraph Newspapers, Alhaji Idi Farouk, during the visit of former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and others to the former Head of State to pay a Sallah homage in Minna…at the weekend.

PHOTO: DAN ATORI

Ogbe

Shinkafi: We lost a patriot –Aregbesola T

I, formerly known and addressed as Undie Joseph Agogo now wish to be known and addressed as Undie Joseph Ishil. All former documents remain valid. First bank Plc Obudu branch and the general public should please take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Eppe Ebiteinye Becky now wish to be known and addressed as Ogbe Ebiteinye Becky. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

Allagoa

I, formerly known and addressed as Chukwu Amanda Ndidi now wish to be known and addressed as Chukwu Amanda Allagoa. All former documents remain valid.

NDU, Wilberforce Amasoma and the general public should take note.

Fresh

I, formerly known and addressed as Francis Ebikake Thomas now wish to be known and addressed as Fresh Ogbo. All former documents remain valid. Fidelity bank Plc, Diamond bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Dengimo

I, formerly known and addressed as Johnson Felicia now wish to be known and addressed as Dengimo Felicia. All former doc1uments remain valid. Sterling bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Okoringa

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Onyewuchi Blessing Chinwendu now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Okoringa Blessing Chinwendu. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Abioye

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Adeagbo Olubukola Abebi now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Abioye Olubukola Abebi. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

he Governor of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola, has described the death of former boss of the defunct National Security Organisation (NSO), Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, as another monumental loss of one of the nation's patriots and politicians.

Aregbesola, in a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, said Shinkafi’s death is one that has once again dealt a devastating blow to the nation, especially the political terrain.

He said the late politician served the country in many capacities and gave his best while in active service.

The Governor stated that as the pioneer of the nation's indigenous security service, Shinkafi presided over a solid service and gave it a track record as the intelligence service under him was one of the most vibrant branches of the police force then.

"Alhaji Umar u Shinkafi was a Nigerian patriot."

FG committee members visit late Ehirim's family Johnchuks Onuanyim ABUJA

T

he National Logistics Committee on Donation of Relief items to Internally Displaced Persons last week visited the family of the late Chuks Ehirim at their residence in Pegi, Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. Ehirim, former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Abuja Council, who died on June 16, was the representative

of the NUJ in the National Logistics Committee of the federal government.

The Committee, led by the spokesperson of the Nigeria Customs and Exercise, DCP Wale Adeniyi, had in attendance: Col. Francis Ekoyo, Nigeria Army; Mrs. Christy Obelle, NAFDAC; and Mr. Segun Lawole as some of the members of the committee that visited Ehirim's family.

Adeniyi, in his remarks, spoke of Ehirim's commitment and strong contribution to the Committee’s activities.

Methodist Church honours Iwu, Nnaji, others

T

wo outstanding Nigerian scientists of global repute, Prof. Maurice Iwu and Prof. Bath Nnaji, were among other Nigerians honoured at the weekend as Distinguished Ambassadors of Christ by the Methodist Church, Owerri Diocese, Imo State.

The Diocesan Bishop of the Methodist Cathedral of Unity in Owerri, Rt. Reverend Dennis Mark, said the awardees were honoured for their commitment to the service of God and humanity.

“The recipients have deployed their God-given talents, time and resources to promote God’s work in their various communities, local churches and the wider society,” he said.

According to the cleric, the award followed the recommendations of the Diocesan Award Committee and it testifies to the character and Christian discipline of the recipients as well as the iconic roles they have played in the development of the nation.

11

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Edo guber PDP, Oshimhole’s aide in war of words over developmental strides

Politics

Interview Panacea for Nigeria’s paralysis, by Okechukwu

12 14

Seasonal political parties Barely a year after the 2015 general elections, the secretariat of most political parties that participated in the elections have been deserted, making them seasonal political parties.

ONYEKACHI EZE reports

T

he National Secretariat of African Democratic Congress (ADC) along Jikwoyi-Nyanya road, a suburb of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), had lost the glamour of a political party secretariat when this reporter visited.

Except the flag of the party fluttering in the air and the party’s signpost, one could easily mistake it as a business centre.

The office is located on the second floor of the two storey building. One Mrs. Dauda (believed to be an office attendant) was the only person around to attend to a visitor.

She told New Telegraph that party officials come only when there is a meeting to attend, and the last time she remembered the National Chairman of the party visited the secretariat was sometime in January or February this year.

“I am the only one in office, to receive visitors, or if there is any letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the party,” she said, adding: “The office should be open everyday. I stay here everyday except Saturdays and Sundays.”

ADC fielded a candidate for the 2015 presidential election

FELIX NWANERI

GROUP PoLITICAL EDITOR nwanerif@yahoo.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Yakubu

but did not field any candidate for last May’s Area Council elections in the FCT. Mrs. Daudu explained: “Nobody came out. You know we work with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and now the party has lost election, there is no money.”

The National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, who later spoke on phone said he was not in Abuja. “We come to Abuja when we have meetings or when there is special appointment,” he said.

For the Accord Party (AP), which has its National Secretariat located at 7, Yawuri Street, Garki, Abuja, the office could not be easily located. The National Chairman, Mohammad Lawal Malado, who also spoke on phone, said he was not in Abuja.

When asked to describe the location of the party’s secretariat, Malado responded: “I’m not in Abuja. I have your number when I come to Abuja I will call you.”

The Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State, on December 11 last year, nullified the Imo North senatorial election based on the petition by the Accord Party, which challenged the omission of its logo on the ballot paper by INEC. Since then, the people of the zone have no representative in the Senate.

Senator Athan Achonu, who until the judgement was the

Musa

We come to Abuja when we have meetings or when there is a special appointment

senator representing the zone was elected on the platform of the PDP. Ibe ThankGod, Chairman of Accord Party in Imo State, said the party challenged the election at the tribunal in the first place because a brazen injustice was meted out on the party and its candidate.

His words: “We challenged it regardless of who may or may not benefit from the outcome of the judgement. Today, we are vindicated as the lower tribunal and Appeal Court have established beyond reasonable doubt that Accord Party was unlawfully excluded from the election.”

Nigeria has been practicing multi-party democracy since the birth of the present democratic dispensation, unlike the two-party system foisted on the nation by former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida during the botched Third Republic.

At present, Nigeria has 30 registered political parties. These are: Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for Democracy (AD), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Peoples Alliance (APA), All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC),

Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Fresh Democratic Party (FDP), Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Independent Democrats (ID), KOWA Party (KP) and Labour Party (LP).

Others are Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), National Conscience Party (NCP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples for Democratic Change (PDC), Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Social Democratic Party (SDP), United Democratic Party (UDP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and United Progressive Party (UPP), Young Democratic Party (YDP), .

Unfortunately, most of these parties exist only in name. Only very few are prepared or adequately equipped, financially or otherwise, to participate actively in the electoral process or sponsor candidates for elections.

During the 2015 presidential election, only 14 political parties fielded candidate, but the actual contest was only between APC and PDP. Interestingly, whenever ban on political activities is lifted preparatory to a general election, Nigerians will be inundated with names of political parties, competing for media space. Once the CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

12

POLITICS \ INTERVIEW

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

T

he campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the September 10 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu, at the weekend moved to the north senatorial district of the state with the party accusing Governor Adams Oshiomhole of doing nothing to develop the state.

Besides, leaders of the opposition party alleged that Oshiomhole has reduced the number of civil servants in the state from an estimated 13,000 that his government in-

PDP, Oshimhole’s aide in war of words over developmental strides herited, to less than 2,000 as at now.

The rally had in attendance PDP leaders including Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Yisa Braimah, former Chief of staff to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe, Alhaji Kashitu Ozeto and several others.

Addressing a mammoth crowd of party faithful who thronged Auchi Sports Complex, headquarters of Etsako

PDP may not field candidate Onyekachi Eze ABUJA

T

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may not field candidate for the September 10 governorship election in Edo State unless the crisis in the party is resolved this week.

The two factions claiming the leadership of the party - the Senator Ahmed Makarf-led National caretaker Committee and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff faction, have conducted separate primaries and picked different candidates, which they intend to forward to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But the commission said on Sunday that it deals only with political parties but not factions.

Director, Voter Education and Publicity (VEP), Osaze Oluwole-Uzzi, in an interview, observed that there were conflicting court orders regarding the PDP leadership.

“There are conflicting court orders; when we study court orders we will know what to do, we will publish the name accordingly,” he said.

The commission had, however, monitored the PDP primary that produced Pastor Osagie IzeIyamu as governorship candidate but rejected that of Senator Sheriff where Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen‎ emerged as factional candidate on the ground that the notice did not comply with the Electoral Act. According to the INEC timetable released for the election, submission of candidates for the election by political parties ends this week.

Although OluwoleUzzi said he does not know the exact date, he reminded PDP leaders

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

that “everyday counts,” and advised that they resolve their crisis as quickly as possible.

“We have not said we are taking A or we are taking B, when the deadline closes we will know the parties that submitted and we will publish the names,” he added.

The commission had earlier said that it was waiting for the July 4 court judgement in Port Harcourt to determine who to deal with among the two claimants.

The court presided over by Justice Mohammed Liman which gave the ruling, affirmed Sheriff ’s sack and upheld the appointment of Senator Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

Sheriff has as well obtained a court order from Justice Okon Abang, which recognised him as PDP chairman and ordered INEC to accept his governorship candidates for Edo and Ondo States.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), last week quoted INEC as saying that it has “not received the certified true copy of the July 4 judgment of a Federal high Court, Port Harcourt....

“We are waiting for that judgment and other judgments so that we can study them. The commission, after studying the judgment and the advice from its lawyers, will then take a position, but we are still waiting for the last judgment which was the one on July 4.

“It will be like from next week by the time we receive them and when the commission sits, a position will be taken.

“It is when the commission has done that that it will then decide on any faction or candidate it is going to accept,” Nick Dazang, INEC deputy director publicity, was quoted in that report.

West Local Government Area, venue of the campaign flag off for Edo North, the PDP governorship candidate Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, also taunted Governor Oshiomhole for not contributing a dime to his campaign in the 2007 governorship election.

Pastor Ize-Iyamu said that he and other politicians including former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi fought the battle that led to Oshiomhole’s emergence as governor of the state.

“Let me testify that Adams Oshiomhole did not bring a kobo to become governor of Edo State. He may deny this.

On election day, he called me to say that the rigging was too much in Edo North and that he was returning to Benin to announce his withdrawal.

Edo DECIDES

“I challenge any Edo APC leader who can say that they influenced the governorship seat to Edo North. Certainly none of them; I stand among the first three, who said it must be Edo North. Let me say that when Adams Oshiomhole came after going to PDP, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Labour Party, he came to us to say that we should help him to become the first governor from Edo North.

After eight years, I see no functional hospital

Oshiomhole

in Edo North. The only hospital does not have an x-ray machine to even diagnose the nature of an ailment. The people have no drinking water. They have no industry despite being blessed with solid minerals.”

The state chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, in his remarks, accused Governor Oshiomhole of dividing Edo North, pointing out that the governor picked out only Etsako West Local Government Area for development among the six local government areas in the area.

He added that in Etsako West council, the governor only focused on his Iyamho village, which he said is just one of the 28 villages that make up the Uzaire clan.

In a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Information and

Orientation, Prince Kassim Afegbua said, it was the PDP that actually reduced the number of civil servants in 2002 through mass sack and compulsory retirement.

He said: “We have not only cleaned up our system by getting rid of the PDP’s ghost workers, we have recruited a lot of civil servants since 2009 till date.”

Afegbua also blasted the state chairman of the PDP Chief Dan Orbih, who said Oshiomhole has become the governor of Iyamho, saying: “It is understandable now that Dan Orbih does not know the road to his village, otherwise, he can’t pretend to be blind about the roads infrastructure we have done in Edo North and across the state.

Needless to respond to him any further.”

Ize-Iyamu

I’ll take over Osadebe Avenue, PPA candidate boasts

T

he governorship candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Mr. Thomas Sadoh, has assured the People of Edo State that his government will provide basic necessities of life if elected in the September 10 election.

Sadoh, who lamented that the political class has continually held on to power without putting premium on the people, said he believes that that masses who have suffered years of misrule will queue behind me to effect change in the state.

He spoke with journalists at the weekend

at the Benin Airport upon his arrival from Dubai, where he said he consulted with Edo citizens on the need to support his aspiration and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

He added that he was away when he won the ticket of his party after the two other aspirants, who stepped down for him.

Sadoh, who is from the same senatorial district with the outgoing Governor Adams Oshiomhole, said nothing is wrong in replacing his kinsman, pointing out that he does not believe in sacrificing merit in

the name of zoning.

He disclosed that he was taking a break from his position as a broadcaster with the Benin based Independent Television (ITV) in order to focus on his gubernatorial ambition, adding that as a journalist with years of experience, he knows the challenges facing Edo people more than any candidate in the race.

“We cannot continue to suffer while some people continue to milk us dry. There is no greater commitment than this.

I came out because I really want to do this and I know that my chances are brighter that you can

ever think,” he said.

Asked if he was fronting for any other candidate in the race, he said he was not in the race to further the aspiration of any other candidate, adding that it was sad that people raise political structures and later collapse them for other candidates.

“I am here on my own volition and I have consulted before embarking on this. These people are behind me to ensure that we take over Osadebe Avenue on November 12. I have presented my agenda to the people and I am happy with the reception I have received so far,” he said.

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13

Nigeria’s seasonal political parties C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 1

elections are over, one hardly hears of such political parties.

Except the ruling APC and the PDP no other political party won elections into any executive seat either at state or national level during the last elections. Also, eight political parties were able to secure a seat into the legislative arm of government either at state or National Assembly.

Some parties, however, even though they did not win any seat in any of the legislative houses, still remain relevance in the political discourse. The national offices of some parties in this group are located on Garki II and Central Business District (CBD) and are active and functioning.

The PDM, which is believed to have sympathy for the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is only active during elections. Its national secretariat in Maitama district is more or less a residential building.

But despite poor performances of most of these parties in elections, a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, said INEC has no powers to deregister parties except in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

The court, presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, in a suit brought before him by Fresh Democratic Party and its presidential candidate in the 2011 general elections, Rev. Chris Okotie, protesting the de-registration of political parties, held that the concept of deregistration of political parties is strange to the 1999 Constitution.

According to the court, the criteria by which the National Assembly delimited deregistration to failure to win seat in state and National Assembly elections appears like nothing but legislative arbitrariness, since INEC has powers to conduct other elections.

It ruled: “INEC would not have lost anything by issuing the 1st plaintiff (FDP) with a query to enhance the integrity of its decision. The statutory powers conferred on the 1st defendant (INEC) can be described as ministerial but when such power concerns deregistration of a political party it becomes a quasi-judicial power because after registration, a political party becomes a legal entity and acquires a legal right and a decision to take away such legal rights cannot be taken without according the political party a hearing.

“Section 78 (7) (ii) of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, is hereby declared null and void, in so far as the 1st plaintiff (FDP) was not heard before the decision was taken, the said decision is null and void. The 1st defendant’s (INEC) decision dated December 6, 2012 is declared invalid and is set aside.”

But in another ruling, Justice Okon Abang, also of the Federal High Court, however, upheld INEC’s power to register political parties. Abang said INEC could de-register parties who failed to win election into presidential, governorship, state or National

Nwosu

Assembly positions.

The NCP has instituted a suit challenging its deregistration by INEC for failing to win elections into executive and legislative positions. But Justice Abang said political parties must do more than advocating ideologies to selling their manifestos to the people.

According to the judge, “it is only when a candidate of a party with ideology win an election that such party is able to positively influence the decision making process. I am of the view that there is nothing wrong in the requirement that parties should win elections, otherwise many groups will be political parties and that will not advance the course of our young democracy.”

Section 78(7) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) empowers INEC “to deregister political parties, for failure to win presidential or governorship election or a seat in the National Assembly and State House of Assembly.”

Sixty three political parties participated in the 2011 general elections but only 10 won elections into either the National Assembly or State House of Assembly. These include the PDP, LP, PPA, PPN, APGA, Accord Party, DPP, KOWA Party and defuncts Congress Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

There was proliferation of political parties then because INEC was giving subvention to the parties. This was stopped shortly before the 2011 general elections.

But based on the court judgement, INEC trimmed down the number of registered parties in the country to 25. And if the information by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu is anything to go by, the number may likely increase.

The INEC boss, at a quarterly meeting with leadership of registered political parties last month, revealed that the commission has received 32 applications from political associations seeking for

Okotie

Except APC and PDP, no other political party won elections into any executive seat...l during the last elections

Onaiwu

registration.

“The applications are being processed. The commission remains committed to the opening of the democratic space in line with the law and our guidelines,” he said.

The democratic space was opened in 2002 following the judgement of the Supreme Court.

INEC had, based of the Electoral Act, 2002, released guidelines for registration of political parties.

These include a mandatory office in 24 states of the federation and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by any political association seeking to be registered as a political party; submission of the names, residential addresses, and states of origin respectively of the members of its national and state executive committees, the records of the proceedings of the meetings, where the officers were elected, and payment of N100, 000 registration fee, among others.

These guidelines were considered stifling, and a group of politicians led by late Chief Gani Fawehimni, went to court to challenge the provision of the law.

The matter was pursued up to the Supreme Court, and the apex court, in a lead judgement by the then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mohammed Uwais, held that INEC lacks the power to issue the guidelines as they contravened the 1999 Constitution.

The judgement opened the floodgate for political associations to be registered as political parties by INEC. A total of 28 political parties were registered to contest the 2003 general elections.

The 2006 Electoral Act went a step further to compel INEC to give yearly subvention to registered political parties. This again shot the number of registered political parties to about 54.

Most of the 25 existing political parties, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act, have not won elections into any Na-

tional or State House of Assembly, not even councillorship seat in any local government area.

For instance, only 13 political parties participated in last May’s Area Councils election in FCT. Out of this number, only three parties - APC, APGA and PDP - were able to win elections into the councils. And just a year after the 2015 general elections, there have been lull in the activities in the national secretariat of most of these parties, except in the APC, PDP, and to some extent, APGA. Investigations revealed that these parties exist because aggrieved politicians often use them as vehicles to actualise their ambition after losing out in the primaries of the big parties, at least to wear the tag: former presidential” or governorship candidate.

At times such gamble pays off as was the case of Mustapha Adamu, chairman of Gwagwalada Area Council in the FCT. Adamu, a member of APC defected to APGA before the April 13 Area Council election because he felt that there was a default in the APC primary that produced the party’s chairmanship candidate.

He picked the APGA ticket and won the poll.

Osaro Onaiwu, a former Director General of PDP Governors’ Forum has followed the track. Onaiwu, who had wanted to contest the September 10 Edo governorship election on the platform of PDP, probably saw the stake too high for him in the party; he left and picked APGA nomination form. He is automatically the party’s governorship candidate.

Whenever such move is made, obviously some money will paid into the party’s coffer. Of course, the candidate knows that he would be ready to finance his own campaign, and take care of party leaders who will be on campaign tour with the candidate, but whether such will sustain the smaller parties till the next general elections remains uncertain.

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POLITICS

Osita Okechukwu, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) speaks on the panacea for Nigeria’s paralysis Debate on federalism For many decades, no issue has resonated in Nigeria’s public domain as the debate on whether true federalism is panacea or placebo for Nigeria’s paralysis. This is a long running debate and, indeed it may not be wrong to say that the Aburi Conference in Ghana, which culminated in the Nigeria-Biafra civil war, was more or less predicated on the proposed medication to the fault lines in our plural society.

It appears that the fault lines of ethnicity and religion have been ingrained in Nigeria since the amalgamation of 1914. And most people hold these fault lines as evidence of the reality of our nation’s dysfunction.

Also the proclamation of Decree 34 by General Johnson Thomas Umunakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, of blessed memory; as well as the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, are also taken as responsible for the fault lines.

In the course of this brief thesis, taking cognizance of how many Nigerians had gone to the grave bemoaning ethnicity and religion as our albatross; we shall try to infer what is responsible for the fault lines in small and big towns with the same ancestry, same religious affiliation and same dialect.

In making Eke town a case study, we should also bear in mind similar towns that have been underdeveloped, unable to harvest its natural endowment and live harmoniously. The question then is, in the absence of ethnicity and religion as culprits, what else ravaged such towns? The simple answer: Greed and its grandson - corruption – delivering gross inequality.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in his 2015 Chatham House speech vividly described that as the tiny island of the affluent in the ocean of misery.

Corruption, in all its ramifications, not just fleecing of state fund, includes petty human frailties like jealousy, hate, stereo-types and prejudice. We shall presently return to these two opaque pages of same epitaph of greed and corruption and commonly misunderstood theme.

Those two opaque pages may help us to show that ethnicity and religion play less crucial roles in our dysfunction than greed and its grandson, corruption. Ethnicity and religion are more of the tools of scavengers and predators. It would amaze us to look closely at our communities, local council areas and zones. We are most likely to find that they are victims of the cankerworm of corruption.

Consequently, an honest and pragmatic assessment would surely expose the popular sentiment of true federalism as an innocuous medication to a paralysis engendered and poisoned by the fangs of corruption. The narrative will also show how ethnic merchants and religious bigots exploit our weaknesses to advance themselves at the expense of the same tribe or religion for which they claim to fly their flag.

Conferences and agitations for true federalism It would not be wrong to state that the debate on true federalism dominated the 1959 London Conference, 1978 pre-second Republic Conference, 1989 pre-third Republic Conference, 1996 pre-fourth Republic Conference and 2014 National Conference as well as other conferences or committees

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Panacea for Nigeria’s

seeking the elixir for a progressive, harmonious and prosperous Nigeria.

But the agitation for true federalism heightened and almost exploded in the 90s, as an unintended consequence of the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election. A panNigerian, free, fair and transparent election won by business mogul and philanthropist, Chief M.K.O Abiola of blessed memory. That election was adjudged as the freest in the annals of Nigeria’s political history.

One of the foremost advocates of true federalism was the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) formed on May 15, 1994. NADECO led the postJune 12 surge and later, Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) the Constitutional Conference arm of NADECO, on the 23rd commemoration of June 12 presidential election in Lagos renewed the agitation. PRONACO; the main citizens movement advocating for Nigeria’s restructuring based on democratic self-determination and citizens’ ownership of the Nigerian constitution, also urged the Federal Government to quickly set up a technical committee to navigate concrete strategy for national reconciliation and stability in the country in tandem with the spirit of June 12.

PRONACO, which was initiated by eminent leaders of thought in 2004 under the revered leadership of Late Chief Anthony Enahoro and supported by his able compatriot, Noble Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; while presenting its position through its spokesman, Olawale Okunniyi, during the commemoration of the 23rdedition of the June 12 Democracy Anniversary, stressed the inevitability of a constitutional restructuring of the policy, if Nigeria must survive what they termed unending alibi for insurgency and militancy in parts of the country.

PRONACO, however asserted that the Federal Government may ultimately have to initiate a popular referendum, which does not exclude a constituent assembly for the diverse constituent units of Nigeria to agree and resolve on the most suitable structure for the country’s stability.

“We advise that based on the various resolutions of past national conferences in Nigeria, the Presidency may have to take an urgent action to nip in the bud the growing insurgency and militancy orchestrated by the perennial political incohesion in the country,” Okunniyi stated.

The group however noted that President Buhari understands the positive import of a successful political restructuring on the country’s development. While acknowledging the sensitive and volatile nature of the Nigerian National Question and the rigorous, expensive and delicate process to be undertaken for a legitimate restructuring, Okunniyi noted that: “The snag that has previously hindered a valid national restructuring in Nigeria is the genuine fear of every past leader of the country not to preside over an unintended consequence of such initiative like the breakup of the country among others.”

Fourth Republic and renewed calls for true federalism Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, dubbed the fourth Republic, raised the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians that democracy will enhance their economic prosperity and social progress. That was also in addition to the fact that the Northern political

Okechukwu

Ethnicity and religion play less crucial roles in our dysfunction than greed and its grandson, corruption

elite, in a deft move spiced with patriotic enlightened national interest, zoned the highest office in the land -president - to the South. This gesture facilitated the emergence of two candidates from the South-West region that Chief Abiola hailed from. The two candidates, one anti-Abiola and the other pro-Abiola - Chiefs Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olu Falae on the joint ticket of Alliance for Democracy (AD) and defunct All Peoples Party (APP), toured the whole country and canvassing their ideas for a better future for the country. At the end of the day, Chief Obasanjo emerged as president.

A cursory analysis of the eight-year tenure of Chief Obasanjo revealed unfortunately how the administration did not improve the lives of Nigerians in spite of the unprecedented oil windfall, which at a certain point sky roofed to $145 per barrel. The regime’s record was that few billionaires were created and more people descended into abject poverty. No doubt, this was occasioned by a nebulous economic policy, which held that the state has no business in business, and that the private sector is key to development.

It happened that the captains of industry which the regime relied heavily upon were mainly those with no factories, but peddlers on petrodollars. The outcome was a renewed agitation for true federalism, especially with more people impoverished, hopes lost. And to add salt to injury, like other African-Big-Men, the chief sought a capital intensive third term agenda that was later aborted to the joy of most Nigerians.

One is yet to locate any federal road, even the Agege-Ota-Abeokuta, the very road that leads to Chief Obasanjo’s farm and homestead, which the administration concluded.

The little effort the administration made on rail transport development was the Kano-Lagos rail line, which was more or less inconsequential because it was not only the same

old gauge, in an era of high speed rails; but that the $8.3 billion cost of 1,400Km was outrageous. It is outrageous in the sense that almost at the same time the Chinese, who secured the contract constructed 4,000Km between Lhasa the capital of Tibet and Beijing capital of China at $4.2 billion.

The succession crisis or third term gambit created unimaginable state of anomie, despair and despondency on Nigerians who had viewed democracy as a prelude to a state of Eldorado. The succeeding administrations, instead of prudently and transparently managing the Excess Crude Account and Foreign Reserves inherited from the Obasanjo administration and their own accruals, further eroded the confidence of Nigerians more on the Federal Government than on the state and local government councils.

One is segregating the blame game as being heaped more unwittingly on the Federal Government more than the state and local government councils as many never gave a hoot to the performance of their councillors, chairmen and rubber stamp state legislatures.

On the last count, not more than 10 states operate local government councils on the template stipulated by Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which states that: “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this Constitution guaranteed....” The few states, which claim to run democratically elected local government councils, do so under less than transparent manner. Some insist that the corruption at the local level is more odious than at state and federal levels, but we all gloss over it and pitifully train our eyes on the center.

Renewed call for restructuring of Nigeria Now, in the new wave of true federalism as a panacea, the Punch editorial of Sunday June 12, 2016, like many newspaper editorials and commentar-

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paralysis, by Okechukwu

ies presenting true federalism as the only panacea, stated: “A fresh crusade to restructure Nigeria based on the 2014 National Conference is gaining momentum. Various groups and top political figures like former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Emeka Anyaoku and former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, have entreated President Muhammadu Buhari to open the report with a view to implementing the salient recommendations within it that can foster national integration and drive economic development.”

Continuing the Punch added, “However, the President is not yet persuaded, going by his dismissal of the report during the first anniversary of his government. The advocacy of these groups is noble, and the President should not shut out the implementation of the report.”

For the avoidance of doubt, I am not opposed to true federalism or any restructuring which can enhance the progress and prosperity of Nigerians, and do not think President Buhari is opposed to it either. The common denominator I share with Mr. President is prioritization, based on the realization that if we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. It is the pervasive and unbridled corruption of the last decades that is daily pushing Nigeria on a downward slide to a failed and divided state.

The argument is predicated on the fact that if the Obasanjo regime had fixed electricity or other critical physical and social infrastructure; or had Jonathan even executed the three Greenfield Refineries he awarded on May 13, 2010, no Nigerian will remember where Mr. Okechukwu, Mallam Aminu or Otunba Aina comes from or their religion!

In a recent statement, the SouthEast Caucus noted as follows: “We are paying unfortunately for the sins of PDP. I remember vividly in 2010, when Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, then Finance Minister and Coordinator of the Economy, announced to the whole world the award of $23 billion Greenfield Refineries, to a Chinese company.

The refineries were to be located at Bayelsa, Lagos and Kogi State. There was jubilation nationwide. If they had completed the refineries, today we won’t be talking of scarcity or astronomical increase in fuel pump price.

They squandered the money and put Nigerians in the harm’s way.”

That was why in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Manifesto Committee, we the members engrained that in Section 2 of the party’s manifesto thus: “APC in government shall muster the political will to wage strident war against corruption; otherwise our post-oil-economy will be disastrous. It is our considered view that none of our cardinal programmes will succeed if the current level of corruption and looting going on in the land is allowed to continue.”

Our Action Plan is to plug all the leakages, which accelerate monumental corruption, recover looted funds, cap and trim unwarranted allowances to public office holders. This is exactly what Mr. President is bent on bestowing to Nigerians and we plead that we join his crusade for Zero Tolerance of Corruption in all ramifications.

Eke town as case study of Nigeria If Eke is a country! Let this mask your frame of mind as we analyse the synopsis of Eke, my town, as a case study.

Eke is a town of about 100,000 indi-

genes, home and abroad. According to history, the town is made up of five sons of same mother and father making up the five villages - Amankwo, Oma, Ogui, Enugueke, Amofia – 99 percent Catholics and one Waawa dialect of the Igbo language.

Eke is the second son of Oshie Anugwu, born at present Nsude, who as the first son, lives in the ancestral home, while Eke migrated north, in our present location. Eke’s survival depended largely on the defence cover provided by Nsude and sons and Neke their only sister and her progenitors.

This made Nsude, Eke and Neke and their progenitors to institute a covenant of not hurting or marrying each other, a covenant which subsists till date. That is why the oral history has it that Eke met a lot of hostilities from neighbouring communities - Okopogho, Oghe, Ebe, Egede, Ngwo and other territorial expansionists on arrival.

Thank God we survived till date.

The survival of Eke was consolidated with the appointment of Okwuluoha 1, Onyeama Onwusi Nkata as the Paramount ruler of Waawa clan.

According to Wikipedia “The Waawa clan of Northern Igboland, also referred to as Ndi Waawa, Wawa People, are a unique sub-group of the Igbo people in Enugu State, Nigeria, consisting of several communities. Most notable among these is Agbaja and Ngwo which consists of peoples between the wooded lands of Awka (capital of Anambra State) to the rocky valleys of Enugu (capital of Enugu State). Agbaja is made up of communities in present-day Ngwo clan, Udi, Ezeagu, Igbo-Etiti, Oji River, greater Awgu, and Enugu East Local Government Areas. Other notable parts of Waawaland are Nkanu, Nsukka, Abia (not be confused with people from Abia State), Nike, and other communities in Enugu State, who all speak a unique dialect of Igbo Language called Waawa. The Waawa are most notably associated with Chief Onyeama of Eke, who was the paramount ruler of Agbaja in the early 20th Century.”

Chief Onyeama was appointed Warrant Chief in 1910, elevated to Paramount Chief in 1917, and recognised by the British Colonial Government as ‘Okwuloha of Agbaja’ in July 1925. One of his greatest accomplishments was the co-signing of the first lease of Enugu Coal belt. He represented the Waawa clan on November 19, 1915, which signposted the birth of Enugu as Coal City.

Okechukwu

We all stand to benefit immensely from the abundant resources of our great country than atomistic units

The second lease of sale he signed was on March 22, 1917. He travelled to England in April 1924, on the invitation of King of England for British Empire Exhibition and died in 1933.

After brief regency, his son Chief Michael Onyeama, Okwuloha II was crowned and he reigned until 1998, when he died. In between Okwuloha I and II, agitation for autonomy reared its head as Oma village started under the able leadership of some prominent sons like Chief Tom Ndiolo of blessed memory, questioned the authority of Igwe Michael Onyeama. The weapon of agitation for autonomy was handed down to Chief Ndiolo and co, when the electricity project initiated by Hon. Justice Charles Daddy Onyeama of blessed memory to Eke did not extend to other parts of Eke, except some parts of Amankwo and Ogui villages.

The agitators glossed over the fact that the majority of Amankwo did not get access to electricity until Chief Tom Chigbo of blessed memory, became the Commissioner of Information under the Chief Jim Nwobodo’s regime in the Second Republic.

It is no wonder that with Chief Onyeama and his son’s demise, those negative human frailties of greed and its corruption grandson, jealousy, hate, stereo-types and prejudice exploded and descended on Eke. Only ethnicism and religious bigotry were exempted because the power mongers have neither ethnic nor religious card to play.

But whereas ethnicity and religion have no hand in the fault lines which held Eke down; natural rivalry and human greed were at the center stage. The second son and second most prominent village, in the present rankings, Oma, started agitating for rotation of the Igwe (King) of Eke. Oma ended up with support from other villages except Amankwo to crown Igwe Chinwendu Onuoha, Eze Oha I of Eke in year 2000.

The town was split down the line, with some backing the natural rotation agitation of Oma people for the Igweship, while some held on to the dictum of dynastic rule. The rest they say is history, but all efforts made to reconcile the warring factions in the past decade failed as the matter is still pending in the Supreme Court, which nearly marred this noble event today.

Let me pause at this juncture, to once more remind all of us that the purpose of this treatise is not to injure, harm or denigrate anybody or group, but to show that true federalism is more a placebo than panacea to Nigeria’s paralysis.

In fact the little efforts made by some of us to reconcile Eke, could be better appreciated if we think along the mental frame that Eke is a country.

At Abuja, Eke indigenes in the Federal Capital Territory formed Eke Progressive Union, in the best tradition of Ndigbo who oftentimes form umbrella organisation that coordinates and unities people of same town in faraway land.

Eke Progressive Town Union has lasted for over three decades, with an unwritten convention, which pleaded with the two prominent villages of the town - Amankwo and Oma not to form village unions. But with the Igweship tussle, that convention collapsed, as Oma indigenes formed their village union. Their arch-rival, Amankwo also formed theirs.

In 2004, I was unanimously elected as chairman of Eke Progressive Town Union in absentia. I accepted it with

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both arms, in the belief that with the position I could reconcile Eke people residing at Abuja. I made sure that I and my wife did not enrol in Amankwo Progressive Union in Abuja, thinking that distancing myself from my village and embracing the town union would be an excellent display of patriotic example to the younger ones. But that was not to be. Within my eight years as chairman, I brought the famous Egwu Abia dancing troupe to Abuja, as an instrument of unity, thinking that it will be the healing balm. To cap it, most times I will confront new comers, telling them sweet tales of the greatness of our town and not of the village. Some of the honest new comers to the city will confide in me how their parents admonished them to stay away from the town’s union in preference to their village union.

To cut the story short, it is pertinent to note that ethnic merchants and religious bigots have no hand in either initiating or harvesting the dysfunction of Eke; therefore if Eke is a country, its situation would not be different from a divided and dysfunctional Nigeria.

Before conclusion, let us refresh our minds with the profound statement of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, “Our current structure and the practices it (strong center) has encouraged have been a major impediment to economic and political development of our country. In short it has not served Nigeria well, and at the risk of reproach, it has not served my part of the country, the North well.”

To be exact, whereas there is need to trim the exclusive legislative list; however, what has not served the North and by extension Nigeria well is avarice, greed and its grandson, corruption. This is one of the few countries in the world, where those who stole public funds, blatantly refuse to invest in their country, thus creating gross inequality and hence insecurity.

Conclusion: Unity of ethnic groups My Dear Compatriots! We all stand to benefit immensely from the abundant resources of our great country than atomistic units. That is only, if we eschew avarice, greed and its godson corruption. Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and other separatist tendencies should take note that the plural nature of Nigeria is an advantage instead of a disadvantage as being erroneously canvassed.

As stated above, one cannot trace the evil hands of ethnic merchants and religious bigots in the paralysis in Eke and similar communities, but human frailties, greed and its grandson corruption. Let us join Mr. President to wage the strenuous war against corruption and build a better society; for that is the surest route to a progressive and prosperous country.

Quoting President Buhari: “The anti-corruption fight is at the heart of combating poverty and improving security,” and to achieve justice, we hasten to abide by the 1215 iconic legal document, Magna Carta, (The Great Charter) ... 40. “To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.” Without which a weak federation or outright secession will simulate new and gruesome fault lines.

Finally, may I appreciate the organisers of this noble event and plead with them to use the forum to unite Eke, our ancestry.

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MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Buhari: With friends like these Dominik Umosen

A

valid reason why Nigerians should support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed is that additional to the Biblical injunction recommending support for the government of the day which is ordained by God, African tradition further demands respect for elders in positions of authority and leadership. For the simple reason that leadership is ordained by God and citizens owe a responsibility to pledge support and allegiance to the divine political arrangement, withholding support automatically qualifies as a zero-option for the followership.

And just as citizens automatically forfeit the right to withhold support for an arrangement ordained by God Almighty himself, this presumption automatically imposes on the government a debt of responsibility to listen to the citizens and always act in defence and protection of their rights and interests at all times. That is a sacred obligation which every responsible government owes its citizens and based on which it could take their support for granted.

It is based on this that we presume that every patriotic and responsible Nigerian wishes that the administration should not only succeed in re-positioning the country but that Buhari, specifically, should be highlighted in history as the leader who combined the grace of age with the benefit of experience to prevent the country from rumbling down the brink of political disaster as generally feared. As the eldest Nigerian ever to occupy that position, he owes his compatriots an obligation to deploy these advantages to steer the country away from the

path of self-destruction and contrived hurdles that have consistently prevented it from attaining the noble dreams of its founding fathers.

That is why many well-meaning observers, including yours truly, have consistently urged the president to be wary of mischievous politicians who position as friends but are actually determined to super-impose their hidden agenda on whatever meaningful change the administration intended to achieve for the country. Yet, instead of encouraging the administration to aim for genuine change by aligning the polity with the principles and practice of pristine federalism which the founding fathers recommended for a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society like ours, such self-serving politicians plot to mislead the administration by passionately encouraging it to stifle spiraling agitation for genuine political reforms in the country (re-structuring), which are inevitable and doing all these in order to ridicule the administration.

Instead of encouraging the administration to engage persistent and growing pressure for genuine change and reforms with courage and in line with similar developments across the global village which the world has become, they recommend further repression that has failed, woefully, to solve the country’s enduring political problems for 45 years. Even when it is obvious that further repression is futile and counter-productive, and that reformation of our bastardised federation to defuse growing tension is inevitable, they recommend further fool-hardiness in order to make it unpopular and further disconnected from the genuine and legitimate aspirations of citizens.

For example, even when Britain that recommended this political albatross for us respected the preference of Britons by resolving to pullout of the European Union (EU), the enemies masquerading as friends within the administra-

As the eldest Nigerian ever to occupy that position, he owes his compatriots an obligation

tion recommended further killing of agitators for overdue political reformation of the country which is a deviation from the genuine federation that the founding fathers recommended for a multi-cultural society like ours. This mischievous recommendation to further stifle agitation for genuine reforms is to mislead and ridicule the administration as standing in the way of reform which is what is best for the country.

Instead of encouraging the administration to embrace strident pressure and agitation for genuine political reforms with courage, not irrational fear, and in line with similar developments around the world, they urge further repression that would inevitably portray the administration in horrible terms before the international community. And even when it is obvious that this option is fool-hardy because political reformation of the country is inevitable as long as she remains a member of the global village, they deliberately recommend otherwise to make the administration unpopular in order to further force its rating to plummet.

For example, in spite of the fact that Britain that anointed the prevalent political fraud did not send soldiers to kill Scots, Irish and others that voted against that country leaving the EU, they recommend death for agitators for political reforms in the country. It is providential that while the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for instance, advised her citizens in diaspora against wearing their national dress for security reasons, political rascality in Nigeria inspired mischievous recommendations which fly in the face of security considerations, not minding the fact that terrorists have carried out atrocities in mosques, churches and schools.

The wish of patriots, especially those who believe in the advantage of size, is speedy realization that with friends like these, the president does not require to look far for enemies.

•Umosen (dominik.umosen@gmail.com) wrote in from Lagos.

Okorocha’s bulldozers and Iheanacho’s tears Jones Onwuasoanya

O

ne of the things Governor Rochas Okorocha has scored very high marks in, is the demystification of certain individuals in the State who were hitherto untouchable or made it look like they were. The irony in this is that these individuals who are being steadily dealt with by the Ogboko born politician are the same people to whom he mostly owes his successful ascendance to the governorship seat of the State to.

The present demolition exercise going on in the State has been described by some observers as another strategy by the government to get back at opposition elements who they perceiive to be wielding much influence in the State. This is as one of the popular opposition figures in the State has cried out that two of his houses will soon be visited by Governor Okorocha’s bulldozers.

From Chief Martin Agbaso who ceded his APGA political structure to Governor Okorocha, after he was allegedly settled with some money and offered the Greek gift of making his younger brother, a political neophyte, the running mate to the Chief Okorocha, to Chief Achike Udenwa who had to coalesce the ACN structure in the State into the APGA family during

the 2011 governorship election, which ensured that the latter emerged victorious, albeit controversially, to Chief Alex Obi, whose political gimmicks cannot be taken for granted, to Senator Christy Anyanwu who deployed her powerful media tentacles to advance some of the most toxic political blackmails against the government of Chief Achike Ohakim, thereby propelling the image and chances of Okorocha to all the other big wigs who worked in one way or the other to ensure Chief Okorocha’s metamorphosis from a perennial aspirant to the executive Governor of Imo State, Governor Okorocha has turned out to be their collective nemesis. The State Government under Okorocha has left no stone unturned in ensuring that they are all shut up, and most of them ran out of town.

The demolition of structures that are seen to be distortive of the Master Plan of the Owerri Capital City would have been a most commendable government initiative, if it had followed due process and observed the necessary laws of the land. Governance is meaningless if it does not consider the citizenry for whom it is meant.

After all, laws are made for humans and not humans for the law. No government policy is worth the effort put into its conception and implementation if it will ultimately hurt more members of the population than it would benefit. A government policy may be unpopular, and yet beneficial, but a policy that is

both unpopular and at the same time not beneficial either at the short or long term must not only be discarded but the government, if responsible and respectful to the people it governs should also apologize for ever conceiving such a policy.

Some of the excuses that have been adduced by the Governor and his image makers to justify the demolition of peoples’ houses in Oweri and some other cities and satellite towns in the State is that the government either wants to expand the road around that area or that such buildings are blocking the drainage systems within the areas affected by such demolition exercises.

It is illegal and inexcusable for anyone to build structures that obstruct a city’s drainage system or affects the road design of a city, but when the owners of these structures convincingly insist that their structures followed the right developmental planning and did not at least at the time of erecting them obstruct either the drainage system or the road, then, the government needs to prove them wrong before embarking on any demolition exercise, especially, when such buildings do not pose any immediate security or safety risk to the citizenry.

The haste with which the government embarks on this demolition exercise is suspect, especially as some observers allege that the Governor is most keen on expanding and beautifying the roads leading up to his expansive palace, by

demolishing houses and electricity poles around Akwakuma, Amakohia and Orji Mechanic village areas.

Another reason why the government’s demolition exercise is unpopular and highly unacceptable among the people of the State is the allegation by some of those affected by this demolition that the Governor is being selective and unjust in picking out houses to be demolished.

A former Minister of Interior and Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2015 general elections, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho whose house is marked for demolition alleges that the Governor’s houses are on the same lane with one of his houses marked for demolition.

Captain Iheanacho has being spitting fire ever since he got the news that the government has marked his house for demolition, but those who are familiar with the oil magnate’s political history will have little sympathy for him if we remember the role he played in bringing this government to power, even against the candidate of a political Party which he was serving then, as Minister.

Captain Iheanacho as Minister of Interior was accused by people who should know better of being responsible in no small way for the emergence of Owelle Rochas Okorocha as Governor as he allegedly helped the then opposition candidate to have more access to the para-military forces.

• Onwuasoanya wrote in from Owerri.

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Securing our teritorial waters

he g rowing spate of attacks on coastal communities across Nigeria has raised the urgent need for a coastguard to deal with these threats. In the last few weeks, coastal communities in Lagos and Ogun states have been under attack from suspected militants.No fewer than 100 persons have been feared killed by these militants, who were said to have retaliated the killings of their colleagues. Added to this threat is the problem of piracy, vandalism of pipelines, among other economic crimes.

The area covering the Gulf of Guinea which stretches across 11 nations has been described as the current most dangerous maritime sector in the world.

The spate of violence and economic crimes on this maritime frontier has given the international community and the member-nations of Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Angola, Cameroon, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire,, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe as well as Republic of Congo much cause for concern.

Many piracy attacks are said to go unreported. Nigeria is the most affected of all the nations, with its 853km coastline under threat from different sources.

This coastline consists of the maritime boundary with the Atlantic Ocean, Lake Chad, Cameroon, Republic of Benin as well as inland

waterways and lakes.

Successive governments had tried unsuccessfully to curb maritime crimes with the Nigerian Navy but failed woefully. The Navy’s patrol vessels are hardly adapted to meandering trough Nigeria’s maze of creeks and inland rivers.

The Navy is also a full military force primarily tasked with protecting Nigeria from external aggression.

However, in recent years new forms have arisen within Nigeria’s borders that have stretched the Navy’s capacity thin. The Navy is also involved in internal security as well as landbased warfare in the NorthEast.

Militants and

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madu Buhari came to power and abruptly cancelled the contracts, including the one being handled by Global West on behalf of the Nigerian Maritime Safety and Administration.

The cancellation of these security contracts and subsequent take over of the pipelines’ security by the military has not yielded any significant improvement.

This therefore brings up the imperative of a coastguard to oversee security along Nige-

It is unacceptable that the nation’s waterways are hardly illuminated at night

pirates are able to meander through the numerous creeks and rivers as well as across the Atlantic Ocean easily because they mostly operate in boats fitted with outboard engines unlike the bigger vessels of the Nigerian Navy.

Efforts by past governments to establish a coastguard were mired in politics and subsequently jettisoned. Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan tried a different strategy by involving ex-militants and vigilance g roups like Oodua Peoples Congress in the security of pipelines in coastal areas.

However, President Muham-

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ria’s coastline.

The Marine Police Unit of the Nigeria Police Force has not made any impact on security in the maritime sector.

The recent attacks

on coastal communities in Lagos and Ogun could have been effectively prevented by a wellequipped coastguard.

An entirely different outfit in the form of a coastguard, modelled after similar outfits in developed countries, is immensely desirable.

Perhaps, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps can be expanded and become the bedrock of the coastguard.

The coastguard being recommended will be subordinate to the Navy but tasked with keeping the coasts and inland maritime borders safe.

Apart from security duties,

the coastguard will be vested with the powers of search and rescue, combating narcotics, illegal fishing and immigration, smuggling and pollution, ensuring the safety of exclusive economic zones, tourism as well as protection of natural resources.

The coastguard can also be charged with the cleanup of oil spills and maintenance of lighthouses across inland waterways to aid navigation by fishermen and other users of maritime passageways.

It is unacceptable that the nation’s waterways are hardly illuminated at night, thus leaving users of maritime resources at risk and providing a cover for criminals.

According to a joint report by the International Maritime Bureau, Oceans Beyond Piracy and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme, the number of vessel attacks off the coast of West Africa had by 2012 surpassed those in the Indian Ocean, where piracy was by contrast sharply on the decline.

West African pirates attacked 966 seafarers during the year, holding hostages for a shorter period of four days on average.

However, captives in West Africa were at a much greater risk of violence, with five hostages reportedly killed there in 2012 compared with no fatalities elsewhere. Pirate incidents off the coast of Indonesia similarly rose from 2011’s total of 46 to 51.

The time to act on this is now!

18

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Interview

Law

Gadzama: Time to renegotiate Nigeria’s unity is now

News Ogun to partner NBA on improved justice system

20 23

TUNDE OYESINA reports that the leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has given room for conflicting judgements by different courts

M

ajor stakeholders in the nation’s justice administration are worried that the unending crisis rocking the once rated biggest party in Africa- the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may alter the course of jurisprudence and erode confidence in the judiciary should all hands refuse to be on deck.

Already, conflicting judgements are being churned out by different courts as the crisis rocking the party’s leadership is getting messier by the day.

This, they said are undesirable not only for the development of jurisprudence but capable of infringing on the rights of the public, especially when they relate to political matters.

It all started when a factional chairman of the party, Ali Modu Sheriff called off the National Convention of the party scheduled for Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital.

But shortly after the cancellation, another faction of the party without Sheriff ’s knowledge appointed a caretaker committee led by Ahmed Makarfi, thus sparking of the polarisation of the party which had grown worse with three courts giving two conflicting rulings.

For instance, Justice Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court in Lagos affirmed the interim chairmanship of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the National working Committee and the executives, while another Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on the same day ordered Senator Ali Modu Sheriff`s led National Executive Committee and National Working Committee to stop parading themselves as leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

In Lagos, Buba declared that the constituted caretaker committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) illegal. Justice Ibrahim Buba in his ruling ordered the Inspector General of Police to ensure that members of the committee did not take over the party’s national headquarters while Ali Modu Sheriff should remain the national chairman of the PDP. The party’s National Executive Council (NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) had on May 21 dissolved a caretaker committee set

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PDP National Secretariat

PDP leadership: One crisis, many judgements up, headed by a former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi.

The motion to dissolve the party’s NEC and NWC was moved by Mr Austin Opara, a former deputy speaker, House of Representatives and seconded by Mr Emeka Ihedioha, also a former deputy speaker of the house.

Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike and Chairman of the party’s National Convention Committee put up the question and the motion was affirmed by the delegates.

This was however endorsed by Justice A. Liman of the Port Harcourt High Court, who gave a judicial approval to validate the convention.

Justice Liman gave the order following an ex-parte motion filed by the Peoples Democratic Party.

The motion was swore to on behalf of the party by Mr. D. Laminkara, (SAN) and E. Akwuruoha in the suit which had the Inspector General of Police, Independent National Electoral Commission and the Department of State Security were joined in the motion.

The court ordered Sheriff and Prof. Adewale Oladapo to stop holding or paranding themselves individually or collectively as chairman and secretary of the party respectively.

Besides, the court directed them to stop parading themselves as National Officer or member of the National Executive Committee or National Working Committee as doing so would negate decisions reached at the National Convention on May 21.

Specifically, it restrained INEC from recognising or continuing to accord any recognition to the National Chairman, Secretary and all mem-

bers of the NEC and NWC who were removed during the convention.

It ordered INEC to recognise the National Caretaker Committee appointed by the Convention as the executive authority of the party to conduct primaries for offices and submission of list of candidates to it.

The court also restrained the Sheriff ’s led executive from receiving nominations or submitting names to INEC in any capacity pending the hearing and determination of the motion. It also ordered the NEC and NWC not to sign any documents in such capacities prior to their removal pending the determination of the motion.

In Lagos, under a different suit, the plaintiffs in the matter – Sheriff, National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo and National Auditor, Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju – prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining PDP from conducting any election into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor, which they occupied, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

Justice Buba held that he would not allow his order to be violated without consequences, insisting he had an obligation to ensure that his directives were obeyed.

“No court can make an order in vain,” he held.

Justice Buba was however reminded by Oladipo and Adeyanju’s lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede about an application already filed earlier in which he prayed the court to invoke its disciplinary powers.

He said: “Certain steps were taken

to remove the plaintiffs from their office, notwithstanding your lordship’s interlocutory injunction which restrained the respondents from taking such steps.

“The steps were taken at the weekend to remove them and it was during the pendency of this action. It is for that reason that we were constrained to file this application. We seek your lordship’s disciplinary jurisdiction to bring back matters to the status quo based on the order of May 12.”

Justice Buba said although Oluyede’s application was not ripe for hearing, he was bound to protect the court’s sanctity against violation of its orders, saying to ignore the flouting of a court order was to invite anarchy.

He quoted Section 287 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, which says “the decisions of the Federal High Court, a High Court and of all other courts established by this Constitution shall be enforced in any part of the federation by all authorities and persons, and by other courts of law with subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Federal High Court, a High Court and those other courts, respectively.”

Justice Buba went on: “Therefore, the Inspector-General of Police is directed to enforce the orders of this court until the order is set aside or all the applications before the court are disposed of.

“Because of the nature of this matter, being political, time is hereby abridged for the hearing of all applications.”

The judge warned the Makarfi-led committee “not to act in that capacity in defiance of this order.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

20 Law|Interview He is a strong contender for the presidency of the lawyers’ umbrella body, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, (SAN), in this interview with FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE, speaks on Ogoni clean-up exercise, ProBiafran agitators, economy, corruption, NBA election and sundry issues Ogoni clean-up has begun. What does this mean to the country?

The clean-up exercise is commendable. This government appears to be committed to restoring the Ogoni environment which has suffered so much environmental degradation which has affected the water they drink, the food they eat, the air they breathe and even their means of livelihood.

I must also note that the pollution in that area is really large scale. It is my hope that the people must be engaged and that words will be matched with actions in this regard. I am aware that the Vice President and the Honourable Minister of Environment visited Ogoni land to flag off the implementation of the UNEP Report. I also understand that there is a Board of Trustees and Council saddled with the management of the funds meant for the clean-up exercise and it is our collective hope that the said funds will be managed prudently. It is the desire of all Nigerians that this exercise will be sustained for the overall benefits of the good people of Ogoni land. This is really a step in the right direction as it is better late than never.

Many Nigerians are disappointed that President Buhari refused to ‘’name and shame’’ looters of the treasury. What is your view? Are you also disappointed?

The issue of naming looters of the treasury is quite a sensitive one. The apprehension and disappointment expressed by Nigerians over the non-disclosure by the Federal Government is also understandable.

The fight against corruption is one of the cardinal points of this administration. The government has also repeatedly announced publicly on different occasions that the names of looters will be released and this explains the heightened anxiety and subsequent disappointment by Nigerians over the non-disclosure.

On the other hand, we must also note that some of the alleged looters who have returned money to the government still have their cases under investigation while others still have their cases pending in court. To this end, it will appear to be prejudicial and even contemptuous to publicly release the names of the alleged looters while their cases are still under investigation and/ or pending in court. Publicly releasing the names of the alleged looters whose cases are still under investigation and/or pending in court will amount to prejudging them and presuming them guilty until proven innocent which is against the provisions of the Constitution.

While the Federal Government must be commended and supported in the fight against corruption, it must be reech-

oed that this fight must be fought within the ambit of the law and there should be strict adherence to the rule of law.

It also appears to me that the government did not consider the legal implication before pronouncing that the names of the looters will be published.

The government is being careful by its refusal to name the alleged looters in order to avoid unnecessary litigation which might send wrong signal and further derail the ongoing fight against corruption.

An Igbo woman was allegedly beheaded in Kano recently over alleged ‘Blasphemy”. In 1994, an Igbo man Akaluka was killed in similar circumstance, yet no one was brought to book, not even the DPO of the Police Station where the deceased sought refuge.

What do you think should be done not only to bring perpetrators to book but to deter others from this dastardly act?

The killing of Mrs. Bridget in a market in Kofar Wambai area of Kano on Thursday, 2nd June, 2016 is a very sad incident which is not justifiable under any guise whatsoever. It is unlawful, criminal, wicked, barbaric, ungodly and totally unacceptable which ought not to have happened in this 21st Century. Futhermore, the killing is a breach of the deceased’s fundamental right to life as contained in Section 33 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which provides that “every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life……”. This sort of wicked act should not be allowed to happen again in our society. The remote and immediate causes of this embarrassing act must be urgently unraveled and the perpetrators must be immediately brought to book.

I understand that the Governor of Kano State has personally intervened and visited the husband of the deceased.

I also understand from media reports that the Inspector General of Police has since swung into action and it is my hope that justice is not only done but that justice is seen to be done. The law must take its full course to assuage the family of the deceased, the society, as well as to act as a deterrent to others who may be nursing similar evil intentions. This matter must never be swept under the carpet like similar incidences in the past like the 1994 killing that you mentioned. I also advise the security agencies to be on alert to avoid possible reprisal attacks and violent reactions from other parts of the country.

Nigerians actually expected the President to have reacted promptly and in stronger terms too. Also bear in mind

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Gadzama: Time to renegotiate Nigeria’s unity is now that this callous act is one that has claimed the life of a citizen and this justifies the anxiety and apprehension of Nigerians over this matter. Government, both at the federal and state levels, security agencies, traditional rulers and religious leaders all have a role to play in ensuring peaceful co-existence and tolerance among citizens.

This is a criminal act and must not go unpunished. I condole with the husband and entire family of the deceased and I pray that God will comfort them.

Renewed militancy in the Niger Delta, IPOB, MASSOB and others, all in the one year of this administration, what do these portend for the corporate existence of Nigeria?

Actually, the corporate existence of Nigeria is being threatened by militancy and sectional agitations. However, I believe this is the time to renegotiate our social contract and come out stronger as one indivisible country. The Nigerian government must make conscious efforts to dialogue and cooperate with these agitators in order to win the hearts and minds of the larger population.

This is in addition to the imperatives of improving governance and fostering equitable development as well as the protection of the lives of the citizens and the guarantee of human rights. I also implore all groups to ventilate their grievances lawfully as no one should take the laws into their hands no matter the provocation. Due process must be followed and resort to self-help must be discouraged at all times.

Nigerians are hungry. Naira struggles against the Dollar. Employers are downsizing, all in one year of the Buhari-led government.

Would you say this government took off on the wrong pedals?

It is no longer news that

Law|Interview 21

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

the entire nation is witnessing the biting effect of the global economic crunch. A cursory look at the economy will show that businesses are shutting down, companies are downsizing their workforce, unemployment is on a geometric increase and prices have sky-rocketed. The government is obviously tackling the problem of corruption which is quite commendable. I however believe that, in addition to tackling corruption, the government should channel more energy to building sustainable infrastructure and strengthening existing institutions, which has the resultant effect of rapid economic growth.

President Buhari has told Nigerians that the confab recommendations would remain in archive. Do you think archive is the best place for such recommendations put together by eminent Nigerians?

I do not think that we should throw away the baby with the bath water. Huge resources, both human and material were invested in organising the National Conference under the previous administration.

It is also on record that billions of naira was spent on the said conference and as such, it will be proper for the report of that conference to be revisited.

Generally, how would you assess the one year-old government of President Buhari?

There are a quite a number of parameters to be used in assessing a government. No doubt, the APCled government have very fantastic programmes for Nigerians but it appears that implementation of these programmes may be said to be quite slow. This is quite understandable given the peculiar circumstances that we find ourselves as a country. The government has actually achieved some feats in some sectors but there is still more that needs to be done and all hands must be on deck. The government has explained that there are challenges militating against the delivery of their campaign promises but it must be clear that what Nigerians want is result and not excuses.

Personally, the Government has performed averagely and needs to do more in order to deliver the dividends of democracy to the citizenry.

Most Nigerians are of the view that the current administration has not lived up to expectations. This is quite understandable because the impression that Nigerians had about the government was that they had a quick-fix solutions to the problems of the country. No doubt, the APC-led government have very fantastic programmes for Nigerians but it appears that implementation of these programmes may be said to be quite slow.

Gadzama

Early in the year, Mr President said the judiciary was his headache in the war against corruption. Would you say Mr President was right?

There are many factors that are seemingly militating against the fight against corruption. There is no doubt that the judiciary needs to be strengthened and better positioned to effectively play its role in this fight against corruption. There is always room for improvement as things can be done better. The independence of the judiciary must be guaranteed at all times. The fight against corruption must be objective, transparent and in strict compliance with the rule of law.

Would you say the judiciary is indeed living up to its constitutional duty in the face of allegations of bribery and corruption dogging it?

Corruption indeed pervades the country and is a national problem.

It has become an endemic problem which must be fought to a logical conclusion in the interest of the country at large. The National Judicial Council is responsible for the discipline of judicial officers and I must say that although the council has performed well, there is still a lot more that needs to be done. I admit that there are a few bad eggs in the judiciary but I do not subscribe to the tagging of the entire judiciary as corrupt due to these few bad eggs.

Corruption is not peculiar to the Judiciary and I am optimistic that with the right commitment and efforts, corruption will be reduced to its barest minimum. It is said that there cannot be judicial corruption without the active participation of lawyers. If elected, I will implement initiatives aimed at establishing and strengthening national anti-corruption institutions, developing strategies and laws to prevent corruption, and designing and implementing appropriate interventions to address the role of lawyers in judicial corruption. It must also be noted that corruption is not only peculiar to Nigeria but it is also a major challenge to sustainable development in Africa as a whole. We need to grant complete financial autonomy to the Judiciary at both the federal and state levels in line with the provisions of the Constitution.

What are your expectations of the judiciary in the next one year?

I expect an improved and more efficient judiciary in the next one year. Our courts must be able to dispense justice timeously as justice delayed is said to be justice denied. I look forward to having more judges appointed in our various courts and more divisions of court opened in places where they are lacking.

This year is crucial for the Bar and the Bench. The Bar will change its leadership after two years while the Head of the judiciary will retire to pave the way for a new Chief Justiwce of Nigeria.

What qualities do you expect from the incoming NBA President?

I expect the incoming President of the Nigerian Bar Association to among other qualities, to be intelligent, innovative, visionary and pragmatic to be able to take the Bar to greater heights. The incoming President must be a consummate Bar man that cuts across all groups of lawyers and should also be active at the local, national, regional, continental and international levels of the legal profession. He must also be conscious of the role the rule of law must perform to stimulate the desired positive change in the Society.

How would you appraise the outgoing leadership of the Bar? Assessment of the present administration is actually a relative one. One can say that this present administration has performed well especially in the area of stamp and seal, building of the new NBA secretariat and the introduction of universal suffrage. There is however still room for improvement. It is said that the room for improvement is the biggest room in the world and we cannot rest on our oars.

Election of the NBA is some days away and you are a strong contender. What value do you intend to add to the as-

I believe this is the time to renegotiate our social contract and come out stronger as one indivisible country

sociation?

If elected, I will put machinery in place to strengthen the association and consolidate on the achievements of the present leadership of the NBA. If elected, I will ensure a more effective, efficient and purposeful NBA committed to protection and promotion of the rule of law and maintenance of the best traditions of the Bar. Accountability and transparency is cardinal on my agenda and if elected, the affairs of NBA will be run in an open and transparent manner. Under my leadership, there will be strict compliance with Section 18 (3) of the NBA Constitution which stipulates that “no expenditure shall be incurred for any purpose unless such expenditure has been approved generally by the National Executive Committee in the annual budget or any supplementary budget of the association�.

Also worthy of note here is Section 19 (6) of the NBA Constitution which provides that all property of the association, freehold or leasehold, or other interest in land acquired for the use and benefit of the association shall be vested in the Trustees of the association who shall deal with same in line with the resolution of the Annual General Meeting as contained in Section 19 (7) of the Constitution.

If elected, I will ensure that the association’s assets and resources are prudently managed in line with provisions of the Constitution for the overall benefits of members. Efforts will also be geared towards doing things more cost effectively without compromising standard.

The duties of the NBA President are set out in Section 8 (5) (a) of the NBA Constitution 2015.

I will sustain and consolidate on the achievements of the present NBA leadership. Laudable projects like the NBA stamp & seal policy, the insurance project etc will all be enhanced for greater benefits for members of the association.

On the issue of stamp and seal, the policy which has fought impersonation and quackery to a standstill is very commendable and must be sustained. If elected, I will put machinery in place to enhance the policy by ensuring that all stamps are produced and promptly delivered to the respective branches/members in good time upon application. Some members have also complained about the issue of expiry date on the stamp and to this end, I will address this holistically considering the Relevant Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) and the general concerns of members.

Quite a number of lawyers have also complained about the cost of procuring these stamps and in this regard, I will consider reviewing the cost in line with current economic realities and in the overall interest of members, especially young lawyers. Another issue of concern is the delay in the production and delivery of the stamps. I shall drastically reduce, if not totally eliminate, all delays and bottlenecks in the production of the stamps in order to ensure that the stamps are delivered promptly upon application.

The NBA car stickers is also another area of concern and I intend to put machinery in place to ensure that the car stickers are serialized and customized for lawyers to avoid its abuse by non-lawyers as is presently the case.

The welfare of young lawyers is very dear to my heart and that explains why it features prominently in my manifesto. I will champion the establishment of a wage baseline for young lawyers considering the location of practice and business environment, if elected. I intend to accomplish this by engaging and consulting the

management of law firms across the country and working in concert with the various branches of the NBA. There has to be a discourse where all and sundry will actively participate in, and majority will reach a consensus on a wage baseline for young lawyers. All concerned parties, that is the senior lawyers, management of law firms, various NBA branches and the young lawyers themselves will participate in this process and I am optimistic that it will yield a positive result.

I have come to realize that finance is one of the challenges that young lawyers face in this profession. To this end, I intend to set up a loan board that will be saddled with the responsibility of disbursing soft loans to deserving lawyers, especially the young ones in order to assist them in setting up law firms and partnerships. This will be done in conjunction with partnering banks. The NBA under my leadership will ensure that these facilities are easily accessible to lawyers by making the process less cumbersome.

The Health Insurance Policy is also one of the programmes that I have in terms of welfare of lawyers. I believe that young lawyers will greatly benefit from this programme which I will implement if elected. I intend to achieve this through effective collaboration with the National Health Insurance Scheme to guarantee easy access to quality healthcare and benefits at subsidized cost.

I believe that the welfare of young lawyers will be greatly improved by enhancing their skills and developing their capacities. To this end, I will replicate on a larger scale for the NBA, what my firm; J-K Gadzama LLP has been doing over the years. That is to develop a mentorship programme for young lawyers with a resource base drawn from senior lawyers and judges of superior courts (both serving and retired) and also establish a Cross-Border Mentorship Programme for them.

Our young lawyers must be equipped with the requisite skills and abilities to address contemporary legal challenges and access enhanced benefits.

This can only be achieved by training and re-training.

There are many opportunities for young lawyers to explore which are currently being untapped. I will create a platform and the needed support for young lawyers to explore these opportunities and empower themselves.

Young lawyers will be appointed to various committees of the NBA and will also be an integral part of my administration if elected. My administration will also work out modalities to sponsor young lawyers to attend the International Bar Association Conference, regional conferences and even national conferences.

Additionally, the NBA under my leadership will ensure beneficial, wellinformed, timely and coherent contributions to debate on national issues and promotion of democratic tenets.

Why do you think you are the most qualified to lead the Bar at a time many believe the association has lost its voice?

It might not be totally correct to say that the NBA has lost its voice. This is because in the past years, the NBA has recorded a number of achievements and made its impact felt in the area of promotion of the rule of law, protection of the rights of members, advancement of the interest of members amongst others. However, there is always room for improvement. If elected, I will put machinery in place to strengthen the Association and consolidate on the achievements of the present leadership of NBA. If elected, I will ensure a more effective, efficient and purposeful NBA C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 4

22 Law

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Forgery: Saraki, Ekweremadu before the law The prosecution of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu for their alleged involvement in the forgery of Senate Standing Rules has generated controversy.

While a section of the country said the Senate President was unnecessarily being ‘persecuted’, others believe his trial which has become a moral burden must be determined by the court. TUNDE OYESINA reports

A

lthough his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu believes that their trial for allegedly forging contentious Senate Standing Rules is democracy on trial, many Nigerians are not sharing his view. They believe that they should allow the course of justice to determine their fate as they and not the democracy was on trial.

Is their trial over the alleged forgery of Senate Standing Rules in public interest? Is the nation’s Justice Minister and Attorney-General promoting abuse of legal process?

A judge of an Abuja Federal High Court and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome believe that the alleged charge was not in public interest just as they concluded that the suit is portraying the Attorney-General as a promoter of abuse of legal process.

Ozekhome believes their trial will not stand just as the judge in a ruling said the case was filed in ‘a desperate haste that was not in the public interest.’

He said: “I have taken time to send my juniors to get the case from the court and the copy of which shown to me shows that neither the Senate President nor his deputy made any statement to the police at all.

My question is, how do you charge people whose statement had not been obtained for the alleged offense?

Have they looked at the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which says the statement must be taken from the suspects in the presence of his lawyer, that the entire scene must be video? How do you now charge somebody you have not taken his statement? Did they look at Section 3?”

Notwithstanding, controversy had since trailed their trial as seven Senators had already been listed as prosecution witnesses.

They are Senators Othman Hunkuyi, Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Gumel, Kabiru Marafa, Robert Boroffice, Gbenga Ashafa, and Abu Ibrahim, all members of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF).

Ekweremadu, his boss, the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, a

Saraki(left) and Ekweremadu at the plenary

former clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa and the Acting Clerk, Benedict Efeturi are facing trial for allegedly forging the Senate Standing Rules.

The quartet had however been arraigned by the Federal Government before an Abuja High Court. They all pleaded not guilty and consequently admitted to bail on self recognisance.

In a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and forgery, Maikasuwa was listed as the first defendant, while Efetiri, Saraki and Ekweremadu are second to fourth defendants respectively.

In a statement of offense under count 1 of the charge, it reads, “Criminal Conspiracy, contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code Law.” Particular of Offense reads “That you Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arm Zone, Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired among yourselves, to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed the offense of conspiracy, punishable under Section 97(1) of the Penal Code Law”.

The statement of offense in count 2 reads, “forgery contrary to 362 of the Penal Code Law” while the Particulars of offense reads, “that you Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arm Zone, Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with fraudulent intent forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended), causing it to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when you knew that the said Order was not made in compliance with the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order, you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.” The charge sheet dated June 10, 2016 was signed by D.E Kaswe Esq., Principal State Counsel on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and backed by an Affidavit of Completion of Investigation deposed to at the Federal High Court Registry, Abuja on the same date by Okara Neji Jonah, a Litigation Officer at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja.

Okara had maintained that “the

Malami

Force Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (FCIID) has concluded investigation of the case and forwarded the file to the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation for Prosecution.”

Listed as witnesses in the suit, which has been assigned to Justice Yusuf Haliru for hearing are Senators Othman Hunkuyi, Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Gumel, Kabiru Marafa, Robert Boroffice, Gbenga Ashafa, and Abu Ibrahim, all members of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), the group of Senators that pushed unsuccessfully for the election of Senator Lawan as the Senate President.

Other witnesses include former Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, currently Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang; Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of FCIID and one of the contenders for the Office of the IGP, Dan’Azumi Doma, and Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Ojudu Babafemi.

The suit was sequel to a petition to the IGP by the Senate Unity Forum signed by a first-term Senator, Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, dated 30th June 2015.

The SUF alleged that “the socalled new Standing Orders purport to allow for secret instead of open ballot system that has been prevalent in all Senate elections as permitted by the extant rules”. The petition failed to name Saraki or Ekweremadu or anybody as suspects.

Reviewing the charges against Saraki and others, Ozekhome con-

The case was filed in ‘a desperate haste that was not in the public interest

demned the charge in strong terms.

He said: “I do not think that they have even looked at Section 3, Legislative Houses Privileges Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria which grants total immunity to legislators in the acts conducted on the floor of the House within the precinct of the National Assembly, whether in spoken form, written form, of motion, bills, amendment, all of them spectacularly and completely privileged.

“Under Section 3 of that law, they also perhaps do not know that what they regarded as amended rules which provoked the whole of this political manouvering is always the way it has always been done. In 2003, you have 2003 amended rules which are normally amended by the bureaucracy during the period of interregnum when the National Assembly is on break and politics are going on.

“Neither the Senate President nor his deputy nor the clerk amends the rules; it is done by the National Assembly bureaucracy, the civil servants who amend the rules to await the National Assembly.

“So, after 1999, 2003 was called amended rules, 2007 amended rules, 2011 amended rules, and the 2015 amended rules. These rules are normally amended by the bureaucracy when members of the National Assembly are being elected. It is that laws that guide the new Senate and House of representatives members coming on board, not the old one.

“I think the people who raised this issue are the neophytes. They were new people in the Senate who did not know that is how it always being done conventionally in a parliamentary system. They probably thought that some people went somewhere that morning to amend those rules.

Those rules are normally amended.

“I have taken time to send my juniors to get the case from the court, and the copy shown to me shows that neither the Senate President nor his deputy made any statement to the police at all. My question is, how do you charge people who you have not taken a statement from for an alleged offense? Have they looked at the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act which says the statement must be taken from the suspects in the presence of his lawyer, that the entire scene must be video?

How do you now charge somebody you have not taken his statement?

Did they look at Section 3, National Assembly Legislative Act to know that whatever is done there enjoys legislative immunity? That the only complain can be by any aggrieved members, who think his privileges have been abuse can only apply to the ethics and privileges committee for redress? Have they looked at the 1748 doctrine of Separation of Power espoused by the great philosopher, Baron Demontesque that the three arms of government are different and independent?

That one arm cannot bulldoze his way into the other or bully the other?

The question is why is the executive trying to bully the National Assembly because they are trying to enforce a change of leadership at all cost?

“It is all politics. My take on this is that APC should take more than passing interest in what is going on because if they succeed in removing the leadership like I warned last year, they will find a situation where the next Senate President and deputy will be PDP people.

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

John Chikezie

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for mer Chairman of the Body of B e n ch e r s (BOB), Chief George Uwechue (SAN) at the weekend, joined other prominent lawyers to back the aspiration of Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) for the presidency of the nation’s lawyers’ umbrella bodythe Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

The Body of Benchers is the foremost body of lawyers in Nigeria statutorily mandated to make policies for ensuring discipline and professionalism among lawyers.

Also, the Arewa Lawyers Forum (ALF) has cleared the air on its earlier endorsement of Gadzama, stating categorically that his choice as the ALF’s sole candidate for the NBA presidency was irreversible.

However, Gadzama who received a rousing reception at Awka, Anambra State at the weekend when Bar leaders and members from both Awka and Aguata branches threw their weight behind him as their preferred candidate for the NBA presidency, said he would make the association the best on the continent should he win the election.

Speaking after inaugurating a new Executive Committee for Otu Oka-Iwu, a body of lawyers of Igbo extraction led by Chief Chuks Ikokwu, Uwechue said: “Chief Gadzama, I have told you before and I tell you again now that I am for you. I will support

Law|News 23

NBA presidency: Afe Babablola, Uwechue back Gadzama …as Arewa reiterates adoption

you in your quest because I know you will perform very well as NBA President.”

According to Uwechue, he had no doubt that Gadzama would deliver on his mandate if elected, saying the Bar would benefit from Gadzama’s experience and long-standing commitment to the Bar. Gadzama who was visibly elated by the highprofile endorsement thanked Uwechue for his magnanimity of spirit.

Gadzama, in an emotion-laden voice said: “My mentor, I assure you, I will not let you down.”

The leading NBA presidential candidate also urged the outgoing NBA President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, (SAN) to extend the ongoing voter registration exercise due to the hardships being encountered by lawyers in updating their profiles, noting that no lawyer should be denied the opportunity to determine who leads the NBA. Aare Afe Babalola, (SAN) had declared that Gadzama “is the most suitable of all SANs today to head the Bar,” adding that “he is very, very humble, he is very, very honest, he is very industrious and he is well learned and knowledgeable.”

In its letter to Alegeh dated June 27 and signed by its Vice Chairman, Mr. Garba Pwul, SAN and Assistant Secretary, Mr. T. T. Hyundu, chronicled the events leading to the adoption

of Gadzama which commenced with his recommendation as the most viable candidate by the ALF Screening Committee led by Mr. Garba Pwul, SAN. He said: “For the

avoidance of doubt, we restate the fact that Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN is and still remains the sole adopted candidate of the ALF for the Presidency of the Nigerian Bar As-

Uwechue

sociation (NBA), 2016.”

Among those who were at Awka to welcome Gadzama were Chief Chukwuma Ekomaru, SAN and influential Bar leader, Mr. Aniazoka Zokas.

Afe Babablola

Ogun to partner NBA on improved justice system Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

T

he Ogun State Government has called for stronger and improved partnership with lawyers towards raising the standard of justice administration in the state.

Justice Commissioner and Attorney-General, Dr. Olumide Ayeni made the call during the inauguration of the new executive members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abeokuta branch held at the Bar Centre along Moshood Abiola way, Abeokuta.

The 11-member NBA executive has Alhaji Ibrahim Atanda as the branch Chairman.

Ayeni disclosed that the state government had underway to implement a new anti-robbery and other related offences law in pursuance of an enduring peaceful co-existence in the state.

He said the Governor Ibikunle Amosun-led administration exAmosun pected much from the NBA as partners in progress in order to

engender good governance and tranquility in the society.

According to him, the proposed law was conceived as part of security measures to address a wide range of anti-social issues such as armed robbery, kidnapping, ritual killing, land grabbing, and inhuman treatment by law enforcement agents, among others.

Ayeni stated that the bill for the armed robbery and other criminal offences would soon be presented to the state House of Assembly for consideration.

He said: “We are well prepared and alive to our duties in Ogun State. We will ensure that our people are well secured and co-exist peacefully without fear. The present administration gives the security of the citizenry a top priority and I want to assure you that the new law will come out soon.

“People would see a whole range of new legislation coming through and being complemented by a well-articulated and revised procedural aspect of it that will make it suitable for modern circumstances and to meet modern

challenges in Ogun State.”

The Justice Commissioner urged the new executive members to justify the confidence reposed in them and maintain high level of decorum within and outside the courts.

In his remarks after being sworn-in, the branch’s Vice Chairman, Mrs Adebimpe Obienu said regular capacity training, seminar and conference would be organised for members of the association.

Obienu, who stood in for the chairman urged lawyers to always ensure strict observance of professional ethics and shun acts capable of bringing the law profession into disrepute, assuring that the new executive would prioritize the welfare of young lawyers in terms of finances and exposure to the etiquette of their job towards repositioning the profession.

Other members of the executive are Sunday Obafemi (Secretary); Mrs Taiwo Adegbite (Treasurer); Mrs Olajumoke Akapo (Financial Secretary) and Kunle Sodeinde (Public Relations Officer).

24 Law|news

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Conflicting judgements in PDP crisis C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 9

To worsen the crisis, another judgement last week came from an Abuja High Court which held that Sheriff’s emergence was unlawful as it was based on amended provision of the PDP constitution illegally introduced in December 2014 while two judgements were still pending.

Although the court did not specifically mention Sheriff’s name, it made an order restraining all persons who became national officers of the party by virtue of the amended Article 47, Rule 6 of the party’s constitution from further parading themselves in the said capacities (national officers).

The judge, Justice Valentine Ashi nullified the amendment of the said provision of Article 47(6) of the party’s constitution which he ruled was done in violation of the mandatory provisions of Article 66 (2) and (3) of the same constitution.

He said: “The purported amendment of Article 47, Rule 6 of the PDP 2012 at a Special Convention held on Wednesday and Thursday, 10 and 11 December, 2014, is unconstitutional, null and void as there was no compliance with mandatory provisions of Article 66 (2) and (3) of the same constitution.

“By reason of the above, the purported amendment of Article 47(6) introduced to the PDP constitution on the aforesaid dates, are hereby set aside.

“All persons, individuals, officers, servants or agents of the PDP parading themselves as the national officers of the PDP pursuant to the purported amendment which has now been nullified are hereby restrained from further parading themselves in these capacities.”

Justice Ashi was delivering judgment in a suit filed by a member of the party in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State, Chief Joseph Jero. The suit, with number CV/1867/2016, was filed on June 2, 2016.

Only the PDP was the respondent in the suit.

Article 47, Rule 6 of the party’s constitution was amended at a Special National Convention held on December 10 and 11, 2014.

The original provision provided that in the case of a vacancy, the executive committee of the party either at ward, state or national levels of the party, should appoint a caretaker or a chairman from the zone of the former holder of the office “pending the conduct of election.”

But the amended provision stipulates that the appointed caretaker or chairman should hold office “to serve the term of the (previous) officer.”

The amendment was made to validate the emergence of Adamu Mu’azu as the chairman of the party following the abrupt exit of his successor, Bamanga Tukur, in 2014.

But, upholding the plaintiff’s case, Justice Ashi held that the amendment of Article 47(6) of the party’s constitution was “illegal, null and void” as the process of amendment did not follow the mandatory procedure stipulated under Article 66(2) and (3) of party’s constitution.

The provision of the said Article 66(2) of the PDP Constitution required the national executive committee of the party (when it involves a national office) to notify the National Secretary about the proposed amendment, stating the specific proposed amendment and the reasons for the proposal within two months to the date of the national convention.

By virtue of Article 66(3) of the party’s constitution, the National Secretary is also expected to notify state branches stating the details of the proposed amendment and the reasons for it at least one month to the national convention.

The judge held that the provisions were not complied with in the process of the amendment of Article 47(6) of the party’s constitution.

He dismissed the contention of the PDP’s lawyers, one of who was Okere Muhammed

Kingdom, who had argued that the appointment of the party’s chairman was an internal affair of the party which the court should not dabble into.

But the judge explained that in as much as such issue was an internal affair of the party, the court had jurisdiction to determine whether the party followed its own constitution and regulations in the steps it took.

The plaintiff, Jero, had through his suit invoked the jurisdiction of the court to interpret Sections 221(d) and 223 (1)(a) of the Nigerian Constitution, Article 47(6) of the PDP Constitution as well as Section 85(3) of the Electoral Act with regard to the appointment of a caretaker or chairman of the party.

Not too long, the Abuja court delivered its ruling, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja re-affirmed Ali Modu Sheriff as chairman and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, with an attendant order for

the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC to accord him the necessary recognition by accepting his nominees for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.

An enrolment order of the court in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/SC/2016, brought before him, the trial judge, Justice Abang Okon held that the Ahmed Makarfi Caretaker Committee lacks legitimacy in the eyes of the law, and cannot take any action on behalf of the PDP. Justice Abang who had earlier asked Makarfi’s lawyers to leave his court had noted that the circumstances of Makarfi’s emergence as a caretaker chairman of the PDP was both suspicious and in breach of earlier court orders.

While making references to earlier court rulings of May 12 and 20, 2016, as having foreclosed the emergence of new set of leaders for the party, Justice Abang stressed that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff remains the lawful chairman.

Auta

NBA presidency: ‘I’ll sustain Alegeh’s achievements’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

committed to protection and promotion of the rule of law and maintenance of the best traditions of the Bar. I believe that I am more experienced and capable to lead the NBA, as I have successfully served the association in the past in various capacities. I have the interest of the Bar at heart and I do not represent any sectional interest. If elected, the members of this branch and all members of the association will be carried along and treated fairly. I will give all members a sense of belonging.

My programmes and vision for the Bar are well thought-out and very practicable.

I also have a feasible blue-print for the implementation of my programmes. In putting up my manifesto, I made wide consultations to identify the needs and yearnings of the Bar and all these are encapsulated in my manifesto which I have undertaken to implement to the fullest if elected. If elected as the 28th President of the Nigerian Bar Association, my main focus will be on the empowerment of members, promotion of professional development and continuing legal education.

Members will be economically empowered by exposing them to business opportunities, training and capacity building in diverse areas of law, as well as capacity building to enhance skills and increased productivity in line with modern realities of legal practice. This I intend to achieve through capacity building workshops, net-

working programmes, seminars, courses and conferences amongst others. I am also of the view that the current Rules of Professional Conduct 2007 (RPC) is due for a comprehensive review to bring it in tandem with current trends and reflect modern realities.

How do you intend to turn the association around should you become the next NBA President? Why must your colleagues cast their vote for you ahead of your brother silk?

My mission in this race is to serve with integrity and run an inclusive NBA dedicated to the advancement of the interest of its members and protection of societal norms and values. I have also developed a number of welfare support programmes for members of the Bar if elected. Some of these programmes include the provision of loans to members of the Bar through partnering banks for setting up law firms and partnerships. Special health programmes will also be introduced for aged and incapacitated members of the Bar. Also germane is the issue of discipline in the profession which I will holistically address if elected.

I have also successfully served the Nigerian Bar Association in various capacities, notable among which are Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Abuja branch, Chairman of the 2005 NBA Annual General Conference Planning Committee, Jos, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2006 Maiden Conference of the NBA Section

on Legal Practice (SLP), Vice Chairman of the NBA Section on Legal Practice (SLP) and Pioneer Chairman of the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) from 2006 to 2010.

The welfare and capacity development of young lawyers will also be paramount if elected and in this vein, I will champion the establishment of a minimum wage baseline for the engagement of young lawyers considering the location of practice and business environment. The practice of paying young lawyers paltry sums as salary must be discouraged in all ramifications. I have also marshaled out plans to empower lawyers and build their capacity by exposing them to emerging areas of law which are currently untapped. Some of these areas are sports law, competition law (anti-trust), entertainment law, medical law e.t.c. This I will achieve by ensuring training, capacity building and networking through organising of relevant workshops, conferences and seminars.

Another area of interest which I will address is initiating a Health Insurance Policy in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for all interested lawyers and their family members to guarantee easy access to quality healthcare and benefits. This will go a long way in addressing the health needs of lawyers and their family members.

Under my leadership, the NBA stamp and seal policy will be enhanced by tackling all attendant delays in its production by ensuring that the stamps are produced

and made available to lawyers promptly upon application. The NBA car stickers is also another area of concern and I intend to put machinery in place to ensure that the car stickers are serialized and customized for lawyers to avoid its abuse by non-lawyers as is presently the case. If elected, I will run the NBA in a transparent manner by ensuring accountability and openness in all dealings and affairs of the Association.

Generally, I will run an inclusive NBA, promote the rights of members and consolidate on the achievements of the present leadership of the NBA in the overall interest of the Association.

For the first time,lawyers will abandon posters,flyers and other mechanism for campaign, how has this helped or hindered your campaign for the office of the NBA President?

The banning of campaign posters and media adverts is actually a welcome development. To an extent, it has reduced the cost of electioneering. It has also brought a level of sanity in the process. It has not in any way affected my campaign negatively.

I have been able to successfully reach out to lawyers in almost all branches of the NBA in all states of the federation. I have always honoured invitations from various NBA branches, participated in their activities, consulted elders of the Bar, paid courtesy calls and visited various branches of the NBA and in so doing, I have been able to reach out to majority of lawyers in the course of my campaign.

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MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Interview ‘Forex restriction could raise telecoms service cost’

Business What's new Anxiety over $386bn telecoms revenue losses

Money Line Forex: CBN orders banks to use FMDQ platform

34 36

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE May 2016...............................15.6% April 2016............................13.7% March 2016..............................12.8%

LENDING RATE Interbank Rate....................12.57% Prime Lending Rate...........17.93% Maximum Lending Rate...26.83%

EXCHANGE RATE

EXCHANGE RATE

(BDC as at July 8)

(Interbank as at July 8)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N352 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N470 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N386

l Foreign Reserves – $26.398bn as at 4/7/2016

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N282 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N366 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N312

Source: CBN

p.26

L-R: Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Council Member, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Chidi Ajaegbu; former President, CIS, Mr. Mike Itegboje; First Vice President, Mr Oladapo Adeloje and President, Mr Oluwaseyi Abe, during a courtesy visit to Obasanjo, in Ota, Ogun State.

Solar market growth in Nigeria, others to reach $148.5bn –Report p.26

Crude lifting: Buhari cuts $103m contractors’ yearly offshore spending The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

LAUDABLE Utilisation of Nigerian service providers by firms selected to lift Nigerian crude increased from 50 per cent in 2010 to 75 per cent in 2015

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa Finance Editor

Taiwo Hassan

Industry, Agric & Brands Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

Adeola Yusuf

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a cut in the excessive offshore spending of $103 million annually by contractors in Nigeria’s crude lifting scheme, which has for years denied the country’s economy over 90 per cent internal spending.

The president was particularly surprised that the crude lifting contracts, which are dominated by foreign contractors, are done with little impact on the country’s economy “in flagrant disregard to the provision of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.” The presidential directive, a management staff at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) told New Telegraph, was given to the board through the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources,

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu.

Buhari also over-sees the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

At the moment, the source said, over 90 per cent spending by crude lifting contractors are done offshore and this does not go down well with the president, who believed that more should be given to the country’s economy.

“Already, the directive has sprang up a collaboration among the NCDMB, the DPR (Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and NIMASA (the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency) on how to effectively make VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers) to domicile 90 per cent of their spending in Nigeria’s economy,” he said.

These three agencies, he continued, met a few days ago and it was also discovered that Nigeria lost $100 billion in five decades to foreigners’ domination of the country’s crude lifting contracts.

“Another decision taken at the meeting was to properly define what constitutes ‘spend’ in crude oil lifting contracts for the purpose of complying with the target of 90 per cent industry spend within the Nigerian economy set for Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) by the NOGICD Act,” he said.

Meanwhile, the NCDMB has said

$100 billion Being Nigeria’s estimated losses in five decades for allowing its crude oil to be lifted exclusively by foreign-owned tankers

that a renewed commitment by government has been instituted to end the loss of over $100 billion in five decades.

The country recorded the loss for allowing its crude oil to be carried exclusively by foreign-owned tankers.

The commitment, the NCDMB said in a statement, was made in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

NCDMB, NNPC and NIMASA also committed to explore the possibility of a joint fund as part of waiver mechanism, which can be used to purchase or finance the building a Nigeria-owned crude oil lifting tankers.

“The Board estimated in 2013 that the Nigerian economy lost over $100 billion in five decades by allowing its crude oil to be carried exclusively by foreign-owned tankers,” the statement read.

The utilisation of Nigerian service providers by firms selected to lift Nigerian crude had, however, increased from 50 per cent in 2010 to 75 per cent in 2015 and has helped to reduce capital flight, increased in-country spend and created job opportunities for Nigerians, the NCDMB said.

26

BUSINESS |news

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Anxiety over $386bn telecoms revenue losses MIXED Growth of third-party Internet voice and data applications such as WhatsApp, BBM, Skype, Facebook call, Viber could have both positive and negative impacts

Kunle Azeez

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ension has continued to grow among telecoms operators in Nigeria and other countries, as they face a threat to potential $386 billion voice revenue arising from the rising usage of Over the Top (OTT) Internet voice applications, New Telegraph has learnt.

While telecoms companies in Nigeria have become wary of the effect of OTT platforms such as Facebook call, Skype, WhatsApp, BBM and Viber, among others, on their revenue, it is only going to get worse, according to the London-based research and analytics firm, Ovum.

Specifically, the research firm predicted that the telecommunications industry will lose a combined $386 billion between 2012 and 2018 from customers using over-the-top (OTT) voice applications.

Already, the growing worries over OTT have also gained the attention of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).

At Commonwealth ICT Ministers Forum 2016 held in Marlborough House, London on June 14, 2016, item 14 of the forum’s declaration examined both the positive and negative aspects of OTT. “The CTO’s plan to carry out a study to understand the market dynamics and policy and regulatory challenges of Over-The-Top services both in the context of their impact on traditional business models and of opportunities for innovation and stimulating economic growth,” it said.

Meanwhile, this newspaper gathered that just as it is the case in other countries, operators such MTN, Globacom, Airtel and Etisalat in Nigeria’s $38 billion telecoms market are currently struggling to counter a trend in which the prices of basic voice and data services are declining like trees falling in a forest.

The trend is as a result of the threats posed by the third-party Internet voice and data applications, which have become a multibillion-dollar problem for global telecommunications companies.

The precipitous decline will come mostly from lost revenue on international calls and on roaming fees, which can, in some cases, be exorbitant and cost unwitting consumers thousands of dollars if they fail to switch off their roaming capability in a foreign country.

According to analyst at Ovum, Mr. Emeka Obiodu, “the use of VoIP will grow increasingly over the next five years to become the

underlying technology for delivering voice over telecoms infrastructure.”

He noted further that “blocking these services, entering into alliances, or trying to out-compete OTT players are not going to stem the tide.”

New Telegraph’s investigation showed that monthly revenue accrued to Nigeria’s telecoms operators from the provision of voice services to their over 151 million subscribers has witnessed a dramatic crash by an estimated 31 per cent in one month.

According to the findings, from N241.6 billion in December last year, aggregate voice revenue by the operators, including the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and fixed networks, fell to N166.4 billion till date.

The decline, representing N75.2 billion revenue losses is equivalent to 31.1 per cent fall in their income accrual.

According to experts, the OTT trend, coupled with the declining Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), occasioned by subscrib-

ers’ purchasing power, have conspired to cut operators revenue in the face of increasing cost of operations.

“Reduction in ARPU has been partly traced to the emergence of the Over the Top (OTT) players, which operators said were eating into their profitability potential,” said President, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Gbenga Adebayo in a telephone interview.

Already, a Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)’s recent report on OTT has indicated that it could be a threat to traditional telecoms model by licensed operators.

However, the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, in a shocking manner to traditional operators in the industry, had ruled out licensing OTT, thereby foreclosing OTT regulation.

According to the NCC report, with the increase in uptake of mobile VoIP services provided by apps such as Google, Facebook, Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, among others, telecoms operators “face

the risk of eroding revenues and profitability.”

The study noted that “many traditional telecom service providers are of the opinion that traditional telephony and SMS revenues are under threat from newer, IP based alternatives like WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, among others.

“To further worsen this issue, the traditional operators still have to make significant investments in upgrading their networks to handle the increasing volume of data generated by the same providers of OTT services,” the report said.

However, while, to a large extent, the argument may be true, NCC report urged traditional telephone network providers to start exploring more innovative and cost effective ways of competing with these OTT service providers.

Similarly, PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC), a global consult firm, has suggested that, “if telecom operators are to develop a successful strategic response to the rise of OTT competitors, they must first take stock of

the considerable assets and capabilities they already possess, and determine how they can leverage them in order to compete against, or work with, the OTT players.”

This newspaper gathered that the growth in global demand is driven by a number of factors including improvements in the availability and speed of broadband networks, the growing capability and affordability of wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets, and continued dominance of social media.

The impact seen today of OTT VoIP services on the traditional revenue streams of telecoms is just the tip of the iceberg, according to a Research Director for Gartner, Mr. Sandy Shen.

“OTT chat apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat are putting more pressure on telcos than VoIP services because they offer social networks that retain user loyalty and stickiness,” Shen said. “That is pushing people to go for smaller voice and text plans, though they still need a big data plan.”

L-R: Director, Laboratory Service Directorate, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mrs. Ganiyat Owoyele; Minister of State for Industry, Trade & Investment, Mrs. Aisha Abubakar and Director General, SON, Dr. Paul Angya, during the minister’s visit to SON in Lagos.

PHOwTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

Solar market growth in Nigeria, others to reach $148.5bn –Report INVESTMENT Twelve global firms grabbed untapped solar market in African and Asian countries

Bayo Akomolafe

T

he solar cell or Photovoltaic (PV) market growth in Nigeria, Malaysia, Ghana and some countries would reach $148.5 billion in the next four years, a new report by Market Research Store (MRS) has said.

The report noted that 12 companies had dominated the markets in some countries battling with irregular electricity supply.

According to the study, some of the key firms in solar cell market to the report include: Suntech Power, Canadian Solar,

Trina Solar, SunPower, Kaneka Corporation, Kyocera Corporation and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Sharp Corporation, JA solar Co. Limited, Jinko Solar and ReneSola Company Limited.

The study titled: “Solar Photovoltaic (PV), market for residential, non-residential and utility applications: Global industry perspective, comprehensive analysis and forecast,” explained that solar photovoltaic was growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 10 per cent.

It noted that global solar market, which was valued at $108.3 billion in 2014, would reach approximately $148.5 billion by 2020.

While it noted that the volume of global solar cell market had reached 33.3 giga watts, the report added that Africa would experience significant growth of

solar photovoltaic market in the years to come.

Already, some firms have indicated interest to invest $7 billion to build 4.2 giga watts in Nigeria.

Also, in Ghana a total of $230 million has been earmarked by government to see solar PV play a significant role. It was learnt that an energy firm, PEG Ghana, had invested $7.5million in 29 service centres in seven regions of the country.

In Nigeria, while Canadian developer, SkyPower Global and Saudi-based FAS Energy have signed $5 billion agreement with the Federal Government and Delta State in 2015 to build 3giga watts of PV, two other companies from United States had also signed agreements with Nigeria for 1.2giga watts in different regions for $2 billion.

Total, a French oil company, also planned to build 1giga watt of projects.

The report noted: “Solar cell market is expected to witness robust growth on account of growing demand in residential and utility application sector. Government initiatives and funding has provided strong boost to solar PV market in Asia Pacific, Africa and North America.”

It stressed that residential sector had witnessed a major upsurge over the past few years.

The study explained that residential segment was the second leading application segment for solar cell installations, which accounted for around 30per cent of the global residential segment.

It said that non-residential segment was expected to grow at moderate pace in the years to come.

Europe was the leading regional market for solar cell in 2014, followed by Asia Pacific and African markets driven by the fastest growth of the Chinese market.

BUSINESS | Movers, Shakers and Appointments

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

MTN gets first Nigerian CFO

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he Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman, has announced Mr. Adekunle Awobodu as the new chief financial officer of the company.

Awobodu, according to a statement, is the first Nigerian to occupy such a sensitive position in over 15 years of the company’s existence in the country.

He took over from Ferdi Moolman, who was appointed to the same position last December.

Awobodu, the statement added, would serve as MTN’s strategic financial business partner.

Also, he would lead the organisation in facilitating decision-making through sound business insights and analysis that drives business improvement and performance.

With over 22 years professional experience and international exposure in Finance, Awobodu holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and banking from the University of Lagos and a masters’ degree in finance from the University of Leicester.

Besides, he holds several professional certifications such as ACCA UK; CIA (Certified Internal Auditor); CMA (Certified Management Accountant); CertIFR (ACCA’s Certificate in International Financial Reporting) and Associateship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB).

He began his career in 1994 with Procter and Gamble (P&G) Nigeria Ltd. and held various positions – Group Manager, Financial Analysis & Treasury, Lagos; Group Manager, Plant Finance & Accounting, Ibadan and Financial/ Senior Financial Analyst.

Awobodu joined MTN Nigeria’s Finance Division in February 2002 as Fixed Assets Manager and rose through the ranks becoming the first Nigerian CFO of MTN Iran.

Moolman said: “Awobodu’s appointment is indeed a strong reflection of MTN talent management creed, Management’s commitment to it and the quality and abundance of talent in MTN Nigeria.”

Malize is 2016 brand, marketing personality

T

Malize

he Chief Executive Officer of Brandzone Consulting, Chizor Malize, has emerged the 2016 brand and marketing personality, according to the organisers and juries at this year’s marketing edge brands and advertising excellence awards ceremony.

The organisers, in a statement, said that Malize got the award because of her dynamics and innovative work in the branding and marketing sphere as well as digital transformation in the country.

The Publisher/Chief Executive Officer of Marketing Edge, Mr. John Ajayi, described Malize as an inspiration to not a few in the branding and communication industry.

He said: “Her emergence as the Brand & Marketing Personality of the year is a confirmation of her devotion and strides in the industry.

“The credibility of this award is further accentuated by the fact that it was derived from independently conducted survey and a unified position of the award board. Malize has made remarkable impact in the Branding ad marketing sphere in a very short-while of launching Brandzone in the market space. Her insight and depth of knowledge of the industry is impeccable and robust.”

Receiving the award, Malize said that her vision to continuously build new great brands of the future is fuelled by her passion for branding and the desire to consistently drive growth using branding as a catalyst.

27

Oluwatosin is CITN’s 15thchairperson

T

he Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Lagos District, has elected Mrs Oluwatoyin Joy Campbell as its 15th chairperson.

She was elected at the 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the district to replace Mrs Aderonke Oloruntoye, according to a statement.

Campbell, a fellow of the institute, is a 1990 graduate of Agricultural Economics from University of Ilorin.

She is also a member of the Society for Women In Taxation (SWIT) and an associate member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, as well as a nominal member of the Lagos Chamber Of Commerce And Industry (LCCI).

The new chairperson started her career in Taxation in 2001, when she joined Alpha Beta Consulting LLP as an Assistant Principal Consultant, heading various units like the Education and Health Sectors in 2005.

She joined CITN as an associate member, undertaking several training programmes organised by the institute while also

pursuing her MBA in International Business from the Lagos State University (LASU) clinching an award for excellence on completion, for her positive contributions towards the School of Postgraduate Studies.

On completion of her MBA, according to the statement, she was promoted head of the Withholding Tax Unit in 2007 and transferred to the tax audit monitoring unit a year later.

Campbell joined the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service in 2015, after a 13-year stint at Alpha Beta Consulting and currently heads financial services at the relationship management unit.

In the service of CITN, she has held various positions at the institute and district levels, including member of the social committee (2006-2008); annual tax conference planning committee (2008-2012); and currently a member of the social committee.

In Lagos, the new district chairperson was vice chairman between June 2014 and last week.

Before then, she was deputy vice chairman from 2012 and 2014; secretary-general, 2011 and 2012; and assistant secretary general between June 2010 and 2011.

Fidelity Bank gets non-executive director

Firm appoints business devt director

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est Africa’s premium data centre collocation provider, Rack Centre, has announced Mr. Frederick Udoaka as its business development director.

He took over from Howard Pheby who continues to work for Rack Centre from United

Udoaka

Kingdom as the company’s business development associate, a statement from the firm said.

Udoaka joined from MTN Nigeria where he was the chief enterprise business officer for MTN Business.

He brings over 25 years lead-

ership in IT delivery, sales and business development across an impressive range of blue chip multinationals in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Prior to joining MTN Nigeria, Udoaka was the sales director of Oracle Systems, West & Central Africa, business development executive, IBM, Middle East & Africa, country general manager, IBM West Africa and marketing manager, IBM, UK & Ireland.

He also worked as a business systems consultant at Shell Services International, United Kingdom and The Netherlands.

He graduated from University of Lagos and London School of Economics for his bachelor and master’s degree in Law respectively. Udoaka also has a post graduate diploma in systems & design analysis from City University London.

Managing Director of the company, Ayotunde Coker said: “Udoaka’s wealth of experience and industry knowledge makes him a key addition to the Rack Centre family.

Adetu

F

idelity Bank Plc has appointed Chief Seni Adetu as an independent non-executive director.

Adetu, the immediate past managing director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, according to a statement from the lender, has worked at the highest levels with John Holt Plc, Coca-Cola International and Diageo/Guinness Plc in different countries within and outside Africa.

He is a chemical engineering graduate and an MBA holder (with specialisation in marketing), both from the University of Lagos.

In a statement by the bank, he was at various times managing director of Coca-Cola, English West Africa based in Ghana in 2001.

Also, he was the first African managing director/ chief executive officer and executive vice chairman of

Guinness Ghana Plc (2006), group managing director/ chief executive officer, Diageo East Africa based in Kenya between 2009 and December 2014, managing director/ Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc and Executive Chairman, Diageo Brands Nigeria.

Adetu has expertise in commercial, financial and governance best practices.

In the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, Adetu was named Runner up Forbes/CNBC Business Leader/CEO of the Year 2012 in East Africa.

Adetu is a leadership coach and facilitates on the Chief Executive Programme of the Lagos Business School.

He is the founder of First Primus West Africa Limited, an upscale integrated marketing communications company,

28

BUSINESS |Stock Watch

MONDAY, junLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Honeywell Flour: Operational challenges weaken profit Operating milieu for manufacturing sector like other sectors of the economy has remained very challenging. In this report, Chris Ugwu looks the economic impact on Honeywell Flour Mills Plc

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he daunting challenges posed by macro-economic headwinds such as erratic supply of public electricity, weak Naira exchange rates, weak logistics, insecurity and other high costs of operations attributable to poor infrastructure, have continued to make the working milieu difficult especially for the real sector of the economy.

However, while it was accepted generally that the overall economic and business climate was a mixed fortune due to the mounting economic challenges, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc like its competitors in the country was not insulated.

The company’s share price movement has also continued to be on the downswing, as it remains susceptible to the challenges facing the manufacturing businesses in Nigeria.

The company’s activities has definitely been impacted on a negative note, by the continued insecurity prevailing in some parts of the country, a situation that has compelled a scaling back of most companies’ expansion drive in those regions.

It’s bottom-line which ended the financial year March 2015 on a negative note, also dwindled during the year ended March 2016 with a loss after tax of N3.023 billion during the full year. This is against a profit after tax of N1.120 billion.

Market watchers attributed the slowdown in profit margin to stiffer competition and lack of accessibility to key markets in the Northern part of the country coupled with increased financing cost, which has resulted in slow growth of many fast moving consumer goods companies.

Just as other quoted firms in the local bourse are facing depression in share prices, market sentiments for the shares of Honeywell, one of the nation’s leading consumables and food manufacturers listed on the floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) has dwindled relatively due to challenging environment faced by the real sector of the economy.

The firm’s share price, which closed at N2.44 per share in August 30, 2015 has recorded a decline in growth. At the close of business last Friday, the company’s share price stood at N1.42 per share, a decrease of N1.02 or 41.80 per cent drop year to date.

Financials Honeywell Flour Mills Plc recorded 66.27 per cent or N2.81 billion decline in Profit before Tax (PBT), from N4.24 billion to N1.43 billion for the full year financial results for the period ended March 31, 2015, while its profit for the year after taxation was down by 66.57 per cent or N2.23 billion, from N3.35 billion in 2014 to N1.12 billion.

The company’s earnings per share (EPS) dropped to 14.13 kobo from a high of 42.26 kobo in 2014.

The firm began the year in the red with 38.74 per cent drop in profit after tax for the first quarter ended June 30, 2015.

The company in a filing with the Exchange posted a profit after tax of N283 million during the first quarter of the year as against N462 million, indicating a drop of 38.74 per cent.

Pre –tax profit fell by 32.64 per cent from N585 million during the comparable period of 2014 to N394 million in 2015, while revenue shed 2.98 per cent to N12.797 billion from N13.191 billion in 2014.

However, investors got respite from the declining position in the Q3, as the company posted 53 per cent increase in profit after tax for the third quarter ended December 31, 2015.

The company recorded a profit after tax of N1.485 billion during the third quarter of the year as against N969 million, indicating a growth of 53 per cent.

Pre -tax profit firmed up by 57 per cent from N1.226 billion during the comparable period of 2014 to N1.929 billion in 2015, while revenue added six per cent to N39.775 billion from N37.636 billion in 2014.

Hopes by the shareholders that the profit margin witnessed in the third quarter will be sustained going forward was dashed as Honeywell ended the year in the negative with N3.023 billion loss after tax for the full year ended March 31, 2016.

According to reports from NSE, it posted a loss after tax of N3.023 billion during the full year as against a profit after tax of N1.120 billion.

Loss before tax stood at N2.869 billion during the comparable period of 2016 from a

FTN Cocoa Plc. 2015 July 31

N1. 42

August 30

N2.44

September 30

N2.68

October 31

N2.58

November 30

N2.06

December 31

N2.05

January 31

N1.46

February 29

N1.33

March 31

N1.44

April 30

N1.56

May 31

N1.86

June 24

N1.77

Otudeko

profit before tax of N1.434 billion in 2015.

However, revenue added four per cent to N50.883 billion from N49.057 billion in 2015.

The business climate for Flour Mills like any other manufacturing companies has been typically characterised by upsides and downsides

Profit deflators The Managing Director, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, Mr. Lanre Jaiyeola, had in a statement lamented the economic loss arising from the falling Naira, the perennial chaotic traffic and debilitating condition of the roads leading in and out of Apapa.

The company attributed the challenging results to several factors including the Apapa traffic gridlock and declining infrastructure around the ports.

“Roads leading to and from Apapa have effectively become car parks. Truck parking facilities around the ports that should have been completed years ago seem to have become abandoned projects. These problems have compromised our logistics efficiency by frustrating the prompt loading of products resulting in longer loading turnaround times and reduced stock turnover,” t`he statement said.

According to Jaiyeola, the company’s customers, suppliers, haulage partners and staff demonstrated great courage, loyalty and commitment during these challenging times.

He noted that it takes, on an average, eight hours for customers to access or exit the factory.

Added to this he said is a rise in dollar denominated input costs. “Costs of wheat and spare parts have been rising because of the falling Naira to forex rates. These challenges coupled with weakening macro-economics of the country, means it takes much longer to factor such cost increments into product prices,” he said.

Looking forward Addressing shareholders at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Chairman of the company, Dr. Oba Otudeko, said that the company’s board and management was able to manage the harsh operating environment in a manner that resulted in financial result that is better than the industry average.

Otudeko noted that the company continues to demonstrate strong fundamentals and the ability to withstand the increasing competitive operating conditions.

“The expected focus on economic and infrastructural development by the new government would lead to moderation in inflation, improved domestic productive capacity, increase in autonomous income and improved demand. This is expected to translate to improved performance for the company in 2016 and beyond,’’ he said.

Otudeko said that acquisition of over 60 hectares of land within the Flowergate Industrial Scheme in Shagamu, Ogun State for strategic development, marked a milestone in the history of the company.

He said: “From the Greenfield location, we shall develop growth opportunities, which meet the yearning and demand of consumers, within and outside Nigeria, for Honeywell brand of food and agro allied products. The complex is an integrated facility to house all of the group’s food factories such that economic of scale can be achieved to drive down overall operating costs leading to the production of more affordable food products.

“The site is planned to accommodate about 15 to 20 factories on about 80 per cent of land, while various support infrastructure will be situated across the remaining 20 per cent.

The site is strategically located along the route to the Northern and Eastern parts of the country, making it easier for nationwide distribution of our products,” he said.

Corroborating the chairman, Jaiyeola said the company remained optimistic of the prospect for growth and better performance in the new financial year. “Our company is committed to the continuous achievement of business successes by maintaining its quality leadership in the flour milling industry,” he said.

Jaiyeola noted that the company is driven by quality management system designed to ensure that customers are always provided with quality products and services, which meet international standards and consumers’ expectations.

Conclusion The business climate for Flour Mills like any other manufacturing companies has been typically characterised by upsides and downsides, however, with strategic expansions, it is hoped that the company will be out of woods.

MONDAY, junLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS | Capital Market

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at July 8, 2016

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Insurance

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

GROWTH Written premiums across Africa increased to $756 million in 2014, from $387 million in 2011, representing a growth of roughly 50 per cent L - R: Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema; Speaker, House of Representative, Hon. Yakubu Dogara;President, NSE, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and Deputy Chairman, Media and Publicity, House of Representative, Hon. Gaza Gbefwi, during the Closing Gong ceremony, at the Exchange... on Friday

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ith Nigeria and six other countries recording $756 million premium from micro-insurance in 2014, parametric or weather-index insurance cover through the schemes has continued to expand its reach across the continent.

The trend if sustained could result in greater demand and utilisation of reinsurance and insurancelinked securities (ILS) capacity.

These were contained in a new report from the Munich Re Foundation and the Micro-insurance Network.

The study revealed that in 2014, total identified written premiums across Africa increased to $756 million, from $387 million in 2011, representing growth of roughly 50 per cent.

Approximately 61.8 million people across the continent were protected by at least one micro-insurance policy at the end of 2014, compared with just 44.4 million in 2011.

According to the report, this translates to a total coverage ratio of 5.4 per cent of the total population across Africa.

Clearly, the uptake of micro-insurance policies is on the rise in Africa, with an increasing number of citizens being able to purchase parametric insurance protection against a growing number of weather or disaster risk exposures, as well as indemnity policies for life, health and other personal lines risks.

Micro-insurance, as an innovative sub-sector of the insurance and reinsurance industry utilises features such as parametric weather insurance to provide more affordable protection, which importantly, pays out rapidly post-event, mitigating the financial and economic impact to emerging regions.

And as the sector has matured and the products continue to

‘Rise in Africa’s micro-insurance to spur reinsurance capacity’ evolve to meet the divergent needs of regions and individuals, there’s an opportunity for reinsurers and also ILS players to provide the capital and skill set, and drive further sector growth.

“It is great to see indications of a maturing African market with an increasingly diversified coverage. Whilst life and credit life products are widely spread on the market, new types of bundled covers especially in health and personal accident are being developed.

“Looking at the subset of products for which claims, administrative expenses and commission ratios were reported, the study showed clear profitability for many products, with more than half of products with combined ratios below 75 per cent,” said Michael McCord, Chair of the Micro-insurance Network.

Micro-insurance is vital in supporting and protecting the livelihoods of low-income people, especially those

in poorer parts of the world that are susceptible to a host of natural disasters, such as drought, flooding, and other extreme weather events.

In recent years the microinsurance sector has flourished in some developing countries, facilitating the expansion of parametric weather insurance, and index-based insurance covers to those that need it most.

Initiatives like the African Risk Capacity (ARC) are an example of a concerted effort between public and private sector entities to improve disaster resilience and recovery for vulnerable nations.

Being Africa’s first sovereign catastrophe insurance pool, ARC utilises parametric insurance products and the capacity of the global insurance and reinsurance market, as well as some ILS capacity, to protect member states against drought conditions.

ARC has been praised by leaders of global organisations, insurance and non-

Insurers post N1.22trn gross premium income

I

nsurance operators posted over N1.22 trillion gross premium incomes between 2010 and 2014, while a total of N348.35 billion was paid as claims to policyholders who suffered losses.

The statistics revealed in the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) annual report and accounts also put management expenses at N294. 34billion.

According to the breakdown, non-life operators wrote gross premium of over N863.69 billion, while life operators wrote N353.25 billion.

The claims of non-life operators stood at N221.06 billion, management expenses N220.87 billion and life operators’ claims stood at N127.29 billion while their management

expenses was N73.97 billion.

Meanwhile, the report also revealed that the industry operators made about N20.61 million from the Nigerian Insurance Industry Database (NIID) in 2015.

This represents a loss of about N82.44 million as a result of 12 million uninsured vehicles across the country.

According to the DirectorGeneral of the NIA, Sunday Thomas, several features have been added to the NIID, which is in its fifth of operations.

He identified these features to include notification of stolen vehicles; notification of claims and inspector log report.

Thomas noted that the association had commenced

discussions on the implementation of a faster, more robust and responsive verification gateway in a bid to enhance the verification process, He added that the implementation would soon commence.

Thomas said the collaboration entered into with government agencies had resulted in more value addition on the system and yielded results such as; provision of crash reports for the Federal Road Safety Corps; moves to integrate NIID with Nigerian Police computerised tinted glass permit system and integration of the NIID with Nigerian Customs Service trade system for enforcement of marine insurance.

insurance by nature, and has ambitions to expand its reach across Africa and also grow its product set to include cyclones and other weather events.

The desire from ARC to expand further and also the fact that micro-insurance penetration is on the rise elsewhere in Africa suggests that as the sector scales up, the need for reinsurance protection, and also capacity from the capital markets could have an increasingly important role to play.

ILS players that participate in collateralised reinsurance agreements likely have some exposure to ARC policies and perhaps other micro-insurance schemes throughout the continent. But the involvement of ILS capital and features more directly within the micro-insurance landscape could grow in the coming years as the market looks to expand, ultimately requiring more reinsurance.

Outside of Africa other organisations are increasingly looking to broaden the reach of parametric insurance and index-based weather insurance products to

those in need, ultimately seeking to narrow the protection gap (difference between economic and insured losses post-event).

Global Parametrics is an example of this, an entity focused on providing vulnerable, underserved and underinsured parts of the world with parametric risk transfer solutions and looking to leverage the global reinsurance market and ILS or thirdparty investors for capacity as it grows.

Undoubtedly, as micro-insurance in Africa and beyond continues to broaden its reach, covering more and more people, and evolving into larger programmes and initiatives, catastrophe reinsurance will become an ever more important part of the set-up, an area that ILS is becoming ever more prominent.

With public and private sector entities showing an increased willingness and desire to ensure those in vulnerable regions are able to afford adequate risk transfer solutions, it’s possible that reinsurance and ILS, which is more than capable, will have an important role to play.

Insurers to NAICOM: Create help desks

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nsurance operators have called on the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) to provide specific help desks to resolve issues relating to financial reporting.

Chairman, Risk Management and Compliance Committee of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), David Igiehon, said this in a report the committee submitted to the association.

He noted that operators needed assistance from the commission in handling of financial reports such as audit, anti-money laundering compliance and other regulatory matters.

Igiehon also observed that several reports from the com-

mission were often cumbersome, thereby requiring in some instances, considerable re-configuration of reporting entities’ system and processes.

He added that the issue accounted for the delay in submission of returns.

The chairman called on NAICOM to give stakeholders enlightenment on market conduct and prudential guidelines and clear issues of inconsistencies in the guideline.

He charged companies’ managements to ensure directives and circulars from NAICOM reach chief compliance officers of insurance firms for prompt and appropriate actions.

BUSINESS | Insurance

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

31

FG invests N3.68trn pension funds in bonds, bills CAVEAT The Pension Fund Administrators are compelled to define their investments according to the prescribed guidelines

Sunday Ojeme

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ederal Government’s securities have continued to attract more funds from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), as N3.68 trillion out of the N5.46 trillion total assets, were invested in bonds and treasury bills in March 2016.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom), in its portfolio summary for the period ended March 31 2016, stated that N3.23 trillion was invested in bonds and N448.69 billion in treasury bills.

The commission noted that N469.95 billion was invested in domestic ordinary shares, while foreign ordinary shares got N67.97 billion. State governments’ securities got N152.81 billion and corporate debt securities received N186.42 billion.

It noted that local money market securi-

ties gulped N574.34 billion; foreign money market securities got N2.69 billion; real estate got N212.26 billion; private equity funds got N17.00 billion and infrastructure funds received N1.02 billion.

The Director-General, National Pension Commission, (PenCom) Mrs Chinelo AnohuAmazu, had identified dearth of products as reasons for the continuous investment of funds in federal government’s securities, whilst charging pension operators to develop alternative products.

“The PFAs are constrained; they are unable to develop the products they invest which is why we have a preponderance of the pension funds in federal government securities, there are no alternatives,” she said.

The director general had often maintained that the funds were not idle but judiciously invested according to the guidelines stipulated.

She said the assets are not lying idle in any bank account as alleged by those who do not understand the working of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

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The commission said it was working with the Financial Reporting Council (formerly Nigeria Accounting Standard Board), through a joint committee, to include report on compliance with the provisions of the PRA 2014 as part of the disclosure requirements in audited financial statement of all organisations that employ a minimum of three staff.

“While the Committee is yet to conclude its work, it is expected that the new International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) would include this requirement,” PenCom posited.

Chief Executive Officer, Aero Contractor Captain Fola Akinkuotu (left) and Chief Executive Officer Spectranet, David Venn, in a warm handshake after signing a special agreement to give Aero Contractor’s passengers free internet service, at the MMA2, Lagos

Lagos prepares N895.5m for 256 retirees ollowing its unbroken record of meeting the needs of retirees, Lagos State government has issued another set of Retirement Benefit Bond Certificates for a total sum of N895.522 million to another batch of retirees.

To benefit from the fund are those in the Mainstream civil service, Local Governments, State Universal Basic Education and other parastatals of government.

Disclosing this at the 28th Retirement Benefit Bond Certificate Presentation Ceremony, the Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), Mrs. Folashade Onanuga, stated that the state government commenced the monthly payment of terminal entitlements in August 2015.

She stressed that in the last 11 months, a total sum of N15.445 billion had been paid to 3,600 retirees.

The director general pointed out that the commission, on behalf of the state government was inching towards a pension structure that will ensure commencement of pension payment not later than four weeks after retirement.

According to her, paying retirees from month to month is part of the agenda for a new Lagos.

While giving assurance that

The DG said some investors did not get funds from the industry because they failed to meet the requirements in the guidelines.

She said the industry was willing to invest in infrastructure and other projects, but the terms and conditions spelt out in the investment guidelines must be strictly adhered to.

Meanwhile, the Commission is pushing for the publications of evidences of compliance with the Pension Reform Act (PRA) 2014 in companies’ financial statements.

existing backlog must be cleared, she pointed out that government would still monitor the welfare of retirees from the state’s civil service despite the fact that payment of their monthly pension was now the responsibility of the Pension Fund Administrators (PFA) or annuity service providers.

She said: “An interactive platform between the state and the retirees is scheduled to take place in the 3rd quarter of the year.

“Do not hesitate to report any Pension Fund Administrators (PFA) that is not treating you accordingly.”

Speaking further, she implored the retirees to study carefully the flyers on the key features of the pension benefit options: Programmed Withdrawal and Annuity, under the Contributory Pension Scheme, before they make their decisions.

She noted that the flyers were made available to enable them have a full understanding of the two modes of receipt of pension entitlements.

Onanuga also advised the retirees to watch out for fraudsters who are on the prowl, saying they have devised various means of extorting money from retirees.

She advised them to spend wisely by avoiding all form of extravagant spending.

Pensioners to Osun: Pay backlog of our entitlements

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embers of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Osun State chapter, have appealed to the state government to pay their backlog of entitlements.

They demanded the payment of their eight months pension as well as gratuities for those who left the service between 2009 and 2012.

The pensioners, who made their request known during a special prayer ses-

sion held at the state sports stadium in Osogbo, said they preferred to pray rather than protest.

The elderly men and women, who came to the protest venue from all the 30 local governments in the state, said that the outstanding gratuity owed by the government was over N12 billion.

According to the chapter Chairman of the NUP, Dr John Olunlade, the inability

of the state government to pay their entitlements had resulted to avoidable deaths of many of their members in the state.

He said that the state government had been paying the retirees half pensions since July 2015, accumulating to about eight months presently owed.

They urged the government to look into their plight particularly as regards payment of the gratuities owed.

MainOne hinges insurance growth on IT leverage Kunle Azeez

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ainOne, a provider of telecoms services and network solutions for businesses in West Africa, has said accelerated growth in insurance sector lies in effective leverage of Information Technology solutions that offer the payers strategic insights into the markets they serve.

The company stated this during a two-day Insurance Roundtable organised in Lagos, challenging the insurance industry to adopt the use of data and analytic tools to drive sustainable growth in the sector.

The forum, which was well

attended by senior executives of insurance companies operating in Nigeria, provided the platform for the exchange of ideas among insurance agents, insurance companies, insurance support organizations and information technology experts.

As part of the roundtable’s commitment to raising the professional and information standards of the industry, MainOne highlighted the importance of data and analytics within the insurance industry.

Speaking at a panel session on theme: “Data and analytics within the insurance industry,” MainOne’s Product Manager, Data Center, Mr.

Vremudia Oghene-Ruemu, explained that Nigeria’s insurance industry can achieve distinction through effective distribution channels.

The insurance round table at the event was aimed at helping the insurance community achieve market leadership through digital distribution channels.

According to him, there is an ever increasing amount of data that insurance companies need to collect, analyze and store in order to properly manage risks.

He said MainOne has identified the need for effective data storage and analytics and has developed efficient hosting solutions.

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BUSINESS | Financial Market News

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS | Financial Market News

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

N’Assembly pledges support for capital market LEGISLATION For the market to be deepened, oil and gas and telecom companies should be listed

Stories: Chris Ugwu

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he National Assembly will use legislative powers to ensure the development of capital market in the country especially the 10-year Capital Market Master Plan (2015-2025).

The Speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Honorable Yakubu Dogara, stated this on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last Friday.

He said there is need to create and sustain confidence in the market to enable the government and corporate organisations raise funds from the capital market to address infrastructure deficit in the country.

The speaker paid a courtesy call to the Exchange alongside Chairman, Committee on Capital Market, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, Chairman House Committee on Ports and Harbours, Hon. Patrick Asadu and Deputy Chairman, Media and Publicity, Hon. Gaza Gbefwi.

Dogara, who ring the closing bell of the trading last Friday in Lagos, pledged that the house would take Nigerian capital market development serious.

Last Friday was the first time any Nigeria House of Representatives speaker rand the closing bell on the local bourse.

Dogara said the visit was to underpin the fact that the House of Representatives are working with stakeholders to deepen Nigerian Capital Market.

He said, “We believe having a robust stock market will

go a long way in engendering economic prosperity for our teaming citizen who are putting their money in capital market. We will take this market seriously.

He noted that the legislature in a communique at the end of a capital market summit organised by the joint committee of National Assembly a few weeks ago, had promised that every agreement reach in the conference would be given legislative attention.

He stated that the parliament would ensure that the Nigerian Capital Market Master Plan is implemented through legislative backing.

Dogara said: “If the master plan is not implemented, it is as good as there is no plan at all. We will use our legislative powers to ensure that capital market master plan is implemented.

“We need to build a lot for confidence to fully return to the market, one issue we need to address is issue of infractions.

The market needs the capacity

to deal and sanction those who perpetrate fraud in the market.

Insider dealing not excluded.

We are amending certain principles in Investment and Securities Act (ISA) and CAMA to ensure that regulators are on top of their jobs to deal with infractions. We also believe that for the market to be deepened, oil and gas and telecom companies should be listed”.

Responding, the Doyen of the market, Alhaji Rasheed Yussuff pledged support for legislative action in uplifting the capital market.

He said the stockbroking community are ready to work with the government to make Nigeria great.

“When America economy is number one in the world, her capital market is also num-

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ber one, when South African economy is number one in the continent, her capital market is number one as well. Today Nigeria economy is number one in Africa but capital market is number three, therefore we have a challenge to work upon and make sure Nigeria capital market take it position as number one in Africa”, Yussuff said.

‘Skye Bank’ll increase liquidity to boost profitability’

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he new management of Skye Bank Plc intends to shore up the liquidity to enhance its stability and profitability, its new Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Ahmad has said.

He disclosed this in Lagos while addressing the stock market community on the status of the bank.

Ahmad also said that lender will ensure that its cost to income ratio is brought to acceptable level.

He clarified that the recon-

stitution of the board of the bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was not a takeover of the bank but an intervention to correct observed corporate governance issues under the old board.

While explaining that the ownership of the bank remains in the hands of the shareholders, he said the apex bank does not own the bank and has not taken over the institution.

The Chairman disclosed

Obasanjo to FG: Fund projects via capital

ormer Head of State, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has stressed the need for the Federal Government to source medium and long term fund from the Nigeria’s Capital Market to execute capital projects.

He made this call in a closed door meeting with the principal officers of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) at his Ota country home at the weekend.

Besides, a statement from the CIS said Obasanjo endorsed the on-going capital market literacy programme of the CIS as a veritable strategy to expose Nigerians to the pre-eminent position of the capital market in the development of any economy.

The CIS has embarked upon lecture series in the schools, churches, mosques, club houses and a host of others to create

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awareness on the benefits of the capital market.

Obasanjo according to the statement, commended the institute for taking its enlightenment programme of the relevance of the capital market to the growth and development of Nigeria’s economy to the door step of every citizen.

Obasanjo according to the statement, explained that the Nigeria’s capital market had always been a platform where individuals can undertake capital formation while corporate organizations and governments at all tiers can mobilize medium and long term funds for development projects.

He noted that no economy could thrive without a strong and virile capital market, noting that there is a correlation between the development of an

economy and its capital market.

He advised the Federal Government to take advantage of the Nigeria’s capital market to revive the economy by sourcing cheap funds to finance budget deficit and execute the capital projects in the 2016 fiscal budget.

Obasanjo noted that many embattled economies had bounced back on the strength of their capital market. He specifically cited Ethiopia where the economic revival was achieved through effective and efficient deployment of the Commodity Exchange by its government .

As a strategy to reinforce the Federal Government’s diversification programme , Obasanjo urged the Federal Government to ensure immediate commencement of operation at the Abuja Commodity Exchange (NXC).

that the apex was fully behind the bank and would support it to fully stabilize.

Ahmad, a former Director General of the National Pension Commission, re-assured the customers and investors that the Syke Bank was not distressed but only had corporate governance issues under the old board.

He said the bank’s fundamentals remain strong and that it remains one of Nigeria’s leading and retail banks.

In the same vein, the Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, said the management team and the board would work to achieve value enhancement for shareholders, customers and other stakeholders by bringing the cost-income ratio to acceptable levels, improve the risk assets quality and work towards increasing the liquidity and capital adequacy of the bank.

Abiru also described the reconstitution of the bank’s board as an intervention and not a takeover by the CBN, saying the lender’s fundamentals are good and strong.

The CBN had last Monday approved the reconstitution of the Board of Skye Bank Plc, with the appointment Mr. Ahmad and Mr. Abiru as the new Chairman and Managing Director of the bank respectively.

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BUSINESS | Interview

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

‘Forex restriction could received firm confirmation from the honourable minister recently that this will now happen and we are hoping that such move will provide the necessary protection required for all the players in the industry, increase the security of the infrastructure and will also assist those who are concerned in coming to do business here in terms of challenges of vandalism and interference that we have been having in our operation. So, we hope it would help in dousing fears. It would appear that the industry has not had good mention in our contribution to GDP in the last two years.

But permit me to say that telecom operators have also remained one of the major contributors to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by all indices and also we remain a major source of foreign direct investments (FDI) into the country. By and large, we think that the industry is on a good footing, we are making progress slowly but rightly. It is not a short journey in telecoms development.

As you are aware, historically, this is an industry that actually grows with human develo p -

Mr. Gbenga Adebayo is the National Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON). In this interview with KUNLE AZEEZ, he discusses different areas where the shoes are pinching the operators, including the critical contribution of the industry to the economy despite the challenges being faced

Adebayo

How would you capture some major developments that have been headlining the telecoms industry in recent past?

As you know that last year, we had many changes. First, we had changes in the regulator. I think it was in September that a new regulator was appointed and it took him a bit of time to settle down. He settled in late last year and early this year and we have started seeing some movements in the industry. We have also seen a new minister, who also is less than one year in office. Just recently, ALTON met with him. He is also just settling down and trying to address issues of the industry.

We have had some significant events in the industry. You are aware about the penalty of one of our members and the process that it took and now it looks like we are heading towards one direction in that regard. But in spite of all the challenges we had as an industry, telecoms remains one of the most reliable industries that we have being that it is the infrastructure of other infrastructures and you can imagine the role that telecoms is playing not just in the life of individuals but also in the life of businesses and the nation at large. We have continuous advocacy on the issues of classification of telecoms as critical national security and economic infrastructure and gladly, we

ment. For every new day, there is a new technology, for every new day, there is a new application, for very new day, there is a new feature. And also, being a business that is cross-border in nature, we cannot be behind other nation in terms of features and offerings and I am glad to say that our industry remains at the forefront of the most modern in terms of hardware and software, in terms of service offerings and also in terms of quality of service.

Would you say that the $38 billion telecom investment in Nigeria is getting adequate protection?

Well, the regulator has been trying to create an enabling environment but we still face challenges. First of all, I think the industry should be commended because infrastructure deployment in the country is very difficult. When we talk of vandalism, it appears it is just a talk show, whereas, it is more than that. I heard the minister of power, speaking recntly, saying that what has had major impact on power availability is the vandalism of supporting infrastructure. So, that also means that if we talk of quality of service in telecoms and we talk of impact of vandalism, there is a direct correlation in that, in the sense that this industry and its infrastructure must be protected. We are private companies and in spite of government protec-

Telecom operators have remained one of the major contributors to the country’s GDP by all indices

tion of critical infrastructure such as oil and gas installations, you can still see the impact of interferences and damage in the national economy not to talk about an industry such as ours where we do everything for ourselves and by ourselves. So, I think the industry should be commended much more than we currently have. The other side of it is that in the modern day life, no economy is complete without good telecoms infrastructure because today, the world is talking about ‘all-electronic’. Ten years ago, it was fashionable to provide voice services. Today, it is no longer fashionable. Today, there is a cultural shift from phone calls to electronic communications in one form or the other, you now know that even those platforms that are data-based, that are text-based are now also offering voice services. I am talking of the likes of WhatsApp, Imo, BBM, Viber and the rest, where you can do good quality voice and videos. Without the supporting infrastructure, those things would not be possible.

Without the right technology, those things would not be possible. Therefore, I think more than current experience, the government should do more to support telecoms infrastructure and I think we should have the highest level of visibility in terms of protection, in terms of support by government through enabling policies at all levels.

Why should telecoms industry be given priority attention in the area of access to forex?

The current issue of scarcity of foreign exchange is of concern and we are hoping that the government will classify telecoms as one of the critical sectors that will have the first layer of priority in terms of access to foreign exchange because as you know, a lot of the things that we use are not made here. Now, we have some systems that require upgrade from time to time. We have new technologies that need to be brought in to optimise what we have and without access to foreign exchange, certainly, expansion would be difficult, maintenance would be difficult, introduction of new technologies would be a challenge. So, we consider it necessary also to demand from the government priority access to the foreign exchange as a sector that is critical to the growth of the economy.

You see, we are not talking of buying raw materials that have many components or parts. You could say when you produced a product that has 60 per cent foreign component and 40 per cent local content, you could do a mix and blend. We are saying that our systems and equipment are not manufactured here in Nigeria and we all know that.

We buy our materials abroad from manufacturers, who are only represented here.

If you would say to the telecoms operators ‘go and source from the black market’, it’s okay. But you also know the difference between the official rate and parallel market rate. The implication of that would translate into higher cost of service. It is very simple because if you are talking about a rate of about 200x at the official and 300y at the black market rate, the difference is quite significant. And so, the consequence of that is that first, there would be delay in procurement. The government has not said ‘go and buy’; it said ‘go and source’, which means you have to search for it. The second is that, because the exchange rates are not comparative, there will be implication on the end users because if you project that it would be so-so exchange rate for your expansion, you are going to source at plus ‘y’, it will mess up all your numbers absolutely and so, because our system is foreign exchange-dependent in whole and not in part, it would be difficult to source in the parallel market, it would be expensive and it may lead to increase in the cost of service if we do not have the best access to

BUSINESS | Interview

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

35

raise telecoms service cost’ ministrative wish.

CV

Recently, the NCC planned to auction 2.6Ghz spectrum but there was overt apathy on the part of telecoms companies towards the exercise.

What do you think was responsible for this?

To some extent, we can say that the recent apathy by the operators and prospective investors towards the planned auction of 2.6Ghz spectrum was a result of the various dynamics I had painted earlier in terms of the challenges facing the operators in the industry, as you need to consider all the factors affecting your business before taking another business decision. If you have that much to cope with in terms of obstacles along your way, you need to rethink, maybe, to wait or delay a bit to see how things will go than taking new steps. So, it might be but I cannot say 100 per cent, maybe people have other considerations. But, certainly, we must remind ourselves that telecoms is operating within an ecosystem and therefore, we are not immune or insulated from the problems we have. As we are facing these kinds of problems and the society is facing some kind of socio-economic challenges, telecoms is not insulated from all the problem and that is why I said earlier that we (operators) must be commended for the impact we have been creating on the economy despite the various challenges confronting our operations.

ALTON •Telecoms industry advocacy body established in 2000 Personal Profile •Founder, Royal FM 95.1, Ilorin •Chairman, African Broadband Limited •Chairman/CEO, CNSSL Contact Centre Limited.

•Chairman/Founder, Savannah Hotels and Resort Centre, Ilorin Nigeria •Owner and Chief Farmer, Chesterfield Farms Limited.

•Chancellor, Premier Vocational Training Institute Nigeria.

•Founding Partner, Acoometi Premier Services (UK) Limited •Author, Telecom in Nigeria: A role in the call (2006).

•Former GM, VGC Communications Ltd •Member, National Broadband Implementation Policy, Nigeria (2012 to date) •Member, Ministerial advisory Council, Abuja Nigeria •Member, Governing Board of Digital Bridge Institute Abuja •Member, Telecom Industry Advisory Forum (ICAF), among others •Member, IEEE; NIM; German Society of Radio Engineers; British Radio Science Association.

•Past President, Rotary Club of Victoria Garden City, District 9110 Nigeria (2003/2004).

Adebayo

foreign exchange.

What do you consider the possible effect of the flexible exchange rate introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the telecoms sector?

Again, once access to exchange rate is high, at whatever point you source, whether the non-flexible and flexible, it has implications on the end-user price, so long as it has implication on the cost of deployment and by extension, the end-user price and there is also the issue of timing as well. If you want to introduce a new service feature by July, for instance, you must have deployed the hardware earlier, but if you do not have access to exchange rate until December of that year, because you are not having access to exchange rate to ship in equipment, it means you are several months behind schedule and this slow down industry growth. There would not be proper harmonisation in the business.

So, there are many variables you need to consider.

At what stage are you now in your advocacy against the proposed Communication Service Tax Bill?

We are making progress. As I said, we had a meeting with the Honourable Minister recently, and part of the concerns we presented to him was the proposed introduction of the nine per cent Communications Service Bill.

The implication of the introduction of that bill to the end users is that, against the current five per cent that is being paid as Value Added Tax (VAT), there would be additional 9 per cent to be paid by the users. In essence, you will have a tax of 13 per cent on telecoms services. That, in itself, is against the spirit of government on availability and affordability of service. It means if the service is available, it becomes unaffordable due to the additional nine per cent tax and that has significant impact on the public. Only rich people buy recharge cards of N10, 000 and N20, 000 every month. We have average Nigerian, who only buys N200 recharge card in a week or even in a month and it is programmed on how he/she wants to do it.

So, if you introduce the bill, you deny them a per cent value in that. By extension, you have denied them access by quantum of that percentage. So, we are saying that we need to be careful, particularly at a time when government does not seem to be giving any incentive to anyone. Already, cost of living is going up,

Once access to exchange rate is high, it has implications on the end-user price

cost of energy is now higher either by fuel or public power supply and the basic that people access to live a better life, you are making an attempt, again, to make it less affordable for the people. It is certainly against the will of the government. And we believe everyone must think in this regard to look at the implication of that on the average users more than the issue of internally-generated revenue. So, we think that the government should either give to the people than to take again. So, we have harmonised our position in this regard and communicated it to the government. We have said our own and it is our hope that those who are responsible will consider what we have said. Otherwise, the average man on the street is made to suffer.

Do you think the target to achieve 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018 is achievable, given that penetration currently stands at 10 per cent?

It is impossible. First, cost of procurement of right of way is not cheap. We continue to buy right of way at very exorbitant rates from local, state and federal governments. Number two, as I have said earlier, access to foreign exchange is a problem. Three, we are talking about additional nine per cent communication service tax on the user. So, how would you achieve the 30 per cent broadband target?

What is the incentive? What is the motivation for those who will provide the service and what is the motivation for those who will consume?

So, if the government is talking about access and penetration by 30 per cent by 2018, I think with the current dynamics, it would be a tough one. Government must do more if they want to achieve the target. They must address all the barriers that hinder rapid rollout. And, I said it before now; we should not be licensing more operators. We do not need it. I have been told of the story of the miracle that Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) will perform and I am still waiting to see how licensing them will change the dynamics of the industry because without removing the underlining problems in our operating environment, they cannot make any significant changes in the ecosystem- if we don’t take away all the barriers. So, this, more or less, becomes – I would say - an administrative proposition without reality to rollout. Remove all the barriers to rollout, remove all barriers to access and we may even reach 50 per cent penetration by 2018. Until this is done, NCC’s move becomes only an ad-

What would you adduce as reason for the gradual decline in active mobile subscriptions from 152 million to 148 million?

In terms of total number of subscriber, active or non-active, I think part of what may have led to the reduction in the total number of active subscriber might be the issue of disconnection. What would have been helpful is for those providing the statistics to give us number before the NCC directive to the operators was implemented and number after the directive was implemented. It would have been able to address that probability.

But, I think, off the cuff, it might have contributed to the decline. The second part, to me, is more significant. It is actually in the buying power of the people because people’s economic power has gone down. So, those who normally will share service between two to three networks before now have begun to harmonise their needs by just using only one line and fuelling it with voice and data subscriptions and I think that is a factor that we must consider. The buying power of people is going down. If my analogy is correct, by the time the Communications Tax Bill is introduced, you will have more decline in the active mobile subscriptions. It is just the fact. So, I think we need to watch the number very carefully, analyse it and be able to provide a strategic direction. Otherwise, it would be a shame, if we come back in six months and we now see that the number now has gone down to 100 million because we have to celebrate this number. So, we have to determine the root cause of this decline. If we have declined, we must analyse what are the causes of this development. But honestly, it should be a source of interest.

Telecoms contributed 5 per cent to the GDP in the first quarter of this year, as against 5.8 per cent during the same period last year. What do you think is responsible for this slight decline?

Well, all the industry dynamics we have been talking about earlier certainly have an impact on it and it also talks to the fact that the people’s buying power has gone down.

In many states, civil servants have not been paid salaries for months. Those are users of telecoms services. When the cost of many other services has gone up, people’s ability to buy service will be affected. We should be clearer to see the statistics post-December 2015 that is talking about what has happened by the end of December 2015 and end of Q1 of 2016. With this, it will be instructive to see what direction we are heading.

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BUSINESS | MONEYLINE

TRANSPARENCY The directive would boost transparency in forex market Tony Chukwunyem

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ith effect from August 1st 2016, all forex-related trades by banks and corporate institutions in the forex market must be executed through the FMDQ-advised FX trading, auction and surveillance systems, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

The apex bank gave this directive in a circular posted on its website last Friday.

According to the circular, which was signed by the Director, Financial Markets Department, Dr. Alvan Ikoku, “all Authorised Dealers (i.e. Banks) are to execute all FX trades among themselves and with their clients (i.e. Corporate Institutions) through the FMDQ-advised FX Systems. The deployment of the FMDQ-advised FX Systems will only be to those corporates that have been screened and pre-approved by FMDQ in line with its on-boarding eligibility criteria.”

Stressing that banks and corporate institutions operating in the foreign exchange market should comply strictly with the directive, the apex bank said it was part of efforts to engender, “transparency and professionalism in the Nigerian foreign exchange market.”

Financial analysts, however, believe that the directive is an attempt by the regulator to close

MONDAY, juLY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Forex: CBN orders banks to use FMDQ platform possible loop holes for abuse that it had observed since trading under the new forex system, which commenced on June 20th.

It will be recalled that in unveiling guidelines for the new forex policy, the CBN had said that authorised dealers will buy and sell FX among themselves on a two-way quote basis, trade with the CBN, and will also offer one-way quotes (bid or offer)

on requests-to-quote to other authorised participants such as corporate and end-users. It further stated that trading will take place through the FMDQ Thomson Reuters Foreign Exchange Trading System.

According to the guidelines, the CBN will perform its role as a market intervention participant, in line with global standards, while market forces are

G

lobal Credit Ratings (GCR), an international rating agency at the weekend, affirmed Sterling Bank Plc’s national long term and short term ratings of BBB(NG) and A3(NG) respectively, with the outlook accorded as stable.

This rating, which is valid until July 2017, according to the GCR report made available to newsmen by Sterling Bank in Lagos at the weekend, comes after another global ratings agency, Moody’s Investors Service, affirmed the Bank’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings of B2 with stable outlook.

Moody’s had described Sterling Bank as a stable financial institution with solid asset quality, robust Information Technology and risk management processes, and high

liquidity buffers. The Agency also assigned a Counterparty Risk Assessment (CRA) of B1(cr)/Not Prime(cr) to the Bank with stable outlook.

GCR attributed the Bank’s rating to its strong performance and resilience amidst challenging operating conditions.

Part of the GCR Report reads: “Sterling’s total assets amounted to N796.4bn (representing a market share of 2.8%) at FYE15. The bank’s capital base grew 12.2% in FYE15, solely through internal capital generation, with the risk weighted capital adequacy ratio (“RWCAR”) improving to 17.5% at FYE15 (FYE14: 14.0%). To further strengthen its capital base and support asset growth, the bank is in the process of raising up to N35 bil-

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 15.6 12 10.77 US$48.65 US$26,398,054,759

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 May, 2016 23/03/2016 Mar 2015 8/7/2016 4/7/2016

Source:CBN

Tenor (Days) Call 30 90 180

FGN Bonds

TTM

Price 104.65 114.59 111.96 120.58 109.60 100.54 83.82 97.56

1.07 3.24 3.87 5.82 7.95 9.81 14.31 18.29

NIBOR

Rate (%) 4.4583 9.1071 11.0102 12.3790

Bid Yield 10.38 10.55 11.60 11.44 12.27 12.40 12.44 12.49

Change (%) -2.50 ▼ -0.74 ▼ -0.65 ▼ -0.68 ▼

Change (%) -0.02 ▼ -0.01 ▼ 0.00 ↔ 0.00 ↔ -0.07 ▼ -0.08 ▼ -0.03 ▼ 0.02 ▲

Price 104.80 114.89 112.26 120.88 109.90 100.84 84.12 97.86

Tenor (Months)

Change (%) -0.02 ▼ -0.01 ▼ 0.00 ↔ 0.00 ↔ -0.07 ▼ -0.08 ▼ -0.03 ▼ 0.02 ▲

NITTY

Rate (%) 6.9949 7.2368 8.0819 9.2061 9.5872 10.5042

1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills

Offer Yield 10.24 10.45 11.51 11.38 12.22 12.34 12.39 12.44

Change (%) 1.12 ▲ -0.27 ▼ -0.17 ▼ -0.11 ▼ 0.03 ▲ 0.42 ▲

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) 7.67 7.82 -0.51 ▼ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 3.83 30-Jun-16 7.92 8.08 -0.51 ▼ 6-Oct-16 8.59 8.34 8.71 -0.31 ▼ Overnight (O/N) 4.33 8.99 -0.31 ▼ 16-Mar-17 9.36 10.28 -0.07 ▼ 9.11 9.98 -0.07 ▼

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.14

FX

Offer 199.24

Change (%) 0.57 ▲

NIFEX

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.0000

CBN Clearing Rates of January 7, 2016 Spot($/N)

196.00

197.00

0.00 ↔

lion Tier II capital expected to be concluded in the third quarter of FYE 16”.

Notwithstanding the 100 basis points contraction recorded in net interest margin, Sterling Bank, according to the Agency, reported a net profit after tax (“NPAT”) of N10.3bn for FYE15, an improvement of 14.4% over F14. “Performance was supported by non-interest income which grew 13.8% to N29.3bn (buoyed by growth in trading securities). Further, total operating expense line declined 1.9per cent to N49.7billion, resulting in a reduction of the cost ratio to 72.2per cent from 73.6per cent in FYE14.”

According to the Agency, the Bank’s gross NPL ratio ended

Offer 199.1000

Change (%) -1.75 ▼ -2.08 ▼

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

at 4.8per cent in F15, which was below peer average of 6.1per cent and regulatory limit of 5per cent.

While commending Sterling Bank for composing its Board of Directors in line with the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria ’s (CBN) Code of Corporate Governance for Banks in Nigeria and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”)\, code for publicly quoted companies, GCR also lauded the Bank for maintaining a diversified funding base, consisting mainly of customer deposits (both retail and corporate).

GCR also noted that Sterling Bank has continued to improve on its service delivery to customers through various strategic initiatives.

Apex bank raises N190bn in treasury bills, yields flat

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As at

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greater investor confidence in the Nigerian FX market. With its potential to drive transparency and liquidity, FMDQ, through the System, is adequately equipped to provide a complete and consolidated marketplace for FX trading and reporting, offering market participants and regulators a robust and flexible set of tools to support the full trade workflow.”

GCR affirms Sterling Bank’s BBB rating, outlook stable

Economic Indicators M2* CPS* INF MPR 91-day NTB Bonny Light Ext Res**

left to determine demand and supply dynamics of the market.

Commenting on the new trading system, Vice President & Divisional Head, Marketing & Business Development, FMDQ, Tumi Sekoni, said, “The inter-bank 2-WQ FX market will, through the concerted efforts of the Over-The-Counter (OTC) Exchange and all market participants, serve to endear an even

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) sold a total of N190 billion in treasury bills last Friday with maturities ranging from three months to one year, with yields broadly flat, fixed income dealers said.

The apex bank sold N28 billion of the 3-month treasury bills at 9.98 per cent compared with 9.99 per cent at the June 22 auction and N42 billion worth

of the 6-month bill at 12.24 per cent against 12.30 per cent previously.

The CBN sold N120 billion worth of the one-year paper at 14.99 per cent, the same rate as at the last auction.

Africa’s biggest economy issues treasury bills as part of measures to finance the government budget deficit and also to help manage liquidity in the banking system.

Kunle Azeez

“This year’s summit with the theme: “Attaining Increased IGR; Efficiency and Accountability in Government through Smart Innovation,” draws home the current issue facing state governments and the vast opportunity in leveraging e-payment and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an alternative measure in generating and increasing IGR in an accountable and efficient manner,” she said.

She explained that the timeliness of the summit gives all stakeholders the opportunity to key into the summit, which will showcase an array of smart solutions to boost IGR in the state government, “instead of solely depending on the Federal Government for statutory allocation, which has been greatly affected by the dwindling oil revenue.”

E-PPAN targets increased IGR for states, FG

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his year’s E-Government Summit, being organised by the Electronic Payment Providers Association of Nigeria (E-PPAN) to address the dwindling Internally-generated revenue (IGR), especially by state governments in the country, has been shifted to September.

Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, EPPAN, Mr.s Regha Onajite, who announced this in Lagos, said the summit earlier scheduled for July 12th & 13th will now hold from September 27th and 28th, 2016.

Onajite said the summit holding at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre Abuja, was moved to guarantee active participation of more stakeholders from both the private and public sectors in the summit.

national | news

monday, july 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Yekeen Nurudeen Abuja

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he Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released the criteria for admission into the various tertiary institutions in the country for the year 2016.

The Board, in a statement issued yesterday by its Head of Media and Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, also said the point system being ban-

JAMB unveils criteria for 2016 admission

died around was an illustration by the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Dibu Ojerinde of a few institutions that were using the point system to select candidates while their colleagues were subjecting candidates to written test.

He said the illustration, which contained the point system, published on the Board's website, was adopted by the media wrongly as the 2016 guideline.

According to him, the Federal Government had approved the re-enforcement of admission guideline recognized by law, saying, "this is not the point system widely circulated in some media" He explained that the

123,302

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Bahamas in 2001.

Source: Itu.int

2016 admissions would be conducted purely on the three existing admission pillars of merit, catchment area and educational less developed states, through the following process.

"First, presentation of the list of candidates, who qualify for screening into individual institution based on the three stipulated criteria mentioned above. This screening

L-R: Past Governor, Rotary Club of Lagos West, Rotarian Tayo Alabi; Out-going All Stars President, Rotarian Usman Aguda; new All Stars President, Rotarian Albert Adebayo da-Silva and his wife, Mrs. Anthonia Da-Silva, during the Investiture ceremony of the 34th (All Star) President, by the Rotary Club, in Lagos…yesterday.

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

Ibadan

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n end to the ongoing face-off between the Oyo State government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the controversial ceding of some public secondary schools to private investors and non-payment of six months salaries appears not yet in sight.

The labour union yesterday tore into the order made by the state government on resumption of schools today.

The state government, through the Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Toye Arulogun, had on Saturday an-

Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

G

nounced that the schools it shut down following protests by some students against perceived sale of their schools to private investors, should be reopened for studies today (Monday). The announcement, however, said that 17 schools of which the students participated in the protest remained shut, as the concerned students must apologize to the state government through their Principals before they could be allowed to reopen.

Sequel to the announcement and order that all teachers in the state must be at their duty posts today, the Oyo State chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), said yesterday that teachers in the

WHO director to visit Nigeria

D

r Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, is expected to begin a three-day official visit to Nigeria today, a statement has said.

The statement, issued by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, in Abuja, said Moeti’s visit was at the invitation of the Federal Government.

Adewole said that the objective of the visit was to strengthen the collaboration between WHO and Nigeria.

He said that during the visit, Moeti would hold discussions with senior government offi-

should not demand for another test in any form either written, oral or electronic.

“Candidates are to present their Senior School Certificate Examination ( SSCE) results/ Advanced Level (AL) results for verification and clearing purposes.

“WAEC, NECO and NBTE results or equivalent are acceptable as matriculation requirements.

“Each candidate is expected to have a minimum of five (5) credits at SSCE including English, Mathematics and any other three (3) relevant subjects to his or her discipline

“The list of qualified candidates awaiting SSCE/AL results can be kept in view (K.I.V) pending the release of their results. Any candidate who does not posses the requirements as listed above is deemed to have failed the screening.

“Consideration of the recommended list as forward by JAMB should be completed within one month from the date of receipt of the list. Any institution that has a shortfall in the admitted candidates can make-up for candidates from other departments on the institutions list.

el-Rufai: Teenage girls are marginalised

Teachers won’t obey your resumption order, NLC tells Ajimobi Sola Adeyemo

37

cials and key stakeholders on health development in Nigeria and the African region.

The minister said interactions during Moeti’s visit would centre on areas that required technical support from WHO in strengthening the health systems to achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals. ''To further underscore the importance of the visit, this is the second time that the regional director is making the trip to Nigeria in one year. ''Moeti was in Nigeria in October 2015 to present the official communi-

state would not return to the classrooms until their demands were met.

The teachers and civil servants in general have been on strike for over a month as a result of the state government's inability to pay their salary for the past six months.

Aside the Primary School teachers who received February salary last, many other civil servants received only their December 2015 salary.

Some senior staff have not even received their December salary as the payment had since last year been on a staggered format based on grade levels.

Trouble started between the government and the labour force when

the government proposed to involve private partners in the running of 31 out of 631 schools in the state in order to make its running smoother and better with regard to funding.

The initiative was kicked against by the labour unions, who felt it was a back door method of selling off the schools to investors, who would make accessibility of the poor students to education more difficult.

The state Chairman of NLC, Waheed Olojede, told New Telegraph yesterday that although it had no power over the schools, teachers in the state would stay away from the schools until the government acceded to the workers’ demands.

PDP chieftain condemns defection of ex-NDDC director Emmanuel Masha Port Harcourt

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chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Chief Onyekotor Ukwe, has expressed disappointment over the defection of Henry Ogiri, the immediate past Executive Director of Finance and Administration in Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ukwe, the immediate past Caretaker Committee Chairman of Abua/ Odua Local Govern-

ment Area (LGA) also expressed shock over the defection of Ogiri, who he noted was the PDP leader in Abua/Odua.

He said he was in a PDP meeting with Ogiri recently, and did not expect him to dump the PDP, which he laboured for in the past, pointing out that Ogiri acted like a landlord who abandoned his house for a tenant.

He said: "I am highly disappointed over the defection of Henry Ogiri to the APC. Two weeks before his defection, I was at a meeting with him and he never indicated interest to leave PDP."

overnor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State has said that teenage girls often face several challenges ranging from lack of education, early marriage, complications in during birth and marginalisation in northern Nigeria.

Speaking at the World Population Day yesterday, the governor noted that a northern girl, who reaches puberty might be deemed by her family and community as ready for marriage, pregnancy and childbirth.

“She could be married off and forced to leave school. She may suffer a debilitating condition from delivering a child before her body is ready for it. She may confront human rights issues, and serious health concerns,’’ he maintained.

El Rufai pointed out that the future of teenage girls, who are without education, in poor health, and with little or no control over her own body, can be derailing and their potentials might never be realized.

The governor, who said

that this year’s theme , ‘’Investing in Teenage Girls’’ was very apt, lamented that ‘’the challenges and obstacles faced by a teenage girl tend to multiply if she is a member of an ethnic minority, lives in a village or is from a poor household.’’

El Rufai promised that his administration would provide the platform for teenage girls to excel in Kaduna State, by making sure that they were not marginalised.

He noted that when a teenage girl has the ‘’power, the means and the information to make her own decisions in life, she is more likely to realize her full potential and become a positive force for change in her home, community and the nation.’’

“Kaduna State Government, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other Development Partners working tirelessly in Kaduna State, are committed towards promoting and protecting these rights and supporting teenage girls to determine their own destinies,’’ he noted.

APC members defect to PDP in Akure North

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ver 4,000 members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday renounced their membership of the party to join the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former members of the APC said they decided to pitch their tents with the PDP henceforth because of what they termed the bad reputation of the APC in the state and the hardship its leadership in the country has inflicted on the people.

Receiving the defec-

tors, the state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, thanked them for their decision to join hands with true progressives to ensure that Ondo State remained a model that it has been for other states in the country and the continent.

Represented by the State’s Commissioner for Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade, Mimiko said the APC was planning to privatise the states facilities provided by the PDP government to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

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News|south-WEST

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Obasanjo lauds Aregbesola over hijab crisis Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

F

ormer President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has described Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as an harbinger of religious tolerance.

Obasanjo made this remark while speaking as the Chairman of the occasion at the handing over ceremony of a multi-purpose hall and a library donated

by Senator Yinka Omilani to Ode-Omu community to mark his 80th birthday.

The former President while commending Aregbesola for being neutral in religious matters, said his

wisdom in managing the hijab problem in the state is akin to the wisdom displayed by King Solomon in the Bible.

The former president said the religious unrest that greeted the court’s ruling permitting the use of female head scarf “hijab” in Osun public schools is one good example.

Obasanjo, who was represented by Gbaabile of Egbaland, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, said the statement from the Governor confirmed his neutrality in the conflict over the use of hijab by female Muslim students in public schools in the state.

He said: “He (Obasanjo) is in China now. He said the governor (Aregbesola)

said something which confirmed his neutrality in the matter; that words went a long way in dousing the tension which recently heightened in the state.”

Obasanjo described Senator Omilani, a former Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West, as a great philanthropist, noting that his contribution to his community, Osun State and Nigeria at large can never be overlooked.

He urged the community to make good use of the facilities which he described as a significant legacy.

In his speech, the occasion’s guest of honour, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, reaffirmed his administration’s determination to provide

infrastructural facilities in nooks and crannies of the state regardless of the current economic situation.

He announced that the ongoing construction of Gbongan/Ode-Omu dualcarriageway will be completed before the end of this year.

The Governor attributed the slow-pace of work at various construction sites and projects by his administration to the decline in the revenue accruing to the state, assuring that all the ongoing projects in the state will be completed before the end of his tenure.

He said, “It is unfortunate that we found ourselves in this economic condition in spite of the numerous nature of our resources.”

Only lazy politicians clamour for zoning, says senator Babatope Okeowo Akure

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head of the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State, the Senator representing Ondo Central Senatorial District, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, has described those clamouring for zoning as lazy politicians seeking the ticket of their political parties through the back door.

Also, the Senator commended the anti-graft war of the Federal Government saying the money recovered from the looters would be used judiciously for the benefit of the people.

Speaking with reporters yesterday at the thanksgiving of the Anglican Church

in his home town Iju in Akure North local government area of Ondo State, Alasoadura described as unacceptable the corruption that has ravaged the country under the immediate past administration.

His words “what has happened in this country has been total pillage of the common wealth of the people. You see what comes out of the newspapers daily: somebody pocketing N2 billion, N3 billion, some other people even in dollars. I think people should think about when they will grow up and die.

“If you don’t give your stewardship here, you will do it before God; and whatever we do, we must remember there is a tomorrow. A tomorrow either here on earth or up there with God.”

Group cries foul over LG chiefs’ appointment Yoruba Community Chiefs in the Federal Capital Territory (Fct), welcoming the Oluwo of Iwoland in Osun State, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi (right), during the reception for the monarch and inauguration of the FCT Chapter of Iwo Development Union, in Abuja … yesterday.

PHOTO: NAN

African universities rank 1% in world research –Aryeetey Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

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renowned African Development Economist and Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Ernest Aryeetey, has warned that Nigeria and Africa in general might not have globally competitive economies if they fail to invest in University research.

Aryeetey who lamented that Africa accounts for 1% of world research outputs, gave the admonition at the University of Ibadan, while

Babatope Okeowo Akure

F

rom the pulpit came a strong advice to the Federal government to commence immediate negotiation with Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) in order to address the economic challenges in the country.

The Bishop of Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion, Diocese of Akure, Revd. Simeon Borokini, who gave the advice also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to put in place palliative measure to ameliorate

delivering the 67th Interdisciplinary Discourse of the Postgraduate School, University of Ibadan under the Deanship of Professor Adeyinka Aderinto.

Speaking on the topic “Developing Research Universities for Africa: Some New Approaches”, Professor Aryeetey insisted that universities must specialize either in teaching or doing researches, saying not all universities should be combining teaching and researching at the same time.

While noting that low investment in focused re-

search by many universities accounts for why many African Universities are lowly ranked and cannot be globally competitive, the seasoned economist suggested that Africa must develop research universities that will help in providing sound knowledge economy for its transformation and positive change.

He said, “Having research focused universities is important but expensive but the end product is total transformation and economic growth. Innovation comes from research which leads to transformation.

We need to pay more

attention to research in Africa. Our governments complain of low ranking universities and want us to compete globally but can they do what Harvard, Yale and Priston Universities are investing in Research?

They must invest in research to have their economies change and the continent can be competitive with the rest of the world.

We need to change the face of infrastructure in our universities and attract leading scholars through attractive incentives and train more faculties that can conduct transformational research.

Cleric urges FG to negotiate with NDA the sufferings of majority of Nigerians.

The Bishop who advised the Federal government to rescind its decision not to negotiate with the NDA lamented the bombing of oil facilities leading to excruciating economic pains in the country.

Speaking at the weekend during the 2016 synod held at t. Stephen’s Church, Iju, in Akure North local government area of Ondo State, titled: “Stewardship” Borokini said the Federal

government should not use the excuse of fighting corruption to punish majority of Nigerians.

The Cleric while noting that most Nigerians are passing through tough times, enduring much pains and suffering which includes lack of electricity to power their homes said these have brought tremendous hardship on the masses.

While berating the government for the recent hike in the prices of petrol and other petroleum products,

the Bishop said the action is already having an overbearing and negative multiplier effects on people’s livelihood.

100

The number of fatalities in terrorists’ violence involving terrorists in 2013.

Source: Satp.org

25,100

The total population of the population of men of Faroe Islands in 2012.

Source: Un.org

Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

A

n human rights activist and Chairman, Civil Societies Coalition for the Emancipation of Osun State (CSCEOS),Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, has said the way and manner council managers were appointed into all local governments in Osun State by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, has portrayed him as a fraudulent personality with doubtful integrity.

In the same vein, the immediate past Head of Service (HOS) in the State, Elder Segun Akinwusi, has accused the governor of reckless spending and frivolity.

The duo spoke separately at the 1st symposium lecture with a theme “Osun State Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, organized by the Coalition to mark a year of brutal attack on the peaceful protesters by the groomed political thugs of the Governor, popularly called “State Boys”, during the emancipation rally in support of a cou-

rageous woman judge of the State High Court, Justice Olamide Folahanmi Oloyede, over her 39-page petition to the State House of Assembly, calling for credible investigation into the alleged criminal mismanagement of Osun State public funds by Mr. Aregbesola.

The programme held at the NUJ Press Centre, Osogbo, Osun State, was also organized in remembrance of the 18 years of the demise of the acclaimed winner of June 12,1993 Presidential election, Late Chief MKO Abiola.

They described Aregbesola as a looter who has emptied the state treasury for self aggradizement saying, he would go to jail at the end of his tenure if he refuses to turn a new leaf.

Alimi said the appointment of council managers to the thirty Local Government Areas and the thirty-one newly created moribund Local Council Development Authority(LCDA) in the State as a fraud of highest order.

Osun community charges Aregbesola on new monarch Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

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ons and daughters of Iloko-Ijesa, in Oriade local government Area of Osun State has frowned at the lukewarm attitude of the State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, towards approving the appointment of Prince Akeem Ogungbangbe as the new traditional ruler of the town.

The indigenes while describing the development as retrograde to the advancement of the town, queried the delay by the Governor in giving his approval when all due process for the selec-

tion of the monarch after the demise of Oba Oladele Olasore, Ajagbusi Ekun, at a London Hospital in June, 2012 was duly followed by the town’s king-makers.

In a press conference held at the palace of the town to agitate for the speedy occupancy of the vacant stool, the head of Ajagbusi Ekun royal family, Prince Ezekiah Ogungbangbe, remarked that: “lack of a traditional ruler has denied us of representation in the State Council of traditional rulers, infrastructures and functional leadership that could bring development to the community.”

News|South-EAST

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Umahi borrows, buys N1.27bn cars for lawmakers Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

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bonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi, has handed over 22 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado jeeps worth N1.27 billion to the members of the state House of Assembly.

The Speaker, Hon Francis Nwifuru and his deputy, Odefa Obasi got theirs earlier last year.

Handing over the cars to the lawmakers at the weekend at the Assembly premises, Umahi, who said he was fulfilled for giving them the official cars, said he went as far as borrowing

to procure the cars.

“I was the person who put myself under pressure to go about the loan to purchase these cars and not the lawmakers. No matter how hungry we are, the House of Assembly remains the pride of a state. If they are called for meeting with lawmakers from other states, they must not alight from taxis.

“What we didn’t know is that we will not celebrate poverty and nobody will give you anything for being poor. People may say oh, sorry, he is suffering, but that does not take you anywhere. They are just mocking you. So, what we celebrate is the wealth of God”, Umahi said.

He noted that the cars were bought in an open market at affordable price.

“We got a soft loan from the supplier and the loan is without any interest and the payment is spread over four months. And I challenge anybody to find out where you can get this vehicle at the cost we got it and to pay within four months after supply”, he explained.

He said the present economic predicament required sacrifice and transparency and urged the people to emulate the three arms of government of the state, who he said had been making sacrifices.

Nwifuru, who spoke on behalf of the elated lawmakers, commended the

governor for the gesture, noting that the vehicles would enhance their productivity.

Nwifuru noted that Umahi had been doing everything within his powers to ensure the optimal operation of the lawmakers without interfering with the independence of the House.

He explained that aside the donation of cars, the governor had approved the reconstruction of the Assembly complex from bungalow to duplex status and reconstruction of the Assembly road with street lighting.

Nwifuru assured the governor of speedy passage of bills and other requests from him for efficient operation.

Govs worried over Abia impasse, says NGF chair

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hairman of Nigeria Governors Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, has said that the 36 state governors in the country were worried about the political logjam in Abia.

He also said that they were working behind the scenes to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order in the state.

Speaking yesterday when he addressed traditional rul-

ers from Abia, who paid a condolence visit in Sokoto over the death of renowned politician, Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi, Yari said it was of paramount importance that all sides claiming victory over the governorship contest respect the courts and avoid acts that would lead to violence.

The royal fathers were led by the Chairman of both the South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Abia State Traditional Rulers’ Council, HRM Eze Eberechi N. Dick.

“As a forum, we are concerned about what is going on in Abia and we are working to ensure all sides respect the courts, and uphold peace. Abia is known for peace. As such, we should not do acts that will disturb the peace of the state,” Yari added.

Earlier in his remarks, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said Sokoto State has a long standing relationship with the people of the South East, and the visit of the tradition-

al rulers on a condolence has reaffirmed that relationship.

Tambuwal said rather than lay emphasis on things that divide the country, all Nigerian should emphasise on those aspects that unite the nation.

“We are all on journey to unity, stability and progress of our dear country.

“Abia State Governor is a very good friend of mine.

So, I am praying for him to overcome the present challenges he’s facing as a public officer,” he added.

L-R: Special Assistant to the President on Judicial Reform, Mrs Juliet Ibekaku; DirectorGeneral, Voice of Nigeria, Comrade Osita Okechukwu; representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Flavour Eze, and Deputy Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) Enugu State, Comrade Alphonsus Ude, during the general meeting of EnuguWest Senatorial Zone of the party in Enugu … yesterday

Forgery trial: Enugu West alleges persecution of Ekweremadu Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

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eanwhile, the people of Enugu-West Senatorial Zone have accused the All Progressive Congress(APC)led Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari of masterminding the trial of Ekweremadu.

The people of the zone, which Ekweremadu represents at the upper chamber made their feeling known also at the weekend when over 10,000 persons from

the district, comprising PDP stakeholders, youths, women and elders thronged Awgu, the headquarters of Enugu-West to stage a protest in solidarity rally for Ekweremadu over his trial.

According to them, “the massive stakeholders rally in Awgu(today), July 9, 2016,after reviewed the state of the nation, especially the politics of bitterness, nepotism, hate and crush economic hardship, which a narrow cabal in the All Progressives Congress (APC),has unleashed on Nigerians since assuming the

reins of power at the centre.

“In particular, we reviewed the recent politically-motivated trial of the Deputy President of the Senate and former Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Distinguished Senator Ike Ekweremadu, PhD, CFR, on trumped-up charge of forgery, which has added yet another disturbing dimension to the APC-led Federal Government’s unabashed determination to continually harass and overrun our illustrious son and representative.”

£1.08m

The monthly salary of Yaya Toure of Manchester City in 2014/2015.

Source: Paywizard.co.uk

CJ decries justice delay, unethical standard Uchenna Inya

ABAKALIKI

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bonyi State Chief Judge, Justice Alloy Nwankwo, at the weekend frowned at delay in justice delivery in the country. He attributed it to lawyers, who seek for needless adjournments of cases in court.

Nwankwo, who also decried unethical standards in the legal profession, said such needless adjournment of cases in most cases bring the wheel of justice to abrupt halt.

Nwankwo bared his mind in Onueke, Ezza South Local Government Area of the state, during the inauguration of the Onueke branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

“Unfortunately, in most cases, the bar has often failed to live up to its billing as most cases of delay in justice delivery are traceable to the

ABAKALIKI

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wenty years after its creation by the late Gen. Sanni Abacha, Ebonyi State has produced its first Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The first Ebonyi SAN, Professor Amari Omaka, was among the SANs appointed last week by the Le-

lawyers who seek for needless adjournment of cases in court and/or employ one subterfuge or the other to slow down or even in some cases bring the wheel of justice to an abrupt halt.

“Another area of serious concern is the area of maintaining the required high standard of ethical conduct among lawyers.

Lawyers’ duties to the courts, their clients and the society are often neglected and treated with levity with its attendant consequences of loss of confidence in the legal profession by members of the public’’, he said.

He enjoined legal practitioners to maintain the required high standard of ethical conduct and expressed the hope that the new branch would engage in self introspection, reorientation and equally seek to correct ills of the society in a constructive and orderly expected of members of the legal profession.

Opponents of restructuring are Nigeria’s problem – IYM Kenneth Ofoma ENUGU

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he Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) at the weekend declared that those who are opposed to restructuring of Nigeria into a true federal state should be held responsible for the socio-political and security threats currently rocking the nation.

The group, after a meeting in Enugu to appraise the outcome of their 17th Annual Convention recently held in Enugu, noted that the political, economic and social realities on ground today has made it impossible for Nigeria to move forward without an early return to true federalism.

“In other words, a political restructuring along the lines of true federalism has become inevitable. The resolutions of the 2014 Nation-

128,956

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions of Bahrain in 2001.

Source: Itu.int

20 years after, Ebonyi gets first SAN Uchenna Inya

39

gal Practitioners Privileges Committee to be inaugurated in September this year.

Confirming the development yesterday, the Chairman Nigerian Bar Association, Abakaliki, Mr. Augustine Owoh, said Omaka has broken the jinx in the state.

“We have been praying for SAN in our state. This is a dream come through and

al Conference should serve as a road map to the adoption of a new Constitution built on real federalism,” a communiqué issued by the group said.

The communiqué, which was signed by the President of IYM, Evangelist Elliot Uko, appreciated the patriotic Nigerian leaders who attended the recent IYM convention, noting that their “commitment to the struggle to save, rebuild and make Nigeria truly great, are greatly appreciated by the younger generation, whose future remains affected most, as Nigeria wobbles along in this unitary structure, instituted by a militaryinspired constitution.”

The youth group said that Nigerians were surprised at the determined effort by fellow Nigerians to continue the unhelpful pretence that all was well with the present structure of Nigeria, stressing that the pretence helps them hold down and dominate other regions, politically, remains the source of over 90 per cent of the agitations going on in the country today. we are happy and grateful to God about it’’, he said.

Omaka, a lecturer in the Law Faculty of Ebonyi State University(EBSU) and former Dean of the Faculty, who hails from Amasiri in Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state, spearheaded the release of over 10,000 inmates in Abakaliki, Afikpo and other federal prisons in the country, one of the criteria for appointment of SAN.

40

NEWS | south-south

Delta workers angry over unpaid salaries Dominic Adewole ASABA

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orkers in the employment of the Delta State government at the weekend were angry that the state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, refused to pay their salaries even as he was embarking on his annual leave.

This came barely a week after the state chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the state-owned Delta State University (DELSU) threatened to boycott general examinations of the institution, if the governor fails to pay their May and June salaries and arrears.

The governor has been in a dilemma on how to pay the June salaries of workers, claiming that the state only received N3 billion as allocation from the Federation Ac-

count.

His explanation in a statewide broadcast that his administration has been struggling since May 2015, when he assumed office with the wage bill of over 69, 000 workers, which stood at N7 billion fell on deaf ears.

A union leader, who is a chairman of one of the teachers’ associations in the state (names withheld) in Asaba yesterday, faulted the governor’s claim, wondering what he has done with

the N144 billion that accrued to the state in the last one year, the bailout funds and the N35 billion he has borrowed from banks.

He said although the governor has delivered on few projects, but “they do not commensurate with what the state has received in one year from the Federal Government, the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which stood at over N40 billion and the billions of naira he has accessed as loans.”

He decried the annual leave the governor embarked upon, wondering why he agreed to go on leave when he has not paid the workers.

“We learnt the governor has gone on leave.

We don’t want to believe for now that he directed the Accountant General of the state to only pay workers between Grade Levels 01 to 12 and leave the rest of us on Grade Levels 13 to 16 to continue to wallow in hunger until the state is capable to pay.”

£12.92m

Ola James Warri

T

he people of Ekwuoma community in Abavo Kingdom, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State have appealed to the state government, authorities of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and public spirited individuals in the state to assist the community in raising the N6, 550, 000 needed to restore electricity supply to the community.

President of the community, Mr. Friday Osagiede, who made the appeal in an interview with our correspondent while supervising the replacement of damaged high tension electric poles in the community, said residents in the area have been without electricity supply for six months.

Osagiede, who was joined by the Vice-Chairman of the community, Mr. Andrew Acha, said the rain of July 6 this year, brought down the 30 high tension electric poles in the community.

They added that the community was embarking on self-help in replacing the fallen high tension poles with concrete ones.

Those issuing fake driver’s licence’ll be arrested –FRSC Clement James Calabar

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he Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Cross River State at the weekend warned those issuing fake driver’s licence within the commission would soon be arrested and prosecuted.

He said the commission is turning its searchlight on officers of the commission, promising to arrest and prosecute any officer caught issuing fake driver’s license to vehicle owners.

FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Mr. Ikechukwu Igwe, gave this

L-R: Commander, NNS Victory, Commodore Marcus Bobai; Commander, 13 Brigade, Maj. Gen. A.B Biu; Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ozi Obeh; Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade and other security stake holders, during operation “Show of Force” in Calabar… yesterday.

The annual salary of Yaya Toure of Manchester City in 2014/2015.

Source: Paywizard.co.uk

Delta community appeals to Okowa, BEDC over power outage

monday, july 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

warning in Calabar during an interactive session with stakeholders in the transport sector.

Igwe, who was reacting to complaints by road transport union officials that officers of the commission were fond of issuing fake licences to their members, said he had consistently warned his men against such act, promising to show such officers the way out, if caught.

He said: “I have consistently told my officers that if they are caught issuing fake licences to the public, I will not hesitate to show that person the way out, even if the person is my mother. Government cannot be paying you and you still go ahead to cheat the same government,” Igwe said.

He appealed to the public to come up with information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of officers of the commission who are in the habit of issuing fake licences to motorists, promising to ensure justice in the case.

The sector commander, however, advised motorists to get more information on how to go about getting genuine driver’s licence, saying ignorance on the proper thing to do was not an excuse.

IYC frowns at FG's inconsistency over renewed hostilities Ayade promises Joe Obende Warri

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political group, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), at the weekend frowned at what it called Federal Government's inconsistency in the handling of renewed hostilities in the Niger Delta.

The group said this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Eric Omare, urging the govern-

ment to be consistent in its bid to resolve the problem of renewed militancy in the region by facing it squarely without politicising it.

It maintained that government in the past week had displayed obvious inconsistencies and lack of commitment towards finding a lasting solution to the problem of the Niger Delta.

The group recalled that only recently, President

Muhammadu Buhari, while meeting with some political and religious leaders, pleaded with militants to give peace a chance. and in another occasion, said that the Federal Government was in the process of identifying the leaders of the different militant groups with a view to dialoging with them.

IYC equally recalled that only a few days ago,

Notorious sea pirate arrested in Akwa Ibom Tony Anichebe Uyo

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n alleged pirate kingpin, Austine Ezekiel Agba, who has been terrorising the fishing community of Ibeno in Akwa Ibom State, has been arrested.

Agba, lured from Bayelsa State to receive a proposed ransom of N3 million, when he was attacked.

The pirate kingpin, who arrived in Akwa Ibom on Tuesday, June 28, lodged at Olympus Hotel, Afaha Uqua Road, Eket, in anticipation of receiving a lucrative amount of money as

ransom for a kidnapped fisherman, was arrested the following day by the Chairman of Ibeno Community Security Officer (CSO) attached to the Nigerian Navy Patrol Team, Ukwekpo Job. According to Job, the trail to capture the pirate kingpin was borne out of persistent cry by fishermen in the community, who were always faced with the atrocities meted on them by sea pirates.

Job further said that the pirate kingpin ‘is one of the most notorious and influential leaders’ of one the pirate organisations that roamed the seas hijacking fishing boats, en-

gine, fishermen and their families for ransom.

The arrest of the pirate kingpin has also led to the discovery of two alleged accomplices known as Simeon Ebong and Samuel Ikotinye, who are current detained at the antikidnapping unit of the Akwa Ibom Police Command, alongside Ezekiel.

Not satisfied with the situation, the people of Ibeno expressed fear that the alleged pirate might be set free, considering the ‘rumoured exchange of money’ between men of the Nigerian Police in-charge of the case and some supposed sponsors of the pirate.

the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu, told Nigerians that the issue of militancy would soon be a thing of the past as government was already discussing with the militants.

That in itself, IYC maintained, portrayed an obvious contradiction and lack of commitment for Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to state on Friday, July 8, 2016 in Akure, Ondo State, that the Federal Government was ‘not discussing with the militants, because they are economic saboteurs and not freedom fighters.’

The IYC said it was constrained to ask; "What is the correct position of the Federal Government on efforts at resolving the current hostilities in the Niger Delta? Is the Federal Government a boat without a captain for different officers of government to take different positions on same issue?

"These contradictions clearly show that the government lacks any commitment towards resolving the current hostilities in the region.

to sack cultists in his govt Clement James Calabar

C

ross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, has promised to sack any executive council member found to identify with any cult group in the state.

The governor gave the promise at the weekend in Calabar while reacting to the recent surge in criminal activities in the state.

He said he would not condone a situation where cultists encourage criminality by using government apparatus, explaining that he was ready to fish out cultists in his government and mete appropriate disciplinary action.

“I am not ready to tolerate any form of crime in the state and this means that any member of the executive Ccouncil in my government, who is or identifies with cultists, will be shown the way out of this government,” Ayade warned.

News|north

monDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

NSCDC arrests two electricity installation vandals in Jos Musa Pam Jos

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lateau State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested two suspected electricity installation vandals in Bukuru area of Jos South Local Government Area of the state.

The arrest was made known at the weekend when the suspects were paraded at the command headquarters in Jos, the state capital.

According to the command, the arrest was made during a routine patrol by the men of the command who apprehended the suspects with electric cables already cut off from a transformer in the said area. The cables were said to be property of Jos Electricity Distribution Company.

According to the commandant of the command, Olasupo Adebayo Solomon, who gave the names of the suspects as Jonathan Joseph Okop and Salisu Usman, called on the people to desist from any form of criminality as the command would no longer tolerate unlawful acts in the state.

The commandant appealed to the people to be vigilant and report any suspicious person to the nearest formation of the command.

Flood destroys 52 houses in Sokoto Umar Abdullahi Sokoto

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o fewer than 52 houses in Wurno town, headquarters of Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State, were yesterday destroyed by flood.

Chairman of the council, Alhaji Abdulkadir Jelani, disclosed this yesterday when he addressed newsmen. He said the tragedy occurred sequel to a heavy down pour in the area.

He said: “The problem was aggravated by the blockage of drain-

ages in the town and its environs.

“This was also precipitated by the indiscriminate dumping of refuse and heaps of firewood in the drains.”

The chairman said that the victims were now squatting with neighbours, relations and other public spirited Nigerians.

Jelani added that although there was no loss of life, the flood had destroyed assorted farm produce, believed to be worth millions of naira.

They include onions, garlic, rice, wheat and beans, among others, following the submerging of hundreds of farmlands.

Jelani said that the local government has set up a 13-man committee to find out the remote and immediate causes of the disaster.

He said: “It will also assess the extent of damage caused by the flood, as well as recom-

mend the form of assistance to be rendered to the victims.

He also appealed to the state government and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist the victims immediately.

41

23,200

The total population of the population of women of Faroe Islands in 2012.

Source:Un.org

$21.5m

The total pay (including salary/ winnings & endorsements) of Adrian Gonzalez (Baseball) for 2015.

Source: Forbes.com

61

The number of fatalities in terrorists’ violence involving security force personnel in 2013.

Source: Satp.org

Show more understanding, NLC tells Kano workers Muhammad Kabir Kano

K

ano State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has appealed to local government workers, judiciary

workers and teachers in the state, whose salaries are yet to be paid in the last three months, to exercise patience and show understanding as government is doing all it could to resolve the problem.

L-R: Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu; Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers and Abia State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Eze Eberechi N. Dick; Governors Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara and Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State, during the traditional ruler’s visit to Sokoto Government House…at the weekend

The workers’ body said most of those that are yet to be paid are those having one problem or the other with the government’s biometric data exercise in which civil servants in the state had been screened.

In a release signed by the NLC Chairman in Kano, Kabiru Ado Munjibir and Secretary, Auwalu Mudi Yakasai and made available to newsmen in Kano, the leaders said they are engaging the government to ensure that salaries that are yet to be paid are paid soon.

The labour union commended the administration of Governor Umar Ganduje for prompt payment of salaries, noting that the magnanimity of the administration is what has made workers to continue to work closely with the administration and whenever there is a problem; workers don’t rush out to protest.

Adamawa gazettes 30 grazing reserves, We didn’t spend billions of naira on official vehicles – Kogi govt registered over 1.5m cattle Ibrahim Abdul Yola

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damawa State government announced that it has gazetted 30 grazing reserves and registered over 1.5 million cattle head in the state.

Commissioner for Livestock Development in the state, Dr. Isa Salihu, who made this known in an interview, said the development was in line with the Federal Government’s efforts at establishing grazing reserves in interested states.

Cheke Emmnauel LAFIA

T

he strike action embarked upon by organised labour in Nasarawa State suffered a setback at the weekend as the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees

“We have 72 grazing reserves in the state out of which 30 are already gazetted.

“5,000 hectares of land was allocated to Federal Government for the establishment of national grazing reserves.

“And the state government is willing to allocate additional parcels of land for the programme,” Salihu said.

The commissioner further said that recently the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development visited the state, where he interacted with various livestock stakeholders.

He said the establishment of grazing reserves and ranches would significantly solve the lingering conflicts between the two neighbours, farmers and herdsmen.

The commissioner regretted that for some time, livestock departments at the federal, state and local government levels in the country were totally neglected.

He said: “The only solution to the problem is the establishment of permanent grazing reserves and ranches, where the animals would be restricted from roaming,” he said.

Zacchaeus Ozovehe Lokoja

K

ogi State government at the weekend denied spending billions on naira to purchase cars for political appointees in the state.

Reacting to an online publication, particularly Sahara Reporters, Special Adviser to Kogi State Governor on Media and Strategy, Mallam Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, in a statement described the allegation as spurious and unfounded.

He said: “Our atten-

tion has been drawn to a publication on an online news site - Sahara Reporters -where it was alleged that Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has spent N1 billion to purchase vehicles for political appointees in the state.

“We had wanted to ignore the said publication, but on second thought, we felt it is proper to put the record straight by telling the public that the allegations stated in the write up were false and full of malicious contents.”

The media adviser, who accused the Audu/Feleke

Nasarawa strike suffers setback as NULGE, NURTW back out

(NULGE), the Nasarawa State Youth Council and the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state backed out of the strike.

While the state chapter of NULGE advised its members not to join in

the strike, the youth council said the strike was illmotivated.

A statement issued by the state President of NULGE in Lafia, Abdullahi Abubakar, said the strike is not in the best interest of local government

workers.

Abubakar said local government workers have since before now been paid in percentages and have come to terms with the reality in the country.

He said: “The issue of percentage has been part

of the life of the councils and after due consultation, we were made to understand the reality that the economic situation of the country has changed.”

On his part, the state President of the Nigerian Youth Council, Nasarawa

Political Organisation of sponsoring the report just to spite the present administration, said Governor Bello has not bought any vehicle for any political appointee, adding that even the vehicle the Chief of Staff to the Governor is his personal car and was not bought by the government.

Abdulmalik said all the appointees of the governor are yet to be given official vehicles and those who have, were just using the old vehicles acquired and used by the immediate past government in the state.

State chapter, Muhammad Bako Shabu, had in a press briefing said the state government has done enough and needed support from the organised laobour rather than condemnation and advised labour to call off the strike as youths are not in support of the action.

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WORLD \ NEWS

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he son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has threatened revenge against the United States for assassinating his father, according to an audio message posted online.

Hamza bin Laden promised to continue the global militant group’s fight against the United States and its allies in the 21-minute speech entitled “We Are All Osama,” according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

“We will continue striking you and targeting you in your country and abroad in response to your oppression of the people of Palestine, Afghanistan,

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bin Laden’s son threatens revenge for father’s assassination Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia and the rest of the Muslim lands that did not survive your oppression, ” Hamza said. “As for the revenge by the Islamic nation for Sheikh Osama, may Allah have mercy on him, it is not revenge for Osama the person but it is revenge for those who defended Islam.”

Osama bin Laden was killed

at his Pakistani hideout by US commandos in 2011 in a major blow to the militant group which carried out the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Documents recovered from bin Laden’s compound and published by the United States last year alleged that his aides tried to reunite the militant leader with Hamza, who had been held under house arrest in Iran.

Hamza, now in his mid-twenties, was at his father’s side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks and spent time with him in Pakistan after the U.S.led invasion pushed much of al Qaeda’s senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution. Introduced by the organization’s new chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in an audio message last year, Hamza

provides a younger voice for the group whose aging leaders have struggled to inspire militants around the world galvanized by Islamic State.

“Hamza provides a new face for al Qaeda, one that directly connects to the group’s founder. He is an articulate and dangerous enemy,” according to Bruce Riedel of Brookings.

South Sudan ‘back to war’

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Protesters in Minneapolis call for justice for Philando Castile.

US police shootings: Protests spread with dozens of arrests

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rotests continue to spread across US cities against the killing of black men by police, following recent deaths in Minnesota and Louisiana.

Roads were blocked and missiles thrown in Minnesota, while armed New Black Panther Party members confronted police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dozens of arrests have been made but the rallies were mostly peaceful. The situation is also tense in Dallas, where five officers were killed by a black man during a protest rally. Security levels were raised at the police HQ after anonymous threats were received but an all clear was given after a search of a car park for a “suspicious person”.

The protests against police killings were sparked by the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana.

In St Paul, Minnesota, overnight, fireworks, bottles and rocks were thrown at police as the demonstration closed a main interstate highway, causing gridlock. Police said some officers had been hurt by fireworks and a number of arrests made. Demonstrators said police fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

In Baton Rouge, several hundred protesters gathered outside the police department shouting “No justice! No peace!” and also at the convenience store where Alton Sterling was shot.

There was also tension as armed members of the New

Black Panther Party stood face to face with officers in riot gear.

Louisiana law allows weapons to be carried openly. Dozens of people were reported to have been arrested and at least two firearms confiscated. Among those held was DeRay Mckesson, who has become a national voice for the Black Lives Matter movement, and two journalists.

Baton Rouge protester Marie Flowers told Associated Press: “Black boys are being killed and this is just the culmination of what has been going on for decades.” Several hundred protesters blocked roads and bridges in San Francisco and Fresno in California, hundreds more protested peacefully in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami in Florida.

Venezuela: Thousands cross to Colombia to buy food

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housands of people have crossed to Colombia after Venezuela opened their common border to allow its people to buy food and medicine, officials say.

The frontier, closed by Venezuela last August as part of a crime crackdown, was to open for 12 hours. Venezuela is going through a deep economic crisis and many say they struggle to feed their families.

Last week, about 500 Venezuelan women broke through the border controls in search of food. President Nicolas Maduro ordered the border closure because, he said, the area had been infiltrated by Colombian paramilitaries and gangs. The

measure also prevents subsidised goods from being smuggled from Venezuela into Colombia.

In the first two hours, some 6,000 people crossed the border between San Antonio del Tachira, in Venezuela, and Cucuta, in Colombia, an official told the BBC’s Natalio Cosoy, in Cucuta.

Supermarkets were crowded with Venezuelans buying basic goods such as rice, oil and flour, which are expensive in their country because of the shortages, our correspondent added.An unnamed woman who crossed with her husband and two young children told EFE news agency it was “unfair” to keep the border closed.

“We are from San Antonio,

and the reality is that we do not have any food to give to our children.” Venezuelans who want to cross into Colombia in states where the border has been closed need a special permit to do so. But as the scarcity of food gets worse in Venezuela, many have crossed the porous border illegally.

What is behind the shortages?

• Venezuela grows and produces very little except oil and has historically relied on imports to feed its people • Oil prices have plummeted leaving the government with a shortfall of income •A lack of dollars means it is struggling to import all the goods its people need and want.

enewed fighting erupted in South Sudan’s capital yesterday and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar said his residence was attacked by the president’s troops, raising fears of a slide back into full-blown conflict in the five-year-old nation.

There was no immediate response from the government of President Salva Kiir to the statement by Machar’s spokesman. Earlier, Kiir’s information minister, Michael Makuei, said the situation was under control and urged people to stay at home.

The two leaders, who fought each other in a two-year civil war that started in late 2013, had made a joint call for calm after clashes between rival factions

broke out late on Thursday. At least 272 people have been killed in the fighting, a Health Ministry source told Reuters early yesterday. Residents of Juba’s Gudele and Jebel districts reported heavy gunfire near the barracks where Machar and his troops have their headquarters.

A Reuters witness saw helicopters overhead but did not see them firing. Hundreds of city residents sought shelter in a UN base.

The Health Ministry source said 33 civilians were among those killed in the latest clashes, which have fueled fears about renewed conflict and raised concerns about the extent the two men can control their troops in the world’s newest nation.

Berlin riot: 123 police injured in antigentrification protest

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olice in Berlin say 123 officers were injured in clashes with leftist protesters over the redevelopment of a district in the east of the city.

About 3,500 protesters marched through Friedrichshain on Saturday. Some were masked and threw missiles, police said. The protest was the most violent in the past five years, they said. Tensions have risen since moves began in June to evict squatters in the area. Friedrichshain has undergone rapid gentrification in recent years.

About 1,800 police were deployed at the protest, which began peacefully but escalated

into violence. Eighty-six people were arrested, police said.

Squatters are refusing to leave part of a block of flats at 94 Rigaer Strasse. Since June, squads of police have been monitoring the building day and night, with helicopters circling overhead. Police fired tear gas as shop windows were shattered and police cars damaged.

Many of the neighbours live in housing collectives and sympathises with the squatters, who see themselves as a left-wing alternative to gentrification and rising rents. During the protest, some neighbours beat spoons against pots in support of the squatters.

Conservatives win election in Australia

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ustralia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared victory for his conservative coalition in last week’s closely fought general election. His comments came after opposition Labor Leader Bill Shorten conceded defeat and congratulated him.

Votes are still being counted, but the Liberal-National coalition is expected to win enough seats to govern. However, a strong swing against it has left doubts about its agenda and Mr Turnbull’s leadership.

The coalition still remains short of the 76 seats it needs to claim a majority in the lower house, the House of

Representatives.

But it should secure at least 74, and also has the support of three independent and minor party politicians - Cathy McGowan, Andrew Wilkie and Bob Katter - guaranteeing budget supply and confidence. Labor is currently on 66 seats, with five still in doubt.

At a news conference, Mr. Turnbull said: “We have had a successful election. We have secured the largest number of seats in parliament.”

He admitted that the election was “a tough business”, but welcomed Mr. Shorten’s calls for “common ground” in parliament. Speaking earlier, Mr. Shorten admitted defeat.

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MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sport News

Did you know?

Sport

That after beating Milos Raonic on Sunday, Andy Murray became the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles since Fred Perry in 1935.

NFF secures sponsors for Eagles coach ...to unveil coach this week

Egypt's Mohammed Elsaid controls the ball, sandwiched between Nigeria's Oghenekaro Etebo and Mikel Obi

Adekunle Salami

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he Nigeria Football Federation has secured two sponsors for the incoming substantive coach of

the Super Eagles, believed to be Paul Le Guen.

Authoritative sources told New Telegraph at the weekend that the federation was able to get the nod of two reputable corporate organisations

Emenike, Salami, Oduamadi on target in Europe

International Real Madrid withdraw from Paul Pogba race

44 45

to foot the bill of the new coach of the senior national team.

The Technical Committee of the Federation led by Chris Green submitted a shortlist of three coaches to the board of the federation on Friday. They are Paul Le Guen, Tom Sainfiet and Salisu Yusuf.

Our correspondent however scooped that the federation was well disposed to working with Frenchman Le Guen who has a good knowledge of all the teams in the Group B of the African series of World Cup qualifiers.

Le Guen is a former coach of Cameroon and he has filed out teams against Zambia and Algeria as a coach. ‘’Le Guen is top on the bill. He is a clear favourite to land the job because even before the shortlist of the technical committee, he was a favourite of both the committee and the board of the federation,” our source said.

The financial burden has however been sorted out just as the federation is working towards sorting out all the conditions of making a foreign coach work in Nigeria.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Interior - (Customs and Immigration) are already processing papers for Nigeria’s foreign coach.

Investig ations revealed that t h e N F F i s wo rk i n g t ow a rd s naming the coach and unveiled him before the end of the week.

“Le Guen is the next coach except a miracle happens. All is set and the federation is also anxious to put this issue behind and move on,” our source added.

The World Cup qualifiers starts in October and only one team will qualify from a group. Nigeria have Algeria, Cameroon, and Zambia to contend with for the sole ticket in the group.

Murray beats Raonic to clinch Wimbledon tittle

B Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

ritain's Andy Murray became Wimbledon champion for the second time with a superb performance against Canadian sixth seed Milos Raonic in the final.

The Scot, 29, dismantled the Raonic serve in a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) victory to repeat his triumph of 2013 and claim a third Grand Slam title.

Murray is the first British man to win multiple Wimbledon singles titles since Fred Perry in 1935.

"I'm proud to have my hands on the trophy again," said Murray.

Murray gave a famously tearful speech after losing his first Wimbledon final against Roger Federer in 2012.

Twelve months later, he finally ended Britain's 77-year wait for a male champion - and the chance to see him repeat the feat attracted huge attention.

Spectators queued overnight just to grab a spot on Henman Hill, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and former champions Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker were among those watching from the Royal Box.

"This is the most important tournament for me every year," added an emotional Murray.

"I've had some great mo-

Murray

ments here, but also some tough losses. The win feels extra special because of the tough losses."

Murray was playing his 11th Grand Slam final and for the first time he was the favourite, having faced either Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer in the previous 10 finals.

He appeared to relish the role, ignoring the magnitude of the occasion to claim a sixth successive win over Raonic.

The 25-year-old Canadian was making his Grand Slam final debut, helped along the way by John McEnroe, who was in the opposite coaching corner to his old rival Ivan Lendl.

Rio: Offiong rues poor preparations

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SPORT NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Rio: Offiong rues poor preparations Hails Toriola’s impact

Emmanuel Tobi

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Emenike (right) in action against Arsenal

Emenike, Salami, Oduamadi on target in Europe Emmanuel Tobi

F

ormer Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike rediscovered his goal scoring form on Saturday as he inspired his Turkish club Fenerbahçe to a 3-1 victory over FC Romanian club Voluntari in their first match of pre-season.

Emenike struck in the 13th minute to open the scoring as the Yellow Canaries shaped up for the 2016/17 season.

He perfectly timed his run and deftly lifted Aatif Chahechouhe’s cross past the FC Voluntari’s goal keeper to give his side the lead.

Similarly, the Nigerian duo of Gbolahan Salami and Nnamdi Oduamadi helped their respective teams in the round of 16 of the Finnish Veikkausliiga league.

KuPS paraded their Nigerian quartet of Paul Onobi, Aliyu Abubakar, Azubuike Egwuekwe and Gbolahan Salami for the

entire duration of the game Salami scored the match winner in their 1-0 win over HIFK to move his team to third on the log standing in the league.

Also, AC Milan loanee, Nnamdi Oduamadi, opened scoring in the 55th minute for the table toppers before Nikolai Alho rounded up the victory with a second goal four minutes from full time to give them a 2-0 win over PS Kemi.

ATU Congress: Glover honoured, Obajimi re-elected

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wo of Nigeria’s sports icons, Dr Lanre Glover and and Dr Gloria Obajimi, made the country proud at the Africa Triathlon Union Congress/election in Egypt.

Glover, who is the President of the Nigeria Triathlon Union, got an award for his contribution to tri-

athlon in Africa. Glover, a former Vice President of Nigeria Olympic Committee pioneered triathlon to Nigeria, bringing in like minds to nurture the sport.

He finally got his crowning moment in Egypt with the recognition. He is also the Vice President of the Afri-

can body.

Obajmi, a former athlete, was re-elected into the executive board of the ATU with 20 votes out of 21 member nations. She is one of the four elected Executive Board member. Obajimi is also the Secretary General of the NTU.

igeria female table tennis star, Edem Offiong, has expressed disappointment on the poor preparation of Team Nigeria while hoping for a good outing at Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Offiong who struggled to qualify for the competition said she was not deterred with the total neglect by the Sports Ministry.

“I am not happy with the kind of preparation of Nigeria for the Olympic Games but personally I am training three hours every day hoping that my best will be enough for me in Brazil. I have not gone beyond the preliminaries but I hope I can make it to the main draw this year,” she added.

Having featured in two Olympic Games – Athens 2004 and London 2012 qualifying for Rio was a difficult task for Offiong.

“I would not want to remember my experience in Sudan because from the first day of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, I could not sleep as I was always thinking about the matches I would play. Even when

T

ly registered the LMC with the Corporate Affairs Commission as limited company with one person holding over 80 per cent shares which he claimed he was holding in trust for the 20 Premier League clubs.

The NFF board at its last meeting in Abuja recently ordered the revocation of the licence and asked Mr Kasali Obanoyen to act as Secretary of the Nigeria Professional Football League.

In a communiqué the NFF declared that the legal licence to operate the Premier League in Nigeria was duly conferred by the NFF on the Nigeria Football League Limited.

"Before now, there were various evidential and fraudulent attempts at the use of

Offiong

F' Eagles beat Sudan in Omdurman Ajibade Olusesan

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igeria’s U-20 squad, Flying Eagles have one leg in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia after a marvelous display that saw the team come from a goal down to beat Sudan’s U-20 team 2-1 in Omdurman on Sunday.

Coach Emmanuel Amuneke’s side, much used to winning, asked so many questions of the Sudanese defence early on, and forward Victor Osimhen, record scorer of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, rocked the home team’s upright in the 26th minute as the going got more serious in the first leg of the final qualifying fixture at the El Merriekh Stadium.

However, the home team got

Why Giwa revoked LMC’s licence he Nigeria Football Federation led by Chris Giwa has thrown more light into why his board revoked the 99-year licence granted the League Management Company by the Aminu Maigari-led NFF board in 2012.

Former Sports Minister, Bolaji Andulahi, had inaugurated a 13-man League Management Committee led by Nduka Irabor in 2012 after the Nigeria Professional Football Premier League chairman Chief Rumson Baribote was removed by the NPFL board.

The brief at that time was for the LMC to midwife the league for one season and then organise election that will usher in the new board.

But the goal-posts were shifted few months later when Maigari's NFF secret-

I got to the table, I was a bit nervous. I think my quarterfinal match against Algeria’s Islem Laid was the most difficult for me in Sudan. I don’t think Islem Laid has ever given me any threat in all our meetings but I just realized that I was nervous in the match and before I could realise she was leading 2-0. But the pep talk from Segun Toriola who acted as my coach really calmed me. So I was able to comport myself and finish the match. The semifinal and final matches were easy but the tie against Islem Laid was the toughest for me in my career,” the 2011 African Games women singles champion added.

the name Nigeria Football Association and Nigeria Football Federation interchangeably in the process of granting the licence ab initio," the NFF board argued in its communique.

"From records available to us, the board is aware that a company, LMC LTD has been parading itself as having broadcasting and title sponsorship rights including the right to superintend over the operations of the NPFL it claimed to have been conferred on it by the NFA. "We wish to inform the general public that the legal licence was duly conferred by the NFA on the Nigeria Football League Limited with all the rights emanating from the licence residing ONLY with the NPFL till date."

in front a minute later, against the run of play, challenging Amuneke’s U-17 world champions to dig deep and fashion a comeback on the night.

The Junior Falcons held onto their lead until the break, but nimble –footed Samuel Chukwueze equalized for Nigeria in the 67th minute. The slippery left –footed winger nearly put Nigeria in front minutes later but was thwarted by the Sudanese goalie.

Osimhen, who got the Flying Eagles in front against Burundi in Calabar in the last round, through a well –taken penalty kick, would have the last laugh by scoring Nigeria’s winner in the 86th minute.

The return leg will take place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos on Sunday, July 24.

Fulham switch excites Aluko

Emmanuel Tobi

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uper Eagles player, Omatsone Aluko, has expressed delight after completing a move to Fulham at the weekend.

Aluko

Aluko joined Fulham on a two-year deal, with a club option for an additional 12 months, following the expiry of his contract at Hull City.

“I am happy to be here. I am very excited to join up with the rest of the boys.

“The formalities are out of the way and it’s time to start the hard work.

“It's time to start playing matches and show what I can do.

“I spoke to the manager (Slaviša Jokanovic) for about five minutes and he explained his vision to me as well as how he wants to play.

“Most of the things he told me matched my ambitions so that was why I made the decision to join Fulham,” the 27-year-old told the club’s official website, www.fulhamfc.com.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Real withdraw from Pogba race

Arsenal reject Juventus’ £34m bid for Sanchez

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uventus have revealed Arsenal have rejected their £34million bid for Alexis Sanchez.

The Italian champions have stepped up their pursuit of the Chilean superstar by claiming that they have met a “reasonable” valuation put forward by the Gunners - only for their offer to be dismissed.

Juve sporting director Giuseppe Marotta told Chilean newspaper El Mercurio: “Sanchez is a great player, but Arsenal do not want to give him up.

“We informed the Gunners, who asked for £34m – surely a reasonable fee.

“However, when we responded to this request, Arsenal told us they will not sell the player.”

Juventus have already signed rightback Dani Alves on a free and midfielder Miralem Pjanic from Roma.

But they are seeking a replacement for striker Alvaro Morata following Real Madrid’s decision to exercise their option to buy him back for £23million.

Ironically, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is also interested in Morata but unwilling to meet Real Madrid’s £65million asking price.

Path clear for Man United

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eal Madrid have ended their interest in signing Manchester United target Paul Pogba, according to reports.

Sky Sports claims that the Liga giants have no intention of engaging in a bidding war for the France and Juventus midfielder, with United reportedly willing to make Pogba the world's first £100m (£120m) player and pay him £250,000 a week.

Real have consistently used their financial muscle to land preferred transfer targets, and it has been reported by Spanish expert Guillem Balague that Pogba would rather move to the Santiago

Pogba (left)

Kenyan athletics in trouble again over doping Sanchez

Guardiola eyes £17m move for Torino’s Peres

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anchester City are considering a £17m move for Torino defender Bruno Peres this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

With top quality full-backs proving to be a rare commodity in the current transfer market, Pep Guardiola is thought to be hard at work as he looks to freshen an area in which the club have stagnated.

Having already landed Ilkay Gundogan and Nolito, the former Bayern Munich coach is understood to be ready to turn his attentions towards his backline.

There is thought to have been target between top brass at the Etihad Stadium and the Serie A outfit over the 26Bruno year old Brazilian, who is capable of playing on the right hand side of either defence or midfield.

Ricardo Rodriguez of Wolfsburg has also reportedly been discussed, with Aleksandar Kolarov expected to leave the Sky Blues in the coming weeks.

The Serbian is thought to be close to joining Turkish champions Besiktas after 6 years with the club, winning two Premier League titles and both domestic cups.

45

K

enya are once again in the eye of a doping storm just a month out from the Olympic Games after the latest investigation by German television channel ARD and The Sunday Times.

Saturday's documentary alleges doping is rife at the elite training centre in Iten.

Previous joint research by ARD and the British newspaper led to the banning of the Russian athletics' team from the Games for state sponsored doping.

Over the past three years some 40 Kenyan

athletes have failed doping tests.

The documentary, largely filmed with a hidden camera, says it successfully infiltrated one of their team posing as an athlete into the training centre which is a favoured spot for distance runners, both Kenyan and European, as it is at high altitude 2400 metres above sea level.

The documentary shows images of boxes of the endurance boosting drug EPO on the inside of the training centre and used syringes dumped in a bin.

Rio: IAAF turns down 67 Russian applications

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he IAAF's Doping Review Board has turned down applications from 67 Russian athletes to compete internationally at the Rio Olympics as "neutral" individuals, following a blanket ban on the country's track and field athletes for systematic doping.

The All-Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) said in a statement on Sunday it was informed by the sport's world governing IAAF that only one application had been approved, from long jumper Darya Klishina, out

Bernabeu. However the sheer scale of the outlay appears to have put off even Real's big-spending president Florentino Perez. The midfielder would be United's fourth major singing of the summer after Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Manager Jose Mourinho said the club wanted to make four reinforcements during the transfer window. Pogba left United for Juventus for nominal compensation in 2012 after contract talks broke down - potentially making United's inability to retain him the most expensive mistake of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign.

Ballack: Time for Schweinsteiger to retire

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ichael Ballack has encouraged Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger to retire from international football.

The Manchester United midfielder started just one game at Euro 2016 - the semi-final defeat to France - as he struggled to reach full fitness.

And Ballack, his former team-mate, has reflected on a disappointing tournament for Schweinsteiger and believes the 31-year-old should bring an end to his international career.

"I think it is now a good time for him to withdraw," he wrote in his column for German publication Express.

"I know that he is brutally ambitious. But if you have seen him in the last two years, you have to honestly say that I'm worried by his many injuries and about his physical condition.

A

rsenal are reportedly considering a £23m move for Barcelona winger Arda Turan, with the Catalan giants looking to cut their losses.

The Turkish interna-

of 68 requests made.

"The rest of the 67 athletes who have been approved by the ARAF's board as they have fulfilled the federation's criteria to compete in the Olympics have been refused," ARAF said on its website (www. rusathletics.com).

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suspended Russia's track and field athletes last year after a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report uncovered systematic state-sponsored Turan doping in the country.

"He will now have enough to do, to prevail in Manchester in a great sporting competition.

"Therefore, I do not know if he would do himself a favour by calling the World Cup in Russia his next personal goal.

"I would advise him to think carefully about this step.

Schweinsteiger

Barcelona want £23m for Turan tional joined the Spanish outfit in a £35m deal last summer, but after sitting out until January due to the club’s transfer embargo, he failed to have the desired impact in the second half of the season.

According to Marca, Barca are now looking at the idea of selling him after he made just 13 appearances in all competitions

last season, although the player wishes to remain and prove his worth at the Nou Camp.

However, with Denis Suarez joining the club this summer, Turan could see his opportunities limited further moving forward, and that in turn has opened up the possibility of Arsenal swooping for him in a reduced deal.

46

SPORTS

State funeral committee to document Keshi's life history F

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Utondu berates athletes

Charles Ogundiya

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inister of Youth and Sports Barrister Solomon Dalung has charged the National Committee for the State Funeral

of the late Super Eagles Coach Stephen Keshi to document the life history of the football legend as a reference for the younger generation.

Babatunde: My move to Qatar not money motivated Adeolu Johnson ABUJA

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uper Eagles midfielder Michael Babatunde has stated that his passion to boost his career was the reason for his movement after securing a $3.1m deal to Qatar SC from his Moroccan club Raja Casablanca.

Babatunde told our correspondent that his move to Qatar was not money motivated.

He said: "My move to Qatar

Babatunde

NPFL TABLES Team

P

PTS

1 Wikki

25

43

2 Rangers

25

43

3 Rivers Utd

24

41

4 Kano Pillars

25

39

5 Enyimba

23

37

6 Sunshine

23

36

7 Akwa Utd

25

36

8 Lobi Stars

25

35

9 El-Kanemi

25

34

10 MFM FC

24

33

11 IfeanyiUbah

24

33

12 Nasarawa

24

33

13 Tornadoes

24

32

14 A’ Warriors

25

32

15 Warri Wolves

25

31

16 Plateau Utd

25

30

17 Shooting

24

30

18 Heartland

25

29

19 Ikorodu Utd

24

17

20 Giwa FC

0

0

NPFL RESULTS Shooting Stars 2-1

Nasarawa Utd

Ikorodu Utd

1-1

FC Ifeanyiubah

Pillars

3-0 Lobi

Plateau Utd

1-1

Akwa Utd

Wolves

1-1

Wikki

Rivers Utd

1-0 Tornadoes

Rangers

2-1

Heartland

1-0 Enyimba

El-Kanemi

3-1 MFM

Abia Warriors

was not because of money I believe in myself that anywhere I find myself in the world I can play, going to Qatar is not a bad thing for me.

I just want to play regularly and hit the limelight and I believe in three to five months, I can move to any better place.

"In life, there is time for everything and I believe when it right time I will play in the EPL." Talking about his achievement in Morocco, the 23-yearold player said: "I won the best foreign player in Morocco award so I thank God for everything and the love the massive support I got from the fans, I gave my best to the team but may return back one day," he said.

Babatunde said he was looking forward to play at the World Cup finals in 2018 in Russia.

The Minister gave the charge when he inaugurated the Committee on Friday in Abuja.

On the occasion, Dalung empowered the members to plan and ensure a befitting burial for the football legend.

"This event is significant because apart from formally flagging off the burial ceremonies, it also signals government's commitment under President Muhammadu Buhari to honour its sporting heroes both living and dead.

"No sacrifice for this country will go unrewarded. When someone dies in this country, his history is forgotten. I don't want this committee to allow this to happen. In writing the history of Keshi, it should be well documented. The essence of this committee is to try to bring the complete life record of Keshi for people to study," Dalung said.

Keshi's elder brother and member of the committee Joe Keshi thanked the Federal Government for constituting the committee to kick start the preparations for the late captain.

The committee has since been split into five sub-committees including Finance, Media and Documentation,

Ceremonial and Protocol, Security and Transport & Logistics.

Late Stephen Keshi is expected to be laid in-state in Abuja on July 27, 2016. He will also be taken to Benin for lying-in-state on July 28, 2016 and interred in his home town Illah, Delta State on July 29.

Late Keshi

ormer Nigerian sprinter, Beatrice Utondu, has expressed her displeasure with the performances of the Nigerian athletes at the recently concluded All Nigeria Trials in Sapele, Delta State.

While speaking with journalists at the weekend, the 1992 Barcelona 4×100m Relay bronze medalist said the gap between Blessing Okagbare who won the women’s 100m event at the trials and the others behind her showed a sharp contrast to what was in place when she was competing for the country.

“During my time, Mary Onyali and others, 100m used to be 11:00secs but what I saw at this event was the winner finishing with 11.02secs, while the next person to her was 11.39secs, that is not encouraging,” she said.

“It was bad when we were running and hope everything will be better with the next generation, but it is getting worse.

“It is not all about money, during our days, we had challenges with fund but we were happy to represent Nigeria.”

Utonduurgedthecountrytolookup to the 2020 Olympic Games while not losinghope on Rio Olympic Games.

“Five weeks is enough to prepare for Olympics if funds are available. If the athletes see money and facilities, that will motivate them to push harder and fight for medals at the Olympics.”

by Charles Ogundiya NIGERIAN PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP Stories Shooting stage comeback to beat Nasarawa

...as Wikki return to top position

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Warri Wolves' Kelvin Njoku (left) battling for the ball with 3SC's Olukokun Najeem

t was a big relief for Shooting Stars of Ibadan on Sunday after coming back from a goal down to defeat Nasarawa United 2-1 in a Nigeria Professional Football League MatchDay 26 match.

The host was trailing to an 18th minute goal by Nasarawa’s Abdulrahman Bashit before scoring two second half goals with the winner coming in the dying minutes of the additional

time of six minutes given by the centre referee.

Shooting got their equaliser when Ibrahim Salau was fouled in the box with Promise Ebiaku making no mistake from the spot.

All efforts to get the winner by the Oluyole Warriors proved abortive despite mounting pressure on their guest but Izu Joseph's goal from a goalmouth scramble in Nasarawa's box completed the turnaround.

Alimi targets more goals for Kano Pillars

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HAN Eagles defender, Jamiu Alimi, has promised to get more goals for Kano Pillars after scoring his first goal of the season in a 3-0 defeat of Lobi Stars on Sunday.

The former Shooting Stars of Ibadan player cannot concede his joy after getting on the score sheet and added that his target now would be how to get more goals.

“I have been working on my positioning and also on how to hit the target better,” he said.

“Even though I am not a striker, I have to try my best to support my team with goals. We have heard of so many scoring

defenders and I want to be one of them.

“My target now is to get up to three more goals because we are a team and anybody can score goals as long as we get the needed victory in our games.”

Alimi scored the third goal in the 74th minute after Adamu Mohammed and Rabiu Ali had given Pillars the lead as early as the first minute and 31st minute of the game.

The result pushed Kano Pillars to the 4th position on the table with 39 points in 25 matches while Lobi dropped to the eighth position.

Jamiu Alimi

Meanwhile, Wikki Tourists returned to the top position on the log after playing out a 1-1 draw away to Warri Wolves.

Idris Guda was the hero for Wikki after his goal gave his club a point in the game as they leapfrogged Rangers of Enugu who had earlier moved to the top after their 2-1 victory against Abia Warriors on Friday in Enugu.

Ewenike Achibi's header from a freekick in the 32nd minute was ruled to have crossed the line despite protests by Wikki players to give Warri Wolves the lead, but they had the last laugh with Guda’s equaliser in the 90th minute of the game.

In some of the other matches played, Ikorodu United’s relegation woes continued as they failed to beat IfeanyiUbah in Lagos with the Oga Boys coming back from a goal down to secure a point in a 1-1 draw.

Rivers United defeated Niger Tornadoes 1-0 while the game between Plateau United and Akwa United ended 1-1 in Jos.

SPORT

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Big relief for Serena after Wimbledon win

Pat Ekeji’s Corner patrick.ekeji@yahoo.com 08159364282 (sms only)

In times like this…

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n a screaming headline, in the the next significant game. It is NEW TELEGRAPH of Friday, thus obvious that Pinnick and his July 8, 2016, Adekunle Salami, team are under severe pressure, the Group Sports Editor titled a sto- and her choice is critically choked ry: ‘’NFF in final push, battle more by time, funds and narrow window hurdles.’’ Amongst others, he stated from which to choose a top class that “authoritative sources revealed coach whose pedigree is nearly to our correspondent that officials a guarantee for a home run, and of the Glass House have resolved to that brings me to the next line of fulfill all the due process that could thought. A tough decision to take? affect the federation’s resolve to enLocal or foreign, NFF is damned gage a foreign coach”. if it does and damned if it does not.

In the same Daily, Joe Booster, Obviously Pinnick has the duty to in his comments titled “Dalung ensure that all concerned in the deand Rule of Law”, Joe courteously cision- making process, especially draws the attention of the NFF Ex- of the nature of the assignment of ecutive Board to think through the employing a national coach, have wisdom of engaging a foreign Coach their “noses pointing in the same in times like this as it would appear direction”. A poser; what would the “They have practically drawn the NFF do if the board engages a forbattle line on the board since their eign coach and yet we are unable to action overtly amounts to a confron- qualify for AFCON finals in 2017, tation with the Minister of Sports, and Samson Siasia comes back with Solomon Dalung, an agent of the the Gold from Rio? Federal Government who has The public is not likely voiced our government’s position to be privy to the mandates on the matter”. On the NTA Good for a foreign coach before Morning program of Saturday he or she is engaged but 9th July, on the scroll bar it is unlikely was: ‘’NFF shortlists Tom that a coach What would the Saintfiet, Paul Le Guen, “wor th his NFF do if the board and Salisu Yusuf for insalt” would terview for the job’’. accept a one engages a foreign Consider these facts; two item coach and yet we are or for sure the NFF Board engagement is very desirous of leavunable to qualify for contract espeing behind a record of in the AFCON finals in 2017, cially success for posterity; I face of limited believe it appreciates time, facilities and Samson Siasia the fact that it is a Niworking comes back with the and gerian gover nmenttools. established and funded And talking Gold from Rio? institution; I am sure about working the board understands environment, that the Minister of Sports is the it still remains baffling that the representative of Mr. President NFF has refused to move to one in the sports sector of our nation- of the best corporate football ofal engagements ( by the way the fice buildings in the World which father of the first Vice-President was built by the Presidential Task of the NFF was once a Vice Chair- Force on FIFA World Cup 2012 and man of the NFA as well as one handed over to the body in October time Chairman of the NSC. Chief 2013. Located at the “Package B” Silvanus Akinwunmi was a jolly of the National Stadium Abuja, it fellow who enjoyed his cigar but has been left to dilapidate and now took his assignments very seri- would need to be rehabilitated. For ously. Of the much I got to inter- a foreign coach, his first impresface with the first vice President, sion of the seriousness of our footAkinwunmi, he came across as a ball management is gleaned from careful, non-temperamental, cre- the impressiveness of the environative and knowledgeable person) ment at which he is first received. ;the conversation on the matter of The Glass House does not present NFF’s liquidity is a continuous pain a good first impression and the rein the neck and is not going away spect that it attracts. in the foreseeable short- to- mediI can imagine what is going on um-term frame work; there is no in the inner recesses of our sport magic wand of success with the administrators of the moment in national team in the face of the the light of their inability to meet prevailing environment irrespec- up preparatory dead-lines for all tive of the color of the Coach. foreseen elite programs. Of course The predicament of the NFF is stake-holders are presently treated made even more daunting in the to soothing responses and politiface of her postings so far but yet cal grand standing designed only she has a decision to make on the to resonate compliance and conappointment of a coach for the currence with the political leadsenior national team. The truth ership of the day. Sadly results at again is that the tenure of this the highest levels of competitions Board, as it is today, hangs at the have no rooms for impressionistic cliff because it is arguable that rhetorics. Nonetheless all hopes Nigerians would yield any more are not lost, because repositioning grounds to accommodate her of sports is a continuous convershould the Super Eagles falter at sation.

47

Serena

S

erena Williams says she felt "relieved" after ending her wait for a 22nd Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

The 34-year-old matched Steffi Graf's Open era record with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Angelique Kerber at the All England Club on Saturday.

Williams was one title away from the record when she won Wimbledon in 2015, but had lost in the Australian and French Open finals this year.

"It was really tough," Williams told BBC Sport.

"I came so close at the last three Grand Slams and was not able to pull through but I felt when I came into Wimbledon I had taken the pressure off, I didn't feel it any more. I just have to win.

"It was definitely a lot of relief. This was never my goal growing up and all of a sudden it became my goal and felt like the world's goal as well. So I was excited to get to that 22. " Graf reacted to Williams equalling her record by writing on Facebook: "What an incredible performance by Serena at Wimbledon. Such a gift to all sport fans who get to continue to watch her add to an already amazing career #22."

Williams' win on Saturday means she has now won seven singles titles at Wimbledon.

Kerber, 28, stunned Williams to win the Australian Open title in January - the German's first major victory.

But the fourth seed could not find a way past the American world number one on Centre Court, and earned only one chance to break her opponent's serve.

"I think I played what I could today. Serena's serving was unbelievable," said Kerber.

"At the end I was trying everything, but she deserved it. I think I was not the one who lost the match, I think she won the match. Today, Serena deserved it."

Williams is now level with German Graf in the all-time list of Grand Slam singles champions, but remains two behind overall leader Margaret Court, the Australian who won 13 of her 24 major titles before tennis turned professional

in 1968.

When asked if surpassing Court was her next aim, Williams told the BBC: "Oh God, no.

"I've learned a lot about 22. I learned not to get involved in those debates and conversations. I just learned to just play tennis. That's what I do best.

"One thing I learned about last year is to enjoy the moment. I'm definitely going to enjoy this."

“I knew that I needed to hold serve because I really wasn’t feeling her serve that well the way I had earlier times we’ve played before,” Williams told ESPN after the match. “The conditions were really windy so I was like OK, I absolutely have to hold serve out here.”

Kerber held her own, though, staying dedicated to her game plan. After saving three break points in her opening service game, Kerber got into a rhythm. She drew Williams into rallies, which she dominated by making Williams chase the ball from side-to-side.

But needing to hold to stay in the opening set with Williams up 6-5, Kerber finally blinked and Williams moved one set closer to the title.

The quality continued into the second set, with Kerber trying her best to push Williams off her game. Kerber earned her first break point of the match at 3-3, but Williams closed any opening she had with an emphatic ace.

“This is how Serena is playing,” Kerber said in her post-match press conference.

“I had one break point, and I couldn’t do nothing. I was trying to be tough, to being in the match, trying to fight until the last point …Serena was today the one who won the match.”

Williams would not be denied in her quest for history, breaking Kerber at 4-3.

After holding strong to win her seventh Wimbledon title, Williams fell to the ground in celebration, and perhaps, a bit of relief.

Saturday’s win was Williams’ unprecedented ninth title over the age of 30. Her seventh title came 14 years after her first in 2002.

On Marble

As a town crier may have no personal benefit from a matter that takes his feet to every corner of the community; so are some, who cry loudest may not be from personal pains, but from communal burden.

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

The world’s first woman President was Marma Estela ‘Isabel’ Martinez Cartas de Peron of Argentina. She was the President of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. After her husband President Juan Peron died in office, Isabel served as President from July 1, 1974 to March 24, 1976.

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

– Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama

MONDAY, JULY 11, 2016

N150

Public arena T he column you write

CBN wields the big stick Boniface Chizea

F

irst I have to make a confession that the above caption was from a report I read online regarding the recent sack of the management of Skye Bank Plc. by the Central Bank. I decided to use this caption not because I consider it the correct depiction of what had happened but because it would seem to represent popular sentiments; popular reading of what had transpired.

The problem I have with this caption is that it makes it appear as if what happened was a sort of punitive action; punishment if you will but what the Central Bank has done is besides the fact that the steps are in keeping with its avowed mandate to maintain stability of the financial sector was essentially a preemptive action to prevent a Domestic Systematically Important Bank (SIB) from failure with the potential for precipitating a domino effect that could undermine the entire financial system.

You might wish to recall that Skye Bank in 2014 bought over Mainstreet Bank under circumstances which were alleged not to have been at arm’s length and in popular opinion is believed to have contributed to its present misfortune. The Central Bank took its time to explain in the release following the change in management of the Bank which it announced on July 4, 2016 that despite the fact that it engaged with the management of the Bank over a long period of time the Management did not show evidence that it had the capacity to turn the bad situation around instead the state of health of the Bank posed a distinct and present danger for the soundness of the financial system.

It is also imperative to observe the subdued nuances that surrounded this development. The management it was reported was asked to throw in the towel and there was no drama attending to this development except a rather sober press conference by the Central Bank during which the reasons behind the steps taken were dutifully explained to all stakeholders and this is after the management of the Bank itself had released a statement to the effect that it voluntarily retired from the Board to enable new hands continue to redirect the policy thrust of the Bank towards the end already mapped out for it.

There was no radicalism demonstrated in discharging this obligation and even thoughtfully four of the Executive Directors who were appointed last year on May 27, 2016 were allowed to remain to provide a bridge of continuity for seamless transition between the old and new management which was now put in place to attempt to rescue Skye Bank from the path that could have led to its inexorable demise with all the untoward consequences pertaining thereto.

Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun

CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele

The Central Bank is this release dutifully explained that Skye Bank kept its prudential guidelines as well as capital adequacy ratios in the breach and depended on the lending window provided by the Central Bank for a long time to remain in business which essential connotes that the Bank was really on life support.

Its stock of bad debt stood at an estimated whopping 700 billion Naira mostly insider related and to the oil sector depicting the extent of the erosion of the capital base of the Bank and which compelled the Managing Director who was quoted to have observed publicly that the Bank was putting credit extension to the oil sector on hold. The Bank was still in default regarding the publication of its audited financial report for the year 2015 which statutorily should have been published not later than four months after the end of the financial year as well as the reports for the first quarter of the year 2016. It is also on record that the Bank was one of the banks that embarked on the sacking of their staff which was decried by the Federal Government as it was considered ill-

advised as it worsened the albatross of unemployment which had been a major concern to all stakeholders in the country as the Bank offloaded a total of 175 staff on June 7, 2016.

It will be unfair not to observe that some of the problems encountered by the Bank was also due to the lackluster performance of the Nigerian economy which to all intents and purposes is reported to have gone into recession following negative growth rates in GDP for two successive quarters with all the implications of this development for the sustenance of viable productivity. It is also a fact that some of the fiscal policies had impacted bank operations negatively such as the Treasury Single Account amongst other sundry measures which drained the financial system of liquidity which is the veritable life blood of banks and inadvertently undermined their profitability. The delay in kick starting fiscal policy as budget implementation was unusually delayed as it is now almost becoming routine impeded productivity in the economy and must also be counted as a contributing factor.

The likely implications of this action as the Central Bank explained will be to affect negatively the performance of the shares of the Bank at the Stock Exchange. The stock price of the Bank was already headed southwards as the Central Bank reported that the stock of the Bank on the day which the change was effected lost 9.52 per cent to close at 0.95 Kobo. What was even surprising was that despite the fact that the Central Bank had engaged with the Bank following its deteriorating performance and had given it one year notice terminating on June, 2016 to recapitalize that investors did not take heed but

It is also on record that the Bank was one of the banks that embarked on the sacking of their staff

continued to deal in the shares of the Bank regardless. It has been reported that for the week ended July 01, 2016 about 47 million units of the stocks of the Bank amounting to N 40 million exchanged hands in 443 deals while the price was down by 4.55 per cent.

The fact remains that the jury is still out regarding the fate of the existing shareholders who no matter how it all pans out would not have their current level of interest in the Bank guaranteed. The other likely consequence which could be devastating is having a run on the Bank.

This is where the Central Bank would have to demonstrate fidelity to its promise to work with the transitional management to stabilize the Bank in the shortest possible time by being a source of ready liquidity to sustain confidence in the going concern concept of the Bank.

It will be recalled that there were a number of other banks which received one year deadline from the Central Bank to recapitalize before June 2016. In fact what is out there is that there are two other banks involved. And therefore there is palpable concern that Skye Bank might not be the lone bank in this predicament and therefore the fear of possible domino effect is ever present. It would appear that the Central Bank has its job cut out for it if it must keep fidelity to its promise to proactively manage potential risks, maintain zero tolerance for practices that have the potential to undermine the health of the financial system and to foster a strong corporate governance regime consistent with the imperatives for robust financial intermediation, innovative finance and inclusiveness.

• Dr. Chizea wrote in from Lagos

HIGH CHIEF

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