Monday, june 27, 2016 binder1

Forgery: Fireworks begin as FG arraigns Saraki, Ekweremadu

lBuhari's aides, Senators, police to testify as witnesses Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

L

egal fireworks begin today at the Abuja

High Court as the Federal Government arraigns the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and two oth-

ers over alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules.

The Federal Government had, last week, filed a two-count criminal charge

against Saraki, Ekweremadu, a former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa and his deputy, Benedict Efe-

turi, bothering on criminal conspiracy and forgery.

In the charge, Maikasuwa is listed as the first defendant, Efeturi (2nd defendant), Saraki (3rd deSaraki

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Sanctity Of Truth

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS /newtelegraph /newtelegraph

Vol. 3 No. 859

Monday, June 27, 2016

Troops rescue 5000 captives, kill 10 terrorists }3

PDP awaits July 4 judgement to bar Sheriff }4

@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com @newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

Sex scandal: House to conduct open investigation }2

N150

Inspector, ex-PDP deputy scribe held for kidnapping }9

15 states going bankrupt Buratai

Sheriff

Dogara

Idris

lPoor states: Yobe, Zamfara, Ekiti, Borno, Kebbi, Nassarawa, Taraba, Adamawa, Gombe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Imo, Katsina, Niger lRich states: Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Ogun, Edo }2 lLagos IGR dwarfs that of 32 states Ranking of States by 2015 internally generated revenue (IGR) compared to total federation account allocations from June 2015 - May 2016

S/n Beneficiaries 2015 IGR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

L-R: Founder, Linking Hands Foundation, Efe Farinre; father of conjoined twins, Ayeni Samuel Olusegun; PR & Communications Manager, Arik Air, Ola Adebanji; Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Jide Alade and mother of the conjoined twins, Mrs. Ayeni Mary Abiodun, during a visit of Arik team to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), to present return tickets to New York for the surgery…at the weekend.

Peacekeeping allowance: Soldiers accuse commanding officer of fraud }3

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37

Gross Fed Allocation % of June 2015 - May 2016 IGR 178,549,361,363.13 150.2 130,712,237,312.44 62.8 144,706,571,893.61 28.2 60,070,767,635.93 57.6 66,041,595,150.93 28.9 59,609,485,755.91 30.3 84,044,983,198.03 18.6 63,654,309,711.92 23.2 173,902,779,602.28 8.5 117,852,408,096.50 11.5 59,049,491,133.09 23.0 58,145,094,691.02 23.0 83,447,953,776.39 13.8 49,400,218,495.52 22.3

LAGOS 268,224,782,435.23 RIVERS 82,101,298,408.43 DELTA 40,805,656,911.96 OGUN 34,596,446,519.52 EDO 19,117,468,369.25 ENUGU 18,081,014,527.00 OYO 15,663,514,824.73 ANAMBRA 14,793,120,188.67 AKWA IBOM 14,791,175,253.00 KANO 13,611,853,935.85 CROSS RIVER 13,567,122,507.38 ABIA 13,349,444,263.72 KADUNA 11,536,729,988.59 EBONYI * 11,032,472,512.00 (2004 IGR Figure) ONDO 10,098,000,000.00 71,491,617,166.92 BAYELSA 8,713,516,526.24 95,408,284,755.19 OSUN 8,072,966,446.00 66,005,570,597.93 BENUE 7,631,789,841.37 73,823,754,968.40 KWARA 7,178,922,182.76 52,384,587,394.46 PLATEAU 6,937,349,802.70 61,450,215,048.92 KOGI 6,776,580,756.17 67,200,907,459.88 SOKOTO 6,224,448,122.53 69,767,717,468.53 NIGER 5,975,149,921.86 74,851,989,994.10 KATSINA 5,791,008,741.00 88,880,271,506.43 IMO 5,472,581,634.18 71,694,047,410.89 BAUCHI 5,393,721,996.00 72,613,430,598.92 JIGAWA 5,081,424,105.40 73,065,332,210.82 GOMBE 4,784,605,861.47 49,802,580,045.16 ADAMAWA 4,451,736,117.84 62,295,543,772.58 NASSARAWA 4,281,701,806.50 50,554,539,364.39 TARABA 4,155,053,816.15 56,399,948,000.85 KEBBI 3,592,406,108.00 64,896,141,433.46 BORNO 3,530,261,222.31 78,717,920,659.55 EKITI 3,297,707,703.96 50,460,337,004.42 ZAMFARA 2,741,632,541.03 56,621,635,820.29 YOBE 2,251,330,427.39 57,470,687,526.03 FCT (LGCS) 19,187,636,773.79 TOTAL 682,673,5 23,814.1 2,814,231,954,798.58

Computed and designed by the Economic Confidential www.economicconfidential.com

Owning pets could save you from stroke, heart attack

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14.1 9.1 12.2 10.3 13.7 11.3 10.1 8.9 8.0 6.5 7.6 7.4 7.0 9.6 7.1 8.5 7.4 5.5 4.5 6.5 4.8 3.9 0 24.3

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NEWS

15 states going bankrupt

Kunle Azeez

F

ifteen states in Nigeria may go bankrupt as over 90 per cent of their revenues come solely from the Federation Account Allocations (FAA).

The states’ InternallyGenerated Revenues (IGRs) in 2015 were far below 10 per cent of their FAA in one year from June 2015 to May 2016 covering the one-year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

This precarious situation is making the financially sick states gasping for survival under the country’s current economic situation.

Already, many of the states have arrears of unpaid workers’ salaries while some of them have resorted to loans from banks to meet their financial obligations.

A report by the Economic Confidential, an economic intelligence magazine, released yesterday, indicates that the IGR of Lagos State of N268 billion is higher than that of 32 states com-

bined, excluding Rivers, Delta and Ogun, whose IGRs are very impressive.

According to the study, the 32 other states merely generated a total of N257 billion in 2015.

The IGR of the 36 states of the federation totalled N682.67 billion in 2015, compared to N707.85 billion in 2014, representing a drop of N25.18 billion or a minus 3.56 per cent.

The report provides shocking discovery that indicates that 15 states may go bankrupt and may not stay afloat outside the FAA, a development linked to “lack of foresight in revenue generation drive, coupled with arm-chair governance.”

Ironically, all the states have boards of internal revenue agencies.

The states that may not survive without the Federation Account due to poor internal revenues, according to the report, include Yobe, Zamfara, Ekiti, Borno, Kebbi, Imo, Taraba and Nassarawa.

Others are Adamawa, Gombe, Jigawa, Bauchi, Katsina, Niger and Sokoto.

According to the report, Yobe generated meagre N2.2 billion compared to a total of N57.4 billion it received from the FAA from June 2015 to May 2016, representing about 3.9 per cent.

Others are Zamfara with IGR of N2.7 billion, compared to FAA of N56.6 billion, representing 4.8 per cent; Ekiti, N3.2 billion compared to FAA of N50.460 billion, representing 6.5 per cent; Borno with N3.5 billion compared to N78.7 billion of FAA, representing 4.5 per cent and Kebbi with IGR of N3.5 billion compared to N64.8 billion of FAA, representing 5.5 per cent within the period under review.

Other poor internal revenue earners are Taraba, which generated N4.1 billion compared to FAA of N56 billion, representing 6.4 per cent; Nassarawa N4.4 billion compared to FAA of N50.5 billion, representing 8.5 per cent; Adamawa, N4.4 billion compared to FAA of N62.2 billion, representing 7.1 per cent; and Gombe N4.7 bil-

lion compared to FAA of N49.8 billion, representing 9.6 per cent.

They also include Jigawa, N5 billion compared to FAA of N73 billion, representing 7 per cent; Bauchi N5.3 billion compared to federal allocation of N72.6 billion representing 7.4 per cent; Imo N5.4 billion compared to FAA of N71.6 billion, representing 7.6 per cent; Katsina N5.7 billion compared to FAA of N88.8 billion, representing 6.5 per cent; Niger N5.9 billion compared to FAA of N74.8 billion, depicting 8 per cent and Sokoto N6.2 billion compared to FAA of N69.7 billion, representing 8.9 per cent.

The latest report on IGR reveals that only Lagos State generated more revenue than its allocation from the Federation Account by 150 per cent and no other state has up to 100 per cent of IGR to the federal largesse.

Lagos State retains its number one position in IGR with a total revenue generation of N268.22 billion in the 12 months.

L-R: South Africa's High Commissioner to Nigeria, Lulu Munguni; former Abia State Governor, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and the celebrant, Edith Ejezie, at the birthday celebration of Ejezie in Abuja… at the weekend.

G

Sex scandal: House to conduct open investigation Abuja

T

he House of Representatives’ Joint Committee on Ethics and Privileges and Foreign Affairs mandated to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against three members of the House has declared that it will carry out its assignment in public.

Chairman, Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta), who gave the indication in Abuja, disclosed that the committees were working assiduously to put logistics in place for the successful conduct of the exercise.

He said: “For now, the Ethics and Privileges Committee is working behind the scene to ensure that it

His words: “27 out of the 36 states cannot pay salaries. This is a disgrace to Nigeria. It is a disgrace up till now that most of the states cannot pay salaries.

What happened to all we have gotten over the years?

We look up and down, left, right and centre, what have we saved? There was nothing because we developed a consumption culture that we were not supposed to develop. Most of your colleagues that have left service, I doubt if they are getting benefits. That is the situation we find ourselves in.”

Workers in Ekiti State just called off their fourweek strike over nonpayment of salaries while workers in Kogi State today begin indefinite strike.

Civil servants in Imo, Kwara, Osun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and other states have, at one time or the other, embarked on industrial action.

New Telegraph, however, gathered that effective deployment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools and solutions could help the states increase their IGR. “Technology has, indeed, become an enabler of economic development and leveraging the power of ICT to boost states’ revenue in our current economic situation. This has become essential, for it will help block all the leakages in revenue generation,” said President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola, in a telephone interview with this newspaper yesterday.

Nigeria's only LGA without secondary school gets one

PHOTO: TIMOTHY IKUOMENISAN

Philip Nyam

Lagos is followed by Rivers with N82.10 billion; Delta with N40.80 billion; Ogun State with N34.59 billion and Edo generating N19.11 billion.

However, five states look good to be on top of the current economic challenges.

They are: Enugu, Oyo, Anambra, Akwa Ibom and Kano with N18.08 billion, N15.66 billion, N14.793 billion, N14.791 billion, and N13.611 billion respectively in IGR. The study further showed that the richest northern state is Kano, which is the only state from the North to be among the 10 highest IGR earners while the rest are Southern states.

The poorest southern state is Ekiti, which is the only state from the South to be among the 10 lowest IGR earners while the rest in the category and bottom of the ladder are northern states.

Hope is not lost as the report suggests that the IGR of the respective states can improve through aggressive diversification of the economy to productive sectors rather than relying on the monthly federation account revenue that largely come from the oil sector.

A good number of the states cannot pay workers’ salaries.

Just last week, President Buhari described as disgraceful a situation where two-thirds of state governments are unable to pay salaries of their workforce.

MONday, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

conducts a successful investigation into the matter in line with the mandate given to it.”

He explained that the committee has planned to conduct the assignment during the recess period and hopes to conclude its work before the House reconvenes from recess on July 12.

According to Ossai, “The current break and the fact that some members of the committee have travelled for pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia might delay action on the matter.

“No date has been fixed, but the committee is working towards concluding its assignment before the lawmakers resume from their recess on July 12. However, it will be an open investigation in the form of a public hearing.”

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.

The US Ambassador, Mr. James Entwistle 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 the US for the International Visitor Leadership Programme, brought disrepute to the

parliament by soliciting for sex from prostitutes and grabbing a housekeeper in a hotel.

Ten lawmakers were invited by the US government for the conference.

According to the Ambassador, “Mohammed Garba Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper in his hotel room and solicited for sex.

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.

udu Local Government Area (LGA) in Sokoto State has suffered the misfortune of having some of the worst statistics in education in the world.

Apart from having the ignominy of not having a senior secondary school to cater for its estimated 120,000 residents, a 2013 survey showed that out of 1,890 students in Junior Secondary Schools in the LGA, only one of them is a female.

All that is about to change, however, because at the weekend, Sokoto State Executive Council gave approval for the establishment of a model boarding secondary school in Balle, the headquarters of the local government area.

Announcing the council's decision in Sokoto, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Abdulkadir Jeli Abubakar, said the sum of N1 billion has been earmarked for the project, and already, 30 per cent mobilisation fee has been approved for the contractor to begin construction

work.

It would be recalled that during the last Democracy Day celebration, Governor Aminu Tambuwal had announced that a new boarding secondary school would be established in Balle.

“Government is determined to establish a new secondary school in Balle, an initiative which is considered laudable by all stakeholders, in view of the poor state of education in Gudu Local Government. The fact is that despite concerted efforts by successive governments, the level of educational development in Gudu has consistently remained lowest in the state.

“So the establishment of boarding school in the area will invariably improve enrolment, retention and transition of pupils from primary to secondary schools in the local government and its neighbours, such as Tangaza and Illela,” the governor added.

The project is expected to be completed in six months.

MONday, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Peacekeeping allowance: Soldiers accuse commanding officer of fraud lIt's not true – Spokesman Our Correspondent

S

ome soldiers attached to One Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State have accused their Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel M.M Abu of allegedly short-changing them in the payment of their allowances.

The soldiers, who returned to the country recently after participating in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Liberia, said they observed some sharp practices in the payment of their allowances by their superior.

Seven hundred officers and men of the battalion were deployed to Liberia in July 2015 for peacekeeping operation.

The soldiers were all

given pre-induction training at the Command and Staff College, Jaji and camped in Abuja before they departed for Liberia in 2015. They returned to the country on May 10, 2016.

Our correspondent gathered that before their departure to Liberia, all personnel for the operations were directed by the Army Headquarters, Abuja to open a US dollar account with Union Bank Plc. The soldiers, who signed for one year for the mission, were paid the United Nations allowances through the account in Union Bank.

According to some of the soldiers who preferred not to be named for fear of being punished, few days after their return to Nigeria, they began to face challenges with payment

Troops rescue 5000 captives, kill 10 terrorists Emmanuel Onani

T

he Nigerian Army has announced that troops of 21 Brigade, in conjunction with Civilian JTF members, have rescued over 5000 people from Boko Haram captivity.

This was as the Army also disclosed that 10 Boko Haram suspects were killed during clearance operations in many communities.

The disclosure was made in a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman.

The statement noted that a Civilian JTF member died during one of the operations, even as a soldier and a mobile policeman, sustained injuries.

Usman said: “Troops of 21 Brigade and Civilian JTF, on Sunday, conducted a fighting patrol to Zangebe, Maiwa, Algaiti and Mainari villages in which they killed six Boko Haram terrorists and wounded several others.

The troops also liberated over 5,000 persons held hostages by Boko Haram terrorists and recovered five motorcycles and similar number of bicycles.

“Similarly, troops of 7 Division Garrison Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) II, in conjunction with some of elements of Mobile Police Force and Civilian JTF on Sunday also conducted Boko Haram terrorists clearance

operations at Masu Yiwa, Ladin Buta, Bazaka, Kesa Gala, Tabla, Fahinde, Shirori, Gizina, Maska Aribe, Maska and Maska Lawanti villages, all in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State.

“During the clearance operations, the troops encountered Boko Haram terrorists at Maska Lawanti in which they killed two terrorists and recovered two motorcycles.

“Unfortunately, we lost one Civilian JTF, while a soldier and one mobile policeman were wounded in action. The body of the heroic Civilian JTF and the wounded soldier and his police counterpart have since been evacuated to Maiduguri. While we commiserate with the families of the departed Civilian JTF, we wish to state that the wounded are in stable condition and responding to treatment.”

The Army further stated that “troops of 192 Battalion, 26 Task Force Brigade and some vigilantes also embarked on fighting patrol along Kusarha-Zalidava general area.

“The patrol team encountered some elements of Boko Haram around Zalidava-Weige villages in which they killed two Boko Haram terrorists and recovered one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with registration number FN 132125, a belt of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition containing 42 rounds.”

of their allowances due to excuses from the bank that they had no dollars.

The soldiers disclosed that for over one week after their return, the Birnin Kebbi branch of the Union Bank was unable to pay them the allowances.

It was learnt that every soldier who returned from the operation was also en-

titled to three weeks of what is known as disembarkation pass from Army authorities to enable them travel to see their families, after which they were expected to resume in the same barracks for further instructions.

Investigations further revealed that the Commanding Officer allegedly took advantage of the time wasted to make some good

money for himself.

A source conversant with what transpired confirmed to our correspondent that the Commanding Officer allegedly directed the soldiers to change their dollars with a particular Bureau De Change (BDC) operator he invited into the barracks if they would have their full days of the disembarkation pass.

"He directed that any

NEWS

3

soldier who refused to change money with the Bureau De Change he brought into the barracks will proceed on only two weeks’ pass, since we had already spent one week battling with the bank to pay our allowances.

"Those of us who refused to change with his people were given only two weeks' pass. While dollar was being exchanged in the open market for N360 to the dollar, his people were giving N310 to one dollar, meaning that they were making at least N50 per one dollar on each soldier.

"For the first payment, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc., Nnamdi Okonkwo; United Nations High-Level Commissioner and Managing Director, SDG Global Advocate, Alaa Murabit and Head, CSR & Sustainability, Fidelity Bank Plc., Chris Nnakwe, at the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Leaders’ Summit in New York, USA…at the weekend.

Fireworks begin as FG arraigns Saraki, Ekweremadu CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

fendant) and Ekweremadu (4th defendant).

Justice Yusuf Halilu had, last week Tuesday, fixed today for arraignment after ordering substituted service of the charges on the defendants.

The order, made by the court, followed the complaint by the prosecution that several attempts of personal service on the defendants had failed.

While granting prosecution’s request for substituted service on the defendants, Justice Halilu ordered that the charges be pasted on the notice board of the National Assembly.

However, the central government had listed among its witnesses against Saraki, two aides of President Muhammadu Buhari – Senators Ojudu Babafemi and Ita Enang.

Others listed, as witnesses are Senators Solomon Ewuga, Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Gumel, Kabiru Marafa, Gbenga Ashafa, Robert Borrofice, Abu Ibrahim and Othman Hunkuyi.

There were indications last night that Saraki and Maikasuwa may not attend the court session today for the arraignment.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, stated that Saraki's absence in court will be as a result of an application filed by his counsel last week which the court has not sat on.

For Maikasuwa, the source stated that the order of substituted service made by the court cannot catch on Maikasuwa as he is no longer a staff of the National Assembly, and as such it is deemed under law that he has not been served.

Saraki, in his application filed by his counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN) last week, asked the court to set aside the charge, describing it as unnecessary distraction.

If the two defendants are absent in court, then it follows that the arraignment will be stalled, as the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA did not provide for separate trials of defendants charged together.

But, Saraki’s Media Adviser, Alhaji Yusuf Olaniyonu, simply told New Telegraph that: “When you come to court, you will report what you see.”

In a motion on notice filed at the registry of the court, Saraki is challenging his physical appearance at the court, thereby praying for an order of court dispensing with his physical appearance and arraignment.

He also prayed the court for an order setting aside the service of the Charge/ Information Sheet, which was effected by substituted means on him.

In addition, he is praying the court to strike

out or quash the charge against him in the Charge No. CR/219/16 between FRN v. SALISU ABUBAKAR MAIKASUWA & 3 ORS. He premised his prayer on ground that no prima facie case was established against him.

Furthermore, Saraki is asking the court for an order suspending or adjourning sine die all the proceedings against him in the case.

He submitted that the notice of trial and information ought to be served on him personally.

He also submitted that there is no link between the proof of evidence and the allegations made against him in the charge.

The charges are: Count 1 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 offence of Conspiracy, punishable under Section 97(1) of the Penal Code Law." Count 2 reads: "Forgery contrary to 362 of the Penal Code Law" while the particulars of offence 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, 2015 and 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." A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome had condemned the charge filed against Saraki and Ekweremadu.

His words: "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 act conducted on the floor of the house within the precinct of the National Assembly, whether in spoken form, in written form, by motion, bills, amendments, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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NEWS

MONday, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

PDP awaits July 4 judgement to bar Sheriff

lWe’re waiting too, says INEC Geoffrey Ekenna and Onyekachi Eze

L

eaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are lying in wait for a court decision in Port Harcourt to finally bar the factional National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff from the party.

Some party leaders, who spoke with New Telegraph yesterday, said that the court judgement, which will come from Port Harcourt, would put a final seal to the coffin of Sheriff’s chairmanship.

A source, a member

of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, said that once that judgement comes, Sheriff would not be allowed near the secretariat of the party again.

“We know he has an agenda. He wants to kill the PDP and return to where he is coming from. But that would not happen. He has been parading himself all over the place like a masquerade. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do to him now. Let us wait for the July 4 judgement.

After that day, then, we will know who the chairman of the party is.”

Justice A. Liman of the Federal High in Port

Harcourt had, on May 24, ordered Sheriff and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to stop parading themselves as officers of the party.

That decision gave legal teeth to the Port Harcourt convention that produced the Ahmed Markarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the party.

Liman gave the order following an ex-parte motion filed by the PDP, which was sworn on behalf of the party by Mr. D. Laminkara, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and E. Akwuruoha.

Justice Ibrahim Buba at the Federal High Court

in Lagos had also affirmed Sheriff and his faction.

New Telegraph gathered that the Liman judgement is expected to come up on July 4.

Another source, a former minister in the party, who is also a lawyer, said that the PDP was waiting for the judgement to close the door on Sheriff.

He said that there was also the possibility that the PDP would go on appeal or consolidate all the cases in the Sheriff saga to resolve the case once and for all.

“But you know the man is just seeking relevance.

The power he is trying to show, he does not even have it. Such powers are conferred on anybody by the National Convention

Some of the 5,000 persons rescued from Boko Haram by troops of the 21 Brigade and civilian JTF at Zangebe, Maiwa, Algaiti and Mainari villages, Borno State... yesterday.

Soldiers accuse commanding officer of fraud CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

we all received up to $10,000. So, imagine what he is making on one person.

"Imagine how much himself and the BDC people have made from soldiers. In fact, more than half the number of soldiers had no choice but to change with his Bureau De Change. Seven hundred of us returned from the trip," one of the soldiers told New Telegraph.

Reacting to the allegations against the officer, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, told our correspondent on telephone that the whole issue was mischievous.

He explained that peacekeeping operations in Nigeria were more or less a welfare programme, which all soldiers must understand.

"Some of these people that allegedly told you these things are very mischievous and I can give you examples. I was even annoyed with the Director of Peacekeeping, because peacekeeping operation in Nigeria is a welfare programme because in addition to a soldier’s sal-

ary, he is being given $1,028 per month, that is United Nation’s rate.

"Initially, even before former President Olusegun Obasanjo, they used to cut $400 out of that account. I could remember 2007 when we were doing the Chief of Army Staff Conference in Makurdi, Benue State when President Umaru Yar'Adua stopped the deductions from allowances of peacekeeping soldiers.

"Now, for a soldier to be having money in a foreign land, most of them were found over time, they misuse it since they actually need it at home because they have families, they have responsibilities," he said.

Usman added that: "So, usually, it is agreed that a unit should organise compulsory savings. I know that even when I went to Sierra Leone in 2002/2003, they were saving $400 for us. You can survive on $200 because you are being fed and accommodated. Actually, you don't need that money.”

While the Army spokesman was talking to our correspondent, he made efforts to also get the Com-

manding Officer on telephone for more facts.

He later said "Luckily enough, I was able to get the officer. He called me. I don't know your source of information, but the facts are incorrect.”

Usman added that: "Luckily enough, I personally know Abu, he is such a fine gentleman. Anybody that told you that, is trying to be mischievous and irresponsible.

"What happened when they came back was that the bank did not have enough money to pay them. In fact, for three days, they almost rioted to the point that Abu himself gave them N100,000 out of his own pocket. And no soldier was short-changed," he stressed.

Asked why the commanding officer had to bring BDC into the barrack to pay the soldiers, Usman said: "Do you know that for three days, the bank could not give them dollars, and that is how others were brought in.

"There is no soldier whosoever, in fact, there is a letter of query that he extended the disembarkation leave of the soldiers because they were supposed

to go on training. Because it was insisted that every soldier's disembarkation leave would start from the very day he gets his money.

So, I don't know where you got that story.

"Just like I rightly said, I was trying to even get Abu himself, unknown to me, I have his number.

But like I rightly said, that allegation is not true. As at the time we were talking, he was even at Salata Mafarawa with his troops going to North-East. So, for anybody to tell you this, because his Brigade Commander is monitoring his progress, and I am sure he is going to call me and I will ask him about this."

The telephone discussion between our correspondent and the Army spokesman on the allegations against the commanding officer in Kebbi went on for two days.

Usman was first called on Friday last week and reacted with few words after which network was lost. He again commented on other issues about the story on Saturday, but was brief and assured to call back because he was embarking on a flight from an unknown place to Abuja.

as provided in Section 43 of our party’s constitution. That power has been transferred to the Makarfi committee through the convention. So, from where does Sheriff derive his own power? Who are the people behind him? He is just wasting his time. There is no way he would be chairman of that party.”

It was learnt that the party may bar Sheriff from the party after July 4.

Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says the July 4 judgement will give it a clear idea on whom to relate with in the lingering leadership tussle in the PDP. The commission, however, said the notice for the Wednesday's gubernatorial primaries in Edo State given to it by Sheriff fell short of the 21-day notice provided for by the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended).

The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had on June 16, reserved ruling on the leadership dispute in PDP between Sheriff and the National Caretaker Committee set up by the party at the national convention on May 21.

INEC’s Deputy Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Nick Dazang, said yesterday that the commission is anxiously waiting for the judgement to decide on whom to deal with between the two claimants to the PDP leadership.

Dazang, however, said the commission has not yet decided on whether to send monitors for the planned parallel governorship primaries in Edo State by the Sheriff faction.

"INEC has monitored primaries of PDP and APC. If anyone wants INEC to monitor his primaries, by Electoral Act, that notice should be for 21 days.

"I understand one of the factional leaders wrote us to say he is going to hold primary election on Wednesday. The Electoral Act says you must serve INEC 21-day notice. I can't see how conceivable it is for someone to serve us a notice within a week or two and we conduct primaries because the notice is supposed to be 21 days.

"What I am aware of is that INEC has monitored the primaries of PDP and APC, and I am also not aware that we might monitor another PDP primary election," he added.

The Makarfi faction, last Monday, conducted gubernatorial primaries in Edo State, which produced Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as PDP candidate for the September 10 governorship election in the state.

The primary was monitored by INEC, but Sheriff claimed that the commission did not send monitors to the primary.

He has scheduled his own primary this Wednesday and has notified INEC accordingly.

FG arraigns Saraki, Ekweremadu CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

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 maneuvering is always the way it has always been done. In 2003, you have 2003 amended rules, which is 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 rule; it is done by the National Assembly bureaucracy, the civil servants who amend the rules to await the National Assembly.

"So after 1999, the one of 2003 was called amended rules, 2007 amended rules, 2011 amended rules, then you have 2015 amended rules. These rules are normally amended by the bureaucracy when the 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 is 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.”

Ozekhome added that the case is more political.

"It is all politics. My take on this is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should take more than passing interest in what is going on. 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.

"This is not the time for all this, rather it is the time the presidency should engage the National Assembly to produce masses centred bills. Nigeria is no longer a banana republic," he stated.

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MONday, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

FEDERAL AIRPORTS AUTHORITY OF NIGERIA INVITATION FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST ON PROCUREMENT OF MEDICAL DRUGS, REAGENTS AND EQUIPMENT A. INTRODUCTION. In compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007, The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) intends to undertake the under listed projects under its 2016 financial year (IGR) budget. Consequently, the Authority wishes to invite competent and reputable Registered Pharmaceutical/Chemical Companies and Drugs and Laboratory Devices Manufacturers Distributors/Representatives to submit Expression of Interest (EOI) in the following projects: LIST OF PROJECTS: Lot 1 - Supply of Medical Drugs Lot 2 - Supply of Laboratory Reagents Lot 3 - Supply of Medical Equipment B. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST REQUIREMENTS ○ Evidence of company registration [certificate of incorporation of the company] ○ Certified true copy of memorandum and article of association with CAC forms CAC02 & CAC07 inclusive (where applicable) ○ Evidence of tax payments (current tax clearance certificate) for the last three years (2013, 2014 & 2015). ○ Evidence of Financial capability to execute the project (bank reference letter/bank guarantee will form part of the evaluation criteria). ○ Verifiable evidence of similar works successfully completed/ongoing project (e.g. Letter of Award, Certificate of Completion, Contract Agreement and Payment Certificate). ○ Obligation to pay pension and evidence of remittance. ○ Clear indication of Head office Address (PCN Registered Premise of the company quoting - Applicable to Lot 1 only). ○ Letter of Introduction. ○ Corporate profile of firm(s) with curriculum vitae of key personnel showing verifiable evidence of their academic, professional qualifications and experience including membership of professional regulatory bodies. ○ Superintendent Pharmacist current Licence to Practice for the year 2016 (Not applicable to Lot 2 & 3) ○ Evidence as a Registered Drug Manufacturer, Wholesaler or Representative(s) (Applicable to Lot 1 and 2 only). ○ Manufacturers, Dealers/Approved Representatives of the Medical Equipment as approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement (Applicable to Lot 3 only). * Current Certificate of Compliance issued by the National Pension Commission as evidence of compliance with the Pension Reform Act 2004. * Current Certificate of Compliance issued by Industrial Training Fund (ITF), in compliance with Section 6(2) of the ITF Amendment Act 2011. * “Evidence of current registration on the National Database of Contractors, Consultants and Service Providers” by submission of Interim Registration Report issued by BPP (Bureau of Public

*

Procurement).

Sworn affidavit from Federal or State High Court disclosing as follows: o That all documents submitted are not only correct but genuine. o That the director(s) has / have never been convicted by any court of law. o That none of firm’s director or the company is bankrupt. o Whether or not any of the officers of FAAN or BPP is a former or present Director of the company.

C. SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS. ○ The documents are to be submitted in four (4) copies, (1 original and 3 copies) in A4 paper sizes and neatly bound. The document should be arranged in the order listed under expression of interest requirements and clearly separated by dividers. ○ The documents must be sealed in an envelope and the Project Name and Lot number must be clearly written at the top left hand corner of the envelope. ○ All documents must be submitted to the office of “The General Manager (Procurement)”, FAAN Headquarters, Ikeja – Lagos.

D. CLOSING AND OPENING OF SUBMISSIONS. Submission of Expression of Interest tender shall close at exactly 11.30 am on the Monday, August 8, 2016. All submissions will be opened on the same day at 12 noon in Commercial and Business Development Conference Room, FAAN Headquarters, Ikeja- Lagos.

E.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION. ○ The FAAN reserves the right to verify the authenticity of any claims made on the expression of interest documents submitted by companies. ○ Failure to comply with the instruction(s) and provide any required document(s) may automatically result in disqualification. ○ FAAN reserves the right to reject any or all the expression of interest documents. ○ Original of all documents above must be produced for sighting. ○ Tender documents submitted late shall be rejected. ○ All submission should be in English language. ○ Submission should be very clear on the areas of specification and Lot(s) of interest. ○ This advert shall not be construed to be a commitment on the part of FAAN, nor shall it entail the Applicant to make any claim(s) whatsoever and/ or seek any indemnity from FAAN, by virtue of such applicant having responded to this publication.

Signed

MANAGEMENT

6

NEWS | national

monday, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

SERAP: Freezing of Fayose's account, lawful Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

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he Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) yesterday stated that the freezing of Governor Ayodele Fayose’s account by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) is lawful under section 308 of the 1999 Constitution and international law particularly the UN Convention against corruption to which Nigeria is a state party.

The group in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumini, stated that the freezing of the account is a preventive measure targeting the rem, which is necessary for the conduct of an effective investigation of allegations of corruption involving former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (Rtd).

According to SERAP, “The freezing of accounts of sitting governors and other high-ranking public officials accused of corruption is essential for the flow of investigation which is allowed under section 308. The investi-

gation is pointless without the freezing of the account.

“Specifically, article 30 of the UN Convention against Corruption entrenches a functional notion of immunity; that is, it attaches to the office and not the office holder.

Under article 30, states are required to ensure that immunity of public officials is not used as a ploy to frustrate prosecution of cases involving other persons such as Dasuki, accused of corruption. SERAP believes without the freezing of the accounts of Fayose

by the EFCC, the investigation and adjudication of corruption and money laundering allegations involving the former NSA may be undermined, which will directly violate article 30 requirements.

“Similarly, article 31 of the convention covers the ‘what’ and not the ‘who’. It allows states to take measures to identify, trace, restrain, seize or freeze property that might be the object of an eventual confiscation order. One such measure provided for under the provision is to ensure that anti-corruption bodies such as the EFCC

can adopt provisional measures including freezing of assets involved in suspicious transaction reports, at the very outset of an investigation."

The group, however, noted that according to the UN Technical Guide on the interpretation of the convention, “to be effective, restraint, seizure or freezing measures by anti-corruption agencies should be taken ex parte and without prior notice.”

It added that where judicial authorisation is required, the procedure should be fashioned in such a manner as not to

delay the authorisation and frustrate the procedure.

“The Guide also provides that ‘under an administrative freezing system, the agency receiving the suspicious report is empowered to decide upon a provisional freezing, and its decision is subject to judicial confirmation.’ In automatic freezing, the gatekeeper is obligated to freeze the assets involved in the transaction at the time of reporting, without tipping off its client, and for a short period of time within which a compe-

PDP Reps: Immunity for N’Assembly officers non-negotiable Philip Nyam Abuja

I

n spite of the controversy trailing the bill seeking to grant immunity to presiding officers in the National Assembly, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has endorsed the bill. It said that it was important to safeguard democracy and check dictatorship.

Minority leader of the House, Hon. Leo Ogor,

who disclosed this in an interview in Abuja, confirmed that the opposition against the bill, would not deter the lawmakers from passing it.

Ogor, who spoke yesterday in Abuja, however, expressed reservation with the aspect of life pension for the officers, saying the present economic situation in the country did not call for that.

He explained that the proposed immunity was good for the system because considering what the presiding officers in

FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE JALINgO P.M.B. 1061, JALINGO

INVITATION TO TENDER INTRODUCTION:The Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo hereby invites interested and reputable contractors, companies with relevant experience and good track records to Tender for 2016 capital projects.

DETAILS OF THE PROJECTS:LOT1. FURNISHING OF COMPLETED MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH COMPLEX (LABOUR/DELIVERY UNIT) LOT2. PROCUREMENT OF 1 NO WATER TANKER LOT3. PROCUREMENT OF OFFICE FURNITURE AND FITTINGS TENDER REQUIREMENTS:Interested bidders are to submit the following:A. Name/Address, Telephone number of the contractor B. Certificate of Registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) C. Evidence of Experience with similar jobs in the last 3 years.

D. Evidence of current Tax clearance for 3years.

E. Evidence of staff pension scheme.

F. Evidence of registration with Industrial Training Funds (ITF).

G. Evidence of financial capability to handle the job.

H. Evidence of VAT registration.

I. Name(S) and address of Bankers.

J. Company profile with names and qualifications of key personnel.

K. Evidence of payment of non-refundable fees of twenty-five thousand naira (N25,000.00). Tender fee to the fiancé department of Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo.

L. Presentation of original documents (B-K) above for sighting.

M. Documents should be submitted in seal envelops and addressed to the Medical Director’s office, Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo. Tenders should indicate clearly on top right hand corner of the envelop what tendered for.

Tender will be opened at the Board Room of Federal Medical Centre Jalingo at 12.00 noon on Tuesday 26th July, 2016 six (6) weeks from the date of first advertisement in the Federal Tender Journals.

NB: The Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo is neither committed nor obliged to reply any company not found suitable.

Also all expenses incurred in preparing the Tender document are to be borne solely by the contractors/ suppliers concerned SIGNED:

MANAgEMENT

the senate were going through, if such a step was not taken, democracy was being endangered.

“If you understand what the immunity clause is, it's against criminal and civil issues during the tenure of the presiding officers. That is the essence of the amendment. And I tell you one major issue which probably the public has failed to appreciate.

“The essence of any amendment in any law is to address specific mischief. And what are the mischief that we have

discovered? First of all, take for example the position of Saraki carries a lot and lots of responsibilities. And so, the idea of immunity for the presiding officers is to avoid unnecessary distraction.

That does not exonerate him from any criminal or civil trial after his tenure”.

“But while in the office, the interest of the nation comes first before any other interest. He's at that time carrying out important assignments for the nation."

Army investigates allegation of bribery on Borno highways

T

he Nigerian Army yesterday said it had begun investigations into an alleged bribery by soldiers escorting civilians on highways in Borno.

The Theatre Commander of ``Operation Lafiya Dole’’, Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Maiduguri.

He said: “I wish to use this opportunity to state that we have received reports that some personnel are in the habit of collecting money to escort civilian motorists and goods along the major routes.

These allegations are currently being investigated. ``However, should there be any officer or soldier who is seen col-

lecting money, please do not hesitate to report such to the Theatre Command. ``The military has a responsibility to Nigerians. We are here to protect and assist Nigerians according to the law of the land. In that regard, all requirements for the task to be performed are being provided. ``Therefore, please note that you do not have to pay for such escorts and do not be accomplices to the illegal payment,'' Irabor said.

He said that soldiers found guilty of the acts would be disciplined according to the law. ``Whoever is caught doing that will face the full weight of the law either military or civilian."

tent authority must decide whether to keep the assets frozen or not. In both cases, the decision is moved forward in order to increase efficiency and allow for timely freezing.

“The objective of this in rem procedure of freezing is a temporary immobilisation of any account pending investigation into allegations of corruption cases. Freezing of accounts only covers the rem and is different from confiscation which is linked to the conviction of a defendant that could only be adopted in personama,” it added.

2

The number of listed Supranational Bonds of Nigeria as of December 31, 2015.

Source: Nigerian Stock Exchange

Firm plans $2.5bn petroleum, sugar refineries

T

he International Trans Oil Energy Inc. has embarked on $2.5 billion petroleum and sugar refineries in Nigeria.

Already, the parent company of Confluence Sugar Nigeria Limited has commenced a 10,000 metric tonnes sugar refinery in Kogi State.

The company also plans to establish a 100,000bpd petroleum refinery within the next two years in Lagos or either of Ogun or Ondo.

Both projects are to cost close to $2.5 billion, comprising $1.7 billion for the refinery and $530 million for the sugar refinery.

The company, according to its president, Mr. Hicham Makkaoui, has received the approval of the United States Export Import Bank for $500 million equipment guaranty to commence operations on the oil refinery, while Sterling Finance Canada, has also structured $2 billion for both sugar and oil refineries.

The company has also secured the interest of foreign partners for both projects such as S&B Infrastructure, a US-based American engineering firm in Houston Texas.

CSOs condemn allegation against Buratai Johnchuks Onuanyim and Caleb Onwe Abuja

T

wo Civil Society Organizations, Human Right Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) and Association of African Writers on Human and Peoples Right (AFRIRIGHTS), yesterday condemned the accusation against the Chief

of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

According to the Coordinators of the Organisation, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko of HURIWA and Esther Orok of AFRIRIGHTS, the allegation was a smear campaign from a mole within the Army system.

Burutai is accused of procuring properties in Dubia , United Arab Emirates from the pro-

ceeds he made illegally from the Army as Director of Procurement.

But the Nigeria Army has come in his Defence as the spokesperson of the Security Agency, Colonel Sani Usman, stated that Burutai never served in the alleged capacity.

Usman, in the statement issued over the weekend said, "The allegations contained in the write up are baseless and not correct."

monday, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Nigeria Prisons begin manhunt for escaped prisoners Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

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he Nigeria Prisons Service, NPS, has commenced a manhunt for two inmates of the Kuje Minimum Security Prison, Abuja, who escaped from the correctional facility last Friday.

The authorities of the prison said they had alerted all security agencies to look out for the escapees, while there are plans to release their photographs to facilitate their easy recognition and capture.

Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Prisons Service, Francis Enobore, who disclosed these to New Telegraph, also explained that what happened last Friday at Kuje prison was not the conventional jail break but

an incident of two inmates escaping from lawful custody.

He disclosed that the incident was the second in the history of the Kuje Prison, adding that so far, no arrests had been made but the authorities have commenced investigations to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident.

On why the photographs of the fleeing inmates were not released immediately, Enobore said that from past experiences, releasing the photographs too early could produce negative results as the escapee prisoners might go underground, thereby making it difficult for them to be captured and returned to prison custody.

He said that the management of the prison would review the situation today

( Monday) and take a definite position on when to release the photographs.

Meanwhile, Charles Tonbrah Okah, the detained leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) who was said to had escaped from custody during the jailbreak on Friday, has denied being among those who escaped from custody.

In a statement issued by his lawyers, First Law Solicitors, yesterday, Okah said he was not involved in the incident as he was at the Prison Clinic when the incident took place. The statement which was signed by one Timipa Okponipere, said Okah was quarantined in an isolated room in the Kuje Prison Clinic for a suspected Lassa Fever infection when news of the incident broke.

Owning pets could save you from stroke, heart attack Appolonia Adeyemi

T

he relevance of pets in increasing health outcomes of their female owners has again been highlighted.

Findings of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) shows that pets could be good for health.

The NHANES is conducted by the United States (U.S) National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) which assesses the health and nutritional status of adults and children in America, and track changes over time.

According to the researchers, American women over age 50 and generally healthy were less likely to die of cardiovascular events like stroke if they had a cat or dog.

Cardiovascular events refer to any incidents that may cause damage to the heart muscle. The heart is a busy organ, constantly pumping blood filled with oxygen and nutrients through the arteries, into the heart muscle (myocar-

dium). Any interruption of blood flow will lead to an injury, or infarction.

On its part, stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA), cerebrovascular insult (CVI), or brain attack, is when poor blood flow to the brain results in cell death.

Signs and symptoms of a stroke may include an inability to move or feel on one side of the body, problems of understanding or speaking, feeling like the world is spinning, or loss of vision to one side, among others.

According to a report in Reuters, after accounting for the increase in physical activity required of dog owners, owning a cat instead of a dog was still tied to a lower risk of death from stroke.

Senior Author, Jian Zhang of the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University in the U.S. said, “Anecdotally, we believe that walking a dog is good for heart, reducing life pressure and blood pressure as well.

“I strongly believe that

putative benefits of keeping a dog have not yet fully translated into reality, and we found that pet owners did not walk pets, certainly, dogs, more often than others.”

Zhang added, “This explains why owning a dog did not reduce CVD mortality among dog owners.”

Cat owners may have a personality that protects their hearts, rather than cats actually having a concrete effect on heart health.”

“We are short of overall assessment of the associations of companion animals with human health, and our study should not be interpreted to encourage more people to own pets, either dog or cat,” Zhang said. “Pets are good, but have to be kept responsibly.”

The researchers studied almost 4,000 adults, aged 50 and older without major illnesses who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1988 to 1994 and who reported their pet ownership.

Immigration seeks access to Interpol database Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

F

or effective security of the Nigeria's borders and fight against terrorism, the Nigeria Immigration Service has demanded for access to the International Police (INTERPOL) database.

The Comptroller General of Immigration, Muhammad Babandede, made the demand when the Acting Inspector General of Police Force,

Ibrahim Idris, paid him a courtesy visit at the National Headquarters of the service.

In a statement issued by the spokesperson of Immigration, Ekpedeme King, Deputy Comptroller of Immigration, Babandede said, "why it is imperative is because NIS provides the frontline officers at our land, sea and air borders in the security architecture of Nigeria as in other countries. Therefore, access to the INTERPOL

database will improve our border security considerably".

According to the statement, the INTERPOL I-24/7 network enables the 190 member countries to search and cross-check data of suspected criminals, wanted persons, stolen or lost travel documents within seconds.

The statement revealed that the INTERPOL I-24/7 is installed at all 190 National Central Bureaus which are under the Police.

national | news

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8

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

METRO Dan Atori MINNA

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t the weekend, a housewife, Baraatu Rabiu, allegedly severed the penis of her two-monthold stepson, Buhari Dauda, who was left in her care.

Baraatu, who is now in police custody, reportedly committed the offence at Daikpe village at Kuta community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

However, the baby survived the attack after doctors battled to save his life.

A paediatric surgeon at the Ibrahim Babangida Specialist Hospital, Minna, Dr. Ibrahim Abdullahi, promised that Buhari had been reacting to treatment and now in a stable condition.

Abdullahi said in an interview with our correspondent that “although the little boy has survived the attack, he has been inflicted with a permanent scar in his life.

He would grow up into adulthood without a functional penis.

“In fact, I can assure you that the boy will survive the attack but he would not have a functional male organ”.

Investigation showed that the mother of Buhari (Bashira) could not conceive after five years of marriage. There was pressure on her husband to get a second wife.

But unknown to the husband, Bashira was pregnant before he took the second wife, Baraatu, four months ago.

When Bashira’s pregnancy became noticeable, Baraatu was not happy. She decided to kill the baby after birth.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has

ABIODUN BELLO abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com 08023938212

...CRIME, CITY WATCH, COURTS

Stepmother severs twomonth-old boy’s genitals

Baraatu

Dauda

described Baraatu’s action as a sin against humanity and a wicked act.

The Chairperson of the association, Hajiya Maryam Jibo, said yesterday that FIDA would follow the matter to its logical conclusion.

She said: “Enough of this heinous crime in our society. We will take care of his hospital bills until

he gets better. If possible, we will take him to Abuja for another medical examination. The poor parents cannot afford it.”

Jibo urged police to expedite action on investigation and charge the matter to court without delay so that FIDA could take it up from there and bring the woman to book.

In their responses, the parents

of the victim, Mr. Mohammed Dauda and his wife, Mrs. Bashira Dauda, who all hail from Daikpe village, said they were still in shock over the fate of their child.

Dauda, 31, said he still could not say what prompted Baraatu to commit such dastardly act on an innocent child.

The couple noted that prior to the unfortunate incident, they had no problem whatsoever with Baraatu.

According to them, they accord her due respect as a wife in their home.

They added that the woman was being fed regularly, clothed and accommodated in the same

City Briefs Boy kidnaps stepmother, demands Soldiers foil kidnap attempt N100,000 ransom Ibraheem Musa Nankpah Bwakan BAUCHI

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olice in Bauchi State said yesterday they had arrested a 20-year-old boy, Sani Haruna, for allegedly kidnapping his stepmother and demanding N100,000 ransom from his father.

The suspect allegedly connived with his friend, Bello Ibrahim (21), to abduct the victim.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Haruna Mohammed, said in a statement that the suspects kidnapped the victim on June 18 about 5p.m.

Mohammed said police detectives attached to Ningi

Kaduna

Division arrested Haruna of Batu village in Ningi Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

He said: “The suspect conspired with his friend, Bello Ibrahim, male and 21 years, of the same address, kidnapped his stepmother and demanded N100,000 ransom from his father to secure her release.”

Meanwhile, the suspects are in police custody while their victim was rescued in good condition.

The woman has since been reunited with her family.

The PPRO said the case was under investigation after which suspects would be arraigned.

T

roops of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, have foiled a kidnap attempt at Birnin Gwari, in their operations to rid the North-West of banditry, rustling, kidnapping and all forms of criminality.

The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Colonel Usman Abdul, said in a statement yesterday that the troops of 2 Battalion foiled the attempted kidnap while on mobile patrol on Dogon Dawa-Maidaro Road in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

According to him, the troops engaged some bandits who had attempted to kidnap an innocent person in his farm.

Abdul added that the bandits

had fired at the troops upon sighting them.

He said the suspects were shot dead in the ensuing gun battle.

The spokesman listed the items recovered from the bandits to include one AK47 rifle, 22 rounds of 7.62 mm special, two ammunition carrying magazines and two mobile handsets.

apartment.

Dauda said: “This is our first child five years after marriage.

I only married Baraatu four months ago and I cannot remember offending her in anyway to have warranted this act.”

But Baraatu told journalists at the State Police Command Headquarters that it was the devil who manipulated her.

She said: “I will not say anything again until I see my husband and my co-wife.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident.

He said the woman would be charged to court soon.

Abdul also said that the troops of 223 Tank Battalion had flushed out bandits last Friday while on patrol on Kusa Bayan Dutse in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Although the spokesman said that no casualty was recorded, he disclosed that some of the bandits escaped with gunshot wounds.

File: Soldiers

METRO

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ikorodu massacre: ‘Militants pasted posters before attack’

lOnly six killed, says CP Camillus Nnaji and Taiwo Jimoh

F

resh facts emerged yesterday from Igbo-Olomu and Elepete communities in Ikorodu, Lagos State where militants killed about 30 residents, that the gunmen had pasted posters around the community that there would be candlelight procession to mark eighth day remembrance of their lost ‘soldiers’.

A resident said that the posters highlighted impending attack on the communities. This forced some of the residents to immediately leave the area.

The resident, who gave his name simply as Segun, said: “The posters were not seen by all the residents, but those that got the information vacated the area on Wednesday.

They came shooting and killing any person on sight. Their targets were the landlords. They marched to landlord houses and killed them. I counted about six police Hilux vans fully loaded with bodies. Some other commercial vehicles also assisted in removing bodies which littered everywhere.”

Affected areas include Igbolomu and Ishawo communities in Ikorodu.

Ogijo, where the bloody massacre took place, overlapped into LagosOgun boundaries.

The militants on Thursday and Friday swooped on the communities and killed about 30 residents.

A long stretch of bloodbath had ensured at Igbo-Olomu, Elepete, Ishawo, Imushin and Ogijo areas, leaving about 50 people dead in just one week.

Police recently raided a hotel in Ikorodu and killed two militants. One of them was said to be the leader of the militants, identified as ‘Operator’.

In retaliation, the militants came through the waterways on Thursday around 11pm during the candlelight procession and started killing anyone in sight.

Residents, private and commercial bus drivers were killed while vehicles’ windscreens were shattered.

Two weeks ago, some suspected Ijaw militants embarked on a killing spree in the communities, last Friday, another round of killings started, forcing residents to begin relocation from the volatile areas.

But the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, yesterday debunked media reports that between 30 and 50 people were killed in the bloody attack.

According to Owoseni, a manhunt for the fleeing killers has already commenced.

He said: “The DPO in Owutu went to Igbolomu and the surrounding communities and as of the time he got there, he saw everybody running in panic and it could be because of that immediate response the militants had fled the place. While moving round, he later found six corpses of the people that were killed and the police took over those corpses out of which two were immediately released to their families who said they wanted to go and bury them according to Islamic rights.

“We took the remaining four to the morgue. That was how we covered that place until we got support and reinforcement from the Nigerian

Fleeing residents of the affected communities

Army who came to stay with us.

“I can confirm that the causality is six and no family till now has come out even while I was there to say that they have extra corpses aside from the ones that were recovered by the police in Owutu.”

The police boss expressed optimism that the militants would soon be apprehended.

He said: “What people must know is that this is not an investigation or operation that you can just say one plus one.

The guys are taking advantage of the creeks. They hit and run to the creeks and also use the wee hours to carry out that operation.

“Anywhere in the world, the military and police hardly operate in the night and so they have been taking advantage of that and that is why we have now emplaced a permanent standby point in all the four areas that we have identified as where they used to come from.”

Inspector, ex-PDP scribe held for kidnapping Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

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olice in Ebonyi State yesterday said they had arrested a former Deputy National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Onwe Solomon Onwe, for alleged gunrunning and kidnapping.

The police also arrested an inspector attached to the state command, Francis Onyeka, said to be member of the gunrunning syndicate.

Onyeka was arrested for attempting to release a suspect being interrogated.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP George Okafor, told our correspondent that Onwe had been empowering a notorious gang which had been terrorising the people through kidnapping and armed robbery.

He said: “Sometime ago, you must have heard about the killing of one of our policemen, a sergeant, who was killed in April by hoodlums on Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway while trying to confront hoodlums, who robbed someone in the area.

“The hoodlums have been terrorising this town and it is the same group that kidnapped one Hilary at Umuoghara in Ezza

A

leader of the notorious cult group in Lagos, Awawa Boys, Jimoh Sanni aka Last Born (30), has said that he had raped more than five girls.

Sanni was among 20 kingpins of the cult group arrested by the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit at Dopemu area of Agege.

The suspect resides at 4, Akinlabi Street, Agbotikuyo, Agege, but hails from Okene in Kogi State.

He said: “Truly I am a member of Awawa Boys, a sectional head and I had raped more than five girls at Dopemu area. My members and I have burgled many shops at Aluminium village. We usually sell Indian hemp at beer parlours and night clubs at N100 per wrap before we go for our usual night robbery operations.”

Sanni also said that he and his boys usually collect between N2,000 and N3,000 daily from individual aluminium shop owner at

The suspects

Dopemu.

According to him, they also buy Indian hemp from another Awawa Boys kingpin identified as OLATA at Oloosha area of Mushin.

Five of the notorious cult members were initially arrested while the remaining 15 were nabbed following a tip-off from the residents.

It was gathered that residents of Agege and its environs have been complaining over the activities of Awawa Boys who have been dispossessing members of the public of their valuables.

They have raped young girls at Aluminium village,

Valley Estate and the entire Dopemu area while property owners have lost their belongings to the cult members.

During the operations where the kingpins were arrested, the task force Chairman, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi, said the cult members were arrested in accordance with the directives of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, who also ordered that they should all be immediately charged to court.

Owoseni had said that the entire police and all

other security agencies in the state would not rest on their oars until the Awawa Boys and affiliated groups were arrested.

The 15 Awawa Boys later arrested are Ajayi Lukumon (29), Ajose Anthony (24), Adebayo Nurudeen (32), Olayemi Lasege (38), Sanusi Afeez (23), Popoola Fatai (30), Popoola Yakubu (27), Ajibade Oluwafemi (20), Opeyemi Oluwasola (33) and Adewunmi Oluwatobi (21).

Others are Akerele Sunday (25), Timothy Ogar (32), Actor Amechi (21), Sanni aka Last Born and Owolabi Adediran (27).

Ag. IG, Idris

North Local Government Area of the state. We tried our best to rescue him. But in the process of rescuing him, there was a shootout between the police and the criminals which eventually led to the death of one Ejike who was riding a Camry that was snatched from the owner sometimes ago on Convent Road, Abakaliki.”

“It is the same matter that brought in Onwe S. Onwe. While the investigation of the matter is ongoing we were able to arrest Emeka Akonuche who was part of the gang of the kidnappers. We arrested him somewhere at Nkaliki area in Abakaliki.

“Akonuche was able to escape and we were able to get his wife because it was in his place that the victim was kept. The woman was arrested and brought to our office and while undergoing interrogation, there were moves to secure her bail.”

FCT: Police rescue six girls from sex slavery

lEach girl promised N400,000 annual income Juliana Francis

I’ve raped more than five girls –Cult leader O Muritala Ayinla

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fficials of InspectorGeneral of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) have rescued some girls held in sexual slavery in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The six girls were locked in a room by their ‘madam.’

The policemen were said to have tracked down the leader of the syndicate, identified as Mrs. Ifeoma Daniel, who fled to Lagos as soon as she learnt that police had broken down the door of the room and rescued the girls.

But the police arrested Daniel’s co-worker, Collins Maduekwe.

The police said Ma-

Child prostitutes

duekwe’s work was to ensure the girls had sex with everyman willing to pay for their services.

A police source said: “Our men acted on a tipoff by a neighbour. The neighbour alleged that some persons had been locked inside the room for days.”

When the door was bust open, six ladies, identified as Blessing John, Chidinma Amakwe, Nancy Azubuike, Chiamaka Eze, Beauty Ndulue and Amarachi Chinedu were rescued.

The source added: “The attention of the neighbour was attracted when the girls started fighting inside the room. When efforts were made to enter the room, it was discovered to be locked.”

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NEWS | national

‘Dangote refinery, fertilizer projects to reduce poverty’

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ith efforts being diverted towards the diversification of the nation’s ailing economy, the Federal Government has described Dangote Fertilizer and Petrochemical projects as credible industrials undertaking capable of reducing poverty through generation of foreign exchange.

Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said that the Dangote Refinery , Petrochemicals and fertilizers, reputed to be the biggest in Africa when completed, offer hopes in the quest for diversification of Nigeria’s economy from total dependence on oil to other areas like Agriculture and solid minerals.

Osinbajo, who was on working visit to the site of the projects at Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, in company with Ministers of Finance; Power, Works and Housing; Solid Minerals Development as well as the Minister of State for Trade and Investments, expressed amazement at the size of the projects and reiterated government’s preparedness to provide enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

He commended the business acumen of Aliko Dangote, saying the projects remained the most important in the country,

presently and must be supported as it would help Nigeria’s economy when completed.

The Vice-President explained that the Federal Government would harness the potentials of the private sector to make the nation economy recover speedily.

Addressing newsmen on the visit by the Vice-President, Dangote explained that the diversification of the Nigerian economy was long overdue and that one sector that Nigeria can focus on to rejuvenate the economy is agriculture.

He stated that his investment in fertilizer was one sure way the diversification into agriculture could succeed because according to him, it would amount to little if focus is directed to agriculture and fertilizers would be imported.

Said he: “It is agriculture that is the way to go, but a critical component of that sector is fertilizers. Nigeria has more arable land than China, which now is the biggest economy in the world.

We can tap into our vast land and produce what we need and even export the remaining.

“By the time we complete this project, there will be opportunity to take on agriculture and say bye to poverty, because there will be jobs."

CONFIRMATION/change OF NAME

Ukamaka

This is to confirm that the names Masudi Ukamaka Lukayt and Masudi Ukamaka refer to one and the same person. Henceforth I wish to be known and addressed as Masudi Ukamaka. All former documents remain valid. Keystone Bank Plc, First Bank Plc and the general public should please take note.

Benson

I, formerly known and addressed as Rusademe Ebikeneye Comfort Toyin now wish to be known and addressed as Rusademe Benson Ebikeneye Comfort.

All former documents remain valid. First bank Plc, NYSC, Kwara State Polytechnic, Nigerian Institute of Teachers and the general public should please take note.

Akibu

I, Oyeyemi Boyenle Akibu is the same person as Oyeyemi Akibu. All documents bearing these names are valid.

General public take note.

Ibrahim

I, formerly known and addressed as Ibraheem Mutiat Iyabode now wish to be known and addressed as Ibrahim Mutiat Iyabode. All former documents remain valid.

The general public should please take note.

Shaaibu

This is confirm that the names Shuaibu Sanni, Shuaib Sani and Shaaibu Sani refer to one and the same person. Henceforth my correct name Shaaibu Sani. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

Odunowo

I, formerly known as Miss Ogunfuwa Afolashade Oluwabunmi now wish to be known as Mrs Odunowo Afolashade Oluwabunmi. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

PUBLIC NOTICE

DAILY LIFE CHURCH

The General Public is hereby notified that the above named CHURCH 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. Adebayo Oluwaseun Alao 2. Adebayo Olukemi Temitayo 3. Oludare Olusesan Oduwole AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1. To propagate Christian religion 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

monday, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

We won’t declare any asset, policemen tell IGP Juliana Francis

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ixed reactions have trailed the declaration of the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, that police personnel, from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), to himself, should declare their assets.

Some policemen have scoffed at the idea, describing it as, “exercise in futility.”

According to them, Idris would have to ensure that high ranking policemen don’t use their relatives to ‘front,’ thus

covering tracks of their different property and bank accounts.

While others insisted that it should cut across board, not just from ASP, explaining that some rank and file policemen are stupendously richer and have more property dotted around the country than their seniors.

Many personnel however refused to speak on it, saying: “Journalists are always looking for trouble. Leave us alone!”

Last week, Idris said that in line with section 13 Cap 15 Code of Conduct Act, policemen should declare their assets. The order has led to myriad of

emotions and utterances.

While some said it was an old practice in the police, others said they had never witnessed it. Many of them spoke on condition of anonymity. Former policemen also spoke on the issue.

An Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said: “I have no problem, as long as the IGP will comply himself. Let’s wait and see.”

A Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said: “No problem, but it should start from the administration of Mohammed Abubakar till date. It should include all Abubakar’s management team.

Abubakar abolished roadblocks, but opened his at the Force Headquarters.”

A Chief Superintendent of Police, (CSP), said: “It’s long overdue.

It has always been with the police. I believe it is the right police tradition; we are monitored by even our colleagues. If you are spending beyond your means, you are called to question. So, if you must acquire any assets beyond your means, then you must use the name of family or a front. Asset declaration is good. It also serves as a defence when answering to allegations of corruption or money laundering.”

L-R: Director General, Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Geoffrey Onyeama and Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, during a reception in honour of Onyeama by the people of Eke, Udi LGA in Enugu State …at the weekend.

10,843 people involved in crashes on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway –FRSC Camillus Nnaji

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eter mined to checkmate alarming road crashes along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Federal Road Safety Commission has declared a state of emergency on the road.

That was even as the commission announced that 10,843 road users were involved in accidents on the road in the last four years.

Assistant Corps Marshal and Deputy CEO, FRSC , ACP Kayode Olagunju, said that between January-May, 2016, a total

of 135 crashes occurred, 539 persons were injured while a total of 67 persons died.

Olagunju disclosed this while inspecting the failed portions of the expressway stretching 107 km.

The ACM said the increasing rate of crashes on the road has led the FRSC to declare state of emergency on the expressway.

He said the commission has commenced road auditing on the express to understand the real problem on the road,

Fayose charges Nigerians on food security Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

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kiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has urged Nigerians to take to farming as a survivalist strategy.

He said that taking to farming was the only guard against looming food insecurity in the country.

He spoke in Ado-Ekiti, the capital, on Saturday

during the 21st convocation ceremony of the Ekiti State University (EKSU).

The event equally witnessed the conferment of Honorary doctorate degrees on the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson; business mogul and lawyer, Mr Gbenga Oyebode and the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemi Adegoke, who was the Institution's Chancellor.

adding that a total of 130 illegal openings have been discovered along the long stretch of the expressway.

While commending the Federal Government for bringing back Julius Berger and Reynold Construction Company, RCC on the road, he said FRSC have mapped out strategy in traffic management during construction and to ensure best practices were maintained in signage.

He said: “Road users should bear with us. We have many failed portions on the road.

“The Corps marshal has moblised Lagos and Ogun with 10 and 6 more patrol vehicles, respectively. We have mapped out robust collaboration with the construction companies and other state based road agencies, as the construction commences.”

“While government moves to ensure sanity on the expressway, road users must comply by not running against traffic, over speeding, illegal overtaking, overloading and maintain lane discipline”.

NOA tasks INEC on re-run elections Zacchaeus Ozovehe Lokoja

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he National Orientation Agency(NOA) has ahead of re-run election in the eastern part of Kogi State, called on Independent National Electoral Commission to examine the short comings in the past election in the state with a view to forestalling any possible challenges.

The Acting State Director of the agency, Mallam Mohammed Othman Abdullahi, who made the call when the newly deployed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Samuel Madaki, paid a courtesy call on the agency in Lokoja, said the Commission should x-ray the challenge of the past elections to enable them conduct the second re-run in the eastern part of the state without hitches.

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MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Interview Aborishade: Call for Nigeria's restructuring misplaced priority

Politics

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Friendship gone sour

YOU MUST STOP CHASING SHADOWS AND ADDRESS THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST YOU. IT IS PREPOSTEROUS THAT YOU SUDDENLY REMEMBERED THAT SOMEONE WAS INVOLVED IN THE HALLIBURTON SCANDAL AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME THAT YOU ARE BEING INVESTIGATED

WALE ELEGBEDE writes on how the bond between Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State and Senator Buruji Kashamu, came crashing less than two years after it was consummated

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hilst it is true that in politics there is no permanent friend or enemy but permanent interest; there are, however, some stories of friends turned foes, which makes people to recoil in shock over their separation.

FELIX NWANERI

GROUP PoLITICAL EDITOR nwanerif@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

One of the classic examples of such bewilderment is the current parting of ways between Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose and the senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Senator BurujiKashamu. Two years ago, the duo were the epic definition of political ally who watched each other's back against perceived or imagined enemies; and they made no pretense about it.

For the 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State, which Fayose won in an overwhelming manner by defeating the then incumbent, Dr Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the duo struck a common bond, strategised together and they got an uncommon result at the June 21, 2014 poll.

After a successful outing in Ekiti, the two new political leaders in the South-West Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), moved from the zonal level to the national level. But the political romance has crumbled within two years. The once jolly friends, who even publicly ate yam flour (Amala) together in the Ekiti State capital, have gone their separate ways, a development that has made many tongues to waggle over what could have been responsible for the breakup.

Fayose is clearly out to undo Kashamu’s influence in the South-West...

If he succeeds...

Kashamu will be decimated in 2019

In the beginning After the untimely exit of Fayose as governor during his first term in 2006, the various efforts of the former governor to bounce back politically met a brick wall.

For example, at a time he moved to the Labour Party (LP) to contest for a senatorial seat but he lost out at the election because many of his kinsmen reasoned that he frittered away the opportunity he got as governor in 2003.

But with the 2014 governorship election approaching, Fayose went back to the drawing table, rejigged his plan and retraced his steps back to his former party – PDP. Of course, with former President Olusegun Obasanjo out of the picture as the unquestionable leader of the party, it was easy for him to return to the PDP. Looking around for those who can buy into his ambition of returning to the Ekiti Government House, Fayose wasted no time in pitching his tents with Kashamu, who at the time was the Chairman, PDP Mobilization and Contacts Committee in the South-West. With Obasanjo out of the party’s equation in the zone, Kashamu, with his financial war chest had become the rallying point of the party in all of the six states of the zone.

Prior to his collaboration with Kashamu, some political book-

makers considered Fayose as having an outside chance of picking the party’s ticket for the governorship race owing to factors like his past antecedents, alleged character flaws, vocal nature and of course, unfavourable zoning criteria.

According to a chieftain of the party who was privy to how Fayose emerged as PDP candidate at the primary election, which electoral panel was headed by a former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili, then President Goodluck Jonathan, ab initio did not want Fayose as the party’s candidate but preferred one his cabinet ministers.

His words: “The emergence of Fayose as PDP candidate did not come as easy as people thought it was. Even Jonathan did not want him, especially when he knew what had transpired during his first term in office as governor of Ekiti State.

“I can tell you that Jonathan’s anointed for that poll ab initio was former minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade. That was why the minister resigned from the cabinet to join the race. However, with the influence of Kashamu and some other PDP chieftains in the zone, Jonathan was prevailed upon through the former National C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 4

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POLITICS

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 1

Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu and the former First Lady, Patience Jonathan, to queue behind Fayose.

“You know that was when the rhythm of ‘game changer’ pervaded the PDP corridor, the expresident reluctantly caved in. Of course, with the financial backing of Kashamu, Fayose was able to win the primaries as that man rolled his structure behind him.

Even the behind-the-scene moves by some aspirants like Olubolade, Dayo Adeyeye and others, didn’t materialize.”

Perhaps the landslide victory of Fayose at the PDP primaries were he secured 462 of the 477 votes cast, rekindled his confidence in Kashamu as a worthy ally. Hence, they moved as twins, hobnobbed and hatched plans for the elections. In fact, it was allegedly reported then that Kashamu bankrolled his ‘friends’ campaign to the tune of billions of naira.

“The financial and moral support Kashamu gave to Fayose in the build-up to the Ekiti governorship election made him (Fayose) to perceive Kashamu as a demigod, and in the process so many things exchanged hands, including top secrets. To think that the two could be at daggers drawn is quite unimaginable,” a source said.

Fighting common enemies Aside the fact that Fayose and Kashamu had a common enemy in Obasanjo, the duo, while the going was good brushed aside some other common political enemies. For the likes of Olubolade, Adeyeye, Aluko, among others, the combine effort of Fayose and Kashamu was too hot for them to handle in the PDP’s primary and of course they let go.

Fayemi was also at the receiving end of the Kashamu/Fayose onslaught. Despite being a sitting governor, the duo alongside others plotted his shocking defeat.

The then incumbent governor even lost in his own local government area.

On the zonal front, the understanding between the duo empowered them to remove and install zonal executives at will. One of the victims of such action was former PDP Zonal Vice Chairman, Chief Ishola Filani.

And when in 2015, the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) laid siege at Kashamu’s Lekki, Lagos residence for days over claims that he is wanted for in the United States for alleged drug offences, Fayose like a true friend, Fayose, came out to defend his ally, warning the agency against any form extradition of his friend.

He glowingly described Kashamu as a “great Yoruba son and patriotic Nigerian” whose extradition would have “dire implication on the relationship between Yoruba people and the incoming Buhari Government.”

Interestingly, he accused former President Obasanjo for being “the brain behind the attempted kidnap of a great Nigerian by a foreign government.”

Also, the duo also kept a hardline against some chieftains of the party in the zone, especially before the 2015 general elections.

It was alleged that the duo silently supported former Minister of

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Fayose, Kashamu: When State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro’s bid to become the party’s governorship candidate in Lagos State as against Chief Bode George’s choice.

Moments of hostilities According to those in the know, the crisis between Fayose and Kashamu had been on and off but they kept it sealed to because they knew the implication of opening the roof over their heads. It was gathered that the first friction between them occurred just after the March 22, 2014 governorship primary election of the PDP in Ekiti State.

Though not confirmed, it was learnt that Buruji bankrolled the primary election because Fayose’s pocket was not deep enough to fund the election. It was alleged that after Fayose’s emergence as the PDP candidate, financial support started pouring in for him and Buruji was said to have demanded part of the refund of the aid he gave to Fayose, but the latter refused to accede to the demand, insisting that the terms of their agreement was repayment after the governorship election and not before.

But speaking to a national newspaper on similar issue, Kashamu’s aide, Augustine Oniyokor said: “While it is true that Senator Buruji Kashamu supported PDP candidates, including the Ekiti State governor, as a true party man, I’m not aware of the financial implications.”

At another point, the two PDP

Fayose and Kashamu when the going was good

chieftains went daggers drawn over the status of the party’s Zonal Executive Committee chairman, Chief Filani. The former vice chairman who has been a rubber stamp ally of Kashamu was sacked from office without any premonition of such.

It was gathered that Fayose mooted the idea of the removal of Filani but Kashamu opposed the move, saying that Filani had

worked with leaders of the party across the region as the caretaker committee chairman following series of legal battles, which culminated in the sack of the executive headed by Chief Segun Oni, elected in the 2012 zonal congress; and thus should be allowed to become the substantive chairman of the party at the 2014 zonal congress.

After a period of disagreement, Fayose ensured that his

Kashamu: From business to politics Kunle Olayeni writes on Senator Buruji Kashamu’s meteoric rise in politics

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ondly called "Authority" by associates and loyalists, Senator Buruji Kashamu, undoubtedly remains a factor in the political chess game of the Ogun State. With series of litigations and deployment of his financial war chest, he has concretised his hold on the structure of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Since he emerged on the political scene, Kashamu has bruised many political adversaries, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo; ex-Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; former Governor Gbenga Daniel and former Speaker, House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.

The businessman-turned-politician, practically determined all the candidates fielded by the state chapter of PDP during the last general elections. In the poll, the party clinched two federal constituencies and won nine seats in the state House of Assembly.

The Ijebu Igbo-born politician has been a major financier of the PDP, especially since the ouster of the party from power in South-West in 2011. His deep pocket is an intimidation of some sorts to any political adversary. His fabled vast connection in judicial circles has also been a subject of concern and controversy.

But Kashamu has probably paid his dues.

In 2008, he appeared innocuous on the political scene. With his Omo-Ilu Foundation, a non-governmental organisation popular

for empowering thousands of people with cars, cash and skills acquisition equipment, Kashamu became a household name. He initially enjoyed a robust relationship with Daniel but the relationship got strained when the Ogun PDP split into two factions.

Kashamu teamed up with anti-Daniel forces led by Obasanjo and the battle ultimately swept Daniel and his loyalists out of the party. Kashamu later fell out with Obasanjo over the sharing of ministerial and federal board appointments allocated to the party. With another judicial triumph, he was able to outsmart Obasanjo’s group and whittled down the former president’s influence on the PDP. While he seemed to have tamed the bigwigs in the state chapter of the party, criticisms continued to trail Kashamu's handling of party affairs. Many chieftains have been unwilling to surrender to his leadership and this eventually resulted in the factionalisation of the party during the ‎recent PDP congresses.

The congresses produced three parallel executives loyal to Kashamu, Bankole and the lawmaker representing Remo Federal Constituency, Oladipupo Adebutu. Although Kashamu maintains he holds the "mainstream structure" of Ogun PDP, Bankole and Adebutu are leading other groups bent on changing the status quo in the party.

With the help of Fayose, the Adebutu faction and its delegates got the recognition of PDP hierarchy at the May 21 national convention of the party. Of course, the development has since put Kashamu and his group on the edge and they have consequently returned to the courts to validate themselves as the authentic party executive in the state.

Kashamu

While all the contending forces in the party are insisting on self-legitimacy, politicking and scheming are being intensified at the wards, local government and state levels towards the next electoral quest.

Born on May 19, 1948, Kashamu is the Chairman/CEO of Kasmal Group of Companies Limited. He has over 500 employees under the group. He is also the Chairman of Group Kasmal SAL in Republic of Benin.

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

political allies turn foes student of history and take his learning from what happened to him in 2006. He did claim he was a changed and matured person when he was seeking re-election.

The jury is out as to whether he has changed or not. You cannot be doing something the same way and expect a different result.

“If the good and humane people of Ekiti State have shown him love and returned him to office, the least he can do is to reciprocate their kind gesture by giving them quality governance and effective representation; being confrontational will be detrimental to their fortunes at the end of the day.

“The energy dissipated on playing to gallery and acting like a thug and tout that is obsessed with the bashing of the Federal Government and President Buhari as if it is an official policy of the state government will consequently slowpoke the progress and prosperity of the good people of the state. For, as it is said, when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

Curiously, the series of attacks against him by his ex-ally did not get any response from Fayose.

For many political analysts, the silence of a naturally outspoken Fayose to Kashamu, speaks volume and there is more than meets the eye on it.

On the party front, the duo were said to have briefly reconciled their differences when the race for the PDP national chairmanship began. At the initial stage, both like before, decided to

Kashamu and Fayose at a political rally

ally backed down on retaining Filani, and he eventually pushed the chairman of the party in his state, Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, to fill the slot.

Whilst it is no secret that Kashamu is at variance with Fayose’s style of attacking President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC, his various nudges to his friend even in the public glare didn’t stop him from pour-

Wale Elegbede writes on the man Ayodele Fayose

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overnor Ayodele Fayose certainly does not require any formal introduction as far as Ekiti State politics is concerned. He is an authority in his own right. Since his entrance into politics, the Afao Ekiti born politician has carved a niche for himself.

Born on the November 15, 1960, Fayose attended Saint Leo’s Catholic Primary School, Ibadan. After his primary education, he proceeded to Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, and obtained his West African School Certificate in 1979. Around 1984, he ran a two-year Ordinary National Diploma (OND) programme in Science Laboratory Technology at Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro. He furthered his Diploma program and obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Biological Sciences from the Polytechnic in Ibadan.

After his formal education, Fayose, who is popularly called “Oshokomole,” established Spotless Investment Limited, where he worked as the Chief Executive Officer. He later joined politics, and became the governor of Ekiti State, and served in that capacity between May 2003 and October 2006, when he was impeached.

Fayose and his deputy, Mrs. Biodun Olujimi, now a senator, were impeached and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Friday Aderemi, assumed office as the interim governor. As it turned out, Olujimi was also encouraged to declare herself governor and the full script unfolded. With “two governors” in place, then President Olusegun Obasanjo declared that there was a breakdown of law and order in the state and quickly declared

ing venom on the ruling party and its leaders.

Speaking with newsmen in an interview recently, Kashamu said his former ally is only playing to the gallery, using the frenzy of the media. He added that he should, as a governor, exhaust all reasonable channels to make his opinions known before going public.

His words: “Governor Fayose should endeavour to be a good

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pitch tent behind the former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. While the honeymoon lasted, they whipped those against their choice with words, and even castigated elders of the party in the South-West for opposing their choice.

But in a sudden volte face, Fayose backed out of the pro-Sheriff support and left his ‘friend’ alone in the cold. The governor joined his other colleagues to support former Governor Ahmed Makarfi to manage the party for three months instead of the self-succession plan initially mooted by the once jolly friends. From then, Kashamu and Fayose stayed apart like water and oil.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back Reacting to the freezing of his Zenith Bank account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Fayose accused President Buhari’s wife, Aisha, of being indicted in the infamous Halliburton scandal.

Fayose’s account with the bank was freezed by the EFCC after the anti-graft agency claimed that it traced N1.3 billion to it from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under former President Jonathan.

Fayose told newsmen in AdoEkiti, the Ekiti state capital that “even the President cannot claim to be an angel. The estate he built in Abuja is known to us. His wife was indicted over the Halliburton Scandal. When that American, Jefferson, was being sentenced, the President’s wife was mentioned as having wired $170,000 C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 1 5

Fayose: The enfant terrible of Ekiti politics a state of emergency, promptly appointing Brig-Gen. Adetunji Olurin (rtd) as the sole administrator of the state on October 19, 2006.

Sensing that his removal has stripped his constitutional immunity, Fayose fled the country and he was in exile until Obasanjo left power in May, 2007.

In December 2007, Fayose returned to the country and was received in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. The overwhelming supporters that greeted his return indicated a clear signal that he had not lost his support base, which he used to unseat Chief Niyi Adebayo as Ekiti governor in 2003.

In 2011, he attempted to run for the Senate on the ticket of the Labour Party but failed. After the stint with the LP, he returned to the PDP. He had been expelled from PDP but got his readmission backdated by two years, making it possible for him to seek an elective post immediately.

In November 2012, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) docked Fayose over alleged misappropriation of state funds amounting to N416 million. That was part of the 27-count amended charge for which he was standing trial before Justice Adamu Hobon of the Federal High Court sitting in AdoEkiti.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges of conversion of public funds for personal use and abuse of office while he was governor. He had earlier been arraigned in 2007 at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly misappropriating funds belonging to Ekiti State. He later challenged the jurisdiction of the court on the grounds that the alleged offence was not committed

Fayose

in Lagos, but Ekiti State.

Despite the various allegations against him, Fayose has not had any court of law pronounced him guilty. In the wake of the 2014 governorship election, he claimed that the Ayo Fayose of 2003 to 2006 is not the Ayo Fayose of 2014 and that his misdeeds at that time were informed by his young age.

In June 2014, Fayose, again contested for the position of the governor and became successful for the second time. He was sworn-in as the governor of Ekiti State for the second time on October 16, 2014.

Upon his entrance for second term in October, 2014, Fayose has broken several

decorum rules of Nigerian politics. In the wake of the 2015 general elections, he solely took on the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. In fact, he became a major voice for the PDP in the SouthWest and severally took on the APC and its candidate.

At the tail end of the tenure of the last Assembly in the state, Fayose had a turbulent period but in his characteristic manner, he came out victorious. He fought the APC members in the House to a standstill over their decision to impeach him for a second time.

Since the coming on board of the Buhari-led administration, Fayose has acted like the lonely voice in the wilderness for the opposition PDP. Expectedly, this has earned him both accolades and criticisms at the same time.

Numerous issues raised by the Ekiti governor about the President and his party have grabbed the headlines over the last one year. However, his reaction to the freezing of his bank account by the EFCC, in which accused the President’s wife of being indicted in the infamous Halliburton scandal, has attracted more enemies to him than friends.

With the N1.3 billion campaign fund allegedly traced to his account from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and the mounting call for his resignation by some civil society groups, it is left to be seen whether the apostle of what is now popularly called ‘stomach infrastructure’ will bring to bear his ability to survive political banana peels.

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POLITICS \ MONDAY INTERVIEW

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Aborishade: Call for Nigeria's restructuring Comrade Femi Aborishade, is a lawyer and human rights activist. In this interview with TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE, he speaks on the present administration’s anti-corruption war and the demand for life pension and immunity for presiding officers of National Assembly, among other issues

What is your take on the freezing of the bank account of Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)?

The issue of freezing Fayose’s account in my opinion represents impunity. That is not a fight against corruption. It represents lawlessness. I agree and advocate for the deletion of the Section 308 from the constitution, which gives immunity to president, vice president, governors and deputy governors. That provision is an impunity provision and we have been advocating that it should be deleted. Until it is deleted, any action carried out in violation of that constitution is unconstitutional, dictatorial and should not be perceived as fight against corruption because Fayose is not the only governor, who is likely to have violated financial regulations and who is likely to have looted public funds.

If they must act against Fayose, they should start with those who are not critical of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. It would appear that they are targeting Fayose because he is critical of the APC and President Buhari’s administration. I believe that until the deletion of Section 308 of the constitution, the freezing of Governor Fayose’s account represents only impunity, lawlessness and totalitarianism.

It is selective and discriminatory.

Are you insinuating that Governor Fayose predicament is due to his opposition of the ruling party?

It will appear that it is political and I am for going all out against corruption. If they must violate Section 308; they should do so not only in respect to Governor Fayose.

They should do so in respect of all other governors because there is a public perception that most public officers live above their means.

What the President and governors take legitimately is nothing to write home about. Most of them are living above their legitimate earnings.

Therefore, if the issue is about fight against corruption, it ought to be uniform. That is my position.

What is your take on the recent proposed plan for presiding officers of National Assembly to enjoy immunity?

Fundamentally speaking, im-

munity in Section 308 of the constitution is an impunity section, which ought to have been deleted.

The first step that the ruling party ought to take because it controls the majority in the National Assembly is to quickly amend the constitution by deleting Section 308, so that the president, vice president, governors and deputy governors should be liable to be arrested and prosecuted immediately; not after they leave office.

That section ought to be deleted.

It is unfortunate, insensitive, callous and wicked for members of the National Assembly to want to extend the provisions of a section of the constitution, which people are insisting should be deleted, to cover them. Trying to make presiding officers of the National Assembly enjoy immunity shows that they have a mindset to commit crime and they want to be protected during the period they are in the National Assembly. Nigerians oppose it. Immunity should not be extended to presiding officers of the National Assembly; rather it ought to be deleted absolutely from the constitution.

What about issue of life pension for presiding officers of National Assembly?

It is unfortunate that members of the National Assembly want to extend life pension to themselves.

That is equally unfortunate. Ni- Aborishade gerians should rise and protest peacefully against it. What the members of the National Assembly ought to do is to first of all enact a law, making provision for life pension for ordinary Nigerians regardless of the sector they might have worked in their youthful age, so that whether you worked in the public sector or private sector of the country, you are entitled a right to pension by the government.

That is what operates in United Kingdom. Regardless of the sector you worked, you are entitled to some payment by the time you are 60 years and above.

Already in the Nigerian Constitution, Section 84 (subsection 5), Section 291 (subsection 3) and another section provide for penThe call for sion for life for president, vice president, governors, deputy govrestructuring of ernors and the top officers in the Nigeria at this judiciary. That provision ought to be extended to ordinary people bepoint in time cause what is good for Mr. Presiis elitist. It is dent should equally be good for ordinary Nigerians. If they canmisplaced and a not extend it to ordinary Nigeridistraction ans, then they should take it away from president, vice president, governors and deputy governors.

Many of the members of the National Assembly and ministers were former governors. As we speak, they earn pension as former governors at the rate of salaries of the incumbent governors and deputy governors. Many of them; Babatunde Fashola, Chris Ngige and co are there earning salaries as ministers and also earning pension as former governors at rate of salaries of incumbent governors.

We are opposes that. Rather, the National Assembly should perceive their role as rare opportunity to enact laws for the well being of ordinary people. Government’s institutions are established and

came into being in other to provide succour for ordinary people, not for the rich to be getting richer. But in Nigeria, many of the people in public offices perform their roles by hijacking governance to promote their own greed against the basic needs of ordinary people.

Do you think life pension for ordinary Nigerians is realistic when about 27 states government presently have backlog of salaries, while many civil servants have not received salaries in the last six to eight months?

It is bad to say the least and I do not believe that Nigeria is broke.

Nigeria is not broke if you go by the figures being revealed in the media in recent times. Over $200 billion according to Senator Shehu Sani is being stashed away in Dubai by Nigerians; members of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) inclusive. According to Mr. Femi Falana, over $200 billion is being owed by certain elements in terms of what they ought to have paid into the federation account, which they did not and which some certain individuals are sitting on. So, Nigeria is not broke, it is just that those who are in government are wicked. Many of them are rogues.

Nigeria is not broke rather they just want to privatise public enterprises on the basis that there is no money. Let them reveal to us what they have been taking from the federation account.

It has been revealed that 70 per cent of budgetary allocation in Nigeria at the federal and state levels is for salaries and allowances of political office holders.

They only pay the ordinary workers stipends. So, they are the ones sitting over the common wealth

of Nigeria. Nigeria is not broke.

And there is a current judgement of the National Industrial Court, which is the only court that can adjudicate over employment matters in the country; that where an employer; be it government, individual or the private sector fails to pay salaries as and when due to his workers, then interest ought to be paid. So, the Nigeria labour movement must demand that all the governors must pay interest on the unpaid salaries.

What do you think is responsible for states inability to pay salaries?

We are where we are today because the philosophy of governance of those who are ruling us does not support improving the well being of the people. The bane of our polity is that those who are in power perceive governance as an opportunity to disposes the people of their wealth for their own good. If it was not so, they ought to be earning not more than 10 times the minimum wage so that there would be enough left to take care of the needs of ordinary people.

Governors can exist without even touching their salaries because they have the security vote, which they don’t disclose to us.

They are saying there is no money and yet it does not reflect on their own lifestyles. Their own children are not in this country, they are not attending the schools, which they build only for goats. Their children are abroad.

Only recently Mr. President flew abroad at the expense of this country on the basis of earache and doctors in this country cried out because we have experts in this country. It is at the expense of Nigerian people that Mr. President flew abroad on medical tourism,

POLITICS

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

misplaced priority which he himself campaigned against. That is corruption; legitimate corruption. Because it is being carried out by a sitting president doesn’t mean that there is nothing wrong in it. That is corruption. He didn’t go alone; he must have gone along with certain aides, costing this country a lot of foreign exchange.

That is legitimised corruption.

Do you support the call for reduction in cost of governance?

We need to reduce cost of governance and that is why we advocated that all political office holders and their appointees like commissioners, ministers should not earn more than 10 times the national minimum wage, so that we will have enough resources. There allowances alone are much more than their legitimate salaries fixed by the salaries and wages commission. Let them implement that and by the time that is incorporated into the constitution and it is constitutionally backed that no public office holder would earn more than 10 times the minimum wage, the field would be left open to only those who genuinely want to serve.

When former President Goodluck Jonathan convened the 2014 National Conference, people like Pastor Tunde Bakare attended without taking a kobo from the government. These are the kind of people, who we need at this point in time. We need those who will see opportunity for being in public office as an opportunity to render selfless service. But majority of politicians in this country are unemployed; they have no jobs, yet they are rich. And their wealth is a product of dispossession of the people. The Nigerian people are poor because the rulers are rich. The rulers are rich because they have dispossessed the Nigerian people. Our wealth is lying in the personal bank accounts at home and abroad of politicians.

What about the people who are motivated by money in their choice of public office holders during elections?

We cannot blame the people because they have been pauperised. If a person who is drowning in water; such person will hang on to anything, even if it is the

Aborishade

15

devil itself that has thrown a stick to that person, he will hang on to it. So, they have pauperised our people so much. It is not our people who are behaving that way, it is their condition; pauperised condition. So, we cannot blame the people, it is the leadership that we must blame.

Some people have suggested the restructuring of Nigeria as a solution to the myriad of problems facing the country. Do you share such view?

The call for restructuring of Nigeria at this point in time is elitist. It is misplaced and a distraction. The feeling of being marginalised is responsible for the call for restructuring. There won’t need for such call if government pays attention and provides for the basic social needs of the people such that anywhere you are in Nigeria, you have access to basic things of life. Government must be responsible for every Nigerian in terms of his housing, education, health and other amenities and the cry about restructuring will die down. It is being raised now to cause distraction from failure of government to meet the basic needs of the people.

Restructuring is not the primary issue facing us currently.

The primary issue is how to put in place laws and institutions to ensure that the resources of Nigeria are used to satisfy the basic needs of the people rather than being used to satisfy the greed of some of few people. The problem we face is a problem of greed and need; wealth of society being used to satisfy greed rather than the wealth of society being used to satisfy the needs of the people.

So, you don’t believe in the call for restructuring of the country?

I don’t believe in it because it is not primary and fundamental. It is secondary, not fundamental. I won’t blame those who are shouting for restructuring, particularly the ordinary people, who are compelled to look at issues on the basis that it is because we are not structured properly. Currently, the governors in various states are indigenes of their states, yet they face problems. So, if you restructure, what difference would it make. I don’t support it.

Makarfi

Sheriff

Friendship gone sour C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 3

to Jefferson. Her name was on page 25 of the sentencing of Jefferson. We can serialize the judgment for people to see and read.”

But urging his ‘friend’ to stop chasing shadows and leave the President’s wife out of his travails, Kashamu in a statement likened Fayose’s attempt to link Mrs. Buhari to the Halliburton scandal as a needless distraction and an amateurish shadow-boxing.

“Fayose must stop chasing shadows and address the allegations against him. It is preposterous that he suddenly remembered that someone was involved in the Halliburton scandal at exactly the same time that he is being investigated over the funds he allegedly collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),” he said.

Interestingly, for the umpteenth time, Fayose refused to react to Kashamu’s scolding.

Reasons for conflict Three major reasons can be adduced for the strange turn around between the once envied friends and allies. First, the battle for the control of the South-West PDP is responsible for the story of betrayal and mistrust between the duo. While it was alleged that Fayose wanted to cripple Kashamu’s grip on the party in the zone because he has his eyes on the party’s vice presidential slot in 2019, it is also argued in some quarters that the Ogun East senator wanted to consolidate his hold on the zone since he has been an active player in the course of what happens in the PDP over the past 10 years.

A source said: “Fayose is clearly out to undo Kashamu’s influence in the South-West and that was why he plotted to have the likes of Prof. Wale Oladipo and Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju replaced as the zone’s representatives in the National Working Committee of the party.

He is being ungrateful because these are the guys who stood for him amidst the various offers they were presented with by some other Ekiti PDP governorship aspirants in 2014. If he succeeds, I can tell you that Kashamu will be decimated in 2019 because those are his guys.”

Secondly, the divergent views of the duo on President Buhari’s performance and his party, has pitched the two. While Fayose takes on the government and its policies at will, Kashamu sees things from another prism. In fact, it was gathered that any time the Ekiti governor attacks the presidency; the Ogun East senator makes effort to call him to order and exercise patience with the government.

However, those loyal to Fayose believe that

Kashamu is on the governor’s neck to stop castigating the President and his party because he wants a soft-landing over an alleged drug offence in the United States and that he is playing safe to be in the good books of the APC-led government.

Thirdly, an alleged unfulfilled ‘settlement plan’ is said to be another reason why the once bosom buddies are now acting like cat and mouse. It was gathered that a terms of agreement was reached on how to reinburse the financial support Kashamu gave to Fayose before and during the 2014 governorship election, but it was alleged that the governor don’t want to hear any of it from the PDP chieftain as he usually complains that Ekiti has no money.

Obasanjo laughs last?

No doubt, the political background and rise of both Fayose and Kashamu, have their roots from former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The former Army General Singlehandedly nurtured both of them. Interestingly, the same Obasanjo dealt with them and cut them to size at different times.

For Fayose, who Obasanjo used to chase former governor Niyi Adebayo out of office in 2003, he had the biggest cut from the former president’s double-edged sword as he was impeached in the third year of his administration following irreconcilable differences with his former godfather. Till date, there is no love lost between both Fayose and Obasanjo.

The entrance of Kashamu into Ogun State politics during the second term of Obasanjo, changed the face of politics in the Gateway State. With the support of Obasanjo from Abuja and his deep pocket through the Omo Ilu Foundation, Kashamu was able to decimate and even pushed out a sitting governor, Gbenga Daniel, from the PDP. Obasanjo, it was believed, used Kashamu to prosecute his battle against Daniel and when it was time to field a governorship candidate for the 2011 general elections in the state, the Owu chief gleefully brought out his associate, Gen. Adetunji Olurin (rtd) and asked Kashamu to roll the party structure behind him.

However, the marriage of convenience between Obasanjo and Kashamu couldn’t weather the storm for too long as under some unexplainable manner, hostility set in and they both decided to part ways in a vile manner.

With the political dimes of both Obasanjo’s men flipping already, perhaps the Owu chief is sitting comfortably at his Otta farms, sipping wine to laugh off the activities of his ex-foot soldiers.

16

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion A charade overtaken by time Dominik Umosen

W

hoever initiated the saying that every act of injustice, oppression or evil has an expiry date must have had the slumbering giant, Nigeria, in mind. Though many attribute the hilarious failure of most tiers of government in the country to pay salaries of workers for so many months to a combination of turmoil in the global oil market and sheer irresponsibility by some governors, truth is that the situation signposts what was inevitable- failure of the skewed and mischievous federalism that the country has struggled, in futility, to sustain for over 45 years.

It does not require any extra-ordinary perception to recognize the fact that any house that is erected on quicksand or mud will cave in at the first approach of any strong wind, as the Holy Bible reminds us. That is the reason why most discerning Nigerians, yours truly inclusive, remain resolutely unimpressed by rowdy and hollow claims of vindictiveness that have been palmed off as change; claims that do not support any meaningful deviation from enduring hypocrisy even as the administration transparently upgrades, consolidates and reinforces a stunted status for the country and lack of capacity for genuine greatness that are basically contrived.

For example, only dishonesty or ignorance would prevent anyone from failing to recognize that this hilarious failure of states to pay workers salaries is a direct consequence of the fraudulent federalism that a vengeful military imposed on the country. Instead of reforming this hideous monstrosity by addressing legitimate misgivings logically from the cause(s), the government relapses into the well-worn

and futile option of sending soldiers to kill innocent protesters who are merely articulating their legitimate grievances with injustice and fraudulent federalism.

As presently configured, the country was designed to fail, not for efficiency or sustainable growth and development. That is the message in renewed agitation to re-structure (reform the monstrosity), that the administration, ironically, refuses to listen to but expects to reap the benefits of peace without which no society can develop. To compound the dismay, the same government continues to patronize anarchists like Dr Junaid Mohammed who stoke and reinforce tension with irresponsible and provocative statements that crude oil from the oppressed Niger Delta belongs to the North.

If it is only a fundamentally-troubled mind that keeps imagining the same thing but expects different results, as psychologists say, how can fear or sheer refusal to restitute the signature injustice of changing the rules of federalism(expunging derivation from the constitution like the military did in the middle of experimentation with true federalism), qualify as an index of change?

To compound dismay with change, this morbid fear of doing the right thing has been upgraded to encompass routine terminations by security agents of anyone who dares to draw legitimate attention to the travesty. Under change, institutionalized intimidation of oilbearing communities has been expanded to include other communities as symbolized by the imposition of grazing reserves for murderous Fulani herdsmen who have committed grave atrocities nationwide while security agents look the other way.

For change to be credible, not viewed with suspicion as it is, the administration should

The fraudulent federation we have been operating has inevitably failed

demonstrate transparent enthusiasm to encourage reformation of this depressing political structure that inspires disaffection, rather than patriotism from citizens. But how can that be if the administration is neither prepared nor interested in reforming the depressing model to gain the confidence citizens and fast-track the realization of a country of our dreams?

Ironically, those who identify legitimate lapses in our skewed variety of federalism are demonized as enemies of the country. Instead of the real enemies who encourage the administration to persist in a charade that has been overtaken by time. This is evident in the failure of parasitic states and selfdestructive indifference to well-meaning recommendations to restructure the country to inspire efficiency and genuine greatness.

The consequence of greed and oppression, instead of encouraging federating regions or zones that were strong in agriculture to continue to remain so, is the rude reality staring us in the face today. Yet, it is neither late nor embarrassing to retrace our steps as a nation and do the right thing because the downfall of a man who confessed pronto is usually less painful than that of haughty braggart who delayed his confession.

The fraudulent federation we have been operating has inevitably failed. And the earlier the country admits this work seriously and sincerely towards reforming the mess, the better for us. We can not keep repeating the same blunders of the past and, with a wicked sense of humour, palm this degradation off as change.

Spoon-feeding insolvent an unviable states with regular cash bail-outs, instead of encouraging selfsufficiency and fiscal as well as political federalism, amounts to rehashing past mistakes and expecting a different result- prelude to a deranged mind, according to psychologists.

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

Ibn Mohammed takes change to NTA Funke Oga and Jenson Okereke

W

hen it comes to television broadcasting, Nigeria is expected to plunge fully into the digital terrain, Digital Switch Over, by 17th June 2017; and the implications are many. Firstly is that it is going to be an entirely different reality for the television industry. Secondly, television broadcasting will so much be magnified that only the best can survive. Thirdly, broadcasters would be expected to turn-in stellar performance to remain relevant.

Fourthly, and this is fearful: competition is going to take an entirely different dimension, feverish: and media houses have to ferociously merge up to what one can describe as the increasingly rising tempo of the game of television broadcasting. This is expected in the area of content generation, marketing and engineering technology. Fifthly, an innovative sense of management is expected to emerge to generate and midwife all the ideas that could make any particular television house remain relevant. So the question to be asked is: are TV broadcast stations ready to for all these?

In relation to the above under-

standing, just as the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is poignantly premised on Change, a philosophy that illuminates the need for new ways of doing things and of course to be largely facilitated by the right leadership, Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, seems to be right on course at the moment; with the assumption of duties of a new helms man, Yakubu Ibn Mohammed. The Taraba-born Mohammed, who studied at the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, had earlier put all his working years as an exceptional broadcaster, in the services of NTA from 1977, rising to the pick of his career as a Director and later appointed an Executive Director Special Duties in 2008. He retired in 2012 and as they would say, what goes around comes around, has been appointed the new and ninth Director General of the broadcast behemoth, NTA, on 11th May 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ibn Mohammed has been described as a man who knows the taste of good broadcasting and then can actually make it happen in practical sense; as a suave news man. He had created and produced so many programmes including Tuesday Live, Periscope, News Extra, Weekend File and Nationwide: programmes still running till today and are all frontline shows. Their relevance is attested to by the long stay on NTA schedule, even when many

programmes had long been rested. So what other antecedent does Mohammed needs? In fact, observers say that his high delivery pedigree was greatly necessitated by that special appeal of thoroughness, quick analytical skill and humane-nature which he possesses. His demeanour is always that of friendship and every encounter with him essays humility.

These aside, because sometimes, CV could differ from practicality – especially when you find yourself as a helmsman – and Mohammed knows this, as he says that the task ahead is challenging. You can accuse him of anything, but when it comes to bluntness that is his cosy ambience. Without mincing words, he regrets the “unprofessional path NTA navigated in its coverage of the campaigns leading up to the 2015 elections … which shook NTA’s credibility and left many of us in state of shock and disbelief” he submits. This is indeed a personal surgical appraisal of oneself and that is the beginning of a process of finding a genuine solution to a problem.

So what is the new DG thinking about NTA? For him, the ideology that is going to hold sway in NTA from now is that of Change, as enunciated by the government. Essentially, that idea merges well with that fundamental understanding that broadcast media practice is predicated on innovative approaches to work delivery and that is all about change in its

real sense. According to Mohammed, NTA is critically going to key into “the Change Mantra of the present administration and ensuring the actualization of the goals and objectives of the Buhari administration”. Therefore, NTA will help in the articulation, propagation and promotion of government policies and programmes. Thus in the words of Mohammed, NTA “will promote, explain its virtues and promote its dividends.”

In ideal sense and looking at NTA hard in the mirror, the DG has resolved to tell himself the truth “NTA is not where it should be…we must stop living in denial and accept the fact that there is a lot of work right now before us” he says. To achieve this, he believes that NTA has almost inexhaustible reservoir of talent, both within and outside.

Consequently, he intends to evolve a deliberate policy of tapping from these talents to propel the desired shift in the fortunes of the organization. That would ultimately mean the stabilization of the polity through the promotion of positive ideals, thereby sustaining the unity and peace in the country. For NTA and its people, this is a sine qua non of the existence of the organization. To say the least, the President can only deliver on his agenda and the economy can indeed grow – either from within or outside – if the country is peaceful and cohesive.

•Oga and Okereke wrote in from Lagos.

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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The League needs Yobo

occer fans all over Nigeria are over the moon following the decision of former Eagles skipper Joseph Yobo to return to the Premier League. The ex-Everton defender was not a common name in the country’s league before he journeyed to Europe where his career blossomed.

Yobo played for Michelin , Port Harcourt which was a dwarf in the field that had Sharks and Eagle Cement as trail blazers.

Elder brother Albert was more known in football circles than his sibling who took the shine much later.

Our soccer has gone down considerably that for the second time consecutively, the Eagles will stay at home while other African countries fight for honours at the Nations Cup. In fact, since Yobo led the national team to a third continental victory in South Africa three years ago, Super Eagles have been unable to qualify for the same tournament.

Compatriots are worried that the game is not looking up in any way as those who manage our football are a bunch of nonachievers who have turned the Glass House to a stone throwing edifice . Crises have taken the place of the round leather game.

It is a shame that one of Africa’s leading football nations cannot put its house in order and has a government that pays lip service to sports development. The result is that Nigerian clubsides are doing so badly in continental soccer competitions. Since Enyimba’s superlative show in 2003 and 2004, winning the CAF Champion’s League back to back, clubs from our shores have continued to shy away from

cup victory.

This is the same country that for 21 years was a force to behold in African football. From 1975 to 1996, there was not a single year that Nigeria did not get to at least the semi-finals of an African or West African championships.

It began with Enugu Rangers who lost in the finals of the CAF Champions League [known as Champions Cup at the time] to Hafia, Guinea in 1975. A year later the Eagles bagged their first Nations Cup bronze. That same year, 1976 Shooting Stars won the country’s first club title , the Africa Winners Cup after demobilizing Roger Milla’s Tonnerre Kalara of Yaounde.

Rangers lost in the semis of the Champions League to Mou-

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In 1982 Rangers lost in the semis of the Champions cup once again.

The years 1983 and 1984 belonged to New Nigeria Bank [NNB] who won the country’s first WAFU Cup which they defended successfully. They would have won it for keeps in 1985 if Nigeria had not withdrawn following crowd trouble in Abidjan involving Shooting Stars and Africa Sports. Eagles claimed a first Nations Cup silver and the Oluyole Warriors lost to Zamalek, Egypt in the Champions Cup finals. That was in 1984.

Leventis United Ibadan played up to the Winners Cup finals in

It is a shame that one of Africa’s leading football nations cannot put its house in order

loudia Chalia, Algeria.

In 1977, the Flying Antelopes retained the Winners Cup for the country demolishing Thomas Nkono’s Canon Sportif of Cameroun. In 1978, the Eagles bagged a second Nations Cup bronze and the Coal City Boys played in their third Champions Cup last four. Bendel Insurance lost in the Winners Cup semis in 1979 just as Rangers lost in the regional WAFU cup finals to Police of Senegal.

In 1980, the Eagles won their first Nations Cup, Insurance got kicked out in the Champions Cup last four. Stationery Stores were humbled by Union Douala in the finals of the 1981 Winners Cup.

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Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth – Buddha

their 1985 debut. Abiola Babes fumbled in 1986 but hit the semi finals in 1987.

The year 1988 was something else.

Nigeria dominated the continent in all

four major competitions, we lost in all four finals. Nations Cup turned sour as Cameroun ‘stole’ the cup thanks to Mauritian referee, Idrissa Sarr. Iwuanyanwu Nationale lost in the Champions Cup , Ranchers fell in the Winners and NNB flopped in WAFU. In 1989, Ranchers lifted the WAFU Cup, Bendel United failed in the finals of the Winners Cup. BCC Lions made the country proud when they brought home the Winners Cup in 1990 after 13 years. Eagles secured another Nations Cup silver and Iwuanyanwu made the last four in the Champion’s Cup. BCC lost the Winners Cup in the 1991 grand finale. Iwuanyan-

wu lost again in the Champions Cup semis. Berger also failed in the finals of the Winners Cup in 1995 and Shooting Stars missed the Champions Cup again, in 1996.

However, they had won the maiden CAF Cup in 1992, a trophy Insurance retained in 1994.

The Insurers also created a national record when they won the WAFU Cup thrice 1992,1993, 1994 respectively for keeps. Of course ,the Eagles grabbed their second Nations Cup in 1994.

These statistics will help football fans to understand the level of wrath in Nigerian football.

All these achievements came because the domestic league was well organized and could always boast of quality players who boosted the national team.

Today crisis has taken over and there is nothing to encourage followers.

The return of Yobo therefore is expected to add glamour to the league since he made a mark in the Eagles playing in Europe.

That was the same attraction that followed Rashidi Yekini when he joined Julius Berger and later Gateway after playing overseas.

Yobo’s return is good for football development. Former Camerounian skipper Emmanuel Kunde also returned to play at home after professional contract in France just like his Ivorian counterpart Gadji –Celi St. Joseph. Other Ivorian stars like Abdoulaye Traore and Sam Abouo Dominic followed the same route.

We pray that Yobo’s new move will save the shame called Nigerian football administration and make our league more attractive.

In that way the glory days could return as other super stars make their way back from Europe.

18

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

19

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Interview

Law

Okala: How I prosecuted Fela under Decree 7

News NBA blames FG for herdsmen attacks on Nimbo, others

Ozekhome

Quakers

Brouhaha over EFCC’s freezing power Can the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) attaché any property, including bank accounts of a serving governor without a valid court order? Lawyers say yes, no. FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE reports

F

or the umpteenth time, Section 308 of the Constitution is raising dust barely 14 years after the nation’s apex court- the Supreme Court x-rayed its significance as applicable to some category of public officers in a suit initiated by Nigeria’s foremost rights activist and Senior Advocate, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

The late Fawhinmi had by a letter

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

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dated September 21, 1999 initiated a criminal complaint against a former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging some criminal infractions and asked the police to investigate the allegations.

But the police refused to accede to Fawehinmi’s request, hence the late Senior Advocate filed an originating summons on October 7, 1999 at the Federal High Court, Lagos wherein he sought among others, an order of mandamus compelling the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate his allegations. The suit was dismissed by the Federal High Court following a preliminary objection by the respondents on the grounds that by virtue of the immunity provisions in Section 308 of the Constitution, Tinubu who had assumed office as the governor of Lagos State could not be investigated on the said allegations.

Undaunted, Fawehinmi pursued the matter until it was determined by the Supreme Court which said although Section 308 precludes some category of public officers from criminal prosecution, it never barred any security agencies from investigating any serving governors over any criminal infractions of the Constitution.

The Supreme Court, in a lead judgement delivered on May 10, 2002, by Justice S.O. Uwaifo, said “that person protected under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, going by its provisions can be investigated by the police for an alleged crime or offence is, in my view,

beyond dispute.”

The judgement said: “To hold otherwise is to create a monstrous situation whose manifestation may not be fully appreciated until illustrated.

“I shall give three possible instances.

Suppose it is alleged that a governor, in the course of driving his personal car, recklessly ran over a man, killing him; he sends the car to a workshop for the repairs of the dented or damaged part or parts. Or that he used a pistol to shoot a man dead and threw the gun into a nearby bush. Or that he stole public money and kept it in a particular bank or used it to acquire property.

“Now, if the police became aware, could it be suggested in an open and democratic society like ours that they would be precluded by Section 308 from investigating to know the identity of the man killed, the cause of death from autopsy report, the owner of the car taken to the workshop and if there is any evidence from the inspection of the car that it hit an object recently, more particularly a human being; or to take steps to recover the gun and test for ballistic evidence; and generally to take statements from eye witnesses of either incident of killing.

“Or to find out (if possible) about the money lodged in the bank or for acquiring property, and to get particulars of the account and the source of the money; or of the property acquired? The police clearly have a duty under Section 4 of the Police Act to do all they can to investigate and preserve whatever evidence is available. The evidence or some aspect of it may be the type which might be lost forever if not preserved while it

20 23

is available.”

Is the Supreme Court still valid? If yes, does the EFCC has powers to block an alleged proceed of fraud found in a bank account of a sitting governor as it did last week in a bank account allegedly owed by the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose without a valid court order?

Lawyers say yes, no just as the Supreme Court ruled that an application to court for power to freeze the account of a governor under Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act does not violate Section 308 (1) (c) of the Constitution which states that “no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued.”

EFCC’s power exercised on June 20, freezing Fayose’s account containing an alleged N4.745bn of the diverted $2.1bn arms cash without a court order may have pitted lawyers against each other.

Can the EFCC freeze Fayose or any other sitting governors’ account without a court order?

Or does an application to the court for power to freeze a governor’s account under Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act violate Section 308 (1) (c) of the Constitution which states that “no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued?”

Supreme Court had said “if the EFCC seeks to freeze the account of a governor, there will be no process requiring or compelling the attendance of the governor since same is ex-parte and not on notice. Therefore, Section 308 (1) (c) is neither applicable nor violated in any way.

“Freezing of accounts serves principally two purposes. First, by freezing a suspect’s account, the commission prevents the suspect from accessing, operating and drawing money from the account which may ultimately be forfeited to the government if the suspect is eventually prosecuted and convicted.

“Immunity clause cannot prevent the EFCC from securing and preserving monies found in the account of a governor provided the chairman of the EFCC is satisfied that the money is proceeds of crime. Second, the money is freezed for preservation and use as evidence during trial.”

Notwithstanding the constitutional provisions as stated by the Supreme Court that only a valid permission of the court can empower the EFCC to freeze bank accounts of sitting governors, lawyers however differ on the agency’s power to freeze Fayose’s account.

Fayose is being precluded from criminal prosecution as prescribed by Section 308.

Section 308 says: Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution but subject to subsection (2) of this section-(a) no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against a person to whom this section applies during his period of office; (b) a person to whom this section applies shall not be arrested or imprisoned during that period either in CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

20 Law|Interview

Okala: How I prosecuted Fela under Decree 7 He was called to the Bar alongside Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN in 1978. Philip Okala, who prosecuted the late Afro music maestro, Fela Anikulapo Kuti under Decree 7 during General Muhammadu Buhari-led military regime, bares his mind on the obnoxious decree, money laundering law, Nigeria’s criminal justice system, among others. TUNDE OYESINA met him You made headlines during General Muhammadu Buhari-led military regime as Special Investigation Panel’s (SIP) prosecutor. Can you share some of these with us?

Lawyers do not look at cases that they only succeeded in, lawyers look at how they handle cases to the admiration of the ordinary man, because even if am prosecuting , I am still a minister of justice. I am not supposed to mislead any authority. As we go along I will tell you what I did. We even confronted the Federal Government on certain issues.

I prosecuted many cases especially those who returned from Saudi Arabia without declaring money. Some of them were to get down at Kano Airport but because of that Decree 7 that prohibited people from importing money, the aircraft took them to Lagos and at the airport, a lot of the people who went to Saudi were illiterates who did not know what we were talking about. So, those of them who had money and did not declare were arrested. But what was important to us was whether they actually understood the position of the law. Or were they aware that such law existed because it was while they were there that we started the prosecution, but a lot of them really went for Hajj.

So, these are the people who did not even understand what Decree 7 was all about although people will say ignorant of the law is no excuse. But then if you look at the issues, at times you say that this person should be pardoned.

Those were issues we faced and when we advised the Federal Government, the government agreed with us. Someone who came in with $25 and did not declare it, yes it is an offence although law and morality do not go together you will see that you can forgive such people even if they are tried. That is why there is room for allocutos.

Some cases actually brought us to the lime light. When l handled Fela’s case, my name was on the newspapers all over the country. It was Gen. Vasta then the Minister of FCT that invited me to set up FCT legal department and because my name was everywhere, he asked them to look for me. I was in Dodan Barracks it was very easy to locate me. That was how I was brought

to Abuja. My belief is that you should do your best because the moment you take money from any one, you cannot perform again.

You said that the criminal trial is not complete without allocutus. Could that be a basis to nullify a criminal trial?

With the allocutos, you are softening the mind of the Judge. When Idigbe was practicing as a lawyer before he became a Judge, he was very famous for allocutos. Even in a murder case, with his allocutos, Idigbe could make the corpse to walk literarily through his allocutos, because the way he would talk to the Judge. In a murder case, after Idigbe addressed the Judge through allocutos, the accused was cautioned and discharged. If courts sentence first of fenders to jail term, by now the whole country would have been in jail. Allocutos is a very good ground for a lawyer to reduce the punishment of his client.

What happened in Fela’s case?

One celebrated case which I saw as a national duty was to prosecute my own friend, which was Fela Anikulapo Kuti. I went to Lagos in 1964 and we young men were following Fela from Kakadu Hotel, I lived in SuruLere, so I became his fan because a lot of people admired him. In 1984, national duty bounced on me when Fela was said to have committed an offence under Decree 7. When he was traveling to UK with his band to entertain his fan, he did not declare the foreign currencies found on him and so I was directed to prosecute him. When Fela was prosecuted we succeeded in establishing our case because we took up Fela in cross-examination with one question.

That you Fela you are so popular and traveling to UK, you have been to UK and several other countries, were you in a hurry that you could not declare the foreign currencies? He said yes.

That was how l closed my case.

This case took me three months to prosecute because they were first asking for bail and I opposed it because he himself made a mistake in his affidavit when he said that he had been arrested by the police over 112 times and nobody refused him bail. I used a book, “Criminal Law in Action” where the author says that if you are a perpetual trouble maker, it is a good ground to refuse bail because when they release you, you will go and commit another offence so the best thing, according to the author is to keep you there. Again during the prosecution I tried to praise him with that.

We were not malicious in our prosecution because when the case was on, Fela sent people to Barclays Bank, London to come with his state-

ment of account and he had so much money in that account so all he needed was some money to take him from Heathrow to town. Probably that was why he had that money on him but his offence was that he failed to declare.

When the statement of account came, the military said that we should increase the charges for keeping foreign account. It was hectic for me but I stood my ground as the prosecutor.

Buhari was the Head of State and Idiagbon was his deputy, so we held a meeting.

Buhari was not in that meeting but Idiagbon was there because he was the one supervising us. So, late Ayoade was my boss and I was next to him at the Federal Ministry of Justice. I said that this man voluntarily brought his statement of account what our own NSO should have done; he should have been interrogated in detention. I said that they should count me out of anything that could lead to persecution.

So, I told them I was not going to add to the charges, even Ofodile, the then AGF came for that meeting because the military felt that it was an embarrassment to the government for Fela to have brought his own account. So, the issue of a prosecutor duplicating charges to me as a prosecutor and lawyer was an embarrassment.

Okiro Udogu who was the judge in that case went to Maiduguri prison and apologised to Fela.

Why did Okiro Udogu .J. apologize?

When the judge pronounced Fela guilty, I expected Kanmi Osobu, Fela’s lawyer who was assisted by Femi Falana, my good friend to plead allocutos.

An allocutos in law is the pleading by a defence counsel to mitigate punishment. Like saying Fela was important to the society and that his fans will miss him e.t.c.

Instead, Osobu got angry and insulted the Judge, so there was a big

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

misunderstanding in court.

The Judge however transferred the anger from counsel to Fela because trial was not complete without allocutos. He should have asked Falana who was still then a very young lawyer to take over because Kanmi Osobu and the Judge were angry at the same time.

If the allocutos was announced, the Judge could acquit an accused person looking at the circumstances and recommend acquittal looking at his position in the society. So, after that judgment l had interaction with the judge and he realized that the trial was not complete without allocutos because of Fela’s position. That was why when he saw Fela at the Maiduguri prison, he had to apologize to him because of his conscience.

Thereafter, Buhari was removed by General Ibrahim Babangida, who sacked the judge, describing his handling of the matter as unethical Babangida also released Fela from prison and the Judge was removed, saying that it was unethical to beg Fela in prison.

Buhari should have equally released Fela if proper allocutos were made or if the Judge had recommended it.

I prosecuted my friend because it was a national duty and I disagreed that the charges should be increased.

The government of those days was not only Idiagbon, because Buhari himself took responsibilities for anything that happened.

He was involved in everything. Now what Buhari is doing, is it Idiagbon that is assisting him?

Two of them were serious, they meant Okala well for this country and those of us that prosecuted also did our best. They associated themselves with what we did.

Apart from Fela’s case, which other celebrated cases did you handle?

Mrs Akinloye, wife of the chairman of the party that brought former President Shehu Shagari to power also had similar case here in Abuja. I prosecuted a lot of cases up to the Supreme Court. I won some and I lost some as lawyers must not win all cases.

There was opinion I also gave in the case of Mohammed Goni, a former governor of Bornu State, who was in Saudi Arabia when Buhari took over government. He said that he was coming back home because he did not commit any offence. He landed at the MM Airport, Lagos and immediately the aircraft touched the ground, our security men stormed the aircraft because they had the names of all the ministers and VIP at that time under Shagari’s government.

The security men took him from the aircraft right into the underground the next thing was that he found himself in Ikoyi prison for the same offence of non-declaration of currency. At the Ikoyi prison, he was accused of coming into Nigeria with various foreign currencies.

So, the next thing they thought was to prosecute him. At that time, what was important was that we were giving legal opinion before prosecution and we won’t just rush people to court. So, when they sent the file to me, my opinion was that the man did not commit any offence. The man was found in the aircraft and he was not a Nigerian yet, per se. Secondly, Decree 7 says failure to declare and when do you fail to declare? It is when you pass Customs desk. If you pass Customs desk and you did not declare, then they can arrest you, not when you lose your freedom. The man lost his freedom right from the aircraft.

They did not allow him to pass through the Customs check point. So, I said that the man did not commit any offence.

Law|News 21

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ex-AGF tasks lawyers on integrity, ethics

Foluso Ogunmodede

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former Justice Minister and Attorney-General, Chief Bayo Ojo, has canvassed integrity and professional ethics among lawyer, asking them to eschew corruption and other vices with a view to fast tracking national growth and development.

Speaking at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos “Law Alumni and Friends Gala & Award Evening”, held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos, Ojo said that the alumni association had a major role to play in ensuring that its members remain good citizens.

Ojo, whose dinner speech was entitled “The role of alumni associations in engendering national rebirth,” stated that the various alumni platforms in Nigeria “could also be harnessed as a check on members who are saddled with the responsibility of managing public offices to conduct themselves with discipline in line with the established traditions of their alma maters.”

According to the former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, “such members could be influenced positively by pressures from their associations not to become bad testimony and black spots on their roots.”

Turning to the university’s Law Faculty, Ojo noted that it “has over the years served as a melting pot of the nation’s diversity

L-R, Former Attorney-General & Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo, SAN; renowned lawyer and lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN and Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN at the faculty’s “Law Alumni and Friends Gala & Award Evening” held at Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos

given the spread of the ethnic nationalities that have passed through the learning halls.”

He however urged each graduating set to “take it upon itself to fund the construction of a lecture hall” while other sets take up other aspects of the building of the proposed N2.5 billion law faculty building “which is planned to be the best faculty edifice in the world.”

Also, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN who chaired the occasion said that

all alumni of the faculty “have a duty to give back to our university and more particularly our faculty, the faculty that produced each and every one of us – the best of all faculties of law,” adding that “government cannot do all.”

Dean of Law, Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe said the 10-storey state-of-the-art edifice is designed to provide a world class environment for the training of the nation’s future lawyers, adding that the faculty must

be reckoned with as a centre of excellence both in its products and learning environment.

The chief host and vicechancellor of the university, Prof. Rahamon Bello said the university was “very proud” of its law faculty alumni, noting that when the Federal Government attempted to change the name of the university, “it was the products of this great faculty led by our chairman of the day, Chief Wole Olanipekun and other SANs produced

by the faculty that came to the rescue” to ensure that the university retained its famous name.”

Awards were however given to deserving alumni and friends of the faculty.

The faculty has produced some of the brightest and best lawyers in Nigeria, including the incumbent Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. It also boasts of having produced the greatest number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs),

Brouhaha over EFCC’s freezing power C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 9

pursuance of the process of any court or otherwise; and (c) no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued Lawyers however agreed that Section 308 does not preclude a governor from being investigated but disagreed on the EFFC’s powers to freeze a governor’s bank account without a valid court order.

Did the EFCC follow conditions precedent to the issuance of an order to freeze as contained in Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act when it freezed Fayose’s account? This question hangs in the balance as lawyers could not agree on what the law says.

Although its decision is still subject to appeal, a High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole said EFCC’s administrative powers to freeze suspects bank account without obtaining a court order was a violation of the EFCC Establishment Act. He said: “The decision by the EFCC to deploy its administrative powers to freeze applicant’s bank account without obtaining a court order to that effect, was a violation of the provision of the

Did the EFCC follow conditions precedent to the issuance of an order to freeze as contained in Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act when it freezed Fayose’s account?

EFCC Establishment Act.” Justice Kolawole position however amplified the Supreme Court’s verdict in 2001 when it ruled “that an application to court for power to freeze the account of a governor under Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act does not violate Section 308 (1) (c) of the Constitution which states that “no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued.”

Notwithstanding, lawyers still pitted against each other on the freezing powers of the EFCC when it wielded it against a sitting governor last week.

For instance, Mr. Norrison Ibinabo Quakers, SAN, a titled Christ and Senior Advocate, Mike Ozhekome, Emeka Ngige, SAN, Jibrin Okutepa SAN, an activist lawyer, Mr. Fred Agbaje, Comrade Femi Aborisade, Kayode Ajulo, Ike Ofuokwu and Chris Okhira expressed divergent views on the EFCC’s powers to freeze a governor’s bank account without any valid court order.

While Quakers, Agbaje, Ngige, Okutepa and Ofuokwu queued behind the EFCC, Ozekhome, Aborisade, Ajulo and Okhiria sharply dis-

agreed. They said the EFCC lacked the requisite powers to block any governor’s personal account without a lawful order.

Ozekhome said EFCC had no legal right to attach any assets or account of a sitting governor under whatever guise.

He said: “It is illegal and unconstitutional because of the immunity clause in Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. A sitting governor is covered by this Section and it is illegal and unconstitutional for the EFCC to attach his assets or accounts.

“Section 308 of the Constitution says no criminal or civil proceedings shall commence against any sitting governor. Freezing an account towards the commencement of an investigation is illegal. What are you investigating after freezing an account? You want to investigate towards the commencement of an action, whether civil or criminal and Section 308 is saying you cannot even issue any order against a sitting governor. So, even if the EFCC has gotten an order against a sitting governor, the Section said it is null and void. Even, if the EFCC got the order against a sitting Gover-

scores of distinguished judges, leading solicitors, corporate titans and foremost company secretaries among others.

Dignitaries a the event among others included Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, Deacon Dele Adesina, SAN, Dr. Dapo Olanipekun, SAN, Mr. Babatunde Ajibade, SAN, Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, Mrs. Idowu Alakija, Mr. Guy Murray Bruce, and ace musician, Mr. Shina Peters who gave a rousing performance.

nor through an ex-parte application, the issuance of the order is illegal and unconstitutional. That is what Section 308 says.”

Ozekhome was echoed by a fiery Ibadan based activist lawyer, Aborisade, who described EFCC’s action as ‘discriminatory application of impunity’.

Aborisade said: “Until Section 308 is deleted from the Constitution, the alleged freezing of the account of Governor Fayose’s personal bank account, for example, is nothing but discriminatory application of impunity and unconstitutional misuse of power to silence the opposition ruling political party.

“It should be noted that the impunity being displayed to the major opposition ruling political party, could also be extended to some section of the labour movement and human rights organizations that are critical of the APC regime, whenever they decide to take on the regime in fighting for the welfare of ordinary people.

“In regard to the alleged freezing of Governor Fayose’s account by the EFCC, it should be made clear that under the EFCC Act, the power to confiscate and declare assets of CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

22 Law|news Tunde Oyesina Abuja

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igerians woke up last Monday to the breaking news of the death of one of its finest jurists, Justice Niki Tobi. The late Justice who retired from the Bench of the Supreme Court on July 14, 2010 was regarded in the nation’s legal circle as a highly brilliant and erudite judicial officer.

Justice Tobi, who died almost a month to his 76th birthday, was born on July 14, 1940, in Esanma in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State. He retired on July 14, 2010 as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Tobi was an academic before he transferred his career to the Bench.

As an academic, he was variously the Dean, of Faculty of Law, University of Maiduguri, Borno State and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Services) of the same institution. He sat on the apex court Bench between 2002 and 2010.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed has condoled with the family of the late jurist.

He said: “According to the information received from members of the deceased’s family, Justice Niki Tobi died by 5.30 pm on Thursday, 16th of June 2016 at the National Hospital in Abuja after a brief illness.

“The CJN, on behalf of himself, the Justices, staff of the Supreme Court and indeed the entire judiciary of the country commiserated with the immediate family, relations as well as friends and associates of the respected late jurist, who joined the Supreme Court Bench in 2002 and retired on 13 April 2010.”

However, the CJN said that Niki Tobi’s indelibly contributed to the development of jurisprudence in Nigeria and would be greatly remembered for his assiduousness in reviewing the draft of the 1999 Constitution under the military administration of General Abdulsalam Abubakar.

Also, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana described Justice Tobi’s “colourful and flowery language in his pronouncements on the Bench as second to none, adding that his “intellectual background”

A

n insurance firm, NSIA Insurance Limited (formerly ADIC Insurance), has offered explanations why it allegedly refused to pay a N330, 000 premiums on a Life Assurance to one of its policy holders and former staff of First Bank Plc., Mr. Taiwo David Shojobi.

It said Shojobi who allegedly defaulted, was not entitled to the amount paid because he failed to comply with its rules as contained under Article 6 of the Surrender of Policies.

NSIA said: “We wish to state that at the time that our agent informed us that all attempts to get Mr. Shojobi to continue his premium payment proved abortive after he had paid for 11 months. As a result of the non-payment of further premiums, the policy lapsed.

“We also wish to refer you to Article 6-Surrender of Policies which indicates that the policy can only acquire a surrender value after payment of premiums for two full years,

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

CJN, Falana, Gadzama, others mourn erudite judge, Niki Tobi

Falana

Tobi

added value to the judgments of both the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Falana said: “Justice Niki Tobi was one of the finest minds to have adorned the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He had become a professor of law before he was elevated to the High Court Bench. His intellectual background added value to the several verdicts of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Notwithstanding the complexity of a case, he was always quick to appreciate and identify the issues for determination.

“Justice Tobi’s language was colourful and flowery. He was a solid defender of the rule of law and human rights. In Mojekwu v.

Mojekwu, Justice Tobi invoked the CEDAW to uphold the equality of women and men.

“In Mrs. Mary Okonkwo v.

ACB, the late Justice Tobi held that it was illegal and unconstitutional to arrest and detain a mother in lieu of her son.

“In I.T.P.P. Ltd v. U.B.N, his Lordship said that raising of

jurisdiction is part of trade of counsel and they relish in it but that they are well advised not to raise it in obvious cases as it is not good to raise it merely to test the ground and see how the court will react.

“In Kurubo v. Motison, Justice Tobi held that ‘despite the sophistication in our society in its race to catch up with the advancement in the commercial world, it was not every transaction that was amenable to receipts and other form of documentary evidence. It is known that not all transactions are receipts issued like beans and other items. And when receipt is tendered, the court should be wary.

“In recent times, parties with bad cases raise the issue of fair hearing in most inappropriate cases to bamboozle the court. Fair hearing provision is the machinery or locomotives of justice, not a spare part to propel or invigorate the case of the user. Parties who have nothing to canvass in their case should leave fair hearing alone.

“However, his lordship went

Justice Tobi’s language was colourful and flowery. He was a solid defender of the rule of law and human rights

Unpaid premium: Ex-banker threatens to sue insurance firm a condition which your client did not fulfill on account that he stopped paying his premiums.

“Also the policy provides the customer the opportunity to reinstate his policy should the policy lapse by the payment of outstanding premiums which he did not do at any time.

“Lastly, we will also state that we are still in touch with the agent to your client at the present time and should you wish to speak with her at any time, her contact details shall be provided to you.”

But Shojobi disagreed with the firm that he was unable to continue with the policy because he was unemployed.

Instead, he said the insurance agent disappeared with his money shortly after collecting the premium and nev-

er showed up for subsequent collections.

Shojobi, a fomer banker had on February 1, 2008 commenced an insurance policy with NSIA with a monthly premium of N30, 000 for 12 years.

Eleven months after, Shojobi could not continue on the grounds that the firm’s agent allegedly disappeared and never showed up for subsequent premiums.

This, however propelled him to make a request for a refund of his N330, 000 allegedly paid over a period of one year.

According to him, there was need for a refund of his premium especially since he was no longer in ‘paid employment to continue with the premium.

Already, his lawyer, Mr. Oluwatosin Adesanya has petitioned NSIA, asking it to pay his client all premiums paid to

the company for an insurance policy in 2008 as it was legally bound to so do.

Adesanya said Shojobi was not responsible for any liability as the firm and its agent were culpable for whatever damage accruing from the policy, insisting that attempt by his client to trace the company’s agent proved abortive, adding that ‘between that 2008 and September 2010 when Mr. Shojobi voluntarily retired from the service of First Bank Plc., as well as till when his law firm was briefed on the matter late 2015, he did not receive any communication whatsoever from neither the insurance firm’s agent nor their officer.

He however threatened to seek redress in court should the firm fail to Shojobi’s entitlement.

too far in sticking to rules of procedure and legal technicalities. For instance, in Madike .v. The State, the Court of Appeal admitted the appellant to post conviction bail but Justice Tobi demurred and wrote a minority judgment wherein he upheld the continued detention of the appellant under Decree 2 of 1984.

In his leading judgment in the case of Buhari v Yar’Adua, Justice Tobi upheld the validity of the 2007 presidential election on the grounds of substantial compliance even though the ballot papers used for the election were not serialised.

“Notwithstanding some of his controversial judgments, the Nigerian judiciary will certainly miss the erudite Justice Niki Tobi, who was a consistent defender of rule of law even under a military dictatorship that ruled with absolute powers.”

Another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Yusuf Ali described Tobi’s death as a monumental loss to the legal profession, adding that the deceased was one of the Justices who added value to the apex court’s Bench.

Ali said: “It is a monumental loss to the legal profession. Justice Niki Tobi was cerebral, intellectually sound jurist. When he wrote contributions to judgment you will appreciate the flow, and you will see knowledge deeply engrained.

“He is one Justice who added value to the Supreme Court Bench.

We will surely miss him but he will live forever on the pages of the law reports.”

Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria described Justice Tobi’s death as “very sad and shocking.

“Justice Tobi was one of the best and brightest jurists this country has ever known.

He was a jurist of the finest refinement, a noble soul, whose lucid and erudite judgments helped in shaping our legal architecture and jurisprudence.

“Justice Tobi has left indelible prints on our legal landscape. His endearing humanism, courage, incorruptibility and patriotism came handy at crucial moments in our history when our judiciary was groping for direction and moral rectitude.

“My only regret is that as a result of the prolonged sickness, the late jurist could not visit the moot court before he passed on to eternity,” adding, “He will be dearly missed by all who knew him intimately as a man of honour and a prodigious intellectual. Our deep sympathies go to the entire nation and especially to his immediate family. We will continue to remember them in our prayers”, he added.

Another lawyer, Adeolu Ogunsanya described the late Tobi as one of the most finest judges that have ever existed in the history of our country.

According to him, “Justice Niki Tobi can never be forgotten as far as Nigeria’s judiciary is concerned.

His legacy and judicial pronouncements cannot be faulted and for sure generations to come will salute his industry, depth of his knowledge of law, uncommon application of philosophy and humanity in his decisions.”

Law|News 23

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

NBA blames FG for herdsmen attacks on Nimbo, others Foluso Ogunmodede

D

ays after over 500 herdsmen invaded Ukpabi, Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, killing about 50 persons, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), at the weekend condemned the attack.

The association’s highest ruling body at its quarterly meeting in Benin, the Edo state capital blamed the Federal Government for what it described as ‘lackadaisical attitude of the government over the wanton attacks of Fulani herdsmen on peace-loving communities across the nation.”

Citing the April massacre of the indigenes of Nimbo farming community in Enugu State, Chief Okafor Ofodile, SAN and Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN who raised the motion at the meeting, held at the Best Western Homeville Hotel, urged the Augustine Alegeh leadership of the NBA to draw government’s attention and its relevant agencies to the continued massacre of innocent Nigerians by the herdsmen.

The NBA-NEC meeting began with a welcome cocktail party organized by the Edo Chief Judge, Justice Cromwell Idahosa at the State High Court in Benin before members headed for the Edo State Government House where they paid the Comrade Governor,

Akeem Nafiu

J

ustice A. M. Anka of the Federal High Court in Lagos has upheld a winding up petition filed against the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi’s firm, Gran Imperio Group of Companies Limited.

In a suit marked, FHC/L/CP/369/16, Gran Imperio has challenged the propriety and competence of the winding-up action instituted by unpaid creditors against the company.

Gran Imperio, had by a notice of preliminary objection challenged the competence of the petition on the grounds that the sum stated in the statutory demand notice of the petitioners was different from the amount stated in the petition.

The company argued

Adams Aliyu Oshomole a courtesy visit.

Also, the NBA President, Mr. Augustine Alegeh, SAN hosted NEC members to a dinner at his private residence in Benin, shortly before the meeting was declared open by Governor Oshomole where he intimated delegates with the humble strides his administration had made so far. This, he said were only possible because of NBA’s staunch belief and adherence to the rule of law which saw him reclaim his mandate as Governor of Edo State eight years ago.

Oshomole however eulogized Alegeh, describing him as the best President NBA ever had.

He said: “Nigeria will remember the Bar under your leadership for being on the side of the people at the most critical times.

Nobody could buy or monetarily induce the NBA under your watch and your tenure would most certainly be well remembered for this in the history of the association.”

At the meeting, lawyers highlighted e-voting system which the NBA had adopted for its national election next month and concluded that it was a perfect mechanism that would give the election more credibility.

Members were however taught by the service provider, the Chief Executive Officer of Lawpavilion, Mr. Ope Olugasa on how to access the portal while casting their votes. He explained how lawyers would access the

portal to cast their votes during the election.

Olugasa was echoed

by Alegeh, who told the gathering that the web administrators had assured him that a failproof system had been put in place to ensure that there would be no system failure on the day of the election as the portal was capable of handling over 100,000 voters at the same time, an innovation which was highly commended by lawyers.

Besides, Alegeh informed NEC that the Dafe Akpedeye Election Monitory Committee of the NBA reported that 79 branches of the association had successfully conducted their branch

elections free of rancor, urging other branches to follow suit before the end of the month in accordance with the guideline provided in the new NBA constitution.

However, the elections in Ikeja, Bukuru and Otuocha branches were cancelled due to noncompliance with the new NBA constitution and the electoral guidelines.

For Bukuru and Otuocha branches, the earlier candidates who met the requirements for elections were ordered to be deemed as returned unopposed and NEC approved this.

As for Ikeja Branch, the election for the office of Chairman was can-

celled and all the three candidates disqualified for not meeting the new requirements as provided in Section 6(3) of the new NBA constitution.

Essentially, two of the candidates were disqualified for having held offices on two previous occasions and the third for non-payment of branch dues as at when due.

Mr. Nurudeem Ogbara, pioneer Chairman of the the Ikorodu Branch was mandated to oversee the affairs of the Ikeja Branch as Caretaker Committee Chairman which must conduct election into the office of chairman before the end of June as provided by the new NBA constitu-

tion.

Since NEC would not meet again until its preconference meeting in Port Harcourt on August 19, NBA President sought and got the approval of NEC to deal with all relevant matters as deemed fit.

NEC also approved the new conference fees for the 2016 conference which will hold in Port Harcourt from August 19-26.

Members however called on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency swearin two Justices who had been recommended and cleared by the NJC for elevation into the Supreme Court.

Mahmoud (left) and Daudu

Court upholds winding up petition against Ooni’s firm that the petition contravenes the provisions of Section 409 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) to the extent that no demand notice was issued and served on it by the creditors for the specific amount stated in the petition.

Gran Imperio, through its lawyer, from the Lagos firm of TRLP Law, had argued that after the creditors had served it with a statutory notice payment of a larger amount, it made a part-payment of the sum owed leaving a balance of N5million.

It contended that it was wrong for the creditors to file a wind-

ing up petition after the receipt of the part payment without serving a new demand notice for the outstanding balance.

However, in his ruling on the objection, Justice Anka, agreed entirely with the alter native argument canvassed by the petitioners’ lawyer, Fidel Albert, appearing with Louis Akanimo and Bayo Yusuff, of the corporate commercial law firm of Aes Triplex LP, that it was not necessary to serve a new demand notice for the balance after receipt of the party’s payment.

The court held that the winding-up peti-

tion was competent and properly constituted on the strength of the first statutory demand notice earlier served on the debtor.

The court while in agreement with the reasoning of the decisions of the High Court of Singapore and the Supreme Court of Australia on the issue, said the objection of Gran Imperio was frivolous and time-wasting.

The cost of N20,000 was awarded against Gran Imperio, while the petition was adjourned to September 22 for hearing of the petitioners’ motion for advertisement of the petition.

Ogunwusi

24 Law|news

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 1

defendants forfeited is vested only in the courts, not in the EFCC. Sections 19 to 33 of the EFCC Act empower the court to make an order of forfeiture, seizure and/ or confiscation of all assets and property, real or personal that may have been acquired, obtained and/or derived, directly or indirectly, disclosed or undisclosed in Any Assets Declaration Form.

“The EFCC is only empowered to seize defendants’ assets in appropriate cases and then apply to court for interim orders, pending final conviction in deserving cases. In fact, as far as freezing of accounts is concerned, the EFCC is mandated, in appropriate cases, to apply to the Federal High Court for an ex parte order. The EFCC lacks the power to act without a court order. In the context of a President, Vice president, Governor or Deputy Governor, Section 308 does not allow any court process to be issued against the named public officers.

“Therefore, the freezing of the account of Governor Fayose is patently unconstitutional and illegal. The unconstitutional and illegal act must be condemned, regardless of the character of the victim.

Such unconstitutional and illegal act must not be allowed to be set as precedent because it could allow a full blown totalitarianism.”

Another lawyer and rights activist, Ajulo said EFCC had no such power to freeze a state Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO) bank account without a valid court order.

He said: “This indeed came as a shock considering the personality involved, a sitting governor that enjoys immunity till the termination of his office as governor of a State in Nigeria.

“It is the law that to freeze an account, there must be an order of court for the attachment of the bank account. It is also trite that for the court to make such an order, there must be papers (court process) filed in court and signed by the judge.

“By the provision of Section 308(1)(a) of our Constitution as amended, no suit can be instituted against Ayodele Fayose and/or any Nigerian governor in any court in Nigeria.

“Therefore, no process of court can be issued, signed or served against Ayodele Fayose in his personal capacity, whereas the bank account in question is his personal account as such in his personal name.

“Moreover, Sections 26-34 of the EFCC Act, established a process to be followed that is, a suspect must have been arrested for his account to be frozen. However section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, exempted Ayodele Fayose from those could be arrested and his bank account cannot be frozen.

“It behoves on all right thinking Nigerians and law abiding individuals and corporate entities to ensure and insist that EFCC should act according to the law of the land and adhere to best international standard and practice. It should be warned that EFCC is gradually turning into an unchecked tyrannical monster.”

Okhiria said Section 308 of the Constitution ‘immunises’ all political officers from the rank of the president of the country, vice president, governor and his deputy from arraignment before any court of law.

He said: “He cannot be sued and can’t be arraigned before any court on any criminal and civil charges. A court of law has to pronounce on the closure of a governor’s account and there is no court that will do that in view of Section 308.

“You cannot close down a governor’s account. If you close a governor’s account, it means that you must have arraigned that governor before a court which should not also be. You can’t close his account without bringing him to court or before the EFCC which is even forbidden in this regard by Section 308 because you will be guilty of carrying out

Agbaje

Ngige

Fayose

Lawyers: Why EFCC can’t freeze Fayose’s account an action without a fair hearing.

“So, if you didn’t take him to court (and they couldn’t in view of Section 308 of the Constitution as amended) and you didn’t take him to the EFCC (and they couldn’t in view of the same provision) and they went ahead to freeze his account, the EFCC would have erred against the Constitution and the doctrine of ‘hear the other side’ (audi alteram partem) which is covered by Section 36 of the Constitution and any case against him will be upturned.”

To Inibehe Effiong, EFCC goofed by freezing the governor’s bank account.

Effiong, who formulated two issues for determination, said there was no way the anti-graft agency with enormous power to freeze proceeds of crimes of a person covered by Section 308 without first apply to court via ex-parte for an order of seizure This, he said had violated the immunity clause as guaranteed by the Constitution.

He said: “Issue 1: Whether the EFCC has the powers under the law to freeze the bank account(s) of persons who are under criminal investigation by the commission?

“Issue 2: Whether a sitting governor of a state in Nigeria can be investigated for alleged crimes, and his bank account(s) frozen by the EFCC in the course or under the pretext of criminal investigation?

“The answer to issue 1 supra (above) is found in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004 (subsequently referred to as the EFCC Act).

“In recognition of the serious nature of economic and financial crimes, the National Assembly vested the EFCC with far reaching powers to enable the commission discharge its mandate of ridding the country of corruption. Among the powers conferred on the commission as part of its general investigative powers, is the power to freeze the bank account of persons who are subject of investigation by the commission.

“Specifically, Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act with the heading: “Freezing order on banks or other financial institutions”, provides as follows: ‘Notwithstanding anything contained in any other enactment or law, the chairman of the commission or any officer authorised by him may, if satisfied that the money in the account of a person is made through the commission of an offence under this Act and or any of the enactments specified under Section 7 (2) (a)-(f)

of this Act, apply to the court ex-parte for power to issue an order as specified in Form B of the Schedule to this Act, addressed to the manager of the bank or any person in control of the financial institution or designated non-financial institution where the account is or believed by him to be or the head office of the bank, other financial institutions or designated non-financial institutions to freeze the account.

“The above provision is self-explanatory. For emphasis, I will elucidate on two principles arising from the provision. Firstly, the EFCC chairman or any other officer of the commission authorised by him can order any financial institution (including Zenith Bank of Nigeria Plc. where Governor Fayose’s account is domiciled) to freeze any account with money which he is satisfied is made through the commission of an offence under the EFCC Act, the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, etc.

“Satisfaction within the contemplation of this section is entirely a matter of opinion which may be formed based on the existence of certain facts and circumstances that are within the knowledge of the chairman of the commission.

“The Act has not set out any condition that should guide the chairman in determining which account to freeze.

“In other words, it is a matter of discretion whether any account should be freezed or not. All that is required of the chairman is for him to be satisfied that the money in the account is a product of crime and corruption. The second principle that deserves reiteration is that before the chairman of the commission can order a financial institution to freeze any account, he must first apply to the court ex-parte (without the attendance of the owner of the account or the financial institution in court) for power to issue the order.”

“Simply put, an application to the court for power to freeze an account and the granting of same, are conditions precedent to the issuance of an order to freeze under Section 34 (1) of the EFCC Act. At the risk of repetition, I submit that the EFCC has no power to order any financial institution or designated non-financial institution to freeze any account without obtaining the consent of the court.

But Quakers, Agbaje, Ngige, Okute-

pa and Ofuokwu differed.

They said notwithstanding the apex and the lower courts’ verdicts, EFCC acted within the purview of the Constitution and the Establishment Act when it freezed Governor Fayose’s bank account on the suspicion that the account contained N4.745bn of the diverted $2.1bn arms cash.

Quakers said: “The EFCC has the right to do so. You study a case done by the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, wherein he argued that the immunity enjoyed by these set of people only extends to their prosecution while in office.”

This immunity does not preclude any agency of government from investigating any governor for allegedly committing any crime or offence while in office.

The law is very clear. The EFCC has a right to investigate. They have a right to freeze any questionable account. The only right the governor has under the immunity clause is only for the purpose that he cannot be prosecuted but he can be investigated while in office.

“Investigation and prosecution are two different things. The anti-graft agency can investigate and gather the evidence together while the governor is still in office. This can be subsequently used against the governor after leaving office. So, the EFCC is in order. The agency has a right to investigate and freeze any account under scrutiny. Attaching any asset does not amount to prosecution.

To Agbaje, the era of impunity by governors in Nigeria is gone for good.

He said: “My question is, is there investigation without assets seizure?

Seizing of assets is both known to the EFCC law and the Nigeria Criminal Procedure Act including Administration of Criminal Justice Act. You see, what is happening is that people are shocked because gone are those days when sitting governors in Nigeria will be milking their states dry by looting the economy of their states and claiming one bogus immunity.

“It has now been found by the people that immunity has become what these governors use to cover their bad deeds while corruptly enriching themselves.

That was why the Supreme Court in a case between Fawehinmi and the Inspector General of Police, upheld the right of the EFCC and the police to investigate the President, Vice-president, Governors and their Deputies while they are still in office.

25

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Interview Bank customers bear too much cost –Ogubunka

Business What's new Aviation fuel price highest in Nigeria, other oil producing nations

Money Line Forex futures: CBN issues working guides for foreign investors

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

(Parallel Market as at June 24 )

(Interbank as at June 24)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N333 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N470 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N365

l Foreign Reserves – $26.424 bn as at 23/6/2016

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N282 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N400 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N314

Source: CBN

p.26

L-R: Technical Adviser to the Vice President, Mr. Kabir Aregbesola; Special Assistant on Media and ICT to the President, Moshope Olaosebikan; Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Bank Plc. Mr. Uzoma Dozie and Senior Special Assistant to the President on ICT, Mr. Lanre Osibona, at the Aso Villa Day on Innovation Entrepreneurship Technology in Lagos.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

FAO: Nigeria loses $3.7b agric produce to Lake Chad basin crisis p.26

FG gets $424bn oil revenues in five years -Report •Nigeria’s richest 10% controls 40% of country’s wealth

The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

SLIDE Crude revenues shortfall hit $7 billion in one year between 2013 and 2014

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

T

he Federal Government received $424 billion oil revenues between 2010 and 2014, investigations have revealed.

This was contained in a document obtained from the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI).

The report revealed that Nigeria’s richest, which forms 10 per cent of the population, controls 40 per cent of country’s wealth, while the poorest that forms 20 per cent of the population shares a paltry four per cent.

The revenues shortfall, the study noted, hit $7 billion in one year between 2013 and 2014.

“The Federal Government earned $70 billion in 2010; $99 billion in 2011; 2012-$94 billion; 2013-$84 billion and $77 billion in 2014,” it stated.

Referring to the reports by Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiatives (NEITI), the report stated that the country lost $10.9 billion to crude theft in five years.

It noted: “Nigeria produces 3.1 per cent of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)’s global crude, whereas, Nigeria’s richest 10 per cent controls 40 per cent of country’s wealth, while poorest 20 per cent shares a paltry 4 per cent.

“Oil revenues per capita increased from $33 in 1965 to $325 in 2000, but income per capita has stagnated at about $1100 since independence in 1960.”

Corroborating the NRGI report, the Nigerian officer of the Institute, Dr. Dauda Garba, told New Telegraph during a course organised

$10.9 billion Being the estimated value of the money Nigeria had lost to crude theft in five years

for journalists by the Pan-Atlantic University at the institute, that between 1980 and 2006, those on less than $1/day in Nigeria, despite her oil wealth, increased from 27 to almost 70 per cent.

“Poverty increased from 54 per cent in 2007 to 69.1 per cent in 2010, inequality top two per cent had as much as bottom 17 per cent in 1970, then increased to bottom 55 per cent in 2000.

“Nigeria’s richest 10 per cent controls 40 per cent of country’s wealth, while the poorest 20 per cent shares a paltry four per cent,” he said.

Garba added that the plundered oil wealth is linked to oil resource abundance with corruption, authoritarianism and violent conflicts.

“Unemployment and declining industrialization, like textile, have shown that earlier hope that oil will translate into wealth and development has proved an illusion – corruption, waste, poverty, frustration and underdevelopment,” he said.

26

BUSINESS |news

Wole Shadare

A

viation fuel costs more in Nigeria and other oil producing countries than their counterparts that do not produce oil, New Telegraph’s investigations have revealed.

For instance, in Nigeria, despite the stability in the lifting of aviation fuel across the country and the deregulation of the commodity, JET A1 has hit an all-time high of N170 per litre.

The skyrocketing price of JETA1 in Nigeria has added more to the pains of airlines, which use 30 per cent of their revenues for fuelling aircraft.

Managing Director of FirstNation Airlines, Mr. Kayode Odukoya, confirmed that in Lagos, aviation fuel, otherwise known as JET A1, sells for N150 per litre, while it costs N160 and N170 in Abuja and Kano respectively.

Aviation fuel is central to the operations of an airline, as it constitutes between 35-40 per cent of an airline’s cost.

The price of the commodity – laden with taxes – in the West African sub-region, is the highest in Africa.

While the specialised fuel is sold for about $2.30 cents per gallon in Nigeria, $2.30 in Benin and $1.94 cents per gallon in Cameroon, it is sold for close to $3.14 cents in Ghana, which also produces oil.

In Luanda, Angola (also an oil producing country), it costs $3.75 per gallon; Libreville $2.05 per gallon; Khartoum, Sudan $2.44 per gallon. It is only Equatorial Guinea that sells JET A1 for $0.46.

Jet fuel prices in some African capitals are double the global average and it is posing a threat to its aviation sector development.

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Aviation fuel price highest in Nigeria, other oil producing nations •JET A1 price skyrockets

The high cost of jet fuel in Africa compared to other regions due to distribution inefficiencies and infrastructure constraints, has held back the development of airlines and fare reduction.

Apart from the issues of highly priced jet fuel, Africa’s jet fuel shortfall is expected to triple from 1.8 million mt in 2013 to around 5.2 million mt by 2025.

As a result of the high fuel

price, ticket prices are relatively high. If the fuel price comes down and costs of operations reduce, airlines are likely to bring down their fares.

Today, fuel prices globally average per 1.3 dollar. In Africa, it ranges between $2 and $3.77. In some places, more than twice what it is globally.

Vice-President for Africa, International Air Transport Association (IATA), Raphael

Kuuchi, said on the average, they notice that fuel price is 21 per cent more expensive in Africa than the world average.

“In addition to that, we brought these taxes together.

Africa is not a rich continent and we ask, why must we be paying the most? If you look at the high fuel taxes in Africa, the victims are actually oil producers.”

He lamented that in most of the oil producing countries;

aviation fuel is mostly expensive, adding that it is baffling.

In other countries, he noted that the governments try to build new airports and make a choice to raise the tax on existing passengers to raise revenue to pay airport.

However, he explained that IATA’s question has always been, “Why should a passenger flying today pay for an airport tomorrow, which he might never use?”

L-R: Product Manager, OTC, Mr Femi Ajala; Astymin School Programme Coordinator, Mrs Yetunde Adesola; Marketing Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr Friday Enaholo and Corporate Services Manager, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Oladimeji Oduyebo, during the press briefing to launch the 2016 edition of Astymin Brilliance Reward (ABR) in Lagos.

PHOTO: SULEIMAN HUSAINI

FAO: Nigeria loses $3.7b agric produce to Lake Chad basin crisis SETBACK Many displaced people have lost their assets and most of them now rely on the limited resources of host communities Taiwo Hassan

M

assive population displacements and insecurity in the Lake Chad basin are putting livelihoods and food security at high risk among Nigerian states, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.

In Northeast Nigeria alone, FAO said the impact of the conflict on agriculture is estimated at $3.7 billion due to livestock losses and reduced agricultural production, destruction of irrigation and farming facilities and collapse of extension services, including veterinary health facilities.

FAO reported that the conflict has had major impacts

on agricultural produce in the affected areas, as civilians bear the burden of insecurity.

Response Team Leader and Senior Strategic Advisor of FAO’s Strategic Programme Management Team on Resilience, Rosanne Marchesich, said that many displaced people have lost their assets and most of them now rely on the limited resources of host communities, who themselves have suffered from the disruption of agricultural activities and of transhumance flows over the past few years.

Marchesich, who upon her return from a FAO field mission in Borno and Yobe states, disclosed that staple food prices have increased astronomically, with rises up to 50 to 100 per cent reported in some areas of Borno State.

She said: “As of June 2016, 4.6 million people are severely food insecure in the Lake Chad basin, of which 65 per cent are located in Northeast Nigeria, especially in the Borno and Yobe states.”

In order to respond to the immediate needs of affected

host communities and displaced people, she said FAO is providing critical agricultural and livelihood assistance to 92,000 people in the Lake Chad Basin, and will reach an additional 123,200 people in the coming months with essential crops for the on-going and upcoming agricultural seasons.

She explained that many of the farmers that will receive seeds didn’t plant in the past two years due to insecurity and the lack of agricultural inputs.

“After three consecutive lost agriculture seasons, farmers from both host communities and displaced people are resuming agriculture activities. People are preparing their land and host communities have even allocated land to the internally displaced to farm this year,” she said.

In addition, Marchesich added that FAO is increasing its field presence by setting up a field office in Maiduguri, Borno state, to ensure adequate monitoring of interventions.

She further stated that enhanced efforts are made to better assess the current needs and develop coordinated interventions, together with national authorities and other partners.

The FAO’s representative stressed that strengthening the Food Security Sector work in Maiduguri will also bring coordination capacity closer to the field of operations in the Northeast.

However, more funds are needed to address food security and livelihood needs on a larger scale. To this end, FAO is preparing a sub-regional strategy to mobilise more resources and provide increased support to vulnerable communities in the affected areas of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

Deputy Head of the Subregional Resilience Team for West Africa/Sahel (REOWA), Regional Food Security Analyst, Patrick David, said: “FAO and its partners must keep the momentum and build on recent interventions to expand livelihood assistance.”

In the recent months, security forces have recaptured 22 of 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Borno State, and 15 of 17 LGAs in Yobe State in Nigeria.

FAO is seeking to mobilise $15 million to reach an additional 63,000 families (504,000 people) by the end of the year with a wide range of agriculture-based activities aimed to quickly generate food production and income, as well as protect livelihoods.

While FAO is committed to respond to the immediate agriculture and livelihoods needs, medium and longer term investment will be critical to build resilient livelihoods and avoid longerterm reliance on external assistance.

Support to livelihoods through improved access to and use of natural and economic resources, as well as community-based social protection mechanisms is a critical step to sustainable development and peace building in the Lake Chad basin.

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

27

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

28

BUSINESS |Stock Watch

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

AG Leventis: Stiff contest hits earnings As the Nigerian economy continues to get tough, Chris Ugwu writes that the harsh environment has weighed down earnings margin of AG Leventis Nigeria Plc

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.G. Leventis (Nigeria) Plc is a large Nigeriabased conglomerate established in 1937 by Anastasios G. Leventis. The company, although established at the height of the depression, expanded rapidly and had become one of the largest enterprises and one of the two largest employers in Nigeria, and poised to continue to expand further.

However, the group like any other conglomerates in Nigeria is currently facing challenges due to harsh operating environment.

This is because the economy generally is faced with enormous socio-economic challenges. There is no doubt that the security challenges in Northern part of the country with the attendance consequences of loss of lives and properties, domestic constraints such as depletion of fiscal buffers, dwindling foreign reserves, poor infrastructure, among others, have remain a thorn to the business operating environment.

The company’s activities have been negatively impacted majorly by the increase in tariff, double taxation, depreciation in naira and the continued insecurity prevailing in some parts of the country, a situation that has compelled a scaling back of its expansion drive in those regions.

Given headwinds such as weak demand on the back of a squeeze on household wallets, most consumer goods companies in Nigeria have continue to find it difficult to weather the storm.

The auto sector like its counterparts in other developing countries has also been facing challenges that are retarding its growth potentials.

Such impediments include disparity in tariffs, external competition, high production costs, smuggling, inaccessibility of finance, absence of functional industrial clusters for production of automobile, and lack of modern technology.

AG Leventis Plc like others has seen a continuous decline.

Market analysts have also predicted that the company’s profit was likely to decline further following the disappointing drop in profit margins in recent times.

However, market sentiments for the shares of the company have remained relatively firm on the back of efforts by the group to continue to generate

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new business opportunities across a wide spectrum and increased market penetration.

Stockbrokers attributed investors’ sustained confidence in the stock to continued sales; marketing and distribution efforts as well as its strong presence across Nigeria.

The firm’s share price, which closed at N1.10 per share in July 31, 2015, recorded a marginal growth. When the closing gong rang last Friday, the company’s share price stood at N1.12, a growth of two kobo or 0.19 per cent year to date.

Financials The full year 2014 financials showed a negative route as AG Leventis Plc reported a revenue of N11.057 billion, representing a 2 per cent drop from the N12.057 billion reported in 2013.

Pre-tax profit dropped 56 per cent to N536.234 million from N1.227 billion posted in 2013.

The drop in top-line revenue as well as increase in operating expenses for the period affected the fall in profits. Consequently, profit after tax also fell by 62 per cent to N155.777 million for the year compared to N405.075 million reported a year earlier.

Taking a cue from the loss in 2014 financial year, AG Leventis began the year the 2015 in a negative trajectory, as it reported a 56 per cent decline in its pre-tax profit for the first quarter ended March 30, 2015.

In filings with the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), the company’s pre-tax profit went down by 56 per cent from N254.576 million in the Q1 of 2014 to N111.68 4 million in the review period of 2015.

Also, post-tax profit declined 83 per cent in the first quarter of 2015, as the company declared N21.491 million compared to N123.970 million reported in same period of 2014.

Most consumer goods companies in Nigeria have continue to find it difficult to weather the storm

However, revenue grew by four per cent from N2.549 billion in the Q1 of 2014 to N2.657 million in the review period of 2015.

The company continued with bad numbers with a report of 53 per cent drop in pre-tax profit during the half year ended June 30, 2015.

According to a release from NSE, the group’s profit before tax declined to N248.663 million from N533.895 million in the same period of last year. This indicated a loss of 53 per cent.

The firms profit after tax stood at N99.744 million during the half year of 2015, from N274.271 million in 2014, accounting for a decline of 64 per cent.

Revenue however, grew to N5.703 billion, compared with N5.223 billion last year, an increase of nine per cent.

The group sustained poor bottom line with a report of 46 per cent drop in pre-tax profit during the third quarter ended September 30, 2015.

Similarly, the group’s profit before tax fell to N400.667 million from N742.239 million in the same period of last year, indicating a loss of 46 per cent while profit after tax equally was down by 59 per cent from N373.945 million as against N152.041 million in 2015.

Revenue however, firmed up to N8.817 billion, compared with N8.360 billion last year, representing an increase of five per cent.

AG Leventis Nigeria reported a loss after tax of N176.986 million for the full year ended December 31, 2015 as the joint effect of the volatility the economy and high interest rate resulted in a step down of earnings for the year.

Key extracts of the accounts statement for the full year obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) showed drop in key performance indices.

AG Leventis recorded a loss after tax of tax of N176.986 million for the full year against a profit after tax of N211.813 million in 2014.

Its profit before tax declined by 38 per cent to N329.382 million from N534.039 million reported in 2014.

The company’s revenue how-

FTN Cocoa Plc. 2015 July 31

N1. 10

August 30

N0. 91

September 30

N0.99

October 31

N1.03

November 30

N0.81

December 31

N0.62

January 31

N0.69

February 29

N0.80

March 31

N0.74

April 30

N0.94

May 31

N0.92

June 24

N1.12

ever, grew marginally by six per cent to N12.535 billion during the period under review from N11.793 billion in 2014.

The company recommended a dividend of N264.729 million for the year ended December 31, 2015, which translates to 10 kobo per share, despite the fact that group recorded a loss.

Analysts’ opinion Analysts attributed A.G. Leventis’ faltering performance to stiff competition, devaluation of the naira, weak consumer spending and security challenges in the northern part of the country.

“We attribute the slow in bottom line level to stiff competition from other foods companies such as Dangote Flour mills, Flour mills of Nigeria, Honeywell etc, cannibalizing sales with the production of noodles,” said Kayode Omosebi, equity research analyst with United Capital in a report.

The continuous pressure on consumer wallets due to the fuel hike of 2016 has dampened the demand for the company’s various products.

A.G. Leventis is grappling with tough macroeconomic environment given the devaluation of the naira by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which seeks to control inflation and regulate the economy.

Looking ahead AG Leventis Nigeria recently notified NSE that it had entered into a joint venture agreement with Pick n Pay Retailers (Pty) Limited, a South African Company.

“The indicative scope of services by the new company to be formed pursuant to the Joint Venture shall consist of retail services especially with respect to Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCGs).

We are hereby informing the NSE of this development in compliance with the listing rules of the Exchange. We are also going to make a public announcement for the benefit of our shareholders,” the company said.

The Chairman of the company, Chief Joseph Babatunde Oke addressing shareholders at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) said: “Even though in the face of uncertainty, it is tough for organisations to make any informed projections, we are optimistic that with our focus on generating new business opportunities, appropriate cost control measures and developing a top notch talent organisation, our group will achieve more short and long term results”.

Conclusion The business climate for AG Leventis Plc like any other conglomerates has been typically characterised by upsides and downsides due to unfavorable business environment, intense competition, insecurity in the north and squeeze in consumer spending.

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS | Capital Market

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at June 24, 2016

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Insurance

RATING Industry currently contributes less than seven per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Sunday Ojeme

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MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

he Insurers’ Committee, the body set up by the Federal Government to boost the profile and operation of insurance industry, has resolved to deepen penetration in the months ahead through aggressive rebranding.

This move stemmed from years of public apathy partly occasioned by low disposable income, ignorance on the part of some Nigerians as well as unhealthy practices by some insurance operators, The decision was arrived at after an engagement with experts who advised the committee members on the need for the industry operators to redraw their campaign strategies.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith General Insurance Company Limited, Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, disclosed these in Lagos.

He said the rebranding would help to change the mindset of Nigerians towards insurance and enable them appreciate it more.

She hinted on the need for the public to be informed in order to see insurance as a necessary tool that can enable them do other things and also get back on their feet after suffering losses.

Nwachukwu, who is the Vice-Chairman, Publicity and Communication Committee of the committee, also said the planned rebranding would help to increase awareness, thereby making more people take up insurance.

In the past years, insurance practice in Nigeria has been highly relegated to the background. Apart from actually crawling on its knees, its growth potential remains hazy as it

Chairman, Insurers’ Committee/Group Managing Director, Leadway Assurance, Oye Hassan Odukale

Managing Director, Consolidated Hallmark Insurance, Eddie Efekoha

Commissioner for Insurance, Mohammed Kari

Managing Director, Staco Insurance, Sakiru Oyefeso

Penetration: Insurers’ C’ttee moves to deepen awareness •Risk-based supervision gathers steam currently contributes less than seven per cent to the nation’s GDP with less than five per cent penetration in a country of over 160 million people.

The industry’s Gross Premium Income (GPI) over time has grown at an annual average of 25 per cent in five years (2008 – 2012), hitting over N200 billion in 2012 and over N300 billion in 2014, which is still a far cry from what it should be going by the quantum of investment and business potential in the country.

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Weighing its position in Africa in terms of penetration, Nigeria ranks last with 0.6 per cent, South Africa, 15.4 per cent followed by Namibia with 7.7 per cent, Kenya with 3.4 per cent, and Morocco with 3.0 per cent.

Based on these shortcomings, Nwachukwu said that the rebranding would focus on improving service delivery aimed at ensuring that customers remain paramount in the way operators deal with their business,

adding the operators were also working towards standardising practice for optimal performance.

Meanwhile, the committee also said that the road map and draft on the much expected Risk Based Supervision was ready and would be exposed to industry operators next month for their suggestions and input before the final guidelines and implementation.

It would be recalled that before the change of guard at the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) last year, the regulatory body had released guidelines for Market Conduct and Business Practice for all insurance institutions in the country.

The document was released in exercise of the power conferred on the commission by provisions of section 49 (1) of National Insurance Commission Act 1997.

The guidelines marked the beginning of Risked Based Supervision in Insurance Industry of Nigeria, and partly an extract from the World Bank Risk Based Supervision.

The document set out the framework for fair policy procedures and effective claims management and also includes trade practices and fair treatment of customers, operations, pricing, commission and associated returns as well as foreign facultative reinsurance placement by brokers.

Others are appointment, operation, expansion and documentation, registration requirements, accounts, returns and International Financial Reporting Standard harmonisation.

Some of the objectives of the guidelines are to set out minimum standards required from insurance institutions in their dealings with clients, policy holders and shareholders.

It is also meant to establish strong market conduct among practitioners and stakeholders and serve to reduce mistrust that may exist between clients and insurers.

CIIN parleys HoS over certificate recognition

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he Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has entered into discussions with the Head of Service of the Federation in order to realize the target.

The move is part of efforts to instill confidence and a sense of pride in potential graduates of College of Insurance and Financial Management Studies (CIFM) and to also enable them secure employment in government institutions Disclosing these in Lagos, the President/ Chairman of Council of the Institute, Lady Isioma Chukwuma, said the engagement was already at an advanced stage

with the office of HoS to gazette the institute’s professional qualifications for employment purposes in the civil service.

She said that it would become an added advantage to holders of the institute’s certificate seeking employment into any government institution across the various levels and tiers of government.

Chukwuma, who spoke as part of activities to mark her 11th month in office, also said that the CIIN was currently exploring every means possible at situating the CIIN brand on global stage, adding that they were presently fine-tuning its relation-

ships with United Kingdom’s institute.

She said: “We have consolidated the existing off-shore examination centres of the Institute in Banjul, The Gambia and in Kigali, Rwanda and presently pursuing with vigor the extension of the frontiers of our professional examinations to the West African subregion and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

“We have also restructured the Corporate Affairs Unit of the Institute in order to effectively drive this agenda. It is my utmost belief that the results of these actions shall manifest in the shortest

possible time.”

She noted that the institute had over the past years focused on improving exiting members’ benefits with group life policy incepted for all past presidents and all elected council members.

The policy provides a sum assured sum of N5 million per each life assured.

For all financial professional members, the policy provides a sum assured of N500, 000 and N250,000 for permanent disability arising from accident.

The president also implored insurance professionals to volunteer as teachers and lectur-

ers, so as to cover for the dearth of insurance teachers and lecturers in the nation’s academic institutions.

She added that the institute had aided in the study and teaching of insurance by providing support to institutions across the country through donation of course books, equipping libraries with study materials and equipment.

She noted that the institute’s Train-theTrainer programme was designed for the upscaling of insurance education and to ensure that insurance teachers possessed the required skills for imparting the necessary knowledge to

the future generation of insurance practitioners.

According to her, the programme was first carried out in Lagos and Ogun States and has since been replicated in other parts of the country.

She stressed that the institute was presently engaging some states that it had visited to fashion modalities to host the programme, adding that that the Train-the-Trainer programme had been well received with many other states showing enthusiasm in partnering with the institute and the college in this regard.

BUSINESS | Insurance

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Dividend: NIA blames harsh business milieu for default CONFIDENCE Lack of visible return on investments compounds investor confidence in the industry

Sunday Ojeme

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he outgoing Chairman, Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), Mr. Godwin Wiggle, has blamed the stringent rules and difficult business environment for non-payment of dividend by insurance companies to shareholders.

Lamenting on the vexed issue, which has often pitched shareholders against insurance operators, he gave assurance that the operators would do their best to ensure better dividend payment in future.

He added that the operators were equally not happy with the development.

Shareholders have often expressed mixed feelings over the nonpayment of dividends or dismal returns on their investments.

They said that lack of visible return on their investments in the nation’s insurance subsector could compound investor confidence in the industry.

According to the National President of Constance Shareholders’ Association of Nigeria (CSAN), Mr Shehu Mikhail, the sustained culture of non-dividend payment to investors remains an anathema in the nation’s financial industry and capital market.

“If the companies were able to acquire more assets and facilities in the reported year and did not ask for fresh funds from investors, it amounts to growth and a welcome development.

“The newly acquired assets or facilities should make investors happy because of the highly expected returns but the contrary is the case,” he said.

He also urged the management of insurance companies to be proactive in their investors relations issues.

“Mansard Insurance Plc did not declare dividends for 2014 but the management was very proactive in the payments of premiums and claims.

“They also assured us that all claims by policy holders for year 2014 have been paid, though we weren’t told the amount.

“The company was able to acquire another pension company and

changed its name to AXAMansard to be operated by a global insurance company,” he said.

Another shareholder, Mr Henry Nwabueze, described the non-payment of dividends by insurance companies as another issue that negateed corporate governance.

Nwabueze said the issue became worse because of the dividend driven nation’s investment culture.

According to him, the non-declaration of dividends culture by insurance companies impacts negatively on the nation’s quest for long savings through the capital market.

Also, Mr Ademola Moradayo expressed dissatisfaction with the poor

relationship between insurance companies and retail investors.

Moradayo, a retired Headmaster, urged insurance companies to overhaul their operations and complement the efforts of investors that provided the seed funds.

“As we enter a change era in Nigeria now, we want change in insurance companies.

“They should, in addition to attracting investors to buy shares, also endeavour to make return on investment attractive,” he said.

In his contributions, Mr Adeleso Oluwatuyi threatened to divest from insurance companies if they continued to deny investors return on their investments.

He urged the regulatory authorities to examine the rationale behind most insurance companies’ refusal to pay dividends over the years.

“There should be increments on all side, most of us are retirees, no pension and now no dividends; too bad, “ he said.

Wiggle also lamented the menace of fake insurance, which he noted contributed negatively to the business of insurance.

He said that the government was presently losing huge revenue to the menace of fake insurance, adding that counterfeiters do not pay tax from the money made from their illicit act.

by the government had led to the death of over 10 of their members within the last six months.

Besides, they said that not less than 50 others stricken by varying ailments, including heart diseases, were now close to death as they have no money to buy drugs.

The Chairman of the pensioners’ group, Alhaji

Isiaka Akanbi and Secretary, Alhaji Saidu Oladimeji, alongside others, staged a procession of about 400 members to the governor’s office where they met with the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold.

They lodged complaints bordering on alleged discrimination against them by the gov-

ernment.

The pensioners were reported to have said that they held monthly meetings to review their ordeals and had earlier issued a communiqué in which they called on the government to pay arrears of pensions from September to December 2015 and January to April 2016.

The spokesman of the pensioners, Comrade Olusola Dosunmu, said that the government at a point this year handpicked a minute number and paid them staggered percentages of their pensions, something, which he said robbed even those selected for payment larger percentages of their pensions.

Pensioners lament death of colleagues

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ensioners of local government councils in Kwara state are currently lamenting the death of some of their colleagues owing to what they described as negligence on the part of the state government.

The retirees, which include primary and junior secondary school teachers, said lack of concern

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BUSINESS | Financial Market News

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

BUSINESS | Financial Market News

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Benchmark index gains 4.79% despite Brexit worries OPTIMISTIC Investors stake N26.381 billion in 28,072 deals

Stories: Chris Ugwu

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otwithstanding rallying with global markets to witness selloff, as concerns over Britain’s shock vote to exit the European Union spread across emerging markets, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index and Market Capitalisation appreciated by 4.79 per cent to close last week at 30,649.66 and N10.527 trillion respectively.

The main stock index, which crossed 31,000 last Thursday, fell to 30,624 points, as investors made a retreat.

The local bourse had leapt by 8.5 per cent between Tuesday to Thursday last week, af-

ter the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) unveiled new guideline on forex policy to allow for a freely traded interbank market in a bid to attract foreign investors.

Meanwhile, at the close of trading last week, all other Indices finished higher during the week, with the exception of the NSE ASeM Index that closed flat.

A turnover of 2.387 billion shares worth N26.381 billion in 28,072 deals were traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange in contrast to a total of 2.158 billion shares valued at N20.394 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 24,369 deals.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 1.951 billion shares valued at N16.832 billion traded in 17,226 deals; thus contributing 81.75 per cent and 63.80 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

The Conglomerates Industry followed with 223.156 million

shares worth N477.064 million in 1,461 deals. The third place was occupied by the Consumer Goods Industry with a turnover of 91.705 million shares worth N6.253 billion in 4,433 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely – United Bank for Africa Plc, Zenith International Bank Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. (measured by volume) accounted for 887.282 million shares worth N12.894 billion in 7,483 deals, contrib-

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include delivering greater returns to members, greater flexibility and access to global markets, a more flexible governance structure fostering decisive action in response to the rapid changes in the business environment, enhanced synergies with other stock exchanges, and increased access to resources for capital investment raised by way of equity offerings or private investment.

“The NSE is a dynamic and globally competitive exchange, well-equipped to navigate the cyclic turbulence of the market and support the anticipated recovery of the domestic economy. As the investing public continues data and information to drive insights and investment in the capital markets, the Exchange will

eral Government Bonds valued at N10.429 million were traded in seven deals compared to a total of 4,170 units of Federal Government Bonds valued at N4.413 million transacted last week in 3 deals.

A total volume of 20 million, 40 million and 50 million units were added to the following bonds: 15.54 per cent FGN FEB 2020, 12.50 per cent FGN JAN 2026 and 12.40 per cent FGN MAR 2036 respectively on Tuesday 21st June, 2016.

Niger Insurance investors to get 3.5kobo dividend

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iger Insurance Plc has proposed a dividend of 3.5 kobo for its shareholders for the financial year ended December 31, 2015.

In a notice obtained from the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), the insurance firm scheduled the payment date on 28th July 2016.

Niger Insurance posted 14 per cent increase in profit before tax for the full year ended December 31, 2015.

NSE to increase quoted asset classes he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has said that part of its focus during the current year will be to increase its quoted asset classes with the inclusion of exchange traded derivatives.

The President of Council of the NSE, Mr. Aigboje AigImoukhuede while addressing members of the Exchange at the 55th Annual General Meeting (AGM), said the Exchange will also focus on monetization of its market services suite, as it explores untapped business opportunities to diversify and grow our income streams.

He added that Exchange will focus on demutualisation for maximum efficiency in its operations and decision-making processes.

He listed some of the benefits of demutualisation to

uting 37.17 per cent and 48.88 per cent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

Forty equities appreciated in price during last week, lower than 44 equities of the previous week. Thirty-two equities depreciated in price, higher than 24 equities of the previous week, while 108 equities remained unchanged lower than one 112 equities recorded in the preceding week.

A total of 9,439 units of Fed-

seeks to adopt market leading approaches and controls to facilitate inclusive growth through a transparent, wellregulated and efficient capital market,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema said: “Our efforts to demutualise the NSE achieved another milestone following the appointments of a consortium of financial, legal and tax advisers on the demutualisation initiative.

“The appointments affirm our commitment to achieving the demutualisation of the NSE in a methodical and transparent manner in the shortest possible time. We are truly encouraged by the support from our stakeholders, particularly our dealing member community and our

The company said its pretax earnings during the period under review grew to N736.030 million from N644,781 million posted during the comparable period of 2014.

However, gross premium written dropped by five per cent to N10.496 billion in contrast to N11.064 billion posted in 2014.

Niger Insurance had recorded 40.52 per cent increase in profit after tax for the third quarter ended September 30,

regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria for creating the appropriate framework to enable the process.

“Meanwhile, we are intensifying our efforts to build our position as the premiere destination for investment in Africa. Accordingly, we held an investor forum for Nigerians living abroad and an investor road show at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) to enlighten the investing community in the UK about investment opportunities in Nigeria.

Our foreign investors who account for approximately 54 per cent of trade participation on the NSE’s platform are as equally important to us as our domestic retail and institutional investor base, who thrive on well-informed engagements

2015.

Its net earnings during the period under review grew to N513.971 million from N365.771 million posted during the comparable period of 2014, while profit after tax equally rose to N613.074 million as against N419.501 million recorded in 2014. This represented an increase of 46.14 per cent.

Nevertheless, gross premium written dropped by 4.64 per cent to N7.900 billion in contrast to N8.285 billion posted in 2014.

The underwritten firm had posted a profit after tax of N359.800 million for the half year ended June 30, 2015 from N156.765 million in 2014, accounting for a growth of 129.51 per cent.

The company’s pretax profit also rose to N568.874 million as against N293.748 million recorded in 2014, representing 93.66 per cent.

Niger Insurance Plc had posted 10 per cent decline in profit before tax during the financial year ended December 31, 2014.

The company in a filing with the Exchange said its full year pre-tax earnings decreased from N716.108 million in 2013 to N644.781 million accounting for a drop of 10 per cent.

However, gross premium written increased by six per cent to N11.064 billion during the period under review, from N10.443 billion recorded during the comparable period of 2013.

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BUSINESS | Interview

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bank customers bear too

Dr Uju Ogubunka is the President, Bank Customers Association of Nigeria (BCAN) and former Registrar/ Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). In this Interview with New Telegraph’s Tony Chukwunyem, he speaks on the association’s opposition to the account maintenance charge and other topical issues in the industry. Excerpts: BCAN kicked against the introduction of the account maintenance charge. However, how would you respond to people who argue that this charge is not peculiar to Nigerian banks and that their counterparts in other parts of the world also apply it?

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ell, people who are saying it is like that elsewhere have not provided any evidence. Besides, the issue of the account maintenance charge is that banks started charging it without due approval which made it to be something that nobody should have reckoned with. And then CBN turns around to now legalise it by saying that it should now be paid.

Also, the CBN and the Bankers’ Committee came out to say that Commission on Turnover (COT) will be a thing of the past this year. Now the account maintenance charge they are introducing is just similar to the way and manner COT was being charged, which is like bringing back COT indirectly, through the back door. It does not make sense. In the first place, some banks (let me not generalize) were already charging that fee-illegally, I should say. Now what you have done is to put a stamp of legality on illegality, which for us, does not make sense. Apart from that, customers are already bearing too many costs.

If you look at the interest rates, for instance, between savings and lending rates, the disparity is too wide; customers are bearing the cost. So, why do you impose more charges on them? Thirdly, this is a very inauspicious time of increasing costs for bank customers or indeed every other person in the Nigerian economy. Things are not as rosy as they used to be. So, every party should be able to manage whatever they have. You can’t rub Peter to pay Paul; you increase the burden on my side to lessen the burden on somebody’s own side, it does not make sense. We are all operating in the same economy.

Now, these are some of the reasons we said, look don’t bring in the account maintenance charge at this point in time and even in the way and manner you are bringing it in suggests that you are bringing back COT indirectly. So, those are the issues.

You were also opposed to the introduction of the stamp duties charge. Can you shed more light on your reason for opposing it?

No, we did not oppose the stamp duties charge. What we are saying is that there are areas of the guideline that are not explanatory enough; they were ambiguous. Stamp Duty is a legal issue; there is a law guiding it. Now if you read the guideline that the CBN brought out, there were certain expressions in it that suggest confusion, that suggest ambiguity. We are saying, clarify these things within the ambit of what is already on ground- practice and law. So once we clarify those things, then you don’t give the bankers, as it were, the opportunity to do whatever they like. But if there is ambiguity then somebody can take advantage of the customers. So that is what we are saying; we are not really opposed to stamp duty. Al-

Dr Ogubunka

though under normal circumstances, when you pay for stamp you are supposed to be given a stamp! But in this case, you pay the stamp duty and you don’t even see the stamp.

So what they should have done is that maybe, banks should have been given the stamp, so once they charge you, they keep you stamp for you, when you come, you pick it and use it for whatever purpose you want to use it for. But in this case, they take the stamp, they take the money. We (BCAN) did not go to this extent in our statement but these are issues that are also important.

Has BCAN submitted its input to the CBN with regard to the exposure draft for the new revised guide to bank charges that would soon be released?

The association has submitted its input but very late, I must acknowledge. We had systems problems and it took us a while to resolve the systems problem. But we eventually submitted and we explained that we had systems problem before the closure of the deadline. But I am aware also that other interest groups submitted their positions. So, we hope that CBN should be able to consider all of those including ours that was submitted a bit late, I must acknowledge here. It was not as if we were not in a position to beat the deadline but you see where systems issues are concerned, you want to address those things and then you move on.

Despite widespread complaints from customers some banks still persist with the practice of illegal charges. What measures are the association taking to check this?

Between savings and lending rates, the disparity is too wide; customers are bearing the cost

PHOTOS: GODWIN IREKHE

Well, the association cannot control banks, we don’t regulate them; we don’t oversee what they do. We have approached the problem from two or three dimensions.

One is to explain to the customers what they should and what they should not expect in their accounts. We also explain to them the processes, procedures and channels through which they can lay their complaints and get redress. The second thing is that we are also encouraging the regulators to ensure that banks do what they are supposed to do instead of all these excess charges.

CBN comes up from time to time to say that ‘Oh we have recovered xyz amount of money for customers.’ That is good enough but that is not the issue; that is reactionary.

I think that the best thing that the CBN can do is to ensure that it does not happen at all and this they can do through proper, effective, oversight functions. And perhaps also, penalizing those who cause this problem appropriately so that they won’t try it again.

So the position of the association is that you empower people by giving them the knowledge they need to be able to stand on their own. The CBN, on its own, may not be able to provide the kind of protection holistically that bank customers need neither will the association. But individually, it will let every member of the association know what his or her rights are and be able to identify when things that should not be in their accounts are there and then press for those things to be reversed and if they don’t get response, they can report to appropriate quarters and levels including the association. Over time such things will just be a thing of the past.

BUSINESS | Interview

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

much cost –Ogubunka

Has BCAN received complaints with regard to customers having issues with the linking of their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) to their accounts because quite a lot of people are still facing this problem?

We did receive some complaints. The BVN thing has thrown up so many things: people answer various names, people have different dates of birth, people sign different signatures and so on and so forth. What the BVN has done is to throw these things up so that they can be really formally applied. Recognising the fact that we are in a society where for instance, someone who answers Olatunji, shortens it to Tunji, I think we should be able to harmonise these things in a form that it does not create problems for people. We had some cases and luckily for us we were able to resolve them.

CV The organisation: Bank Customers

Association of Nigeria Founded: 2003 President: Dr. Uju Ogubunka Born:

Nil Education: Ph.D in Banking and

Finance from the Federal

University of Technology, Owerri Career: Registrar/Chief Executive, The

Chartered Institute of Bankers

of Nigeria (CIBN), 2006-2014

-Chartered Banker, was in full

time banking practice for

twenty-three years.

- Director, Consultancy,

Training and Research in CIBN

-Consultant, Researcher,

trainer, Mediation and Public Speaker Membership: Fellow of the Chartered

Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

- Associate, Chartered Institute

of Bankers, London.

- Member of Body of Neutrals,

Abuja Multi-Door Court House.

Dr. Ogubunka

And of course, bankers themselves should resolve to keep to ethics and professionalism.

This is because banking is a noble profession but you remove the nobility from it when you begin to pinch people’s money and then you would lose confidence, people would not trust you and all that. So, once bankers resolve to say no; we will not do these things, if it so happens, it has to be by error or by mistake. That is understandable. But when it is almost like a trend or a norm, then, that is where there is a problem.

Would you support calls for the establishment of another regulatory body separate from the CBN, such as the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the UK, as part of efforts to enhance the supervision of banks in the country ?

Well, it is neither here nor there. CBN has directorate for banking supervision, which, if you ask me is similar to what the FSA is. And all that the CBN needs to do is perhaps to increase the capacity so that they can do that work timely, appropriately and efficiently. Now when you create another government institution for that under the circumstances we are now, you will increase costs astronomically because you have to build offices, you have to get MD or whatever.

You now have to have all the paraphernalia of office. But with the staff that the CBN has, they are trained, they have offices in various places in the country. All they would need, in my opinion, is to strengthen themselves in terms of human capacity. Once that is done and the people are ready to do the job, then I think, they can very well stand their ground and carry out any responsibility that can come along that side.

The cashless policy is about four years old now.

How would you assess the impact of the policy on the banking industry?

In my opinion, I believe it has widened the scope of what we do in financial services industry and indeed in the entire economy. So many people are now disposed to doing their banking transactions at various levels. They can stay in their bedrooms, in their kitchens, in their parlours and transact banking business. So you don’t need to go to a banking hall as it were to do business. And in doing so you would somehow reduce costs, reduce risks and so on and so forth. So, it is a good

35

We must handle things that concern the banking industry or banks generally, carefully in order not to send the wrong signals

idea. But it has its own problems too, which have also shown up. A lot of complaints are coming up with regard to issues with the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) for instance.

You want to withdraw money, you are debited, the card will not come out, before you get refund, it will take some time. There are so many problems also associated with it.

But I think that those problems should not deter us from moving forward. What we are saying is that, look we need to do more to make sure that we perfect the system so that there won’t be these issues. And that is why I encourage both the regulators and the operators in the banking industry, to sit back, review these complaints that are coming up, find solutions to them in a permanent form so that they don’t keep reoccurring.

And also you advise customers and other consumers of financial services to be careful with the way and manner they handle sensitive banking or financial transactions especially with regard to security items. An ATM card, for instance, should be handled as a security item. But so many people handle ATM cards as though they are just pieces of plastic. They get them lost; they get them manhandled and so and so forth. We need a lot of training; a lot of education, a lot of public awareness programmes to explain to people what these things are and the implications of not handling these things as they should be handled. If we are able to get people to buy into these areas of protecting themselves, handling these things as though they were what you may call your bank account directly. So for me, I think the cash policy is a good idea although the way and manner it was pursued may have prompted some of these problems we are witnessing now. We were doing it as if it has a target date to end. No; its a journey; its not a destination. All over the world, they never say this is the time they started doing something, this is the time it ended, no. It is a continuous process and you do it gradually. If you go to the villages for instance, how many ATMs are in the villages, how many people are doing Point of Sale (PoS)? So, you still need to educate those people, you still need to bring that service close to them. That is why financial inclusion is important, that is why agent banking is important and so on and so forth. So, it is a gradual movement and then you have an all-inconclusive position, then we drive it from there.

The tough economy is taking its toll on banks.

In addition, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been stepping up investigations of banks alleged to be involved in money laundering. Is the association worried about the state of the industry?

The economy generally is affecting everybody. It is affecting government; it is affecting corporate institutions, it is affecting individuals and households. So, banks are not supposed to be an exception; they are operating within the same institution as all of us. So, if the economy is not performing well and the banks are not performing well or other organizations are not performing well, we take it as a general phenomenon.

With regard to EFFCC investigations and all that, again, these are financial-related issues that passed through the banking system. So for me, it should not be a big deal. The only thing that could be a problem is the way and manner such things are handled. We should be able to recognize the unique position of the banks.

Banks are not run off the mills kind of establishments where you just go and handle things anyhow. So many people like you rightly said have their ‘life time wealth’ in banks. And so if you mishandle what affects banks, it could affect the perception of people as to the stability of those institutions. And if we are unlucky to have a crisis within the banking industry today then this economy is like gone. This is because that is the only place people have confidence-that if I still go to the banks I can get the little money I have there to continue to do my business, to continue to manage my family.

And then all of a sudden, you put a spanner there. What other hope do they have? So, we must handle things that concern the banking industry or banks generally, carefully in order not to send the wrong signals. Perception sometimes, they say, is more important than reality. But we are very happy that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) management came up quickly to say, ‘nothing is wrong with the banks and the banking industry.

What is happening is just normal investigation. So that should give all of us the comfort that it is not really the banks they are targeting; that what they are targeting is what passed through the banks. They want to make sure that they are genuine; they are reported, in line with rules and regulations.

If eventually they find that they are not in line with rules and regulations, they will handle it as the law permits. And if they are also in line with rules and regulations, they will also handle it in line with what the law permits. So nobody should get worried. Our members, some of them that called, and we have explained to them, and everybody is comfortable with that. And I think the general public should also be comfortable with that unless there is a proof that the banks have taken all the money belonging to all of us to go elsewhere. Then that is when we should all rise up and start asking questions.

36

BUSINESS | MONEYLINE

Caveat FMDQ settlement advice mandatory for investors

Stories: Tony Chukwunyem

A

head of the launch of the Naira-settled Over-The-Counter (OTC) FX Futures on the FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange today, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued operational requirements to guide the externalisation of the differentials on OTC FX Futures Contracts for Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs).

In a circular to Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), the CBN stated, “Along with the requisite Certificate of Capital Importation (CCI), all participating FPis in the OTC FX Futures Market are required to present an OTC FX Futures Settlement Advice (to be issued by FMDQ) to facilitate the externalisation of the settlement amount (the differential between the OTC FX Futures and the Nigerian Inter-Bank Foreign Exchange (NIFEX) fixing on the settlement date) of OTC FX Futures Contracts.”

The apex bank also emphasised, “For the avoidance of doubt, requests for repatriation of settlement amount of OTC FX Futures Contracts by FPIs that are not accompanied with the requisite Settlement Advice from FMDQ, and the CCI should not be processed by any deposit money bank in Nigeria.”

It will be recalled that in unveiling the flexible exchange

MONDAY, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Forex futures: CBN issues working guides for foreign investors rate policy on June 15, the CBN stated that under the new system, authorised dealers were permitted to offer naira-settled non deliverable OTC FX futures.

Some of the provisions of guidelines issued by the CBN on the naira- settled OTC FX futures, include; “FX futures sold by authorised dealers to

end-users must be backed by trade transactions (visible and invisible) or evidenced investments; FMDQ will provide the appropriate benchmarks for the valuation and settlement of the OTC futures and other FX derivatives and FX OTC futures and forwards will count as part of the FX positions of authorised

B

ritain’s vote to exit the European Union (EU) is likely to negatively affect the big economies in Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) such as Nigeria, Kenya, analysts at Renaissance Capital have said.

In a note obtained by New Telegraph, the analysts said that while Nigeria will be most affected “via the financial channel”, Kenya will be hurt mainly in the areas of trade and financial channels.

According to the analysts, “Investor confidence has been severely undermined by the uncertainty created by Britain’s vote to leave the EU. We think this may result in a slowdown in capital flowing into frontier markets, as investors hide in safe haven assets. Increased

risk aversion may temper the appetite for SSA Eurobond issuances planned for 2H16. Nigeria, in particular was unfortunately hit yesterday by a double whammy – a credit rating downgrade

by Fitch (to B+, from BB-), which will make it more expensive for Nigeria to borrow externally in 3Q15 when it issues its planned Eurobond, and Brexit, which may temper appetite for Nigerian assets. A further slowdown of capital inflows into SSA, will result in a further deterioration of external balances that are already reeling from depressed commodity prices.”

Besides, the experts said, “Currencies will come under pressure – the most tradable currencies will depreciate the most on the back of

As at N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 15.6 12 10.77 US$48.9 US$26,424,138,284

Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 May, 2016 23/03/2016 Mar 2015 24/6/2016 23/6/2016

Source:CBN

Description 15.10 27-APR-2017 16.00 29-JUN-2019 15.54 13-FEB-2020 16.39 27-JAN-2022 14.20 14-MAR-2024 12.50 22-JAN-2026 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034 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

ments.”

“This has the potential to eradicate the constant front loading of fx requirements and minimizing the disequilibrium in the spot fx market. End-users will make better judgement as to the timing of accessing the spot fx market,” the FMDQ stated.

How Brexit will impact Nigeria, others - Analysts

Economic Indicators M2* CPS* INF MPR 91-day NTB Bonny Light Ext Res**

dealers.”

According to a statement by FMDQ, the introduction of the naira-settled OTC FX futures would boost the economy as it would, “encourage end-users to spread out their demand for spot fx deals as they are now able to lock down the exchange rates for future fx require-

197.00

0.00 ↔

Offer 199.1000

Change (%) -1.75 ▼ -2.08 ▼

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

news that Britain voted to exit the EU. SSA currencies, less so, because their currencies are more managed. Kenya’s central bank has pledged ‘to intervene in the money and FX market to ensure their smooth operation’. For Nigeria, we think this means investors that were encouraged by the liberalisation of the country’s FX regime and were considering dipping their toes into the country, may now pause given the rise in global risk aversion, following the Brexit vote. This further delays a recovery in Nigeria’s capital inflows, which is negative for

the naira.”

However, according to the analysts, owing to the British vote, interest rates are likely to stay low in the US thus offering a reprieve for SSA currencies.

In addition, they stated that the vote might lead to Britain brokering new trade agreements, which may have some implications for SSA. “There are fears that a Brexit could lead to a growth slowdown in Britain. A slower British economy will hurt the SSA countries that have strong trade linkages with it,” the analysts said.

Sterling Bank introduces flexible work conditions for staff

T

o further demonstrate its philosophy of enriching lives, Sterling Bank Plc has come up with a policy to promote work-life balance among its staff, as it continues to strive to build a great place to work for its workforce through the introduction of Flexi-time and Flexi-place.

The initiative, which complies with global best HR practices, according to a statement from the lender, is currently being piloted in the Bank’s corporate Head Office and is aimed at introducing flexibility in work arrangements for the Bank’s staff.

The Flexi-time arrangement allows members of staff the opportunity to determine their own working hours by choosing a convenient time to come to work within the options provided by the Bank.

Similarly, the Flexi-place package gives staff the opportunity to choose a convenient location from which they can carry out their job functions.

In this pilot phase, interested staff particularly in the Head Office are encouraged to select locations closer to their place of residence.

The Bank’s Executive Director, Strategy & Finance, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, who described the pilot stage as highly successful, expressed his optimism that the initiative will enhance productivity of staff, promote bonding among family members, reduce the stress of waking very

early and spend long hours in traffic to get to the office early, improve the well-being of staff and ultimately promote work life balance among staff..

His words: “Employees in the cites are faced with the onerous yet elusive goal of maintaining work-life balance as they are confronted with the challenge of waking up very early to beat the traffic going to the office and also pass through same stress going home in the evening.”

“We recognize that the fast-paced nature of cities is likely to continue to deprive workers from spending quality time with their families as they spend a lot of time commuting to and from work.

With the staggered resumption time offered by these initiatives, staff will be able to determine preferred and more convenient work hours.

We believe with this initiative, they would be in a better position to spend quality time with their family, commute at more convenient traffic times and spend less on Medical care thus become more productive at work.”

To ensure the effectiveness of the workplace solutions, Mr. Abubakar noted that appropriate structures and resources have been put in place, adding that each team during the pilot phase, had a succession plan with backups knowledgeable on other duties and available at crucial periods.

national | news

monday, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Brexit: Concerns over Nigeria's economy T Taiwo Hassan

he Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry has expressed worries over the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, a recent referendum, saying the coun-

try’s decision to leave the EU would have negative consequences on Nigeria’s economy.

In a statement by its President, Tony Ejikeoye, yesterday in Abuja, the chamber pointed out that the historic referendum last Thursday, by Britain to leave the EU

would have a multiplier effect on Nigeria’s Naira and the British Pound Sterling.

He said that Brexit would no doubt create anxiety for Nigeria’s policy makers.

According to him, this is due to slide in global markets at this time that

Nigeria is trying to revive the economy which is at the edge of a recession.

The president said that bilateral trade between Nigeria and the UK, currently valued at six billion pounds and projected to reach about 20 billion pounds by 2020

would be affected.

He said that this might be disrupted as trade agreements contracted under the umbrella of the EU which have to be renegotiated.

“Besides, data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that the UK was Nigeria’s largest

OPC condemns Fulani herdsmen's attacks on Yoruba he Yoruba sociocultural group, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), yesterday condemned the un-

warranted attacks on the Yoruba, as well as other non-indigenes by the Fulani herdsmen and NigerDelta militants.

Calling for end to the attacks, the group condemned the development in a statement signed by the spokes-

The estimated revenue of financial data and media firm Bloomberg LP in 2015.

Source: Forbes.com

The number of fixed-telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants of Bahrain in 2001.

Source: Itu.int

Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

T

$9.3bn

24.88

person of its National Coordinating Council (NCC), Comrade Sina Akinpelu, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

It can be recalled that some communities in Ogun and Lagos States were attacked twice last week by suspected Niger Delta militants who left

many dead and injured.

While stating that the Yoruba people were peace loving and accommodating people, Akinpelu warned that the openness and hospitality of the race should not be misconstrued for docility.

According to him, the OPC was able and ever ready to match force with

force if that should be the only solution to the incessant attacks on Yoruba, calling on the attackers and those still muting any idea to attack Yoruba to have a rethink as such act would attract reprisals, the type of which would be better imagined than experienced.

He stated further that

37

source of foreign investment in 2015, he said.

“Thus, a decelerating British economy could impact a drop in investment, trade, and also remittances from the Nigerian Diaspora who sent home over 20 billion dollars in 2015’’, he said.

while the group recognizes the right of all people to self-determination, it also believed that such right should not infringe on the rights of others, particularly the peace-loving and amiable Yoruba people.

Akinpelu then appealed to northern and Niger-Delta elders and leaders to call their people to order, insisting that no group or race had monopoly of violence.

Kano DISCO flays poor power allocation Muhammad Kabir Kano

K

ano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has lamented the continuous poor power allocation to its network from the National Control Centre (NCC) Oshogbo, as well as the meagre load allocation for customers in its franchise area by the Area Control Center (ACC) Kumbotso in Kano.

The company’s spokesperson, Mohammed Kandi, said in a statement made available to New Telegraph in Kano that, “the abysmal energy allocation to Kano DiSco in recent times is impacting negatively not only on

our revenue generation but our desire to maintain customer intimacy in business.”

Kandi, who insisted that the company could no longer understand why it was always asked to maintain the lower most energy from the scanty allocation given to it, however, noted that such was not in the best interest of the company to have its customers experience days of constant power outages.

He said: “The past few months have been very challenging for our company, especially in terms of the total blackout that our customers have been facing, as well as the difficulty our staff encounter during collections.”

NBS data authentic for economic planning – Expert Caleb Onwe Abuja

A

former director of Information Communication Technology ( ICT ) at the National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) and the current Chief Consultant at African Data Processing Network (ADPN) , Mr. Ekezie Obodozie Evaristus has cleared the doubt over the reliability of data management capacity and integrity of NBS. Ekezie who addressed Journalists in Abuja during the formal launch of the operational blueprint of ADPN, an organization of team of experts in the area of statistical development, said that the claim that NBS manipulates fig-

ures meant for economic planning was not a fair judgment.

He said that African Data Processing Network was borne out of the desire to bridge the gap created by most government officials to statistical development.

He noted that the problem of lack of uniformed data collection and management system in Nigeria was due to successive governments lack of political for manpower development in the field of statistics.

He also pointed out that one of the bane of development in the area of statistic in Nigeria was the government’s unusual disposition to contracting the job of collating and

L-R: The Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos Catholic Archdiocese, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okojie; Priest in charge of Lagos Catholic Archdiocese Marian Shrine, Very Revd Monsignor Philip Hoteyin; celebrant, Very Revd Monsignor Festus Ogunshakin; Emeritus Archbishop of Ibadan Catholic Archdiocese, His Grace, Most Revd Felix Alaba Job and Parish Priest, St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Very Revd Father, Anthony Fadairo, during the 50th priestly ordination of Monsignor Ogunshakin at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland in Lagos…yesterday

Kogi workers begin strike today Niger Delta: Dialogue is better Muhammad Bashir option –Dickson Lokoja

O

rganized Labour in Kogi State, has directed all civil servants in the state to embark on indefinite strike from today.

The labour unions in a bulletin titled "This Cheating By Trick Must Stop" accused the state government of arm-twisting the state workers to operate with another bank, different from their old ones.

The bulletin also signed by the NLC, TUC, NUP, NULGE and PSJN, lamented that the state government only paid January 2016 salary to some selected civil servants from the one billion hang-over-reserves out the state statutory allocation, leaving out a large number of workers.

The bulletin further wondered how long the governor's office would continue to spend such huge sum of money like N1.6 billion without being budgeted for.

Meanwhile the state government yesterday

urged workers in the state to report at their duty posts today, as there would be an open registers in various MDAS in the state.

The Special Adviser to the state governor on Media and Strategy, Abdulkareem Abdulmalik, at a media conference, warned that any worker that refused to turn up today would have himself to blame.

Abdulmalik described the strike action as mischievous on the part of the labour, even as they were never left out in any government decision.

He noted that the labour leaders were only misleading innocent workers, explaining that, that was the reason thegovernment had to patronize Access and Zenith Banks.

"Of all banks in the state, Only Access and Zenith Banks agreed to give us the N20 billion as part of the bail-out. And to make it more easier for the workers, we allow the banks to pay, and so we have to bring all the workers to these banks," he explained.

Sulaiman Salawudeen Ado-Ekiti

B

ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has urged the Federal Government to consider dialogue as better option to resolving the lingering and protracted crisis in the Niger Delta.

Dickson condemned the current bombing and destruction of oil installations by the aggrieved parties in the region, urging the FG to seek ways to bring the parties to the negotiation table, noting that only such option could arrest the unrest and destruction going on, in the region.

A new militants group, the Niger Delta Avengers had lately declared war on the government, destroying many oil installations running to billions of naira, while the FG had mounted efforts to hunt down the militants.

Dickson spoke at the weekend at the 21 Convo-

cation ceremony of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) during which he was conferred with an Honourary Doctorate Degree in Public Administration.

Also honoured were a business mogul and lawyer, Mr Gbenga Oyebode and the Alara of Aramoko-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemi Adegoke who was the Institution's Chancellor.

Dickson said: "We are all concerned about the developments, all the leaders there are concerned about the recent tough surge of insurgency. We are collaborating on the way forward. Those of us who are governors in our states are working hard with traditional leaders and opinion leaders and security agencies and also collaborating with other private and corporate bodies to ensure that we put it under control.

He said taking to farming was the only guard against looming food insecurity in the country.

38

NEWS | south-west

monday, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Ogun NULGE seeks publication of bailout spending by govt Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

O

gun State Chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has called on the state government to publish how it expended the bailout fund accessed from the

Federal Government.

The union has also restated its earlier position that the state government failed to service the outstanding arrears of salaries and deductions of local government workers with the bailout fund.

This was contained in a statement signed by the state President of NULGE, Comrade Ayuba Olatunji,

and made available to reporters in Abeokuta.

The state government and NULGE had been at loggerheads over alleged diversion of N9.1billion bailout fund meant for the 20 local government areas of the state.

The disagreement made the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Taiwo Adeoluwa, to con-

vene separate meetings with the Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) and the NULGE leadership last week, where the government stated how the bailout funds was spent.

Dissatisfied with the government’s position, Olatunji has challenged the state government to publish the statement

APC, Ondo AG call for extension of voters' registration Babatope Okeowo Akure

T

he Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), yesterday called for the extension of the Continuous Voters’ Registration exercise embarked upon by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The state Chairman of the APC, Mr Issacs Keke-

meke noted that the five days were not enough to cater for the number of people that were yet to register and those that have attained the age of 18 after the last registration exercise.

Kekemeke also appealed to INEC to make provision for those that lost their voters card and are not able to get court services to swear on affidavit due to the on-going industrial action by judiciary workers in the state over six months backlog of salaries and arrears.

His words, "the court is

not in session and officials of the courts are on strike, so it becomes difficult for those that need to swear on affidavit to do so. Hence, there is the need for alternative means of addressing their issue. Let me also tell INEC that the five days will not be enough for the exercise as there are many people who are yet to register following the turnout recorded during the exercise as such people should not be disenfranchised" The APC chairman while urging all those that are yet to register to come

out so as to exercise their constitutional right alleged that agents of state government and some security agents are molesting members of the party and are also recruiting students to register with a view to exchanging their card for cash.

In his remark, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo jegede (SAN) advised INEC to increase the number of registration points for the on-going voter registration exercise to reduce the long queues.

showed to NULGE at the meeting for public consumption.

The union president described as "mere government propaganda, face-saving and cover-up" the alleged directive to HOLGA to write a communique to diffuse the claim of NULGE leadership on the bailout fund.

He said, "At the end of the meeting, the government submitted that the bailout fund was used to pay salaries, allowances/ leave bonus of primary school teachers between July - September, 2015, ditto for local government staff (excluding leave bonus/other allowances).

"This is apart from paying the primary school teachers as well as other civil servants in the state part of their outstanding arrears of salaries and deductions for which the

303 Lagos firms dump diesel for gas, says LASEPA

Muritala Ayinla

T

L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson; his Waterfront Infrastructure Development counterpart, Engr. Adebowale Akinsanya; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, during his inspection visit to Oworo inward Third Mainland Bridge for construction of a modern Bus Park at Oworo Bus Stop, Lagos…at the weekend.

Jigawa partners Lagos on education Muritala Ayinla

A

s parts of its efforts to share in the success story of Lagos and adopt the working strategies in the state's education sector, members of Jigawa State Universal Education Board at the weekend paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board.

The Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Dr. Ganiyu Sopeyin, while speaking on the visit said the Jigawa team were in Lagos to understudy the operations and success stories of the board in the State.

Sopeyin, while addressing the visiting Jigawa state delegates led by Dr. Sanni Abdullah Gumel.

Olubadan advocates proper speaking of Yoruba language Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

T

he Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso 1, has called on parents in the land to encourage their wards in the speaking and learning of Yoruba Language.

The monarch made the call at his Popoyemoja, Ibadan residence while receiving about 15 American students under the aegis of 2016 Yoruba Group Study Abroad (YGPA) of the University of Ibadan.

In a statement on the students’ visit that was made available to New Telegraph in Ibadan yesterday through the Director of Media and Public Affairs to the monarch,

Adeola Oloko, it was stated that the monarch frowned at the alarming rate at which Yoruba language was dying by the day.

"I am always worried at the rate at which our language is dying by the day due to the insensitivity of some our parents who now rejected their mother tongue and also prevented their kids from speaking it.

Because of the condition we met our language and observed that both the parents and government are not doing anything to salvage our dear language from going into extinction, I made it a standing order that official language in the palace is Yoruba and absolutely Yoruba”, the monarch said The Olubadan also called on all the South West state governments to as a matter of urgency

make the teaching and learning of Yoruba language a must in all public and private primary and secondary schools in the region to safeguard the future of the language.

Earlier in their speeches, leaders of the team, Prof. Moses Mabayoje of the University of Florida and Miss Tolu Ibikunle of the Yoruba Language Centre, University of Ibadan, thanked the Olubadan for the opportunity given them to visit him, explaining that the visit of the students was part of arrangement for them to have a first- hand feel of the language of their love and cultural immersion.

They enjoined the Olubadan to appeal to government at various levels to create a place for historical collections on Ibadan.

bailout fund is meant for without consideration for the outstandings of local government workers.

"The union frowned at this presentation while it raised question on how the federal allocation to local government within the periods July to September, 2015 were spent because it was not captured in their presentation at the meeting.

"As a result, the union still reiterates its earlier position that the bailout fund was not extended to service the outstanding arrears of salaries/deductions of local government workers as claimed by the state government."

Olatunji appealed to the state government to extend the same hand of fellowship given to other categories of state public servants to the local government workers as well.

he General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Ademola Shabi, has said that about 303 firms in the state had switched from diesel engines to gas.

He made this revelation while speaking at a workshop organised by the agency for iron and steel industries of the state.

Shabi urged other iron and steel firms that have not keyed into the switch to quickly do so, adding that their compliance level is the agency’s concern.

Delivering a paper on Environmental Management System (EMS), Shabi said after two years, the agency would like to evaluate compliance of the sector In some areas

which include scraps shield, scrap soothing, HSE managers , modern technologies and more importantly, environmental policies.

The LASEPA boss noted that environmental policies must be all-inclusive decision and should be conspicuously displayed by the firms at the entrance of their facilities.

He also threatened to fire any defaulting firm on the issue of environmental policies.

Shabi, in his evaluation of the compliance level of firms in the sector complained that industries are all lagging behind in virtually all the areas enumerated. He charged the sector to be up and doing as the state government had already set a target at achieving a pollution free ambient for the state.

Osogbo Chief Imam, others to grace Bishop's Ordination Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

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he Chief Imam of Osogbo, Sheik Musa Animashaun, 300 priests and 200 religious women were among important dignitaries expected to grace the episcopal ordination of the new Bishop for Osogbo Diocese, Monsignor John Oyejola.

Also expected at the event is the Vatican Ambassador in Nigeria, Archbishop Augustine kasujja, as well as over 50 archbishops and bishops from various dioceses in the Catholic church in the country.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, June 30, at

Saint Benedict Cathedral, Popo, Osogbo.

According to the Vicar General of the Osogbo Diocese, Rev. Fr. Mike Okodua, the new bishop replaced Arch Bishop Gabriel Abegunrin, who got promoted into the post of Arch Bishop of Ibadan Arch Diocese.

He said, "The entire faithful in the diocese had been praying since April 2, 2016 for the new bishop programme, which by the grace of God would be historic. Since the creation of the diocese 21 years ago, Osogbo had had 14 indigenous priests and 16 parishes. The diocese has witnessed developmental changes of great significance”.

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

VON DG urges MASSOB, IPOB, Avengers to support Buhari Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

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he Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, has called on members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to sheathe their swords and join hands with the President Muhammadu Buhari led government in the effort to rid the country of corruption, which has been the bane of the country’s development.

The DG, who spoke in Enugu at the weekend, at a reception organized for him and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, by the Ekeh Progressives Forum (EPF) in Udu Local Government Area of the state on the theme: “True Federalism: Panacea or Placebo to Nigeria’s Paralysis; Eke Town as a Case Study,” quoted Buhari to have likened the gross inequality in the country to the tiny Island of the affluent in the ocean of misery.

Speaking before a large audience which included former Vice President, Alex Ekwueme and former

Senate President, Ken Nnamani, the VON DG, said corruption was equally responsible for the paralysis in his Ekeh home town, which shares the same ancestral history, 99 percent Catholics and one Wawa dialect, but yet still divided.

The VON DG noted that at the 23rd commemoration of June 12, PRONACO advocated for Nigeria’s restructuring based on democratic self-determination and urged the Federal Government to set up a committee for reconciliation and stability of the country in tandem with the precedence of the June 12 election.

The former spokesman of South-East APC leadership caucus recalled that when democracy returned in 1999, the north zoned the presidency to the South and Chief Olesegun Obasanjo emerged the President under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

He regretted that not more than 10 out of the 36 states of the federation embrace democracy at the local governments level as stipulated by Section 7 of 1999 Constitution, even as the few that claimed to run democratically elected councils do so in less than transparent manner.

News|South-EAST

39 Ebonyi sets up taskforce to shut illegal schools Uchenna Inya ABAKALIKI

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bonyi State Government at the weekend gave proprietors of unregistered private schools in the state up to July 31 for them to get approval or face the risk of their schools being shut.

Speaking at a meeting comprising government officials, representatives of Association of Proprietors of Private schools in the state and security agents, the Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof John Ekeh, said after the deadline the state taskforce would shut-down such schools.

Anambra Central: Disregard call for new poll, ADC urges INEC Pamela Eboh Awka

T Husband of Mrs. Bridget Agbahiwe, who was killed in Kano, Pastor Mike Agbahiwe (left), with Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, during his visit to the governor in Owerri

PDP crisis: I stand by the law –Uzodinma Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

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he senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has declared that he has not taken sides in the crisis plaguing the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but would rather had stood on the side of the law on the matter.

Uzodinma, who is the Chairman of Senate Committee on Aviation, made his position on the crisis known in an interview with journalists at the weekend

while reacting to an allegation that he had pitched his tent with the embattled acting Chairman of the PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff.

He argued that a court of competent jurisdiction had declared that the position of National Chairman of PDP was not vacant and that as a law abiding citizen he stands by the declaration

$200,000

The total amount of endorsements of Mark Teixeira (Baseball) for 2014.

Source: Forbes.com

of the court.

He said: “I am not taking sides. It is not about supporting A or B but about supporting the position of the law. A Lagos Federal High Court declared that the position of National Chairman is not vacant and it is only reasonable that the person in that position should continue until the matter in court is finally disposed off.”

He explained that it was because of the court order that the Port-Harcourt convention was postponed, adding that a caretaker arrangement was strange to

the PDP constitution. He wondered how the issue of setting up a caretaker committee for the party should come up at all, when there was no provision for it in the constitution and against a Federal High Court ruling.

He, however, admitted that the Convention Committee which was chaired

by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, angered him by changing the congress results of eight local government areas in Orlu zone after the results had been ratified by the NEC of the party.

Enugu: VIO resumes clampdown on traffic offenders Kenneth Ofoma ENUGU

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fter nearly one year of suspended action, officials of the Ministry of Transport, MOT, Enugu State have resumed the clamp down on motorists for various alleged traffic offences.

The public outcry over the harrowing experiences of motorists in Enugu metropolis had prompted Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to order the sus-

He said the government was determined to maintaining high standard and quality of education in the state and solicited for the cooperation of all to achieve the objective.

Earlier, the Chairman of the taskforce, Mrs. Virginia Ogbu assured that that the taskforce would work hard to contribute its quota to enhance the state education sector.

In a remark, the President of Association of Proprietors of schools in the state, Mr. Kelechi Onyema assured of the association support to the government to ensure the needed standard.

pension of the exercise few months after his assumption of office last year.

Officials of the ministry were observed to have commenced their clampdown on vehicles along some major roads while some officials of local governments in the state capital had also started harassing motorists for supposed wrong parking and for disobeying traffic rules.

Motorists were said to be charged as high as N25,000 for wrong parking or for

flouting traffic rules.

However, the exercise was said to have been resumed as our reporter observed that in the last couple of weeks the officials had been arresting motorists in the city.

It was gathered that the uniformed officials of MOT now move about in vehicles, seeking vehicles to arrest in the city.

Before Governor Ugwuanyi eventually halted the exercise last year, motorists were said to have been put on their toes as

various groups that include Easi Park, Enugu Capital Territory, police traffic wardens as well as local government officials were said to have allegedly been extorting money from motorists.

Some motorists who spoke to our reporter on condition of anonymity expressed apprehension that the ugly days were gradually creeping back and it had not been officially announced so that motorists would brace up for the hardship.

he candidate of African Democratic Congress, ADC, in last year’s senatorial election in Anambra State, Chief Anayo Nweke, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ignore the call from certain quarters to fix a date for the rerun of election in view of the pending cases on the matter at the Federal High Court, Awka, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

In a statement made available to journalists in Awka yesterday, Nweke told the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, in the senatorial election, Chief Victor

Umeh, not to stampede the electoral body into fixing new date for the poll, as he was not the only candidate for the rerun election, saying that issues surrounding the Anambra Central election should be left for the courts to decide.

He advised INEC chairman to avoid the consequence of facing a contempt of court as a result of obstructing justice, arguing that nothing should be done about the election until the conclusion of all pending suits.

In his words: “It is for the courts to determine the way forward for the Anambra Central election and it amounts to prejudice for anybody to want to coerce INEC to conduct the election.

Agbahime: Widower visits Okorocha, narrates wife’s death Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

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he husband of slain Bridget Agbahime, who was killed recently in Kano

by Muslim fanatics, Pastor Mike Agbahime, met with Governor Rochas Okorocha, at the weekend, and narrated how his wife was murdered by a mob.

He told a visibly shocked Okorocha the gory details of how his wife was gruesomely murdered in his presence by Muslim fanatics, noting that he survived the attack by the grace of God. According to Agbahime, a man called Dauda came to my wife’s shop, who was washing his leg in front of the shop. My wife told the man to move up a little so that she could arrange her goods, but the man refused. Instead, the man started to molest her, gripping her neck. In trying to free herself from the grip, Dauda started

shouting ‘Alahu alakuba’ and the mob quickly gathered.”

Continuing, he said: “When we saw that danger was in the air, we ran and took refuge in the house of a prominent Alhaji, who is a leader in the area. The Alhaji did all he could to calm the mob down. They refused and called him an infidel, and broke into his house and killed my wife in front of me. And if not for the quick intervention of the police, which dispersed the mob with teargas, they would have killed me also.

But they destroyed everything I had, both the shop.” the car and others.”

In his response, Governor Rocha Okorocha described the late Bridget as a heroine, because it took more than 100 men and women to bring her down, describing the gruesome murder of the woman as highly provocative, barbaric and the highest wickedness of man to man.

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NEWS | south-south

monday, june 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Bayelsa restructures N50bn IYC crisis deepens as armed youths attack factional leaders bond repayment Chris Ejim Yenagoa

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he crisis rocking the umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), took a violent turn at the weekend, following the invasion of Rhythm FM Studio owned

by Senator Ben Bruce, by a faction of the council.

The invasion of the studio, which was carried out by youths in buses and other vehicles, was launched during a live appearance of two executive members of a faction of IYC and guests of a live radio programme, Talk of the Town, anchored by Lishman Onisodemuya.

New Telegraph gathered that the armed youths threw the premises of the radio station into confusion with sporadically gunshots into the air, forcing employees in both the radio and television studios of Silverbird Group to scamper for safety.

According to an eyewitness, “the boys stormed the radio station, brandishing dangerous weapons, broke into the radio studio, interrupted the programme and dragged out the National Mobilisation Officer of IYC, Mr. Wisdom Ikuli and a selfacclaimed spokesman of the council, Mike Edounkimor, who were guests at

the programme.

“Ikuli and Edounkimor were thoroughly beaten with bruises all over their faces by youths who attempted to bundle them into one of their vehicles before the intervention of the police.”

It was learnt that before the arrival of the police, the mob seized the ensuing melee to rob employees of the studios of their money, mobile handsets and other valuables. The radio studio was temporarily shut down after listeners heard people screaming and running for cover.

But the policemen, who reportedly arrived in the area, arrested and handcuffed the duo and took them to Ekeki Police Station in Yenagoa.

Though some people claimed that Udengs Eradiri was also arrested at the scene of the violence, others however, said he was absent but added that he was later invited to the office of the Commissioner of Police as a complainant. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident and said the police were investigating the matter.

It will be recalled that the fold of the IYC was recently thrown into crisis, following the claims of six out of the 10-member executive council that the President of the Ijaw

5.95%

The percentage contribution of ncs-Import VAT to total collection for 2015 Q4.

Source: Firs.gov.ng

PDP suspends Edo guber aspirant Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

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he State Working Committee (SWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State at the weekend ‘suspended one of the governorship aspirants in the June 20 primaries in the state, Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, from the party for one month, pending further disciplinary action in accordance with chapter 10 of the Peoples Democratic Party Constitution, 2012 (as amended).’

This was as the member representing Egor/ Ikpoba Okha federal constituency in Edo State, Hon. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, said that his strong desire to rescue the people of the state from the grip of poverty and misrule, remain a compelling force behind his governorship ambition in the state.

He also backed the col-

lection of nomination and expression of interest forms from the Ali Modu Sherriff led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party.

But, the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin, urged all members of the party in the state to disregard the antics of Alhaji Modu Sheriff and Hon. Iduoriyekemwen in their desperate attempt to discredit the outcome of the governorship primary held on 20 June, 2016 at which Osagie Ize-Iyamu, was duly nominated as the candidate of our great party.”

Agbonayinma, who explained why he pitched his tent with Sheriff while speaking with newsmen at the weekend, said as a lawmaker, he relied on a subsisting court ruling in favour of Sheriff as the authentic PDP national chairman.

youth body, Mr. Udengs Eradiri and the spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, had been suspended.

But the Speaker of IYC Mobile Parliament (IMP), Mr. Mkpon Ijonama, said reports that Eardiri and Omare had been suspended were the handiwork of few misled members of the IYC executives. IYC Parliament is saddled with the responsibility of sanctioning erring members of the council.

Ijonama said the persons bandying the suspension document failed to follow the procedures contained in Article 10 of the IYC constitution, "We have a procedure as an entity and if you go to Article 10 of the constitution of Ijaw Youth Council, it spelt boldly and clearly a procedure in which one can be suspended or removed from the council.

Chris Ejim Yenagoa

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ayelsa State Government has approved the restructuring of the ongoing repayment of the N50 billion bond secured by the previous administration to 2019, instead of the 2017, it was scheduled to end.

Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, who made this disclosure, said it was part of the resolutions reached at the 60th Executive Council Meeting presided over by Governor Seriake Dickson at the Government House, Yenagoa.

He said the decision to restructure the repayment arrangement would help to reduce the financial burden being borne by the state as a result of the de-

ductions made from its monthly allocations for the bond and overpayments credited to the previous administrations.

According to Obuebite, the state government pays N1.3 billion every month, noting that the administration has paid over N90 billion out of N104 billion.

He said: “Council has approved the restructuring of the N50 billion bond for which the Bayelsa State Government has paid up to N92.6bn. It has approved the restructuring of the bond, which was to terminate by 2017 to 2019 so as to reduce the burden of repayment that the state government has been carrying.”

The Information Commissioner said the State Executive Council also gave approval for payment of the variation totaling N1.2 billion, which was applied for by Julius Berger, the contractor handling

the Opolo-Elebele Road.

Obuebite, who said the variation covers items such as roundabouts and bridges that were not part of the original award of the double-carriage way road project, maintaining that Council also approved the payment of debts owed the contractor of the ToruEbeni Bridge Access Road, which has since been completed.

The Information Commissioner also noted that Council expressed displeasure over the theft of a 50 KVA electricity generating plant and the vandalisation of other equipment at the Sports Academy, Asoama, in Kolokuma/ Opokuma Local Government Area and other project sites across the state and called on community leaders to protect projects sited in their areas, as they are meant to bring development to the people.

Chairman, UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu (right), teaching students of Jesuit Memorial College, Port Harcourt, about developing entrepreneurial mindsets early during the hostel fund raising ceremony in memory of the 60 students of Jesuit College, Abuja, killed in the Sosoliso Air crash of 2005 in Port Harcourt… at the weekend

Okowa’s plan to reconstitute traditional rulers’council may trigger crisis Dominic Adewole ASABA

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he plan by the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to reconstitute the state’s traditional rulers’ council in the next one week, may have triggered acrimony among the monarchs.

Since the Chairman of the council, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwase II, died early this year

without completing his tenure, his deputy, the Obi of Owa Kingdom, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor, who hails from the governor’s place, has been acting in his capacity.

But as the governor continues to inject funds into critical areas of infrastructure across the state in fulfillment of his campaign promises, he disclosed at Owa-Oyibu in Ika axis of the state, his plan to reconstitute

Group flays redeployment of police officers in N’Delta Gabriel Efeduku Ughelli

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group, Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (FHRAC), yesterday described as suspicious, the massive redeployment of police officers from the Niger Delta region to the north, saying that Nigeria constitution never envisaged one region or ethnic group to dominate the others in terms of public governance.

In a statement yesterday

by its National President, Alaowei Cleric, the group described the mass transfer of such officers as an ethnic card allegedly being played by the government, noting that it is an abuse of constitutional democracy.

The statement reads in part; “The bare face insinuation by the Federal Government that the police officers in the region have compromised their positions to be working with militants is a ploy to pull wool over people's eyes."

the council for better performance.

While the governor was inaugurating the Abavo General Hospital, its access road and palace road, he commended the monarchs and explained that the reconstitution would improve on the well-being of the people of the state, but the proposal did not go down well with some members of the council.

Despite that he said; “My administration has

resolved to place the interest of Delta people above all other interests, this is our driving force and we are working together as a team to deliver all these projects. We will continue to do our best for Delta people to deliver democratic dividends; all we need is your support and prayers. This is just the beginning of good things to come for Delta; I know we will do more as the economy improves."

Accord Party to Obaseki: Clear your name before EFCC Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

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he leadership of Accord Party yesterday challenged the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 10 governorship election in Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, asking him to explain his role in the alleged N5.5 billion fraudulent deal involving a real estate development

company, where he is believed to be holding a substantial share.

Accord Party National Secretary, Dr. Samson Isibor, said yesterday that there was a petition on the floor of the lower chamber of the National Assembly, seeking an investigation of the APC candidate in the matter.

Isibor said Obaseki’s earlier explanation was ‘shallow’ and asked the APC candidate to come out to clear his name.

News|north

monDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Grazing policy’ll compound farmers, herders’ crisis – Lawmaker Musa Pam Jos

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he member representing Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon. Timothy Golu, has advised the Federal Government against the proposed grazing policy in Plateau State, saying implementing such policy will further compound the crisis between farmers and herders in the state and make nonsense of the fragile peace being enjoyed currently.

The lawmaker spoke in Jos at the weekend while advising that government should allowed individuals buy land for their businesses.

He said: “We are against grazing reserves or ranches, because it will further compound the crisis of farmers and herders and make nonsense of the fragile peace in the state. The federal and state governments should not regulate agriculture, but should deregulate it like the oil sector for market and human forces to be independent players.”

According to him, it is selective when government dabbles into such economic activity to empower some people at the expense of others, advising the Federal Government to give agriculture loans to people who are into such businesses.

Ortom: We’ll ensure strict enforcement of grazing law Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

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enue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday reaffirmed the resolve of his administration to ensure strict enforcement of the expected state Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, when the bill is passed by the House of Assembly.

Governor Ortom gave the assurance at the thanksgiving service in honour of the member representing Buruku State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Ngunan Addingi, which took place at Kusuv Community Secondary

School, Buruku.

He said the decision of the state government to enact a law prohibiting open grazing of cattle was borne out of the commitment of his administration to end frequent invasion of the state by herdsmen, which leaves scores of people dead.

The governor said agriculture remains the biggest industry in the state and that available land could not accommodate farming and cattle grazing at the same time.

He expressed optimism that though things are difficult at the moment, when the people invest more in agriculture and trust in God, the current situation will become a thing of the past.

Ilorin

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he Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressives Union (IEDPU) yesterday asked the Kwara State government to prioritise the payment of teachers’ salaries above the execution of capital projects.

The union, which is the umbrella organ for Ilorin indigenes, pleaded with Governor AbdulFattah Ahmed, to ‘personally show concern’ over the plight of workers in the state, some of who have allegedly not been paid for 10 months.

Zacchaeus Ozovehe Lokoja

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hairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) in Kogi State, Taufiq Isa, has condemned in strong terms, those accusing the state government of procuring and

National President of IEDPU, Alhaji AbdulHamid Adi, who addressed newsmen in Ilorin, the state capital, said the union was concerned that government owes workers at the state’s College of Education, Ilorin, eight months’ salaries, their counterparts at Oro, nine months while those at the College of Arabic and Islamic Studies, are owed 10 months salaries.

But the state government in its response, disagreed with the position of the union, saying that while it recognises IEDPU as a stakeholder in the state, its position

over the salary crisis do not reflect the reality on ground.

The government said it has commenced the process of remedying the situation with the payment of five months’ arrears at the College of Arabic and Islamic Studies, while N50 million has been released to the Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, last week, while the N17m balance will be released this week.

IEDPU urged the government to put on hold capital projects, especially, non-revenue yielding ones, to enable it clear salary arrears of teachers at all levels.

distributing Ford Jeeps and Hilux vans to the administrators and secretaries of local government councils in the state with workers’ salaries.

The chairman said those who went to town with the falsehood never

care to find out the true position of the purchase made by the state, adding that the vehicles were rather collected and guaranteed on loan from the company by the government.

Isa in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media

15.38%

The percentage contribution of Non-Import VAT to total collection for 2015 Q3.

Source: Firs.gov.ng

N150.79bn The total revenue of 2015 Government Quarterly Collection from Non-Import VAT for the 2015 Q3.

Source: Firs.gov.ng

Police ex-convict, 11 others arrested for impersonation Nankpah Bwakan BAUCHI

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32-year-old man in Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State has hanged himself on a tree behind his house.

The spokesman of

the Bauchi State Police Command, Haruna Mohammed, in a statement confirmed the incident.

He said the deceased was rushed to the hospital but was certified dead by a doctor.

According to the statement, “On June 19, 2016, at about 11.05am, one

Scavengers at a refuse dump near City Rock Hotel, Marraba Road in Nasarawa …at the weekend.

PHOTO: NAN

Group to Kwara gov: Prioritise teachers’salaries over projects Biodun Oyeleye

The governor lauded Addingi as a reliable representative of the people and urged her to continue doing the things that could uplift the state.

Earlier, Addingi thanked God for elevating her to the

current position she occupies and pledged to maintain the attributes that earned her the trust of the people of Buruku.

Speaking on behalf of the Speaker and members of the Benue State House of Assembly, Leader of the House, Hon. Benjamin Adanyi, said the cordial relationship between the legislature and the executive arm of government in the state will continue to yield positive results.

41

Cletus Paulus, male, (32) of Kijim village in Bogoro Local Government Area, was seen hanged with rope on top of a tree behind his house. He is believed to have committed suicide.”

The statement added that; “Police detectives attached to Bogoro Division visited the scene, photographed the victim and rushed him to the General Hospital, Bogoro, were he was certified dead by a medical doctor.”

He said that the corpse had been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy, adding that the case was under investigation to ascertain the actual cause of his death.

Similarly, police detectives attached to Soro Division in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, at the weekend, arrested Rabiu Bello, 32, of Dirya village in Soro town of Ganjuwa Local Government, Bauchi State, for alleged cattle rustling.

Abubakar flags off distribution of 30,000 bags of assorted foodstuffs Nankpah Bwakan BAUCHI

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auchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday flagged off the distribution of 30, 000 bags of assorted food stuff items to the less-privileged in the state.

While flagging off the distribution of the food items at the State Emergency Management Agency store in Bauchi, Governor Abubakar said the state government procured 10 trailers rice, 20 trailers of millet and five trailers of sugar for distribution to the downtrod-

den and the poor in the society to alleviate their current suffering.

According to him, 15 trailers of maize were sent

by President Muhammadu Buhari, for distribution to the people of the state, adding that more were still being expected.

He said the gesture was in fulfillment of his recent promise to the people of the state when the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, extended a similar gesture to the state.

Abubakar called on the people to see the difficulty they are currently passing through as a test, which is

Kogi ALGON denies buying vehicles from workers’ salaries and Strategy, Abubakar Sule Hussain, said the allegations are baseless and a deliberate attempt by the enemies of the state to turn the people’s attention from the good work embarked upon by the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello.

He also berated those behind the accusation as trying to pull down the efforts of the government in providing easy vehicular movement for the newly appointed administrators and their members.

“It is a known fact that

not peculiar to the state but is throughout the country.

He said: “I call on the people of Bauchi to know that the difficulty they are currently facing is a test that is not only in the state, but is throughout the country. As humans and leaders, it has become necessary to sympathise with those under us who are less-privileged.”

The governor asked the distributors to ensure transparency in the distribution of the food items, adding that he has removed the distribution from politicians and government appointees and gave the assignment to neutral people.

the governor in his magnanimity and kind gesture, asked the immediate past local government chairmen to go with their official vehicles, considering their mobility problems, especially with the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.”

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WORLD \ NEWS

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

UK post-Brexit opposition crisis deepens

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string of Labour shadow cabinet members have quit, with more walkouts expected, in protest at Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership over the EU referendum.

Among those to resign are Heidi Alexander, Lucy Powell and Ian Murray. It comes after shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn was sacked after he told Mr. Corbyn he had lost confidence in him. Mr. Corbyn faces a vote of no confidence following a “lacklustre” EU campaign but shadow chancellor John McDonnell said

he “wasn’t going anywhere”.

Mr. McDonnell and shadow cabinet members Andy Burnham, Diane Abbott and Emily Thornberry have given Mr. Corbyn their support despite the resignations.

The series of shadow cabinet walkouts began yesterday morning, hours after Mr. Benn was sacked by the Labour leader. Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Vernon Coaker has said he is considering his position.

The Labour Party campaigned for Remain during the referendum, which saw

the UK voting to leave the EU by 52 percent to 48 percent Thursday.

But Mr. Corbyn - who has been a long-standing critic of the EU and who is regarded as the most Eurosceptic Labour leader in years - was accused by some in his party of not making the case for the EU forcefully enough.

As a result, a motion of no confidence against Mr. Corbyn has been submitted by Labour MPs Dame Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey - and it is expected to consider at the next meet of Labour MPs on

Monday. A secret ballot could be held the following day.

Meanwhile, union members on Labour’s National Executive are to call for unity and have said they will support Mr. Corbyn’s leadership.

Sources close to Mr. Corbyn said he would stand again in the event of any leadership election - while Mr. McDonnell said he would chair his

campaign again. And about 180,000 people have signed an online petition backing the Labour leader, who was elected last September in a landslide victory.

Speaking on Sunday’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr. Benn who has ruled out any Labour leadership bid - said Mr. Corbyn “is a good and decent man but he is not a leader”.

African migrants force their way into Spain’s Melilla enclave

A

bout 30 people forced their way into Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla yesterday, a local government official said, one of few successful attempts to storm the border so far this year following increased patrols and security.

Spain has two enclaves in Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla, and migrants from all over Africa regularly try to reach them, by climbing the triple barriers that separate them from Morocco or swimming along the coastline.

After thousands of migrants crossed from Africa to the enclave in 2014 and 2015, Spain last year stepped up security at the Melilla border. Although there is no official data, just a few dozen are believed to have made it so far in 2016.

The migrants chanted “victory, victory” as they arrived at the short-stay immigrant center, where they usually stop for a few weeks before they seek to reach continental Spain and either stay there or travel throughout Europe.

Vatican hits back at Turkey for calling Pope ‘crusader’

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Flooded West Virginia

Obama declares West Virginia disaster zone

U

S President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in the state of West Virginia, where the worst floods in more than a century have left at least 24 people dead.

Mr. Obama ordered federal aid for three of the worst affected counties following a request

by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Residents will now receive grants for temporary housing and repairs. More than 30,000 homes and businesses are without power. Heavy rain Thursday turned rivers and streams into torrents, cutting off several towns. The floods are the worst in a century in some areas and hundreds of people have had to be rescued.

President Obama “ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides”, a White House statement said. Mr. Tomblin said the federal help included medical support and housing to Kanawha, Greenbrier and Nicholas counties.

Officials were still assessing the damage in other areas and additional requests for aid could follow, he added.West Virginia received a quarter of its annual rainfall in a single day, the US National Weather Service said.

A storm system dumped up to 10 inches (250mm) of rain on parts of the state, causing rivers and streams to overflow.

More than 100 homes were destroyed, some of them torn from their foundations and carried away, and an estimated 32,000 residences were still without power.

Teams removed people from upper-floor windows, tops of trees and cars. Among those rescued were a 97-year-old woman and a family of five including an infant, officials said.

About 500 people were trapped in a shopping centre as crews scrambled to build a new gravel road to reach them. Meanwhile, officials continued to try to reach others stranded in devastated areas. States of emergency have been declared in 44 of the state’s 55 counties, and up to 500 soldiers have been authorised to assist in the rescue operations.

Somalia: Tributes to minister killed in al-Shabab hotel attack

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ributes have been paid to a Somali minister who was among those killed in an attack by the Islamist group al-Shabab on a popular hotel in Mogadishu.

Militants detonated a car bomb outside the Naso-Hablod hotel, before storming it and taking hostages Saturday. The UN envoy in Somalia described Environment Minister Buri Mohamed Hamza as “passionate advocate”.

He was among at least 15 people killed at the hotel. AlShabab launches frequent attacks in a bid to oust the UNbacked government. It is not clear how the minister died.

But witnesses said the militants

shot randomly at guests in the hotel, often used by politicians and tourists.

A gun battle then erupted between Somali forces and the attackers. Michael Keating, the UN special representative in Somalia, condemned the “atrocious attack”. “The death of minister Hamza is very saddening. He was a passionate advocate for Somalia’s natural environment and was fighting against its degradation,” he said.

Tributes were also paid by Somalia’s foreign ministry.

Among the dead were also some of the attackers, security guards and civilians, including women who were working out-

side the hotel, officials said. Police said at least four men were involved in the assault.

Al-Shabab said it targeted the hotel “frequented by the apostate government members”, Reuters news agency reported. Earlier this month at least 10 people were killed and 50 injured in an attack on another hotel in the Somali capital, which was claimed by al-Shabab. The al-Qaeda-linked group was driven from Mogadishu in 2011 but still remains a threat and frequently carries out attacks in the city. The government, with the help of African Union forces, is fighting al-Shabab militants in several parts of the country.

he Vatican hit back yesterday at Turkey’s depiction of Pope Francis as having a “crusader mentality” after he used the word genocide to describe the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago.

“The pope is on no crusade.

He is not trying to organize wars or build walls but he wants to build bridges,” spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told reporters. “He has not said a word against the Turkish people.”

Addressing Armenia’s president, the government and diplomats on Friday, Francis departed from his prepared text to use the word “genocide”, a description that infuriated Turkey when he first used it a year

ago. Turkey’s deputy prime minister Nurettin Canikli said on Saturday it was “very unfortunate” the pope had used the word, adding: “It is unfortunately possible to see all the reflections and traces of crusader mentality in the actions of the papacy and the pope.”

Francis first used the word last year in a ceremony at the Vatican. An infuriated Turkey responded by recalling its ambassador to the Vatican and keeping him away for 10 months.

The word appeared again in a joint declaration signed at the end of the trip by the pope and the head of the Armenian Church, using the same phrase that riled Turkey last year.

EU referendum: UK’s EU commissioner, Lord Hill, to resign

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he UK’s European Commissioner Lord Hill is to stand down, saying “what is done cannot be undone” after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

He said he did not believe it was right for him to carry on with his work as the commissioner in charge of financial services. But he will stay on for a period of weeks to ensure an “orderly handover”. A close ally of Prime Minister David Cameron, Lord Hill had argued for the UK to remain in the EU. He will be replaced by Latvian politician Valdis Dombrovskis, currently European Commissioner for the euro.

Asked whether the UK would be sending anyone to Brussels to take Lord Hill’s place on the Commission, Downing Street said: “It will be for the next prime minister to decide, following discussions with

European partners, what role the UK plays in the European Commission, given we remain a full member of the EU until we have left.”

Lord Hill’s announcement comes as EU foreign ministers urged Britain to hold speedy talks on leaving the bloc, after it voted to end its membership on Thursday. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was not in favour of pushing for a hasty withdrawal, adding there was “no need to be particularly nasty in any way” in the negotiations with Britain about its exit.

In another development, Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would be seeking “immediate discussions” with Brussels to “protect Scotland’s place in the EU” following the socalled Brexit vote. Ms Sturgeon has said a new Scottish independence referendum is “highly likely”.

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MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Sport News

Sport : b o j s e l Eag Adekunle Salami

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here was a major twist in the Nigeria Football Federation’s search for a new coach for the Super Eagles at the weekend following the outcome of the Russia 2018 draw that took place on Friday in Cairo, Egypt.

Nigeria was drawn to play in group B along with Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia in what many pundits have described as a tough section.

New Telegraph can reveal authoritatively that the tough challenge ahead of the team has made the NFF to rule out the idea of engaging an indigenous coach for the Eagles.

Reliable sources informed our correspondent that the football body immediately after the draw decided that the Eagles will not be handled by a Nigerian coach, not even the interim manager, Salisu Yusuf.

“This is a tough group. The NFF wants to qualify especially because we missed out on the 2017 Nations Cup ticket and so the very best is what the federation is going for. The coach is coming from abroad.

No one will be comfortable with an indigenous coach against Algeria and Cameroon,” our source revealed.

It was also learnt that the federation was closing in on a sponsor for the salaries of the would-be coach of the Eagles this week.

Blame ministry for Team Nigeria poor outing –Opuana

Charles Ogundiya Reporting live

Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

International

June 22-26

Griezmann double sinks Ireland

45

Tough World Cup draw edges out Salisu NFF to name coach in seven days Kaduna to host Zambia

The financial situation at the NFF has been the reason behind the delay in engaging a substantive coach for the Eagles and so barring any delay or disappointments from the sponsors, the officials are expected to finalise on a new

coach this week.

“A new coach will be named in seven days. The final word from the sponsors is important during the week but whichever way, a foreign manager will handle the team because the task at hand is huge,” our

Joshua knocks out Breazeale in 7th Round A

Adekunle Salami

44

nthony Joshua defended his IBF heavyweight title for the first time with a seventhround knockout of Dominic Breazeale in London.

The unbeaten American was incredibly game, standing up to some brutal assaults by the champion, who now has 17 knockouts from as many fights.

But after Breazeale was floored for a second time in the seventh round, the referee waved the fight off. Joshua's mandatory challenger is New Zealand's Joseph Parker.

Fellow Briton David Price is another viable option.

Joshua, who won

Breazeale took a lot of punches from Joshua

Olympic super-heavyweight gold at London 2012, told Sky Sports: "It's been tough.

"I only had two weeks off after my last fight and got straight back in the gym. I can have a nice little break for once and come back with recharged batteries."

The 6ft 7in Breazeale held a height and weight advantage over Joshua and was unbeaten in 17 pro fights, although he had fought nobody of note.

source added.

New Telegraph also scooped exclusively that the federation had penciled down the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna as the venue for the home match against Zambia in the qualifying series.

Salisu

Joshua (left) continued his march towards more heavyweight glamour clashes by beating Breazeale on Saturday night

Joshua (right) and Breazeale

In his previous contest, he had been knocked down

by Amir Mansour and was well behind on the scorecards when the 43-year-old was forced to retire with breathing problems.

The opening round did not produce much in the way of action, although Breazeale was stiffened by a sharp left hook, which did not bode well.

He was in all sorts of trouble in the second, sent reeling by a huge right hand and just managing to make it through to the end of the round.

But in the third, Breazeale demonstrated he was nothing if not game, firing back when Joshua appeared to have him where he wanted on the ropes.

The challenger was on unsteady legs again in the fifth after Joshua landed with a vicious left hook and the challenger finally fell under a fusillade of punches in the seventh.

Breazeale clambered to his feet but was down again a few seconds later, persuading the referee to call a halt to proceedings.

Onazi, Ideye sure of Russia 2018 ticket

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44

SPORT NEWS

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

CAA 20th African Senior Championship

Blame ministry for Team Nigeria's poor outing – Opuana to send the athletes for the numbers he could afford competition. their tickets. The truth Charles Ogundiya He said: “Ogba went out is we need the right DURBAN of his ways to sponsored people to manage sports as many athletes as he in Nigeria, the Sector is could to Durban, from the down in the country bene of the coaches US and Nigeria. cause we don’t have the with the country’s “The numbers of ath- right set of people mancontingents at the letes in Durban were the aging it.” just concluded CAA 20th African Senior Athletics Championships in Durban, South Africa, Gabriel Opuana, has called on Nigerians to hold the ministry of sports, responsible for Team Nigeria’s poor showing in the tournament.

Nigeria finished at the competition, as the team missed out in some major events that fetched the country more medals at the last championships in Morocco.

Speaking exclusively to New Telegraph, the USbased athletics coach said it was difficult raising a team to represent the country in Durban due to lack of funds.

“Honestly, I will want Oduduru (left) you to ask from those that matters at the sports ministry why we are in this situation,” he said.

“The sports ministry was aware of the competition since the beginning of the year. For them not to have released funds to send the athletes to Durt was end of but with lack of championship, the ban, then something is an era for funds and proper country represenwrong.

Team Nige- preparation, it tatives competed “The ministry should ria at the just was a tourna- in five events winexplain to Nigerians the concluded CAA ment to forget ning silver in shot problem. For the first time 20th African for the country as put women, high in so many years, Nigeria Senior Athletic they lost in some jump women and was poorly represented Championships of the events won the 4x400m relay at the African Champion- in Durban, two years ago in women while also ships.”

South Africa, as Morocco. Nige- winning bronze The throw coach ap- the country fin- ria finished sec- medals in shot put plauded the president of ished third with ond in 2014 with women and 400m the Athletic Federation of four gold, five eight gold, nine hurdles for womNigeria, Solomon Ogba, silver and seven silver and seven en. for making sure the coun- bronze medals. bronze medals. try was not disgraced by The expectaOn the fiusing his personal money tion was high nal day of the

O

...Nigeria finishes third as championships end

I

Wikki lose as Pillars trounce Abia Warriors 5-0

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igeria league leaders Wikki Tourists fell 2-0 at Plateau United as Kano Pillars bounced back in style with a 5-0 spanking of visiting Abia Warriors.

Wikki though still top the league standings on 41 points from 24 matches as Pillars moved into second place on 39 points.

In Sunday’s other matches, Shooting Stars were held to a 2-2 draw at home by FC IfeanyiUbah, Nasarawa United pipped Niger Tornadoes 1-0 and Sunshine Stars stopped MFM 2-0.

In the battle of the brothers, Joshua Obaje’s Plateau United proved the better team in Jos against Wikki, who paraded his younger brother, Godwin Obaje.

Pillars skipper Rabiu Ali grabbed a brace with Razaq Adegbite, Bala Zakka and Nafiu Kabuga also on target against Abia Warriors.

Abdulrahman Bashir was the match winner for Nasarawa United at the expense of Tor nadoes in the first half.

NPLF Results Shooting

2-2

Ifeanyiubah

Sunshine

2-0

MFM

Pillars

5-0

Abia

Plateau Utd

2-0

Wikki

Nasarawa

1-0

Tornadoes

Rangers

2-1

Wolves

El-Kanemi

1-0

Lobi

Heartland

2-0

Akwa Utd

Moses, Melissa win CBN tennis open Ajibade Olusesan

T

he 38th edition of the Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Open Tennis Championship ended with Michael Moses and Russia based Melissa Ifidzen emerging as champions of the men and women singles categories respectively.

In the men’s singles category, last year’s runners-up Michael Moses defeated Sylvester Emmanuel 6-4, 1-6, and 6-3 in the final decided at the centre court of the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos.

He also got N700,000 star prize cash award attached to the trophies.

In the women’s singles category, the defending champion and tournament no. 2 seed, Ifidzen, proved that she was not yet ready to release her crown when she defeated last year’s runners-up and tournament top seed, Christy Agugbom 6-3, 6-2 to retain her title.

She also pocketed the N700,000 prize money that goes

with the trophy. It was indeed a sweet and fulfilled 38th CBN senior tournament for Ifidzen who also paired with Sarah Adegoke to win the women’s Doubles trophy by beating the pair of Christy Agugbom (her women’s Singles victim) and Blessing Samuel 6-0, 6-2 in the final decided soon after the women’s singles final.

The final men’s doubles title went to 2013 champions, Abdulmumuni Babalola and Shehu Lawal who rediscovered their winning formula by defeating the pair of Michael Moses and Christian Paul in the final.

Declaring the event closed, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who was represented by the Director at Capacity Development department, Mrs. Chizoba Mojekwu, gave kudos to the players especially the finalists who recently graduated to the senior ranks for displaying exceptional skills.

League All Stars for La Liga pre-season tourney

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n All Stars cast of the Nigeria Professional Football League players will embark on an international friendly tour of Spain as part of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the League Management Company and the Spanish Football League, La Liga.

Chairman of the LMC, Shehu Dikko, announced the firming of the plans for the tour after a meeting in Abuja on Friday with LaLiga Africa Representative, Antonio Barradas. He said the NPFL All Stars selected side would play in the Carranza & LaLiga World Tournament and also against Valencia CF. For the Carranza and LaLiga World Tournament, the NPFL All Stars will play Malaga CF on August 12 and 13 but before then,

will play their first game in Spain against Valencia CF on August 10.

“The NPFL All Stars team will be made up of the best players in the league this season and it will offer them the opportunity of showcasing their abilities and possibly secure offers from any European club as the match will be broadcast live on some European television channels”, Dikko stated.

The Ramon de Carranza Trophy is a pre-season tournament organised by Cadiz CF in memory of its former President, Ramon de Carranza. It has been played since 1955 and is rated one of the prestigious summer tournaments in Spain alongside the Teresa Herrera Trophy. Sevilla CF won the inaugural edition in 1955 while Atletico Madrid are the defending champions.

Kano Pillars emerge DSTV Basketball League champions Defeat Customs 71-52 Emmanuel Tobi

K

ano Pillars Basketball Club on Saturday emerged

L-R: Chioma Afe, Marketing Manager, DStv; Tijjani Umar President of the Nigeria Basketball Federation and Tayo Orewemen, Liaison Officer, National Stadium, Surulere Lagos presenting the winners trophy to the Captain of Kano Pillars during the Final of 2016 DStv Premier Basketball League in Lagos on Saturday.

champions of the DSTV Basketball League after defeating Customs Basketball Club of Lagos 71-53 at the Indoor Hall

of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

It was Pillars' 7th national title as they made a dramatic comeback netting 21 points game with two minutes and 36 seconds left in the last quar ter to emerge champions.

E a rl i e r, R ive r s H o o p e r s defeated Kwara Falcons 5957 to win the third place final.

Abubakar Usman of Pillars deservedly named the MVP of the finals as he also won the Best 3-point and finals highest scorer award.

The Fair play award went t o Kw a r a Fa l c o n s, wh i l e highest rebounder award was claimed by Wildred Romeo.

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

A

ntoine Griezmann scored twice as France overcame an early setback to beat 10man Republic of Ireland 2-1 and reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 on home soil.

Martin O'Neill's side made a remarkable start at the Stade de Lyon, taking the lead on two minutes after Paul Pogba fouled Shane Long in the box and Robbie Brady - the goalscoring hero in the decisive Group E win over Italy netted the subsequent penalty.

But the hosts stirred into life and netted twice in three minutes after the break as Griezmann planted a 58th-minute header beyond Darren Randolph before coolly slotting a second.

It was a cruel double blow for the Irish, whose task was made near-impossible when Shane Duffy saw red for a foul on the irrepressible Griezmann as he raced through on goal.

France pushed to inflict further damage on their numerically disadvantaged opponents and saw substitute Andre-Pierre Gignac hit the crosbar, but Ireland battled manfully to keep the deficit to one.

Didier Deschamps' men will now meet the winners of England's match with Iceland on Monday, but will do so without N'Golo Kante and Adil Rami after the pair were booked and incurred suspensions.

An unchanged Ireland might still have had memories of the last meeting with France on their minds, when Thierry Henry's handball led to William Gallas' extra-time winner in a 2010 World Cup qualifying play-off contest.

Griezmann's double sinks Ireland EURO 2016 RESULTS France

2-1

Ireland

Germany

3-0

Slovakia

Switzerland

4-5

Poland (P)

Wales

1-0

N.Ireland

0-1

Portugal

Croatia

C

45

Serena not under pressure to win at Wimbledon

S

erena Williams insists she doesn't feel under pressure to retain the Wimbledon title and finally end her long wait to win a 22nd Grand Slam crown.

When Williams left the All England Club after defeating Garbine Muguruza in the final 12 months ago, she held all four major titles and was on the verge of a historic calendar Grand Slam.

But the world number one's bid for tennis immortality crumbled when she suffered a shock defeat against Italy's Roberta Vinci in the US Open semi-finals.

Since then the 34-year-old American has looked scarred by her loss in New York and also burdened by the expectation she will equal Steffi Graf's Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles.

Williams stumbled in the Australian and French Open finals this year and, if she fails to retain the Wimbledon trophy in two weeks' time, she will be left without a single Grand Slam in her possession.

TODAY FIXTURE Italy

vs

Spain 5pm

England

vs

Iceland 8pm

Hodgson pays tribute as Rooney set to break record

Spain better than Italy – Frabregas

helsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is convinced Spain will beat Italy in the last 16 of Euro 16.

Defeat to Croatia via a last minute winning strike from Ivan Periši meant that Spain conceded top spot in Group D, subsequently setting up a much more difficult tie in the knockout round.

Their opponents, Italy, have looked accomplished so far in France. Strong defensively and brilliantly organised, Conte’s side defeated Belgium and Sweden before losing to the Republic of Ireland after making wholesale changes to

INTERNATIONAL SPORT

the starting line-up.

Fabregas, who has started every match so far for Vicente del Bosque’s team, is convinced he and his Spanish team-mates will overcome the Italian challenge because they ‘have bigger balls’, seriously: ‘We’re going to win because we’ve got more balls and bigger balls than the Italians,’ Cesc told Spanish outlet AS. ‘We’ve always had evenly matched games against Italy, bar the final in 2012 when we played extraordinarily. We need to contain their qualities, and they have a lot of them.’

E

ngland boss Roy Hodgson has paid tribute to Wayne Rooney, as the Three Lions captain is set to become the country’s mostcapped outfield player.

The Manchester United star picked up his 114th cap when he came on as a substitute in Monday’s game with Slovakia at Euro 2016.

And should Rooney return

Hodgson

I've Zika Virus – Bailey Cole

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Fabregas (left)

to the starting line-up for Monday’s clash with Iceland in Nice, he will surpass David Beckham’s record to add to his other honour as England’s record goalscorer.

Rooney is set to earn his 115th cap to usurp David Beckham and become England's most-capped outfield player "It's a fantastic achievement and I'm really pleased to see Wayne getting so much credit for his performances," said Hodgson.

"If people are thinking that he's not playing well enough, that's up to them to have that opinion but as far as I was concerned, he is our captain and I believe in him as a player and I believe in him as a person.

eigning Commonwealth 100m champion Kemar Bailey-Cole claims he has been diagnosed with the Zika virus.

The Jamaican, 24, says he only learned of his condition after his girlfriend found a bump on his neck.

"I didn't know I had the virus and I have been training with it for three days now," he told the Jamaica Gleaner.

Fears over Zika, which is linked to serious birth defects, have led to several golfers, including Rory McIlroy, withdrawing from Rio 2016.

The mosquito-borne virus has been declared a global pub-

lic health emergency by the World Health Organization, although the body has said there is no need to move or postpone the Games.

The outbreak began in Brazil a year ago, but now more than 60 countries and territories have been affected.

Bailey-Cole who also won Olympic 4x100m gold alongside Usain Bolt at London 2012, said his girlfriend noticed the bump on his neck after he had a haircut.

"I was experiencing back pains and muscle soreness, but I thought it was just soreness from the exercises I was doing," the sprinter said.

Serena

Zola: Brexit could lead to players staying away from EPL

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ianfranco Zola is concerned about the effect Great Britain's historic 'Brexit' could have on the Premier League, as he predicted top European players may now stay away.

The former Napoli and Chelsea idol spent seven years at Stamford Bridge, and also managed in the top flight with West Ham. But as the result of Thursday's historic vote sank in, he warned that the Premier League would no longer be such an attraction for players from other nations.

"It is inevitable it will affect the football world," the Italian told Goal .

"It will be more difficult to come and play here for a lot of footballers and it could cause problems taking into account that clubs from other countries now may have a slight advantage."

Zola

46

RUSSIA 2018 WORLD CUP DRAW

SPORTS

MONDAY, JUNE 27 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

Onazi, Ideye sure of Russia 2018 ticket …despite tough draw, Eagles are confident

Adekunle Salami

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uper Eagles players are surprisingly confident of picking a ticket to the next World Cup in Russia despite a tough draw handed to Nigeria on Friday in Cairo, Egypt.

The players are optimistic that Nigeria have all it takes to secure a third back-to-back World Cup ticket by emerging tops in Group B which has Algeria, Zambia and Cameroon.

Lazio of Italy midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, said with good planning, Nigeria would qualify from the group many perceived to be very tough.

Onazi said, "This is not a bad draw. I believe the Super Eagles are equal to the task.

"All we need to do now is to start planning from this very moment. We have to get our coach in place and give him, whether white or black, a very conducive environment to work.

“I am confident that by the grace of God we will qualify.

We will give our 100% in every game and try to win whether home or away. Every match must be taken as a matter of life and death.”

Olympiacos of Greece striker Brown Ideye who only recently staged a comeback to the team and also scored a goal in the friendly encounter against Luxemburg stressed that the Eagles would take all matches seriously to grab the ticket.

He said: “Tough groups like the type we have found ourselves are to be expected. To get to the World Cup, we cannot cut corners or relax or take things for

granted. The World Cup is the biggest football stage where you meet the best of the best, so getting there will be tough.

“Now, we have to be prepared to work hard. If we work hard together as a team we will win matches and if we win our games we will qualify.”

Monaco defender, Elderson Echiejile, however admitted that the Eagles were drawn in a tough group and much work would be required to scale the hurdles.

“It is not an easy group, I must say, but we have all what it takes to finish top of that group and I believe we can. We have to start preparing (put everything in proper place).

It is never too early to start preparing for such matches.

We are the Super Eagles,” Echiejile said.

Another defender, William Troos-Ekong of A.A.A Gent of Belgium, also said the draw was tough but the Eagles would scale through.

“I think it’s a tough draw, but I never imagined we were going to get any easy opponents on the way to 2018 World Cup. I believe that we can do it. If we can put everything in place structurally for all members of staff and players to focus on just the games, together with the support of our nation we will be successful,” he said.

Eagles’ first game in the series is an away game against Zambia on October 3. This will be followed by two consecutive home matches against Algeria on November 7 and against Cameroon next year on August 28, 2017.

Nigeria, Cameroon, no threat to Algeria – Feghouli Emmanuel Tobi

C

aptain of Algeria national team, Sofiane Feghouli, has declared that the Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon cannot stand as obstacles in their quest to qualify for the third straight World Cup in Russia.

Feghouli said that despite being paired in the ‘The Group of Death’ alongside Nigeria, Cameroon and Zambia for the qualifiers, the Desert Warriors would pick the sole ticket in Group B when the series begins in October.

“We are in a difficult group but with the people of Algeria totally behind us, and or quality and commitment, we have all the chances of clinching a historic third successive World Cup ticket,” said the former Valencia star.

Four-time World Cup finalists Algeria begin their qualifying campaign on October 3 at home against Cameroon.

Feghouli

Onazi (right)

Kalusha: Zambia'll shock Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria Emmanuel Tobi

F

ORMER Zambia captain and ex-President of the Football Association of Zambia Kalusha Bwalya has stated that the Chipolopolo will defeat both Nigeria and Camerron during the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers which starts in October.

With only the group winner making it to Russia, Kalusha said there was no need to shudder as Zambia has the ability to beat any

of the teams in the group.

“Chipolopolo have had the better of Cameroon and Nigeria in the past.

“Algeria always give us some sleepless nights.

I have confidence in the group of the players and let’s see what happens.

Anything can happen in this group.

“Teams will get points off each other but our players should believe in themselves. It’s tough but it can be done. The bigger the names of the opponents,

the better Zambia plays,” Kalusha said.

He called for early preparations in the race to make it to Russia as well as putting everything in place ahead of the first two games (at home to Nigeria and then away to Cameroon).

He said Zambia just had to get good results and set the pace in the first two games as this would give the Chipolopolo a good chance as any team in the group.

It’s a difficult group, Nigeria needs a miracle to qualify –Babangida E says Cameroon coach

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ameroon coach, Hugo Broos has described the 2018 World Cup qualifying draw which pitched Cameroon against Nigeria, Algeria and Zambia as a difficult pairing.

Cameroon would be seeking for a record of eight World Cup ticket since their debut at the 1982 edition in Spain.

“This is the group of

death and it’s a very difficult group, especially with a team like Algeria, you also have Zambia and Nigeria, three very good teams,” Broos told CAF website.

“It will be very difficult for each team in the group.

“We will see what happens on the opening days in in October and November,” he added. Babangida

x-Nigeria star Tijjani Babangida has fired a damning verdict on the country’s World Cup chances saying the Super Eagles will need a miracle to be at Russia 2018 because they are not ready for the challenge.

Babangida featured at the 1998 World Cup and was recently a special assistant to former Nigeria coach Sunday Oliseh.

The former Ajax Amsterdam star added that while other teams were busy preparing hard for the 2018 World Cup qualifying series which begin

in October, Nigeria was yet to have a permanent coach.

"The worse happened already after we were not seeded,” he told Africanfootball.com.

"And now with Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia in our group, only a miracle could take us out of this group, let's be realistic even though we also know that anything is possible in football.

“Other nations are already 100 percent ready for the qualifiers, while we are still not certain who our coach will be."

SPORT

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH

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Pat Ekeji’s Corner patrick.ekeji@yahoo.com 08159364282 (sms only)

They served honourably:

Federation Presidents!

I

dedicate this week’s column to Tennis counterpart and this led to Players of Excel Education Centre, Port Harcourt... the Presidents of Sports Federa- various exposure opportunities for after winning the NNPC/Shell Cup for 2016 tions with whom I interfaced, our players in China. His era was especially in my capacity, first as nothing else than Nigeria’s golden Director Sports development and, era of Table Tennis. subsequently as DG National Sports Sports Federations are the “Field Commission, between 1995 and 2013, Operations’’ arm of sports admin18 years of service period. They all istration. They are responsible for served honourably. the day-to-day management in their Athletic Federation of Nigeria, individual sports. As quasi NonChief Solomon Ogba; Badminton Governmental Organizations, they Adekunle Salami of Nigeria Limited and Country Chair, Federation of Nigeria,. Justice Dan- are expected to add value to their Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie lami Samchi; Nigeria Basketball assignments by seeking ways and former international, Mike Obiku, Okunbor, was among the dignitaries that Federation, Alhaji Tijani Umar; Ni- means to improve the performances believes that the sponsorship of witnessed the final match between Excel geria Amateur Boxing Federation, of athletes in their individual fedtwo outstanding players from the and FOLSA on June 16.

Gen Kenneth Minimah; Nigeria erations through seeking additional last edition of NNPC/Shell Cup football the General Manager of Shell PetroChess Federation, DCP Sanni Mo- sources of support in cash or kind competition is the best decision taken in leum, Igo Weli, stressed that the company hammed; Nigeria Cricket Federa- or both. They are repeatedly under the 18-year history of the event. was proud of its sponsorship of this comtion, Mr. Kwesi Sagoe; Nigeria Darts financial stress and yet are expected Excel Education Centre, Port Harcourt petition.

Federation, Mr. Billy Akinsola; Deaf to produce results by winning lau- won this year’s edition of the NNPC/ “We are always happy because it is Sports Federation of Nigeria, Alhaji. rels! All through my duty tour, it was Shell Cup with a 3-2 victory over FOSLA about football development and it is about Usman Ahmad Nahuche; Nigeria a very huge challenge to distribute Academy, Abuja. The final took place at giving hope to various talented youths all Fives Federation, Muhammed Bala available funds to the Federations the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere. over the country. We decided to strengthShagari; Nigeria Gymnastics Fedequitably not to talk of near The prize money is a total of en the competition with the partnership eration, Folusho Adeyemi; Nigeria adequately whether for their N8.2million – N3.5m for the 1st position; launched in 2014 with Feyenoord RotterHandball Federation, Alhaji Yusuf short, medium or long term N2.3m for the 2nd position; N1.3m and dam’s Youth Academy, one of the most Dauda; Nigeria Judo Federation. programs. The situation to- N1.1 for the 3rd and the 4th positions re- successful youth academies in the world, Alhaji Isa M Matori; Karate Fedday is even more challenging spectively. to bring world-class coaching and player eration of Nigeria, Nathaniel given the nose dive of our Kelvin Amadi of Excel school and Jo- development expertise to Nigeria. So far, It was a Ojo Taiwo; Para-Soccer Fedand our curren- seph Ejeh of FOLSA were selected by the this event has been great for us. very huge economy eration of Nigeria, Dr. (Mrs.) cy. The fact was and still coaching crew from Feyenoord Academy, “This competition has had success in Halima Nyako; Nigeria Table- challenge to is that the annual bud- as the two best players of the 2016 tourna- reducing the number of school boys who Tennis Federation, Hon. Wahab appropriation for ment and would be sponsored for a train- have abandoned their education in purdistribute getary Kayode Omotoshe; sports programs is simply ing tour to The Netherlands. suit of a football career,” Weli said.

Nigeria Taekwondo Federanot enough to enable the Obiku in a special review of the compeThe NNPC/Shell Cup is a social investavailable tion, Chief Jonathan Nnaji; NiNSC, now FMY&S, to play tition stated that Amadi and Ejeh would ed initiative that was initiated in 1998 by geria Tennis Federation, Sani funds to the its role adequately. benefit from the trip to Holland.

Shell Petroleum Development Company Ndanusa; Traditional Sports I had evoked and still “That move is a big one from the spon- and its joint venture partners. Over the Federations Federation of Nigeria, Alhaji call for engagement discus- sors. I congratulate the two players picked years it has grown and created a platform Mohammed Abdullahi; Nigeria Vol- sions on the subject of better models of for training and I am certain they will be for the discovery of new football talents leyball Federation, Habu Ahmed funding the sports sector, and I reiter- back better in Nigeria. from across secondary schools in the Gumel; Nigeria Weightlifting Federa- ate that sports development can only “If we are able to have more time with remote areas of the 36 states in Nigeria. tion, Chimdi Obioma Ejiogu; Nigeria be lifted by enacting what I describe as them there is hope that this trip could It has also become a veritable feedstock Wrestling Federation, Chief Augustine “stimulus policies” and indeed there is bring positive change to their careers be- for the Nigerian U-17 team and national Edeze; Paralympic Committee, Mon- no other way out than that. The noise cause we are going to make them see and team. day O Emoghavwe (MON); Nigeria from uninformed critiques of our understand football in a different way.

Over the past 18 years, a number of Cycling Federation, Alhaji Moham- sports administration and its man"Foundation is very essential in every- players discovered during the NNPC/ med Sheriff; Nigeria Golf Federation, agement that “Government should thing and that foundation is what the two Shell Cup have gone on to have highPrince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Nigeria “hands-off” funding sports and float boys will benefit from.” profile careers in football. These inHockey Federation, Patrick Ukah fnim; it in the manner of the Naira to the His Feyenoord Rotterdam colleague clude: Onyekachi Okoronkwo, Joseph Rowing and Sailing Federation of Ni- dictates of the economic principle of who was also in Lagos for the competition Eyimofe, Ambrose Vanzekin, Chinedu geria, FBI Porbeni; Rugby Federation supply-and-demand - of the dollar- is that ended June 16, Gido Vader, stressed Ogbuke, Precious Monye, Femi Opof Nigeria, Richard Ajayi; Nigeria not only crass display of ignorance that NNPC /Shell had done well for foot- abunmi.

Scrabble Federation, Chief Toke Aka; and poverty of knowledge of WIN- ball in Nigeria.

The championship has been so successShooting Sports Federation of Nige- NING, especially in sports, it is rather Vader said: “This competition is close ful that it is now a permanent fixture in ria, Brig Gen JGS Hamakin; Nigeria a pretense to and playing to the gallery. to 20 years and it is getting better. I know the Nigeria School Sports calendar earnSwimming Federation, Babatunde These “arm-chair experts” have yet to some people get scholarships, the win- ing the nickname ‘’All Nigeria Secondary Fatayi-Williams; and Squash Racket define the strategy with which sports ning school was given money to develop Schools Football Championship.”

Federation of Nigeria, Femi Ajagbe. development can be assured of sus- facilities and Pre-2007, I remember Presidents tained funding from corporate Nigeria. now two players Cephas Lar, Mrs Nwokedi (Badminton Governments, world over, that have are travelling for and Weightlifting Federations respec- had the political courage to “float” sports training. tively), as among the highest achiever to free market economy in their countries “Maybe the Presidents of the All Africa Games in have not fought shy of enacting appropri- sponsor can 2003. Coach Isaac Ikhuoria of boxing, ate policies that ensure the active partici- decide to sponI remember and salute you for your pation of Corporate Institutions. These sor the winning contributions to that success. Chuka governments were made to realize and team in future.

Momah, who handed over to Sani appreciate the fact that only they have the The competition Ndanusa in Tennis Federation, High legalandconstitutionalauthoritytocreate is getting bigger Chief Nnaji, Teakwondo; Chief Dan the ambience for corporate interest in the and better.”

Ngerem, Athletics Federation, you all funding of sports. We have a Minister in Over 700,000 played your roles creditably. charge of sports and we have committees students had parI make a special mention of Chief inourNationalAssemblywith“oversight” ticipated in the (Dr.) Cosmos Maduka for his long functions on sports, both working in tan- c h a m p i o n s h i p and productive service to the Nigeria dem can and should change the present since inception Table Tennis Federation (1998-2006). format of funding sports in our country. in 1998.

Essentially he subsidised the training If we desire WINNING always, governManaging Diprograms of various National Table ment must match it with the political will rector, Shell PeTennis Teams, built a productive re- that provides appropriate leverages to troleum Develop- Feyenoord soccer school representative, Mike Obiku, Communication Manager of Shell lationship with the Chinese Table administrators, mangers and athletes. ment Company Petroleum, Sola Abulu and Feyenoord Manager International Relations, Gido Vader.

Obiku, Vader hail NNPC/Shell over youth development

A

On Marble

It is always better to plant the seeds of love lavishly; even when some fall on rocky grounds, the few that fall on fertile grounds would rise to sustain us in seasons of needs

World Record

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NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

– Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 2016

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Macon Bolling Allen (August 4, 1816 – June 11, 1894) is believed to be both the first African American licensed lawyer to practice law and to hold a judicial position in the United States. Allen passed the bar exam in Maine in 1844 and became a Massachusetts Justice of the Peace in 1848.

Public arena T he column you write

The flexible exchange rate market Boniface Chizea

I

t is a now a matter for the records that on June 15, 2016 the Governor of the Central Bank finally rolled out the much talked about, much anticipated details on Nigeria’s flexible foreign exchange market. This was exactly 22days following the Monetary Policy Committee meeting which recommended the introduction of the new approach to the Central Bank in response to the continued lackluster growth performance of the Nigerian economy which for the first time in many years witnessed negative growth in the first quarter of the year 2016 with clear distinct possibility of similar performance in the subsequent quarter which would clearly signpost the onset of recession. It was generally felt that the contractions in the economy was largely due to the rigidity which the fixed peg exchange rate as it fostered uncertainty and shortchanged the economy of badly needed inflow of foreign exchange from autonomous sources not of course forgetting the delayed impact of the fiscal policy as a result of the unacceptable delay associated with the 2016 fiscal policy document.

One conclusion which has been generally shared by all concerned is that the period of wait was well worth it as the content reflected thorough and clear thinking on the part of the Central Bank assisted as a result of the widespread consultations which was with critical stakeholders to crystallize a consensus on the way forward. In addition there were a number of ground breaking innovations that underpinned the new approach. The Central Bank reported that the new system would operate as a single market structure via the Thomson-Reuters Order matching system as well as conversational Dealing Book. Please do not cause me to explain the details of what that means! The Bank itself announced that it shall introduce non-deliverable over-the-counter (OTC) Naira-settled Futures, with daily rates on the CBN-approved FMQD Trading and Reporting System which is an entirely new product in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market to help moderate volatility in the exchange rate by moving nonurgent foreign exchange demand from the spot to the Futures market.

Now what is clearly obvious is that there has been no one voice raised against the details of this new foreign exchange flexible management system from both within and outside the country which in itself is a major feat considering the extent of negative sentiments with which the peg exchange rate was received which resulted in the country being excluded from some importantly systematic indices overseas such as JP Morgan Index.

Even IMF weighed in with ringing endorsement heralding the new system as the cure all panacea.

As should be expected on such matters there are of course some reservations expressed to the effect that the introduction of the flexible approach is belated; that it should have been introduced probably about six months ago. Some of the com-

Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun

CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele

mentators from overseas in their shallow mindedness reported that Nigeria was for the first time introducing the flexible approach to foreign exchange rate determination despite the fact that the Central Bank in its presentation clearly indicated that it was re-introducing the Managed Float Exchange rate approach.

Continuing with the fault finding mentality the central Bank was labelled for indicating that it would operate by adopting Primary Dealership Concept. It was immediately argued that the Central Bank was introducing an oligopoly which will eventually result to price fixing! It has since been reported that the Central Bank being a listening and responsive organization has decided to postpone the Primary Dealership Concept till the end of the year as a result of this fear and the report that some banks as usual in their bid to gain market share have begun to demarket their counterparties who might not qualify to be so designated.

It is early days to begin to state categorically the likely full impact of this new system. So far what is discernible is that there is some unpredictability and uncertainly associated with the new approach which is as should be expected as all concerned are as it were learning the ropes to come to terms with the new approach. As was predicted by most of us commentators the new approach will lead to a devaluation of the Naira which is already clearly evident in two days in which the system had been in operation.

The value of the Naira had been in the middle to high 200 Naira range exactly above 250 Naira to the dollar compared to the peg rate of 198 and this is in spite of the fact that the Central Bank had to intervene massively as it attempts to keep fidelity to its promise to clear the backlog on trade arrears as well as delayed remittances. But also the parallel market has witnessed an appreciation as should be expected as the demand at the market

is bound to nose dive. But realistically if compatriots are not wont to take advantage most operators in economy have since prized their products and services at the prevalent parallel market rates and therefore the fear of price spike should be unfounded.

The Stock Market was in celebratory mood following the release of the new framework as all critical indices at the market in response witnessed some improvement in the positive direction. But it has since indicated some fluctuating performance which one should expect to firm up in the positive territory as the new approach takes firm root. It is expected that liquidity would improve at the market as foreign investors who had pulled their punches as they adopted a wait and see attitude of necessity commence doing business with the country even if realistically it should be expected that the return of such investors would be tentative as they test the water to be reassured of the definitive way forward.

There is also no gain saying the fact that some of the inherent measures included in the new system have clear possibility of on their own impacting positively on the liquidity of the market.

As observed by the central bank the introduction of the OTC FX Futures market will encourage end-users to spread out their demand for Spot FX deals as they are now able to lock down the exchange rates for future FX requirements and the envisaged increase of supply of US Dollars due to the OTC FX Futures offered by the CBN at the Spot TX market will cause the Spot FX rate to moderate and contribute directly to the liquidity situation of the market.

The stringent reporting requirements should secure the requirement for a transparent market. The guidelines require that all Foreign Exchange Primary Dealers (FXPDs) shall maintain such accounting and other records of their respective

activities at the inter-bank market as set forth by the CBN and other relevant regulatory authorities from time to time and render returns of trades executed with the CBN to the Bank. It is also envisaged that this open reporting would engender the requisite level of efficiency at the market as all manner of back hand and shady deals are eliminated and as professionalism is enthroned. As should be expected the likely effect of the new system on various stakeholders in the economy would be varied as there will be losers and winners.

It is expected that for Nigeria as a country lack of inflow of investments both by Foreign Direct Investors (FDIs) as well as Portfolio Investors (FPIs) which it has been alleged had been caused by uncertainty would be impacted positively for this is the major benefit attributable to this development. But as value of the Naira falls the country stands the stark possibility of losing its claim to the largest economy in Africa as the indices are impacted. As has been reported the recent development has already caused a drop in the rich club ranking of Aliko Dangote as his ranking fell 25 points in the Bloomberg Billionaires index.

The notional value of Naira accruable to all tiers of government is bound to increase which could impact positively on the fortunes of state governments that have not been able to make ends meet to be able to fulfil their statutory obligations to their workers. This scenario is likely to impact some critical priority sectors such as the payment of school fees overseas negatively as the burden of the payment of school fees for those already studying overseas becomes onerous which would also result in the redirection of interest to educational institutions in the country as available admission position is pressured.

For the Central Bank what is not disputable is the fact that it has risen to the occasion coming out of all these smelling fine.

•Dr. Chizea wrote in from Lagos.

HIGH CHIEF

POLICE SERGEANT SHOT OVER STRUGGLE FOR RAMADAN RICE –News

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