Newtelegraph monday, september 28, 2015 binder1

Saraki: Kwara monarchs caution FG against persecution }2

States spend N150bn on ‘unviable’ airport projects

Study links plastic chemical to low birth weight }37

Wole Shadare

B

y the time airports in Bayelsa, Ekiti, Abia, Osun and Ogun states are completed; some states would have in-

vested over N150 billion on aerodromes that may not significantly improve their economies.

Some of them that have been inaugurated are currently unviable as they witness little traffic.

The Federal Government had disclosed plans to construct five domestic airports in the capital cities of Bayelsa, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa and Ogun states.

Virtually all the airports, including the one in

Abuja, run on generators, as they are not connected to the national grid.

Besides, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is said not to be comfortable with some of the projects that are

handed to them shortly after completion as it lacks enough manpower to man them.

A source told New Telegraph that most of the airports, including the one CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Sanctity Of Truth

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Monday, September 28, 2015

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Vol. 2 No. 586

APC can't stop my re-election, says Dickson }6

Governors battle opponents to retain seats }11

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@newtelegraph1 www.newtelegraphonline.com

APC: Military will meet Dec target to crush Boko Haram }5

N150

Odigie-Oyegun

Tribunal: Reprieve for Saraki over cabinet list

lOpponents shelve removal bid until after ministerial nominees’s clearance lRuling party summons emergency NWC meeting to resolve crises }2

L-R: Former United States President Bill Clinton; President Muhammadu Buhari and Sokoto State Governor, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, during the 70th UN General Assembly in New York…at the weekend.

We're set for NNPC looters' trial, says Buhari

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Tribunal: Reprieve for Saraki over cabinet list

Donald Ojogo, Onwuka Nzeshi and Chukwu David Abuja

O

pponent of the embattled Senate President Bukola Saraki have decided to slow down the plot to oust him following his ongoing trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for alleged false declaration of assets.

Senators whose group lost the Senate presidency to Saraki have been plotting his removal since the CCT filed a 13-count charge against him for false declaration of assets while he was governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011. The case is to resume on October 21.

However, New Telegraph gathered at the weekend that the antiSaraki senators had decided to give him a respite in order not to endanger the consideration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, which is expected to be released between tomorrow and Thursday.

There are fears in the Saraki’s opponents’ camp that the Senate president and his supporters who considered his trial political, might fight back by stalling the clearance of the ministerial nominees.

The president, who first dropped the hint that his cabinet list would be ready by end of September while on a trip to the United States in July, had reaffirmed his commitment to keep to his promise, irrespective of the fears that the list could be a casualty of the infighting among power blocs within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

A source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told the New Telegraph that the Senate would receive the ministerial list tomorrow or on Wednesday, stressing that Buhari would not want to fail in meeting the September deadline for the submission of the list.

The source called on Nigerians to disregard the speculation making the round that the Senate might postpone indefinitely its resumption date because of the crisis in the Senate.

He said: "You know many Nigerians like to peddle rumours once there is a matter on ground; while others feast so much on rumours and speculations too. In fact, rumour is almost like a profession in this country because there are people who specialise in it and derive a lot of pleasure from it.

"The President of the Senate is already in Abuja as we speak, and in my interactions with him since he came in, there has not been any single utterance from him portraying an intention to shift the resumption date. So, I can tell you that the Senate will resume on Tuesday as earlier scheduled.”

However, a source said the push for Saraki’s ouster by the Senator Ahmad Lawan-led Unity Forum would hamper the process of having the nominees screened and cleared expeditiously.

A member of the Unity Forum confided in New Telegraph that ‘the timing’ of any such move against Saraki has to be considered.

“Honestly, when we were telling Nigerians that this man cannot be our Senate president, the

whole country, especially the media, almost branded us undemocratic elements.

“Those of us who did not want him did so on grounds of morality and integrity as well as on political grounds- that such a man cannot lead us in the Senate.

“But here we are; the world has seen the entire scandal that is now ongoing. The most painful aspect of it is that some Nigerians either play politics with it or are even looking for scapegoats; that the man is being persecuted.

“Yes we are still resolute and firm in our decision to make him step aside, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing trial; but the issue we are looking at is that of timing.

“The timing of any such move has to be strategic so as not to create prob-

lems for us when the ministerial list gets to us. We don’t want to be distracted.

We don’t want a situation whereby our moves in the Senate against a single individual will draw us back or slow us down as regards the federal cabinet.

“If need be, Senator Saraki will preside over the process that will screen the ministerial nominees, but as soon as we are through with that stage, because we do not want Nigerians to say we are the ones stalling the process of having ministers, we will move against him,” the source said.

It was also learnt that in the new cabinet, former Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, may emerge the next foreign affairs minister.

“I think out of all those considered, it is only the

former governor of Ekiti that has an inkling of what ministry he would head.

It is possible the president has confided in him and from all indications, the man started his work when he went with the president to the United Nations’ General Assembly in New York, even though unofficially”, a presidency source said.

It was gathered that Fayemi led a team of Foreign Service experts to put together the president’s UN address.

Meanwhile, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, a former Sokoto State governor, at the weekend, dismissed reports of plots to remove Saraki.

Wamakko, in a telephone interview with New Telegraph, also described reports on plots by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to take

over the Senate as untrue.

He said senators were meeting to strengthen the Senate under Saraki, with a view to recovering the lost grounds on the legislative business under the APC government.

He added that unknown to many; Buhari had nothing to do with Saraki’s present ordeal, most especially his trial with the CCT. He said Buhari was concerned about the crisis in the National Assembly that has affected legislative business.

He said: “I see Mr. President, Saraki and senators holding a meeting very soon on how to salvage democracy which certain elements have been trying to subvert. They will find time to meet to stop our opponents from progressing with acts to sabotage CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

L-R: Emir of Gwanara, Alhaji Abdullahi Idris; Alofa of Iloffa, Oba Samuel Dada; Olusin of Isanlu Isin, Solomon Ilufemiloye; Olomu of Omo-Aran, Oba Charce Ibitoye; Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari; Senate President Bukola Saraki; Olofa of Offa, Oba Muhammad Muftah Esuwoye II; Emir of Kaima, Alhaji Sheu Mu'azu Umar; Etsu Tsaragi, Alhaji Abdullahi Ndakoto and Olosi of Osi, Oba Salihu Adasofegbe, during the traditional rulers' visit to Saraki in Ilorin…at the weekend.

Saraki: Kwara monarchs caution FG against persecution

lWe don't criminalise people, we support rule of law, says Labour Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

T

he Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council at the weekend advised the Federal Government and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) against politicising the war against corruption in Nigeria.

The royal fathers alleged that the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, over alleged false declaration of assets was assuming a curious dimension that smacked of persecution.

They also reminded President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians who voted for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last election, voted for change and not for harassment of perceived

political opponents.

These admonishments came as the Chairman, Kwara State Council of Traditional Rulers and Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, led top Kwara traditional rulers on a solidarity visit to Saraki in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Sulu-Gambari urged Nigerians to be wary of bad elements bent on dividing the country on account of political vendetta, stating that since nobody can claim perfection, the resort to hurling political enemies before the courts over spurious charges could be counterproductive.

He said: "We came here to join our son, Bukola Saraki, with whom we are much pleased.

"We are ready to sup-

port him. We are here to see him on the various constitutional challenges, we would not call them problems, may God not make them problems for us.

"It doesn't take long for a 10-year old child to realise that our dear son, our precious son is being persecuted. The politics of persecution is not the right change for Nigeria.

"We want changes, we want it to be clean. He who seeks equity must come with clean hands. If you want equity, you yourself must do equity. There is a situation where you must come with clean hands, there is situation where you must do equity to ask for equity.

"We know there are several stages of challenges before our leader (Saraki)

in Kwara State, such that nobody in Nigeria can ever be clean enough.

But do we want to upset the whole Nigeria community because we want beautiful change? Time and posterity will tell. But we want to appeal to men of goodwill that politics should not be with bitterness. Politics should be about the unity of this country."

The royal fathers appealed to the APC to regard their victory in the 2015 general elections as an act of God. Meanwhile, the National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has denied ever asking for the resignation of Saraki because of his trial by the CCT. Wabba told newsmen

in Abuja yesterday that the NLC believes in the rule of law.

He said: "The NLC believes in the rule of law and we believe that whatever is right should be done. By our laws, mere alleging that somebody has committed an offence doesn’t pronounced him guilty until a court of law says so. Hence, we can’t begin to make pronouncement and criminalise people because of mere allegation. I think what is right should be done rightly.

"We are championing the war against corruption, we also believe that we should follow due process in whatever we want to do. People should not be stampeded into making pronouncements on behalf of the NLC."

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

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NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

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APC: Military will meet Dec target to crush Boko Haram Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja

W

ith the successes recorded so far by the military against the Boko Haram insurgents, the All Progressives Congress (APC)

has given an assurance that the military would meet the three-month ultimatum given by President Muhammadu Buhari to wipe out the terrorists from the North-East.

The APC gave the assurance yesterday in a statement by its National

Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The party said the continued push to dislodge the terrorists from their fortress in Sambisa Forest and elsewhere, the dismantling of their major fuel depot and other logistics and the rescue

of many innocent people from the clutches of the terrorists are clear indications that the military has gained the upper hand against Boko Haram.

The APC stated that the mere fact that the terrorists are now surrendering in droves to the gallant

Anxiety over committee chairmanship as Reps resume Tuesday Philip Nyam Abuja

P

alpable tension has gripped most members of the House of Representatives over the impending announcement of committee chairmen and members by Speaker Yakubu Dogara as the lower chamber reconvenes tomorrow.

The House has been on recess since July 29 and barring any changes, will reopen on Tuesday.

Members are apprehensive as they await the speaker’s announcement of his choice of committee chairmen and their deputies.

New Telegraph reports that there has been intense lobby for committee leadership especially "juicy" committees such as House services, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), petroleum, gas, finance, appropriation, banking and currency and works.

Others are customs, justice, judiciary, environment, agriculture, industries, interior, foreign affairs, defence, police, army, pensions, and local content.

A member, who spoke to New Telegraph, said the speaker’s visit to New York witnessed a lot of lobbyists who thronged to the United States scheming to head one committee or the other.

"Many of our colleagues followed Mr. Speaker to the US to lobby for committees. Some of us are not bothered as to whether we get a committee or not but I can tell you to some lawmakers, it's a matter of life and death.

"I'm happy President Buhari is serious about his anti-corruption war.

At least those who believe this place (National Assembly) is an avenue to make money will be caught in the cobweb this time around," he said.

Our correspondent, however, gathered that Dogara may not announce committees’ leadership soon until the Standing Orders of the House are amended.

A member of the ad hoc committee set up by the speaker to streamline House standing rules and regulations told our correspondent in confidence

that constitution of committee leadership is dependent on the report of the committee "because we are expected to streamline the committees in line with the thinking of the new administration.”

A member of the selection committee confided in New Telegraph that the selection is working but it seems to be overwhelmed by the barrage of requests from lawmakers and par-

ty leaders.

According to a lawmaker, "the selection process may turn out to be another source of trouble for the House if not properly managed.

"We are praying every day that God should help the committee make a deliverance that will put a smile on the faces of lawmakers, but if they do otherwise, God help us."

Meanwhile, the House

has sought clarification from the Federal Ministry of Finance on the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Before proceeding on holidays, the House had set up an ad hoc committee headed by Hon. Ahman Pategi (APC, Kwara) to look into how the 2015 budget is being managed by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

troops of the Nigerian military is the clearest indication yet that the bandits are feeling the heat which has been turned on them.

Mohammed urged the troops to continue with their gallantry and patriotism until they have finally silenced the terror group that has caused the nation so much pain, stressing the need to step up intelligence gathering to stop the lone wolf suicide bombers.

Also, the party commended the Service Chiefs for their leadership, saying their personal examples – which have seen them on the battle front many times – have made all the difference in motivating their troops.

“The bigger picture of the impending Boko Haram defeat is the restoration of the much-vaunted capability of the Nigerian

military and its globallyacclaimed professionalism that have vaulted Nigeria to the elite group of top global peace-keeping nations.

“The sharp turnaround in the war against Boko Haram, which had hitherto seen the terrorists gaining territories and striking at times and places of their own choosing, is also an indication of what a nation can achieve under a purposeful, committed, disciplined and sincere leadership,” the party stated.

The party reiterated its appeal to Nigerians to continue to support and pray for the troops, many of whom are paying the supreme price in order to ensure the safety and security of all Nigerians and the stability, cohesion and unity of the country.

L-R: Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona; Senator Daisy Danjuma; Business Director, Globacom, Ogun State, Mr. Ayo Ogunranti and Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, at the celebration of Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu Ode…at the weekend.

States spend N150bn on ‘unviable’ airport projects CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

in Dutse, built by Jigawa State, are a big drain on the budget of the aviation agency, adding that there is no point building facilities that do not have direct impact on the people.

Presently, FAAN manages 22 airports nationwide.

Of the 22, only four, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Port-Harcourt International Airport and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, (MAKIA), are said to be commercially viable.

The others can barely sustain themselves.

The former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, spent N15.5 billion to build the airport in the state, which was inaugurated last October.

Lamido reportedly sourced funds to build the airport, standing on the arrangement that the Federal Government would

pay back once the project is completed.

Since the airport was inaugurated, no scheduled domestic flight operates there except for charter operations and during the airlifting of pilgrims for Hajj.

The MAKIA is a hub of aviation for the zone as virtually all the airlines operate to Kano, not Dutse, which is about one-and-ahalf hours from Kano by road.

According to experts, the Dutse airport is not viable as it does not generate enough revenue to pay workers maintaining the facilities.

There are also fears that the ongoing Bayelsa airport project may go the way of that of Dutse.

The Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, is said to be shopping for N40 billion-loan facility from commercial banks to complete the construction of its cargo airport project located near Amassoma in

Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.

Although the total cost of the airport project could not be ascertained, sources said the loan facility would attract a total interest of N32 billion to be serviced within eight years, bringing total repayment to N72 billion.

The governor had explained that the proposed project was designed for the largest cargo and commercial aircraft to land.

It is yet unknown how viable the aerodrome would be after construction, but the proximity of Port-Harcourt airport may affect the viability of the airport.

Amagwa, where the Port Harcourt airport is located, is about one hour drive to Yenagoa.

For the Asaba airport, the Delta State Government reportedly spent N27.7 billion on the project; Abia State is proposing N20 billion for an airport in Umuahia while Ekiti is

to spend about N17 billion on its own.

The cost for Kebbi airport is unknown. There are indications that it could be in the region of N20 billion, while that of Kogi could also gulp over N20 billion.

Speaking on the rate at which airports are being constructed by states, former President, Aviation Round Table (ART), Captain Dele Ore, said airports should be sited for commercial reasons after undergoing thorough study of viability.

He said: “Only very few airports are viable in Nigeria and what do we do about the ones that are unviable?”

Ore stated that some airports were sited for political reasons, adding that with that in mind, a governor that does not have one would try to gain political advantage by embarking on such projects.

He said the action calls for concern at a time some

state governments were unable to pay salaries.

“It only serves the interest of the politicians. Airports don’t cost peanuts.

That is why some of them will build only runway, some without control tower and after a while, they call on the Federal Government to come and take them over. They run these facilities on generators.

You can see the madness.”

Also, former Assistant Secretary General of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), Alhaji Mohammed Tukur, described airports proliferation as total corruption.

He said: “The people in that area don’t need it.

If you look at Bauchi airport, the airport has been in existence since 1979 and the former governor refurbished it. They built a very good airport in Dutse, but what is the purpose?

What is the interest of the citizens in it? They need to make it viable, if not, it will be a waste.”

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

APC can't stop my re-election, says Dickson Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

B

ayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not pose a threat to his re-election bid in the December 5 governorship election in the state.

The governor said this in an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the 2015 Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State at the weekend where he was special guest.

Dickson, who was in

company with ex-Bayelsa Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, said the APC had only engaged in mere propaganda against his administration in the run-up to the poll.

He urged people of the state and other Nigerians to discountenance the criticisms and allegations against his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by APC chieftains.

"For all of us in Bayelsa, we know there is no challenge, contest or threat of any kind. All you have heard or read about us is all propaganda. There is no APC in Bayelsa to

threaten us," he stated.

On the Ojude Oba festival, Dickson, who stated that his late mother hailed from Ijebu-Ode, commended the people for huge investment in promotion of cultural heritage.

The governor advised parents to always teach their children about culture and tradition, saying such would help in fostering development and nation-building.

His words: "I'm not here today for politics, I'm here to honour our father and also to celebrate with my friends here and others in the regberegbes, par-

ticularly my own group, the Jagunmolus, and all the people of our country from far and near.

"I am very delighted with the colourful cultural display that I have seen here today. This is what we have been preaching back then, we want our children to know about our tradition and culture and to make them know that our tradition still has dignity."

Also, the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, said the Ijebu people are proud of their roots and cultural heritage, adding

that they would not relent in making significant contributions to Nigeria's socio-economic and political development.

He challenged those holding political offices to fulfil their electoral promises and be accountable to the electorate.

The monarch said he expected the country to get back on track with the advent of a new administration headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: "I think we are now having a change. That change we look forward to and we are very optimistic will give a new foundation

to build Nigeria. And it is my hope that those who gave us promises would fulfil the promises, so that we can get out of the woods.

"Nigeria is a land of milk and honey; it's a land where people can prosper, it's a place that we can do better. I'm sure things would start to work better."

The Awujale also charged Governor Dickson to be honest and prudent with the resources of the state and pay special attention to the needs of its people.

Dignitaries at the event included the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga; former governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Senator Daisy Danjuma, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Hon. Kayode Amusan, and Hon. Adesegun Adekoya.

Others are Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; business mogul, Otunba Subomi Balogun; National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Waheed Odusile; state Head of Service, Mrs. Modupe Adekunle, and chairman of Globacom, Otunba Mike Adenuga, who was represented by the company's Business Director, Ayo Ogunranti.

L-R: Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi; his deputy, Mr. Kelechi Igwe and the deputy governor’s wife, Nnenna, at an church service to mark Nigeria's 55th independence and the 19th anniversary of the creation of the state in Abakaliki…yesterday.

We're set for NNPC APC summons emergency NWC meeting looters' trial, says Buhari CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

of our democracy.

“Once the President and the Senate leadership sit at a round table with a resolve to re-oil the wheels of democracy for national progress, the cynics, the political rabble-rousers and those who never mean well for the APC government will go to sleep.”

According to him, Saraki, having submitted himself to the law by appearing before the CCT, has helped the case preferred against him.

He appealed to critics stop pre-empting the cause of law.

He said the removal of Saraki as being canvassed by those he described as faceless groups outside the National Assembly, would not bode well for the Senate, democracy and Nigeria.

He said: “Majority of senators, weeks ago, passed a vote of confidence on Saraki because they were convinced that his style of leadership has been broad and progress inclined. Nothing has changed. Majority of our colleagues still believe that Saraki remains a stabilis-

ing factor in the Senate for now.

“A change of leadership, at this point in time, as being canvassed, will certainly spark some endless sessions of rancour, suspicion, crises and uncertainty among members. When such begins to happen, no one will be able to predict the end.”

However, the APC, in the face of its multiple crises, has summoned an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC) to resolve the disagreements in the party.

It was learnt that the meeting would, among others, examine the crisis of confidence among party leaders over the composition of the cabinet, for which some of them had complained of being sidelined; the controversial Bayelsa State governorship primaries and the Saraki trial.

Although, Buhari is currently in New York, United States where he is attending the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, it was gathered that he went along with the cabinet list

and would probably make some last-minute changes before sending it to the National Assembly.

New Telegraph learnt that the list was virtually ready before the president travelled, except for a few names whose background checks were yet to be completed by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, who is expected to submit the list to the Office of the Senate President, is also currently in New York as part of the presidential delegation to the UN meeting.

Enang, in a telephone interview with New Telegraph, expressed hope that the president would meet the deadline for the submission of the list to the legislature.

Findings showed that the APC the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had summoned the NWC meeting for today.

New Telegraph also learnt that the APC has been battling with how to resolve the alleged power

tussle between Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir elRufai, over who should be the right hand man of the president.

The party is not also certain how it should respond to the current travails of Saraki.

New Telegraph learnt that some APC chieftains are not comfortable with the insinuations that the trial of Saraki was an act of persecution masterminded by the party to unseat him.

A source who spoke to one of our correspondents on the multiple crises plaguing the party, alleged that there was also a rift among the National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the former Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, over the control of the party.

The crisis, the source said, had stalled the constitution of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party and holding of the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Anule Emmanuel Abuja

A

ll is set for the trial of those who looted the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday in New York that his administration had concluded all documentations of those involved in the looting to kick-start their prosecution.

But he was not specific on when the trial would start or the identities of those to be prosecuted.

The president, at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations, restated his determination to sanitise the oil industry and end corruption and shady deals in the oil industry.

He said that as a first step towards cleansing the oil industry, he had appointed a new management for the NNPC and had carried out subsequent reorganisation .

Buhari thanked Jinping for China's ongoing help in curbing crude oil

theft from Nigeria.

He applauded China's interception of shiploads of crude oil stolen from Nigeria, and which were to be sold and proceeds paid into private accounts.

"We know your stand on corruption, and we are grateful. Your continued cooperation in curbing oil theft from Nigeria will be appreciated,” Buhari told the Chinese leader.

He also assured Jinping that under its new leadership, the Nigerian military had been re-trained and re-equipped, and was now making steady gains against Boko Haram.

Jinping told Buhari that China, which is already involved in Nigeria in diverse areas like railway, airports, agriculture, and in the Mambilla Hydro-power project, among others, would increase its investment in the country's agricultural sector to support the achievement of domestic food security.

He also promised further Chinese investment in Nigeria's oil and gas industry and more support for human capital development in the country.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Kidnap cases still manageable, says Arase Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

T

he Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, yesterday said the rising cases of kidnapping in Nigeria are still manageable compared to the trends outside the country.

Arase, who spoke with reporters shortly after paying a condolence visit to the Awolowo family in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, said criminals would not

overwhelm Nigerians under his watch.

The IGP lamented that Nigerians tend to dwell more on negative aspects than the successes recorded so far on the menace.

It will be recalled that an elder statesman and former Minister of Finance, Chief Olu Falae, was recently abducted in Akure, Ondo State and rescued after spending four days in the hands of suspected kidnappers in Akure.

But Arase, who debunked claims that kid-

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napping was on the increase, however, assured that the police would do their best to stem the crime.

He said: “Let me debunk the impression that there has been tremendous increase in the issue of kidnapping in Nigeria.

Kidnapping has been there and we are doing our best to stem the tide.

“Comparative figure outside Nigeria shows that ours is still within manageable level. Whenever it happens, we are able to arrest them and

deal with them.

“Criminals can’t overwhelm Nigerians. Definitely, it will not happen under my watch and leadership.

“We should not get apprehensive about this. I can assure Nigerians that we are on top of the situation and will make sure that we have a secure environment.”

In his condolence, Arase described the late Chief (Mrs) HID Awolowo as a definition of everything that a woman is supposed to be.

Be your brother’s keeper, not kidnappers, says Kalu

T

he former Governor of Abia State and President Slok Group, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has called on Nigerians to see themselves as those that would fix Nigeria. He said Nigerians should stop looking for the marines and blaming their poltergeists for the perceived woes that have befallen the country for years.

In a statement issued by the Orji Uzor Kalu Media Centre, Abuja, and signed by Mrs. Rubby Obinna, Kalu said that he weeps for the country anytime he reminisces.

He urged Nigerians to tell each other the truth and earnestly stop moving on the wrong direction in the guise that they were right.

Kalu frowned at the lackadaisical attitude among Nigerians in the recent times, in their relationship with one another.

He reiterated that he was not happy with unfolding events in the country, especially with the kidnap of an elder statesman, Chief Olu Falae, who was

a former Minster.

Kalu described the conduct of those that abducted Falae as gross psychosis and folly behaviour gone too far.

He, however, praised Falae for his service to the country in different capacities.

Going memory lane, Kalu recalled that in the days of his childhood, things were not as bad, as they have become today.

He said that Nigerians were their brother’s keeper in those days, unlike today they’ve become their brother’s kidnapper.

He called for the diversification of the economy, owing to the heralded doomsday that awaits crude oil in the international market. He again called on Nigerians to recoil to their once family bond, where every member of the family leaned on each other like .

He added that Nigerian leaders should see politics as a means of developing the country and not a means for personal aggrandizement.

... Greets Oyedepo at 61 minent businessman proud of your commitment E and former Governor and dedication to a just and of Abia State, Dr. Orji fair society. You remain L-R: Chairman, Centre for 21st Century Issues/Co-author of the book titled: Lagos and the Struggle for Democratic Nigeria: Exploring Political and Socio-Economic Transition, Pa Alfred Ilenre; co-author and members of the Centre, Titilope Gbemisola Akosa; immediate past Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and Razak Olokooba, during the presentation of the book published by the Centre to the former governor in Lagos…recently.

Amosun returns from Hajj, to immortalise HID Kunle Olayeni Abeokuta

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gun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, yesterday said the state government will immortalise the late matriarch of Awolowo dynasty, Chief (Mrs) Hannah Idowun Dideolu Awolowo.

Amosun, who just returned from holy pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, paid a condolence visit to the Awolowo family in Ikenne-

Remo.

Speaking with reporters during his visit, the governor pointed out that Mama deserved the honour so that many generations yet unborn would know about her good deeds.

He said the deceased lived an eventful life and bequeathed enviable legacy to the state, adding that the state government would fully participate in her burial programme.

Amosun said: “Mama

was the last of the hegemony of human capital available to Ogun State and beyond; a good mother, a devoted, dedicated, supportive and loyal wife.

Certainly, the rank of our first generation mothers and wives has been finally depleted.

“We will participate fully. It is our show, though Mama transcends the shores of Ogun State and the Western Nigeria. Unarguably, Mama will be mourned all over Nigeria

for obvious reasons. But what can we say? As I said earlier, it must happen one day; it has happened.

It has pleased God to make Mama live this long.

“We are not happy that Mama has left us but we are celebrating her good legacies. It is end of an era, really. How many of Mama’s peers are still around? Papa Awolowo and his lieutenants have gone; all their wives too.

“Mama was not just another wife; she was that pillar behind the successes that Papa recorded.”

It’s hard to trace cause of Saudi stampede –Survivor Yekeen Nurudeen, Ibraheem Musa Makkah, Saudi Arabia

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ontrary to speculations that African pilgrims were responsible for the stampede that led to the death of over 1,000 pilgrims performing this year hajj last Thursday, a survivor of the incident has exonerated black African pilgrims from the blame.

Magaji Falalu Zarewa, a Phd student at the Islamic University in Madina, was an eye witness to the stampede that occurred along Jamrat road where pilgrims were on their way to perform symbolic stoning of the devil. He said a multiple of factors were responsible for the tragic incident.

He however said that the stampede was as a result of large number of

pilgrims, insufficient air, high temperature and a collision of pilgrims at a particular point.

His words: “The incident occurred around 9am on Thursday. There is a bridge that is known an Malik Abdul Azeez Bridge on your way to Jamrat. It stretches from Arafat to Muzdalifah and extends to where pilgrims used to stone Satan. The bridge has diversions and most pilgrims

use the bridge in order to get to the place. The crowd is usually very massive and ideally, the security agents should divert some pilgrims to other routes.

“The incident occurred close to the tents where Algerians where housed at Mina. Most pilgrims who performed the stoning of Satan rites were returning instead of moving on after the stoning.”

Kalu has described the General Overseer, Living Faith Church (Winner’s Chapel), Bishop David Oyedepo as an outstanding spiritual leader with a passion for humanity.

He acknowledged the role of the devoted servant of God in the sustenance of peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

In a goodwill message to Bishop Oyedepo, Kalu said, “I would like to congratulate you on your 61st birthday anniversary. You have impacted the society positively through the word of God. Nigerians are

a reference and rallying point for many irrespective of religious, political and economic divides. May God continue to enrich you in wisdom, knowledge and health.”

The former governor, who used the opportunity to commend religious leaders for their contributions to nation building, called on them to pray for the nation.

Kalu, while celebrating with the Oyedepo family, members of Winner’s chapel, prayed to God to grant the celebrant long life.

He wished the Bishop a fulfilling celebration.

Six die in Sokoto boat accident

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ix persons have been confirmed dead in a boat accident that occurred on Saturday in a river in Bengaji District of Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Confirming the deaths in a statement issued to newsmen in Sokoto yesterday, Alhaji Mika’ilu Sabo-Yabo, the Assistant Information Officer of the local government, said that the six persons died after the boat they were travelling in capsized.

According to the statement, four other passengers of the ill-fated boat survived with minor injuries.

The statement further explained that the boat broke into two while in mo-

tion before it capsized, killing six of the passengers, who were from Kissa, Gadara and Kalangu villages.

“Nobody can tell me what really happened as at now, but further investigations would reveal the real cause of the mishap. ``The deceased have since been buried according to Islamic rites, while the injured persons are responding to treatment at the hospital,`` the statement said.

The statement further said that the Overseer of the local government, Alhaji Ahmed Shehu, had since condoled with the families of the deceased and wished the injured persons quick recovery

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

8

Metro

Policeman killed my son, stole his N400,000 –Pastor CONTROVERSY The police claim that a notorious cult member was killed during a shootout, while the man’s parents say he was murdered by a sergeant for refusing to embrace cultism

Taiwo Jimoh

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ix days after the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni, disclosed that a notorious cult member, nicknamed Anarchy, was killed in gun duel with the police, the suspect’s father is now crying foul.

The father of the deceased, Pastor Olumide Balogun, alleged a police sergeant mowed down his son in cold blood.

But addressing journalists on Wednesday, Owoseni said that policemen killed one of the most notorious cult members, operating in the Bariga area of Lagos State.

He said: “Anarchy was killed on Tuesday at Bariga area during a gun duel with policemen. Anarchy’s group was about to engage a rival group in supremacy when scared residents suddenly put a distress call across to the police.”

According to Owoseni, police raced to the scene. On sighting the policemen, Anarchy and some members of his group, rather than take to their heels, engaged the policemen in a gun battle.

He added: “Anarchy had been on police wanted list for long. Police responded to a distress call at Bariga. Anarchy engaged policemen in a shootout. One of the cultists was arrested and weapon recovered.

Anarchy, however, suffered bullet injury and died on the way to the hospital.”

However, Balogun the said Anarchy was never a cult member.

ABIODUN BELLO FEATURES Editor

abiodun.bello@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

The Late Abiodun

Balogun gave his son’s name as Abiodun Balogun, 33. According to him, Abiodun was shot dead by a police sergeant identified as Adekan Adesola at Ilaje Bariga area of Lagos.

He said: “The sergeant trailed and shot my son at the spot where he went to collect Sallah ram from a politician in the community. I was in the church when I received the call that my son had been killed.”

The pastor said that Abiodun was a brick moulder and had never been known to belong to any cult group.

He added: “Since the day my son was shot, I have been to the Lagos State Command Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) cell to search for my son, but I could not find him. All I was given there was his case file.

“I learnt that the policeman that shot him took my son’s necklace and his N400,000. I want the Commissioner of Police to summon the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Bariga and probe the role played by the sergeant in the murder of my son.”

Balogun, who is also the secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Odiolowo, Mushin branch, said: “I raised my son in a godly way. If he belonged to cult a group, as a father, I would have known.

The policeman took away my

Mr Olumide Balogun

son’s money. Nigerians should not allow the sergeant that killed my son to go away with his corpse. They should give me my son’s corpse!”

When our correspondent visited Ajileye Street, where the Baloguns lived, sympathisers gathered at their home, mourning Abiodun.

Abiodun’s mother, Mrs Adenike Balogun, said: “The police sergeant is a cult member. He belonged to Eiye Confraternity. He wanted Abiodun

to join his group, but my son refused. Since then, he had been hunting my son.

“I was still with my son on Monday. We discussed how we would celebrate the Sallah. I didn’t know that evil was lurking. It was around 8am on that fateful day that someone called me. The person said that the sergeant had shot and killed Abiodun. The police are now spreading lies that my son was a cult member.”

Adenike claimed that ev-

eryone in the area knew that the police sergeant belonged to Eiye Confraternity. According to her, the sergeant had been shooting and killing rival group members, under the guise of policing.

Adenike said: “The sergeant had been shooting people and claiming they were cultists.

But Abiodun was not a cultist. They had been luring him to join them, but he refused. I don’t know the fate of my son presently. I have not been allowed to see him at the police division. I was barred from entering the police station to see my son.”

Workers and friends of the deceased at his block industry said that Abiodun was murdered in cold blood by the policeman.

Mrs Omowunmi Adebisi, a resident of the area, said: “The victim did not belong to any cult group. People that killed him, believed that killing him was the only way they could have access and control the whole community.”

Another resident, Taye, said: “Abiodun was never a cult member as claimed by the police. What we do is selling of sand and moulding of blocks at the shore of Lagos Lagoon at Bariga. To get to the root causes of the crisis in our community, the former Baale should be summoned by Owoseni, because he had used his boys to kill innocent people who are not in support of his style of government.

“What we are saying is that the police should give us Abiodun’s body for burial.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Joe Offor, said Abiodun was a wanted cult member.

The PPRO added that the suspect was shot dead during an exchange of gunfire.

He said the matter had been transferred to SARS, Ikeja, for further investigation.

Ogun to repair barracks’ road Dayo Ayeyemi

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gun State government has told the Nigerian Army that it would assist in rehabilitating the access roads within the 81 Base Ammunition Depot, Nyangoa Barracks, Lanfewa, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr Kayode Ademolake (an engineer), gave the assurance while hosting the Commanding Officer 81 Base Ammunition Depot, Nyangoa Barracks, Lanfewa, Abeokuta, Lt. Col. Ernest Christopher Ineme.

Ademolake also said the gov-

ernment would soon commence the rehabilitation of the Lanfewa–Aiyetoro Road.

He said the government would continue in its quest at making lives bearable for its citizens not minding the colour or race.

Ademolake said Governor Ibikunle Amosun had already given his nod for the commencement of the fencing of the barracks by the ministry.

The permanent secretary added that officials of his ministry would soon visit the barracks to assess the extent of the state of the bad roads with the aim of beginning the rehabilitation as soon as all necessary arrangements had been concluded.

He said: “I was planning to

come to Lanfewa along with the officials of the ministry to assess the bad state of the road with a view of rehabilitating it.

So, with your request it becomes 100 per cent obviously necessary to branch into your command and get the place restored by the special grace of God. The ministry is always ready to assist you in that direction.”

Earlier in his remarks, Ineme commended the governor for his giant strides in the area of road construction and other spheres of human endeavour.

The commanding officer noted that the massive construction of roads in the state had truly earned it the appellation of “Giant Construction Site.”

Metro

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

City Briefs Man held for armed robbery Charles Onyekwere ENUGU

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olice in Enugu State at the weekend arrested one Solomon Nnamdi Ugwuoke, who had been terrorising the state and its environs, for alleged armed robbery, car snatching and other criminal activities.

The 32-year-old suspect is a graduate of Accountancy and an acclaimed shoe dealer.

Ugwuoke, who hails from Nguru Nsukka area of the state, is married and has four children.

The suspect was earlier arrested by policemen attached to Nsukka Division for unlawful possession of firearms and was later arraigned in court.

He was said to have snatched a car at Agbani Nguru Nsukka on September 23.

The suspect disclosed that on that fateful day, he went to the victim’s residence with one Remy and laid an ambush at the gate for the victim.

According to him, as the victim approached to open his gate, they snatched his Toyota Highlander with registration number LND 405 DG model 2004 at gunpoint.

Ugwuoke added that after stealing the car, Remy asked him to take the stolen vehicle that night to a place called 33 near Onitsha, where his accomplice said he had contacted a buyer.

EXMAN holds Trustees’ Night tomorrow

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he Experential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN) will tomorrow hold a special dinner to fete and unveil its Board of Trustees.

EXMAN will also formally introduce the association and its newly inaugurated management team to stakeholders within the marketing communications industry at the Federal Palace Hotel.

The EXMAN President, Dr. Rotimi Olaniyan, said: “The Trustees’ Night will avail our new executive team to outline the association’s vision and strategic plan over the next two years in a bid to solicit collaboration and support from other sectoral groups within the marketing communications industry.”

Olaniyan disclosed that the strictlyby-invitation event would be attended by other heads of related sectoral groups.

Last July, the EXMAN elected a new executive to steer the course of the twoyear old association. The election, which held on the second day of the association’s second Annual General Meeting in Abeokuta, Ogun State, produced Olaniyan as the president, while Wole Olagundoye (vice president), Kayode Idowu (financial secretary), Abiodun Oshinibosi (publicity secretary) and Kehinde Salami (general secretary).

Driver arrested as five die in boat mishap Camillus Nnaji

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he driver of the ill-fated boat that claimed the lives of five persons on Ikorodu waterway on Saturday had been arrested.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said that the driver was not only inexperienced but was driving a faulty boat and also over speeding.

According to LASEMA, if the driver had been experienced, he would have been able to detect that the engine of the boat was faulty.

Five persons died after being rushed to Ikorodu General Hospital and Micai Hospital at Bayeku- Igbogbo, Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The General Manager, LASEMA, Michael Akindele, who confirmed the accident, said: “If not for the timely intervention of the local fishermen in Bayeku, the entire 20 passengers and two crew members would have all died.

“We got a distress call from Lagos State Command and Control Cen-

Boat mishap

tre on the mishap about 1:29pm on Saturday. Four of the victims were taken to Micai Hospital, Bayeku, three responded to treatment while one died. Seven others among those rescued were taken to Ikorodu General Hospital; four were confirmed dead, two were treated and discharged, while one of them is critical and receiving treatment.”

The GM said that 17 persons were rescued, while

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here was palpable tension in Ogijo area of Ogun State yesterday as some suspected cult members went on the rampage, terrorising residents after one of their members was allegedly killed by a rival group.

It was learnt that the clash between the two rival cult groups started on

five died.

He added: “The boat, being an enclosed boat, exacerbated the chances of the survivors. The driver has been arrested and is currently being questioned by Marine Police from Awolowo Road, Ikoyi.”

The boat was said to be from Oke Ira Nla Jetty, Eti-Osa Local Government Area, en route Bayeku-Igbogbo in Ikorodu.

Meanwhile, Lagos State

Government said it would embark on an aggressive campaign and enforcement of guidelines for commercial boat operators to reduce boat mishaps.

The Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Ms Abisola Kamson, gave this indication in a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos.

Kamson said that the new drive was in line with the commitment of the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to ensure that water transportation remained the most efficient and cost effective mode of transportation.

She said: “The Lagos State Government, in its drive to promote a multimodal transport system, especially the movement of passengers, goods and services on its waterways, will under no circumstances compromise safety standards and the protection of lives and property. As such, we restate our commitment to the promotion of safety measures and ensure that all operators comply with safety standards in line with global best practices.”

Police officers petition PSC over promotion

Mike Okiro, PSC chairman

Isioma Madike

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ome senior police officers who complained over the promotion of their juniors ahead of them a few months ago have petitioned the Police Service Commission (PSC) to address the anomaly.

In a letter signed by Oludare Falana Esq on behalf of Falana & Falana Chambers and dated September 22, 2015, the

officers complained that they were ‘fraudulently’ cheated out of promotion for no just reason.

Trouble started, according to them, sometimes in 2000, when the police organised an induction course for confirmed inspectors of police for six weeks.

They said that inspectors, who were not confirmed on the rank, were excluded in the exercise with an indication that they would participate in rank and file ASP promotion course that was to come up later that year.

At the time the course was organised, they said, the Police Service Commission was yet to be inaugurated by the President.

“After the six weeks induction was rounded off on the 30th June 2000, the officers who were the participants in that course were informed to hold on pending the inauguration of the Police Service Commission for ratification,

One killed, building burnt as cultists clash Taiwo Jimoh

9

Saturday night. But yesterday, one person was killed while at least a building was set ablaze.

Members of one of the cult groups were said to have set the Oluwo of Ogijo’s palace on fire, after they heard that his son was among those who killed their colleague.

Traders and shop owners were said to have locked up hurriedly to avoid been

caught in the cross fire.

OPMESA Joint Task Force of police and soldiers, were deployed to the area to prevent further break down of laws and order.

When contacted, the Ogun State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP Muyiwa Adejobi, could not confirm the story as at the time of filling in this report.

which also applies to all commissioned ranks in the police.

“Thereafter, to our utter dismay, when the President eventually inaugurated the Police Service Commission, the list containing our names was not forwarded to the commission for ratification.

“Rather our names were brought out in a departmental selection board (DSB) promotion, a promotion not based on educational qualification or training, thus surreptitiously making it appear that there was no induction course at all in order to pave the way for the course 20/2000 officers to become our seniors in police ranking.

“Every effort to draw this to the attention of the police authorities was often thwarted by ‘interested persons’.

“However, the former Inspector General of Police, Mr Ogbonna Onovo, on the prompting of former IGP Musiliu Smith, set up a panel to look into this allegation un-

der the Chairmanship of CP Samson Wuda (rtd).

“When the fraud was uncovered, he consequently wrote to the commission to correct the anomaly. Furthermore, when Mr Parry Osayande (DIG rtd) became the chairman of the Police Service Commission, the complaint was laid bare before him and the commission at a plenary arrived at a decision that we should be given the promotion date of 1st of January 2008, while the officers who were disqualified from writing the induction course with us should be given promotion date of 1st of March, 2008.

“This was in order to reflect that we are the seniors in terms of ranking, which had been the position of things till about August 2015.”

The Falana chambers where the petitioned was channelled, said their clients were willing to shed more light on the issue with supporting documents, if necessary.

52-year-old shoemaker commits suicide Babatope Okeowo Akure

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52-year-old man, Tope Ogunmodede, has reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself in Lafe area of Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Ogunmodede, a known shoemaker around the Lafe area of the town, reportedly committed suicide in what family sources said was due to frustration. He was said to be suffering from mental illness.

A neighbour said the family of the late Ogunmodede had reportedly been battling with his health challenges for over 30 years.

The source said Ogunmodede supposed to go for his routine medical check-up last Thursday but had to wait till Monday because of the Eid-el-Kabir holiday.

The deceased, who had been staying in the same house with the mother because of his health challenge, was left at home alone on the day he committed suicide.

10 News

NATIONAL

Islamic leaders must speak up on Boko Haram, says cleric lWe play politics with everything - Osinbajo

Anule Emmanuel Abuja

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atholic Bishop of Kafanchan, Bishop Joseph Bagobiri, yesterday, challenged Islamic leaders in the country to stand up in strong condemnation of perpetrators of the evil called ‘insecurity’ if Nigeria must remain one indivisible nation.

Bagobiri stated this when he delivered a sermon at the 55th independence anniversary interdenominational church service on the theme,

‘making Nigeria function as a family: panacea to healthy national integration’ which held in Abuja.

Delivering the homily, Bagobiri said the scriptures read from the books of II Chronicles 7:1-14 and I Corinthians 12:12-30 during the service were all pointed to the image of Nigeria as a family.

He explained that despite the country’s diversity which creates the perceived divide, Nigeria has been able to survive several predictions of her disintegration.

According to him:

SPDC JV sponsors three Nigerian universities to Shell Eco-marathon

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tudents of three Nigerian universities have built cars they will race at the Shell Eco-marathon, Africa (SEMA) in South Africa on October 2 - 4, thanks to the sponsorship of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) Joint Venture.

The students of University of Lagos, University of Benin and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, collectively known as Team Nigeria, will join 40 teams from four countries to test the energy efficiency of their cars at the Zwartkops Raceway, near Pretoria. The event will be hosted by the School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Johannesburg.

The Shell Eco-marathon competition challenges

“We need Nigeria first before the other contending things that citizens continue to fight for. Take Nigeria away and we will not do the fighting we are doing today”.

“Those who are perpetrating these evils belong to the house hold of Islam, and the house hold of Islam should rise up and cut the excesses of their own members.

He added: “If there was a Christian militia group in Nigeria today, it is we who will be the first, the Church leaders to confront this militia and say it is not in consonance with the teaching of Jesus Christ, we shall not hide them.”

The Clergy, who lamented that insecurity

students in different continents (America, Europe, Asia and Africa) to build and race energy-efficient cars, and rewards those that travel farthest with the least amount of fuel.

“The sponsorship of the students opens an exciting phase in our long-standing support for education in Nigeria,” said Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director SPDC and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria.

“In addition to awarding scholarships, building schools and donating science equipment, we’re challenging the leaders of tomorrow to begin to think about, and act on the difficult energy choices facing a rapidly increasing world population.”

has continued to kill innocent Nigerians, accused those perpetrating such acts as not working in the interest of the country.

“What we should struggle and make sacrosanct is the survival of our nation which is bigger than everything.” We need Nigeria first before the other contending needs that we are fighting for, relating this to Prophet Jeremiah in the Bible. That this is the only way to promote national cohesion.

He urged the Federal Government not to abandon the report the just concluded National Conference, which he noted would remain useful in resolving some of the major problems of the country.

Bishop Bagobiri also cautioned President Buhari to ensure the war

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

against corruption was pursued with a just mind and not with an approach of witch hunt.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in his remark at the event admitted that Nigeria has been long sharply divided along tribal and religious lines.

“Our nation is sharply divided and has been divided for long. Our nation is divided along religious divide, is divided along tribal lines but the word of God says in Mathew 12: 35 that a kingdom divided against itself shall be left dissolute, it also says a city that is divided within itself cannot stand. It does not matter whether that is a nation or a city” “The moment we are divided among ourselves, we cannot stand” he added.

He said Muslim and Christian leaders must understand that the current insecurity cannot be tackled if division among citizens is allowed to continue.

Buhari congratulates Fasanmi at 90 Anule Emmanuel ABUJA

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resident Muhammadu Buhari felicitated with Pa Ayo Fasanmi on the occasion of his 90th birthday, today.

President Buhari in a statement yesterday by his special adviser on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, joined Pa Fasanmi’s family, friends and kinsmen in celebrating the elder statesman’s longevity in the service of his community, region and country.

The statement reads: “On the joyous occasion of Pa Fasanmi’s 90th birthday, President Buhari applauds his uncommon and exemplary life of steadfast commitment to progressive ideals.”

Dangote to inaugurate Tanzanian cement plant frica’s foremost ce- ceremony for the Tanza- CJN, PCA mourn Saudi stampede victims, Jega, Alkali A ment manufacturer, nian Cement plant was vision. huge loss to the judiciary the growth of the court.

Dangote Cement is set to held on May 27, 2013, Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu (left), condoling with Sen. Nkechi Nwaogu, during the burial ceremony of her husband, late Sir Roland Nwaogu, at his country home in Osisioma LGA…at the weekend.

commission its new 3.0 million metric tonnes per annum cement plant located in Mtwara District of Tanzania on October 10, 2015.

The company will also hold the ground breaking ceremony for 25 hectares of Jetty land at Mgao village in Mtwara District the same day.

The commissioning of the new cement plant which is part of the company’s Africa expansion strategy will be the fourth in the series after Ethiopia, Zambia and Cameroun. Cement plants due for commissioning this year are located in Senegal and South Africa, while construction works are ongoing in several other African countries.

The groundbreaking

and within 24 months, the plant is ready for commissioning. With the plant in operation, Tanzania is on its way to become one of the African countries that are self-sufficient in cement production.

Governments and distinguished Africans are commending the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, for his massive investments across Africa.

Adesina Wahab ADO-EKITI

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kiti State Governor, Mr Ayo Fayose, has commended the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, for restoring professionalism in the Nigeria Police.

Tunde Oyesina ABUJA

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he Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa yesterday expressed shock over the death of the Presiding Justice of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, Justice Abdul Kadir Jega and Justice Musa Hassan Alkali of Ilorin Di-

The two jurists were among Nigerians who died during the stampede last Thursday in Mina, Saudi Arabia while in the Holy Land to perform pilgrimage.

The CJN in a condolence message to their families noted that it was with a deep sense of shock but with gratitude to Almighty Allah that he learnt of the death of the jurists.

Justice Mohammed said the death of the revered jurists is not just a

but Nigeria in entirety, adding that both men of the bench have contributed immensely to the development of the nation’s jurisprudence.

In her condolence message to the families of the deceased, Justice Bulkachuwa described their sudden passage as a huge loss to not only the judiciary, Nigeria, and most particularly the Court of Appeal and as a whole.

She added that the duo contributed immensely to

Fayose lauds Arase for professionalism in police The governor said Arase has been able to do this by separating politics from policing.

He spoke in Ado-Ekiti when the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 8, AIG Tanko Lawal, paid

him a visit at the Governor’s Office.

A statement yesterday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, quoted the governor as saying that his administration would give maximum

support to the police for the maintenance of peace and order in the State.

Governor Fayose described the IGP Arase as a son of the soil and commended him for standing up for Ekiti during her try-

According to her, the two late Justices had never been found wanting in the discharge of their responsibilities, describing them as highly principled on the Bench.

Justices Bulkachuwa on behalf of the Justices and entire staff of Court of Appeal prayed Almighty Allah to grant the souls of the departed jurists Aljannah Firdausi and the families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

ing period.

The governor, who said Ekiti now enjoys peace in all ramifications, tasked the police to be alive to their responsibilities, added that the police could achieve this by detaching themselves from politics while doing their job.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Guber polls

Imo

No foes for Tambuwal, el-Rufai, Ganduje, Bello, Badaru, Bindow

Ihedioha takes battle to Supreme Court

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Election tribunal

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Victories for Ambode, Ayade, Ortom, Ugwuanyi, Yari, others

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Politics For over four months, legal fireworks have been raging in various Governorship Election Petition Tribunals over the outcome of the April 11 polls in the 29 states where gubernatorial elections were held.

In seven states, governorship candidates conceded defeat and opted out of litigation.

But, no fewer than 22 state governors have been dragged to the tribunals by their opponents in the elections. Already, judgements have been delivered affirming the electoral victories of seven governors while legal fireworks are ongoing in various tribunals. New Telegraph’s correspondents report on the ongoing governorship legal battles

Rivers: Petition at pre-hearing stage The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in the Abuja High Court, Apo, is arguably the busiest in terms of the number of witnesses, appeals and minor procedural rulings to guide the tribunal to serve justice.

The major petitioner is the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Dakuku Peterside and his party.

They are challenging the election that produced Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Besides the Peterside and APC petition, four other petitioners had filed petitions challenging Wike’s

AYODELE OJO

DEPUTY Editor, POLITICS ayodele.ojo@newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Govs battle opponents to retain seats

Wike

Peterside

Amosun

Isiaka

election. Such petitions were filed

by Tonye Princewill of the Labour Party, Charles Pirinye Harry of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Rev. Munibim Harry of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and one by Kemka Stanley Elenmwu.

The tribunal had dismissed four of the petitions on ground that they were defective and that some grounds of the petitions did not comply with Section 138(1)(a) to (5) of the Electoral Act. Having dismissed four petitions, the tribunal is, however, left with that of Peterside and his party.

Proceedings at the Rivers tribunal have really not been moving on smoothly. The tribunal is still at the pre-hearing stage. It has taken witnesses of the petitioners and presently taken witnesses of the respondents. At the moment, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is presenting

Ishaku

Al-Hassan

its defence witnesses.

Peterside’s main prayer is that the tribunal should annul Wike’s election, so as to pave way for another election. He claims that the election was marred by violence and electoral fraud, and in violation of the Electoral Act. But Peterside’s prayer is being dismissed by Wike’s counsel, Emmanuel Ukala (SAN); INEC’s counsel, Ken Njemanze (SAN) and PDP’s counsel, Chris Uche (SAN).

They want the tribunal to dismiss it on the grounds that it lacks merit, and a far cry of what happened on election day, as the people of the state turned out in large numbers to exercise their franchise.

One of the milestones of the sittings is the tribunal’s ruling that electoral materials should be inspected, which Peterside and APC described as a major victory. The ruling on the inspection of electoral

materials was on August 19, but Peterside had gone a step further, asking the tribunal to allow the “scanning and cropping” of ballot papers.

This was resisted by Njemanze, who argued that such practice “is alien to the Electoral Act.” The tribunal’s chairman, Justice Mu’azu Pindiga, was removed and replaced by Justice Mohammed Ambrosa for reasons best known to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa.

A few days ago, INEC called seven witnesses to prove that the election was peaceful, credible and in compliance with the Electoral Act. The witnesses were presiding officers in polling units in Bonny, Tai, Oyigbo and Akuku Toru local government areas. Some soldiers and officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) had testified that the election did not take place in some of those areas. The INEC witnesses, told the tribunal that contrary to the allegation by the APC that violence characterised the election in those areas, it went smoothly and that it was free and fair.

Isiaka seeks fresh elections in Ogun All is now set for the adoption of final written addresses by parties before the Ogun State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta.

The three-man panel, headed by Justice Henry Olusiyi, had fixed Tuesday, September 29 for the adoption since the petitioners and respondents closed their cases.

INEC had declared Governor Ibikunle Amosun as winner of the April 11 governorship election.

According to the result, Amosun polled 306,988 votes while the PDP candidate, Prince Gboyega Isiaka, scored 201,440 votes.

But Isiaka faulted the outcome on the grounds that the poll was rigged and manipulated in favour of Amosun, who contested on the platform of the APC. In his petition filed on April 30 and marked ‘EPT/ GOV/ABK/001/15,’ Isiaka claimed that the election was characterised by non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended.

The PDP standard bearer averred that he won the governorship election and alleged that Amosun was CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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Politics

Governorship elections were held in 28 states on April 11.

The outcome of the election forced aggrieved governorship candidates to approach election petition tribunals to seek redress. But in seven Northern states, the losers conceded defeat and did not challenge the outcome of the elections.

Dan Atori (Minna), Ibrahim Abdul (Yola), MUHAMMAD KABIR (Kano), DAHIRU SULEIMAN (Dutse) and Umar Danladi (Sokoto) report PDP’s Nasko concedes defeat In Niger State, there was no petition at the governorship election tribunal as the three candidates that participated in the election were satisfied with the result.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Umar Nasko, and the female contender, Zuliyu Hassan Imam of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) conceded defeat to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Abubakar Sani Bello.

Bello got 593,702 votes to defeat Nasko who scored 239,772 votes.

The PDP and SDP did not head to tribunal to challenge the outcome of the election.

Nasko conceded defeat, pledging to support Bello. The PDP candidate said he conceded defeat because it was the people’s right to decide who should win.

In Kano, Takai accepts fate Dr. Umar Abdullahi Ganduje won the Kano State gubernatorial election, by polling 1,546,434 votes against his PDP rival, Salihu Sagir Takai, who scored 509,726 votes.

The PDP candidate resisted pressure from supporters to challenge the outcome of the election. In 2011, Takai, then governorship candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) challenged the election of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the PDP. In accepting defeat, Takai said there were elements of fairness in the conduct of the election. He said embarking on litigation would waste time and create more enemies. The PDP candidate also said he had no money to pursue litigation.

Takai was the first to congratulate Ganduje.

Ribadu, Gundiri, Modibbo bow The election of Governor Jibrilla Bindow of the APC is also free of litigation.

Shortly after Bindow’s declaration as winner of the Adamawa governorship election, his opponents including Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the PDP and Dr. Ahmed Modibbo of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) called to congratulate him.

Bindow scored 362,329 votes to defeat the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Engr. Markus Gundiri, who polled 181,806 votes to come second in the race.

Ribadu scored 98,917 votes to come third while Modibbo scored 32,985 votes to come fourth in the race.

For Tambuwal, no stress in Sokoto For Governor Aminu Tambuwal, his election was less contested. The only petition in the Sokoto governorship election was from the Mega Progressives Peoples Party (MPPP) against INEC, APC, Tambuwal and his deputy, Ahmed Aliyu.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

No foes for Tambuwal, el-Rufai, Ganduje, Bello, Badaru, Bindow election was credible.

Tambuwal

el-Rufai

No contest against Badaru’s victory Also in Jigawa, the opposition PDP, NCPN and APGA resolved not to challenge the outcome of the governorship election.

Abubakar Badaru of the APC defeated PDP’s Aminu Ringim.

The PDP candidate was the first to concede defeat. “I concede defeat for my opponent in good faith,” he stated. “As a Moslem, I believe in destiny, since power belongs to Him, He gives to whom He wishes. I accept my defeat as an act of God.” Ringim said he left everything in the hands of God. The PDP candidate said his mentor, former Governor Sule Lamido, advised against challenging the outcome of the election.

Ganduje

Yero bows to El-Rufai In the 2015 general elections, Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State was the only sitting governor that lost his reelection bid. He was defeated by the APC candidate and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Nasiru El-Rufai.

El-Rufai polled 725,293 votes against Yero’s 242,392.

Before the final collation of the result, Yero put a call to El-Rufai to concede defeat and congratulated him.

The former PDP governor did not approach the tribunal with any petition on the outcome of the election.

Bello

Bindow

But the chairman of the tribunal, Justice Anselem Nwaigwe struck out the petition for lack of evidence.

Tambuwal secured 647,609 votes to emerge victorious in the election while the PDP candidate, Senator Abdallah Wali, polled 269,074 votes.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives served as legislative

Badaru

aide to Senator Wali as Senate Leader between 1999 and 2002. Tambuwal is also an in-law to Wali.

The relationship between Tambuwal and Wali might have informed the decision of the PDP candidate not to challenge the APC victory. More importantly, Tambuwal’s victory was overwhelming and the conduct of the

Jatau accepts Abubakar as winner In Bauchi, there is no petition against the election of Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the APC. The PDP candidate, Hon. Awal Jatau, conceded defeat.

“I have since accepted the outcome of the election as declared by INEC and have already called Abubakar and congratulated him in the spirit of sportsmanship,” Jatau said.

Ihedioha takes battle to Supreme Court Of all the election petitions arising from the April 11 governorship election, only that of Imo State has reached the Supreme Court.

STEVE UZOECHI reports

A

t the end of the last governorship poll in Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha was declared winner for a second term, sweeping 22 council areas while his closest rival, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives won in five council areas.

The next destination became the Imo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. Ihedioha dragged Okorocha to the tribunal.

As motion after motion came up for deliberation and decision, the tribunal foreclosed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and 35 other respondents from participating in the case for failing to file their briefs within stipulated time frame On July 22, the chairman of the tribunal, Justice David Wyom, dismissed the petition on the grounds that Ihedioha’s counsel, Mike Ahamba (SAN),

Okorocha

Ihedioha

abandoned the petition, having failed to pay for the pre-hearing notice within the seven days stipulated in paragraph 18 (1) of the rule guiding election petition proceedings.

On July 23, Ihedioha headed to the Appeal Court. He contended that the tribunal erred in law when it subjected the decision of the Supreme Court to its whims.

Ahamba, among others, prayed the Court of Appeal to set aside the decision of the petition tribunal as well as restore the petition to the cause list for hearing on merit.

However, on Thursday, September 3, the Court of Appeal delivered its judgement on the governorship appeal. The five-man panel of justices headed by

Hon. Justice Jimi Olukayode Bada upheld the argument of Ihedioha’s counsel hinged on several Supreme Court authorities and therefore quashed and set aside the lower tribunal’s ruling of July 22. The court also struck out the cross-appeal filed by Okorocha and the APC in the appeal.

Surprisingly, the same Court of Appeal equally struck out Ihedioha’s appeal.

The justices contended that Ihedioha failed to include the addresses of some of the respondents whose presence in the case had earlier been struck out by the lower tribunal thus making them no parties again in the suit. According to the court, this omission made the Notice of Appeal filed on July 26 incompetent and negatively affected the appeal itself.

This aspect of the judgement by the appellate court is now being challenged at the Supreme Court by Ihedioha.

Ihedioha and the PDP have already filed a Notice of Appeal at the apex court. In their Notice of Appeal dated September 7, the appellants, in addition to raising 12 grounds of appeal, also prayed the Supreme Court to set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal striking out their Notice of Appeal while urging the apex court to affirm the appellate court’s decision allowing the appeal on merit.

Politics

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Some Governorship Election Petition Tribunals have affirmed the electoral victories of some state governors.

Dennis Agbo (Enugu), Wale Elegbede (Lagos), Clement James (Calabar), Cephas Iorhemen (Makurdi), Abubakari Abdul (Birnin Kebbi), AHMED MOHAMMED (Katsina) report

Ambode floors Agbaje Not a few political analysts were taken aback when the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, filed a petition at the state election tribunal challenging the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode in the April 11 polls.

Agbaje was one of the early callers that congratulated Ambode immediately the governor was declared winner of the epic battle for Lagos. Agbaje reportedly placed a phone call to Ambode at 6.58p.m. on Sunday, April 12, before the official results were announced, to congratulate him on his victory.

Ambode won the April 11 gubernatorial election with 811,994 votes to defeat Agbaje who polled 659,788 votes.

After weeks of legal crossfire, the three-man panel headed by Justice Muhammad Surajo dismissed Agbaje’s petition.

Justice Surajo held that the petition was incompetent, noting that the petitioner, Agbaje, did not ask for a fresh election despite asking the court to nullify the election.

“Where no relief for fresh election is claimed in a petition, a ground of petition founded on section 138(1)(b) of the Electoral Act and the entire petition itself are incompetent and liable to be struck out,” the judge held.

Not satisfied with the ruling of the tribunal, Agbaje and his party headed to the appellate court for a redress. After hearing the PDP’s appeal, the Lagos Division Court of Appeal on August 26 aligned with the July 1st decision of the Justice Sujaro-led tribunal and struck out the petition.

Agbaje is yet to appeal the rulings at the Supreme Court.

Victory for Ortom in Benue On September 21, the Justice Elizabeth Karatu-led election petition tribunal affirmed the election of Governor Samuel Ortom in Benue State.

The PDP candidate, Mr. Terhemen Tarzoor, had challenged Ortom over what he regarded as non-qualification of the APC candidate to contest the election. He argued that Ortom was not sponsored by the APC as captured in Section 177 of the 1999 Constitution as well as non-conduct of the party’s governorship primaries.

Tarzoor’s party, the PDP, was not part of the case as it opposed litigation.

But after months of legal fireworks, the three-man tribunal, in a judgement in Makurdi, upheld the election of Governor Ortom and dismissed Tarzoor’s petition for lacking in merit.

Tarzoor had prayed that he should be returned unopposed having scored the highest valid votes cast in the election.

The tribunal said that it was not in a position to grant prayers not sought

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Victories for Ambode, Ayade, Ortom, Ugwuanyi, Yari, others

Ambode

Ortom

by the petitioner.

Tarzoor’s appeal, which his counsel said he would file at the Court of Appeal, is still being awaited.

Another suit against Ortom filed by some aggrieved APC members including Senator Joseph Waku and Emmanuel Jime challenging the governor’s nomination had been withdrawn after the party leadership waded into the crisis.

Ayade’s opponents bow The various petitions filed by other political parties against Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State have since been dismissed.

Ntufam Fidelis Ugbo of the Labour Party had filed a petition before the tribunal chaired by Justice Mohammed Mayaki. In June, Ugbo withdrew the petition.

Justice Maiyaki later dismissed the petition.

In the case of Mr. Odey Ochicha, who was the governorship candidate of the APC, he conceded defeat and congratulated the governor.

While it was easy for the two opposition contenders to let go, it was not the case with Mr. Joe Agi (SAN), who contested with Ayade on the PDP platform.

Agi, who had claimed that he was the right candidate and should have been fielded by his party, took the governor to the Federal High Court, Abuja for allegedly declaring his age three times in three separate documents. The case was however, struck out.

Ugwuanyi vs Ezea: Appeal still pending The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu on August 21 upheld the election of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Ugwuanyi contested on the platform of the PDP. The tribunal struck out the petition

Bagudu

Yari

Ugwuanyi

filed by the APC governorship candidate, Chief Okey Ezea, on the grounds that it was frivolous, lacked merit and against court processes.

A cost of N150, 000 was awarded to each of the respondents – PDP, Ugwuanyi and INEC. Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kwajafa Hildad, held that it had earlier in the course of the hearing struck out several paragraphs of Ezea’s petition for being imprecise, vague, related to party nomination which is a pre-election matter and contained criminal allegation against people who were not made parties to the petition.

The judge added that Ezea’s allegation on over-voting and non-accreditation through the manipulation of the Card Readers Machine by INEC and other respondents were not sufficiently proved as it is only the voters’ register that could determine the number of voters that participated in an election, stating that the petitioner failed to provide the voters’ registers to prove his case.

The tribunal also noted that the petitioner’s witnesses which were only six persons drawn from six polling units out of the 2,958 polling units in the state were not sufficient to provide enough evidence to support his case and rendered it incompetent.

The tribunal further held that the petitioners also failed to prove their allegation of falsifying result figures, maintaining that mere assertion that the figures were falsified was not enough evidence to allow them their prayers.

Ezea, who spoke with New Telegraph, confirmed that he has appealed the judgement but refused to provide insight into his grounds of appeal.

Bagudu wins at tribunal, appellate court In Kebbi, the PDP governorship

Masari

Ayade

candidate, Major General Bello Sarkin Yaki (rtd) lost to the APC candidate, Senator Atiku Bagudu.

Yaki challenged the outcome of the election that produced Bagudu as governor. But on August 11, the tribunal dismissed the PDP’s petition, saying the case had been abandoned.

An appeal was filed at the appellate court in Sokoto to challenge the tribunal’s ruling. And on September 8, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal. Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem upheld the position of the election petition tribunal that the appellants did not take all necessary steps to ensure compliance with the timelines provided by the Practice Direction.

Justice Dongban-Mensem ruled that: “The appellant formulated three issues for the determination of their appeal.

The three issues have been resolved against the appellants. The appeal lacks merit and accordingly dismissed.

“A cost of N50, 000 is hereby ordered in favour of each of the respondents (Bagudu, APC and INEC) and against the appellants.”

Katsina: PDP withdraws petition In Katsina, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of the APC has nothing to worry about anymore as the election petition tribunal had winded up. The tribunal did not go far as Masari’s major opponent and the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Engr. Musa Nashuni, withdrew his petition.

Nashuni hinged the withdrawal of his petition on the failure of INEC to allow him access to the electoral materials used in the election despite the order of the tribunal.

Yari floors Shinkafis In Zamfara, the election tribunal sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, on September 17 dismissed the petitions of both APGA and PDP against Governor Abdulaziz Yari.

Former Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi of the PDP and APGA candidate, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, had petitioned the tribunal asking for the nullification of Yari’s election.

Shinkafi told the tribunal that the election violated provisions of the Electoral Act and that there was over-voting across the state during the election.

But the tribunal stated that the petitions lack merit and substance.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Grace Onyebo, held that there were no concrete evidence before the court to upturn Yari’s election.

Both Shinkafis have vowed to appeal the ruling.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

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

not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast in the election. He claimed that malpractices were carried out in nine local government areas, including Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Odeda, Ewekoro, Ifo, Obafemi-Owode, Ado-Odo/Ota, Sagamu and Remo North.

He, therefore, sought the order of the tribunal to invalidate the results in the disputed local government areas and order for fresh elections in those areas.

However, Amosun, his party and INEC denied the allegations made by Isiaka and maintained that the gubernatorial election was conducted substantially in accordance with the provisions of Electoral Act and relevant guidelines.

The dispute over the poll has raged for about five months. Legal fireworks between the petitioners’ counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), and lead counsel to the governor, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had taken twists and turns during the period.

At the hearing of the petition, Isiaka order nine witnesses, who alleged non-usage of card readers, misuse of incident forms, improper accreditation of voters and allowing unaccredited voters to vote. The tribunal ultimately admitted in evidence over 4,000 exhibits out of the documents tendered by the petitioners.

On his part, Amosun called four witnesses out of the 29 listed. The APC did not call any of its listed 11 witnesses.

INEC neither presented any witness nor tendered any exhibit before the commission closed its case.

Last-minute efforts by the respondents to convince the tribunal to strike out the petition failed. Amosun and the APC challenged the jurisdiction and competence of the tribunal through separate applications.

In his ruling, Justice Olusiyi held that the applications were attempts to re-litigate on matters that have long been settled by the same tribunal. He ruled that the applications were bereft of merit and substance and therefore dismissed them.

Akwa Ibom: Adoption of briefs Akwa Ibom tribunal is presently sitting at the Abuja High Court, Maitama division. Like the Rivers tribunal, the petitioner here is the APC guber candidate, Umana Okon Umana, who is challenging the election of Udom Emmanuel of the PDP. At the moment, the tribunal had taken all the witnesses and had adjourned for counsel to adopt their briefs.

The petitioner had approached the tribunal seeking an order of the tribunal to void the April 11 gubernatorial election in the state. Umana hinged his petition on ground that the election was marred with irregularities and was held without compliance to the Electoral Act. APC had noted that to perfect rigging during the governorship election, high elements of violence, arson and intimidation were employed by the PDP government.

The essence, in its contention, was to repress voters from exercising their rights.

It was a reason the opposition party felt the need to take its case to the tribunal, armed with what it claimed are avalanche of evidence to support its allegations.

The tribunal allotted only 14 days for hearing of the APC’s petition. It began sitting on Monday July 13.

Taraba: Waiting for judgement The Taraba Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is sitting at the Court of Appeal, Abuja division. The petitioner and the only female governorship aspirant in the guber election, Hajia Aishat Al-Hassan and her party, APC, have approached the tribunal to challenge the election that produced Darius Ishaku of the PDP on the ground that the election was marred by irregularities.

The petitioners are praying the tribunal to void the governorship election. The

Emmanuel

Gaidam

Okowa

Ajimobi

Umana

Waziri

Ogboru

Ladoja

Legal fireworks at tribunal has concluded hearing and ready to deliver judgement.

At the hearing stage, INEC had told the panel that it did not supervise any primary election that produced the governorship candidate of the PDP. However, counsel to PDP, Solomon Akuma (SAN), countered the submission and presented to the tribunal documents showing that there was a primary election of the party that produced Ishaku as its governorship candidate.

The tribunal had earlier rejected INEC’s request for the tribunal to relocate to the Taraba State capital, Jalingo, to continue its proceedings.

The chairman of the tribunal, Justice Musa Abubakar, in his ruling, dismissed INEC’s motion challenging the tribunal’s jurisdiction to sit in Abuja and hear a petition filed by the APC and Al-Hassan.

Justice Abubakar held that the tribunal was validly constituted by the Court of Appeal President in line with her constitutional powers.

Yobe: Allegation of bribery Proceedings at the Yobe gubernatorial tribunal sitting in the Abuja High Court, Nyanya division is going on smoothly. The tribunal has adjourned to give judgement in the petition. The petitioner, the PDP guber candidate, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, is challenging the election of Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of the APC. A lot was unfolded in the Yobe tribunal. The tribunal admitted as exhibit the report of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the governor.

Before then, one of the witnesses had testified before the tribunal that a huge amount of money was transferred into the account of the state Resident Electoral Commission (REC). This prompted the tribunal to summon the secretary of the EFCC to testify.

Opposing the report of the EFCC, a former Attorney-General of the state, Ahmad

Goniri, said that the report of the commission cannot stand the test of time. A witness, Odofin Adekule, an EFCC official, who testified before the tribunal presented the report of their investigation on the alleged bribery of the state REC during the April 11 governorship election. While giving evidence before the tribunal, Odofin said that in the course of their investigation, some persons attempted to induce the state REC to favour a particular candidate in the April 11 governorship election in the state.

Counsel to Geidam and his party, Titus Ashaolu (SAN), told the witness that the report he brought before the tribunal was incomplete because it did not pass through the normal procedure.

Along the line, one of the panel member died.

Lawan vs Shettima: Awaiting verdict The Borno State Election Petition Tribunal is also among the tribunals sitting in Abuja.

The tribunal with Justice Babs Kwewumi of Osogbo High Court as chairman is set to deliver judgement in the petition, having taken all the witnesses.

The tribunal has one governorship election petition, filed by the PDP against Governor Kashim Shettima of the APC. The Borno election petition tribunal was brought to Abuja for sitting following the security challenges in the North-East.

The petitioners, the PDP and its guber candidate, Gambo Lawan, had approached the tribunal to challenge the election alleging that the scores were allocated.

Lawan had submitted before the tribunal that his party agents did not sign the result sheet due to noticeable anomalies allegedly perpetrated during the poll.

Otti battles Ikpeazu at tribunal The Abia State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal commenced its sitting on Wednesday May 20 at the Abia State High Court complex, Ikot Ekpene Road,

Umuahia.

The panel of three justices, headed by Justice Usman Bwala, was saddled with three petitions bordering on the governorship election in the state at inauguration. While the APC candidate, Chief Chinenye Nyerere Anyim and APGA candidate, Dr. Alex Otti, filed petitions against the declaration of the PDP candidate, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, as winner of the election by INEC, the position by the factional candidate of APGA, Chief Reagan Ufomba, was first of all, against Otti and the party and then against Ikpeazu, INEC and the PDP. The tribunal dismissed the APC candidate’s petition on the ground of lack of diligent prosecution but Ufomba’s suffered for lack of jurisdiction. The tribunal threw his case away as a pre-election matter.

Otti’s petition is anchored on the ground that he lost to manipulation and fraud having decisively won the April 11 election by an overwhelming majority of votes.

During the hearing, PDP called two witnesses and Ikpeazu called 28. Otti and APGA called 20. INEC called no witness. In the midst of the hearing, Ikpeazu appealed some of the rulings of the tribunal at the Court of Appeal in Owerri.

Prior to the adjournment to October 14, for the adoption of final written addresses of the parties, the PDP and its candidate, Ikpeazu, had prayed the appellate court to set aside some of the rulings of the tribunal. The tribunal had ruled that all preliminary objections would be taken along with the substantive petition.

In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice H.A. Baka and Justice J.S. Abiriu, the Appeal Court set aside Ikpeazu’s appeal, saying the governorship election petition tribunal reserved the right to keep all the motions till the final date citing section 12 (5). The court said the appeal was premature.

The appellate court also dismissed PDP’s appeal which claimed that Otti’s

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NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Al-Makura

Maku

Lalong

Pwajok

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Otti

tribunals petition was not properly signed to be accepted as a petition before the tribunal as well as that the pre-trial form was not issued to Otti and his party, APGA. Oyo: Final addresses for September 30 In Oyo State, former Governor Rasidi Ladoja of the Accord Party is at the tribunal challenging the election of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the APC. It was not only Ladoja that contested against Ajimobi. Former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of the Labour Party, Senator Teslim Folarin of the PDP as well as Engr. Seyi Makinde of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) slugged it out with Ajimobi.

While Folarin and Makinde accepted their losses, Alao-Akala accepted the defeat by quickly congratulating Ajimobi, pledging that the four House of Assembly members his Labour Party produced during the election would work with the APC. The tribunal sitting at the Iyaganku High Court was constituted with Justice O.C. Odieze as chairman, but after the pre-trial conference, Odieze retired from the judiciary and the tribunal had to dilly dally for about two months before Justice Aliu Mohammed Mayaki was appointed to head it.

While Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Olumuyiwa Aduroja (SAN) represent Governor Ajimobi, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and Babatunde Aiku (SAN) represent the APC; Mallam Yusuff Ali (SAN) and Sikiru Sanni represent INEC and Ambassador Rufus Akeju, the REC. Ladoja is being led by Chief Richard Ogunwole (SAN) with Chief Bayo Lawal, Chief Iyiola Oladokun and others supporting.

The petitioner, Ladoja, had presented 29 witnesses who were cross-examined by the respondents’ counsel. Ogunwole’s attempt to bring in a forensic expert to tender some ballot papers already examined in the INEC office was rejected by the tribunal.

Ajimobi’s counsel who promised to call scores of witnesses, however, called

six, but later said that they were satisfied with the quality of the evidence the six witnesses had given. It thereafter closed its case after the witnesses had been crossexamined.

The tribunal has now begun hearing the addresses of counsels on both sides in preparation for setting a date for final addresses which would be concluded on Wednesday September 30, after that, a date would be announced for judgement.

Ladoja and his legal team believe that the victory given to Ajimobi by INEC was a stolen one as the results in about 20 of the 33 local governments councils were doctored in favour of the APC. Umahi, Nkwegu await judgement In Ebonyi, the governorship election petition tribunal is yet to deliver judgement on the only petition it received challenging the election of Governor Dave Umahi.

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Chief Edward Nkwegu, had approached the tribunal, seeking among other things a declaration that the election of Umahi was marred by widespread irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2010 and INEC 2015 election guidelines.

Also, he is praying the tribunal to declare that the first respondent, Umahi, was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast.

The LP candidate is further urging the tribunal to nullify the election and the return of Umahi as the winner and instead declare that he was duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the April 11 governorship election or alternatively nullify the entire governorship election held in all the polling units in the state and conduct a fresh poll.

Nkwegu had three days after the declaration of the result of the election conceded defeat and congratulated Umahi during a peace meeting organised by former Governor Martin Elechi to restore peace

Umahi

Nkwegu

to the state and unite all the aggrieved politicians over the election.

Two weeks after the peace meeting, the LP governorship candidate proceeded to the tribunal to challenge the election.

The parties in the suit adopted their written addresses on Saturday. Justice Theresa Alabi Igoche said judgement day would be communicated to the parties.

Umahi polled 289,867 votes while Nkwegu secured 124,817 votes. The APC candidate, Senator Julius Ucha got 27,583.

Anxiety in Nasarawa In Nasarawa State, there is anxiety as the governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Lafia, the state capital, is set to deliver judgement in a petition filed by the APGA candidate and former Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, against Governor Tanko Al-Makura of the APC. Maku polled 178,983 votes against AlMakura’s 309,746 votes. The PDP candidate, Alhaji Yusuf Agabi scored 119,782.

Agabi conceded defeat but Maku rejected the outcome of the election. The former minister is challenging the declaration of Al-Makura at the tribunal.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Halima Mohammed, is set to deliver its judgement after parties adopted written addresses on September 9.

During the adoption of written addresses at the tribunal, counsel to both Al-Makura, Yusuf Ali (SAN) and that of INEC, Hassan Liman (SAN) urged the tribunal to dismiss Maku’s petition for lacking in merit.

But counsel to Maku, Joe Gazama (SAN) urged the tribunal to set aside the declaration of Al-Makura and declare Maku governor of the state, stating that his client won the election by over 26,000 votes cast but was rigged out.

Battle over forensic in Plateau On the Plateau, the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Gyang Pwajok, is seeking the nullification of the election of Governor Simon Lalong of the APC on account of irregularities in the April 11 election.

Lalong won the election with 564, 913 votes as against the PDP’s candidate who scored 520, 627 votes.

15

Pwajok is contesting the results of seven local government areas – Bokkos, Mangu, Jos East, Jos North, Qua’an Pan and Wase – where he alleged that there were massive irregularities in the conduct of the election.

Pwajok, through his counsel, Charles Obishai (SAN), had engaged the services of a forensic expert, Adeola Olayiwola, who conducted a review of the election documents.

The plaintiff filed an application before the tribunal, seeking leave of the panel to tender the report before the court.

But Lalong, through his counsel, Garba Pwul (SAN), objected to the application.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Samuel Candido-Johnson, in his ruling granted the application of Pwajok that the forensic expert be invited to give evidence of his findings.

But the appellate court, last week Tuesday, overruled the tribunal. It ruled that the tribunal cannot make use of any of the documents tendered by the PDP’s forensic expert witness.

Gombe awaits judgement In Gombe State, the APC candidate, Inuwa Yahya, is challenging the victory of Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of the PDP. The judgement is being awaited after all the proceedings have been concluded in the tribunal.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Mohammad Sirajo, had on August 4, struck out the petition of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over question on the competency of the petitioner’s counsel, Mr. Sam Kagbo, as a legal practitioner.

Kagbo was said not to be on the roll of Nigerian legal practitioners.

The tribunal chairman ruled that all processes filed and conducted by Kagbo on behalf of the petitioner, Alhaji Jafar Abubakar, remained nullified on want of competence.

Dankwambo scored 285,369 votes against APC’s Inuwa Yahya who polled 205,132 votes. ADC’s Abubakar scored 848.

Kwara: ADC challenges exclusion In Kwara State, there is only one petition against the election of Governor AbdulFattah Ahmed. It was filed by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on the ground that the party was allegedly excluded from the election in the state.

Governorship candidate of the ADC, Comrade Abubakar Abdulraheem, filed the petition challenging the victory of Ahmed.

AbdulRaheem along with his party want the three-man election petition tribunal headed by Justice A. A. Banjoko to cancel the election because the candidate and the party was excluded from the election even when he was party to the processes that led to the exercise.

All parties have made their submissions and are now waiting for the tribunal’s verdict.

Ogboru, Emerhor battle Okowa In Delta, both Olorogun O’tega Emerhor of the APC and Chief Great Ogboru of the Labour Party (LP) are challenging the election of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the PDP. The tribunal is chaired by Justice Nashiru Gumi.

The petitioners are asking for the nullification of Okowa’s victory.

Ogboru had produced 14 witnesses while Emerhor has so far presented eight witnesses.

Okowa has opened his defence.

Reports by: TUNDE OYESINA (Abuja), Kunle Olayeni (Abeokuta), Emmanuel Masha (Port Harcourt), Sola Adeyemo (Ibadan), Uchenna Inya (Abakaliki), Cheke Emmanuel (Lafia), Musa Pam (Jos), Biodun Oyeleye (Ilorin) and Dominic Adewole (Asaba)

16

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Opinion Spiralling criminality Dominik Umosen

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offer my most profuse apologies to President Muhammadu Buhari, the most eminent Nigerian at the moment, if these weekly literary communion with Nigerians suggest the erroneous impression of undue fascination or preoccupation with him. Week in and week out, we comment on issues which invariably trail to the goldfish without a hiding place, exactly like our president who accepted the constitutional responsibility to be reminded whenever any thing went awry in the turf over which he volunteered to superintend.

And everything, you will agree, has gone wonky with the Nigerian pack, beginning with the shame and aberration of state governors cringing, shamelessly, to Abuja in supplication for revenue bailouts without which they just can not justify their relevance, including payment of workers salaries.

As the overseer of the rowdy pack, he deserves the sympathy of every well wisher, particularly now, that the president deserves every meaningful advice on issues, including the activities of some rogue elements (herdsmen), who appear determined to abuse their cultural and linguistic affinity with the president to abuse him thoroughly.

And straight away, I must say that the president deserves the reminder that there is overwhelming need to holler at those herdsmen who allegedly seized the former Secretary to the Federal Government and Finance Minister as well as former presidential candidate of defunct All Peoples Party (one of the legacy parties that fused into the ruling All Progressives Congress), Chief Olu Falae. Reeling under the vengefulness from Falae’s alleged harass-

ment of herdsmen who severally encroached upon his farm in Akure, some unnamed herdsmen allegedly seized him and have been haggling with the family over the right amount to be paid as ransome.

The president deserves to know that greater than the war against corruption which has gained the unreserved support of his compatriots is a greater war waiting to be fought and it is the war against swaggering criminality in the country. Perhaps emboldened by the hideous criminality of insurgency which invariably forced the government into negotiation, other criminal elements rose in full outrage, including herdsmen who were hitherto welcomed in most communities but have become notorious, a source of fear and foreboding because of their unchecked activities which sowed widespread anguish especially in the Middle Belt corridor of the country.

I have said it before but I will repeat it now that President Buhari demonstrated uncommon insight into the complex issue of unending conflicts between herdsmen and farmers when he summoned a meeting of stakeholders in this muddle, including officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The objective was, among others, to recommend possible grazing corridors for itinerant herdsmen especially in those parts of the country where conflicts between farmers and herdsmen have become institutionalised.

In various parts of the country, especially in the Middle Belt corridor, conflicts between farming communities and wandering herdsmen have sown untold misery. For instance, hardly any day passes by without reports of, at least, 30 people killed in such conflicts in Benue, Plateau, Taraba or Adamawa State. In Benue State alone, over 200 people have

been killed in no less than 100 attacks this year.

President Buhari, a Fulani, deserves to know that some criminally-minded Fulani appear determined to exploit this connection, perhaps to embarrass the him. Without being told, I can say straightaway that these criminals who are spreading grief and killing innocent people are acting on their own. But their excesses, if unchecked, might give the erroneous impression that this agenda of notoriety is a cultural agenda which has the president’s blessing.

The brigandage of herdsmen has been so huge that for quite some time now, the man who fought to keep Nigeria one and former head-of-state, Gen Yakubu Gowon has not been able to visit his native Pankshin in Plateau for fear of running into a fresh attack by herdsmen. And the origin of the story of Nigerian soldiers allegedly fleeing from battle is from Barkin Ladi council in Plateau where the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Dr Fulani Dantong was killed by herdsmen during a raid. He was killed after some members of the Joint Task Force on security allegedly advised villagers to flee because the invading herdsmen were allegedly better-armed than soldiers.

To resolve this muddle, it is imperative to stress that nomadic agriculture is outdated and has been banned by countries like Brazil and Argentina. Livestock farming is done in ranches. Even without terrorism, the security risks involved in cross-border movement by herdsmen are huge. President Buhari should be concerned that even if Falae has been released by his abductors, their criminality deserves punishment.

• Umosen wrote from dominik.umosen@gmail.com

Why Boko Haram is still active Kingsley Ogbeide-Ihama

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onsidering the horrific manner Boko Haram is carrying on with its provocation, by now it ought to have been identified as everybody’s enemy. But in a country where the government has inadvertently come to establish itself as the people’s common enemy, then a choice has to be made of which to hate more - between government and the Boko Haram.

When a community has just emerged from a war, everyone has to be careful about who to blame for not going to sympathize with the other. The issue of blame can only be relevant if one becomes sure that the person been blamed for neglecting the other, has not also lost both legs, suffered the death of a loved one, or is not outrightly dead.

In Nigeria today, everyone has one wound or the other to tend to. It is a pity that Boko Haram has become a wound that government must attend to. Although situations have revealed that government does not actually care about how many people are killed or maimed, but only because the insurgents appear to be reaching out closer and deadlier to them. And this is their worry upon which they are now calling on Nigerians who cannot go for a medical check-up for fear of being asked to buy one medicine or afford a laboratory test; people, who are denied the electricity to power their electronic gadgets and be acquainted with goings-on about Boko Haram and what

government requires of the citizens; a people, who are daily fighting the unrelenting war of hunger.

Ironically, the government has been calling on all Nigerians to identify Boko Haram as their common enemy. And Nigerians are still lost as to why the persons, who are continually distancing themselves by hopping from siren blaring vehicles to hovering in their fleet of private aircraft; those who travel abroad for a presumed safe pedicure and manicure... while the mass of the people are unable to afford good healthcare services; those who promote the anathema of ‘the Nigerian made’ by inventing another version of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ which is ‘ the convenient or utilitarian mathematical formula’ where the smaller becomes greater than the bigger; those who invented the economic principle where the poor keeps paying for the roguery of the rich by way of subsidy – be proclaiming or making the citizens to take note of another enemy. Concurrently, we can for the purpose of illustration examine the moral position of the notorious armed robber who is calling for the annihilation a pickpocket.

Sometimes one is tempted to conclude that Boko Haram is purely government’s creation in its many desires to deal ruthlessly with its citizens, or the outright inability of certain impostures to identify and avert the terrible consequences of man-made problems. If we also appreciate that Boko Haram is not in

the context of a particular tribe who are culturally rebellious, or the descendants of a warlike ancestor, or a people affected by a special gene which starts manifesting in bloodletting tendencies at a particular adult age (since such traces are not naturally exhibited at infancy or during teens) then we should recognize the sociopolitical issues which created this unwholesome tendency in the people we have always lived harmoniously with.

When we also acknowledge the notion that Boko Haram is the fallout of a government’s onetime specially- trained assailing dogs; then we should properly examine the factors that turned them inside out to the extent that the former owners are now so much afraid of them.

And better still, to forecast how the other species of assailing dogs currently being trained would be tamed forever; in averting a repeat of the same mistakes.

It would have been easier to ask somebody who cannot swim to take a dive into a bottomless sea with a heavy log fastened to his neck, or to plead with him to standstill for the devil, who is chasing him about with a sledge hammer. This is the choice which Nigerians are finding difficult or being asked to make. And except with the sudden jolt to the indiscriminate manner Boko Haram unleashes its horrendous acts, most Nigerians have it in their subconscious that Boko Haram is actually more of government’s enemy. And when we input the aphorism of who the enemy of

one’s enemy is perceived as, only then we can appreciate the missing element of oneness or bond between government and the people that are needed to win the fight against Bok Haram.

If government has made itself unlikeable because of the unlikeable or discriminatory acts the people associate them with, it is therefore as unfortunate as the unfortunate situation in which we all find ourselves today.

Apart from the scene where Boko Haram has carried out its act, the appearance of the Boko Haram member about to carry out its mission is even more pleasant to behold.

While a government official may be going about with a behemoth of gun wielding guards chasing all and sundry from his path, a Boko Haram member about a suicide mission could just be that man, who patiently stops the car he is driving, to allow an old woman or some children to get across the road, before calmly driving on to the place of his suicide mission. He may also be that man, who though carrying a travelling bag at a motor park, finds a woman with her little child and offers to buy the child some chocolates – while a government revenue collector is busy manhandling a sachet (pure) water seller for failing to pay for the daily sales permit. And these are the visible contrasting scenarios we commonly find about us which leaves us very unsure of what we actually want.

• Ogbeide-Ihama wrote in from Benin City.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

17

EDITORIAL

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Looking beyond oil revenue

he trending joke is that over 50 years since the discovery of crude oil which has drastically altered the lives of citizens in betterfocussed nations with similar endowment, the largest black nation on earth is ,however, reeling under a mountain of unsettled challenges which aptly profile the riotous lifestyle of profligate administrations in the country.

The situation has put governance on hold at the federal, state or local government levels because contractual agreements like payment of salaries have not been honoured.

While state governors fret over their irresponsibility, President Muhammadu Buhari has suddenly discovered that his administration is unable to run at the speed recommended

by Nigerians because either the treasury is depleted as he claimed (but was controverted), or that the prospect of constituting a cabinet, over four months after his inauguration, continues to dim whenever he considers that oil money is no longer regular or sufficient to support the traditional profligacy that defines the lifestyle of politicians.

Official response to this lingering, bad economic patch, which corresponds to instability in the global oil market and plummeting prices for this product on which the economy depends has, for the most part, been jerky and melodramatic.

The sensational alle g ation that some officials in the last administration pocketed proceeds from oil on which the economy relies, is a case in point.

This self-inflicted economic adversity is so hilarious that President Buhari lamented that part of the reason his cabinet is delayed is because he is searching for “decent”, “patriotic” and “selfless” politicians and technocrats to be ministers.

Although the controversial argument has endured that the country failed to develop sustainably because easy oil money undermined incentive for enterprise and hard work, it nevertheless remains a woeful and scandalous commentary that Nigeria failed to deploy trillions of dollars worth of oil proceeds during the period into commensurate and tangible indices of development like the Arab countries in the Middle East.

Where Arab nations deployed their massive oil wealth to transform their societies and impact positively on the lives of citizens, oil wealth in Nigeria was progressively looted by an avaricious ruling elite whose contribution to the economic enslavement of the pauperized majority was phenomenal.

Exactly as experts had warned that the consequenc-

More people are demanding the need for government to demonstrate creativity

es of squandering the nation’s oil-based fortune would be tragic and monumental, oil suddenly floundered in the international market, forcing unfortified and primitive economies like Nigeria’s to sputter in fits and coughs.

Having been ignored because of easy money from oil, traditional sectors like agriculture gasped until they contributed nothing, at all, to the Gross Domestic Product.

It is our conviction that the tremor which plummeting oil prices forced down the Nigerian economy, culminating in the inability of various tiers of government to pay workers salaries because every one depends on easy oil money may be good news in disguise. The sheer hilarity in the failure of governments to honour their basic obligation to workers might provide drama but in retrospect, this inability mirrors the trivialization of the leadership which began when generations of rotten leaders started plundering what rightly belonged to the citizens.

Because of the instability, a new realization that other sources of revenue than crude oil, which is fast losing its attraction, is fast gaining consciousness. More people are demanding the need for government to demonstrate creativity by exploring these other sources of revenue like ag riculture for which the country is more than adequately-prepared.

Apart from possessing vast expanses of arable land that remained ignored because the mad scramble for easy oil money precluded other considerations that required ei-

ther hard work or creativity, There is enough population to move agriculture. Due to our policy inconsistency, the famous groundnut pyramids of Kano, for instance, disappeared while the country which used to be the largest producer of palm oil started importing the produce from Malaysia which, ironically, imported palm seedlings from Nigeria in the 1960s.

The so-called curse that easy oil money imposed on the country was not restricted to only ground nut and palm.

Cocoa, which provided the muscle behind the economic magic of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, former premier of defunct Western Region, also suffered similarly as adequate manpower that was required to work the plantations, simply diverted to the oil industry which provided greater attraction.

We are convinced that the immediate impact of the collapse in the prices of oil in the global market (the inability of governments to pay staff salaries), might be unpalatable but in the long run, the country will be better for it. Rather than remain helplessly fascinated with easy oil money, conclusively breaking the curse of oil by consciously migrating from it will liberate these other sources of revenue that have been ignored for too long.

Before the discovery of oil in the old Eastern Region, that part of the country was competiting favourably with some of the Asian Tigers who today have gone beyond the sorry state we have found ourselves.

Nigeria should go backto the old days of agriculture.

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37

Interview

Okonjo Iweala, a mismatch economy, says Enwegbara for Nigerian

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Hijab: Students seek appeal court’s intervention to upturn judgement

Gadzama: Why SANs good material for Supreme Court Bench

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Law Should the nation adopt part-time legislature? Lawyers say yes, no. TUNDE OYESINA and AKEEM NAFIU report

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orried by the huge remuneration received by the 8th National Assembly, lawyers at the weekend canvassed a part-time legislature for the nation’s nascent democracy. Although they agree that it would involve an amendment of the Constitution, they viewed the N3billion collected by members of the 8th National Assembly as salaries and allowances for the month of June and July without initiating a Bill as bizarre, hence the need for a part-time legislature became inevitable.

To the lawyers, particularly a law teacher at the University of Lagos, Mr, Wahab Kunle Shittu, the country was already toeing the path of part-time legislature going by the number of time the National Assembly embarks on recess per year.

It is time we started parttime legislature as the lawmakers sit for about six months a year, Shittu said. Of the lawyers save an activist, Festus Okoye endorsed part-time legislature.

For instance, Shittu said there was no argument about part-time legislature as the National Assembly has since adopted part-time legislature going by the number of periods the lawmakers attended to lawmaking business in a year.

All we need is to formalize it, Shittu said.

He went on: “We may be pretending to be operating a fulltime legislature, but in actual fact, technically, they have been rendering services on part-time basis. If you look at the number of times they sit in a year coupled with the number of times they go on recess and

FOLUSO OGUNMODEDE JUDICIARY Editor

foluso.ogunmodede@ newtelegraphonline.com

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Part-time legislature brouhaha

Saraki

some other holidays in between, then, you will find out that technically they have been legislating for the country on part-time basis. So, why can’t we formalise it?”

“If you also look at the background, their core mandate is lawmaking, effective representations and oversight responsibilities. If that is the core mandate of their business, what we found out is that most of the time they are always quarrelling and fighting over positions. If we also look at the amount they receive every year in terms of allowances including sitting allowances and other packages,

The country cannot afford the luxury of funding lazy lawmakers who are not productive as they should be paid in accordance with their output

you will see that it weighs heavily on the purse of the nation. So, it might be very necessary to allow them to come in when they have serious businesses to do to legislate and carry out oversight functions that relate to specific areas rather than wasting valuable time in the name of sitting in the chambers. Most of them even sit in chambers without making any contributions on the floor for the duration of their stay there. I think the country cannot afford the luxury of funding lazy lawmakers who are not productive as they should be paid

in accordance with their output.

How many of them initiate bills?

Many of them don’t initiate any bill; they just continue to collect allowances without contributing anything to the progress of the nation.

“Again, when you weigh the salaries and allowances they receive with that of professors or even the editor of a newspaper and some other Chief Executives who are contributing in one way or the other to the progress of the nation, there is no way we can justify the waste of money on these lawmakers. So, I think it’s high time we started practising part-time legislative business in Nigeria.

“If we want to formalise the arrangement, it can only be done through legislation. But, I am thinking that we might have to restructure the country generally. Then, we must revisit the kind of system we want to operate in line with the reality of our circumstances. It is not something we can address in isolation of the realities in the society. I think we have to look at the issue in the light of the problems confronting our country. Don’t forget this is not the only problem confronting the country. So, we should look at the whole issue holistically and take a stand on the way we want to go so as to effect fundamental changes that the country desires. There is no doubt that if we start part-time legislative business, the country stands to benefit a lot”.

Shittu was echoed by the National Coordinator of the Voters’ Awareness Initiative, Mr. Wale Ogunade, who said making legislature a part-time would go a long way to boost the nation’s socio-economic development as huge remuneration being paid to these lawmakers would reduce marginally.

Ogunade said: “Apart from cutting cost, it is going to increase the quality of work being done by the lawmakers. If they know that they will only be paid in line with their output, then, they will sit up and put in more efforts. They will also want to contribute more to discussions CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

20 Law | News

MONDAY, september 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Hijab: Students seek appeal court’s intervention to upturn judgement Akeem Nafiu

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wo students of a Lagos school have asked the Court of Appeal to invalidate a judgement by an Ikeja High Court which last year banned the use of hijab in public primary and secondary schools in the state.

The students- Asiyat Abdulkareem and Maryam Oyeniyi who had sued for themselves and on behalf of others under the umbrella of the Registered Trustees of Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria are asking the appellate court to upturn the judgement delivered by Justice Grace Onyeabo who heard the matter in the court of first instance.

Justice Onyeabo had, last year, October 17, dismissed the suit initiated by the duo of Abdulkareem and Oyeniyi. to challenge the ban placed on hijab.

The students who were students of Atunrashe Junior High School, Surelere initiated the suit to challenge an alleged directive by their school’s Vice Principal that wearing of hijab by both students and their teachers had been banned in the school.

According to the students, it was wrong in law to allow the school’s management to trample on their fundamental human rights to freedom of thought, conscience, re-

prison

Stakeholders brainstorm on how to end congestion of prisons Tunde Oyesina Abuja

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N o n - G ove r n mental Organization, Centre for International Aid CIA- Nigeria has begun a partnership programme with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACN) in a bid to de-congest the nation’s prisons.

However, the Legal Aid has presented a Memorandum of Understanding to CIA on the said partnership.

According to the CIA-Nigeria Country President, Dr. Joseph

Some of the students protesting against the ban of Hijab in Lagos

ligion, dignity of human persons and freedom from discrimination as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Apparently miffed, they approached the Ikeja High Court, asking it to compel the school to rescind its decision as contained in the Vice Principal’s directive of January 2012, compelling students and teachers wearing hijab to remove them.

Specifically, they asked the court to declare that the ban on hijab had violated their rights to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, dignity of human persons and freedom from discrimination as enshrined in

the Constitution.

But their case collapsed as Justice Onyeabo dismissed the suit.

According to the judge, the ban was neither discriminatory nor a breach of Sections 38 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution as canvassed by the students’ lawyer, Chief Gani Adetola-Kazeem.

The judge held that allowing the use of hijab in public schools, as being touted by the students, would jeopardise Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution, which makes Nigeria a secular state.

Justice Onyeabo was of the view that the values of plurality and the respect for the

rights of others who have subscribed to a non-faith based educational system could not be breached.

She added that since public schools were funded by the state, the responsibility to issue dress code for the students also lies with the government.

However, dissatisfied with the judgement, the students, through their legal team comprising five Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other lawyers, lodged an appeal seeking its annulment.

The respondents in the appeal are the Lagos State Government, Attorney-General and Commissioners for Justice,

Group partners LACN on prison congestion Eleonu, his organization would by the new project conduct a nation-wide audit of the 239 prisons.

He further stated that the partnership would assist in the process of prison decongestion in Nigeria, with a view to reducing jail breaks and providing frame work support for policy formulation for efficient correctional system in the ongoing justice reform programme in Nigeria.

In addition, the partnership would promote the strategic collaboration with relevant gov-

ernment institutions for protection of rights of prison inmates.

In his speech, the Director-General of the Legal Aid Council, Mrs. Joy Bob-Manuel who was represented

by Mr. Tunde Ikusagba, stated that council was committed to improving the justice delivery sector in the country.

Mr. Ikusagba further noted that the partnership with CIANigeria was a welcome development as it would help the council in its bid to make justice accessible to every prison inmate.

the state Commissioner for Education and the Home Affairs and Culture.

Dissatisfied, the students headed for the Court of Appeal.

They are asking the appellate court to determine whether the trial judge was in order to have held that Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution makes Nigeria a secular state when the defendants did not canvass such arguments.

They also want the appellate court to decide whether the trial judge was right in pronouncing that the use of hijab would cause disunity, distraction and discrimination against students of

other faith.

Besides, they further want the Court of Appeal to determine whether it was right for the trial judge to believe that there was a state policy banning the use of hijab in Lagos public schools by relying only on oral evidence without any documentary or statutory instrument.

They also want the appellate court to hold that the respondents had breached their constitutionally guaranteed rights under Sections 38 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution when they suddenly stopped them from wearing hijab in compliance with the tenets of Islamic religion.

Lawyer petitions Lagos govt over demolition plot

Akeem Nafiu

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lawyer, Destiny Obun Takon, has petitioned the Commissioner for Physical Planning over alleged plan by some officials of the Ministry at Ikota, Lekki to demolish a property being occupied by his client, Mrs. Gladys Ifeyinwa Caza.

In a letter dated August 13, the lawyer disclosed that his client has been the sole occupant of the property at 21, Kenneth Agbakuru Street, Off Admiralty Way, Lekki, Lagos as a tenant to one, Kenneth

Agbakuru since July 2007.

However, the relationship between the duo allegedly turned sour sometimes in 2013 following which the property owner, Agbakuru, made a series of efforts to forcefully eject Caza from the property.

Caza almost lost her life in the melee that ensued on December 21 as she was hit by a thick marble slate allegedly orchestrated by Agbakuru alongside others following an attempt to forcefully eject her.

The property owner was also said to have on January 20, 2014, attempted and failed to forcefully evict the woman from the property after allegedly using two of his companies to obtain a consent judgement against her.

However, the judgement was said to have been set aside after it was discovered that the Magistrate was misled to enter it.

Having failed on several previous occasions to forcefully evict the woman, the lawyer accused the property owner of deceitfully commissioning officials of the physical planning office at Ikota, Lekki to carry out the assignment.

It was further disclosed that officials of the physical planning office had on July 24, 27 and 28, 2015 took photographs of the perimeter fence of the building leaving behind an instruction that the owner of the property had applied for its demolition because the occupier and her dependants had refused to vacate.

Law 21

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, september 28, 2015

Okoye

Dogara

Shittu

‘Part-time legislature, panacea for socio-economic problems’ C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 9

on the floor of the assembly. So, I am in total support of the agitation for a part-time legislature because it will surely enhance the quality of lawmaking in Nigeria, reduce cost of governance and above all, it would make participatory government more real because people from different constituencies across the country will have a sense of belonging and more say on how they are being represented.

“Making legislative business part-time is a Nigeria project because if you leave it to the lawmakers, it will not work. Nigerians must agitate through civil society groups, press releases and other activities that will help in achieving the objective. The lawmakers will only have their input after a serious advocacy about the issue.

If you look at the issue of wardrobe allowances for the lawmakers in the past, nobody can talk to them on the issue because they believe it is their rights. But at the moment they have bowed to pressure due to agitation by Nigerians and they are now relaxed. We learnt they are now working towards having those allowances cut. So, I believe the issue of part-time legislature can be handled the same way. If we start the agitation, then the lawmakers will have no option than to bow to the wishes of the people.

“I also want to advocate for the scrapping of the Senate. The House of Representatives, in my own view is enough for us because they are the best in the area of working for the masses. The Senators, to me and many Nigerians are just a class of people who are out to use their offices for their own personal aggrandisement. They are just a superfluous house in legislative business. I am yet to see what values they add to governance”.

Another lawyer, Mr. Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi also expressed his support for part-time legislative business in Nigeria saying it will reduce the amount of money being spent on the lawmakers.

He said: “It will surely lead to a re-consideration of their take home because if it is on part-time, there is no way they can be getting as much as they are getting at the moment. Even the way they are carrying out their businesses at the moment suggests a resemblance of a part-time legislature.

When they are in chambers, you will discover that a lot of seats are vacant indicating that many members are not around. The way it is at the moment, it is more or less a part-time”.

“Most of the time, what they were after is just forming a quorum. This is an indication that many of them usually absented themselves from the floor. These set of people will still get all the allowances at the end of the day. If you consider how much Nigeria is spending on these lawmakers as against other parts of the world, it is the highest. It is the most expensive. Even, America is not as expensive as that of Nigeria. So, if we go on part-time, some of the monies spent on these lawmakers will be diverted to carry out other things that will be of benefit to Nigerians.

“We can formalise the whole arrangement by amending the Constitution as it was done through the National Conference where Nigerians will come together and brainstorm on the issue. When all Nigerians speak with one voice, there is nothing the lawmakers can do; they just have to respect the wishes of the people”.

President of Public Interest Lawyer League (PILL), Abdul Mahmud said that the call for part-time legislature is informed by the bloated

Legitimate earning of legislators is not a challenge to Nigeria’s resources but the challenge is on visible and invisible budgetary expenditure of different branches of govt

cost of running government.

He said: “It isn’t that full time legislators aren’t useful, if one considers the amount of time put into law-making and the oversight functions of the executive branch of government, but running two legislative assemblies with full time legislative members strain the state in many unimaginable ways.

“My position is that only smaller government can deliver efficiency in the services it renders and in the innovative way governance can be organised to achieve some of the fundamental objectives of the state.

Thus, the cost of running the legislature and the bureaucracy can be reduced when government is made small.

“Though, the downsizing of government raises the question of quality of representation of parttime legislature. The argument therefore is between quality representation and cost of governance.

No economic costing of the downsizing of government has been made, my sense is that the monies that can be saved with legislators paid according to the hours they spend in law-making and oversight will be huge”.

To John Anietor, the huge remuneration being received by the 8th National Assembly has made a part-time legislature imperative.

Anietor said: “Anytime they have sitting they should come and legislate (deliberate) and have their sitting allowance after-which they should go back to their different professions until another sitting day. There is no doubt that the two chambers have been getting much from the coffers of government. This will equally check the brain drain as many people are now abandoning their professions to become politicians especially at the federal level where the main thing is happening.

Chris Ndu in his own reaction

said that making the legislative work a part-time will not solve the problem but rather reduce the number of senatorial zones and constituencies in the country and that will require amendment of the Constitution.

Adelani Adegoke simply said “our legislators for now are doing nothing but sharing the national cake. That is why they want to remain there forever.

“I quite agree that legislature should be made a part-time, the salary must surely come down and allowances as well, cutting down the number of Senators and House of Representatives members by half.

That would mean to cut down the number of constituencies in various states of the federation which may not be feasible for now. Each state has three senatorial districts/ zones. Let’s go for part-time for now”.

But Festus Okoye differ. He said law making was a very serious matter that should not be conducted on a part-time basis.

To Okoye, since lawmaking was a serious business, canvassing a part-time legislature as against full time would rock the entire process.

He said: “The legislators embody and wield the legislative powers of the federation and they are an important and indispensable block in a democracy. The whole debate and anxiety about part-time legislature is anchored on the issue of cost.

“My position is that the legitimate earning of legislators is not a challenge to the resources of Nigeria. The challenge lies in the visible and invisible budgetary and extra budgetary expenditures of the different branches of government.

“The cost of government and governance will remain high unless we restructure the country and emphasise transparency and accountability”.

22 Law | Interview

MONDAY, september 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Gadzama: Why Supreme Court Bench is for SAN Joe-kyari-Gadzama, SAN is a member of 86 set of the Nigerian Law School. In this interview with TUNDE OYESINA, Gadzama speaks on the new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, special court, young lawyers, capital punishment and sundry issues.

Gadzama

The Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Act has been signed into law, how do you react to this?

ACJ is a welcome development and it is something we have all yearned for both members of the profession and members of the public. The focus of the ACJ Act is on victim compensation. We have never had that type of law before but let us see to its implementation. I must commend both the executive arm of government and the legislature for passing the law.

Many are in support of capital punishment for capital offences including corruption, what is your take on this?

I am a Christian and from the Biblical angle I believe that God gives life and takes it. Having said this I believe that capital punishment is becoming archaic and it will pass with time. We should abolish it since there are many other ways to punish.

New guidelines on the appointment of judges have been released, which of these would you say offends due process?

One thing we have all fought for during the days of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloma Mukhtar was that these rules were approved to the extent that anybody who is good and has all the qualities to be a Judge

should be appointed and does not have to go from grass to grace. You don’t have to move from Clerk to Judge, you can become a Judge from your Law office, you can go straight to the Court of Appeal or to the Supreme Court, even from the university, that is how it should be and it has happened in this country before that is the practice in other jurisdictions.

In England you cannot become a High Court Judge without becoming a Queen Counsel (QC) so we can have SAN appointed straight to Supreme Court. What matters is the ability, performance, integrity and willingness to go and serve at that level.

Do we need a special criminal court to try electoral offences?

Lawyers must specialise, the same thing as the Judge. A Judge cannot do every case- criminal matters, Maritime cases, Shari ‘a matters, corruption matters, civil cases and so on. Let the Judge get a narrow area of the law and specialise. That is how it should be.

So, there is nothing wrong with having special court to try electoral offences matters.

Each Nigerian lawyer aspires to be SAN, what is your take on the rank of SAN? Any lawyer, who aspires to be Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)

The rules when we became SAN over a decade ago were quite different from what we have today

based on litigation, is expected to have appeared before the Supreme Court Justices so that they can have first-hand information, knowledge and facts about you, your personality, oration and how you conduct yourself, your appearance and comportment and so on. Even now, over 100 applicants apply to wear silk but at the end of the day some are shortlisted.

Right now 45 applicants have scaled through the first and second hurdles. Out of these 45, just about 15 will be awarded. So, the idea that you need to scale down the number of appearance before the Supreme Court should not carry any water.

This now takes us to another issue. Whoever is qualified should wear the Silk as it is the case in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom if 100 applicants qualify, all the 100 will wear Silk. They don’t peg it but in Nigeria, we peg it at a number – 15 out of a hundred or 200 who have qualified. The question that arises is that when 100 qualify, what will be the bases of reduction of the number to 15? If you say someone has qualified and you say he is not wearing Silk, if you say because of other pending cases or issues, fine but if one is qualified, I believe that one should be allowed to wear the Silk.

In other words the number of those qualified to wear Silk should vary from year to year. In some years you can even have 100 depending on the requirements and the ability of the applicants to meet the requirements.

The good thing is that the Legal Practitioners Privileges’ Committee (LPPC) looks at these rules every now and then, they kept on amending them.

The rules when we became SAN over a decade ago were quite different from what we have today.

So, the society is not static and law itself is not static. One day we will get it completely right. The rules as we have them now are really good that whoever goes through the filtrations process becomes a SAN carries the respect of everybody both within the rank and file of the profession and members of the public.

The young shall grow, so they say.

What advice do you have for young

wigs?

The emphasis should not be on money or being in a hurry to have all the accolades. That should not be the case. The priority is the name, integrity and good practice and clients’ satisfaction.

Money comes gradually and when it begins to come it is unstoppable and you will now start to run away from cases and you will be choosing as to the kind of people you want to see or the kind of cases you want to handle.

Lawyers in the part of this world should become specialists in one or two areas. You cannot be a master of all. You can only master one or two areas, say maritime or aviation, banking law or arbitration but an average Nigerian lawyer wants to do everything.

He wants to be a property lawyer, a lawyer to the Banks, election petitions expert, he want to be a maritime lawyer even if his Office is in Abuja here where there is no port, rather than having offices in Lagos or Port Harcourt.

These are the problems, so you must choose one or two areas that you feel you are good at and then specialise.

It is only in Nigeria that you find a lawyer who appears for EFCC today and tomorrow he is against EFCC. Today you are prosecuting and tomorrow you are defending. Choose one area and become an expert. Our problem is that we do not rate our lawyers, medical doctors, professionals and universities. I don’t know whether it is time for us to begin to rate. If you go to UK you find that universities are being rated from the first to the last 100 and people believe in the rating system.

The problem however is that people may not believe you. If you say that the best university is University of Lagos, people will ask, what are your reasons, the same thing for lawyers? We should begin to rate, even if we don’t rate individuals we should rate Chambers in terms of practice area. It may not be individual but group rating. In Election matters these are the chambers, in property law these are the Chambers and so on.

That is how it should be and that will encourage the younger ones to begin to specialise in different aspects of practice.

Law | File 23

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, september 28, 2015

Introduction

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he bedrock of our democracy is the concept of rule of law. Rule of law implies the existence of an independent judiciary. According to the American diplomat, writer and lawyer, Caroline Kennedy, an independent judiciary means the presence or existence of “judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing”. Therefore, Independence of the judiciary is the defining index of a true democracy. For Nigeria to make her democracy useful, meaningful and exemplary, she must have an independent judiciary.

The framers of our Constitution, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) (hereinafter called “The Constitution”) have amply made elaborate provisions with a view to ensuring judicial independence, not only in terms of funding of that important arm of government but with regard to the mode of appointment, discipline and or removal of judicial officers. By these Constitutional provisions the judiciary in general and judicial officers in particular, are insulated against interference by the other arms of government, especially the executive arm.

Regrettably, as if to confirm the common saying that existence of laws has never been the problem in Nigeria but their enforcement, the funding of the judicial arm of government in Nigeria has not been without controversies, challenges and breaches or non-compliance by the executive arm of government in spite of the ample constitutional provisions made in respect thereto in our Constitution and in spite of several judicial decisions handed down by our courts in recent time.

Confronted with this sordid scenario and quite mindful of the limitations and or restrictions on judicial officers’ ability to complain or utter dissatisfaction, save in their judgments and or rulings, judiciary workers under the aegis of their Union, the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) took on the gauntlet to draw public awareness to the plight of the judiciary in the hands of the executive arm of government at both the Federal and State levels, by downing tools and embarking on industrial strike nationwide for a better part of the 2014/2015 legal year to compel the said executive arms of government at State and Federal levels to comply or abide with the said recent judicial decisions.

In this paper, I shall focus attention on the strike embarked upon

by JUSUN, its main causes and the gains recorded as a result of the strike.

Under the current democratic dispensation in Nigeria, and even under the previous array of military juntas, the judicial powers of the Nigerian State are vested in the courts to hear and determine all disputes between persons and between government and all persons as to the existence of rights and obligations. See Section 6 of the Constitution.

As noted in the introductory segment

Ologunorisa

Funding of Judiciary: Challenges, responsibilities and JUSUN of this paper, for the courts to discharge such duty impartially and independently, their autonomy is constitutionally guaranteed. In the bid to insulate the judiciary from executive control and influence, the framers of the Constitution enacted therein Section 81 of the Constitution, which provides that “any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation shall be paid directly to the National Judicial Council for disbursement to the heads of the courts established for the Federation and the states under section 6 of the Constitution”.

On the other hand, for the judiciary in the 36 states of the Federation, Section 121 thereof similarly provides as follows: “any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State shall be paid directly to the heads of the courts concerned.”

The foregoing provisions, to my mind, are clear and unambiguous. It is a fundamental principle of interpretation of statutes and of constitutional provisions that where the wordings of a provision of statute nay the Constitution are clear and unambiguous, the words used therein are to be given their ordinary and natural meanings. See Awolowo v. Shagari (1979) NSCC 87 AT P. 112 LINES 25-40; Federal Republic of Nigeria v. Osahon (2006) 5 NWLR (PT. 973) 361 AT P. 436. See also, A-G, Abia State v A-G Federation (2002) 6 NWLR (PT.763) 264. See further, the English case of SUSSEX PEERAGE CLAIM (1844) CL & FIN 85 AT P.143, Per Tinda C.J. Those provisions clearly direct that any amount of money standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Federation Account should be paid to the National Judicial Council (NJC) for disbursement to the heads of the various courts, while funds standing to the credit of the Judiciary in the relevant Consolidated Revenue Fund shall be paid directly to the heads of the various the courts concerned. This is mandatory. It leaves no discretion with or for anybody to act otherwise.

May we also be reminded of the well settled principle of law that where a statute has provided for the procedure for doing a thing, only that procedure, and none other is permissible.

See Okereke v. Yar’adua (2007) 12

NWLR (PT. 1100) 95 AT P. 127, Para. E; Faloye v. Omoseri (2001) 9 NWLR (pt.

717) 190 at pp. 200 – 201 paras H – H. See also, Odogwu v. Ilombo (2007) 8 NWLR (PT. 1037) 488 AT PP. 515 – 516.

Unfortunately, these provisions of the Constitution have been observed ONLY in their breach as the executive arm of government has, over the years, become very notorious for withholding funds appropriated for the judicial arm. In other words, rather than giving funds appropriated for the judiciary to the heads of courts, the executive arm of government at both the Federal and State levels have always appropriated such funds to themselves thereby tying the judiciary to their apron as it were or subjecting the judiciary to their whims and caprices.

By so doing, the executive arm of government has severally sabotaged the independence of the judiciary, even when the letter and spirit of the above quoted provisions of the Constitution dictate otherwise.

Specifically, since the return of democratic rule in May 1999, the provisions of the Constitution pertaining to financial autonomy for the judiciary have been observed in the breach by the Federal and State Executives without exception. In the circumstance, heads of the various courts have been running to the executive to plead for the release of funds appropriated for the judiciary. And since he who pays the piper dictates the tune, it is then little wonder that the judiciary has found it difficult to play its critical role in a functioning democracy.

Over the years, we have witnessed a continued decline in budgetary allocation to the judiciary and this portends great danger to the administration of justice in Nigeria. Indeed, former Chief Ju s t i c e

of Nigeria, My Lord the Honourable Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, GCON had cause, while speaking on the problem of inadequate funding of the Judiciary at one of the swearing - in ceremonies of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria during her tenure, to publicly lament the paltry fund allocated to the Judiciary by the executive arm of government.

She noted as follows: “Over the years, funding of the courts has remained a challenge as evidenced in the condition of many courts in Nigeria today. Statistics have shown that funding from the Federal Government has witnessed a steady decline since 2010, from N95 billion (in that year to N85 billion in 2011, then N75 billion in 2012 and dropped again in the 2013 budget to N67 billion. ....with these facts, if the amount allocated to the extra-judicial organisations within the judiciary is deducted, the courts are left with a paltry sum to operate. The simple implication is that our courts are increasingly finding it difficult to effectively perform their dayto-day constitutional roles.

The resultant effect of a slim budget in the judiciary is that a number of courts in Nigeria today evince decay and neglect of infrastructural amenities particularly at the state level. In some cases, the court buildings do not possess the required well-equipped library for judges to conduct their research. This may make judges rely on information supplied by lawyers, which should not be the case.”

This was a fundamental remote cause of the JUSUN strike.

The situation became worse given the rise of a political class with a morbid penchant for impunity and unbridled and flagrant disregard for court judgments and rulings.

This has unsurprisingly led to great reluctance on the part of the executive to recognise and respect the financial independence of the judiciary.

Aggrieved by this sad turn of events, i.e. the illegal withholding of funds for the judiciary, JUSUN approached the Federal High Court, Abuja vide an originating summons brought CO NTINUED O N PAGE24

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Judiciary and the gains of JUSUN C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 2 3

pursuant to Order 3 Rules 6 and 7 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2009, seeking to declare the practice of channeling the statutory allocations of state judiciaries through the states’ ministry of finance.

JUSUN noted that the practice of releasing the funds through the executive was not only unconstitutional but had also reduced the judiciary to a mere appendage of the executive in the states. Besides, the state executives were said to be deliberately starving the judiciaries in their respective states with funds in order to get positive judgments from the judiciary. Successive Chief Justices of Nigeria, CJN, had also complained about the practice.

In the suit brought by JUSUN to fight for fiscal independence for the state judiciaries, it named the relevant government agencies and the state governments and NJC as defendants.

In the Judgment of the court delivered on 13th January 2014, Justice Adeniyi Ademola while granting JUSUN prayers declared that “the failure, neglect and refusal to pay the funds/amount standing to the credit of the states’ judiciary in the federation/ consolidated revenue funds directly to the heads of courts in the various states’ judiciary was a constitutional breach, which had to be stopped.” In the said Judgment, the federal government and the 36 state governors were restrained from holding onto funds meant for the judiciary.

Justice Ademola further ruled that funds meant for the judiciary should rather be disbursed directly to the heads of court and not to the executive arm of government.

He noted that the practice of the executive disbursing funds to the judiciary was unconstitutional and also threatened the independence of the judiciary. Relying on the provisions of Sections 83(1), 212(3) and 162(9) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which he said were clear and straightforward and should therefore be complied with, the learned Jurist subsequently issued an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from committing any further breach of the aforesaid constitutional statutory provisions. Justice Ademola therefore ordered that the funds in the revenue account of the federation, due to the judiciary, should be paid to the heads of court as envisaged by the provision of Section 81 (3) of the 1999 constitution.

Also dissatisfied with the conduct of the executive arm of government, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on February 1, 2013 approached the Federal High Court in a suit he had taken out against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), the National Judicial Council (NJC) and the National Assembly stating that the manner by which the budget of the judiciary was being appropriated was contrary to the principle of separation of power and the provisions of Section 81 (2) and Section 84 (1), (2), (3), (4), and (7) of the Constitution. He also prayed that the continued dependence of the judi-

Ologunorisa

ciary on the executive represented by the 1st defendant for its budgeting and funds release is directly responsible for the present state of underfunding of the judiciary.

In a judgment delivered in the matter, His Lordship, the Honourable Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court Abuja on May 26, 2014 declared illegal and unconstitutional, null and void the control and disbursement of funds earmarked for the judiciary by the executive arm of government. In upholding the submissions of the learned Silk, the trial Judge held inter-alia, that “the present practice of judiciary funding by the defendants, which makes the judiciary dependent on the executive arm in budgeting and release of funds, violates sections 81(2)(3)(c) and 84(2)(7) of the Constitution.”

Consequently, the Judge ordered that money belonging to the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund should henceforth be fully paid directly to the National Judicial Council. The Court also declared unconstitutional the practice of sending the annual budget estimates of the judiciary to the Budget Office of the executive arm of government or any other authority. It also ordered that henceforth the National Judicial Council (NJC) would prepare the budget of the judiciary and would no longer be part of the estimates to be included in the Appropriation Bill as proposed expenditures by the President, as is the present practice. The court further identified other effects of the dependency of the judiciary on the executive as “poor and inadequate judicial infrastructure, low morale among judicial personnel, alleged corruption in the judiciary, delays in administration of justice and judicial services delivery and general low quality and poor out-put by the judiciary.”

Furthermore, on July 10, 2014 Justice J. O. Adeyeye of Ado Ekiti Division of the High Court of Ekiti State also lent credence to this anomaly when it ruled that the Ex-

Workers in Nigeria view strike as the most powerful safeguard against the unjust treatment of their employers

ecutive appropriation of judicial funds is unconstitutional. That was in Suit No. HAD/56/2013, another suit filed by Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, this time against the Attorney General of Ekiti State and others. The Court declared unconstitutional the appropriation practice, whereby the annual budget estimates of the judiciary is included in the Appropriation Bill which State Governors lay before the States House of Assembly.

It is important to note that by then, it had become a practice that Governors include judicial estimates in their Appropriation Bills, which are then passed into the Appropriation Laws, by the States Houses of Assembly, contrary to Section 121 of the Constitution which guarantees independent funding of the Judiciary. As a result, Mr. Agbakoba, SAN approached the Court and asked for four Orders: (1) A declaration that the present practice of funding the judiciary is unconstitutional. (2) A declaration that any amount standing to the credit of the judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State ought not to be released to the Judiciary in warrants by the Executive Arm, as is the present practice, but to be paid directly in whole to the Heads of Courts for disbursement. (3) A declaration that the continued dependence of the judiciary on the executive arm for its budgeting and funds release is directly responsible for the present state of underfunding of the judiciary, poor and inadequate judicial infrastructure, low morale among judicial personnel- alleged corruption in the judiciary, delays in administration of justice and judicial services delivery and general low quality and poor out-put by the Judiciary. (4) A perpetual injunction, restraining the defendants from all practices on judiciary funding which is contrary to Section 121 (3) CFRN 1999, to wit submitting judiciary’s estimates to the executive and release of the judiciary’s fund in warrants by the executive

instead of directly to the Heads of Courts. The Court granted all the Orders.

By these decisions, effective fiscal autonomy was accorded to the third arm of government, protecting it from undue influence by the executive and were hailed by many Nigerians especially lawyers as laudable judgments.

However, despite these landmark decisions by these eminent and courageous Jurists, the executive arm of government at State and Federal levels continued to do the exact thing the Courts have pronounced unconstitutional. In other words, there were no signs the executive was ready to implement the court verdicts, granting financial autonomy to the Judiciary.

That was what then set the stage for the JUSUN Strike.

The right of workers to strike is an integral part of workers’ right to protect and defend their social and economic rights which are incidental in employment relationship without which workers will be regarded as slaves. These social and economic rights are part of the fundamental objective and directive principles of state policy as enshrined in chapter two of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). Strike is regarded as one of the most cherished instruments of trade unionism in Nigeria.

It is therefore not surprising that workers in Nigeria view strike as the most powerful safeguard against the unjust treatment of their employers. Without right to strike workers in Nigeria will be at the mercy of the employers who may impose low wages or poor condition of work in utter disregard to the terms of the parties contract of employment. It is in the very nature and character of strike that it will be applauded in some quarters and condemned in some other quarters.

• Ologunorisa is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, September 28, 2015

Money Line

Stock Watch

Insurance

25

Interview

Moody’s: Nigerian banks’ oil loans not in jeopardy

Guinness Nigeria: Profits shrink on weak economy, competition

Reinsurance: UK expert warns African underwriters on treaty

Buhari’s effect is positive radiance on economy –Mailafia

27

29

30

34-35

Business What's news

N3.24bn palm oil arrives Lagos Port Lagos Port Complex has taken delivery of 23,500 metric tons of palm oil worth N3.24 billion ($14,711,000) in the last one week.

p.26

Three cities account for 65% real estate activities Despite the increase in the tempo of real estate development in Nigeria, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt still account for 65 per cent of activities in the sector, New Telegraph has learnt.

L-R: Head, Marketing and Communications, Stanbic IBTC Plc, Nkiru Olumide-Ojo; Executive Director, Personal and Business Banking, Obinnia Abajue; Head: Transactional Products and Services, Babatunde Macauley and Head, Business Banking, Lloyd Onaghinon, at the launch of Stanbic IBTC Virtual Business Centre in Lagos.

INSPIRE NLPGA aids FG on environment-friendly cooking gas usage

Adeola Yusuf

T

p.26

The Business Desk Ayodele Aminu

Deputy Editor (Business)

Bayo Akomolafe

Asst. Editor (Maritime)

Sunday Ojeme

Asst. Editor (Insurance)

Tony Chukwunyem

Asst. Editor (Money Market)

Dayo Ayeyemi Property Editor

Adeola Yusuf Energy Editor

Wole Shadare Aviation Editor

Chris Ugwu

Capital Market Editor

Abdulwahab Isa

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is planning a fresh $40 billion investment in the power sector.

A document seen by New Telegraph at the weekend showed that the investments are to be focused on construction of power plants and aggressive gas supply.

“NNPC is to invest $40 billion in power sector,” the document showed, adding that the corporation is also engaging in an aggressive campaign with stakeholders like the Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA) where it planned to face out kerosene usage in Nigeria.

“Under the campaign, free

Finance Editor

Kunle Azeez

Senior Correspondent

Chuks Onuanyin Energy

Nnamdi Amadi Reporter

Johnson Adebayo

Asst Production Editor

Power: NNPC mulls $40bn investment

Partners NLPGA, others to end kerosene use cylinder of different sizes will be distributed to Nigerians to encourage usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which is a cheaper and more environmental-friendly fuel compared to Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK),” the document read.

The campaign, which will take off in 2016, according to a source at the corporation, has “a budget, which will be arrived at after the on-going talks among stakeholders in the LPG market, especially officials of the Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA).

“The NLPGA is a formidable stakeholder in the ongoing efforts to free Nigeria from the environmental hazard, which the use of DPK poses to Nigerians

and the support and contribution of members of the association has been second to none.

In fact, the campaign is the brain-child of the association, which has been at the forefront of efforts to expose Nigerians to the use of LPG for cooking, to fuel vehicles and to power electricity generation plants,” the source said.

“The NNPC is to launch a campaign on free cylinder to every family before the end of

2,250MW

Cumulative generation capacities of two thermal plants to be constructed by NNPC

next year to reduce the quantity of kero and pave the way for more environmental friendly,” the corporation’s document showed.

The construction of two thermal plants with 2,250 Mega Watt (MW) cumulative generation capacities, the NNPC document added, will cost over $3.6 billion out of the investments.

Investigation by New Telegraph based on the estimation of global electricity service and equipment valuers, Market Realist website, showed that $1.8 billion investment is needed to construct 1,000 Mega Watt (MW) thermal plant.

The document from the NNPC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Rates Dashboard INFLATION RATE August 2015 ...........................9.3% June 2015.................................9.2% May 2015.................................9%

LENDING RATE Interbank Rate....................12.57% Prime Lending Rate...........17.93% Maximum Lending Rate...26.83%

EXCHANGE RATE (BDC as at Sept 25)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N224 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N345 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N256

l Foreign Reserves – $30.517bn as at 22/09/2015

Source: CBN

EXCHANGE RATE (Interbank as at Sept 25)

USD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N225 Pounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N350 Euro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N255

26

Business |News

MONDAY, September 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

N3.24bn palm oil arrives Lagos Port DEFICIT There is short supply of palm oil in the country Bayo Akomolafe

L

agos Port Complex has taken delivery of 23,500 metric tons of palm oil worth N3.24 billion ($14,711,000) in the last one week.

The product was discharged by two vessels, MV Lady Sina and MV Marlin Amethyst, at the Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL) of the port.

Crude palm oil sells for $636 per metric ton.

Data obtained from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)’s shipping position revealed that MV Lady Sina ferried 5,000 tons of the product to the port while MV Marlin Amethyst berthed with 18,000 tons.

In April this year, the port took delivery of 23,200 metric tons of the commodity from two vessels. MV Champion Spirit discharged 5,000 metric tons and MV Alo Sira offloaded 18,200 tons in the same terminal.

A report by Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (GTBank) in its macroeconomic outlook in January declared that the Federal Government may limit palm oil importation into the

country.

The bank’s report explained that significant drop in Nigeria’s revenue as a result of the slide in crude oil prices may compel the Federal Government to impose further restrictions on certain agricultural products such as nuts and rubber goods.

Despite the bank’s report, the country has continued to import crude palm oil.

Annual consumption of the commodity in the country is 1.5 million met-

obtained by New Telegraph revealed that the oil corporation has begun talks with world-renowned electricity producers for the construction of the two power plants in Abuja and Kaduna.

The corporation had on May 11, 2012, placed an advertorial inviting pre-qualification consultants to carry out feasibility studies on some of its identified industrial zones. These include Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Aba, Nnewi, Umuahia, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilorin, Koko and Lekki Free Zones.

Although NNPC disclosed its plan to undertake the feasibility study, which will most likely see to the construction of independent power networks in these clustered zones, the plans were relegated due to the crises in the power sector then, occasioned by lack of gas supply.

The NNPC document,

from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand is valued at $50 billion in the global market.

According to Agronomy, a publication on agriculture, Malaysia had reintroduced an export tax on crude palm oil at the rate of 4.5 per cent as export increased by 17 per cent while Indonesia’s export climbed to 21 per cent.

The move is to curb glut in production of the commodity.

Also, Thailand is con-

templating to double the volume of palm oil blended into diesel fuel from mid-April in an attempt to soak up oversupply and shore up domestic palm oil prices.

According to the Director-General of the ministry’s Energy Business Department, Mr. Witoon Kulchroenwirat, biodiesel consumption had risen to around 3.7 million litres a day from 2.2 million litres.

He noted that Thailand’s total diesel demand

stood at around 60 million litres a day (around 378,000 barrels per day) in March.

However, Nigeria, the largest producer of oil palm in the world with a market share of 43 per cent in N1950/60s, has plummeted to zero per cent since 1975 when it imported 1,000 metric tons.

The country imported 2,370,000 metric tons of palm oil valued at N313.97 billion ($1,569,888,000) in the last five years through the nation seaports.

L-R: Lagos Liaison Manager, Ashaka Cement Operations, Salisu Sayaya; Country Health & Safety Manager, Lafarge Africa Plc., Tukur Lawal; Managing Director, Concrete, Aggregates & Ready Mix, Lafarge Africa Plc, Loren Zanin and Country Road Safety Manager, Tim Oseghe, at the Nigeria Safety Award for Excellence Hall of Fame 2015 in Lagos, PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

NNPC mulls $40bn power investment CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

ric tons yearly.

In the last five years, the country has imported 2,370,000 metric tons of palm oil valued at N313.97 billion ($1,569, 888,000).

In 2014, Nigeria produced only 930,000 metric tons of palm oil while it imported some 525,000 metric tons to augment the local production.

Meanwhile, Malaysia and Indonesia have reintroduced an export tax on crude palm oil as demand surges.

Annual palm oil export

however, revealed that the resuscitation of the plan by the new Group Managing Director, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, “is as a result of increased supply of gas available for power generation.”

Said the document: “The Federal Government is committed to developing the domestic gas market through various policy initiatives and intends to massively increase the utiliation of gas in the domestic market for power generation and industrial development.”

Stating that talks were on with reputable international power plants for the construction of NNPC power plants in Abuja and Kaduna with “2,250 MW combined generation capacity,” the document added that the corporation is also encouraging its joint venture (JV) partners to build new power plants and expand the capacity of the ones already built.

Three cities account for 65% real estate activities INVESTMENT Major real estate investors build modern houses in commercial cities

Dayo Ayeyemi

D

espite the increase in the tempo of real estate development in Nigeria, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt still account for 65 per cent of activities in the sector, New Telegraph has learnt.

In the last five years, major real estate investments, including high grade offices, mixed used residential complexes and shopping malls have become common features in these cities.

The latest projects that are cutting the attention of high networth individuals in these cities right now are the multi-billion naira Centenary City and World

Lagos attracts 37 per cent

Trade Centre in Abuja, Eko Atlantic City in Lagos and Rainbow Town project in Port Harcourt.

Some of these new developments are currently receiving the attention of investors.

According to a report from homecoming revolution.com, while the sector has contributed 7.8 per cent to the Nigerian economy, Lagos has attracted the bulk of real estate activities by 37 per cent.

Experts are of the opinion that continued government reforms have created an enabling environment for property development and financing. They added that increased allocation of funding to the asset class by local and foreign investors is also a key driver of projected growth in this sector.

Giving reasons for the high concentration of real estate in these three cities, Principal Partner, Stephen Jagun and Company, Pastor Steven Jagun,

pointed out that as successful cities attract more people, the cost of prime urban real estate per square metre would continue to rise.

According to him, affordability would fall, leading to greater urban density and smaller apartments.

“Nigeria is both Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation, so it is no surprise that it tops the list of Africa’s most expensive location for residential and business property,” he said.

It is estimated that there is a shortfall of 17 million housing units in Nigeria, with a funding requirement of $363 billion. This number is expected to increase by two million houses per year.

The significant investment shortfall creates opportunities for investors in the long run. Large volumes of good quality commercial and residential property are needed to support the continuing African growth story.

Business | Money Line

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, September 28, 2015

Moody’s: Nigerian banks’ oil loans not in jeopardy

Soothing Lenders’ exposure to sector won’t impact their balance sheets Tony Chukwunyem

C

ontrary to the impression in some quarters, Nigerian banks’ exposure to the oil and gas is still within manageable limits and should not be a source of concern to investors, international ratings agency, Moody’s has said.

The agency’s Associate Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group, Jean-Francois Tremblay, stated this in a chat with “The Banker” monitored in Lagos at the

weekend.

He stated that Nigerian banks’ exposure to the oil and gas sector was relatively small compared to the size of their balance sheets, adding that from the agency’s findings, banks were mainly exposed to large oil and gas firms which had the financial flexibility to cope even if oil prices fall to breakeven prices.

The Moody’s top official said: “The direct exposure of the banks to

the oil industry is not a major concern right now.

We have to keep in mind that while the government depends heavily on oil exports for over 80 per cent of its revenues, the banks’ exposure to the oil industry is relatively small in comparison to their balance sheets. It is probably 30 per cent of their loan books. This is because the banks carry a large amount of government securities on their books as buffers.”

Tremblay pointed out that although the agency was concerned about three to four per cent of the lenders’ exposure to the oil and gas sector, “when we look at the buffers that the banks have we think it (exposure) is a manageable proportion.”

Commenting on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) foreign exchange policies, Tremblay advised critics of the policies to take into account the fact that Nigeria does

FirstBank debuts ‘Life is a Movie’ campaign

F

irst Bank of Nigeria Limited has unveiled a new campaign entitled: “Life is a Movie” to offer its customers a series of consumer experience, exploring the concept of ‘First’ from a customer’s perspective.

In a statement, the bank explained: “Moments in our lives play out like scenes from a movie, which could fit into the genres of romance, adventure, comedy and definitely drama. Whatever this

take on characteristics they want exemplified in a movie and send video recordings of not more than one minute to the Bank. The best entries will be pulled together to make the first ever customer focused television commercial in Nigeria starring you.

Commenting on the new campaign, the lender’s spokesperson, Folake Ani-Mumuney, said: “FirstBank has chosen its customers to run its new ‘YOU FIRST’ adver-

moment is, FirstBank is requesting you to share this moment with us so we can begin to see the world from our customers’ point of view.”

According to the statement, “with the ‘Life is a Movie Campaign’, the Bank is requesting its customers to share experiences and moments of their ‘First’ activities of interests, such as your first bike ride, first plane ride and other first adventure periods of your lives. Customers can

tising campaign in movie style. Having the faces of our customers used as part of our advertising campaign represents not only what we do for our customers, but what our customers do with us.

With this campaign, we want our customers assured that even when life feels like a movie, FirstBank will be part of the script with lifestyle-fit products and services you need to make sure your life follows the script you planned.”

Economic Indicators M2* CPS* INF MPR 91-day NTB Bonny Light Ext Res**

N19,142,526.05m N18,579,219.49m 9.3 13 10.77 US$48.67 US$30,517,237,761

As at Mar, 2015 Mar, 2015 August, 2015 4/6/2015 Mar 2015 25/9/2015 22/9/2015

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 10.00 23-JUL-2030 12.1493 18-JUL-2034

FGN Bonds

TTM

Price 99.52 101.65 100.43 104.30 94.61 68.00 79.99

1.61 3.78 4.40 6.36 8.49 14.84 18.83

NIBOR

Tenor (Days) Call 30 90 180

Rate (%) 14.6667 15.9024 16.8257 17.7194

Bid Yield 15.42 15.38 15.39 15.29 15.36 15.58 15.43

Change (%) -8.46▼ -0.38▼ -0.11▼ 0.01 ▼

Change (%) -0.08 ▼ -0.06 ▼ -0.31 ▼ -0.13 ▼ -0.26 ▼ 0.00 ↔ -0.28 ▼

Price 99.67 101.95 100.73 104.60 94.91 68.30 80.29

Tenor (Months)

Offer Yield 15.31 15.28 15.29 15.22 15.29 15.51 15.37

NITTY

1 2 3 6 9 12

Treasury Bills

Rate (%) 12.8016 12.9947 13.2241 13.6488 14.7599 15.3426

Change (%) -0.08 ▼ -0.06 ▼ -0.31 ▼ -0.13 ▼ -0.26 ▼ 0.00 ↔ -0.27 ▼

Change (%) -0.88 ▼ -0.69 ▼ -0.51 ▼ -0.48 ▼ -0.64 ▼ -0.40 ▼

Money Market

Maturity Date Discount Bid Yield Change (%) Discount Offer Yield Change (%) Rate (%) Change (%) 11.12 11.43 0.11 ▲ Open-Buy-Back (OBB) 14.50 -0.50 ▼ 17-Dec-15 11.37 11.69 0.11 ▲ 17-Mar-16 13.63 13.38 14.33 0.17 ▲ Overnight (O/N) 15.00 -0.17 ▼ 14.62 0.17 ▲ 01-Sep-16 13.15 12.90 14.72 -0.24▼ 15.04 -0.25▼

Spot ($/N)

Bid 198.95

FX

Offer 199.05

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

NIFEX

Spot($/N)

Bid 199.0000

Offer 199.1000

Change (%) 0.00 ↔

CBN Clearing Rates of September 18, 2015 Spot($/N)

196.00

197.00

0.00 ↔ Source: FMDQ

not have the same healthy level of reserves as oil exporting countries in the Gulf. He argued that with the relatively modest level of reserves that the CBN has, the apex bank had the right to introduce measures it deems appropriate to allow defend the reserves.

According to him, it was understandable that people who were affected by the devaluation of the naira would not support the policies.

It would be recalled that in a report released last month international investment and financial

27

advisory firm, Renaissance Capital, stated that Nigerian banks’ exposure to crisis-ridden oil producer, Afren Plc was not in jeopardy.

The research firm, in a special report titled, “Nigerian Banks: Afren: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, singled out Zenith Bank as the most comfortable as far as its exposure to the embattled oil firm was concerned.

“From our discussions with Zenith management and Renaissance Capital’s oil & gas analysts, we believe that of all the banks with credit exposure to Afren, Zenith is in the most comfortable position. The asset is producing, located onshore, and has a low operating cost – which implies that its production economics still make some sense at currently low oil prices.”

Sustainable development: IMF, MDBs reiterate support

T

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) and leaders of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank Group, have hailed world leaders’ adoption of a sustainable development agenda for the next generation and have reiterated their commitment to stepping up support to ensure its success.

At the United Nations General Assembly in New York at the weekend, world leaders endorsed new Sustainable Development Goals, an ambitious agenda that aims to end poverty, promote prosperity and to protect the environment.

Leaders of the MDBs described the agreement as an historic landmark.

“The well-being of our planet and its people are at the heart of the new goals. They point the way towards greater prosperity and equality and will ensure more robust and sustainable economic growth,” the leaders said.

In July this year, at a Financing for Development conference in Addis Ababa, the institutions unveiled plans to scale up their finance and support for countries seeking to achieve the development goals, pledging to increase their financial contribution to more than $400 billion over the next three years.

They vowed to examine how they could increase

their own financing and also to work to ensure a greater mobilization of domestic resources and expanded funding from the private sector.

Commenting on the adoption of the Goals, AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina, said: "The African Development Bank is fully committed to the successful implementation of the SDGs. We will work with our member countries, the private sector, civil society and other partners to deliver on the SDGs for Africa. The SDGs must work -and they must work for Africa."

Also in her remarks, Managing Director, IMF, Christine Lagarde, said: “The SDGs are ambitious, but achievable with determined implementation. We all have a responsibility to achieve these goals, at the country level and through our collective action at the global level. The IMF, with its 188 member countries, will play its part.”

Similarly, President, World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, said: “The international community showed wisdom and courage fifteen years ago in adopting the Millennium Declaration, which set out eight ambitious goals to improve the lives of billions and bring the world together in closer cooperation and partnership.

We cut poverty in half five years earlier than the declaration’s deadline, so I am confident we can achieve the great aspirations of these new global goals – particularly the first, which is to erase the scourge of extreme poverty from our planet by 2030.

We can, and must, end this terrible blot on our collective conscience.”

28

Business | Movers, Shakers and Appointments

Total Nigeria gets new MD T

he Board of Directors of Total E&P Nigeria has appointed Mr. Nicolas Terraz as Managing Director/ Chief Executive of Total E&P Nigeria Ltd. (TEPNG) with effect from September 17, 2015.

According to a statement by the company, Terraz succeeds Mrs. Elizabeth Proust who has been assigned to other duties within the Group.

He is a graduate of French engineering schools, Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées.

Terraz obtained a Master of Science in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States.

He joined Total E&P Nigeria in 2001, after working for

Terraz

seven years with the French Government in the ministries of industry and public works and transportation.

The new managing director, the statement said, has acquired extensive experience

in operations and management of various projects in Total’s affiliate companies in many countries, including Myanmar, Qatar and France.

He served as managing director of Total E&P Myanmar and Total Group representative in Myanmar (from 2008 to 2011) and as managing director of Total E&P France (from 2011 to 2013).

Terraz was appointed vice president New Ventures & Asset Management for Total Exploration and Production on March 1, 2014.

He is coming to Nigeria from his present position as a Top executive in the New Business Unit in France.

Born in 1969, he is married with four children.

Real estate firm promotes staff

MONDAY, September 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Chevron lifts joint venture director

C

hevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) has elevated Mr. Monday A. Ovuede to the position of director.

He replaced Mr. Supo Shadiya who retired from the company after 32 years of meritorious service to CNL and Chevron Corporation.

According to the company, Ovuede has since resumed work in his new position.

In a statement by the company’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Mr. D.O Haastrup, he obtained a bachelor degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Benin, Nigeria in 1986.

He joined the company in 1997 as a Senior Petro-

World Bank appoints Nigeria’s director

A Oyewole

A

property development and real estate company, Megamound Investment Limited, has promoted six of its members of staff.

In a statement, the company said that Abiodun Awobode, a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, had been promoted to the post of the deputy general manager. Awobode has 10 years’ work experience in building and construction management.

He is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Builders Also, Olayemi Oyewale was elevated to the post of assistant general manager while Ibukun Adeparusi was promoted to senior project manager.

Again, Mr. Joseph Odunjo, Stephen Famojuro and Daniel Akinwalere, were appointed as

Adeparusi

Awobode

Akinwalere

managers.

According to the company, Oyewale graduated from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State with Ordinary National Diploma in Business Studies and a Higher National Diploma in Business Administration and Management.

He is a certified Associated Chartered Accountant with over 10 years’ working experience.

It added that Adeparusi graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Building and obtained a Master of Science degree in Construction Management from the University of Lagos.

He is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Building and Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria with over 20 years’

experience.

The company stressed: “Odunjo graduated from the University of Ibadan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering majoring in Maintenance and Material Technology with 10 years’ work experience.

“Famojuro graduated from the Faculty of Law, Olabisi Onabanjo University with a LL.B (Hons) and the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

“He is member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), with a work experience of over five years. Akinwalere graduated from the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, with a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy and 10 years’ work experience.”

Famojuro

Odunjo

leum Engineer and has held numerous technical and management positions in the course of his career.

These include: Reservoir engineering advisor; Agbami Project director; general manager, Marine Services Group for Chevron Shipping Company, and vice president, organizational capability for Chevron Corporation.

According to Mr. Clay Neff, Chairman & Managing Director, CNL, Ovuede was appointed to the position based on his leadership skills, sound understanding of Chevron’s operations and demonstrated ability to build effective relationships with relevant stakeholders.

former World Bank country director for Pakistan, Rachid Benmessaoud, has been appointed by the bank to support Nigeria’s development priorities, including education and public spending.

Benmessaoud was named as the bank’s new country director for Nigeria and coordinating director for West Africa Regional Integration Programme.

The bank said in a statement that the new director would continue to improve the impact of the World Bank’s portfolio in Nigeria to support government in targeted areas such as power, education, quality of public spending, trade and regional integration.

Benmessaoud has worked on energy, infrastructure and municipal finance projects in North Africa, Central Europe and South Asia.

He joined the bank in 1990 as an energy planner in the then Europe, Middle East and North Africa vice-presidency.

Benmessaoud

Firm assigns manager for Nigeria

C

yberoam has appointed Mr. David Sodeinde as its locally-stationed presales manager to assist the partner network in Nigeria.

It was learnt that Sodeinde would be working with Cyberoam Country Manager, Mr. Jimi Falaiye, to capitalise on the opportunities in the Nigerian network security market. Cyberoam constantly engages with the end customers and partners in the region via its security seminars.

The global provider of network security appliance, in a statement, said that Sodeinde would take

charge of such seminars, product awareness programmes, assisting partner skill development, delivering product certification training, solution presentations and product updates.

Reacting to the appointment, Sodeinde said that he was excited to be a part of Cyberoam, as its making rapid strides with the value proposition for the SMB segment.

He said: “I have worked closely with organisations in Nigeria and can easily see how Cyberoam brought in security transformation and make organisations compete at global levels.”

Business | Stock Watch

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, September 28, 2015

N

igeria’s volume growth in the beer market, supported by significant annual investment in capacity is rising steeply. Though second to South Africa, Nigeria has been noted by market watchers as Africa’s largest and fastest growing beer market; climbing six places to the 19th position in the most recent data for country rankings on consumption.

According to reports by Financial Intelligence, despite the total consumption accelerating as one of the fastest rates in the world, beer per capita consumption (PCC) in Nigeria remains low at 11.8 litres, far below that of South Africa (60 litres). Nigeria’s low PCC can be attributed to a number of reasons including the size of its growing population (half of which theoretically do not consume alcohol for religious reasons) and structural bottlenecks that prevent the production and distribution of beer (particularly in the rural areas).

Recent figures from the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that 61 per cent of Nigerians live on less than $1 a day, putting mainstream beers, which retails between $1 and $3 out of reach of regular consumption for this segment of the population.

Nigeria’s youthful population in which 39 per cent of the population is below the drinking age of 18 also contributes to the country’s low PCC. Challenges of erratic supply of public electricity, weak logistics, insecurity and other high costs of operations attributable to poor infrastructure have also continued to make business operating environment difficult especially the real sector of the economy.

Following the challenging macro-environment and the squeeze on household wallets, growth in the mainstream segment has been constrained, with more growth seen among cheaper brands.

Notable among the changes to the architecture of alcohol business in the country is the rise to prominence of new variant of alcoholic drinks, which mix bitters with spirit.

For instance, the introduction of Alomo Bitters produced by a Ghanaian company, Kasapreko Limited, in Accra, led the charge of this category of beverages, the market share of all other alcoholic brands have been re-configured and the beer brands have suffered a significant loss of market share.

The audited results of some of the companies in the industry since 2013 have not been encouraging and the expectations was that the subsequent results would be bright enough to erase the negatives in the accounts but unfortunately the trend has continued unabated.

The difficult business environment has made Guinness Nigeria Plc, like its peers, unable to sustain its performance despite innovative and proactive responses to market dynamics and competitive pressures.

Market watchers attribute the depletion in revenue to stiff competition and drop in the value of naira.

Guinness Nigerian Plc has not been insulated from share price depreciation despite remaining tops among its peers in the in-

29

Guinness Nigeria: Profits shrink on weak economy, competition In recent past, the general economic downturn, stiff competition and sudden change in lifestyle and choices among alcoholic beverage consumers have taken a toll on the brewing sector. Chris Ugwu writes on Guinness Nigeria Plc’s place on this and the struggle to raise its head above the waters Share price movement of Guinness Nigeria Plc 2014 Oct 31

N170.00

Nov 30

N158.00

Dec 31

N168.00

2015

Savage

dustry. Its share price movements has also receded and remains susceptible to the challenges facing the manufacturing businesses in Nigeria due to the upset in financial sector following drop in oil prices and currency devaluation.

The company had its fair share of the current lull in the market following massive profit taking that has seen the market lose considerable chunk of investors’ wealth. The share price, which closed at N170.00 per share in October 31, 2014, stood at N154.00 when the closing bell rang on Wednesday, representing a decrease of N16 or 9.41 per cent year to date.

Financials The top Nigerian brewers had ended the financial year in red with a report of 31 per cent decline in pre-tax profit during the year ended June 30, 2014.

In a financial statement released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the company’s profit before tax (PBT) for the year ended dropped by 31 per cent from N17.0 billion in 2013 to N11.68 billion in the review period of 2014.

Guinness also reported a decline in its post-tax profit by 19 per cent to N9.573 billion from N11.863 billion in its year 2014 audited year.

Revenues also declined to N109.20 billion in the 12-month period to June 30, compared with N122.46 billion during the same period last year.

The company’s dwindling fortune continued during the six-

Market watchers attribute the depletion in revenue to stiff competition and drop in the value of naira

Jan 31

N129.99

Feb 28

N123.50

Mar 31

N132.19

Apr 30

N170.00

May 30

N163.00

June 30

N162.81

July 31

N125.10

Aug 31

N138.99

Sept 11

N154.00

month ended December 31, 2014, as it recorded a 27 per cent drop in profit before tax.

Its first-half pre-tax profit fell to N4.65 billion down 27.4 per cent from N6.41 billion a year ago.

However, turnover rose to N55.26 billion in the six-month period to December from N52.75 billion a year earlier.

For the nine-month period ending March 31, 2015, Guinness Nigeria posted an after tax profit of N5.216 billion. This represents a drop of about 12 per cent in comparison to the corresponding period of March 2014 when profit after tax stood at N5.943 billion. Similarly, profit before tax dropped by nine per cent to N7.134 billion from N7.823 billion in the corresponding period.

This is, however, on the back of a nine per cent growth in revenue in the period in review to N84.750 billion in 2015 up from N78.018 billion in the corresponding period of 2014.

The country’s second biggest brewer’s full-year net income fell 19 per cent to N7.8 billion from N9.5 billion as weaker economic growth hurts consumption of beer brands in the country.

Profit before tax dropped by eight per cent from N11.7 billion in 2014 to N10.7 billion during the period under review.

However, revenue rose nine per cent to N118.5 billion from N109.2 billion, while costs climbed eight per cent and tax payments soared 42 per cent, the company said in a statement published on the Nigerian Stock Exchange’s website.

The brewer proposed a dividend of N3.20 per share, payable on November 27.

Why profits shrank The slump in profit came as Nigeria suffered from lower crude prices, with government

revenues declining and public sector workers going unpaid for months. According to analysts, economic growth was 2.4 per cent on an annualised basis in the second quarter, down from 6.5 per cent a year earlier.

To analysts at FBN Capital, “Guinness PBT declined by eight per cent year-on-year (y/y) because operating (opex) and net interest expense increased by 14 per cent y/y and 10 per cent y/y respectively. Further down the profit and loss (P&L), a higher effective tax rate of 27.8 per cent, compared with 18 per cent in 2014, resulted in PAT declining by 19 per cent y/y.

“Following the challenging macro-environment and the squeeze on household wallets, growth in the mainstream segment has been constrained, with more growth seen in the value segment due to down-trading by consumers. Although we believe that the 16 per cent y/y rise in opex in fourth-quarter (Q4) was most likely due to increased spending on advertisements, we await management’s clarification on this line,” the analysts added.

Analysts’ opinions The FBN Capital analysts noted that given that Guinness Nigeria full year PBT of N10.8 billion came in around six per cent ahead of consensus, PBT forecast of N10.2 billion, “we expect a neutral to slightly positive reaction from the market.

“On our published forecasts, Guinness Nigeria shares are trading on a 2016E (end-June) P/E multiple of 21.4x for 22per cent earnings per share (EPS) growth in 2017E. These compare with the 22.9x 2015E multiple for 20 per cent EPS growth in 2016E that rival Nigerian Breweries is trading on. Guinness shares have underperformed the index ytd, shedding -23.9 per cent versus the -14.8 per cent return on the NSE index.

We rate Guinness Nigeria shares ‘underperform.’ Our estimates are under review,” they said.

Looking ahead Chairman, Board of Directors of Guinness Nigeria, Mr. Babatunde Savage, had said that the current economic environment was challenging for all companies but that the company looked forward to an improvement in the operating environment and positioned to take advantage of improving consumer confidence that may occur as a result.

He said that the board continues to support the management in its efforts to continually grow the business and deliver shareholders’ value.

Conclusion Though high cost of operations have remarkably weighed down on the breweries industry, it is important for the company to keep managing its cost-base tightly to deliver moderate operating margins improvement for growth and profitability.

30

ALTERATION New Act will materially alter the way insurance and reinsurance business is conducted in the London market

MONDAY, September 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Insurance Reinsurance: UK expert warns African underwriters on treaty

A

partner with United Kingdom law firm, Michelmores, Garbhan Shanks, has advised African insurers buying reinsurance from the London insurance market to take into account the Insurance Act 2015, a new legislation which comes into effect in August 2016.

The new Insurance Act 2015 will come into force in the UK on August 12, 2016, representing the greatest change to English insurance law for over 100 years. The Act will apply to all business contracts of insurance and reinsurance/retrocession (as well as any variations made to existing contracts after the Act has come into force) and will materially alter the way insurance and reinsurance business is conducted in the London market.

According to Shanks, given the African insurance market’s historic and still dominant dependence on foreign reinsurance, it is critical that these buyers of English law governed reinsurance are aware of and prepared for the changes the Act will introduce. In light of the ‘fronting’ arrangements in place for many African risks, it will be in the interests of all parties in the risk transfer chain, including policyholders whose policies contain cut-through provisions to London reinsurers, to prepare and plan for the arrival of the Act. Key changes under the Act The general obligation for insureds and reinsureds to disclose all material facts will be replaced with a new duty of “fair presentation”. They will have to disclose: every material circumstance that it knows or ought to know or sufficient information to put a prudent insurer/reinsurer “on notice” that it needs to make further enquiries to reveal the material circumstances. This means that an insured/reinsured may satisfy the duty of disclosure by doing something that falls short of actually disclosing every material circumstance. They are expected, however, to carry out a “reasonable search” for information, including a search for information held within its business structure or “by any other person” (such as their broker), a potentially very wide obligation.

The intention is to create more proactive underwriting and greater cooperation between reinsureds and insurers in the disclosure process. The duty to give a “fair presentation” also entails the insured/reinsured disclosing information in a manner which would be “reasonably clear and accessible” to the other party.

The idea is to prevent either from “data dumping” a large volume of

Commissioner for Insurance, Mohammed Kari

information in order to meet their disclosure obligations.

Information will need to be clearly presented, indexed and signposted, otherwise it may not be considered a fair presentation of the risk.

Under current English law, even an innocent failure to disclose material information can result in the policy being voidable.

The remedies for failing to comply with the new duty of “fair presentation” are more flexible; the insurer/reinsurer can only avoid the policy if the failure was “deliberate or reckless” or, if innocent, if it can show that it would never have entered into the contract had it known the material fact. If they can show that they would have imposed additional terms or charged a higher premium, the policy may be treated as containing those additional terms, or claims may be reduced in proportion to the amount of the higher premium.

The insurer or reinsurer’s liability will only be suspended when there is a breach of warranty and, once that breach has been rectified, they will be on risk again. The Act also provides that in the event of breach of certain warranties, the insurer/reinsurer cannot avoid liability unless the breach could have had some bearing on the risk of the loss which actually occurred. So, unlike under the present law, breach of a warranty that premises have a working fire alarm would not discharge them for liability when a flood occurs.

‘Basis of the contract’ clauses are to be abolished. These currently provide that the insured/reinsured warrants the accuracy of answers given in a proposal form/ renewal submission or states that such answers form the “basis of the contract”, enabling insurers/ reinsurers to avoid liability where there has been an innocent mis-

Commissioner for Insurance, Ghana, Lariba Bawa

representation.

Under the current English law, even an innocent failure to disclose material information can result in the policy being voidable

The impact for reinsurance and retrocession Contracts of reinsurance and retrocession are contracts of insurance for the purposes of the Act, with the party purchasing the insurance (the insurer or reinsurer) being the ‘insured’ and the party providing the insurance (the reinsurer or retrocessionaire) being the ‘insurer’. Many of the concepts introduced by the Act will require further input from the English courts and this is certainly likely to be the case when it comes to the Act’s application to reinsurance contracts.

Complying with new “duty of fair presentation” In the reinsurance context, the Act appears to have created a new and much more onerous duty of disclosure on reinsureds. Under the new regime, a reinsured will have to give its reinsurer a “fair presentation of the risk”, which will include disclosing every material circumstance it knows or “ought to know”.

The Act provides that an insured “ought to know what should reasonably have been revealed by a reasonable search of information available to the insured” including information “held within the insured’s organisation or by any other person”. Such information can be revealed by “making enquiries” or by “any other means”. From a reinsured’s perspective, this could extend to searches outside of the reinsured’s organisation, to other teams within the reinsured’s structure dealing with other risks, clients and claims, and certainly to information on its own intranet.

Where the underlying insurance policy is governed by English law, there is a risk that a reinsured might find itself in breach of its duty to give a fair presentation to

its reinsurers, and therefore without reinsurance, yet still liable to the underlying policyholder. This could arise where the policyholder discloses information that would put a prudent insurer on notice that it needs to make further enquiries to reveal material information, but the reinsured fails to make those enquiries. The reinsured would be unable to avoid the underlying policy, but its reinsurers could argue that the reinsured had breached its duty of fair presentation by failing to make enquiries with the underlying policyholder.

Where underlying policies are governed by English law, it is critical that reinsureds make all relevant enquiries where proposal forms/renewal presentations flag areas that merit requests for further information.

Where underlying policies are subject to local African laws, reinsureds could also face difficulty in complying with the onerous “duty of fair presentation” owed to their reinsurer, particularly if the standards of local underwriting are less stringent than those envisaged by the new Act. For example, where the underlying policy is underwritten with only minimal disclosure by the policyholder; this might be sufficient to comply with local law, meaning that the policyholder will be covered in the event of a loss, but the reinsured may face difficulty demonstrating to its reinsurer that, under English law, it has conducted a reasonable search of available information and provided a fair presentation of the risk.

Reinsurers too will have to alter the way they currently underwrite business, as the new Act provides that the reinsured may satisfy its duty of fair presentation if it discloses information that would put a prudent reinsurer on notice that it needs to make further enquiries to elicit material information. Reinsurers will have to take a much more active role in the disclosure process than is presently the case.

It would be sensible for African reinsureds to agree in advance with reinsurers the precise parameters of the reasonable search to avoid disputes arising down the line.

Contracting out It may be that African reinsureds decide to contract out of some or all of the provisions of the Act, specifically the provisions dealing with knowledge and the duty of disclosure. Indeed, English reinsurers will carry out their own assessment as to whether they apply the new regime in their contracts.

Conclusion A careful assessment will need to be undertaken by African reinsurers as to how to benefit and/or prepare for this new regime.

Business | Insurance

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, September 28, 2015

PFAs get N26.63bn monthly from RSA holders

A

bout N26.63 billion is contributed monthly by Retirement Saving Account (RSA), the National Pension Commission (PenCom) has said.

The commission said in a report that the average monthly contributions by the private and public sectors were N17.46 billion and N9.17 billion respectively during the first quarter 2015.

It said that the total pension contributions by both the public and private sectors into the RSA of employees was N2,953.09 billion as at the end of first quarter, 2015, stressing

that this was an increase of N79.87 billion, representing 2.70 per cent over the total contributions remitted as the end of December, 2014.

PenCom said while the public sector contributed 34.43 per cent of the total contributions, the private sector contributed the remaining balance of 65.57 per cent during the quarter.

It said the private sector contributions increased from N1, 229.77 billion as at the end of December, 2014 to N1, 282.14 billion as at the end of the first quarter of 2015, representing an increase of 4.26 per cent.

Emerging Capital exits Continental Reinsurance GROWTH The reinsurer has grown from a primarily Nigerian focused business into a leading panAfrican firm

E

merging Capital Partners (ECP), an international private equity

firm focused on investing across the African continent, has announced the sale of C-Re Holding Limited to Saham Finances S.A, the insurance arm of Saham Group.

C-Re Holding holds a 53.6 per cent stake in Continental Reinsurance Plc, the leading private reinsurance company in Africa, excluding South Africa.

Under ECP’s ownership, Continental Re has grown to become a lead-

ing pan-African reinsurer operating across the continent with a presence in Nigeria, Cameroon, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Tunisia.

During its holding period, ECP and its investment partners supported the recapitalisation of the business, strengthened the senior management team and facilitated its regional expansion to support Continental Re’s growth ambitions.

Akinboye rejoins NIA council

T

HE Group Managing Director/CEO, Standard Alliance Insurance Plc, Bode Akinboye, has been coopted into the governing council of the Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA), the umbrella body for all insurance companies in Nigeria, for the year 2015/16.

In a letter by the association conveying the council’s decision to him, council noted that his cooption was expected to add value to the deliberations of the body, adding that the decision to co-opt him “was in line with the provision of article 6 (1) (d) of the Association’s constitution that provides for the co-option of members into the Council.”

Akinboye who assumed office in January this year after leading Gemrock Management Company Limited to acquire strategic stakes in the company, is returning to the association as an old member having earlier served on the council as the treasurer for four years before he left the industry in 2009 to set up a private equity company.

Since his return as an investor which has been a welcome excitement to the nation’s insurance industry, he has initiated several fresh ways of doing the underwriting business through his company, culminating in his befitting co-option as a member of the association’s highest organ where his transformational contributions are valuably being expected.

Akinboye’s belief that insurance business can be done with integrity that leads to profitability is already yielding results in his underwriting firm which returned 104% profit after tax rise in its half year result as at end of June this year.

31

L-R: Brand Consultant, Slot, Mr. Ugo Ogoke; Managing Director, Slot Systems Limited, Mr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo; Slot Ambassador, Mr. Oladapo Oyebanjo (Dbanj) and Executive Director, Slot Systems Limited, Mrs Nkechi Ezeigbo, during the unveiling of Dbanj in Lagos.

PHOTO: TONY EGUAYE

ARIAN inaugurates Imo chapter T he Association of Registered Insurance Agents of Nigeria (ARIAN) has inaugurated a new chapter in Owerri, the Imo State capital, its President, Gbadebo Olameru, has said.

According to him, the new chapter will enable the national secretariat to conduct the needed assessment to address some of its strategies towards the deepening of insurance.

Olameru said the association had also identified developmental strategies to take records of registered agents.

The chapter was tasked to consolidate and develop the agency network in Imo State and work with all stake holders to eradicate fake insurance and create working relationship with the state government by increasing internally generated revenue of the state and reduce the rate of unemployment by developing agency network

initiative across the state.

He said: “It is our vision to see a strong and vibrant association with unlimited capacity to support the agency practitioner and improve the wellbeing of a successful insurance agent. It will also reduce fake agents around the country.

“This establishment is also in line with NAICOM’s Market Development and Restructuring Initiative (MDRI).”

He said the new excutive members of the chapter are: Chairman, Okereafor Chinedu; Vice Chairman, Ezeigbo Bush; and Secretary, Anunusor Sandra.

Olamerun said he was determined to expand the insurance agency networks, hence the initiative to do a nationwide sensitisation.

He further said the association was planning its yearly conference and annual general meeting for November.

Commenting on the sale, Hurley Doddy, CoChief Executive Officer of ECP and outgoing Chairman of Continental Re, said: “ECP’s investment in Continental Re highlights how we partner with high growth companies with proven business models and transform them into regional champions.

“With ECP’s support, Continental Re has grown from a primarily Nigerian focused business into a leading pan-African reinsurer, increasing its presence on the continent from two to six countries.

We believe that Continental Re will leverage Saham’s industry expertise and relationships across the continent to further achieve its goals in Africa and create value for shareholders.”

Continental Reinsurance is a composite reinsurer, operating in more than 44 countries across the African continent.

It has offices in Nigeria, Kenya, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia and Botswana and is rated B+ by AM Best.

Saham Finances, the insurance arm of the Saham Group, is actively following its growth strategy in Africa and the Middle East. It is present in 24 countries through 49 subsidiaries, including 28 insurance and reinsurance companies through 650 branches throughout Africa.

SLOT, IGI introduce smartphone screens’ cover

S

lot Systems Limited and Industrial and General Insurance Plc (IGI) have introduced a cover that allows customers to insure their phone screen against damage.

Speaking on the policy, a representative of Slot, Jane Smith, said a customer could get a new phone if it is insured.

According to her, the new policy is aimed at creating awareness about insurance to phone users

and saving owners the stress of getting a new phone or wasting money to repair the phone screens.

She explained that the screen insurance ensures the cost of replacing any damaged phone screen that has been insured would be handled by the insurance company adding that phone users can only insure a newly purchased phone and not an old mobile phone.

Inspenonline unveils new portal

I

nspenonline has unveiled a new portal to bring information close to the public.

A statement by the Managing Director Inspen Media, Chuks Udo Okonta, said the portal was designed to enhance public knowledge on pension, insurance and

related matters.

He explained that in the past three years of its existence, the organisation has helped to deepen awareness on insurance and pension through indepth news reportage, analysis, interviews and the yearly insurance and pension awards.

Business | Financial Market News

32

MONDAY, September 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

23-Sep-15

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute professional, financial or investment advice. We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; however, the Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE” basis and may not be accurate or up to date. We do not guarantee the accuracy, timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of any of the Information, neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information.

Bonds FGN Bonds

Price

Rating/Agency

Issuer

NA

NA

Description 13.05 16-AUG-2016 ^15.10 27-APR-2017 9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

16-Aug-13 27-Apr-12 27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 13-Feb-15 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

13.05 15.10 9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 15.54 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.1493

581.39 480.13 20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 331.93 605.31 599.99 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 718.29

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

5,338.81

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

4,858.49

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Maturity Date

TTM (Yrs)

16-Aug-16 27-Apr-17 27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 13-Feb-20 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

0.90 1.59 1.84 1.94 2.68 3.77 4.08 4.39 6.35 8.47 13.18 13.66 14.16 14.83 18.82

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

Bid Price

Offer Price

14.22 14.77 14.78 14.80 14.81 14.80 14.84 14.84 14.81 14.75 16.18 16.38 16.59 15.58 14.97

14.04 14.66 14.68 14.70 14.74 14.69 14.73 14.74 14.74 14.69 16.12 16.31 16.51 15.51 14.91

99.01 100.42 92.25 91.09 91.11 103.31 76.59 102.17 106.30 97.37 93.58 78.98 56.30 68.00 82.38

99.16 100.57 92.40 91.24 91.26 103.61 76.89 102.47 106.60 97.67 93.88 79.28 56.60 68.30 82.68

5293.806821

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

# Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

1.80 112.22 116.70 66.49

03-Apr-17 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.65 1.21 1.57 1.78

2.94 1.00 1.02 1.00

17.09 15.45 15.76 15.77

100.06 100.51 108.04 104.56

Agency Bonds FMBN ***LCRM

17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

297.22

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

310.21

Sub-National Bonds A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.02

3.23

12.11

99.99

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

2.60

30-Jun-16

0.52

4.46

18.57

97.78

A/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

3.96

30-Jun-16

0.53

3.48

17.59

98.92

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.57

1.00

15.74

92.26

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

21.24

30-Jun-17

1.06

1.00

15.31

98.49

A-/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.27

1.79

16.60

95.17

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.65

1.00

15.75

97.63

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.66

1.00

15.75

97.58

‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR†

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018

09-Dec-11

14.50

12.40

09-Dec-18

1.85

1.00

15.78

98.01

A-/Agusto

*NIGER

14.00 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018

12-Dec-13

14.00

9.21

12-Dec-18

1.85

4.78

19.56

91.95

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

*ONDO

15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019

14-Feb-12

15.50

24.44

14-Feb-19

2.04

1.00

15.81

99.44

BBB+/Agusto; A-/GCR Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

*GOMBE LAGOS

15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019

BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019

02-Oct-12 22-Nov-12 12-Dec-12

15.50 14.50 14.75

15.09 80.00 23.75

02-Oct-19 22-Nov-19 12-Dec-19

2.27 4.16 2.44

2.02 1.00 1.00

16.83 15.85 15.81

97.65 95.94 97.96

BBB-/Agusto

*OSUN

14.75 OSUN II 10-OCT-2020

10-Oct-13

14.75

10.46

10-Oct-20

2.87

1.00

15.81

97.69

Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

13.50 LAGOS 27-NOV-2020

27-Nov-13

13.50

87.50

27-Nov-20

5.18

1.00

15.85

91.85

A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro

KOGI

15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

15.00

5.00

31-Dec-20

5.27

1.00

15.85

96.98

‡ /Agusto

*EKITI

14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020

31-Dec-13

14.50

4.30

31-Dec-20

3.12

1.00

15.82

96.94

A-/GCR Bbb-/Agusto

*NASARAWA *BENUE

15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 16.50 BENUE 27-FEB-2022

06-Jan-14

15.00

4.31

06-Jan-21

3.14

1.00

15.82

98.06

27-Feb-15

16.50

4.75

27-Feb-22

3.97

1.00

15.84

101.77

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

432.97 413.11

Corporate Bonds BBB-/Agusto

*FLOURMILLS

12.00 FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015

09-Dec-10

12.00

9.38

09-Dec-15

0.21

1.00

12.45

99.87

BB/GCR

*CHELLARAMS

14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016

06-Jan-11

14.00

0.22

06-Jan-16

0.29

2.63

14.93

99.63

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016

29-Sep-11

13.00

15.00

29-Sep-16

1.02

1.00

15.27

97.93

A-/Agusto

FSDH

14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016

25-Oct-13

14.25

5.53

25-Oct-16

1.09

1.34

15.68

98.58

A/GCR

UBA

13.00 UBA 30-SEP-2017

30-Sep-10

13.00

20.00

30-Sep-17

2.02

1.00

15.81

95.29

BBB-/GCR

18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017

30-Nov-12

18.00

0.56

30-Nov-17

1.25

1.88

16.37

102.46

Nil

*C & I LEASING *DANA#{r}

MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018

09-Apr-11

16.00

5.40

09-Apr-18

1.29

1.00

15.53

100.51

A-/DataPro†; B+/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

18.00

2.18

09-Sep-18

1.71

1.00

15.76

103.17

AAA/DataPro†; A/GCR

*TOWER#

MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018

09-Sep-11

16.00

0.60

09-Sep-18

1.71

1.00

15.76

100.35

A+/Agusto; A/GCR

UBA

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

35.00

30-Sep-18

3.02

3.00

17.81

91.37

BBB+/Agusto; BBB+/GCR

15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018

18-Oct-13

15.75

2.10

18-Oct-18

1.57

2.29

17.03

98.32

BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR

*LA CASERA *CHELLARAMS#

MPR+5.00 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019

17-Feb-12

18.00

0.32

17-Feb-19

1.90

6.11

20.90

95.75

Nil

*DANA#{r}

16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

01-Apr-14

16.00

4.50

01-Apr-19

2.27

2.16

16.97

98.26

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.14

1.00

15.85

97.88

BBB/GCR

FCMB

14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

20-Nov-21

6.16

1.00

15.82

93.89

A/GCR

UBA

16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Dec-21

6.27

1.00

15.82

102.37

BBB/GCR

FIDELITY

16.48 FIDELITY 13-MAY-2022

13-May-15

16.48

30.00

13-May-22

6.64

2.92

17.73

95.17

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

16.29

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.02

1.00

15.86

102.01

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.02

1.00

15.86

87.68

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

204.86

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

196.22

Supranational Bond AAA/S&P

IFC

10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018

11-Feb-13

10.20

12.00

11-Feb-18

2.39

1.00

13.94

92.59

Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P

AfDB

11.25 AFDB 1-FEB-2021

10-Jul-14

11.25

12.95

01-Feb-21

3.61

1.00

15.82

88.02

Bid Price

Offer Price

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

24.95 22.51

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value ($mm)

Maturity Date

Bid Yield (%)

Offer Yield (%)

6.75 JAN 28, 2021

07-Oct-11

6.75

500.00

28-Jan-21

7.36

7.11

97.34

98.40

5.13 JUL 12, 2018

12-Jul-13

5.13

500.00

12-Jul-18

5.94

5.47

97.91

99.12

6.38 JUL 12, 2023

12-Jul-13

6.38

500.00

12-Jul-23

7.73

7.54

92.13

93.23

FGN Eurobonds

Prices & Yields

BB-/Fitch; B+/S&P BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

FGN

BB-/Fitch; BB-/S&P

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

1,500.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

1,436.92

Corporate Eurobonds B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC I

7.50 MAY 19, 2016

19-May-11

7.50

500.00

19-May-16

5.87

5.87

101.00

101.00

B+/S&P

ACCESS BANK PLC

7.25 JUL 25, 2017

25-Jul-12

7.25

350.00

25-Jul-17

8.90

8.90

97.25

97.25

B/Fitch; B/S&P

FIDELITY BANK PLC

6.88 MAY 09, 2018

09-May-13

6.88

300.00

02-May-18

15.61

14.77

81.81

83.36

B+/Fitch; B+/S&P

GTBANK PLC

6.00 NOV 08, 2018

08-Nov-13

6.00

400.00

08-Nov-18

8.64

8.64

92.90

92.90

B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P

ZENITH BANK PLC

6.25 APR 22, 2019

22-Apr-14

6.25

500.00

22-Apr-19

8.65

8.65

92.75

92.75

B/Fitch; B/S&P

DIAMOND BANK PLC

8.75 May 21, 2019

21-May-14

8.75

200.00

21-May-19

12.17

11.39

90.13

92.25

B-/Fitch; B/S&P B-/Fitch; B/S&P B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK PLC ACCESS BANK PLC II FIRST BANK LTD

8.25 AUG 07, 2020 9.25/6M USD LIBOR+7.677 JUN 24, 2021 8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

07-Aug-13 24-Jun-14 23-Jul-14

8.25 9.25 8.00

300.00 400.00 450.00

07-Aug-20 24-Jun-21 23-Jul-21

12.98 13.01 13.51

12.98 12.54 13.51

82.60 85.03 77.50

82.60 86.72 77.50

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

12.47

11.80

83.99

86.46

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3,650.00

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

3,253.06

**Treasury Bills^ DTM 8 22 29 36 43 50

FIXINGS Maturity 1-Oct-15 15-Oct-15 22-Oct-15 29-Oct-15 5-Nov-15 12-Nov-15

Bid Discount (%) 9.07 9.26 9.44 9.96 11.40 11.29

Offer Discount (%) 8.82 9.01 9.19 9.71 11.15 11.04

Bid Yield (%) 9.09 9.31 9.51 10.06 11.56 11.47

Money Market

NIBOR Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 14.0000 15.7567 16.9066 18.0573

Tenor

Rate (%)

OBB

11.50

O/N Tenor

11.92

REPO

Rate (%)

Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) Tenor

Bid ($/N)

Offer ($/N)

Spot 7D 14D 1M

198.95 199.44 201.14 201.76

199.05 199.81 201.57 202.10

NA

9.85 27-JUL-2017 9.35 31-AUG-2017 10.70 30-MAY-2018 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 7.00 23-OCT-2019 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 15.00 28-NOV-2028 12.49 22-MAY-2029 8.50 20-NOV-2029 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 ^12.1493 18-JUL-2034

NA

27-Jul-07 31-Aug-07 30-May-08 29-Jun-12 23-Oct-09 13-Feb-15 27-Jan-12 14-Mar-14 28-Nov-08 22-May-09 20-Nov-09 23-Jul-10 18-Jul-14

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE September 28, 2015

9.85 9.35 10.70 16.00 7.00 15.54 16.39 14.20 15.00 12.49 8.50 10.00 12.1493

20.00 100.00 300.00 351.30 233.90 331.93 605.31 599.99 75.00 150.00 200.00 591.57 718.29

Issuer

ACHIEVEMENT

Agency Bonds

FMBN

Local bourse emerges best in CSR TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

***LCRM

14.78 14.80 14.81 14.80 14.84 14.84 14.81 14.75 16.18 16.38 16.59 15.58 14.97

Issue Date

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

03-Apr-12 09-Dec-11 20-Apr-12 06-Jul-12

17.25 0.00/16.00 0.00/16.50 0.00/16.50

1.80 112.22 116.70 66.49

03-Apr-17 08-Dec-16 19-Apr-17 06-Jul-17

0.65 1.21 1.57 1.78

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.02

2.60

30-Jun-16

0.52

NSE reiterates commitment to African development Description

17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

297.22

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

310.21

Sub-National Bonds A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

Stories

by Chris Ugwu A/Agusto *IMO

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

he NigerianEDO Stock Ex‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR *DELTA change (NSE) has reA-/Agusto; A-/GCR NIGER stated its commitment ‡ /Agusto; A-/GCR† *EKITI A-/Agusto *NIGER to providing a platA-/Agusto; A-/GCR *ONDO form forA-/GCR sustainable growth BBB+/Agusto; *GOMBE Aa-/Agusto; ‡ /GCR LAGOS and development in African BBB-/Agusto; BBB+/GCR *OSUN economy BBB-/Agusto . *OSUN Aa-/Agusto; Chief‡ /GCR ExecutiveLAGOS Officer, A-/Agusto; BBB+/DataPro KOGI NSE, ‡ /AgustoMr. Oscar Onyema, *EKITI stated A-/GCRwhile reacting to *NASARAWA this the ‘Best Bbb-/Agusto *BENUE Corporate Social Responsibility TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Award’ presented to the NSE in TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION New York.

Corporate Bonds He said: “The NSE is deBBB-/Agusto *FLOURMILLS BB/GCR *CHELLARAMS voted to taking a leading role A+/Agusto; A-/GCR NAHCO in creating a more sustainable A-/Agusto FSDH A/GCR inclusive economy UBA for our and BBB-/GCR *C & I LEASING stakeholders.

Sustainability is a Nil *DANA A-/DataPro†;component B+/GCR critical of*TOWER our busiAAA/DataPro†; A/GCR *TOWER ness strategy. It is about responA+/Agusto; A/GCR UBA sible andBBB+/GCR inclusive investment BBB+/Agusto; *LA CASERA BBB-/DataPro†; BB/GCR services, increasing*CHELLARAMS opportuNil A-/Agusto

#{r}

#

#

#

*DANA#{r}

30-Sep-10

13.00

30-Jun-11

14.00

2015 affirmed of 30-Jun-09 its core value 15.50 19-Apr-10 10.00 transparency when it released 30-Jun-10 13.75 its first30-Dec-10 Sustainability14.00 Report 30-Sep-11 14.00 titled ‘Connecting Nigeria to 04-Oct-11 14.00 the world through a Sustainable 09-Dec-11 14.50 14.00 Capital 12-Dec-13 Market.’

14-Feb-12 15.50 The report, to him, 02-Oct-12 according 15.50 22-Nov-12 the Exchange’s 14.50 demonstrates 12-Dec-12 14.75 commitment dis10-Oct-13 to increased 14.75 13.50 closure,27-Nov-13 expanded stakeholder 31-Dec-13 15.00 engagement 31-Dec-13and thought 14.50 lead06-Jan-14 15.00 ership on sustainability .

27-Feb-15 16.50 The NSE was presented with the ‘Best Corporate Social Responsibility Award’ at the 2015 African09-Dec-10 Business Awards 12.00 held 06-Jan-11 14.00 in New 29-Sep-11 York.

13.00 The 25-Oct-13 African Business 14.25 Awards,30-Sep-10 launched in 13.00 2008 by 30-Nov-12 18.00 African09-Apr-11 Business magazine, is 16.00 09-Sep-11 18.00 designed to celebrate excellence 09-Sep-11 16.00 in African business, by recog30-Sep-11 14.00 nising the individuals and 18-Oct-13 15.75 com17-Feb-12 18.00 panies that are driving16.00 Africa’s 01-Apr-14

nity, preserving resources, im15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016 10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017 proving lives, creating jobs and 13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017 meeting needs of the vari14.00the EDO 31-DEC-2017 14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018 ous stakeholders that we serve.

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018 “Leveraging its unique posi14.50 EKITI 09-DEC-2018 NIGER III 12-DEC-2018 tion as14.00 the biggest Exchange in 15.50 ONDO 14-FEB-2019 West Africa, NSE is champion15.50 GOMBE 02-OCT-2019 14.50 LAGOS 22-NOV-2019 ing sustainability along four 14.75 OSUN 12-DEC-2019 key impact of market14.75 OSUN areas II 10-OCT-2020 27-NOV-2020 place,13.50 its LAGOS platform for promot15.00 KOGI 31-DEC-2020 ing market-based 14.50 EKITI II 31-DEC-2020approach 15.00 NASARAWA 06-JAN-2021 to Environmental, Social and 16.50 BENUE 27-FEB-2022 Governance (ESG) imperatives; Community, where the NSE makes contributions to positively 12.00 impact lives; Workplace, FLOURMILLS 9-DEC-2015 14.00 CHELLARAMS 06-JAN-2016 through which the Exchange fa13.00 NAHCO 29-SEP-2016 cilitates diversity , wellbeing and 14.25 FSDH 25-OCT-2016 13.00the UBA talent 30-SEP-2017 harness and skills of 18.00 C&I LEASING 30-NOV-2017 its people; and the Environment MPR+7.00 DANA 9-APR-2018 MPR+7.00 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 its enas it focuses on reducing MPR+5.25 TOWER 9-SEP-2018 vironmental impact.”

14.00 UBA II 30-SEP-2018 Onyema noted that the Ni15.75 LA CASERA 18-OCT-2018 CHELLARAMS II 17-FEB-2019 gerianMPR+5.00 Stock Exchange in July 16.00 DANA II 1-APR-2019

rapidly transforming economy 3.96 30-Jun-16 0.53 57.00 19-Apr-17 1.57 and creating new economic 21.24 30-Jun-17 1.06 opportunities for citizens 2.27 and 25.00 31-Dec-17 30.81 30-Sep-18 1.65 communities all over the con9.00 04-Oct-18 1.66 tinent.

12.40 09-Dec-18 1.85 9.21 12-Dec-18Director 1.85 The Managing of 24.44 14-Feb-19 2.04 IC15.09Publications and Group 02-Oct-19 2.27 80.00 4.16 Publisher of 22-Nov-19 African Business 23.75 12-Dec-19 2.44 magazine, Mr.10-Oct-20 Omar Ben Yed10.46 2.87 87.50 27-Nov-20 5.18 der, said: “It is encouraging to 5.00 31-Dec-20 5.27 read achievements 4.30 the many 31-Dec-20 3.12 4.31 are taking 06-Jan-21 3.14 that place all over 4.75 27-Feb-22 3.97 the continent, despite the 432.97 headwinds and difficult global 413.11 environment. The continent continues to 09-Dec-15 be blessed with 9.38 0.21 0.22 06-Jan-16 0.29 some remarkable individuals, 15.00 29-Sep-16 1.02 who and relentless 5.53 are driven 25-Oct-16 1.09 30-Sep-17to playing 2.02 a in20.00 their ambitions 0.56 30-Nov-17 1.25 transformative role. The calibre 5.40 09-Apr-18 1.29 09-Sep-18 1.71 of 2.18 entries is very high and con0.60 09-Sep-18 1.71 tinues to reflect and recognise 35.00 30-Sep-18 3.02 Africa’s outstanding individu2.10 18-Oct-18 1.57 0.32 17-Feb-19 1.90 als4.50 and businesses.

01-Apr-19 2.27

A+/Agusto; A-/GCR

NAHCO

15.25 NAHCO II 14-NOV-2020

14-Nov-13

15.25

2.05

14-Nov-20

5.14

BBB/GCR

FCMB

14.25 FCMB I 20-NOV-2021

20-Nov-14

14.25

26.00

20-Nov-21

6.16

A/GCR

UBA

16.45 UBA I 30-DEC-2021

30-Dec-14

16.45

30.50

30-Dec-21

6.27

BBB/GCR

FIDELITY

16.48 FIDELITY 13-MAY-2022

13-May-15

16.48

30.00

13-May-22

6.64

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

182D T.bills+1.20 STANBIC IA 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

16.29

0.10

30-Sep-24

9.02

A/GCR

STANBIC IBTC

13.25 STANBIC IB 30-SEP-2024

30-Sep-14

13.25

15.44

30-Sep-24

9.02

Sterling Bank unveils MSME academy

S

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

204.86

terling Bank Plc has economy at large. loss and ensuring my was to be facilitated by revenue196.22 TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION introduced Sterling Addressing newsmen at a seasoned MSME trainers continued business surSupranational Bond Micro, Small and Me- press conference, run from Septhe bank’s and would 11-Feb-13 vival. 12.00 10.20 IFC 11-FEB-2018 AAA/S&P IFC 10.20 11-Feb-18 dium Enterprise (MSME) Group Head, and tember 30 to10-Jul-14 October 21. 11.25 Reiterating the benefits 11.25 AFDBStrategy 1-FEB-2021 Aaa/Moody's; AAA/S&P AfDB 12.95 01-Feb-21 TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE Academy as part of its value Communications, Mr. Shina “Registration however participants 24.95 stand to enjoy TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION added offering for its SUPA Atilola, said that the Ster- commenced on Monday, Au- from the22.51 interactive trainBusiness Account holders. ling MSME Academy was gust 17, 2015 and is to last for ing sessions at the academy, Outstanding Value Description Rating/Agency Issuer Issue Date Coupon (%) Maturity Date ($mm) The academy, which will aimed at capacity building three weeks,” he said.

Atilola explained that it was FGN Eurobondswith a pilot sescommence It would be recalled that expected that these small for existing and emerging JAN 28, 2021 BB-/Fitch; 6.75 500.00 would 28-Jan-21 sion inB+/S&P Lagos, was a result micro, small and6.75 medium businesses experithe bank had07-Oct-11 last June partBB-/Fitch; of the bank’s partnershipFGN sized enterprises 5.13 to JUL enable nered with LEAP Africa on ence improved asset12-Jul-18 quality 12, 2018 12-Jul-13 5.13 500.00 BB-/S&P with a national newspaper. them build viable businessthe 10th edition of the anas they are better equipped BB-/Fitch; 6.38 JUL 12, 2023 12-Jul-13 6.38 500.00 12-Jul-23 BB-/S&P The initiative, according es and position them to ac- nual Africa CEO forum. to manage their funds and TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 1,500.00 to the bank, is in further- cess funds for expansion.

The forum themed: ‘Stay- maximise business profit.

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 1,436.92 ance of its commitment to Atilola said MSMEs ing Ahead: Maximising He noted that given the Corporate Eurobonds enriching lives by focusing would also enjoy access to Profit and Mitigating Risk’ fact that access to funds is a 7.50 MAY 19, 2016 B+/Fitch; GTBANK PLC I 19-May-11 7.50 500.00 19-May-16 on theB+/S&P unique needs of its relevant and reliable busiwas an avenue for the CEOs challenge to most business7.25 JUL 25, 2017 B+/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC 25-Jul-12 7.25 350.00 25-Jul-17 entrepreneurial customers, ness intelligence and into understand how to ensure es; these businesses would 6.88 MAY 09, 2018 B/Fitch; B/S&P FIDELITY BANK PLC 09-May-13 6.88 300.00 02-May-18 be equipped and coached and giving teeth to private formation that would help proper risk identification, 6.00 NOV 08, 2018 B+/Fitch; B+/S&P GTBANK PLC 08-Nov-13 6.00 400.00 08-Nov-18 APR 22, 2019 B+/Fitch; BB-/S&P BANK PLCthem navigate the 6.25 6.25 towards500.00 accessing 22-Apr-19 finance sector involvementZENITH in the challengassessment22-Apr-14 and analysis.

8.75 May 21, 2019 B/Fitch; B/S&P DIAMOND BANK PLC 21-May-14 8.75 200.00 21-May-19 These factors were identidevelopment of small busi- ing operating environment. from local and international 8.25 AUG 07, 2020 B-/Fitch; B/S&P FIRST BANK PLC 07-Aug-13 8.25 300.00 07-Aug-20 financial400.00 institutions. nesses and the Nigerian thatUSD the acade-JUN 24,fied to minimising LIBOR+7.677 2021 as key 24-Jun-14 B-/Fitch; B/S&P ACCESS BANK PLC II He noted9.25/6M 9.25 24-Jun-21 B-/Fitch; B/S&P

FIRST BANK LTD

B-/S&P

ECOBANK NIG. LTD

2.39 3.61

Bid Yield (%)

7.36 5.94 7.73

5.87 8.90 15.61 8.64 8.65 12.17

8.00/2Y USD SWAP+6.488 JUL 23 2021

23-Jul-14

8.00

450.00

23-Jul-21

12.98 13.01 13.51

8.75 AUG 14, 2021

14-Aug-14

8.75

250.00

14-Aug-21

12.47

FMDQ Daily Quotations List

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

14.68 14.70 14.74 14.69 14.73 14.74 14.74 14.69 16.12 16.31 16.51 15.51 14.91

92.25 91.09 91.11 103.31 76.59 102.17 106.30 97.37 93.58 78.98 56.30 68.00 82.38

92.40 91.24 91.26 103.61 76.89 102.47 106.60 97.67 93.88 79.28 56.60 68.30 82.68

33

5293.806821

4,858.49

Rating/Agency

1.84 1.94 2.68 3.77 4.08 4.39 6.35 8.47 13.18 13.66 14.16 14.83 18.82

Business | Financial Market News

5,338.81

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

T

27-Jul-17 31-Aug-17 30-May-18 29-Jun-19 23-Oct-19 13-Feb-20 27-Jan-22 14-Mar-24 28-Nov-28 22-May-29 20-Nov-29 23-Jul-30 18-Jul-34

#

Risk Premium (%)

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

2.94 1.00 1.02 1.00

17.09 15.45 15.76 15.77

100.06 100.51 108.04 104.56

IOSCO issues reports on corporate bond markets

T

12.11 99.99 he research department 18.57 97.78 of the International 17.59 98.92 Or1.00 15.74 92.26 ganisation of Securities 1.00 15.31 98.49 Commissions (IOSCO)95.17 at the 1.79 16.60 1.00 15.75 97.63 weekend published a staff 1.00 15.75 97.58 working paper entitled ‘Corpo1.00 15.78 98.01 19.56 91.95 rate4.78 Bond Markets: An Emerg1.00 15.81 99.44 ing2.02 Market Perspective.’

16.83 97.65 1.00 15.85 95.94 The report is the second 1.00 15.81 97.96 in a1.00series on15.81 corporate bond 97.69 1.00 15.85 91.85 markets.

It presents findings 1.00 15.85 96.98 from on the 1.00an in-depth 15.82 study 96.94 1.00 15.82 98.06 development and functioning 1.00 15.84 101.77 of corporate bond markets in emerging markets specifically.

According to a statement obtained website, 1.00 from IOSCO 12.45 99.87 the 2.63 14.93 99.63 report presents data and analy1.00 15.27 97.93 sis 1.34 in three streams which 15.68 98.58 in1.00 identifying 15.81 determinants 95.29 clude 1.88 16.37 102.46 of corporate bond market devel1.00 15.53 100.51 1.00 15.76 103.17 opment in emerging markets; 1.00 15.76 100.35 tracking trends in primary and 3.00 17.81 91.37 secondary market activity 2.29 17.03 98.32, in6.11 20.90 95.75 cluding issuer make-up; risks 2.16 16.97 98.26 and1.00 vulnerabilities.

15.85 97.88 1.00 The main15.82 findings 93.89 of the 1.00 15.82 102.37 report showed that corporate 2.92 17.73 95.17 1.00markets15.86 102.01 bond across emerging 1.00 15.86 markets were getting 87.68 bigger, with a large portion of activity concentrated in emerging Asia.

According to the report, cor1.00 13.94 92.59 porate in Emerg1.00 bond markets 15.82 88.02 ing Market Economies (EMEs) have more than tripled in size in the last 10 years, reaching Offer Yield (%) Bid Price Offer Price $6.9 trillion in 2014. EME corPrices & Yields porate bond issuance reached 7.11 trillion97.34 98.40 up $1.06 by end 2014, from $0.9 trillion the year be5.47 97.91 99.12 fore. While around 80 per cent 7.54 92.13 93.23 of this issuance comes from Emerging Asia, other regions have also experienced growth.

IOSCO noted further that 5.87 101.00market 101.00 corporate bond devel8.90 97.25 97.25 opment in EMEs was being 14.77 81.81 83.36 spurred by broad 8.64 92.90 financial 92.90 sec92.75 infrastructure 92.75 tor 8.65 development, 11.39 90.13 92.25 improvement and increasing 12.98 82.60 82.60 institutional health.

12.54 85.03 86.72 3.23 4.46 3.48

13.51

77.50

77.50

11.80

83.99

86.46

3,650.00

23-Sep-15

3,253.06

The DQL contains data relating to, amongst other things, market and model prices, rates of foreign exchange products, fixed income securities and instruments in the financial market (the “Information”). The Information does not constitute FIXINGS Money Market Foreign Exchange (Spot & Forwards) professional, financial or investment advice.

We attempt to ensure the Information is accurate; theBid Information is provided “AS IS” and on an “AS AVAILABLE”Tenor basis and may Rate not be DTM Maturity Bid Discount (%) Offer Discounthowever, (%) Yield (%) (%) accurate or up to date. We do not guarantee NIBOR 1-Oct-15 9.07 9.09neither do we accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the Information. the accuracy,8 timeliness, completeness, performance or fitness for a particular purpose of8.82 any of the Information, Bid ($/N) Offer ($/N) OBB 11.50 Tenor

**Treasury Bills^

22 29 36 43 50 64 71 Rating/Agency 78 85 92 106 113 120 127 134 141 148 155 162 NA 176 183 190 197 204 211 218 225 246

15-Oct-15 22-Oct-15 29-Oct-15 5-Nov-15 12-Nov-15 26-Nov-15 3-Dec-15 Issuer 10-Dec-15 17-Dec-15 24-Dec-15 7-Jan-16 14-Jan-16 21-Jan-16 28-Jan-16 4-Feb-16 11-Feb-16 18-Feb-16 25-Feb-16 3-Mar-16 NA 17-Mar-16 24-Mar-16 31-Mar-16 7-Apr-16 14-Apr-16 21-Apr-16 28-Apr-16 5-May-16 26-May-16

FGN Bonds

253

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE 295 316

2-Jun-16

9.26 9.44 9.96 11.40 11.29 11.73 11.32 Description 11.86 11.31 11.50 13.05 16-AUG-2016 11.53 ^15.10 27-APR-2017 11.90 9.85 27-JUL-2017 11.13 12.65 9.35 31-AUG-2017 12.64 10.70 30-MAY-2018 13.21 ^16.00 29-JUN-2019 12.81 7.00 23-OCT-2019 13.44 13.16 ^15.54 13-FEB-2020 13.24 ^16.39 27-JAN-2022 13.19 ^14.20 14-MAR-2024 13.02 13.14 15.00 28-NOV-2028 13.22 12.49 22-MAY-2029 13.91 8.50 20-NOV-2029 13.57 11.90 ^10.00 23-JUL-2030 13.06

^12.1493 18-JUL-2034 12.96

9.01 9.19 9.71 11.15 11.04 11.48 11.07 Issue Date 11.61 11.06 11.25 16-Aug-13 11.28 27-Apr-12 11.65 27-Jul-07 10.88 12.40 31-Aug-07 12.39 30-May-08 12.96 29-Jun-12 12.56 23-Oct-09 13.19 12.91 13-Feb-15 12.99 27-Jan-12 12.94 14-Mar-14 12.77 12.89 28-Nov-08 12.97 22-May-09 13.66 20-Nov-09 13.32 11.65 23-Jul-10 12.81

18-Jul-14 12.71

Bonds

12.1493 14.24

14-Jul-16

13.04

12.79

14.57

4-Aug-16

12.91 12.87

12.66 12.62

14.53 14.65

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION 1-Sep-16 344

*for the Amortising bonds, the average life is calculated and not the duration # Risk Premium is a combination of credit risk and liquidity risk premiums **Exclusive of non-trading t.bills

Rating/Agency

Issuer

Description

FMBN ***LCRMBuckets Modified Duration <3

TOTAL OUTSTANDING VALUE

3<5

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALISATION

>5 Market

17.25 FMB II 03-APR-2017 0.00/16.00 LCRM 08-DEC-2016 Total Outstanding 0.00/16.50 LCRM II 19-APR-2017 Porfolio Market Value(Bn) Volume(Bn) 0.00/16.50 LCRM III 06-JUL-2017

Tenor O/N 1M 3M 6M

Rate (%) 14.0000 15.7567 16.9066 18.0573

O/N Tenor Call 1M TTM (Yrs) 3M 6M

Outstanding Value Maturity Date (N'bn) NITTY Tenor 581.39 1M 480.13 2M 20.00 3M 6M 100.00 9M 300.00 12M

11.92

REPO

Rate (%) 16-Aug-16 11.8454 27-Apr-17 13.1212 27-Jul-17 13.4519 13.6518 31-Aug-17 14.6038 30-May-18 15.1857

351.30 29-Jun-19 233.90 23-Oct-19 331.93 13-Feb-20 NIFEX 605.31 27-Jan-22 Current Price ($/N) 14-Mar-24 BID($/N) 599.99 199.0000 OFFER ($/N) 199.1000 75.00 28-Nov-28 150.00 22-May-29 200.00 20-Nov-29 591.57 23-Jul-30 718.29 18-Jul-34

Rate (%) 10.33 Bid15.00 Yield (%) 16.00 17.33

Spot 7D 14D 1M 2M Offer 3MYield 6M (%) 1Y

0.90 14.22 14.04 1.59 14.77 14.66 1.84 14.78 14.68 :Benchmarks * :Amortising 1.94 Bond 14.80 14.70 µ :Convertible Bond 2.68 14.81 14.74 AMCON: Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria 3.77Government of 14.80 14.69 FGN: Federal Nigeria 4.08 Mortgage Bank 14.84 14.73 FMBN: Federal of Nigeria IFC: International Finance Corporation 4.39 14.84 14.74 LCRM: Local Contractors Receivables Management 6.35 14.81 14.74 NAHCO: Nigerian Aviation Handling Company 8.47 14.75 14.69 O/N: Overnight UPDC: UAC Property Development 13.18 16.18 Company 16.12 WAPCO:West Africa Portland Cement Company 13.66 16.38 16.31 14.16 16.59 16.51 14.83 15.58 15.51 18.82 14.97 14.91

NOTE:

5,338.81

198.95 199.05 199.44 199.81 201.14 201.57 Price 201.76 202.10 203.15 203.58 208.42 208.98 Bid Price Offer Price 217.02 218.08 230.48 232.81

99.01 99.16 100.42 100.57 92.40 NA :Not92.25 Applicable ^ : Market Prices 91.09 91.24 # : Floating Rate Bond 91.11 91.26 ***: Deferred coupon bonds 103.31 103.61 76.59 76.89 ‡ : Bond rating under review †: Bond rating expired 102.17 102.47 N/A :Not Available 106.30 106.60 {r} :Issuer in receivership 97.37 97.67 NGC: Nigeria-German Company 93.58 93.88 UBA: United Bank for Africa 78.98 79.28 56.30 56.60 68.00 68.30 82.38 82.68

5293.806821

4,858.49

Issue Date

Agency Bonds

Sub-National Bonds

9.31 9.51 10.06 11.56 11.47 11.98 11.57 Coupon (%) 12.17 11.61 11.84 13.05 11.93 15.10 12.36 9.85 11.55 13.23 9.35 13.26 10.70 13.92 16.00 13.51 7.00 14.25 13.97 15.54 14.14 16.39 14.12 14.20 13.96 14.14 15.00 14.27 12.49 15.12 8.50 14.76 12.84 10.00 14.32

Coupon (%)

Outstanding Value (N'bn)

BOND INDEX 1.80 03-Apr-12 FMDQ FGN 17.25 09-Dec-11 0.00/16.00 112.22 Weighting by Weighting by Mkt 20-Apr-12 0.00/16.50 Bucket116.70 Weighting Outstanding Vol Value 06-Jul-12 0.00/16.50 66.49

845.06

831.43

25.11

27.27

1,546.36

1,517.23

45.83

49.90

297.220.25

Maturity Date

Avg. Life/TTM (Yrs)

03-Apr-17 08-Dec-16 % Exposure_ 19-Apr-17 Mod_Duration 06-Jul-17

0.65 1.21 1.57 Implied Yield 1.78

# Risk Premium (%)

2.94 1.00 Implied 1.02 Portfolio Price 1.00

Valuation Yield (%)

Modelled Price

17.09 15.45 15.76 INDEX 15.77

100.06 100.51 YTD Return 108.04 (%) 104.56

11.57

14.79

132.3856

1,204.40

8.7153

0.46

45.08

14.79

128.5964

1,114.85

10.1012

43.35

15.31

94.0686

1,134.09

12.6192

100.00

15.01

119.5145

1,138.09

7.8570

707.47

962.07

29.06

22.83

310.210.29

3,098.89

3,310.74

100.00

100.00

1.00

A-/Agusto

*EBONYI

13.00 EBONYI 30-SEP-2015

30-Sep-10

13.00

2.16

30-Sep-15

0.02

3.23

12.11

99.99

BBB+/Agusto

*BENUE

14.00 BENUE 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-11

14.00

2.60

30-Jun-16

0.52

4.46

18.57

97.78

A/Agusto

*IMO

15.50 IMO 30-JUN-2016

30-Jun-09

15.50

3.96

30-Jun-16

0.53

3.48

17.59

98.92

A+/Agusto; ‡ /GCR

LAGOS

10.00 LAGOS 19-APR-2017

19-Apr-10

10.00

57.00

19-Apr-17

1.57

1.00

15.74

92.26

‡ /Agusto

*BAYELSA

13.75 BAYELSA 30-JUN-2017

30-Jun-10

13.75

21.24

30-Jun-17

1.06

1.00

15.31

98.49

A-/Agusto

EDO

14.00 EDO 31-DEC-2017

30-Dec-10

14.00

25.00

31-Dec-17

2.27

1.79

16.60

95.17

‡ /Agusto; A+/GCR

*DELTA

14.00 DELTA 30-SEP-2018

30-Sep-11

14.00

30.81

30-Sep-18

1.65

1.00

15.75

97.63

A-/Agusto; A-/GCR

NIGER

14.00 NIGER II 4-OCT-2018

04-Oct-11

14.00

9.00

04-Oct-18

1.66

1.00

15.75

97.58

34

Business | Interview

MONDAY, September 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Buhari’s effect is positive radiance on economy –Mailafia Former Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr. Obadiah Mailafia, in this interview with Isa Abdulwahab, speaks on President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance so far, among other issues President Muhammadu Buhari has spent his first 100 days as Nigeria’s president in office. What is your assessment of his administration so far?

The 100 days brought some notable achievements. First, there is what they call the Buhari’s effect.

The mere presence of a leader has changed the atmosphere of the country. You come to the airport, you find everybody at his post; you visit most offices and find people at their posts. Policemen even think twice before they collect N50 from people. It’s not as if they don’t collect it, but they now do it with more trepidation than before. So, the culture of impunity is going. We are having a country where people are beginning to take their responsibility more seriously. Take a look at electricity, normally in an evening like this, you will be sitting in darkness or you will be hearing a generator rattling away very noisily and producing pollution. But now, in most cities, there is more electricity. It doesn’t mean that President Buhari has done more technically to improve electricity, but just his mere presence has changed the way people do things. So we are seeing some palpable effect.

In the area of security, you will agree with me that Boko Haram is on the run. The hunter has become the hunted. So we are seeing improvement. Another important area is Nigeria’s international image. That image has changed quite dramatically, in that people are now seeing Nigeria as a responsible country. We took up the presidency of the UN’s Security Council and our voice is respected in the comity of nations. All these are very good, positive achievements.

The fight against corruption is taking on a strong momentum.

A recent poll suggests that 96 per cent of Nigerians actually support President Buhari’s fight against corruption.

I think in 100 days, he has already done what some people would have taken four years to achieve. But there are challenges.

Investors are still waiting to see the policy thrust of his government. We are yet to see it and it is partly because there is no economic team in place. He has argued that he needs to take his time to choose his team very carefully and set up a cabinet that will be able to deliver. So, we can give him the benefit of the doubt on that one.

Mailafia

People are still waiting, investors are still holding on to their money.

They want to see which way the wind is blowing before they commit themselves to long term investments in project Nigeria.

Do you see absolute compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA ) policy by MDAs on due deadline?

Well, I am afraid it is a presidential directive and civil servants must comply with those directives.

It is a straight forward directive, they have to comply. It started off with former President Jonathan in 2012. Only a few MDAs actually registered and migrated their accounts. Majority have not done so.

So I think it is a very good idea. I welcome that directive.

Is it normal for MDAs to maintain single revenue account with the CBN? There is nothing abnormal about that. The CBN 2007 Act as revised expressly says that the CBN is the banker to the government. It doesn’t say that commercial banks are the bankers to government. So, CBN shall be the banker to government. Where else should you keep government revenue? You should keep it in government bank. The duty of commercial banks is to raise money, not from government, but to raise money from depositors and loan to people for business and so on. So, I don’t see anything abnormal in it. It is a standard practice all over the world in countries like France, Germany and Britain.

In Britain, the Bank of England keeps funds of the treasury, not

I think in 100 days he has already done what some people would have taken four years to achieve.

But there are challenges

the commercial banks. You can use the commercial banks for payments of taxes. Some money will still pass through the commercial banks, but they shall not become the bankers to government as such. In fact, the advantages far outweigh disadvantages. It will make for transparency. When you put funds together, it builds momentum of capital. You know where the money is kept. You can track expenditures. It makes for greater transparency, accountability and monitoring. My worry is in two areas - system and people.

You need a strong technology infrastructure. You know where you can track resources of MDAs. You have to even create ledger platforms for such accounts, so that there is quick disbursement of funds. Government needs some quick funds that MDAs can use for emergencies, but for long term and capital projects, it is good to put all those resources together.

Also, it will reduce fraud. For instance, in Kaduna State, which has done this migration, they discovered that the state has over 200 accounts, some of which had been dormant and only a few knew about them.

Another problem is whether CBN has enough personnel to administer the Single Treasury and is it supposed to be monitored by the Finance Ministry? In Britain and France, they have strong treasury departments. In Britain alone, the Exchequer has over 300 highly qualified economists. They are experts in economics, public finance and the rest. Their job is to monitor all treasury movements

of cash and finances and advice on programmes and projects, among others. They literarily follow the money. On a regular basis, they advise government on financial prudence, proper financial management, accountability and so on. They are highly trained people and they are everywhere monitoring public expenditure and make reports. If there are lapses, they advise government on how to rigorously address them.

The president recently announced a new boss for the Customs which has drawn criticisms. Do you think his action breached the law?

People have raised constitutional issues, especially with the Customs CG’s appointment. People have even referred to an Act that said that the Head of Customs shall be appointed from within.

Well, I don’t know how true that is.

The Customs claims that they are para-military and just as you can’t bring somebody from outside and make him Chief of Defence Staff, they believe that the same principle obtains. So, for me, the issue is that the president is entitled to put people that he believes merits the appointment and can help him deliver on his mandate and objectives. So again we need to give him the benefit of the doubt.

For instance, for the FIRS, I think that Fowler has established his credentials in Lagos State; he has been very effective as a tax collector in Lagos. I think he has given him the position in order for him to replicate what he has done for Lagos State at the federal level. In a time of financial constraint as

Business | Interview

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, September 28, 2015

baby can give an opinion on how you are doing things, then you should listen to them. Wisdom requires listening to everyone but, of course, doing what you believe is intellectually correct in the interest of your people.

we are currently experiencing, we require the right people who will help government drive the process of revenue generation.

It is not about where he comes from or anything else order than your merit and your capacity to deliver. I think this is what matters. Again, we should allow the president to choose the people he feels comfortable to work with.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as part of measures to stabilise the slide of naira against US dollar, restricted access to forex at official window against some 41 import items. Has this policy impacted positively on the economy as claimed by CBN? Look at what has happened in the last two months that the policy was pronounced. That decision is having a huge impact already. The Naira was on a free fall before, but immediately that announcement was made, it stabilised and some of the shake-up that took place in Forex market also helped to say, look don’t just bring in your dollars and dump them on our door steps. Because the whole economy has become dollarised between the last quarter of last year and the first quarter of 2015 after the elections. So, it was dollars galore. Now the elections are over, many people who had amassed a war chest of dollars are now looking for where they will offload it.

Let’s get it very clear. The CBN did not say it has banned these 41 items. The word banned was never used. What it said was look, you are free to source for foreign exchange on your own account, but don’t come to ask for frivolous demands, like you want to go and buy toothpick and fish in sauce, don’t come to us for that. That was what CBN said. Then, does it amount to a ban? Technically yes. It amounts to a ban because if a trader says ‘look, my business is importing toothpicks,’ then you are now telling me to go elsewhere. Where else do I go? To the black market? How else am I going to do it? So it amounts to a ban, even though they have not said they have banned it, but I welcome it - whether you call it a ban or foreign exchange restriction. I think we should not continue to import all things. A lot of things are being dumped in Nigeria. In fact, substandard and even dangerous products are even dumped here and we shouldn’t allow it.

People have argued that the cost of doing business in Nigeria is high as the MPR is currently at 13 per cent. What is your take?

We have found ourselves in a situation where revenues are going down, finances from petrol are on the decline and is putting pressure on foreign reserves, the exchange rate and then consequently also on inflation and if you reduce the MPR too much, you may get more inflation. So sometimes you have to improve the MPR in order to squeeze out excess liquidity in the system and so that is the reason why the MPR has remained relatively high.

That also reflected on the cost of borrowing, but it is not just the only factor because 13 per cent is just the base. Nobody will ever give you a loan at 13 per cent; it’s very, very rare. That is the minimum, the CBN charges commercial banks if they borrow from CBN. So they put their mark up

35

Mailafia

I ask who JP Morgan is anyway. They are just one company that does tracking.

They don’t have the final word of the Nigerian Bond Market

above that and it goes anywhere from 15 to 27 per cent and the banks will tell you ‘look, do you know how many robberies that have taken place in our branches this year?’ Look at the cost of setting up a branch of a bank.

Consider the power issue in the country. A bank cannot stop using electricity, so they must have a backup and then a backup to the backup of the backup. Otherwise their computers will ground to a halt. Generators must be fuelled with diesel and so on. So, that adds up to the huge cost. The cost of funds in this country is actually very high for that reason. Of course, it is not good enough. The only way we can solve the problem is to ensure that in the immediate to long term, we provide steady electricity at affordable rate to commercial premises. We have to strengthen our security; we have to enforce law and order across the country. We have to have peace.

When all those things are in place, the cost of funds will reduce and everybody will benefit at the end of the day.

JP morgan has threatened to remove Nigeria from its index.

What are the likely consequences of this on our economy?

If I may ask, who is this JP Morgan? I worked with them when I was in CBN because they are some of the principal custodians of our foreign reserves. They have a tracker index - emerging markets bond tracker index - where they track the returns of various emergency bonds - sovereign bonds, for countries such as South Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia and Malaysia. Nigeria joined in 2012 and so there is an advantage of being on that tracker in the sense that when Nigeria joined, investors in Nigerian bonds had the value of only 1.8 billion in 2012. By the time we joined the following year, it has actually increased to eight billion because Nigeria represents a black box to many foreign investors and what has been written on top of that black box is that it is 'poison avoid.' That is how foreigners see Nigeria, a kind of conspiracy.

They have been told that Nigeria

is dangerous. So, if there is somebody tracking, they prefer to go with whoever that is tracking and they can see the trends openly and then they can bring their money and dump it there.

A look at trends in the JP Morgan tracker revealed that Nigeria is the highest performer. It reached a peak of 16 per cent up to last year. Nigeria was the highest performer in terms of bonds.

South Africa was the lowest. In between, you have Malaysia, Russia, Brazil and the rest of them.

They complained of certain policies that the CBN has put in place.

They also complained that the forex market in Nigeria does not have a two way platform where you can buy naira anytime you like and sell for dollars anytime you like as in other countries and that unless you can get that in place, they are now threatening to remove us from the index. I will say well, they can go ahead and do it if they so wish. Nigeria will not collapse. It is just that some people will have to work harder. The confidence will decline and investors will have to work harder to do their due diligence and analytics and they will discover that Nigeria is the most profitable market for bonds. If I were them (JP Morgan ), I would have waited till the end of this month to see the team the president will put in place and observe what the policy thrust of the administration will be, and if it is such that you have enough confidence, then you don’t have to remove Nigeria from that list. So, at the end of the day, I ask who JP Morgan is anyway. They are just one company that does tracking.

They don’t have the final word of the Nigerian Bond Market. Their word is not the final word. But again, it puts more pressure on the leadership of this country not only in Nigeria, but also to the international community. To be honest with you, whether we like it or not, if you are making policy, especially on the economy, you cannot ignore the international financial market; those sentiments are there. Even though I ask who is JP Morgan anyway? I cannot ignore their opinion. If a

What is your take on the current reforms at NNPC? So far so good, I think the appointment of Kachikwu was a masterstroke. Firstly, he is an outsider with very strong credentials from Exxon/Mobil, where he was a highly respectable executive. I am also happy because he actually comes from the Niger Delta. He is from Delta State and he will placate those who felt that after Jonathan lost the election, people are putting the Niger Delta people down. So far he has done very well, in fact if I remember correctly, the first day he reported to work he announced the reduction of the number of Executives from 22 to about 16. He did that with the stroke of the pen. He has instituted far reaching reforms. I am afraid some of the things are beyond him. There is so much he can do. It was Mallam El-Rufai who said: 'If you don’t kill NNPC, NNPC will kill us.' I think what he meant was that, we can’t leave NNPC the way it is and things will be okay. In the last two years alone, NNPC has kept back over N15 billion ostensibly for internal budget purposes. Without accountability to anyone and that is not good enough. There is this domestic crude which is supposed to be allocated to Nigeria, about 210,000 barrels. They have been quietly selling the oil, even using it for swaps in a transaction highly opaque and very dubious.

What that meant was that more and more money was actually being withdrawn from the system and used in a manner that cannot be properly accounted for. I am afraid Kachikwu has a huge task ahead of him. Not only to restructure the organisation, but to clean up the system. I would like to see the NNPC reinvented to a completely different commercial organisation like the Saudi Arab Co which was like the Saudi Arabian NNPC. It is now an international commercial energy company run strictly on commercial basis.

There is also of course the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which is also in limbo. There is also need to look into that one and also the restructuring of NNPC must take account of what we need to do with the PIB as well.

CV

Outgoing Chief of Staff of the 80-member Africa, Caribbean and PACIFIC ( ACP) group of states based in Brussels, Belgium  Associate, Fellow of United Nations University Institute for regional studies in Bruges  Lecturer at ABU, Zaria Deputy Governor , CBN Academic Qualifications: Bsc Econs, Msc Econs & Phd Econs

Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015

36 Business | Capital Market Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018

MONDAY, September 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018

Daily Summary (Bonds)

The Nigerian Stock Market Exchange as at September 23, 2015

No Debt Trading Activity

Daily Summary (Equities)

Daily Summary (Equities)

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

AGRICULTURE Crop Production FTN COCOA PROCESSORS PLC OKOMU OIL PALM PLC. PRESCO PLC Crop Production Totals Livestock/Animal Specialties LIVESTOCK FEEDS PLC. Livestock/Animal Specialties Totals

Symbol FTNCOCOA OKOMUOIL PRESCO

No. of Deals 1 47 8 56

Current Price 0.50 28.10 30.55

Quantity Traded 109,350 1,136,557 20,430 1,266,337

Value Traded 54,675.00 31,097,737.09 638,183.00 31,790,595.09

Symbol LIVESTOCK

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 1.80

Quantity Traded 41,500 41,500

Value Traded 74,700.00 74,700.00

1,307,837

31,865,295.09

Quantity Traded 29,882 2,280 12,213,868 4,134,751 16,380,781

Value Traded 29,665.10 2,097.60 28,623,648.36 123,746,202.70 152,401,613.76

16,380,781

152,401,613.76

AGRICULTURE Totals CONGLOMERATES Diversified Industries Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 A.G. LEVENTIS NIGERIA PLC. Printed 23/09/2015 JOHN14:32:18.018 HOLT PLC. TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATION OF NIGERIA PLC U A C N PLC. Diversified Industries Totals

60 Symbol AGLEVENT JOHNHOLT TRANSCORP UACN

No. of Deals 4 2 143 50 199

Daily Summary (Equities)

CONGLOMERATES Totals

199

Activity Summary on Board EQTY Published

by The Nigerian Stock ESTATE Exchange © CONSTRUCTION/REAL Building Structure/Completion/Other COSTAIN (W A) PLC. Building Structure/Completion/Other Totals

Current Price 0.99 0.96 2.32 30.00

Page

1

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Symbol COSTAIN

No. of Deals 6 6

Current Price 0.60

Quantity Traded 170,635 170,635

Value Traded 101,988.30 101,988.30

Infrastructure/Heavy Construction JULIUS BERGER NIG. PLC. Infrastructure/Heavy Construction Totals

Symbol JBERGER

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 44.08

Quantity Traded 500 500

Value Traded 20,940.00 20,940.00

Real Estate Development UACN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT CO. LIMITED Real Estate Development Totals

Symbol UAC-PROP

No. of Deals 7 7

Current Price 7.79

Quantity Traded 131,963 131,963

Value Traded 1,027,991.77 1,027,991.77

303,098

1,150,920.07

Quantity Traded 1,000,000 1,000,000

Value Traded 500,000.00 500,000.00

Quantity Traded 42,237 82,007 592,725 1,119,810 1,836,779

Value Traded 184,808.98 12,671,949.68 10,518,589.10 156,799,147.34 180,174,495.10

CONSTRUCTION/REAL ESTATE Totals CONSUMER GOODS Automobiles/Auto Parts Daily Summary as&ofRUBBER 23/09/2015 DN TYRE PLC Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 Automobiles/Auto Parts Totals Beverages--Brewers/Distillers CHAMPION BREW. PLC. GUINNESS NIG PLC INTERNATIONAL BREWERIES PLC. NIGERIAN BREW. PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY Beverages--Brewers/Distillers Totals

CONSUMER GOODS Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © 7-UP BOTTLING COMP. PLC. Beverages--Non-Alcoholic Totals

14 Symbol DUNLOP Symbol CHAMPION

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

No. of Deals 6 37 10 116 169

Current Price 4.40 154.00 17.85 140.07

GUINNESS Daily Summary (Equities) INTBREW NB

ICT Processing Systems

CHAMS Daily Summary as of PLC 23/09/2015 E-TRANZACT INTERNATIONAL PLC Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 Processing Systems Totals ICT Totals INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials Activity Summary Board EQTY ASHAKA CEMon PLC

14

Electronic and Electrical Products CUTIX PLC. Electronic and Electrical Products Totals Packaging/Containers AVON CROWNCAPS & CONTAINERS Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © BETA GLASS CO PLC. GREIF NIGERIA PLC Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 Packaging/Containers Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 Totals Tools and Machinery NIGERIAN ROPES PLC Tools and Machinery Totals

No. of Deals 8 8

Current Price 190.40

Quantity Traded Page 7,648 7,648

Food Products DANGOTE FLOUR MILLS PLC DANGOTE SUGAR REFINERY PLC FLOUR MILLS NIG. PLC. HONEYWELL FLOUR MILL PLC NASCON ALLIED INDUSTRIES PLC N NIG. FLOUR MILLS PLC. U T C NIG. PLC. Food Products Totals

Symbol DANGFLOUR DANGSUGAR FLOURMILL HONYFLOUR NASCON NNFM UTC

No. of Deals 34 53 76 25 30 1 1 220

Current Price 2.84 6.90 22.00 2.30 6.70 9.46 0.50

Quantity Traded 184,964 1,012,045 1,844,324 1,030,093 972,145 540 220,000 5,264,111

Value Traded 506,001.17 6,957,593.32 40,661,507.22 2,383,065.77 6,528,501.72 5,362.20 110,000.00 57,152,031.40

Food Products--Diversified CADBURY NIGERIA PLC. NESTLE NIGERIA PLC. Food Products--Diversified Totals

Symbol CADBURY NESTLE

No. of Deals 21 31 52

Current Price 24.00 820.00

Quantity Traded 107,255 35,743 142,998

Value Traded 2,565,678.29 29,874,311.07 32,439,989.36

Symbol VITAFOAM VONO

No. of Deals 13 10 23

Current Price 5.55 0.85

Quantity Traded 1,654,500 572,694 2,227,194

Value Traded 9,457,875.00 485,886.36 9,943,761.36

Symbol PZ

No. of Deals 40

Current Price 26.20

Quantity Traded 1,640,145

Value Traded 42,968,161.10

Symbol UNILEVER

No. of Deals 25 65

Current Price 46.00

Page Quantity Traded 233,042 1,873,187

14 3 of Value Traded 10,709,353.88 53,677,514.98

Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015

Household Durables Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 VITAFOAM NIG PLC.

VONO PRODUCTS PLC. Household Durables Totals Personal/Household Products

P Z CUSSONS NIGERIA PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY CONSUMER GOODS Published

by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Personal/Household Products UNILEVER NIGERIA PLC. Personal/Household Products Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

CONSUMER GOODS Totals FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ACCESS BANK PLC. BANK PLC Daily Summary DIAMOND as of 23/09/2015 ECOBANK TRANSNATIONAL INCORPORATED Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 FIDELITY BANK PLC GUARANTY TRUST BANK PLC. SKYE BANK PLC STERLING BANK PLC. UNITED BANK FOR AFRICA PLC UNION BANK NIG.PLC. Activity Summary on Board EQTY UNITY BANK PLC

FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking WEMA BANK PLC. Banking Totals Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services AFRICAN ALLIANCE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC AIICO INSURANCE PLC. CONTINENTAL REINSURANCE Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©PLC CORNERSTONE INSURANCE COMPANY PLC. GUINEA INSURANCE PLC. LASACO ASSURANCE PLC. LAW UNION AND ROCK INS. PLC. LINKAGE ASSURANCE PLC AXAMANSARD INSURANCE PLC MUTUAL BENEFITS ASSURANCE PLC. N.E.M INSURANCE CO (NIG) PLC. NIGER INSURANCE CO. PLC. Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 PRESTIGE ASSURANCE CO. PLC. Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 SOVEREIGN TRUST INSURANCE PLC UNIVERSAL INSURANCE COMPANY PLC WAPIC INSURANCE PLC Insurance Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Micro-Finance Banks

NPF MICROFINANCE BANK PLC Activity Summary on Board EQTY FINANCIAL SERVICES Published by The Nigerian Stock Micro-Finance BanksExchange © Micro-Finance Banks Totals Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services ASO SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC RESORT SAVINGS & LOANS PLC UNION HOMES SAVINGS AND LOANS PLC. Mortgage Carriers, Brokers and Services Totals Other Financial Institutions AFRICA PRUDENTIAL REGISTRARS PLC CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC FCMB GROUP PLC. ROYAL EXCHANGE PLC. STANBIC IBTC HOLDINGS PLC UBA CAPITAL PLC Daily Summary of 23/09/2015 Otheras Financial Institutions Totals Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals HEALTHCARE Healthcare Providers UNION DIAGNOSTIC & CLINICAL SERVICES PLC Healthcare Providers Totals

538 Symbol No. of Deals ACCESS 118 DIAMONDBNK 79 ETI 39 FIDELITYBK 56 GUARANTY 158 SKYEBANK 62 13 DailySTERLNBANK Summary (Equities) UBA 210 UBN 62 UNITYBNK 11

HEALTHCARE Medical Supplies

Pharmaceuticals EVANS MEDICAL PLC. FIDSON HEALTHCARE PLC GLAXO SMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIG. PLC. MAY & BAKER NIGERIA PLC. NEIMETH INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICALS PLC Pharmaceuticals Totals

Quantity Traded 28,425,165 4,443,891 3,080,668 6,302,424 3,266,997 2,129,784 61,888,073 38,769,116 745,314 799,688

Value Traded 146,394,618.01 14,584,813.10 57,305,346.80 9,621,032.73 79,032,705.35 4,915,063.40 128,738,615.84 164,132,469.36 4,650,831.60 1,073,765.25

Value Traded 2,858,920.20 613,308,181.64

Current Price 1.00

Quantity Traded 2,894,731 152,745,851

Symbol AFRINSURE AIICO CONTINSURE CORNERST GUINEAINS LASACO LAWUNION LINKASSURE MANSARD MBENEFIT NEM NIGERINS PRESTIGE SOVRENINS UNIVINSURE WAPIC

No. of Deals 1 12 9 3 1 2 2 2 7 1 12 1 2 1 2 3 61

Current Price 0.50 0.90 0.98 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 2.73 0.50 0.70 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.50

Quantity Traded 1,000,000 209,864 578,650 Page 2,025,688 500 580,000 30,250,000 505,000 96,400 200,000 3,553,450 1,653,304 554 5,000 10,000,975 258,947 50,918,332

No. of Deals 2

Current Price 1.03

Quantity Traded 74,110

Symbol NPFMCRFBK

Value Traded 500,000.00 186,856.96 4 557,987.50 of 14 1,012,844.00 250.00 290,000.00 15,125,000.00 252,550.00 264,005.00 100,000.00 2,484,781.50 826,652.00 277.00 2,500.00 5,000,487.50 129,473.50 26,733,664.96 Value Traded 76,333.30

No. of Deals 2

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 74,110

5Value Traded of 14 76,333.30

Symbol ASOSAVINGS RESORTSAL UNHOMES

No. of Deals 6 4 3 13

Current Price 0.50 0.50 5.23

Quantity Traded 40,501,000 10,389,300 19,590 50,909,890

Value Traded 20,250,500.00 5,194,650.00 97,362.30 25,542,512.30

Symbol AFRIPRUD CUSTODYINS FCMB ROYALEX STANBIC UBCAP

No. of Deals 44 6 50 1 59 60 220

Current Price 2.68 4.25 2.31 0.50 22.12 1.46

Quantity Traded 1,808,543 270,731 1,731,414 371,304 7,066,123 2,020,987 13,269,102

Value Traded 4,862,444.27 1,131,670.29 4,017,905.87 185,652.00 156,131,623.49 2,899,698.90 169,228,994.82

267,917,285

834,889,687.02

Quantity Traded 600,000 600,000

Value Traded 300,000.00 300,000.00

1,132 Symbol No. of Deals Daily Summary (Equities) UNIONDAC

3 3

Current Price 0.50

Symbol MORISON

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.73

Quantity Traded Page 1,603,423 1,603,423

Value Traded 14 62,773,921.79 of 2,773,921.79

Symbol EVANSMED FIDSON GLAXOSMITH MAYBAKER NEIMETH

No. of Deals 9 12 15 19 4 59

Current Price 0.79 3.20 35.20 1.32 1.02

Quantity Traded 170,733 437,415 87,235 126,780 9,400 831,563

Value Traded 134,091.34 1,390,691.31 3,130,574.76 166,595.58 9,735.00 4,831,687.99

3,034,986

7,905,609.78

63 Symbol COURTVILLE

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 26,500 26,500

Value Traded 13,250.00 13,250.00

Computers and Peripherals OMATEK VENTURES PLC Computers and Peripherals Totals

Symbol OMATEK

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 50,000 50,000

Value Traded 25,000.00 25,000.00

IT Services TRIPPLE GEE AND COMPANY PLC. IT Services Totals

Symbol TRIPPLEG

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 1.69

Quantity Traded 839 839

Value Traded 1,350.79 1,350.79

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

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OIL AND GAS Energy Equipment and Services Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange © JAPAUL OIL & MARITIME SERVICES PLC Energy Equipment and Services Totals

Daily Summary (Equities)

Current Price 0.50 2.75

12

Quantity Traded 1,720,200 9,142 1,729,342

Value Traded 860,100.00 25,140.50 885,240.50

1,806,681

924,841.29

Symbol ASHAKACEM

No. of Deals 16

Current Price 22.02

Quantity Traded 154,721

Value Traded 3,405,948.32

Symbol BERGER CAP CCNN PAINTCOM PORTPAINT PREMPAINTS WAPCO

No. of Deals 6 17 1 1 1 1 29 72

Current Price 9.93 37.05 8.73 1.30 4.31 10.93 98.00

Quantity Traded 17,517 246,126 500 160,000 12,000 10 3,105,732 3,696,606

Value Traded 165,460.48 9,557,907.74 4,365.00 208,000.00 49,200.00 103.90 304,389,044.60 317,780,030.04

Symbol CUTIX

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 1.67

Quantity Traded 61,502 61,502

Value Traded 102,308.34 102,308.34

Symbol AVONCROWN BETAGLAS VANLEER

No. of Deals 1 1 1 3

Current Price 1.52 42.70 9.37

Quantity Traded 4,687 Page 29,293 899 34,879

Symbol NIGROPES

No. of Deals 1 1

Current Price 7.46

Quantity Traded 1,000 1,000

Value Traded 7,090.00 7,090.00

3,793,987

319,092,651.63

Daily Summary (Equities)

79

Value Traded 6,796.15 14 of 1,188,417.01 8,010.09 1,203,223.25

8

Symbol JAPAULOIL

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded Page 615,000 615,000

Integrated Oil and Gas Services OANDO PLC Integrated Oil and Gas Services Totals

Symbol OANDO

No. of Deals 188 188

Current Price 10.45

Quantity Traded 5,681,083 5,681,083

Value Traded 59,585,073.89 59,585,073.89

Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CONOIL PLC ETERNA PLC. FORTE OIL PLC. MOBIL OIL NIG PLC. MRS OIL NIGERIA PLC. TOTAL NIGERIA PLC. Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals

Symbol CONOIL ETERNA FO MOBIL MRS TOTAL

No. of Deals 27 14 58 16 4 16 135

Current Price 28.41 1.84 239.99 145.00 49.66 150.80

Quantity Traded 88,464 242,600 125,953 320,836 8,491 9,574 795,918

Value Traded 2,408,257.50 455,902.80 29,970,558.51 46,500,010.90 400,605.38 1,393,369.03 81,128,704.12

Symbol SEPLAT

No. of Deals 3 3

Current Price 255.00

Quantity Traded 55 55

Value Traded 14,188.03 14,188.03

7,092,056

141,035,466.04 Value Traded 24,166.84

Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 Exploration and Production Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018

SEPLAT PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LTD Exploration and Production Totals

OIL AND GAS Totals SERVICES Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Activity Board EQTY R Summary T BRISCOEon PLC.

Daily Summary (Equities)

329

Traded 14 9Value of 307,500.00 307,500.00

Symbol RTBRISCOE

No. of Deals 4

Current Price 0.54

Quantity Traded 43,170

Symbol

No. of Deals 4

Current Price

Page Quantity Traded 43,170

Courier/Freight/Delivery RED STAR EXPRESS PLC TRANS-NATIONWIDE EXPRESS PLC. Courier/Freight/Delivery Totals

Symbol REDSTAREX TRANSEXPR

No. of Deals 4 7 11

Current Price 4.20 1.20

Quantity Traded 1,005,000 143,250 1,148,250

Value Traded 4,221,000.00 171,900.00 4,392,900.00

Employment Solutions C & I LEASING PLC. Employment Solutions Totals

Symbol CILEASING

No. of Deals 5 5

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 87,450 87,450

Value Traded 43,725.00 43,725.00

Hotels/Lodging IKEJA HOTEL PLC TRANSCORP HOTELS PLC Hotels/Lodging Totals

Symbol IKEJAHOTEL TRANSCOHOT

No. of Deals 11 1 12

Current Price 3.60 7.10

Quantity Traded 280,700 500 281,200

Value Traded 1,001,408.00 3,375.00 1,004,783.00

Symbol DAARCOMM

No. of Deals 2 2

Current Price 0.50

Quantity Traded 83,000 83,000

Value Traded 41,500.00 41,500.00

Symbol ACADEMY

No. of Deals 8 6 3 17

Current Price 0.62 0.91 5.20

Quantity Traded 95,123 165,319 85,000 345,442

Value Traded 59,186.26 150,827.09 420,023.50 630,036.85

Symbol ABCTRANS

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 0.55

Page Quantity Traded 41,500 41,500

Transport-Related Services AIRLINE SERVICES AND LOGISTICS PLC NIGERIAN AVIATION HANDLING COMPANY PLC Transport-Related Services Totals

Symbol AIRSERVICE NAHCO

No. of Deals 2 24 26

Current Price 1.85 4.51

Quantity Traded 33,242 293,893 327,135

Value Traded 64,308.48 1,325,557.43 1,389,865.91

Support and Logistics CAVERTON OFFSHORE SUPPORT GRP PLC Support and Logistics Totals

Symbol CAVERTON

No. of Deals 4 4

Current Price 3.37

Quantity Traded 3,200 3,200

Value Traded 10,648.00 10,648.00

85

2,360,347

7,560,030.60

2,511

316,348,975

1,832,167,066.68

Quantity Traded 500 500

Value Traded 250.00 250.00

SERVICES

Published by The Nigerian Stock Automobile/Auto PartExchange Retailers©

Automobile/Auto Part Retailers Totals

Media/Entertainment Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018 Media/Entertainment Totals

Symbol

HEALTHCARE Totals ICT Computer Based Systems COURTEVILLE BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PLC Computer Based Systems Totals

335,340,951.40

No. of Deals 28 836

Daily Summary (Equities)

Value of Traded14 1,453,159.20 1,453,159.20

12,351,917

Symbol WEMABANK

Activity Summary on Board EQTY

INDUSTRIES PLC.© Published by MORISON The Nigerian Stock Exchange Medical Supplies Totals

Current Price 5.15 3.27 18.55 1.53 24.13 2.34 2.13 4.24 6.01 1.34

No. of Deals 5 2 7

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Activity Summary onTotals Board EQTY

Symbol 7UP

2

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials BERGER PAINTS PLC CAP PLC CEMENT CO. OF NORTH.NIG. PLC PAINTS AND COATINGS MANUFACTURES PLC PORTLAND PAINTS & PRODUCTS NIGERIA PLC PREMIER PAINTS PLC. LAFARGE AFRICA PLC. Building Materials Totals

Symbol CHAMS ETRANZACT

Printing/Publishing ACADEMY PRESS PLC. LEARN AFRICA PLC UNIVERSITY PRESS PLC. Activity Summary on Board Printing/Publishing Totals EQTY SERVICES Published byRoad The Nigerian Stock Exchange © Transportation ASSOCIATED BUS COMPANY PLC Road Transportation Totals

Daily Summary (Equities) LEARNAFRCA UPL

SERVICES Totals

EQTY Board Totals Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018

Daily Summary (Equities)

14 of Value Traded 24,166.84

10

14 11 of Value Traded 22,405.00 22,405.00

Activity Summary on Board ASeM

OIL AND GAS Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors CAPITAL OIL PLC Petroleum and Petroleum Products Distributors Totals Activity Summary on Board ASeM

Symbol No. of Deals Daily Summary (Equities) CAPOIL

OIL AND GAS

OILby AND Totals Published TheGAS Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

ASeM Board Totals

Current Price 0.50

1 1

Daily Summary (Equities)

1

500Page

1

500

250.00

12

250.00 14 of

Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM FINANCIAL SERVICES Banking ZENITH INTERNATIONAL BANK PLC Banking Totals Other Financial Institutions FBN HOLDINGS PLC

Daily Summary as of 23/09/2015 Other Financial Institutions Totals Printed 23/09/2015 14:32:18.018

Symbol ZENITHBANK

No. of Deals 181 181

Current Price 18.11

Quantity Traded 131,645,510 131,645,510

Value Traded 2,406,546,671.23 2,406,546,671.23

Symbol FBNH

No. of Deals 270 270

Current Price 6.29

Quantity Traded 18,886,608 18,886,608

Value Traded 118,770,001.74 118,770,001.74

150,532,118

2,525,316,672.97

Quantity Traded 58,593 58,593

Value Traded 9,765,992.22 9,765,992.22

FINANCIAL SERVICES Totals

INDUSTRIAL GOODS Building Materials DANGOTE CEMENT PLC Building Materials Totals

451 Symbol No. of Deals Daily Summary (Equities) DANGCEM

Activity Summary on Board PREMIUM INDUSTRIAL GOODS Totals

PREMIUM Board Totals Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

Equity Activity Totals

31 31

Current Price 169.50

31

58,593

9,765,992.22

482

150,590,711

2,535,082,665.19

2,994

466,940,186

Page

4,367,249,981.87

13

of

Quantity Traded 10,110 50 100 10 10,270

Value Traded 98,471.50 108,700.00 9,365.00 142.00 216,678.50

14

Daily Summary (ETP) Exchange Traded Fund

Name LOTUS HALAL EQUITY ETF NEWGOLD EXCHANGE TRADED FUND (ETF) STANBIC IBTC ETF 30 VETIVA GRIFFIN 30 ETF Exchange Traded Fund Totals

14

Symbol LOTUSHAL15 NEWGOLD STANBICETF30 VETGRIF30

No. of Deals 2 1 1 1 5

Current Price 9.75 2,174.00 93.65 14.20

ETF Board Totals

5

10,270

216,678.50

ETP Activity Totals

5

10,270

216,678.50

Published by The Nigerian Stock Exchange ©

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NEW TELEGRAPH monday, september 28, 2015

News 37

national

Study links plastic chemical to low birth weight Appolonia Adeyemi

I

n recent time, concerns have been raised about the safety of plastics chemical BPA while such fears have made some consumers reject food products packaged in plastic containers.

Against this background, a new study released on Friday, has again revealed that plastics chemical, BPA, appears to be linked with low birth weight among baby girls.

The current study appears in the September 25 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Based on the results from the study, an associate Professor of Paediatrics and Environmental Medicine at NYU School of Medicine in New York City, Dr. Leonardo Trasande, advised pregnant women to limit their exposure to BPA. "This study added further concern about the health effects of BPA exposure, particularly in vulnerable populations like pregnant women and children," Trasande said.

Women can avoid BPA exposure by not heating food containers in microwaves, avoiding canned foods, and declining to take paper receipts from cash registers, he said.

BPA stands for bisphenol A, which is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since

the 1960s.

BPA is found in polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins which are often used in containers that store food and beverages, such as water bottles. They may also be used in other consumer goods.

Similarly, epoxy resins are used to coat the inside of metal products, such as food cans, bottle tops, water supply lines, and also are used to coat the insides of canned foods, to prevent the aluminum from deteriorating. Some dental sealants and composites also may contain BPA. Although, some research has shown that

BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers that are made with BPA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said that BPA is safe at the very low levels that occur in some foods. Exposure to BPA is also a concern because of possible health effects of BPA on the brain, behaviour and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.

However, in the new study which linked BPA with low birth weight, mothers with high blood levels of BPA early in their pregnancy tended to have newborn girls who weighed less than girls born of mothers

with low BPA levels, said senior author Vasantha Padmanabhan, a professor of paediatrics and obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

The researchers found that for every twofold increase of BPA in a mother's blood during the first trimester, the weight of their newborn girls decreased by about 6.5 ounces.

Although the study was able to find an association between BPA and the weight of newborn girls, it is important to note that this study is not designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship between those factors.

Padmanabhan pointed out a potential strength of the study: This study is one of the first to evaluate mothers' BPA levels early in the pregnancy, rather than rely on samples from umbilical cord blood following delivery, she said.

"When you are thinking about foetal development during pregnancy, the early period is very critical, when most of the organs are differentiating," she said. "We felt if any chemical is going to have an impact that would be the time point when you should look at associations."

But a spokesman for the American Chemistry Council, an industry

NAHCON commences airlift of Nigerian pilgrims back home Yekeen Nurudeen

Makkah, Saudi Arabia

L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on the Fct, Sen. Tanimu Aduda; former Chairman of Interim National Government, Ernest Shonekan; APC National Chairman, John Oyegun; Speaker National House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, his wife, Dolapo, at the Independence Anniversary Interdenominational Church Service at the National Christian Centre, Abuja …yesterday.

PHOTO-NAN

Bail out fund: APC warns Fayose Wike: We’ve spent over N1.8bn on foreign scholarship spending was aimed at foreign Universities, Emmanuel Masha against diversion boosting manpower de- no matter how they got Adesina Wahab Ado-Ekiti

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of plans to divert the N9.6 billion bail-out fund given the state by the Federal Government to assist in the payment of workers' salary arrears and other entitlements.

The opposition party, in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, noted that the latest announcement by the governor that pensioners' entitlements and other categories of workers were not captured in the bail-out cash was an attempt to divert the money to other uses.

However, in his reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Idowu Adelusi, said the APC was only being frivolous.

"We will not react to or elevate the frivolous talks

group, said the use of maternal blood samples calls the results into question.

"Experts led by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, an authority on biomonitoring, advised against using blood measurements for BPA exposure, stating that “it is seldom possible to verify that [blood] concentrations of [BPA] are valid measures of exposure,'" Steven Hentges from the American Chemistry Council, said in a prepared statement.

Prior studies have found that BPA can affect hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, thyroid and insulin, Padmanabhan said.

Because of this, concerns have arisen that exposure to BPA in the womb might affect a child's gestation and early development, the researchers noted in background information in the study.

of Ekiti APC. This week when the Ekiti workers are paid the August and September 2014 salaries and the deductions owed them by the inept Fayemi administration, the Ekiti APC will be put to shame and Ekiti people will hate them the more," Adelusi said.

The APC, however, threatened to apply for Freedom of Information Law instrument to get the details of the breakdown of the bail-out cash at the Central Bank.

Port Harcourt

R

ivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that his administration has spent more than N1.891 billion on its foreign scholarships programme for the state indigenes.

The governor, who disclosed this an interdenominational church service to mark the country’s 55th Independence anniversary, at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Diobu, Port Harcourt, the

velopment.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo-Harry, said that an initial N1.4billion was paid recently to offset the fees of its citizens in foreign universities, and that additional N4.91m was released last Thursday.

He said: “We will also see to it that our children on Federal Government scholarships do not get stranded, or suffer the embarrassment of nonpayments of fees in their

there” He thanked God for the country’s peace and unity, and assured that the Rivers State and Nigeria generally will overcome the challenges of corruption, economic meltdown and insecurity facing it.

“Let’s work together as a people, eschew bitterness and unforgiveness.

Let the brotherly love flow, for better and greater Rivers State and Nigeria, and let us bless Rivers State and Nigeria in all we say and do,” he said.

Buhari orders audit of NNPC accounts from 2010 till date Adeola Yusuf

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has ordered a fresh audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) accounts from 2010 to August 2015.

The corporation was last audited in 2010.

Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Ibe

Kachikwu, who disclosed this in Lagos at the weekend, declared that so much harm has been done to the corporation before he took over the corporation leadership on August 4.

At a news briefing in Lagos, Kachikwu said the audit will be done by globally recognised audit firm.

The Nigerian public, he said, has to know every-

thing that transpired during the time under review.

He added that even though the corporation has cash flow issues, the oil firm is not broke because it still has a strong finance base.

"On our accounting issues, we are bringing back auditors based on directives and desire of the president. You all need to know that our audit was

last done in 2010. So, what we are doing now is from the last audit time up to 2015," he said.

Asked whether the audit will not affect the NNPC's staff strength, Kachikwu said: "Are we going to lose more staff ?

Potentially yes!"

He added that he would put the inefficient refineries up for sale.

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he National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) will today (Monday) begin airlifting of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

Spokesman of the commission, Alhaji Uba Mana, said last night in Makkah that Flynas and Medview would airlift the first batch of Nigeria pilgrims from Jeddah to Kaduna and Lagos respectively.

About 70,000 Nigerians, including those of the tour operators participated in this year's hajj exercise.

"Insha Allahu, the first set of our pilgrims will depart from Jeddah tomorrow morning (today) for return journey to Nigeria," Uba said.

Nigeria flagged-off the airlifting of her pilgrims on August 23 from Kaduna with the last flight on September 17 and the accredited airlines airlifting 64, 728 Nigerian pilgrims in 167 flights within 26 days to Saudi Arabia.

The Independent Hajj Reporters had urged the airlines to sustain and improve on the success recorded in the inbound flights of Nigerian pilgrims.

"There was significant improvement throughout the outbound airlift compared to previous years."

38 News

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER FRIDAY,JULY28, 31, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

SOUTH-WEST

Ladoja urges end to Assembly crisis Sola Adeyemo Ibadan

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he founder of the Accord party in Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, has urged that the crisis bedeviling the leadership of the the National Assembly was capable of frustrating the hope of Nigerians on expectations

of any positive change.

Speaking with New Telegraph at the weekend, the former governor urged the All Progressives Congress (APC), led national government to resolve its in-fighting and power tussle within its ranks, in order not to cause for President Mohammadu Buhari administration any distraction.

Ladoja said that the crisis presently rocking the National Assembly, has had its impact on the performance of the government sofar, citing the several recesses embarked upon by the legislature as indications of encumbrance to the smooth running of government, while the members still earn salaries and allowances for work not done.

He stated that the Nationa Assembly was able to manage the same crisis well under Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, durin the era of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noting that any attempt to shop for Senator Bukola Saraki’s successor by the ruling party will further deepen the crisis in the Assembly and the party.

Describing the trial

of Senator Saraki by the Code of Conduct Tribunal as democracy in play, Ladoja, urged Nigerians to allow Saraki defend himself, saying that he had to wave his immunity as a governor to appear before the CCT. “National Assembly has to put their house in

Fasanmi lauded as true nationalist

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L-R: Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu; Ogun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga; Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Rev. Tola Awolowo-Oyediran, during the condolence visit of the governor to the Awolowo family at Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State...yesterday

Fayose explains insistence on LG poll

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he Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said that he want local government election must hold in the state to lessen the burden of governance on the state government and bring governance closer to the people at the grassroots.

The governor stated this during a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Elders’ Forum meeting held in Otun-Ekiti, head-

Adeolu Adeyemo Osogbo

O

sun State House of Assembly at the weekend threatened to deal with erring workers or political office holders in the state saying, that the government will not tolerate idleness in the public service of the state.

Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Salaam, dropped the hint while receiving the former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who visited him during the Sallah Festival celebration.

quarters of the Moba Local Government Area of the state, at the weekend.

According to Fayose in a statement by Stephen Gbadamosi, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, nothing would stop the local government poll from holding in accordance to the time-table released by the Ekiti State Independent Electoral Committee

(EKSIEC).

“As the election approaches, let us eschew violence by appealing to contestants not to cause trouble. They all have right to those positions, but only one person can occupy a post at any given time. Once a person has emerged through a credible process, others should support him or her.

He added that the state government had to put employment into the civil

service on hold as a result of paucity of funds, contending that government, monthly, had to augment the federal allocation for it to be enough to pay workers’ salaries.

The forum consists of 10 members of the PDP who are above 60 years of age each from the 11 wards in the local government, and the meeting is expected to be moving round the local governments in the state.

he Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday described Senator Ayo Fasanmi a member of the Pan Yoruba socioCultural group, Afenifere, as nationalist of note who should be emulated by all and sundry.

The party in a congratulatory message to the leader on his 90th birthday, described his contributions to the development of the country as second to none.

APC in a statement signed by its Director Of Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi remarked: “Let the people of this country rejoice that we have a model of integrity whose antecedents blaze a trail of consistency that the political class in Nigeria today can hardly boast of.”

‘Let us celebrate’, the party continued, ‘the courage of this man

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he Lagos State Government has concluded plans to embark on an aggressive campaign and enforcement of guidelines for commercial boat operators, in a bid to forestall the tide of boat mishap in the state.

In a statement signed by the Managing Director of Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Mrs. Abisola Kamson, the new drive was in line with the commitment of Governor Akinwunmi

Mimiko appoints acting VC for OSUSTECH

He affirmed that the present administration in the state would do its best to ensure that everybody contribute their fair quota to the effective development of the state through commensurate productivity.

The speaker, however, warned that no Ministry, Department and Agency (MDAs), as well as officials of government were spared in the tot strengthen the system to ensure that people benefit from the state’s commonwealth.

Commending Oyinlola

Akure

for felicitating with him on the occasion of the Muslim festival, Salaam said, the gesture was a demonstration of a good leadership.

In his remarks, Oyinlola, commended the parliament for playing its role towards the development of the state.

He appealed to every stakeholder in the state, especially the workers to serve the state diligently, saying, “Osun State belongs to all of us and its survival depends on what we do today that would be the reflection of what happens tomorrow”.

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he Ondo State University of Science and Technology (OSUSTECH),Okitipupa may resume its academic activities after five months of forced break, following the appointment of acting Vice Chancellor for the institution, Prof Adegoke Adegbite, by the state government.

The school which was established in 2008 but took off in 2010, was supposed to have produced

whose faith in the cause of progress propelled his loyalty to his preferred political leadership and philosophy.

‘Let us also join in the expression of gratitude to God for belonging in this community that has proudly produced a true servant of humanity.

“Let the word be spoken East, West, North and South that if Nigeria had had a dozen men like Pa Ayo Fasanmi at the helm of affairs of this country in the last 50 years, we would have been amongst the first eleven of the first world.”

‘But we are nowhere near the 20th because men like Pa Ayo Fasanmi were ruthlessly shut out of what has notoriously become known as, ‘the corrupt ruling class’ that has practically assassinated the future of Nigeria in the last half century.”

Lagos to enforce guidelines for boat transport operators

Osun Assembly warns workers, public office holders against indolence

Babatope Okeowo

order before they can do anything at all. How many days have they been on holiday just because they know their house is not in order, but at the same time, their allowances and salaries go on. When you get to government after long years in the opposition, you will be attacking yourselves until people remind you that you are now in government. I think what is happening is ‘if you Tambuwal me, I will Saraki you’.

graduates but for the crisis presently rocking it.

However, Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, at the weekend announced the appointment of Professor Adegbite, as the acting VC of the institution.

Adegbite, a Professor of Botany, aged 56, obtained his first degree from the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. He had his Masters of Science and Doctorate Degrees from the same Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe.

Ambode, to ensure that water transportation by all standard, remains the most efficient and cost effective mode of transportation.

Kamson who spoke on the backdrop of a boat mishap which occurred at the weekend along Oke Ira Nla, AjahBayeku, Ikorodu axis of the state, said LASWA was notified of the incident involving a Bayeku Ferry Association commercial boat carrying 20 passenger and two crew members from Oke Ira Nla, Ajah to Bayeku in Ikorodu.

She said upon receiving the notification, the Authority’s Water Guards were immediately deployed to the scene of the incident to assist in rescue efforts.

Kamson said she later led a delegation of state officials including the Permanent Secretary, Local Government and Community Affairs, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, and the Baale of Baiyeku, Chief Saheed Aleje Ajibode to visit the site of the incident.

NEW TELEGRAPH monday, september 28, 2015

News 39

south-east

Ohanaeze to MASSOB: Secession not in the interest of Igbo

Igbeaku Orji Umuahia

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he youth wing of the apex Igbo socio- cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has told the leadership and members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), that the Igbo were not interested in the group’s agitation for secession because it is not be in the best interest of the South-East region.

The National President of Ohanaeze Youth Council, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said during a press conference in Umuahia, that it was better that Ndigbo remain in Nigeria and struggle for their fair share of the benefits to the region rather than fight for self-determination with its attendant consequences .

He however, called on the Federal Government to unconditionally release all members of MASSOB and other Biafran agitators detained in various

prison custodies and police cells across the country.

Isiguzoro also appealed to the federal government to quickly address all injustices against Ndigbo in the country which he observed, were the major reason for the agitation for self rule by MASSOB and other pro- Biafran groups.

He argued further that it defied logic and reasoning for members of MASSOB who are nonviolent to continue to be held illegally for years in

detention “while the same government was busy releasing captured members of violent groups like Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants who have taken up arms against the state".

“Since the Federal Government is secretly negotiating with Boko Haram terrorists why can't it also negotiate with MASSOB which is non-violent? Since it is releasing some Boko Haram fighters it should also consider MASSOB members detained illegally in prisons."

L–R: Marketing Manager, Gulder, More, 33, Life and Stout category, Nigerian Breweries, Emmanuel Agu; Zonal Business Manager, East, Ansel Alokha and winner of a brand new Hyundai Elantra car of ‘The Chase’ leg of the 2015 edition of the Gulder Ultimate Promo, Chinedu Odimgbe, during the prize presentation at Michael Okpara Square, Enugu…at the weekend.

Obiano rates administration high in 18 months, solicits support

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overnor Willie Obiano of Anambra, has said that his administration has achieved several meaningful successes within its 18 months tenure, citing the attraction of the $2.4 billion dollars investments to to the state as a boost to the state’s economy.

The governor also revealed that the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) had increased from N500 million to N1.3 billion, stating that there are indications that it would attain the N3 billion target.

Obiano, who made this

known while enumerating his achievements at an interactive session with key stakeholders of the state in Awka, at the weekend, urged the people of Anambra State to support his government. ``This administration has so far attracted over 660 million dollar investments to the agricultural sector, especially in rice, tomato and cassava production and processing and storage. ``We have organised our farmers into 1,500 cooperatives and equipped them with 100 tractors. ``We have given out

Dennis Agbo

Igbo Day celebration to be low-key

ENUGU

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he 2015 Igbo Day celebration scheduled for tomorrow will be marked with low key celebrations over what is perceived to be expression of disappointment over the recent appointments announced

by President Mohammadu Buhari, believed to have excluded the SouthEast region.

President General of

Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Enwo Igariwey, stated this yesterday, shortly after a general meeting held at the National Secretariat of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Enugu.

Igariwey said that it was a period for sober reflection among the Igbo in the Nigerian nation and a not time for festivity.

The apex Igbo organization said it therefore

45,000 tons of high-yielding rice seedlings and 18,000 tons of highly improved maze seedlings as well as 700 metric tons of fertiliser. ``Our efforts in agriculture will enable our state to produce over 300,000 metric tons of rice, 150,000 metric tons of cassava and 240,000 metric tons of tomatoes in the next 24 months,’’ he said.

According to him, over 140 million dollar of investment has gone into the manufacturing sector, including an investment of over 50 million dollars to build an automotive as-

sembly plant at Ozubulu.

Obiano said his administration’s target was to have a functional oil and gas sector operational in the state by 2018.

In the education sector, Obiano said 862 units of 10-classroom blocks have been renovated across the 21 local government areas in the state.

The governor also revealed that N733 million was expended on renovation of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) mission schools.

However, Obinao warned of an impending flooding mostly in Anambra West Local Government Area, adding that spirited individuals should help to support flood victims.

chose the theme "Ako na Uche na Njikoaka", meaning reflection and unity of this year's celebration.

He noted that all branches of Ohanaeze Ndigbo both at home and the diaspora have been told to remain in their different localities to commemorate the day as there will be no general convention of the body

as the low key method demands.

The Ohanaeze President General also revealed that the organization resolved that on the Igbo Day of september, all Igbo men and women will observe a-three minutes silence for the departed Igbo men and women that lost their lives during the three years Nigeria/Biafra war that ended in 1970.

According to him if the federal government had addressed the marginalisation against Ndigbo, MASSOB will not be agitating for Biafra.

The OYC helmsman

however declared support for the anti- corruption war of President Muhammadu Buhari arguing that those responsible for the woes of Nigeria should be brought to book.

You are a bad loser, Okorocha tells Ihedioha Steve Uzoechi OWERRI

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over nor Rochas Okorocha of Imo state has dismissed as frustration of a bad loser, the recent position by Chief Emeka Ihedioha, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April election that Okorocha's industrial trips to Turkey were mere jamborees, alleging that the governor's administration was far from transparent and accountable.

Reacting through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor stated that Ihedioha had not only abused him, but was as usual hostile in his criticisms of the governor’s effort at industrializing the state

and other genuine steps taken by the governor to reposition the state including the industrial trip to Turkey.

A statement signed by Onwuemeodo and made available to our correspondent read in part, "for the avoidance of doubt, we cannot afford to keep mute over Ihedioha’s ceaseless attacks on the governor of the state especially after his stay in the House of Representatives for twelve years and as Deputy Speaker for four years with absolutely nothing to show for it. The truth remains that Ihedioha is a very bad loser and has been finding it extremely difficult to adjust to his current situation of being out of power and feels bitter towards everybody and everything."

Aka Ikenga urges Igbo to invest at home Dennis Agbo ENUGU

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socio-cultural organization of Nidigbo, the Aka Ikenga, has urged the people of South-East geopolitical zone, to henceforth consider investment in the zone as top priority.

Vice chairman of Aka Ikenga, Mr. Charles Odunukwe, made the call shortly after attending a meeting of the apex organization of the Igbo, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in Enugu yesterday.

Odunukwe who an-

chored his call on the benefits derivable for industrious people of Igbo extraction to investing at home on employment generation said such investments will make the South-East in a major economic power bloc in the country and beyond.

He noted that if all Igbo should look at the short term benefits of their investments as reason for diaspora investment, the region may not experience accelerated economic growth in the near future.

Cleric applauds Ugwuanyi over conduct of Kogi PDP primary poll

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he Catholic Bishop of Enugu Dioces, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, has commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State over his successful conduct of the the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in governorship primary election in Kogi State.

The Bishop represented by the Cathedral Administrator, Rev. Fr. John Nwafor, in a homily during a mass to mark the 55th anniversary of Nigeria, called on all Nigerians to emulate the governor’s exemplary achievement in the conduct of peaceful elections in the country.

He noted that the feat was more commendable in the light of the acceptability of the outcome of the exercise by all the contenders in the election who became more united as a result of the transparent manner he exercise was conducted.

The governor who read the first lesson in the church service thereafter attended the 40th anniversary of the Methodist Church in Enugu, where he called on all churches to continue pray for leaders in the country for good governance and peace to ensure service delivery.

40 News

SOUTH-SOUTH

Army seizes eight boats, 2.3m litres of diesel in Rivers

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roops of Operation Pulo Shield (OPS) of the Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, have seized 2.3 million litres of allegedly stolen diesel worth N3.45 million from an illegal bunker site in Rivers State.

The petroleum product was siphoned from the pipelines belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).

Commander of the operation, formerly known as the Joint Task Force, Major-General Alani Okunlola, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday at Tamunotonye Ama in Ogu-Bolo Local Government Area of the state.

Okunlola said two suspected oil thieves were also arrested at the bunker site, while several equipment used by the operators of the illegal bunker, were seized during the raid.

“On September 23, troops of Sector 2 of OPS of 2 Brigade Army, Port Harcourt, stormed Tamunotonye-Ama community and discovered a very large bunkering site, which operates illegally.

“Troops during the raid, discovered and

seized eight large metal badges laden with stolen Automated Gas Oil (AGO), commonly referred to as diesel, while another 23 empty barges were also seized.

“Two of the eight metal badges have estimated capacity of seven tanker trucks each,” he said.

The OPS commander told newsmen that other items found at the site were 44 large plastic tanks, 22 illegal pumping dumps, 18 pumping machines, three speedboats, two outboard engines and a lengthy hose.

He added that 19 storage tanks filled with stolen crude oil were also seized from the site during the operation.

“The two suspects in our custody will be interrogated, while the barges have been towed to Ogoloma Jetty in Okirika Local Government Area of Rivers,” he said.

Okunlola said investigation into the activities of the operators of the illegal bunkers had begun.

He added that the investigation should reveal how they were able to operate in the area without being spotted all this while.

The OPS commander

said under his command, the operation had increased the frequency of raids in a bid to end oil theft and illegal bunkering in the Niger Delta region.

The site is located near the Onne Sea Port and the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone, where several multinational oil and gas companies are operating.

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

A’Ibom DSS invasion: Ex-Speaker flays journalists’ reports Tony Anichebe Uyo

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he immediate past Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Sam Ikon, yesterday berated journalists over their reports on the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) invasion of the Akwa Ibom State Government House.

He called on journalists to always cross check their facts before publishing.

Ikon, who spoke during

his interview by journalists in Uyo, condemned the reports in a section of the media that some cache of weapons and foreign currencies were discovered at the Akwa Ibom State Government House during the recent invasion of the facilities by the DSS, saying that it was not true.

The former Speaker, who is currently a member of the House of Representatives for Etinan federal constituency, said no money or weapon was discovered during the

widely criticised operation and wondered why some journalists went ahead to report otherwise.

He said the media owed the society a responsibility to uphold the truth and be objective in their reportage as society’s watchdog.

On the UBA loan obtained by the last administration during his tenure as speaker, he said due procedure was followed and that the House was convinced that the facility was in the best interest of the state.

L-R: Representative of the Deputy General Manager, Community Affairs, Total Nigeria Limited, Mr. Okechukwu Obara; Head, Methods and Reporting Community Affairs, Mr Mgbonu Goodnews; community contractors, Mr. Joshua Oduku and Mr. Timothy Adegbe, at Total contractors’ health safety and environment forum, held at Obite in Rivers State.

Oshiomhole needs tested hands as successor, says group A’Ibom teachers send SOS to governor over unpaid salaries group, Peter Edobor, said as

Cajetan Mmuta BENIN

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he leadership of Edo Political Platform for Good Governance (EPPGG), a social and political organisation, has urged Governor Adams Oshiomhole to ensure that only tested hands with ideas becomes his successor in next year’s governorship race in the state.

Such candidate, the group said, should be able to sustain and improve on the achievements of the governor.

Speaking with newsmen in Benin, the state capital, Coordinator of the

a loyal member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the current Commissioner for Works, Osarodion Ogie, has all it takes to run for the office of the governor, adding that the support was necessitated for people to tap into his wealth of expertise to develop the state.

He said the type of man the state requires as Oshiomhole’s successor is one who is a seasoned and consummate strategist, who is in tune with the workings of the government in the state rather than allow rabble rouser to take over the seat of power come 2016 governorship election.

Tony Anichebe Uyo

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rimary school teachers in Akwa Ibom State, who were omitted in the biometric data capturing exercise carried out recently by the state government, have sent a Save-Our-Soul (SOS) message to the state governor, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, to come to their aid their unpaid salaries.

They said they are dying of starvation and health challenges.

The teachers, numbering over three hundred, according to investigation

carried out by New Telegraph, have not been paid their entitlements in the last one and a half years.

Some of the affected teachers, who spoke with our correspondent, said they have over time sought for avenues to meet those concerned with the biometric exercise, but have always been told that they should be patient and that they have continued to be patient till now to their detriment.

One of the teachers, Mrs. Martina Effiong Ndarake, told our correspondent that she had retired from service four months ago and that she

Group supports Sylva, wants guber primary upheld Chris Ejim Yenagoa

A

group under the auspices of Rescue Nigeria Mandate Mission (RENIM), an affiliate of Coalition of APC Support Groups, yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, threw its weight behind former Governor, Timipre Sylva, saying that any attempt to hold another governorship primaries by the All

Progressive Congress, APC, in the state, will amount to denying the people of the state their desired mandate.

Speaking with newsmen ahead of a grassroots political leadership assessment programme in Yenagoa, scheduled to hold today, President of the group, Ambassador Sokari Afiesimama, said the election which led to Sylva’s emergence as the

flag-bearer of the party, was free, fair and without violence as claimed by the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomole.

He said the people of Bayelsa has seen and believe that the former governor, who they described as a ‘team player,’ has a proven track records of performance, especially on human capital development, which is one of the greatest attributes of

a good leader.

Sokari, who said his mission oversees over 250 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), CBOs, FBOs, CSOs in both Bayelsa and the Niger Delta as a whole, has seen the yearnings and aspirations of the people and believe that another primary will bring fresh crisis and further divisions in the party.

He said: “Total people are people with good char-

was yet to receive her salary for over one and a half years.

Another teacher, who gave her name as Iquo Okon, said she is at a loss where to source money to pay her rent, which she said will expire in the next three weeks even when it is also difficult for her to eat with her five children.

“Yesterday, they were celebrating at the stadium with pomp and pageantry, yet we are here dying of hunger and starvation.

“They have no conscience and do not care about how we fare. Why is it taking them this long to capture us? They are acter, integrity, good value and positive attitude and are always responsive.

The former governor, Timpre Sylva, has been a voice for the people because of his good relationship while working for their best interest. His leadership quality to face challenges headlong and reduce human resources wastage by creating jobs for the youths and Bayelsa people in his first tenure as governor was the reason for his growing popularity.”

denying us our rights.

“The governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, should also look in our direction, so that we will not die and leave our money.”

Another affected teacher, Mrs. Grace Udofia, said she is yet to come to terms with the attitude of the government on the matter.

“We were invited three months ago by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service to assemble at the Governor’s Office Annex and we were told that a day will be set for us to be captured.

“It is over three months ago and we have not heard from them. They don’t care what happens to us.

Nobody takes the issue of teacher’s welfare serious.

They are not interested whether we are alive or not.”

Others who also aired their views said there was nothing for them to celebrate about the 28th anniversary of the creation of the state as they have been suffering for over one year six months without any salary.

They called for an immediate intervention by the state governor into their plight, which they described as precarious.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

News 41

NORTH

Kebbi gov, traditional rulers at loggerheads Abubakari Abdul Birnin Kebbi

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cloud of uncertainty at the weekend pervades the atmosphere in Kebbi State as the state governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and traditional rulers in the state were at loggerheads over traditional values.

An impeccable source from the palace of one of the Emirs, who did not want his name in print, told New Telegraph that during the inauguration of Bagudu as governor on May 29, he made a proclamation to the people of the state that his administration would operate an open

door policy, but that after the celebration of his 100 days in office, he has gone away from such promise.

He said: “Contrary to his promises, he has changed his pattern of administration by rejecting and ignoring the people’s ideas and opinions that would have ushered in good relationship between the electorate and his administration.”

The source said further that presently there is a frosty relationship between the traditional rulers and the government as the governor has been

operating without carrying the monarchs along in most of his decisions.

Our source also said that the recent appointment of the 21 local government sole administrators by the governor did not go down well with all the Emirs as they protested the gross neglect of their status as traditional rulers.

“What actually happened was that the four emirs were deceived, he promised them to bring three names for the sole administrator’s slot in the local governments that are under their emirates and

after the submission of the names, the state government dumped their list and worked with their own which was later announced and sworn in at the detriment of the traditional rulers,” the source said.

“This attitude of the governor made it impossible for them to pay him the usual traditional Sallah homage at the Government House as they shunned the visit to proceed to Sokoto instead to pay homage to the Sultan of Sokoto.

The sources also la-

mented that the Sallah homage invitation given to the emirs by the protocol department of the Government House got to them late while they expressed dismay over the attitude of the government.

When contacted, one of the state government officials said the postponement of the Sallah visit has nothing to do with that as the governor decided to cancel it due to the stampede in holy land.

“He wanted the people of the state to mourn the affected people, we are all Muslims,” he added.

Tsav tackles Ortom again on administration Cephas Iorhemen MAKURDI

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ormer Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, at the weekend, tackled the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, accusing him of not initiating project since he assumed office on May 29, 2015.

He accused the governor of not being himself and that he has been operating under the guidance of his supposed political godfather, Senator George Akume.

Tsav’s accusation came just as the state Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Baba Agan, urged the former governor, Akume, to insulate himself from the process of governance as his undue interference in the governance was retarding the development of the state.

Both Tsav and Agan spoke with New Telegraph in separate interviews during which the former viewed Ortom as an independent-minded person who he said has lost control and direction of governance unfortunately.

Tsav predicted that the current administration in the state may turn out to be the worst as according to him, no tangible developmental projects has been pursued since May this year.

He said the governor rather purchased posh vehicles at a whopping N7.4 million each for government functionaries, renovated the newly constructed Government House at the cost of N7.8 million and probed his successor, all of which he said ‘constitute wasteful spending’ at the neglect of development.

L-R: Representative of President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Julius Okojie; former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Jos, Chief Don Etiebet, at the 40th anniversary and 27th-28th Convocation of the University of Jos...at the weekend.

CJ seeks credible public complaints system to fight corruption Biodun Oyeleye Ilorin

K

wara State Chief Judge, Justice Sulyman Kawu, yesterday advocated the introduction of credible public complaints system in the country as a means of ensuring the success of the anti-corruption crusade by the present administration.

Kawu, while speaking at the 17th annual dinner/ lecture of Third Estate (Ilorin Emirate), also recommended the establishment of Economic and Financial Crimes Com-

mission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) offices in ward, local and state levels.

The Chief Judge, who spoke on the ; “Fighting Corruption: The role of the judiciary,” called for the establishment of a reward and rebuke system and canvassed a national re-orientation of the citizenry to recapture the core values of honesty, discipline and loyalty to national objectives above such considerations as tribe and religion.

He said: “In our bid to

rid the society of corruption, it is necessary to reorientate the civil service of its role of neutrality and being anonymous in political affairs. A civil servant that will stick to the civil service rules and defy illegal/unlawful orders from political class, with security of tenure of office, efficient service delivery, better conditions of service who will help facilitate and not frustrate government policies, is what Nigeria needs to transform her into a true giant of Africa.

“The price for accepting corruption as a way of

life is what we have been paying in terms of unemployment of our teeming youths, poor roads, illequipped hospitals, gradual criminalisation of the entire society and many more. The price to pay in accepting the responsibility to fight corruption consists of reforming the police, judiciary and civil service.

“Except we see those accused of corruption in the society as destroyers of the society, they will continue to pillage our commonwealth and impoverish us and our future generations.”

Lawmaker seeks support for anti-graft war Cheke Emmanuel LAFIA

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member of Nasarawa State House of Assembly representing Obi II constituency, Hon. Luka Iliya Zhekaba, at the weekend, asked Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari on his anti-graft war for Nigeria to be great again.

The lawmaker also advised President Buhari to be neutral in the fight against corruption to enable him succeed in the fight.

Zhekaba stated this in an interview with New Telegraph yesterday in Lafia, the state capital. He said corruption has taken Nigeria many steps backward.

He said: If corruption is nip in the bud in Nigeria

today, it will give way for sustainable development and economic prosperity.

The lawmaker said he has taken steps to collaborate with the executive arm to attract projects to his constituency.

According to him, his constituents are in dare need of social amenities, including rural electrification, road newtwork, re-

pairs of bridges and health and school infrastructure.

Zhekaba said he has initiated some welfare packages to better the lots of his constituents through the payment of monthly stipends to N5, 000 to four people in each electoral ward in his constituency and the sponsorship of two pilgrims to Hajj on assumption of office four months ago.

El-Rufai gives pilgrims N20m as Sallah gift Ibraheem Musa Kaduna

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aduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has doled out N20 million to be shared among the 5,710 state pilgrims, who are currently in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj as Eid-el-Kabir Sallah gift.

The state’s Amirul Hajj and Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril Maigwari II, who broke the news to the pilgrims in Mina, Saudi Arabia, said each of the pilgrims will be given 50 Saudi Riyals as Barka da Sallah.

At an exchange rate of N7 per Saudi Riyal, the amount translates into N3, 500 per pilgrim. The money amounts to N19, 985, 000 when multiplied by the 5,710 pilgrims from the state.

According to the Amirul Hajj, the governor wishes them a happy sallah and felicitates with the pilgrims for the successful completion of the hajj rituals. He also prayed Allah to accept their Hajj.

Governor El-Rufai, however, urged the pilgrims to desist from spreading rumour concerning the casualty in the last Thursday’s stampede at Mina. He advised them to wait for confirmation from the authorities concerned in order to get authentic information across to the victims’ families.

Jigawa SSG cautions youths against drug abuse Dahiru Suleiman Dutse

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he Secretary to the Jigawa State Government (SSG), Alhaji Abdulkadir Adamu Fannani, yesterday cautioned youths in the state on the danger of drug abuse, stressing that no nation can develop if her youths are exposed to drug addiction.

Fannani spoke while inaugurating an 18-man Task Force on control, confiscation, monitoring and prosecution of illegal drug hawkers and unregistered patent medicine stores, stressing that drug abuse in any given society, retards national development.

He told members of the task force: “Your composition was based on merit. Therefore, you are expected to live above board and as well justify the confidence repose in you as your commitment in this noble task is very important.”

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WORLD | News

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Russian protesters decry war in Ukraine

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bout 200 people held an anti-war demonstration in St. Petersburg yesterday, while about 30 people joined a similar march in Moscow to call for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine and stay out of the fighting in Syria. Po-

lice detained about 10 of the protesters in Moscow and two in St. Petersburg, where participants walked through the city holding blue and yellow balloons, the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Those detained in St. Petersburg were a woman who tried to unfold an anti-war

poster and a man who draped a Ukrainian flag around his shoulders. Police said only balloons and ribbons were allowed.

The man detained, 43-year-old history teacher Oleg Ilyin, said he joined the march because he was "for peace in Ukraine and wanted the war there to stop."

Fighting in eastern Ukraine between government troops and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 8,000 people since it began in April 2014. "We're against the war in Ukraine and Syria. We're against getting into any wars," said Konstantin Yershov, an op-

position leader who was among the organizers of the Peace March in St. Petersburg. The demonstrators drew counterprotests from Russians who expressed support for Kremlin policy in Ukraine and accused the US of instigating the conflict.

Kenya releases ship containing weapons for UN peacekeepers

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An Iranian protester shouting during a demonstration against Saudi Arabia at its embassy in Tehran yesterday.

Iran-Saudi's war of words heats up over Hajj disaster

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ran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded Saudi Arabia apologise yesterday for a stampede that killed 769 pilgrims at the hajj, as a war of words escalated between the regional rivals. Khamenei accused Riyadh of "a blame game", after the Saudi foreign minister said Iran was playing politics with tragedy. "Instead of passing the buck and playing a blame game, the Saudis should accept their responsibility and apologise to the world's Muslims and the bereaved families," Khamenei said in comments reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency.

About 400 protesters

later chanted "Death to the treacherous House of Saud" outside the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Iranian leaders have been fiercely critical of Saudi authorities' handling of safety at the hajj, following Thursday's stampede during a ritual stoning of the devil in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca.

Within hours, Khamenei blamed "improper measures" and "mismanagement" for the disaster.

At least 144 Iranians died in the crush -- the highest confirmed toll among foreign nationalities. Tehran says 323 Iranians are missing. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, addressing a UN development summit in New York on Satur-

day, said he wanted to "emphasise the need for swift attention to the injured as well as investigating the causes of this incident and other similar incidents in this year's hajj." Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, also in New York for the UN General Assembly, said the Iranians "should know better than to play politics with a tragedy that has befallen people who were performing their most sacred religious duty." Saudi King Salman, whose official title is "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" in Mecca and Medina, ordered "a revision" of how the hajj is organised, and a formal Saudi inquiry is under way into the stampede.

36 killed in Central African Republic fighting

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ectarian violence in Central African Republic's capital has killed at least 36 people and injured at least 80, hospital workers said yesterday. Fighting began early Saturday as Muslims attacked a Christian neighborhood in Bangui after the dead body of a Muslim man was left near a mosque, said Ousmane Abakar, a Muslim community leader.

At least 36 people had been killed and 80 wounded Saturday and Sunday, according to workers at three hospitals who insisted on anonymity because they are not authorized

to speak to the press. The government yesterday announced a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to curtail the violence. Earlier Sunday Christian anti-Balaka militia members were on the streets, retaliating for Saturday's violence. Gunfire could be heard in two neighborhoods.

In other parts of Bangui, people erected barricades to block traffic, leaving only army and gendarmerie vehicles on the streets. Young people held a march with signs calling for peace. "It's very sad to see violence of such a scale occur once again, as we haven't experienced anything like this since October

last year," said Emmanuel Lampaert, head of Doctors Without Borders mission Central African Republic. Security Minister Dominique Said Paguindji said on state radio yesterday that the violence was meant to upset the transitional government put in place in January 2014, as it prepares for October elections.

Presidential and legislative elections are slated for Oct. 18.

Central African Republic erupted into widespread sectarian violence after the Muslim Seleka rebels overthrew the president in 2013 and the Christian anti-Balaka militiamen formed to combat them.

N o r we g i a n - fl a g g e d ship that was held in Kenya for more than a week over undeclared weapons belonging to the United Nations has been released, the owners of the vessel said. Kenyan authorities boarded the ship at the port of Mombasa Septembeer 17 and uncovered undeclared weapons in a UN shipment destined for peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN defended the shipment.

"Hรถegh Transporter has finally been released from detention in Mombasa, Kenya, and has continued her ocean voyage," Hoegh Autoliners, the Norwegian owner of the ship, said in a statement issued Saturday. The UN said the arms were inside armoured personnel carriers destined for

its Indian peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hoegh Autoliners said it was not aware of the weapons, which contravened its shipping policies. "The fact that the vehicles contained guns, which were loaded without our knowledge, caused a breach of Kenyan laws and our own strict policies. It is highly regrettable," the company said.

There were no drugs found aboard the ship contrary to earlier claims attributed to Kenyan police. "A search for drugs yielded no results involving vessel or crew," Hoegh Autoliners said. Coastguards and navies in East Africa have struggled to stem the flow of drugs through their waters as the region has become a key export route for Afghan heroin destined for Europe.

France launches air strikes against Islamic State in Syria

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rance said yesterday it launched its first air strikes in Syria, destroying an Islamic State training camp in the east of the country to prevent the group from carrying out attacks against French interests and to protect Syrian civilians.

France had until now only struck Islamic State targets in neighboring Iraq, carrying out just 3 percent of air strikes in an offensive on the group by a U.S.-led coalition. France has also provided limited logistical support to Syrian rebels it considers moderate, including Kurds.

"France struck an Islamic State in Syria this morning at the training camp which threatened the security of our country," French Presi-

dent Francois Hollande told reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

He said six fighter jets had destroyed their targets near Deir ez-Zor and that more operations could take place in coming weeks to protect France and Syrian civilians.

France had feared strikes in Syria could be counter-productive and could strengthen President Bashar al-Assad, who has been fighting a rebellion against his rule since 2011.

However, France was shaken by a series of deadly attacks by Islamist militants this year, including the killing of 12 people at the office of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in January.

Pope greets inmates at Philadelphia prison

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ope Francis yesterday visited the largest prison in Philadelphia, shaking the hands of 100 inmates and offering them words of comfort in a speech focused on hope and rehabilitation.

It was a visit that shone a spotlight on America's broken prison system, home to around 2.2 million inmates -- the largest prison population among developed nations in the world.

US President Barack Obama wants to cut the number of people

incarcerated and curb use of solitary confinement and end mandatory minimum sentences. The pope's visit to the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility was one of the last stops on his packed, six-day tour of the United States.

He sat on a wooden chair, especially crafted for him by inmates, and told prisoners that their incarceration could have only one purpose: rehabilitation and paving their return to society. "All of us are invited to encourage, help your rehabilitation," he said.

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Sport News

International Sport Mourinho slams Chelsea after draw

Emenike, Ogbeche, Ajagun on song

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FIFA: Kalu the best candidate for Nigeria – Adamu

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Eagles Focus

Sport

Did you know?

That Alexis Sanchez is the first player to net hat-tricks in the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga after Arsenal treble at Leicester

FIFA: More confusion over Blatter, Platini probe

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IFA has been thrown into more confusion following the probe of president Joseph Blatter and UEFA boss Michel Platini by the ruling body’s ethics committee over a payment from 2011 revealed in a Swiss criminal investigation, according to reports on Sunday.

The committee is looking into a ``disloyal payment’’ of 2 million Swiss francs (dollars) Platini received from FIFA in 2011 for work done between 1999 and 2002.

The issue was revealed in a statement from Switzerland’s Attorney General on Friday in which the start of a criminal investigation against Blatter was announced.

Apart from the payment, the probe involves a contract, likely on TV rights, with the Caribbean football union from 2005.

The Sport Team Adekunle Salami Group Sport Editor

Emmanuel Tobi Assistant Sport Editor

Ifeanyi Ibeh Sport Correspondent

Ajibade Olusesan Sport Correspondent

Charles Ogundiya Sport Correspondent

© Daily Telegraph Publishing Company Limited

Blatter

Blatter was interrogated by Swiss police and the UEFA boss Platini heard as a witness. Platini said there was nothing wrong about the payment.

Blatter’s lawyer did not refer to the Platini payment but said the TV deal, which investigators believe was too low and thus denied FIFA higher income, was according to the rules and sanctioned by those routinely involved in such issues.

It is unclear whether Blatter 79, faces a suspension from the ethics committee and he had not resigned by Sunday in spite of widespread calls to do so in the wake of the Swiss probe on suspicion of ``mismanagement - and - alternatively - misappropriation.’’

Blatter’s former adviser, Klaus J Stoehlker, told the Schweiz am Sonntag paper, a resignation is ``no issue’’ and that Blatter is not concerned about the probe.

Blatter was re-elected for a fifth term on May 29, but said four days later he would lay down his mandate at an extraordinary FIFA congress which has now been scheduled for Feb. 26.

Platini is among the candidates seeking the presidency, while Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou would act as caretaker in his capacity as senior vice president until February should Blatter resign or be suspended.

Former FIFA anti-corruption ex-

Platini

pert Mark Pieth meanwhile told the Sunday edition of the Neue Zuercher Zeitung that FIFA should in the case of Blatter’s resignation elect an interim president ``who comes from within its ranks, is acceptable and should stay on for let’s say two years to calm things down.’’

Pieth named former FIFA executive Theo Zwanziger as a possible candidate, naming him ``involved in reform, behaving with integrity and not shy of making decisions.’’

He said in another interview with the Blick paper that Zwanziger would also strip Qatar of the 2022 World Cup. ``If you elect Theo Zwanziger what I hope - as interim president for two years then he will prevent Qatar for labour law reasons,’’ Pieth said.

Qatar is a controversial host since being chosen by the FIFA executive and heavily criticised by human rights organisations over the treatment of migrant workers and a number of deaths on World Cup related construction sites.

The choice also forced FIFA to change the international match calendar to stage the World Cup in winter because of the intense summer heat, with the dates set Friday between Nov. 21 and Dec. 18, 2022.

The election of Qatar and Russia (2018) by FIFA is also subject of the investigation by the Swiss authorities.

Pay our money, athletes cry out Charles Ogundiya

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ome of the winners at the Abuja and Akure legs of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria-organised Golden League have called on the federation to pay their prize money.

The athletes who spoke with New Telegraph on the condition of anonymity said they needed the money to take care of themselves.

“Do you know that the prize money won in the Abuja and Akure editions of the Golden League is yet to be paid by the AFN?” one of the athletes said.

“We are yet to be paid that of the Grand Prix in Warri also and some of us actually borrowed money to be part of the meets.

“They cannot just use and dump the athletes; they should know that they have not met their own end of the bargain.”

Another angry athlete said while they were not paid, all the officials had gotten their money

I will bring new vision into FIFA – Odegbami

which he described as double standards.

He said: “If they don’t have funds to run a competition like the Golden League or the Grand Prix, then they should take their hands off it.

“Can you imagine that competition that has been concluded for two to three months now, money is yet to be paid to the athletes?

“We (athletes) are the actors and we deserve to be treated better.”

Meanwhile, an official of the AFN who said he was not in a position to talk about the issue said the athletes would be paid as the money had been approved by the National Sports Commission.

“They should exercise some patient as they will get their money soon,” he said.

“Now that we are back from the All Africa Games, the prize money will be paid to the athletes; I am privy to the approval of the funds by the NSC, although I am not in a position to talk about it.”

Blessing Okagbare ... the sprinter was not part of the Golden League and Grand Prix

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Sport News

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

FIFA: Kalu the best candidate for Nigeria – Adamu Dapo Sotuminu

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ormer FIFA and CAF Executive Committee member, Dr. Amos Adamu, has stated that he decided to throw his weight behind the candidature of Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu for the FIFA presidency ahead of another Nigerian, Chief Segun Odegbami, because Kalu is a better candidate.

He said: “If you put Odegbami and Kalu up for selection, I will sincerely pick Kalu as he has proven his integrity as a top-class administrator, and in the area of marketing he has also been there at the world level. So why won’t I support him for FIFA presidency.

“Odegbami proved his worth as a player on the field of play where he was fantastic, no doubt about that. But he failed to translate this to the areas of administration and marketing.

I don’t want to support a candidate that would travel to two or three countries for campaign across the world and start asking the people to raise funds for him to continue the campaign.

This is capital intensive and someone like Odegbami does not have the capability compared to the financial might of Orji Kalu who has a world-class airline business in another country and a chain of other multi-billion businesses.”

Adamu who spoke from his

base in Abuja added that: “In everything we do concerning the FIFA presidency, we must apply wisdom. Kalu has the administrative expertise and the financial weight to successfully launch a campaign for the FIFA presidency.

“Those who are saying that I pitched my tent with Orji Kalu because I don’t see eyeto-eye with Odegbami are only telling lies. It’s only a figment of their imagination. The former Green Eagles captain and I have a cordial relationship as we go to each other’s houses at will. We also communicate in Hausa as Odegbami speaks the language fluently.

“For me, I believe Nigeria

can get the FIFA presidency and that is why I am supporting the former Abia State governor to contest for the position. I am surprised to hear Nigerians say Africa cannot produce the new FIFA president. It is possible with good articulation. I will be happy if more Nigerians come out to contest for the FIFA presidency. Nigeria is a footballplaying nation and we should put our acts together to take the world by storm by giving our total support to the former governor of Abia State. Don’t forget that when he was governor for eight years, he helped put Nigeria on the world map of football as he motivated a

Kalu

football club in the country to win an African club championship title twice which before then had been elusive,” the former WAFU president said.

FIFA U-20 Women World Cup: Falconents beat Congo Ajibade Olusesan

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Ihezuo in action for Falconets

AfroBasket Women 2015

D’Tigress destroy Guinea in Yaounde Ifeanyi Ibeh

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igeria’s women basket ball team, D’Tigress didn’t really break a sweat blowing out lowly Guinea in Sunday’s only game of AfroBasket Women 2015 in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Although coach Scott Nnaji sat out team leading scorer Olayinka Sanni, Nigeria easily

recorded 100-47 victory.

Joyce Ekworomadu inspired five other Nigerians, who scored 12 points or more, while Nadia Peruch-Niang led Guinea with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Guinea, in the second quarter, made three shots from beyond the arc, cutting the deficit to just 13 points, but it was a matter of time as Nigeria went on to close the third

quarter with a 73-40 lead.

Nigeria took total control of the game, and it became more evident in the painted area where they out-rebounded Guinea 63-30.

Nigeria’s Helen Ogunjimi came off the bench to make 15 of her gamehigh 19 points from beyond the arc.

Nigeria are now second in group B behind Angola

Yak aims for 15 goals to save Turkish club

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akubu Aiyegbeni ‘The Yak’ has set a 15-goal target for himself for his promoted Turkish club Kayserispor to stay up in the top league.

The former Portsmouth striker, who joined the Turkish club during the summer transfer window, said he was happy with the atmosphere at the club and would give his best for the success of the club.

“The players, coach and the president treated me so well with opened arms. I want to thank them for the great reception,” he said.

“I want to score goals

to help my team achieve success. As a striker I will do my possible best to score goals, I think I will get over 15 goals. The aim will be to help the team stay in the League.”

He said the influx of top players has improved the quality of the league in Turkey.

“Coming of players like Robin van Persie, Nani, Mario Gomez has increased the awareness of the league and the players I believe will contribute to the brand value of Turkey league,” he said.

“I would say that this is a league based on more physi-

cal attributes. Every team can beat any team.” He said.

uper Falconets on Sunday, defeated their hosts, DR Congo, 2-1 in a 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match in Kinshasa.

Chinaza Uchendu and Chinwendu Ihezuo scored in the first half of the encounter to give the team a huge advantage into the second leg of the qualifiers.

Uchendu, who also scored for the Super Falcons at the 11th AllAfrica Games in Brazzaville earlier this month, shot the Falconets ahead after only six minutes, and it took just another

six minutes for Ihezuo to consolidate for the Falconets.

Falconets who got to the final of the competition last year, took complete control of the game after those two goals, hoping to add to the tally. However, the first half ended 2-0.

Ihezuo, top goalscorer of the 2012 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, and who was in the silver – winning Falconets at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada, led the charge upfront but poor finishing robbed Nigeria of more goals.

In the second half, the Congolese, urged on by the home crowd, im-

proved their game and scored a consolation goal.

Their search for the equaliser was thwarted by the Falconets’ defence -line.

The match in Kinshasa was the first leg of the third round, qualifying fixture for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup scheduled for Papua New Guinea next year. The return leg comes up at the National Stadium, Abuja on Saturday, October 10.

The winner of the fixture will clash with the winner of the fixture between South Africa and Zambia, for a place in Papua New Guinea.

Zambia hosted the two teams’ first leg in Lusaka on Sunday.

Iheanacho’s agent faces jail term

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he American agent of Manchester City starlet Kelechi Iheanacho served a year’s probation after he pleaded to corruption of two teenage girls.

Robert Zanicky, better known as “Bob” in Nigerian football circles, entered a plea agreement when he was charged with trying to force two young girls for sex.

The agent, who now runs Opportunity Academy for West Africa (OFAWA), was

not to have any unsupervised contacts with minors during his probation.

He also had to undergo a mental health evaluation and a drug evaluation as part of his sentencing.

‘Bob’ won a fiercely heated chase for Iheanacho just months before the youngster was crowned the MVP of the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in the UAE. Both the agent’s victims testified at a preliminary hearing that

he sent them sexually explicit test messages, bought them things and took them to the WilkesBarre Lodge on Kidder Street four years ago.

The victim, who was 17, testified then that she had consensual sex with Zanicky at the WilkesBarre Lodge.

The other victim, who was 16, said Zanicky drove her to the same motel, where he wanted to “talk” about his wife being diagnosed with cancer.

Celtic draw big boost, says Oshaniwa

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Aiyegbeni (right)

uwon Oshaniwa has told AfricanFootball. com the goalless draw recorded at Celtic by his team Hearts is a big boost to the team after they lost their last league game at home 3-1 to Aberdeen.

Hearts are now third on the Scottish Premier League with 16 points from nine games.

Oshaniwa returned to the line-up after serving the match ban due to red card he received in a 2-0

loss at Inverness CT. “The draw at Celtic is a great result and important result for us. The league is still young and there are many points to fight for,” he told AfricanFootball.com “I am sure this result will have positive impact on us as individual players and as a team.”

On his reunion with Efe Ambrose, Oshaniwa said he was excited to reunite with Ambrose on Saturday.

International Sport 45

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Mourinho slams Chelsea after draw

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ose Mourinho has slammed his Chelsea players for their first-half display against Newcastle United by rating their performance as ‘minus one out of 10’.

Ayoze Perez opened the scoring for Steve McClaren’s side before Georginio Wijnaldum doubled the hosts’ lead, but the Premier League champions rescued a point with late goals from Ramires and Willian.

“In the first half, from 0 to 10, [Chelsea were] -1. It was that bad,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.

“In the second half we played very well. Ramires and Willian

moved the game. They brought more intensity, midfield pressing, more recovery, much more dynamic arriving in dangerous positions. An intensity Newcastle couldn’t cope with.

“The second half was really good. I’m very happy with the second half, really disappointed with the first half. And I have to try to understand why one team can play so bad in one half and so well in another one. In every aspect in the first half we were bad.

Poor individual performances, too many. As a consequence of that it’s impossible for a team to be a good, competitive team.”

Chiellini admits overreacting to Suarez bite – FIFA official

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he vice president of FIFA’s appeals court Fernando Mitjans claims Giorgio Chiellini admitted to overreacting to Luis Suarez’s bite during the 2014 World Cup in order to get the Uruguay striker sent off.

Suarez, who joined Barcelona from Liverpool later that summer, was subsequently prevented from playing in competitive matches for four months and was also suspended for nine international matches by FIFA. “When they asked the referee what happened, he insisted that he didn’t see anything. They asked Chiellini, who was the victim, and the victim said ‘sir, he didn’t do anything to me’,” Mitjans told FOX Sports Radio Argentina.

“You know what Chiellini said? ‘It was a kiss that my girlfriend gave me and I did it to get him sent off, I did it to get an

advantage’.”

Mitjans also claims that FIFA was wrong to take into account Suarez’s previous cases of biting Otman Bakkal in 2010 during his time at Ajax and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in his Liverpool days nearly three years later when deciding the length of the striker’s suspension.

Chiellini

Hamilton joy at matching Senna mark

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ewis Hamilton said it felt “unreal” after victory in the Japanese Grand Prix moved him level with his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna on 41 race wins.

“It’s quite an emotional day. I’m full of joy and happiness and light,” said the 30-year-old British driver.

He defended the firstlap overtake of Nico Rosberg, which forced his Mercedes team-mate wide and he dropped to fourth before fighting

back to second.

Sunday was Hamilton’s 162nd race, one more than Senna started in a career that ended tragically at Imola in 1994.

The Brazilian won twice at Suzuka in 1988 and 1993 and Hamilton’s victory was also his second at the circuit.

“For me to win here at a race where I loved watching Ayrton drive and to match his wins, it doesn’t feel real at the moment,” he said.

Messi goes down injured in the first half of the victory against Las Palma

Sturridge restored Liverpool’s two-goal advantage with a composed finish into the far corner minutes after Gestede’s goal

Sturridge heroics earn Rodgers reprieve

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iverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be relieved after seeing a fullyfit Daniel Sturridge inspire the Reds to a priceless 3-2 victory over Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

With Rodgers under considerable pressure after a poor start to the 2015/16 campaign, this latest league clash was a must-win fixture—with both Carlo Ancelotti and Jurgen Klopp regularly rumoured to be circling the Merseyside hot seat, waiting for the Ulsterman to receive his marching orders from owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner.

However, an early strike from James Milner and Sturridge’s brace secured Liverpool all three points, cancelling out Rudy Gestede’s double, allowing the Reds to close in on a

remarkable return to the race for a top-four finish.

Liverpool are now two points behind third- and fourth-placed West Ham United and Arsenal, and just five points behind league leaders Manchester United, and Rodgers has Sturridge to thank for this Anfield recovery.

“We know what Daniel is capable of,” Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva told David Lynch of liverpoolfc.com (via LFCTV) after the game, echoing the sentiment of a hoard of Reds supporters who had savoured this return to goalscoring excellence from the striker.

“He’s still not 100 percent in terms of fitness and sharpness and I think he coped really well today with 90 minutes.

His quality is amazing, he can score goals and that’s what we were struggling with.”

Hamsik criticises Benitez’s Napoli tactics

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arek Hamsik claims Napoli play a far better brand of football this season than they did under former coach Rafael Benitez.

Maurizio Sarri replaced Benitez at the San Paolo after the latter moved to Real Madrid and has come in for criticism from some this season, with club icon Diego Maradona claiming Sarri was “not worthy” of the position.

Napoli have recovered their form following an inconsistent start to the season, however, with

an impressive 2-1 win over Serie A champions Juventus on Saturday following two 5-0 wins earlier in September.

And Hamsik has now taken a swipe at Benitez, insisting the current side play with a far more enjoyable style.

“We did what the coach asked of us on the pitch,” he told Rai Sport after the match with Juve. “I’m happy to be right in the middle of the action compared to last year. I really like this style of football.

“We’re a much more

dynamic and compact side. We play with the ball much more compared to last year, when we focused on long balls.”

S

star is set to be sidelined for up to two months, which represent a significant blow to a Barca side who are second in the Liga table behind Villarreal.

Busquets told Canal Plus: “You know that if Messi complains, then something’s wrong.

“He’s the best player

P

PTS

1 Man Utd

7

16

2 Man City

7

15

3 West Ham

7

13

4 Arsenal

7

13

5 Tottenham

7

12

6 Crystal Palace

7

12

7 Leicester City

7

11

8 Liverpool

6

9

9 Everton

7

9

10 Southampton

6

9

11 Swansea

7

9

12 Norwich City

6

9

13 Watford

7

9

14 West Brom

6

8

15 Chelsea

7

8

16 B’mouth

7

7

17 Stoke City

7

6

18 Aston Villa

7

4

19 Newcastle

7

3

20 Sunderland

7

2

RESULTS PREMIER LEAGUE Watford 0 - 1 Crystal Palace Tottenham 4 - 1 Man City Leicester 2 - 5 Arsenal Liverpool 3 - 2 Aston Villa Man United 3 - 0 Sunderland S’hampton 3 - 1 Swansea Stoke 2 - 1 Bournemouth West Ham 2 - 2 Norwich Newcastle 2 - 2 Chelsea LA LIGA Deportivo 3 - 0 Espanyol Gijon 1 - 2 Real Betis Barcelona 2 - 1 Las Palmas

Hamsik

‘Messi injury bad luck for Barcelona’ ergio Busquets was left ruing Barcelona’s “rotten luck” after Lionel Messi sustained a knee injury against Las Palmas.

Messi was withdrawn in the 10th minute with the club later revealing he has a tear in his internal collateral ligament.

The Argentine super-

PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE Team

in the world, our best player. We’re having some rotten luck with injuries, and not being able to register new players makes things worse.”

Barcelona went on to win the game 2-1 in Messi’s absence, with Luis Suarez’s double securing the points.

Real Madrid 0 - 0 Malaga Sevilla 3 - 2 Vallecano Villarreal 1 - 0 Atletico Eibar 1 - 1 Celta Vigo BUNDESLIGA Frankfurt 1 - 1 Hertha Berlin Augsburg 1 - 3 Hoffenheim Mainz 0 - 3 Bayern Munich Stuttgart 1 - 3 M’gladbach Bremen 0 - 3 Leverkusen Wolfsburg 1 - 1 Hannover Hamburger 0 - 1 Schalke

46

EAGLES FOCUS

Sport

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015 NEW TELEGRAPH

Joel Obi, Ambrose see red

I

Emenike (left)

Emenike, Ogbeche, Ajagun on target

t was a weekend to forget for two Nigerian stars, Joel Obi and Efe Ambrose, as they were shown red cards in matches for their respective clubs.

Joel Obi who is trying to revive his career with Torino was given a straight red card in the 89th minute after an awkward challenge on Palermo player. However, Torino still managed to beat their visitors 2-1.

Ambrose was not lucky as he was also sent off in the final minute of Celtic’s goalless draw with Juwon Oshaniwa’s Hearts in a Scottish league match on Satur-

day. Oshaniwa was also shown a yellow card.

West Ham’s Victor Moses and Odion Ighalo of Watford could not repeat their last week’s feat in the English Premier League as they were caged by their respective opponents last weekend.

Moses started for the Hammers in their 2-2 draw with Norwich on Saturday but was a shadow of himself before being replaced in the 57th minute.

Ighalo played all 90 minutes for Watford but could do nothing to stop his side from going down to a 1-0 home defeat in the hands of Crystal Palace.

Ahmed Musa who

scored a brace for CSKA Moscow penultimate weekend could not replicate the form as his side was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Lokomotiv Moscow.

Anthony Ujah played 90 minutes for Werder Bremen but he also could not stop his side from collapsing to a 2-1 defeat at Darmstadt.

Ogenyi Onazi was rooted to the bench in Lazio’s 2-1 win at Hellas Verona, the same fate Mikel Obi suffered in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle. Osaze Odemwingie was not even listed in Stoke’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday.

• Junior Ajayi scores in debut match Stories by Ajibade Olusesan

E

mmanuel Emenike was the only player that scored last weekend from the team that prosecuted Super Eagles last Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania.

The Fenerbahce striker, who is on loan at Al Ain, hit target in the 65th minute for his UAE team in their 2-1 loss to Al Wahda. The striker has now scored three league goals for his side in the Arabia Gulf League.

Erstwhile Eagles star, Bar-

tholomew Ogbeche, is one of the players outside the mainstream of the national team who were on target at the weekend.

A brace from the Nigerian helped Cambuur earn a share of the spoils against Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie as the match ended 3-3.

Another ex-Eagles star, Obinna Nsofor, proved that he could resurrect his career as he scored his first goal for German Bundesliga 2 side, Duisburg, in Saturday’s 3-2 loss at Union Berlin. He pounced on a pass in the 56th minute to

bring the score line to 3-1.

Ex-Nigeria U20 captain Abdul Jeleel Ajagun was Panathinaikos’ hero on Sunday as he scored the only goal to earn his team all three points against Platanias. Ajagun has now scored two goals in the last two games for Panathinaikos.

National U-23 team striker, Junior Ajayi, got his professional career abroad to a blistering start as he netted in Sfaxien’s 3-1 win over Gafsa on Sunday. That was his first match for the Tunisian side since he moved last week.

Joel Obi

NIGERIAN PREMIER LEAGUE Udoji brace secures victory for Enyimba Stories by Charles Ogundiya

I Rangers’ Godwin Aguda (left) is challenged

by Kwara United’s David Ayeni

t was goals from unlikely source that secured victory for Enyimba of Aba in their top of the table clash against Wikki Tourists in one of the Nigeria Professional Football League Week 31 matches.

Two goals from skipper, Chinedu Udoji, was enough to extend Enyimba’s lead at the top of the table to five points.

The defender got the first goal in the 42 minute before

Adeniji ends goal drought in Sunshine win

S

unshine Stars striker, Tunde Adeniji, on Sunday ended his goal drought after his lone strike earned the Akure Gunners a hard-fought victory against Abia Warriors.

The visitors frustrated the home team for 58 minutes of the game before Adeniji came up with his 14th goal of the season to secure the three points at stake.

The victory moved

Sunshine back to the second position on the league table with 53 points from 31 matches.

Warri Wolves earned a point against defending champions, Kano Pillars, in Kano, after Bartholomew Ibenegbu’s last minute goal cancelled out Ubong Ekpai’s first half penalty.

The draw maintained the Warri side’s title push as they currently occupy

third position with 52 points from 31 games.

Kwara United relegation woes continue after they failed to secure a victory in their game against Rangers in Enugu despite taking the lead in the first half.

With seven matches to the end of the season, Bayelsa United, FC Taraba, Kwara United and Dolphins are occupying the relegation zone.

scoring from the spot kick when a Wikki defender fouled an Enyimba player in the box to secure his brace and Enyimba’s second.

Wikki, four points behind Enyimba before the game, were hoping to reduce the gap at the top of the table with a victory or a draw as they continue their push for the league title, but they were undone by Udoji’s goals.

Speaking with New Telegraph after the game, Udoji

said he was happy with the victory not minding who scored the goals.

“What is important to me was the victory, and if I was the one that got the goals, that’s very good,” Udoji said.

“We knew before the game that we were in for a tough match because Wikki are fighting for the title too.”

With the victory, Enyimba maintained their lead at the top with 58 points from 31 matches.

Sharks continue survival push

I

t was a hard-fought derby victory for Sharks on Sunday, as they defeated rival, Dolphins, 1-0 to move away from the relegation zone.

Super Eagles defender, Chima Akas’ eight minute goal was enough to secure the victory that pushed Dolphin back to relegation zone.

Speaking after the game, coach of the Blue Angels, Festus Allen, expressed happiness while appreciating the efforts of everyone that contributed to the victory.

“I am the happiest man on earth now because we needed the vic-

tory badly,” he said.

“We are out of the relegation zone now, but it is not yet over. We will continue to push until the end of the season to secure our top-flight status.

“We have seven finals to go till the end of the season and I am sure we can get the victories needed to escape relegation.”

Dolphins dropped to the relegation zone to exchange positions with Sharks but the coach of the team, Stanley Eguma, believes the team will escape the drop.

Eguma said: “We have to plan ahead for future matches. We conceded an

early goal and failed to get the equaliser which was unfortunate.

“We have up to seven teams still hovering around the relegation zone and I am sure we can make it at the end of the season.”

RESULTS UPDATE Pillars 1-1 Wolves FC Taraba 1-1 El-Kanemi Lobi 0-0 Shooting Rangers 2-1 Kwara Utd IfeanyiUbah 1-1 Giwa Enyimba 2-0 Wikki Akwa Utd 2-0 Nasarawa Sunshine 1-0 Abia Warriors

Sport 47

NEW TELEGRAPH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

I will bring new vision into FIFA – Odegbami A former Eagles captain, Segun Odegbami, speaks to ADEKUNLE SALAMI about his ambition to preside over world football after the next FIFA elections. Excerpts...

What informed your decision to run for FIFA Presidency?

There is a vacancy for the position.

The circumstances surrounding the vacant position required the intervention of a new leader untainted by the vagaries of Sepp Blatter’s reign. The crisis in FIFA is about corruption. The next president should not only have impeccable credentials as a deserving successor, but must be seen by all to be incorruptible and capable of restoring the integrity of the football organisation. I see myself fitting that bill completely.

How far have you gone ?

Campaign has not started. I have to ascertain that I will contest before embarking on any campaign. I must get my national federation’s nomination first, secure the endorsement of five other federations from any part of the world, and pass the integrity test of FIFA, be cleared by the committee in charge of the elections before embarking on a strategic campaign. As soon as I am cleared to contest by the FIFA Electoral Committee, I will go round Africa and beyond to seek for votes

Odegbami

Are you ready to fulfill the conditions of the Nigeria Football Federation?

I have no conditions to fulfill except the clearance from my state FA which confirms the primary eligibility criteria that I have been involved actively in football in Nigeria for at least two of the last five years. Otherwise, what I need

to get again is the blessing and support of the government of Nigeria. It is not a requirement of FIFA but it is essential if you want to win the elections.

Are you convinced the world will receive a Nigerian as FIFA boss?

Sure, I am. It is not because one is a Nigerian or not that will determine support. We are talking football, a game where Nigeria has an awesome reputation. The person that represents the country must have impeccable credentials and must be known to be passionate and knowledgeable about the game, have experience in administration, and must have integrity.

What is your view on the corruption crisis in FIFA? It is very bad for football, but now we have the opportunity to clean up the administration of the game not only in FIFA but globally as well.

What are you bringing on board as the president of FIFA? I am bringing in so much change to boost the game. A new vision, a new spirit, renewed confidence in the organisation, transparency in its operations and exploiting the power of football and the World Cup to make positive changes in the world outside the game. Football’s power must be used for good causes, particularly issues that concern the poor, education, health and youth empowerment.

The other side of street fighter, Costa

Chelsea’s Diego Costa is serving a three-game ban after being suspended for his confrontation with Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny in the Blues’ victory at Stamford Bridge.

It is the latest in a long line of controversial incidents that have dogged the explosive striker throughout his life in football, from humble beginnings in Brazil to superstardom in Spain and the Premier League.

But what makes Costa tick?

Why does he attract so much trouble? And is there another side to his personality?

GROWING UP Diego Costa and his brother Jair are named after two of the game’s iconic figures - Maradona and Jairzinho His life started in Lagarto, a poor town of 100,000 people in eastern Brazil, where his football-mad father, Jose de Jesus, named him Diego in honour of Argentine legend Diego Maradona - he also has an older brother called Jair, after Brazil’s flamboyant 1970s winger Jairzinho.

Unlike many of their neighbours, the Costa family did not live in poverty because Jose de Jesus always worked, but life was tough and the brothers soon learned to fend for themselves when they weren’t helping their father with his agricultural labour.

He was also very good at football, using his powerful physique to impose himself on the opposition. But Lagarto

had no sporting facilities, no grass pitches and no youth team clubs providing organised football, so the only way Costa could learn how to play was on the street.

And the streets of Lagarto had their own rules. In a rare and revealing 2012 interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Costa reflected: “I fought for everything, I couldn’t control myself.

“I insulted everyone and didn’t have any respect for the opposition. I thought I had to kill them…I got very heated.

I got used to football where the biggest ones threw their elbows at the others, and I thought that was normal.”

FROM SAO PAULO TO EUROPE Despite spending so much of his youth kicking footballs on the streets of Lagarto, the fact he had never played an organised form of the game meant that by his mid-teens Costa was not seriously considering turning professional.

He was, indeed, more interested in getting a job so he’d have enough money to take girls out for dinner, and he started travelling to the Paraguayan border to pick up cheap fake brands and sell them at a shopping centre.

By then, he had moved away from Lagarto to live with his uncle Jarminho in Sao Paulo and, recognising his football talent, Jarminho persuaded his nephew - by paying him - to join a youth team, Barce-

Diego Costa appeared to strike Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny as they grappled in the box during Chelsea’s win

lona Esportivo Capela, at the age of 16.

Costa had ability, but street football had left him very rough around the edges. Before long his indiscipline got him into trouble, as he later recalled. “They gave me a fourmonth suspension for slapping an opponent and going after the referee when he showed me the red card,” he said.

But one day an associate of super-agent Jorge Mendes came to watch Costa, and the ban was magically lifted. He played, impressed the watching scout and was promptly sold to Sporting Braga in Portugal.

First, though, he had to

persuade his parents, neither of whom wanted to see their 17-year-old son move to another continent. His mother Josileide recalled: “It was a terrible debate within the family. But he said: ‘If you don’t let me leave, I will escape. I have given my word, and I am going.’”

Stubborn, ambitious and independent, Costa was heading to Europe.

LOYAL AND GENEROUS Costa, then, has always possessed all the ingredients to become one of football’s biggest bad boys. But there is another, softer side to his character.

Friends and family insist

that off the pitch he is quiet and gentle - his former teammate at Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid, Mario Suarez, said: “In the dressing room he is super-calm. On the pitch, he transforms into the Diego Costa the world knows.”

He is also loyal and generous, demonstrated by his decision to start a soccer school in his old home town of Lagarto, giving youngsters who dream of following in his footsteps the opportunity - one he was denied - to learn the game in proper surroundings.

More than 200 children from Lagarto now regularly attend free of charge, with all the costs met by Costa.

On Marble

World Record

Sanctity of Truth

“Make your lives a masterpiece, you only get one canvas.”

– E.A. Bucchianeri

The first traffic signal was invented by J P Knight, a railway signalling engineer. It was installed outside the Houses of Parliament in 1868 and looked like any railway signal of the time, with waving semaphore arms and red-green lamps, operated by gas, for night use. Unfortunately it exploded, killing a policeman.

NIGERIA’S MOST AUTHORITATIVE NEWSPAPER IN POLITICS AND BUSINESS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

N150

Public arena : the column you write

Ensuring sanity in the ICT sector Fred Ikwuagwu

I

nfor mation and communications technology is central to all for ms of social and economic development in contemporary times. They have significant influence on social, educational and commercial activities round the clock and across the world. The ICT age is about using knowledge to make a difference. The knowledge economy relies on the sustainable exploitation of ICT in all its facets.

Developing countries are beginning to exploit ICT in order to enable them participate meaningfully in the global economy which is rapidly migrating to the digital platform. The use of information in the workplace, in the provision of public services, and in the conduct of commercial activities and basic communications are fast becoming virtual, non-personal, remote and ubiquitous. This is the age of information.

By addressing needs that include poverty eradication, improved healthcare, wealth creation, job creation and education, ICT has become an essential requirement for competition, survival, and progress. In today’s world, weak or inadequate ICT availability means less efficiency in capacity utilisation, which translates to underachievement and underdevelopment.

In other words, societies without ICT resources and infrastructure are disadvantaged in the 21st century world. Nigeria has developed national ICT policies aimed at building a knowledge based economy in order to ensure that citizens derive maximum value from the sector.

Courtesy of this effort, Nigerians have joined the global ICT mainstream with more than 100 percent mobile phone penetration and about 93 million connections to the internet.

It seems not to matter that Nigeria still imports almost 100 percent of all its IT requirements. The best effort at local production of some ICT facilities comes from the assemblage of imported components.

However, cheaper imports from Asian countries such as India, South Korea and China are giving local producers a stiff challenge. This is discounting the large army of middle class and high-end users who go for first rate, even if expensive products from Canada, Europe and America.

Notwithstanding the “rebasing” of the economy conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics and declared by the Ministry of Finance in 2014, Nigeria is the second largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa. It is one of largest producers of crude oil and has enor-

Danbatta, NCC Vice Chairman

Mike Adenuga, Glo boss

currency cuts down on the chances for crime, and helps the government’s effort at tackling financial crimes and corruption.

In recent times, Nigeria has been consolidating on its achievements in the sector through the enactment of legislation to provide legal protection and security for the sector.

The passage of the Cybercrime Prevention Act is a case in point. With increased awareness and application of ICT in public and social life, different forms of phone and computer-related crime have surfaced. It is therefore important to enhance the information security environment to instill confidence in digital or online transactions and activities. The cybercrime law is the first step to providing such security and deterrence.

It is a positive step that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) does not take its responsibilities lightly. Under the headship of Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, there is concerted effort to collaborate with the security agencies by having a reliable database of ICT users through ensuring they are all biometrically registered. In the past few weeks, network operators have come under pressure and a regime of fines for keeping unregistered subscribers on their platforms.

With such a bark and bite, it is to be expected that soon, phone scammers and other criminal elements littering the cyber environment will scamper into hiding, or better still, give up completely on their nefarious activities.

• Ikwuagwu is a cyber security analyst based in Lagos

Mike Ikpoki, CEO, MTN

Florence Seriki, MD, Omatek Computers

mous natural gas reserves, arrable agricultural lands, solid minerals and a developing private sector. It is also quickly catching up with other countries in ICT development. In terms of sheer volume, Nigeria’s ICT market surpasses competition in the continent and only takes second or third place when it comes to technical efficiency.

Developments in the sector since 2001 have led to tremendous growth in social, economic and commercial activities, including employment generation. Since the GSM launch, mobile telephony has rapidly become the most popular means of communication in Nigeria. The telecom sector has also become the largest generator of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with significant contributions to GDP. Estimated in-

vestments in the sector since 2001 are at over $32 billion and still counting.

The drastic changes in the telecom situation in Nigeria have had a serious impact on private and public sectors and even in governance, administration and policy implementation. In social and commercial activities, there has been a slow, subtle, but almost imperceptible migration from the reliance on cyber cafes to self-sufficiency, as many people acquired the capacity and resources to independently surf the cyberspace.

E-commerce and e-payment initiatives have given rise to various payment solutions including automated teller machines, POS terminals, mobile and internet banking services, online bill payment solutions, etc. the ability to facilitate large volume transactions without the use of hard

HIGH CHIEF

EFCC RE-ARRAIGNS LAMIDO AND SONS –News

-What is good for the father, is good for the son!

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