18th February 2016 by Nigerian Tribune

NIGERIA’S MOST INFORMATIVE NEWSPAPER NO 16,439

THURSDAY, 18 FEBRUARY, 2016

EFCC quizzes Allison-Madueke's husband, grants him bail —P4

www.tribuneonlineng.com

Nigerian Tribune

$2.1bn arms deal: EFCC re-arraigns Dokpesi —P40

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NNPC used fake company for crude oil swap —Reps —P11

Modu Sheriff

Nigerian Tribune

N150

Buhari's foreign trips yielding dividends —FEC —P6

PDP may lose 20 senators, 50 Reps

•BoT, state chairmen voted 'No' at caucus meeting •Govs begin peace moves —P2 •PDP will unseat Buhari in 2019 —National chairman 1,500 Arepo militants ready to surrender —Amnesty office —P4

Purchase of armoured BMW cars:

Court refuses to stop Stella Oduah's trial —P7

Members of Operation Save Our Education Sector and the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, protesting the sack of 13 vice chancellors by the Federal Government, in Abuja, on Wednesday. PHOTO: SUNDAY OSUNRAYI

Dollar now N377 at parallel market •Nigeria's economy in trouble —Fayose

—Pgs2, 10

ABUAD crisis: I won't bill students for damage —Afe Babalola —P6

Jonathan's uncle kidnapped again

—P16

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Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Modu Sheriff: PDP may lose 20 senators, 50 Reps •BoT, state chairmen voted ‘No’ at caucus meeting •Govs begin peace moves •PDP will unseat Buhari in 2019 —National chairman From Taiwo Adisa, Jacob Segun Olatunji, Leon Usigbe and Dare Adekanmbi

HE ripples being generated by the emergence of a former governor of Borno State as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appear not to be simmering down, as the groundswell of opposition to his emergence further coalesced on Wednesday. Senators of the party from the South-East and SouthSouth zone had resolved not to go with his choice immediately it emerged that a vital organ of the party was rooting for him and had threatened to pull out of the party if he emerged the national chairman. Sources close to the National Assembly said on Wednesday that no fewer than 20 senators could leave the party if Sheriff continued to hold forth as national chairman. It was also gathered that no fewer than 50 members of the House had also commenced talks on the way forward. It was gathered that of the 32 PDP senators from the South-East and SouthSouth geopolitical zones, no fewer than 20 had indicated their decision to leave the party. Their destination could be the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) or the Labour Party. No fewer than 50 members of the House of Representatives across the geopolitical zones were also said to have indicated interest in defecting to another party from the PDP. “The Tsunami that will hit the PDP as a result of this decision will be unimaginable. We have some 20 senators already looking to the door right now. The number of members of the House is around 50. Let’s see how the party can survive that,” a source close to the party said. The PDP currently has 47 of the 109 senators and 141 of 360 members of the House of Representatives. Sources told the Nigerian Tribune that the decision to field Sheriff as national chairman came from the party’s governors who were able to pull through their decision, forcing it on the national caucus, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and overriding the Board of Trustees (BoT). It was gathered that the plot to name Sheriff was

kick-started on February 14, during the inauguration of the Bayelsa State governor, Mr Seriake Dickson for a second term in office. Sources said a number of governors who attended the event kicked off the discussion about Sheriff and reached out to their colleagues across the country. It was confirmed that after firming up their decision to back Sheriff, the governors ensured that the Abuja meetings of the BoT, national caucus and NEC were unable to upturn the decision. It was leant that the six zonal chairmen of the party, the state chairmen and other stakeholders, including the National Assembly, voted against the choice of Sheriff, but the governors put their feet down. A source said former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Madueke, actually walked out of the NEC when it became obvious that Sheriff was being imposed on the party. But the governors were

said to have kicked off peace moves from Tuesday night, with the aim of calming frayed nerves and ensuring a united party. It was learnt that Sheriff was asked to attend the thanksgiving for Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, held on Wednesday. Sheriff attended the thanksgiving service as his first official assignment during which he went round to shake hands with many of the party’s stalwarts at the event. Speaking at the rally on Wednesday, the national chairman vowed to lead the party to regain control of the Federal Government in 2019. Sheriff said nothing would stop his party, which lost power in 2015, from ousting the current All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration in the country. He said the PDP would soon come out with its master plan on how it would defeat the APC from power, adding that “we are here

today, we are starting from here and we are going to Aso Rock, Insha Allah by 2019. “We will head from here and we will do it together. This my long cap is prepared to lead my colleagues and brothers to Aso Rock, Insha Allah. “By the grace of Allah, nothing will deter this party from going to Aso Rock in 2019. By the time we put down our master-plan, I am sure they (APC) will go back to where they came from. Insha Allah, nothing will stop us,” he said. Sheriff, who arrived the event late, regretted missing the speech presented by Governor Ikpeazu, but expressed confidence that he spoke well. He noted that from the crowd he saw at the stadium where the event held, it was clear that the governor was popularly elected. Earlier in his remark, the deputy national chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus, had congratulated the governor on his victory at the Su-

preme Court, adding that it was clear that the governor came to power by popular mandate. Meanwhile, the PDP Governors Forum has thrown its weight behind the new national chairman of the party, Senator Sheriff, expressing confidence in his ability to reposition the party and make it more inclusive. In a statement issued by the coordinator of the forum, Mr Onaiwu Osaro, in Abuja, on Wednesday, the governors stressed that the emergence of ex-governor and senator was one done after careful selection, given the battle ahead. It said Sheriff was capable of adequately dealing with the antics of the ruling APC. “Sheriff is coming on the job with immense wealth of experience and will no doubt use his vast network to rebuild the party, restore members’ confidence and act as a counterfoil to the many antics of the present APC regime,” the statement

From left, Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, at an interdenominational thanksgiving service marking the affirmation of Ikpeazu’s mandate as Abia governor by the Supreme Court, held at the Umuahia Stadium, on Wednesday.

Nigeria’s economy in trouble —Fayose Says Buhari lacks solution

EKITI State governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has raised the alarm over the imminent collapse of the county’s economy, saying the Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) government was yet to show any sign that it has any solution to the dwindling economy. The governor, who called on Nigerians to prevail on President Buhari to stay at home and govern the country, said it was the height of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians that the president,

who just returned from trips to France and United Kingdom, would again be travelling to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar from February 20 to 27, spending seven days out of the country in what they called “three-nation tour.” Speaking through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor lamented the lack of a clear cut economic direction from the Federal Government, saying “it is worrisome that President

Buhari does not have any economic team and there is no policy direction yet, despite spending close to nine months in office.” He said the implication of the development and resultant effects are human right abuses, escalation of prices of goods and services, daily retrenchment of workers, folding up of businesses, states finding it difficult to pay workers’ salary and the Federal Government not being able to prepare what he termed common budget. The governor said with

President Buhari, Nigeria is definitely “having a square peg in its round hole. “Dollar has gone double since Dr Goodluck Jonathan left office, with United States Dollar exchanging for N350 as of today. Foreign reserve is declining on a daily basis, Boko Haram insurgents have come back, even stronger than they were when Buhari assumed office and Nigerians are now being made to pay more for electricity that is not available for them to use. continues pg4

said. The governors urged the new national chairman to avoid diversionary tactics and work towards uniting all aggrieved members and fashion out modalities to woo new party faithful. “We urge you to shun all diversionary tactics that might be thrown at you and concentrate on how to bring together all aggrieved party members as well as fashion out ways to woo new members, especially the youth,” they said. This came as the national auditor of the party, Alhaji Adewole Adeyanju, challenged anybody with concrete prove on Sheriff’s culpability to speak out or shut up. In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, on Wednesday, Alhaji Adeyanju raised the alarm that the allegation of the new national chairman of the party romancing with the Boko Haram sect was part of the plots to discredit PDP before Nigerians and the international community. According to him, “it is being erroneously speculated in some quarters that our new national chairman is a Boko Haram sponsor. Let those speculating this come out with concrete evidence and if they don’t have one, they should keep quiet and stop spreading such dangerous rumour. “We are very much aware that some elements are jittery over PDP’s decision to pick him as its new national chairman and the only way out for them is to label him as Boko Haram sponsor. “They cannot succeed in their new plot because the government would have arrested and charged him to court as done to a serving senator in the National Assembly during President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. The trial is still in progress,” he stated. The immediate past Minister of National Planning, Dr Abubakar Sulaiman, however, regretted the emergence of Sheriff as PDP national chairman, adding that the rescue mission that should follow the party’s failure in 2015 election had failed. “Whoever partook in the decision that led to the emergence of Sheriff does not mean well for the party and democracy in Nigeria. It is obvious the fifth columnist has hijacked the party and they are hell bent in sinking it deeper into irrecoverable level of the pit,” he said.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

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Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Buhari’s foreign trips yielding dividends —FEC Leon Usigbe - Abuja

NFORMATION Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s frequent foreign travels are not a waste, but are needed to restore Nigeria to its pride of place in eyes of foreign investors, having been turned into a pariah state under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Addressing State House correspondents after a

meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday, alongside Minister of Environment, Hajia Amina Mohammed, he said the level of corruption under the previous administration prevented investors from coming to the country. Asked to explain what he meant by Nigeria being a pariah state under Jonathan, he said: “What I mean that Nigeria was a pariah state, is that before now the level of corruption was very

high that nobody was ready to risk his investment in Nigeria. “The cost of doing business was so high that most international businessmen didn’t want to come here. “Who is coming to invest in a country where there is insecurity? These are the twin problems Mr President had addressed in the last nine months.” He revealed that FEC, presided over by President Buhari, was briefed about

the president’s recent travels and their benefits to the country. Mohammed said the briefing was necessary, in view of the fact that Nigerians had started to question the logic behind the frequency of the trips. Justifying them, he said there was a lot such travels bring to the country. According to him, “you do not run a country by being isolated and the personal presence of the president in

From right, President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir David Lawal; Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Eyo-Ita, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held at the Council Chamber, Abuja, on Wednesday.

many of these fora is very important, because before now, we were almost a pariah state and the two things that have been driving investments away from this country is terrorism and corruption. “One thing nobody can fault this president on is his determination to fight these two ills. Mr President’s presence in these fora is very crucial even to the economy back home.” Also reacting to suggestions on the possible negative consequences of the president’s frequent travels, the Environment Minister observed that the president’s travels had not impacted negatively on the day to day administration of the country, as the vice-president and ministers were always on ground. She said strong leadership was necessary to attract investments, adding: “The president doesn’t stand alone, he has a vice-president and a cabinet. “The cabinet stays with the vice-president here as much as possible to try to address those challenges you are talking about on a daily ba-

Ex-DSS spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, drags FG to court over sack FORMER spokesperson of the Department of State Services (DSS), Marilyn Ogar, has sued the Federal Government before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria over her termination of appointment. The case comes up today in Abuja before the president of the court, Justice Babatunde Adejumo. Ogar and others were demoted and compulsorily retired by the Federal Government in 2015. Those named as defendants in the suit were the Attorney-General of the Federation, the State Secu-

rity Service (SSS) and the Director-General, SSS. Ahmed Raji, who filed the suit on behalf of Ogar by way of originating summons, wanted the court to nullify Ogar’s sack and reinstate her with all her ranks, salaries and benefits as an employee of the Federal Government. Ogar is further asking the court to set aside her purported demotion from Assistant Director to Chief Security Intelligence Officer. She is also seeking a court declaration that her employment with the SSS had statutory flavour and

same may only be lawfully determined strictly in accordance with the relevant provisions of the public service rules. Ogar, through her lawyer, is asking the court to determine if she is a public officer and whether or not she could be lawfully demoted, sacked or retired by the defendants. Ogar, it will be recalled, was promoted alongside 44 others in promotions that were done in the twilight of the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration. But the Buhari-led administration reversed the

EFCC quizzes Allison-Madueke’s husband, grants him bail Saliu Gbadamosi - Abuja THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, arrested the husband of former Minister of Petroleum, Rear Admiral Allison Amaechina Madueke (retd). Nigerian Tribune gathered that the former Chief of Naval Staff during the administration of General Sani Abacha was arrested by operatives of the anti-graft commission in Abuja, for allegedly laundering about $600,000 through his ac-

counts. A source informed that he was quizzed for some hours by EFCC operatives before being granted administrative bail by the commission, while his international passport was said to have been seized from him. A reliable source within the commission confirmed the arrest of former military governor of the Anambra and Imo states between 1984 and 1986 to the Nigerian Tribune. “It is true Admiral Allison Madueke (retd) was arrest-

ed by the commission today (Wednesday),” the source revealed. Sources with the anti-corruption agency confirmed the arrest of the former Naval chief, noting that he was being interrogated as part of the ongoing probe of his wife. He was said to have been granted administrative bail while all his travelling documents were seized. This, the source stated, was to restrict his movement till the investigation was concluded.

promotions, citing irregularities and breach of extant rules guiding such actions. Ogar reportedly earned her promotion follow-

ing commendation she received from the former president for doing “a fantastic job” as spokesperson of the DSS.

Auchi poly gets acting rector Banji Aluko - Benin City ENGINEER Jafaru Braimah has been appointed as acting rector for Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State. Braimah, who, until the appointment, was a deputy Rector, Academics of the Federal Polytechnic, will be taking over from Dr Philipa Idogho, whose tenure expired this month. The Federal Ministry of Education had informed the former rector to hand over to the most senior deputy rector in the insti-

tution. Braimah holds a masters degree in Textile Engineering and joined the services of the Auchi Polytechnic in 1992 as a Senior Lecturer after a stint with the Nigeria Textile Mills in Lagos. He rose to become a Chief Lecturer in 2000 and was appointed Deputy Rector, Academics, in 2001. He was also the first substantive head of the Department of Fashion and Clothing Technology in the polytechnic.

sis. “But the investment we make with the president’s travel is well worth the returns we are getting from those visits. “We hope to see the president going out and advocating for this country to get more investments, so that we can take everyone out of poverty. That is really what is important. We see it as an investment with a return worthwhile.”

Lassa fever: NDDC distributes equipment, kits to states D apo Falade - Port Harcourt NIGER Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has commenced the distribution of personal protective equipment and kits to state governments in the Niger Delta, to combat the Lassa fever disease. This was contained in a statement signed by the Head, Corporate Affairs, NDDC, Mr Chijioke Amu-Nnadi and made available in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday. Speaking at the presentation of the equipment and kits to the Edo State government at the Government House, Benin City, acting Managing Director of NDDC, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, explained that the donation was part of the commission’s intervention to assist Edo, Rivers and Ondo states in their ongoing efforts to curb Lassa fever. The NDDC boss said the commission’s intervention was prompted by its concern about the relatively high occurrences of the infectious deadly disease in the three states. “We will also be sending some kits to all the other states in the Niger Delta for preventive measures, so that if, for any reason, there is a spillover to these states, it will quickly be contained,” she said.

Nigeria’s economy in trouble —Fayose continued from pg2

“Most importantly, prices of foodstuffs, newsprint, medicine, among others have gone over the roof. Should we still continue to attribute all these to Jonathan or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? “Even former Central

Bank Governor (CBN) Governor and Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, is saying President Buhari’s anticorruption stance is totally inconsistent with the forex regime he supported and that the Federal Government forex policy encourages corruption and rentseeking.”

While urging the president to focus more on the dwindling economy and stay at home to attend to critical issues, Governor Fayose said “travelling from one country to another won’t solve any of our problems, because I have not seen where foreigners assist any nation to develop.”

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Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Oshiomhole disbands transport agency, accuses officials of extortion EDO State government has disbanded the Edo State Transport Management Agency (EDSTMA), in a bid to sanitise and rid the roads of the unwholesome activities of some of its officials. Speaking during an unscheduled visit to the premises of the State Ministry of Transport on Wednesday, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said: “I have received a lot of complaints from members of the public. Even some of our commissioners have observed a lot of extortion going on. “All of these young men and women just go and put on T-shirts, unauthorised, unemployed. They just take over some strategic streets and extort money from members of the public. “Whether you are guilty or not, they take you to this place, issue fake receipts and we have seen a number of the fake receipts. One was shown to us this morning and we find a similar example here now. “So, I want to once again publicly announce that these men called EDSTMA have since been disbanded. They have no business on

the roads. “Henceforth, anybody they harass should report them to the nearest police station. We are going to set up a monitoring squad, made up of policemen, both plain clothes and uniformed, to arrest anyone that decides to turn our highway to extortion point. Anyone that harasses motorists in the state will be sent to prison.” The governor said nobody in the state was authorised to collect money from anybody, adding that “if taxes are to be paid, they are to be paid to the banks, not cash to anybody. “All those cash they have been collecting are illegal, and they are going into individual pockets. We want to manage Edo traffic, but not to subject people to untold hardship and dehumanising tactics. Government cannot use thugs to enforce laws. Laws must be enforced by law enforcement agents.” The governor ordered the immediate release of over 60 vehicles illegally impounded from motorists for allegedly contravening traffic offences in the state capital.

Osun striking doctors selfish, uncaring —Aregbesola Oluwole Ige -Osogbo GOVERNOR Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, on Wednesday, described the action of the striking doctors in the state as selfish and uncaring about what happens to other citizens and residents of the state, in the face of the present economic hardship faced by the country. He made this assertion while delivering an address, entitled: “To the improved health of the People,” at the commissioning of new equipment for Boripe Local Government Health Centres, at Boripe Local Government secretariat, Iragbiji. Aregbesola admonished the striking doctors to recognise that the state is in a very special time of serious economic challenge and be willing to sacrifice like every other workers in the state. He maintained that government, in spite of the great financial challenges, had given the welfare of the people priority attention, adding that it was high time that all realised that the state was in a special period where sacrifice must be made. According to Aregbesola ,

“some of our health workers at the state level think only of themselves and do not care a hoot whatever happens to the rest of us. “They have refused to recognise that we are in a special time and would insist that we give to them alone all the money in the state, even while other government workers are willing to make sacrifice. “By their own action of indefinitely abandoning their duty post, they have demonstrated that they have no place in our hospitals and the reasonable thing to do is to fill the void they created. Nature abhors vacuum.” Aregbesola pointed out that the restoration of healthy living is one of his administration’s cardinal objectives, stating that “it is only healthy people that can work and be productive to generate revenues to government through tax.” Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary, Boripe Local Government, Alhaji Kehinde Moronkeji, had said the equipment being commissioned were donated by the AD King Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.

Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, former governor of defunct Mid-West and Bendel States (left) with Governor Adams Oshiomhole, during the governor’s visit to the Ogbemudias, on Wednesday.

1,500 Arepo militants ready to disarm —Amnesty Office Soji-Eze Fagbemi -Abuja

PECIAL Adviser to the President on the Niger Delta and coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (retd), has disclosed about 1,500 militants in Arepo, are willing to disarm, adding that others in the South South states had also been linking up with the office on the issue of disarmament. This was as he revealed

that he had plans to write the Presidency for permission to receive the arms and ammunition from the willing militants. Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja, on Wednesday, Boroh said he would make the move beause it was in the interest of the country to ensure that such weapons were retrieved from them. He pointed out that several militants involved in violent activities in Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Bay-

elsa and Delta states were also making efforts to surrender their arms and ammunitions to the Federal Government. The Federal Government is currently battling the vandals at Arepo, Ogun State, through a Joint Military Task Force. He explained that some of the militants intending to disarm were displaced from Bakassi while others who were armed in other states were willing to lay down the weapons.

“A total of 1,500 are set to disarm at Arepo. The figure is frightening. In Delta, I am not too sure of the exact number, a verification has to be made. But there is a point of contact with them. It is also the same in the other areas,” he said. Boroh said the office had to come up with a strategy of empowering the trained delegates with starter packages, to erase the impression that the government would pay the N65,000 stipends for ever.

2016 budget: Reps adjourn plenary again Call for investment of pension funds Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel -Abuja THE House of Representatives, on Wednesday, adjourned the plenary session till next week Tuesday, to allow its various standing committees to continue the defence of the 2016 budget proposal by the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, who an-

nounced this at end of the plenary on Wednesday, said this became necessary to enable the committees to complete the budget defence by the MDAs on time and ensure the eventual passage of the bill. Before the adjournment, the House had called for the investment of the contributory pension funds into the infrastructural sector of the economy. Consequently, it man-

dated its trio committees of pension, finance and capital institutions to liaise with the Pension Commission and stakeholders in the sector to explore the possibility of the investment. The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Honourable Tajudeen Ayo Yusuf, who said the growing decay in infrastructure across the country had called for the exploitation of such money

Complaints Commission restructures, assures Nigerians of justice PUBLIC Complaints Commission (PCC), has assured Nigerians of administrative justice and prompt redress of their complaints, adding that it is fully determined to play its role of redressing injustice and maladministration in Nigeria. According to a press release signed by the Director of Public Relations, Modupe Kolawole, this assurance was given by the Chief Commissioner Emmanuel Ogbile while participating on

a radio programme tagged: “Anti-corruption hour” of the Radio Nigeria, recently. Responding to questions on the programme, the chief commissioner said the commission had impacted positively on governance through the redress of administrative injustices and embarking on proactive systemic review of government agencies. Ogbile stated further that the commission is being rebranded and repositioned

to meet the yearnings of the people, stressing that the new PCC under his leadership is poised to raise the bar in its fight against administrative injustice and corruption through proactive systemic review and massive public enlightenment. In the same vein, the chief commissioner recently met with the staff of the commission during an end of the year interactive session to review the activities of the commission.

for the benefit of the country, as being done in most developed countries. According to him, “in over one decade of the implementation of the Pension Reform Act, the National Pension Commission has accumulated about N5 trillion, which is mainly in the vaults of commercial banks as free funds. “In most countries of Europe, Asia and America, pension funds are usually invested in provision of infrastructure as a means to regenerate the funds, grow the economy, sustain meaningful development and meets the needs of citizenry,” he stated. The House pointed out that the consequences of taking foreign loans and facilities to address infrastructure demands of the country would, in the long run, have a damaging impact on the economy. When the motion was put into voice by the Speaker, it was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers.

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Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Kogi assembly crisis: Impeached speaker, 14 others ask Reps to intervene Jacob Segun Olatunji and Kolawole Daniel -Abuja

HE impeached speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Honourable Momoh Lawal and 14 of his colleagues, on Wednesday, petitioned the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara and asked the House to intervene in the crisis rocking the assembly. It will be recalled that Honourable Umar Imam and four other had announced themselves as the new leaders of the state House of Assembly, on Tuesday. Honourable Lawal and his colleagues wrote the petition, dated February 17, 2016 and entitled: “Act of impunity by Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and five members of Kogi State House of Assembly: Call for investigation on the illegal act of five members of the Kogi state House of assembly, led by Honourable Umar Imam in the unlawful announcement of the purported impeachment and removal if principal officers of the Kogi state House of Assembly on February 16, 2016.” In the petition, the lawmakers alleged that some of their signatures were forged to carry out the impeachment process. According to them, “we wish to place on record that there was no plenary sitting at the assembly as

envisaged under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and the House Standing rules. “The Honourable Imamled group illegally announced the removal and purported impeachment of Honourable Lawal as Speaker and other principal officers for their self-

ish interest, without due process and acting a script from Alhaji Yahaya Bello (governor of Kogi State). “In furtherance of their act of impunity, illegality and desperation, the purported speaker was sworn in at the office of the deputy governor, contrary to the extant provisions of the

House rules and in flagrant abuse of the tenets of democracy and separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “As we speak, on the instructions and directives of the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, all security details attached to the ex-

tant speaker, Honourable Momoh Lawal, have been withdrawn, thereby exposing him and other members to imminent danger. “The act of illegality and executive recklessness, if allowed to stand, will not only truncate our nascent democracy, but will also bring the entire law-mak-

I won’t bill students for damage at ABUAD —Afe Babalola As court adjourns 31 students’ case till tomorrow Sam Nwaoko - Ado-Ekiti FOUNDER of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola, has announced that the institution will not charge for the property destroyed in the institution during a violent protest recently. This was just as a Chief Magistrates’ court in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, on Wednesday, adjourned hearing in the criminal case filed by the police against 31 students of ABUAD till Friday. The Chief Magistrate, Adesoji Adegboye, granted the request of the police prosecutor, Caleb Leramo, that the matter be adjourned for him to obtain advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the state. Chief Babalola, who addressed the Parents, Teachers Consultative Forum (PTCF) of ABUAD, said he had made up

his mind “not to impose financial sanctions on the generality of the students, thereby unjustifiably making the innocent to pay for a sin of the guilty. “It has to be appreciated that those behind Sunday night’s disturbances were less than 200 out a total student population of well over 6,000. It will, therefore, be unfair, unjust and inequitable for me and/or the university authorities to ask every student to pay for the sin and misconduct of just a few of them. “If I do it, God will punish me. But I know for sure that the Almighty God that provided the resources for me to establish the university is still very much on the throne. He will provide the money to replace and/or repair the facilities the rampaging students damaged.” Earlier, the PTCF had commended the founder, Chief Afe Babalola and the authorities of the

university for not closing down the institution, following last week’s disturbances by some students. Vice President of the PTCF, Professor Olusegun Oladimeji, had contended that “closing down the university after the skirmishes would have led to a disruption and a dislocation of the university’s academic programmes and pinch at its enviable culture of uninterrupted and predictable academic calendar, unlike the practice in many public institutions of higher education.” This, the forum stated had “gone a long way to confirm the university’s commitment to ensuring its commendable uninterrupted and predictable academic calendars as a result of which it has been able to graduate three sets of students since it commenced academic works on January 10,

2010.” The PTCF also lauded Babalola for “his magnanimity in affirming that he would not impose financial sanctions on the totality of the students,” saying “this will be unjust, unfair and inequitable to innocent students, majority of whom did not participate in the wanton destruction of university properties.” A statement by the universitty’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Tunde

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their civil society allies have been holding crucial meetings with both the Federal Government, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal and the National Assembly, to enforce reversal of the 45 per cent increase in the electricity tariff. Speaking on further actions being taken by organised labour to ensure reversal of the increased tariff, the NLC president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said the movement had not stopped since the nationwide rally held last week, because they were focused on what to achieve. Wabba said: “Since the

nationwide rally, leadership of organised labour and our colleagues in the civil society have been meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly, with the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara being present to underscore the importance they attach to this issue which affects every household in the country. “We are also having a meeting with the Federal Government under the chairmanship of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Lawal, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, with a view to annulling the 45 per cent tariff increase.” While thanking the workers and Nigerians from all

walks of life, who saw the wisdom of their action and identified with the campaign, Wabba assured them that “we are focused on the main objective of our campaign, which is to ensure that the tariff increase does not stand.” He added that: “As we have argued in the course of the rally, we maintain that Nigerians should not be compelled to pay more for darkness, against the background of the flagrant disregard of the terms on which the distribution companies (DISCOs) and generation companies (GENCOs) were awarded our common patrimony in the name of privatisation. “These companies have failed, for instance, to provide prepaid metres, as stipulated in the terms of their contract. They have instead continued to vio-

late this special clause by charging and forcing consumers to pay the arbitrary tariffs they have imposed, even as they fail most of the time to provide them the required electricity.” Also on Imo State’s action, Wabba commended all affiliate industrial unions under both NLC and TUC for mobilising their members to turn out in massive number for the action of closing down government and commercial activities in Owerri, the lmo State capital, on February 10. The action was to press home their demands for the recall of about 6,000 lmo State workers in government parastatals, who were wrongly sacked by the state governor, Rochas Okorocha. He also commended Governor Okorocha for

Olofintila, said “properties destroyed included seven motorcycles, which were burnt; destruction of 29 vehicles, breaking into shops, Vice Chancellor’s Office, cafeterias, souvenirs shop and the boutique, from where they carted away valuables worth millions of naira, some of which were later found in their possession, as well as damaging of the FESTO Mechatronics laboratory worth N350 million.”

2016 UTME begins February 29 —JAMB Clement Idoko - Abuja THE Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced that the 2016/2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will commence nationwide from February 29.

Electricity tariff: NLC, TUC, CSOs meet with FG, NASS to enforce reversal of 45% increase Soji-Eze Fagbemi - Abuja

ing institution to ridicule and plunge the Kogi State into anarchy. “We call in strong terms for your intervention, investigation and prompt action to ensure this act of illegality does not stand and to prevent this situation from degenerating into a full blown crisis.”

reversing the sack, saying “while we thank the entire people of Imo State for their uncommon understanding and solidarity with our actions to protect the fundamental rights of workers in the state, we wish to acknowledge Governor Okorocha for having the courage to reverse the sack after we convinced him that his action was unlawful and wrong-headed.” He, however added that “it is our hope that the committee puts in place to implement the agreement entered into between us and the lmo State government will faithfully implement the terms of the agreement, so that we could put behind us the ugly and unpleasant situation created by the purported sack of the workers.

JAMB’s spokesman, Dr Fabian Benjamin, who confirmed this to Nigerian Tribune, said over one million candidates applied for the examination that its conduct would be purely Computer-Based Test (CBT). The board had phased out the traditional paperpencil mode of testing and migrated to a full-fledged CBT in 2015, in line with the reforms in the education sector. Benjamin said the examination expected to last about seven days, would take place in about 500 designated centres across the country. He also disclosed that the examination would hold in seven other centres outside Nigeria, namely United Kingdom, Ghana, Cameroon, Republic of Benin, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Ethiopia. He said: “Candidates are urged to print their examination notification from Thursday, February 18, for the schedules of their examination. “The notification contains their date, time of examination and venue. Candidates are to adhere strictly by these schedules, as there will be no rescheduling of any examination if a candidate misses his/her date or time of examination.”

7 news

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Purchase of armoured BMW cars: Court dismisses Oduah’s suit against AGF, EFCC, others •Refuses to stop Borishade, others’ trial over N5.2bn scam From Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin and Sunday Ejike

USTICE Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday, dismissed a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by a former Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah, against the Attorney-General of the Federation and three others. Justice Abang dismissed Oduah’s suit for want of jurisdiction and also ordered her to pay N15,000 to the AGF. Oduah had filed the suit last year August, praying the court to restrain agencies of the Federal Government from questioning or prosecuting her over the purchase of two armoured BMW vehicles at a cost of N255 million by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) under her watch as the Aviation Minister in 2013. In her suit, Oduah claimed to have already been probed and exonerated by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Aviation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and urged Justice Abang to declare that any further probe would amount to violating her fundamental rights. The respondents in the suit were the AGF, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP). Oduah alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) intended to use the respondents to persecute her, being a prominent member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). She claimed that the Federal Government had perfected plans to try prominent members of the PDP on trumped up charges in a special Lagos State High Court, so as to turn the country into a one-party state. She begged the court to restrain the respondents from unleashing repression against her. But the EFCC denied doing the bidding of the APC, claiming that it was independent. The agency furnished the court with a petition dated October 18, 2013, written

by a lawyer from the chambers of Mr Femi Falana, calling for Oduah’s investigation. According to the EFCC, the said petition was captioned: “Request for investigation of EFCC of the sum of N255 million by Aviation Minister, Ms Stella Oduah. The EFCC urged the court to dismiss Oduah’s suit. But in his judgment, Justice Abang dismissed the EFCC’s objection for not complying with Order 8 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure. “The EFCC did not file any opposition in line with the law,” Justice Abang held. The judge, however, upheld the preliminary objection filed by the AGF, who challenged the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court in Lagos, to entertain Oduah’s suit. Counsel for the AGF, T.A. Gazali, had contended that since the rights violation that Oduah alleged did not happen in Lagos, it would be a violation of Section 46 (1) of the Constitution and Order 2

CONFIRMATION OF NAME

I, Lawal Rasheed Adebisi am the same person as Owoseni Rasheed. Henceforth, I want to be known and addressed as LAWAL RASHEED ADEBISI. All documents bearing these names refer to me and remain valid. FCMB Plc., Union Bank Plc, and general public take note.

Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure to entertain the case in Lagos. “From the whole of the applicant’s averments, there is no where she mentioned that her right was or is being breached by the respondents within the territorial space called Lagos. “There is nothing to show that the applicant was invited, arrested or detained in Lagos, by any of the respondents in the suit. “The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos cannot assume jurisdiction to entertain alleged breach of fundamental rights that did not take place in Lagos State,” Gazali had argued. Justice Abang upheld Gazali’s argument and dismissed Oduah’s case. The judge also held that if the Federal Government had any valid reason to arraign Oduah in the Lagos State High Court as she alleged, it would not amount a violation of her rights. Meanwhile, the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Wednesday, refused to stop further hearing on a suit filed

CHANGE OF NAME

I, formerly Bello Musa now BELLO MUSA KOFARMATA. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), against former Minister of Aviation, Babalola Borishade and four others. Borishade, his former Personal Assistant, Tunde Dairo and two others are standing trial for allegedly mismanaging N5.2 billion of the Aviation Safe Tower contract. Others also facing prosecution for the alleged offence are former Managing Director of Nigeria Airspace Management Agency, Rowland Iyayi; an Australian, George Eider and Avsatel Communications Limited. The defendants had been on trial since November 19, 2009, when they were arraigned by the EFCC on a 15-count charge of taking bribe and forging aviation contract documents. The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) had requested for a brief on the case since the matter started about seven years ago.

Consequent upon AGF’s request, the EFCC had furnished his office with the brief of the case and the proceedings that have transpired over time regarding the matter. Counsel for the first defendant, Kehinde Ogunwumiju and Regina Okotie Eboh, representing the fourth and fifth defendants, had earlier asked the trial judge, Justice Sadiq Umar, to strike out the case for lack of diligence on the part of the prosecution. Chile Okoroma, representing the prosecution,

EFCC, vehemently opposed the application for striking out of the case. Ruling on the application on Wednesday, Justice Umar held that withdrawal from a case by a lawyer from a private firm did not constitute abandonment or lack of appearance of the prosecution and ruled that the application by counsels for the defendants to foreclose or discharge the defendants was refused and he ordered the prosecution to continue its case. Justice Umar adjourned till March 7 for continuation of trial.

Nigerian Tribune

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Lagos

Keke Marwa rider in trouble over torn police uniform Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin A man Ndubisi Amochie has denied threatening and beating up a police officer who stopped him when he committed a traffic offence. Amochie, who is a tricycle operator allegedly, assaulted one Unekwu Odugbo, attached to M.T.D section, Dopemu Police Station. Amochie, 35, a resident of 37, Adealu Street, Dopemu, committed the alleged offence on February 2 at Dopemu, Agege. According to the Police, he connived with others, still at large, and unlawfully assaulted the police officer by beating him up while performing his lawful duty. The officer had challenged Amochie, when he drove his tricycle against traffic, and ordered him to stop. Amochie refused to surrender his tricycle; instead, he started making calls. Few seconds later, some men gathered to beat up the officer. They allegedly tore his uniform and injured him all over his body, just to prevent him from taking the tricycle to their station,” the Police alleged. Amochie, however pleaded innocence to the offences when he was charged before an Ikeja Magistare Court and was granted bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum. The Magistrate, Mr A. A. Akinsanya, adjourned the case till March 2 for mention.

Traffic offenders being arraigned at the Mobile Court, on Tuesday. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA

Again, Mobile Court jails 75 in 24 hours Bola Badmus

IFTY-FIVE people, mainly miscreants and street traders, were convicted by the Mobile Court sitting in Ogba, Lagos, on Tuesday. This was just as the Lagos State Task Force and Mobile Court, which operated at Mile 12 to Ikorodu and its environs, arrested several others for traffic offences and were consequently convicted to various terms of imprisonment or fines by the special court under Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni. They included three commercial bus drivers, seven motorcyclists, nine tricycle operators and three traffic light offenders.

•...55 traders, miscreants convicted

The 55 people, who were brought from various Police Divisions across the state, according to the Public Affairs Officer, Adebayo Taofiq, were later convicted to three months imprisonment, with an option of N5, 000 fine each, after being found guilty of offences as charged. The Task Force further disclosed that three of the commercial bus drivers were arrested for picking and dropping passengers at unauthorised bus-stop, and were each fined of N15, 000 and six months imprisonment, with 48-hour community services in lieu of six months imprison-

One of the nine tricycles arrested at Ikorodu roundabout by operatives of Lagos State Task Force. PHOTO: SYLVESTER OKORUWA

ment. The other driver of unpainted commercial bus, who was said to have plied one-way, had his vehicle impounded and fined a sum of N20, 000. The agency said the seven motorcyclists were arrested

for plying restricted routes and convicted to two years imprisonment, with an option of N10, 000 fine each, while the four tricycle operators, who were arrested for obstructing traffic at Ikorodu roundabout, were sentenced to a term of six

months imprisonment each or a fine of N10,000 as an option. The three arrested traffic light offenders were discharged and acquitted due to lack of diligent prosecution and evidence by the prosecuting counsel.

20 injured in lone accident on Third Mainland bridge Olalekan Olabulo OVER twenty people, including children were on Wednesday afternoon injured in a lone accident that occurred on the 3rd Mainland Bridge. A fully-loaded Mazda bus on its way from Ajah to Oshodi was involved in the accident, which created serious traffic gridlock on the ever-busy road. Passengers of the bus were all seen by the roadside with varying degrees of injury. Lagos Metro gathered that the accident occurred, when one of the back tyres of the vehicles got burnt, forcing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The driver in a move to halt the vehicle hit the median on the road, resulting in the vehicle to

somersault. The vehicle eventually crashed with some of the less injured passengers, assisting those who had serious injuries. Some drivers also parked by the road side to assist

the injured occupants. Efforts to get the reaction of the spokesperson of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Lagos State, Bisi Sonusi failed as calls to her mobile phone line were not answered.

‘Only an autopsy can reveal of LASU final year student’s Naza Okoli THE President of the Lagos State University Students, Union (LASUSU), Mr Adeyemi Onikoro, on Wednesday, said an autopsy would be carried out to determine the cause of the death of Miss Lara Gbadeyo, a final year student of History at the school. Gbadeyo and another student, Oladipupo Arofeso, were rushed to the General Hospital Igando after they

had reportedly consumed a mixture of several alcoholic drinks at a party hosted by final year students of History and International Studies. Gbadeyo was reportedly confirmed dead, while Arofeso was admitted unconscious. “We are expecting the result of the autopsy. Only an autopsy can determine the cause of her death. We have read in the papers that she died because she drank alcohol. Was she the only per-

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

metro

Nigerian Tribune

Edited by

Lanre Adewole

olanreade@yahoo.com

0811 695 4647

Two to be hanged for stealing mobile phones Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin TWO young men, Omoilodan Seun and Gbenga Kayode have been sentenced to death by hanging for attempted robbery and armed robbery.

The convicts committed the offence at Ayangburen Road, Ikorodu on November 2 and 9, 2011.

They were accused of robbing one Alhaji Jinadu of phones and money on November 2 while they

also robbed one Rilwan Gbadamosi and his wife on November 9. Despite pleading not

guilty, Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye sentenced them to death by hanging. She found them guilty

Inmates escape during prison vehicle accident SOME inmates of the Badagry Prison have escaped after a vehicle, which was conveying them to court, on Wednesday, was involved in an accident. Some of the prison officials and inmates were also reportedly injured in the accident, which occurred along the Badagry Expressway. The accident occurred at Beyuff Bus Stop near the Federal Technical College, Ijanikin, when the prison vehicle rammed into a stationary truck. Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) assisted in the rescue of the prison officials and the inmates. It was gathered that the inmates were initially trapped in the vehicle before officials opened the door for them to be rescued. Some of the inmates were said to have taken the advantage of the situation to escape from the scene. Efforts to get the reaction of the spokesperson of the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Prison Service, Rotimi Oladokun failed as he was said to be attending a conference as at the time of filing this report.

cause death’ son who drank alcohol? We should not speculate. We have to wait for proof.” The President of the association of History students at LASU declined to comment, saying he did not have permission to speak concerning the matter. Attempts made to speak with the Head of the Department (HOD) of History were unsuccessful as an official at his office said the HOD would not be on campus until next week.

of the offence of conspiracy, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery brought against them by the state. According to the prosecution, the offence is contrary to Section 295 subsection (2) (b) of the Criminal law of Lagos State. Their counsel Damola Victor pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy on the grounds that they were first time offenders.

Bank Manager in N150m loan fraud Ayomide Owonibi Odekanyin Wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode (middle), during the distribution of life jackets to students and pupils in Epe Local Government, as part of campaign of water transport safety awareness programme, organised by Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), in partnership with Total Nigeria Limited, on Wednesday.

Ambode’s wife leads ‘no life jacket, no water travel’ campaign Chukwuma Okparaocha WEEKS after some Lagos residents lost their lives in another boat accident, respite seems to have come the way of residents, especially waterways users, after the wife of the state governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode, distributed life jackets to schools in Epe Local Government area of the state. It will be recalled that some of the boat accidents involved school children many of whom were said to have lost their lives due to the lack of life jackets. Mrs Ambode gave a charge at Aiyetoro, Epe, in Epe Local Government, where the distribution was done by the Lagos State Waterways Authority in partnership with Total Nigeria Limited. Ambode, who noted “There had been unpleasant incidents of boat mishaps in the past, involving some

school pupils. These circumstances have informed the initiative of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) and Total Nigeria Limited, in donating life jackets, for the use of some pupils, schooling around the riverine areas of Epe Local Government.” Mrs Ambode who called for strict enforcement of ‘No life jackets, no water travel’ campaign, urged boat operators to shun

overloading, night travels and boat cruising by untrained persons while noting that safety on water must be collectively enforced. She called on parents, teachers, school managements and regulatory authorities, to step up safety advocacy among users of water transportation in Lagos State. Speaking earlier, the managing director of LASWA, Ms Bisola Kam-

Police probe ownership of ATMs, phones found with arrested ‘madman’ Olalekan Olabulo

•...Suspect for psychiatric test

THE supposed madman, arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) with 22 Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and mobile phones, may undergo psychiatric test. This is just as the police

in the state have continued to detain the suspect at the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) of the state police command. The image maker in charge of the state police command Dolapo Badmus, while speaking

Man accused of stealing 8,726 litres of diesel Gbemi Solaja A 36-year-old man, Sikiru Ogunbode has been accused of stealing diesel belonging to L and K Petroleum Nigeria Limited. According to the police,

son, noted that it was part of the resolve of the current administration to safeguard the waterways, stressing that every child or adult embarking on water journey must use life jacket. In his own address, the executive secretary of Epe local Government, Ahmed Seriki said the initiative was first of its kind in Epe community and urged everyone to be safety conscious.

Ogunbode stole the diesel at the AP Depot, Ijora. The amount of diesel was put at 8,726 litres and was stolen on October 9, 2015. The stolen diesel was valued at N1, 134,000,00. Ogunbode is currently

facing charges at the Ebute-Metta Magistrate Court. The offence is contrary and punishable under Section 285, (9) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria.

with Lagos Metro on the latest development, said that the suspect was still being investigated. She, however, insisted that the police command in the state would be very discreet with the investigations, so as not to jeopardise the case. Badmus also stated that the suspect might be made to undergo psychiatric test, if there is any need for such and also assured that the police would do the needful to investigate the source of the ATM cards and the phones, recovered from the madman.

A former Managing Director of New Prudential Mortgage Bank Limited, Adetunji Abudu has been accused of N150 million fraud. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that Abudu being the Managing Director of the bank then, in August 2013 obtained a loan of N35, 000,000 which was not authorised in accordance with the bank’s policy. He was also accused of obtaining N110, 000,000 as loan without authorisation from the bank. Abudu was further alleged to have approved another loan of N50, 000,000 granted to Total Access Integrated Concept Limited by Addoser Microfinance Bank, which was not authorised in accordance with the bank’s policy. He was also accused of failing to disclose his interest in Total Access and Integrated Concept Limited which he got loans for from the bank. Abudu, however pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned before a Federal High Court. Justice Ibrahim Buba granted Abudu bail in the sum of N100 million with one surety in like sum and fixed April 25 for trial.

businessnews

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Speculators prosecuting naira, now N377 to dollar Chima Nwokojji-Lagos

S stakeholders continued to blame speculators for the free fall of the Naira, the local currency on Wednesday exchanged for N377 to a dollar. President of the Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) Alhaji Aminu Gwadabe confirmed that the dollar is now at N377 on the parallel market. In a telephone chat with Nigerian Tribune, Gwadabe said, “there is fire on the mountain. We have advised our members to be law abiding and do not engage in any activity that will hurt the Naira. We have equally advised the central bank to make a mere statement directing banks to sell to BDCs subject to availability but yet we have got no response. A mere statement from CBN can reverse the trend.” He said the market was eagerly waiting for a positive response from the CBN and would like to work with the apex bank to see how to salvage the situation. While street traders on Marina, Lagos Island confirmed that the local currency traded for N352 all day, some traders at Hadji Camp, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos said the naira closed at N377 to a dollar. Another trader Taiwo Ebenezer, the Southwest chairman of Bureau De Change (BDC) operators, was afraid that the Naira could fall to N400 against the green back unless something was done about the currency’s free fall. According to Ebenezer, more than 30,000 Nigerians working with the BDCs had become jobless, as a result of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy. Speaking on Business Morning with Channels Television on Wednesday, Ebenezer said the BDCs had been facing difficulties in surviving the latest CBN policy. “If between now and next week this window is not opened; it will get to N400 to a dollar. There is no other source these dollars come from and there is a lot of demand,” he said. Since the BDCs were cut off he added, those people who need dollar for school fees abroad rushed to banks; but the fund is not there, the banks according to him, are not selling. “It has been difficult to survive. In fact, over 30,000 of our staff are now jobless across the country. Since the policy, they have been job-

less, because you cannot pay what you don’t earn. If CBN answers us, say tomorrow or today, I assure you that from N355 – by doing that, you are increasing the supply – I assure you by Monday, Naira will rise to N250 to a dollar. “We don’t have dollar; we can’t access anything. We can’t access CBN window, we can’t access autonomous window.” He argued that since BDCs are answerable to CBN, CBN should see them as a tool for controlling the Nai-

ra and not otherwise. However, the apex bank has rebuffed local and international pressure to devalue the Naira but pan-African lender, Guaranty Trust Bank (GT Bank) in a recent forcast, said it believes the CBN’s stance might not hold on for the entire year given the forecast that oil prices were set to fall below present levels, which would result in further decline of external reserves. Detailing its economic expectations for 2016 after a holistic review of the Nige-

rian macroeconomic landscape, the bank in its report said it expects to see inflation trend slightly above 10 percent in the first half of 2016 as the CBN’s target to keep inflation at single digit is not sustainable. Some traders said exchange rate might soon depreciate further at the lessregulated segments (Bureau De Change and parallel markets) to N352 against dollar, with demands remaining atop supply. Speculation in this case, is

the practice of engaging in risky financial transactions in an attempt to profit from fluctuations in the market value of an exchange rate. The naira on Monday depreciated in value to a record low of N345/$ at the parallel market following increased demand, which continually outstrips supply of foreign exchange (FX). It lost N5 on Tuesday, dragging the local currency further down. Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomole specifically

Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi (left) exchanging pleasantries with Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Olusegun Awolowo, during their meeting on Council’s Zero Oil Plan Initiative, in Abuja. PHOTO: SUNDAY OSUNRAYI

Development leaders agitate for increased investments in smallholder agriculture By Ruth Olourounbi

DEVELOPMENT leaders, heads of state and government representatives have agitated for increased investments in smallholder agriculture in developing countries, if new global goals of ending poverty and hunger achieved. Gathered for the opening of the 39th Session of the Governing Council of

the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome, Italy, to explore ways of boosting investments in smallholder agriculture, the global leaders said investments in this area are essential to achieving the Global Goals of ending poverty and hunger. IFAD President, Kanayo Nwanze saying investing in smallholder agriculture in developing countries was

a cross-cutting issue that helps to stabilise communities and countries and reduce migration and conflict, added that in addition to terror threats and mass migration, drought is worsening in southern Africa where nearly 14 million people are now in danger of going hungry. Stressing that although governments are faced with competing priorities in ad-

Bristow helicopter ditching: All crew well trained in Nigeria, US —Management Shola Adekola-Lagos

THE management of Bristow Helicopters yesterday declared that the pilot and other crew that took a precautionary landing of its Sikorsky S 76C helicopter on the atlantic ocean three weeks ago, were all recruited and adequately trained in Nigeria and in the United States of America. While the airline commended the professionalism of the crew, the airline management insisted that all the trainings of its per-

sonnel were in accordance with international standards. According to a statement issued on behalf of the airline by its media consultant,it explained; “The all Nigerian crew (the Captain and the First Officer) of Bristow S76C++ helicopter (5N-BQJ), which executed a precautionary landing on 3 February, 2016, were recruited and trained locally in Nigeria and also at the Bristow Academy in Titusville, Florida, in the United States, in

accordance with Bristow’s training program. “Bristow’s training program fully complies with the regulatory requirements of both the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and international standards. Following their qualification as pilots, the crew was employed by Bristow and continued to undergo recurrent training in line with Bristow’s operating procedures and client requirements and in full compliance with regulatory requirements.

dressing emergency situations, he admonished that governments cannot afford to lose focus on long-term development. “We face the very real risk of seeing reversals in the development gains made in poverty and hunger in recent years,” he said. Speaking in his opening statement, at a two-day IFAD conference held in Rome, Italy, Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Italian Republic, said investing in smallholder agriculture in developing countries was a cross-cutting issue that helps to stabilise communities and countries and reduce migration and conflict. “Agriculture plays a fundamental role. You achieve the means to feed families, support forms of social organization, preserve land and biodiversity, fight against climate change, create jobs and prosperity, contribute to stable and just societies and, most importantly, eradicate the root causes that push more people to emigrate,” he added.

blames investment bankers who want to play on bonds and other commercial papers with hot monies. “Rather than the government, as it used to be in the past indicating their intention to devalue, it is a section of the people that are behind these controversies. “The investment bankers who want to play on bonds and other commercial papers with hot monies, that they can move in and out, they don’t want any interference. “What we are dealing with is not a supply issue; we are dealing with pure speculation issue. If you devalue, the main people who would be trapped are the workers.” Oshiomole at a recent event in Lagos further said, “The CBN I understand took some measures which is beginning to hurt some people which perhaps has triggered this controversy.” Other stakeholders who believed the Naira is on trial argues that the speculators are prosecuting while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and president Muhammadu Buhari are defending.

Equities market shed N157.8bn, as Guinness leads gainers Kehinde Akinseinde-JayeobaLagos

TRADING on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Wednesday, took a downward trend as blue chip stocks’ slipped leaving the All Share Index (ASI) at -1.87 per cent. Following the second day decline, ASI closed at 24,056.12 basis points, compared with the 1.26 per cent depreciation recorded on Tuesday. Also market capitalisation shed N157.8 billion to close at N8.27 triliion as against N8.43 trillion recorded at the end of Tuesday session. Market breadth closed negative as Seplat led 13 gainers against 27 losers topped by NNFM at the end of today’s session. Market turnover, however, closed positive as volume moved up by 15.35 per cent against 2.62 per cent uptick recorded in the previous session. Resort Savings and Loans Plc, United Bank for Africa, and FCMB Group Plc were the most active to boost market turnover, while Nigerian Breweries Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc top market value list.

businessnews

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

NNPC used fake company for crude oil swap IPMAN decries shortage of fuel as scarcity looms Olatunde Dodondawa-Lagos

HE House of Representatives ad hoc committee probing crude oil swap deal, on Wednesday, alleged that it had uncovered illegal companies registered by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) which are unknown to the Federal Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI). A member of the committee, Honourable Hamman Pategi, alleged that a company, Duke Global Energy Investment Limited, was listed in the documents obtained from the Office of the Accountant of the Federation (oAGF) by the committee. According to the document presented to the committee, Duke Energy Investment Limited was registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2012 by NNPC, as an arm of Duke Oil Incorporated registered in Panama in 1989, to trade crude oil on behalf of NNPC at the international market. The former Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Joseph Dawha, also disclosed that the corporation continued with the operation of the multi billion naira crude oil swap deal after the expiration of the contract. Although he absolved himself of any blame, saying this had been the practice before his assumption of office, Dawha said the crude oil swap contract NNPC had entered into as well as the Offshore Processing Agreement (OPA) contracts with the trading companies in 2010 were supposed to have terminated between 2013 and 2014. The former NNPC GMD, who said this when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on crude oil swap, told the committee that,”... as of August 2014 when I assumed office the contracts were still being run long after they had all expired”. According to him, “Based on legal and compelling need to reconcile the contracts to ensure actual delivery and receipt of the agreed volume of products against the crude lifted, it became imperative that the arrangement under which the parties had been operating for several months prior to my assumption of office without formal contracts be formalised to

provide legal basis to the parties’ rights and obligations.” Speaking further, he said, “Subsequently, we requested approval from the then Minister of Petroleum Resources for renewal of the contracts. Upon receipt of the then Minister’s approval granted on 29th August 2014, the contracts were formally extended to cover the periods from their respective dates of expiry until the end of December 2014. “If I had not got the Ministerial approval, I may have been the GMD with the shortest tenure because there was no way I would have allowed it to continue,” he stated. He also informed the lawmakers that “The to-

tal volume of crude under these arrangements was 210,000 barrels per day. Although these contracts expired, NNPC had continued to operate the contracts”. He also confirmed that “in 2010, NNPC entered into OPA with Societe Ivoiriene de Raffinage refinery which expired on 3rd October 2013; crude for products exchange with Transfigura B. V of 60,000 barrels per day, which expired on 30th September 2013 and 90,000 barrel per day of crude for products exchange contract with Duke Oil Incorporated a subsidiary of NNPC.” When the Committee queried the former NNPC boss on why he had to continue with the contract de-

spite the noticed flaws, he explained that he continued with the contract because the firms handling the contract were on the existing platform for supply. He also maintained that the precarious situation of fuel supply at the time left NNPC with no time to engage new traders. Meanwhile, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has blamed imminent fuel scarcity on inadequate supply of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol. It, however, urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to step up importation and distribution of the product to avert another round of fuel scarcity.

In a chat with the Nigerian Tribune on Wednesday, the National Operations Controller, IPMAN, Mike Osatuyi, that the fuel situation has been fragile since the NNPC is the sole importer of the product. “There is supply gap over a period of time now. The NNPC imports 78 per cent of the petroleum needs of the country. I can only say that you should tell them to improve on the import. “They do the SWAP deal and therefore they are not constrained by foreign exchange challenges, but for marketers it is difficult to source the dollar and therefore not profitable to import under present condition”, he said. On whether the marketers have products, Osatuyi

said, “if we have, we will sell. If you observe any scarcity now it means the supply has really gone down but let us watch the situation up to this weekend and then we will know how to react to it, but NNPC should take up the responsibility to beef supply.” A check by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that long queues have resurfaced as at Total filling station near Sheraton hotel Ikeja, Lagos. At MRS, Ikeja attendants sold product in the morning but later shut down in the day. Oando filling station at Maryland was selling but there was a long queue. Moreover, an independent investigation by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that a hitch in the products supply system in the Lagos metropolis was necessitated by leadership tussle between the Mobil branch and national office of the Petroleum Tankers Driver (PTD) branch of NUPENG.

Indigenous contractors beg Ambode for recognition Bola Badmus-Lagos

From left: Group Head, Operational Risk Management, Access Bank Plc, Kola Ajimoko; Chief Risk Officer, Access Bank Plc, Greg Jobome; Financial Secretary, Risk Managers Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), Omotayo Adeola; Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, and President, RIMAN, Jude Monye, during a visit to the management of Access Bank by RIMAN in Lagos, on Wednesday.

‘Bulk cargo importation on the decline at Lagos port’ Tola Adenubi-lagos

THE Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has raised the alarm over massive drop in revenue accruable on bulk cargoes imported into the country through the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC). Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command; Comptroller Willy Egbudin raised the alarm when some maritime journalists paid him a courtesy visit in Lagos recently. Comptroller Egbudin reiterated that Apapa port is notable for bulk cargoes importation, but lamented that in the last couple of years, there has been a sharp drop in the volume of bulk cargoes imported through the port, which in turn has also affected revenue collection by the Command. According to him, “bulk

cargo importation has always been the major item that boosts revenue collection of the Apapa Customs Command. However, from the figures collected so far, bulk cargoes accounted for N5.6billion from the total N23.4billion revenue col-

lected for January 2016.” He described the N5.6 billion collected as a lean figure when compared to figures collected for corresponding years. He also said other importation generated by the Command stood at N17.7billion.

In 2014, he said the command realised N301 billion as revenue generated, but suffered a dip in 2015 when the revenue generated slumped to N288billion amid an estimated 400billion target which the command gets annually.

Glo offers customers super fast connection to Netflix NIGERIA’S next generation network, Globacom, has called on its subscribers to avail themselves of the benefits of its reliable data network and pocket-friendly data plans to enjoy the rich content of the internet movie platform, Netflix. Netflix is a global provider of movie-streaming which customers can instantly have access to unlimited movies and television shows over the Internet, using their computers, mobile devices, television sets on a PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 or any

other Netflix compatible devices. Globacom, in a statement, said all a subscriber has to do is to subscribe to any of Globacom’s bumper data offers and then register as a member on theNetflix platform, after an initial free trial period. All Glo data plans support Netflix. Globacom said that connecting to Netflix platform through the Glo data network would ensure a pleasurable experience for its subscribers.

A number of data plans have been introduced by the company to enable customers to enjoy seamless data experience. These include the new Bumper Data offers, wherein a subscriber can get a whopping 6GB data valid for one month for only N3,000. Subscribers can also get 9GB data valid for a month for N4000. Subscribers who want bigger packages can go for the 12GB data for N5,000 and 24 GB data for N8,000 plan, both of which are valid for one month.

INDIGENOUS contractors under the aegis of Lagos State Association of Indigenous Contractors (LAIC) have appealed to the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, to give them consideration in the approval and award of contracts in the state. LAIC Chairman, Adedayo Thomas Aderemi, made the call shortly after he was returned unopposed alongside his executive members for another term to steer the ship of the association, pointing out that the LAIC paraded the most experienced and competent members ready to deliver best jobs for the state in area of contract execution. “We just want to call on our amiable and listening governor, who we know has always displayed that sense of compassion, especially, on matters that bother on the well-being and welfare of the residents and people of the state. He commended the governor for his resolve towards rescuing indigenous contractors by given instructions that use local contractors are used to execute all approved projects in the state.

south-westnews Alleged Ibadan ‘killer wife’ to take plea March 24 12

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Deceased’s family asks government for private prosecutor, defence asks court to caution deceased’s family Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare

HE Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Munta Abimbola, on Wednesday, fixed March 24, 2016 for the commencement of the trial

of 28-year-old Yewande Oyediran (nee Fatoki), a lawyer with the Oyo State Ministry of Justice, who was alleged of murdering her 38 years old husband, Oyelowo Oyediran. The court adjourned the

matter and told the prosecution, led by The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in the Oyo State Ministry of Justice, Mr Tajudeen Abdulganiyu, to ensure that their witnesses were in court as the trial would

commence immediately the suspect takes her plea. When the case was called, there was a little drama after the DPP, who led seven other lawyers announced his appearance before the court. The lead defence

Mrs Yewande Oyediran, suspected killer of her husband, amidst security personnel at the state High Court 1, Ring Road, Ibadan, on Wednesday. PHOTO: YEMI FUNSO-OKE.

Ogun impounds timber lorries, trailers loaded with flitches IN its efforts to curb illegal felling of trees in the state owned forest reserves, the Ogun State government has impounded three timber lorries and six trailers loaded with round logs and flitches, also known as ‘‘Alamole.’’ The state Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kolawole Lawal, who made this known in Abeokuta, said the menace of illegal loggers in the state was worrisome and efforts were needed to curb the situation. “Our efforts is to ensure that all illegal activities in our forest reserves are curbed, if we cannot stop them completely now. We must ensure that they are reduced to the barest minimum to increase our internally generated revenue in the state,” he said. The commissioner revealed that the lorries and trailers were impounded at Omo Forest Reserve areas at Ajebandele, Ogbere, Ijebu-Igbo and Osun Gate while perpetrating the illegal act. Lawal said the culprits had been exploiting economic trees in the forest reserves without paying into government’s purse, which had been hindering the regeneration effort of the ministry. He maintained that any illegal timber merchant arrested would have his

vehicle impounded with the logs, made to pay fine and probably be arraigned before the court of law in accordance with the forestry law. In the same vein, the Permanent Secretary,

Ministry of Forestry, Mr Lanre Bisiriyu, said the nefarious activities of illegal loggers were having negative effects on the plan of the ministry. He stated that the ministry was planning to en-

sure that economic activities in the sawmills were brought to life but illegal loggers, who transport round logs from the state to neighbouring states, were sabotaging the efforts of the ministry.

Olikan of Etikan is dead Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

THE traditional ruler of Ode Etikan in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, the Olikan of Etikan, Oba Adeleke Adedoyin Oyetakin, is dead. Oba Oyetakin was said to have died on February 6, 2016 during a brief illness. This was disclosed in a letter addressed to the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, by the Etikan Kingdom Council of Elders and Chiefs, which was jointly signed by the Balogun of Etikan and the Osunmare of Etikan Kingdom, High Chiefs Akin Okunomo and Chief Ebini Idowu respectively, notified the state government of the demise of the monarch. The Council of Elders and Chiefs stated in the letter that “With heavy hearts, we wish to bring to the notice of Your Excellency the shocking, unexpected and untimely death of our revered Royal Majesty, Oba Adeleke Adedoyin Oyetakin- Mafemiwa I, Olikan of Etikan Kingdom, which sad event occurred on Satur-

day, February 6, 2016 during a brief illness. “The death of Kabiyesi is a big tragedy to the entire people of Etikan Kingdom. However, the remains of the Kabiyesi will be buried in line with Etikan customs and traditions. “The Kingdom, in cooperation with members of Kabiyesi’s immediate family, will be meeting from

time to time on the burial arrangements which date and contents of the programmes would be communicated to Your Excellency accordingly. “While we grieve under the present circumstances, the kingdom cannot but be forever grateful to you for your support and assistance to the kingdom during the reign of our monarch.”

Female passenger dies at Lagos airport’s toilet Shola Adekola - Lagos

AIR of uncertainty enveloped the Murtala Muhammed International Airport when the news filtered in that a female passenger collapsed and died inside one of the toilets at the departure hall. The corpse of the passenger was said to have been found inside the toilet at about 6:30 a.m. which created panic among other airport users. According to scanty information gathered, the passenger was to travel aboard

an Etihad Airways flight to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates when the sad incident occurred. While the cause of the sudden death could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, a source explained that the dead passenger was to travel out for medical treatment, but unfortunately could not make it. When the Nigerian Tribune contacted the general manager, Corporate Communications, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Yakubu Dati, he confirmed the incident.

counsel, Abioye Oloyede Asanike, who led 14 other lawyers to defend Yewande, raised an objection when Chief Michael Abayomi Aliu, who led about seven lawyers, announced his appearance to watch brief for the deceased’s family. Asanike however, kicked against this, arguing that his presence was not needed as he was not a party in the suit which is between the state and his client, adding that since the DPP and his team were in court, there was no need for him to join the matter. “The family is not a party in the suit but the state. It is the state that is prosecuting.” But his objection was overruled by Justice Abimbola. The DPP thereafter informed the court that the case was a murder charge and asked for a date for trial to commence, adding that they have eight witnesses. “This is a case of murder charge coming before the court. We are asking for a date for commencement of the trial, the suspect’s plea will be taken and trial will commence immediately,” he said. The defence team however, raised an objection to this application on the ground that he had not been served any process and his client was yet to peruse the charge that she was supposed to plead to. The DPP confirmed this, explaining that they had no known address to effect the service, but applied that the court allow his office to serve the defendant through her counsel. “I want to apply that the court gives leave that the office of the lead counsel through the bailiff of the court serve the defendant through her counsel.” Asanike objected again, asking that the defendant should be served personally since her address is known to the prosecution, but Justice Abimbola ordered that he should receive service of the process on behalf of his client. Asanike further asked the court to caution friends and family of the deceased to stop granting interview to the media and misinforming the public, but Justice Abimbola held, that whatever happened outside the court room was not the business of the court as the court was not aware of whatever was going on outside. However, the deceased’s family was unhappy that the case is being prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice. Speaking through their lawyer, Chief Aliu, they asked for a private prosecutor to

take over the case. “Justice is not a one way traffic, the deceased should be properly represented, the state is supposed to be taking the interest of the deceased’s family, but looking at the antecedents of the accused person, she is from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Justice is now prosecuting, that’s why we said the family will be on guard and ensure that justice is done in this case. That’s why we are here. You know they came with an array of lawyers and the family too came with about 10 lawyers. “Ordinarily, we trust and respect the Solicitor General and the DPP, but you know with what we have seen in court today, one cannot but walk on the side of caution so we came out of the abundance of caution, not that we don’t trust them. Ordinarily in civilised countries, I don’t think the DPP will come and prosecute somebody working under him before, I don’t think so and that’s why we are calling on the governor of the state to do something about this, it is not fair. Lord Denning said that justice is what somebody that is watching the trial and leaving the place will think, not what we see. And as somebody watching this trial, the DPP prosecuting a staff of his ministry, she is currently a staff of the ministry; she has not been dismissed yet, what are we supposed to think? “We want the fiat of a private prosecutor. We want a private prosecutor to prosecute this case. That’s what the family, my clients want. That’s why they are in court today. The whole family, you can see them crying. We beg the state to give us a private prosecutor so that everybody will see that in this case, justice is done,” Aliu stated. Speaking on the treatment being given to the suspect, he said, “When you are an accused, you are an accused. There is no noble accused. There is no nobility when you are accused of a crime. We are only happy that the case is before the Chief Judge that knows the right thing and is not afraid of doing it.” The family has written a letter to the state governor, the Solicitor General and the Director of Public Prosecution to this effect, stating that the refusal of the fiat to prosecute the matter would violate the latter pillar of the principle of fair hearing and natural justice, adding that justice is a three way traffic; for the accused, the victim and the society.

south-westnews

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

No rift between Ooni, Owa Obokun —Owa-Ijesa Obas By Tunde Ogunesan

HE Council of Obas and Chiefs in Ijesa land, Osun State has affirmed that there is no misunderstanding between Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland, Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran over the chairmanship of the Osun State Council of Obas and chiefs. The traditional chiefs stated this in a statement signed by the Onimogbara of Imogbara-Ijesa, His Royal Highness, Oba Samuel Adebowale Adesoji and the Lorunyin of Okeyin, Ilesa, Chief Ayo Agbede, which was made available to newsmen in Ibadan, on Wednesday. According to the statement, the traditional rulers urged anyone bent on causing a rift between the two royal fathers to desist from such, while it condemned the act and described anyone misinforming the public as agent of deceit and clog in the wheel of progress in South West. The statement further revealed that most of the stories reported by some section of the media in some national dailies (not Nigerian Tribune) were contrary to what actually happened and warned perpetrators to stop at that. The statement reads, “Contrary to the clarion calls made by the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesa land, Oba

Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi for unity among Yoruba Obas and their resolve to work together to promote peace and progress in Youba land, we were disappointed and shocked when we saw the tissue of lies published in some media.” Setting the records straight,

the Obas clarified the statement made by the Ooni of Ife on the day of the visit, noting that what transpired was misrepresented. According to their statement: “For the records, the statement made by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi during his unscheduled visit to the Adimula’s palace

THE Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has reiterated his commitment towards empowering the less privileged as well as disabled children, and provide the necessary support at ensuring that they have a bright future. The Ooni stated this during the visit of the officials of Star Children Development Initiative to the palace in Ife, Osun State, to seek his support to better the plight of disabled children. Speaking during the visit, the chairman of the organisation, Mrs Grace Abimbola, stated that the charity organisation, which raises awareness about the challenges faced by children with disabilities and their families, was aimed at safeguarding the well-being of the children, offer support for the children and their families, and also work with stakeholders to promote quality living standards for the children.

warmly. I will surely come back here again”. And making reference to the leadership of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers,the Obas quoted the Ooni of Ife as saying, “I was installed as king about two months ago. Kabiyesi Owa had been king for 34 years. What can I wrestle with such person?”

Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, in a chat with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, during the visit of Ooni to the National Assembly, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Police arrest man for killing 3-year-old girl Hakeem Gbadamosi - Akure

MEN of the Ondo State Police command on Wednesday arrested a 42-year-old man, Samuel Omosaba, from Ikare -Akoko in Akoko

North East Local Government Area of the state over the murder of his threeyear-old niece. It took the intervention of the security agents to save the suspect from being

I will prioritise aid to the disabled —Ooni By Rita Okonoboh

on February 5: Kabiyesi Owa Obokun, passed through a lot of stages and scaled several hurdles to make Yorubaland what it is today. “Kabiyesi Owa is a man of peace contrary to the insinuations of mischief makers, though this was a surprise visit; but he has received me very

According to her, “We are focused on providing empowerment for the children as well as youths, improve leadership skills and alleviate poverty. This visit is thus to leverage on your position as the Ooni, because of your commitment to youth empowerment and to seek your partnership in

ensuring that disabled children have a chance to live the future of their dreams.” The vice chairman of the organisation, Mrs Rosaline Fadipe, also appealed to the Ooni for his support towards the building of a resource centre for disabled children in Osun State.

lynched by the angry mob who discovered the headless body of the three-yearold girl in Omosaba’s room. It was gathered that the mother of the little girl dropped her with her mother-in-law when going to market, only to meet Omosaba at home and dropped the girl with him. The source said that the suspect, who had earlier contact an herbalist for money ritual in Ipe Akoko, where he was asked to produce the head of a baby between one and five years, beheaded the little girl and was about to take the head out of the house when neighbours noticed him. He said, “Omosaba has been living under his parents’ roof, single, with no

Landlord drags 70-year-old widow to court for owing 20 years’ rent Oluwole Ige - Osogbo

A 70-year-old widow, Madam Elizabeth Adeoni, was on Wednesday, arraigned before a Customary Court at the Oja-Oba palace square in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, for owing rent for 20 years. Elizabeth’s landlord, Mr Lateef Adegoke, informed the court that the old woman had failed to pay her rent since 1995 and prayed the court to help him to recover his money from the septuagenarian.

While lamenting the economic hardship in the state, the landlord pleaded that he needed money to take care of certain financial obligations and urged the court to order the aged woman to pay and vacate the house so that he would take a new tenant. Responding, the old woman said life had been very difficult for her since her husband died many years ago and that things became worse when she lost her two children. Elizabeth, who was sob-

bing in the court, said her business collapsed after the death of her children and that she often slept with empty stomach. She pleaded with the court to help her beg her landlord not to eject her from the house because she had nowhere to go. The presiding judge at the customary court, Chief Ladipo Balogun, admonished the woman not to lose hope and charged her to find something to do so as to be able to pay her landlord. The judge adjourned the matter to March 15, 2016.

job. He had carried out the act before the mother of the girl returned from the market and was about to go out when the mother spotted her daughter’s lifeless body in his room. “He ran out of the house but we apprehended him and he was saved by the timely intervention of the police from Ikare. Omosaba has been living here with no job and he’s not even married.” The mother of the deceased was said to have fainted after discovering the lifeless body of her daughter. The suspect was said to have confessed to the family members that he killed the girl for money ritual. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incident, said his men have arrested the suspect.

Abandoned Ado Ekiti/ Itawure road construction worries rep member Ayodele Adesanmi - Abuja

THE abandoned 34 kilometres Ado Ekiti - ltawure Road in Ekiti State, awarded since 1981, had been a source of worry to both commuters and a lawmaker. The road, which was supposed to have been completed in May 1984, has now been overgrown with weeds and the earthwork already completed has been washed away by erosion. The present condition of the road has now attracted the attention of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon Ayodele Oladimeji, representing Ado Ekiti/ lrepodun/ Ifelodun Federal constituency of Ekiti State and he has already sponsored a motion, pleading that the road should be included in the 2016 budget. Oladimeji, in the motion, noted that the road was awarded in March 1981 at the cost of N22,703,049.03 with the proposed completion date of May 1984. The lawmaker recalled that “soon after the award, the contractor mobilised to site and commenced construction work on the road to the level of about 46 per cent when the contract was determined in 1988 after the expenditure of the sum of N10,627,980.86. “ He added that “arising from the stoppage of work on the road, the entire length has now been overgrown with vegetation and the earthwork done has been washed away by erosion. “Lives have been lost in accidents in Erio valley and Akanleso slope/bend among other dangerous spots on the old and narrow road between ltawure and Ado Ekiti which the abandoned road was meant to replace.” However, the committee on Works has been mandated to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to include money in the 2016 budget proposal for the resumption of construction of the ltawure/Ado Ekiti Road.

The suspected killer holding the victim.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The President, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, paid a two-day working visit to the South-West Zone, where he introduced the newly elected zonal officers of the union to some traditional rulers. Here are some pictures taken at the palaces of the traditional rulers

Alhaji Najeem Yasin being welcomed by Ambassador Adegboyega Tomori and other leaders at Ibadan Airport.

Alhaji Najeem Yasin, flanked by Ambassador Adegboyega Tomori and the zonal chairman, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde.

From left, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde; the Olubadan-designate, High Chief Saliu Adetunji and Alhaji Usman Yasin, at Popoyemoja, Ibadan.

High Chief Adetunji praying for Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele) for a successful tenure of office as the new zonal chairman.

Alhaji Yasin and Alhaji Muyideen Ajani Bello when Yasin and his entourage visited Bello at his Basorun resdience.

Alhaji Ajani Bello (right), welcoming Ambassador Adegboyega Tomori to his Ibadan residence, while Alhaji Najeem Yasin looks on.

Alhaji Ajani Bello praying for Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele) at his Basorun residence, Ibadan.

From left, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde, Alhaji Najeem Yasin, Alhaji Muyideen Ajani Bello, Alhaji Moshood Ajao, Alhaji Akeem Adeosun and Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The President, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, paid a twoday working visit to the South-West Zone, where he introduced the newly elected zonal officers of the union to some traditional rulers. Here are some pictures taken at the palaces of the traditional rulers

Alhaji Najeem Yasin (left) and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III.

NURTW leaders paying homage to the Alaafin of Oyo.

Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin signing the visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; register at the Ataoja of Osogboâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s palace, while Ambassador Adegboyega Tomori looks on.

The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipekun (standing fourth left) with members of the NURTW at his palace.

Alhaji Yasin speaking at the palace of the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran.

The NURTW president, Alhaji Najeem Yasin, discussing with Oba Aromolaran, while others look on.

Oba Aromolaran (middle) and the NURTW leaders at his palace.

The zonal Chairman, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (left) and the deputy zonal chairman, Comrade Olalekan Folorunsho, at Osogbo when the NURTW leaders visited the zonal secretariat under construction.

news

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Ex-President Jonathan’s uncle abducted again in Bayelsa

Octogenarian abducted in Delta ByAustinEbipadeandEbenezer Adurokiya

X-PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s uncle, Mr Inegite Nitabai, a former lecturer with the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port-Harcourt, has been

abducted by unknown gunmen in Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The recent kidnap of Nitabai has heightened fear and security concern in Otuoke, home country of ex-President Jonathan. This was contained in a press release signed by the

Bayelsa State Police Command’s PPRO, DSP Asinim Butswat and made available to journalists in Yenagoa. According to the statement, “on the 17 February, 2016, at about 0330hrs, seven unknown gunmen abducted one Inengite Nitabai at his residence in

Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area.” This is the second time the victim was abducted. He was kidnapped two years ago when Jonathan was in power and was released after spending some months in the hands of his abductors. The statement further

Kogi top officials jittery over compulsory leave order Yinka Oladoyinbo - Lokoja

TOP civil servants in the employ of the Kogi State government and the 21 local government areas, are now jittery following the directive from the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, that some of them should proceed on compulsory leave. Apart from the fact that many of them may not return to the service, many are said to be worried over their records of service. Nigerian Tribune gathered that some of the affected officials are afraid that various charges ranging from corruption and gross misconduct may be brought against them. It will be recalled that Bello had, on Monday, sent the permanent secretaries

and heads of administration in the employ of the state government on compulsory leave. Apart from them, the governor also directed the Directors of Local Government (DLGs), treasurers, education secretaries and cashiers at the local government level to proceed on compulsory leave. The directive, which was said to have caught the affected unawares have, however, unsettled them with groups and individuals already preparing to file petitions against them at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Some of the affected per-

manent secretaries were also said to be contemplating putting some properties that may be traced to them for sale before the commencement of full investigation into their tenures. Besides, some of the people, particularly the DLGs, education secretaries and cashiers were said to be afraid of the impending staff auditing and screening ordered by the new administration. Some of them have, however, allegedly started making moves to be given soft landing as they have started contacting top traditional rulers and political leaders in the state to intervene on their behalf. However, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Strategy, Abdul-

malik Abdulkarim, said the directive on the compulsory leave was to enable government take a holistic look into the records of the affected officials. He said since many of them were signatories to government accounts, retaining them would jeopardise the investigation. The governor’s aide said, “Government will not preempt any of them and none of them would be judged before the conclusion of the investigation. We cannot determine who among them will come back to service, but we will ensure equity, fairness and transparency in the exercise so that the people of the state and their well wishers will know there is a government trying to right the wrongs of the past.”

said a massive manhunt has been launched by a combined team of Marine Police and Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command, to rescue the victim and arrest the abductors. Eye witness account has it that the gunmen shot sporadically into the air to forestall any resistance, just as the people of the community remained indoor for fear of being fell by stray bullets. It was also gathered that kidnappers may have gotten jumbo ransom from the family, and that could have spurred the second abduction. The abduction, it was learnt, has devastated the family. As at press time, the abductors are yet to open communication line with the family, neither have they demanded any ransom for his release. However, it will be recalled that the younger sister of Governor Seriake Dickson is still in her abductors’ den. To this end, the wave of abduction, insecurity and pipeline blow out have become a serious challenge that the Governor Dickson is fighting head on.

In a related development, octogenarian mother of the immediate past senator representing Delta Central, Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Chief (Mrs) Sarah Aguariavwodo, has been abducted by unknown gunmen in Delta. Son of the victim, Senator Aguariavwodo, is also currently the Senior Special Assistant to the Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on Housing and Infrastructure. Reports say Mrs Aguariavwodo was abducted on Tuesday at about 11:30p.m at her residence at Ogbe Street, Okpare-Olomu in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state. It was gathered that she was thereafter whisked to an unknown hideout by her abductors. A family member said six of the hoodlums entered her apartment to deny her sleep. One of the hoodlums was said to have lifted and balanced the old woman on his shoulder after overwhelming her with little resistance. She was said to have been put in a waiting Toyota Picnic car being heavily guarded by three others.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016 With Tommy Adegbite 0811 695 4631 tommyabijo@yahoo.com

President, Nigerian Association of Zoological Gardens (NAZG), Dr Olajumoke Morenikeji (second right), presenting life membership award of the association to former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday. With them, from left, are executive members of the association, Dr Moses Oyatogun and Dr David Deru.

From left, Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase; Kwara State Police Commissioner, Sam A. Okaula; Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole and the Kwara PPRO, Mr Ajayi Opasanmi, during the official visit of the Inspector General of Police to Kwara State command, at the Police Headquarters, Ilorin, recently.

Alhaja Serifat Ogunsola being assisted by husband, Alhaji Kunle Ogunsola, in cutting her 50th birthday cake. With them are the children, from left, Biodun, Bisola and Jibola.

From left, Chief Rotimi Olagunju, his wife and founder of SOF, Chief (Mrs) Olusola Olagunju, listening to the awardee, Miss Amidat Lateef, the guest speakers, Mr Akin Fatunke and Mrs Foluke Ademokun, at the Sola Olagunju Foundation (SOF) seminar and Empowerment 2016, held at Wallan Hall, D’Rovans Hotel, Ibadan, on Wednesday. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU

From left, Chief Judge, Kwara State, Justice Sulaiman Kawu; Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed; deputy governor, Elder Peter Kisra and the Deputy Speaker, state House of Assembly, Honourable Mathew Okedare, during the commissioning of office of Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, in Ilorin, Monday.

From left, Mrs Udorah Igbokwe; Mr Mike Igbokwe (SAN); Apostle Alexander Oyewole Bamgbola, God’s Overseer, Zion, the City of the Lord Ministries, Lagos; Mrs Elizabeth Alex-Nosagie and Mr Joseph Alexander, during the 70th birthday celebration of Apostle Bamgbola, in Lagos.

From left, Mrs Esther Loko, Mr Moses Ajayi, Mrs Folasade Babatunde, Mrs Yemi Odunlami, Mrs Kikelomo Ogunleke, Pastor Solomon Ajayi, Mr Akin Babatunde and Mr Bisi Ogunleke, at the burial service for Madam Eunice Ajayi, held at the Apostolic Faith Church, Aba-Teacher, Omi-Adio, recently. PHOTO: ALOLADE GANIYU

A customer of Skye Bank Plc and winner of the Wetern Union year end reward promo, Miss Oluwatoyin Adeniji; Head, Western Union, Skye Bank Plc, Mr Lekan Faleye and another winner, Mr Babatunde Omotoso, during the award ceremony in Lagos, last week

From left, Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT), Dr Ighodalo Folorunso Ijagbone, who is also the father of the bride; former Miss Ibhade Omonigho Ijagbone, the bride; Adekunle Jeremiah Odubiyi-Felix, groom and Mrs Florence I. Ijagbone, mother of the bride, during the wedding held at the Chapel of Ressurection, University of Ibadan, recently.

For bookings, contact ’Laolu Afolabi on 08054681741 or Tommy Adegbite on 08116954631

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

yournews

SEND YOUR SHORT MESSAGES TO: 08054005323, 08055001746

Still on electricity tariff increase

HE recent increase in electricity tariff is untimely, going by the hard times Nigerians are facing as a result of the country’s poor economy. What we need now are policies that will unburden poor Nigerians, and not those that will increase their hardship and pain. Even now, we are paying

for electricity not supplied. What the government should have done is to first ensure that pre-paid meters are distributed to all households in the country, and then give Nigerians improved power supply. It is when these things are in place that Nigerians will be happy to pay for the increase. I, therefore, want the Fed-

eral Government to suspend the increment until the economy stabilises. At

the moment, it is just as if the government is making us pay for the failure of

SINCE last week, the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) has been publishing the names of individuals and companies that have ob-

tained loans from banks and are yet to service or repay such loans. What surprises me is that why would banks be running after debtors when

stadium complex in the town. These projects were approved seven years ago, and I am optimistic that the governor can still complete them in order to make the people happy. •Toyin Ijoge, 08068911531

Congrats, Gov Dickson IT wasn’t an easy task for Governor Seriake Dickson to win a second term in office; in fact, it was like a war, but one good thing is that the voices of the people were heard. Governor Dickson should, therefore, bring together his opponents in order to move the state forward. We should not begin to see politics as a do-or-die game, but one through which we can impact positively the lives of the people. While congrat-

ulating Governor Dickson for his victory, I want him to see himself as the governor of the whole Bayelsa State. He should bring those who did not vote for him together in order to win their hearts. This should also be replicated in Rivers State, where it was also a war before Governor Nyesom Wike came out victorious.

about N2billion. How would this bank retrieve its money since the company is no more? Why is it that it is easier for banks to loan to big businesses rather than small and medium scale businesses? The banks should be partly blamed for the economic challenges we are experiencing today. Only small and medium scale businesses drive the growth of any economy. The reason for this is that such small firms are able to employ more people than the big companies can, but their problem is that they don’t have enough capital to expand their businesses So I don’t pity banks that fall into bad debts due to the fact that their debtors can no longer pay back. The CBN should make the banks pay for this.

How to create jobs in Nigeria

Chinedu Okpala, 08191143941

stil fear in the minds of corrupt people in the society. We must, therefore, kill corruption before it kills the country finally. Nigeria would have developed greatly, but corruption is our problem. I, therefore, feel that it is high time special courts are provided so that the trial of corrupt people can be speeded up. The National Assembly should support the president with this. Linus Kyari, 08191143941

they have collaterals deposited before obtaining the loans? I was surprised that a defunct telecommunications company is owing a bank

Tumini George, 09095687489

Special courts for corruption trials I am really not happy with what I am hearing as far as corruption is concerned in this country. It is as if the stories are not true, but alas, they are. I can’t imagine individuals stealing billions of naira that their children will not even be able to finish, while the society suffers for it. President Muhammadu Buhari should be supported in this anti-corruption war if we really want to rid this country of corruption. We need to punish those who have stolen from this country. Doing so will in-

we are experiencing now. •Pastor Oluwansebebe, 07060520065

The new debtors’ list

Gov Mimiko, come to our aid in Ile-Oluji I want to use this opportunity to call on the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, to use the few months he has left in office to complete the abandoned road project in Ile-Oluji. He should also complete the sports

past administrations for not diversifying the economy, which has resulted in the crisis

•The ‘Agere’ dance. PHOTO: TOMMY ADEGBITE

THERE is high unemployment rate in this country. All the steps taken by government towards reducing this have not achieved anything tangible. It is believed that over half of Nigeria’s graduates are unemployed or underemployed. The solution to reducing unemployment in the country is through making vocational skills compulsory in secondary and tertiary institutions. When we have graduates who are skilled in certain professions, they won’t rely much on searching for jobs after leaving school. This is one area the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Education can partner. Tinuke Omideyi, 08030461538

editorial

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

The hike in electricity tariff

HE labour movement supported by civil society organisations and students of tertiary institutions on Monday, February 8, 2016 staged nation-wide protests against the 45 per cent increase in electricity tariff foisted on consumers with effect from the first day of the month. Armed with placards with various inscriptions which denounced the tariff hike, the protesters called for immediate reversal of the increase. Their main contention was that there was no justification whatsoever for making the people to pay more when there had been no significant improvement in service delivery. The pricing of electricity has been a contentious issue since the November 2013 privatisation of power generation and distribution. Nigerians were given the impression that the transfer of power supply to private hands was the magic wand that would bring about the much desired and long-awaited improvement in the power sector. Hopes were raised and expectations were high that the new owners were coming to work wonders. Dealers in power generating sets were advised to find some other businesses to do because there would no longer be market for their products. This has, however, not been the case. The promise of a dramatic change for the better is yet to be fulfilled as Nigerians still depend largely on generators to illuminate their homes and offices and keep their businesses going. It became manifest shortly after the privatisation came into effect that the objectives of the new owners were in conflict with the expectations of their various publics. While consumers were eagerly looking forward to an end to the prohibitive cost at which they had been generating electricity to meet their domestic and industrial needs, the primary interest of the new owners was the imposition of higher tariffs. Although there had been no improvement in the quality of service, an upward review was effected in the price of a unit of electricity in 2014 with the approval of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). Helpless and hapless Nigerians had to pay because they had no choice. For a long period of time, what was known as the Metre Maintenance Charge was part of the monthly electricity bill that every consumer was compelled to pay when nothing whatsoever was being done on the metre. Persistent agitation by consumers eventually led to the removal of the unjustifiable component from electricity bills. The unpleasant surprise was its immediate replacement with the Fixed Charge which

was tied to no service whatsoever. The removal of the Fixed Charge has now been substituted with a 45 per cent increase in tariff across board. The February 1 tariff hike was carried out in defiance of advice and warnings from various quarters. The NERC which should defend the people’s interests when confronted with bare-faced exploitation has, most of the time, been conducting itself like a dog being wagged by its tail. It is apparent that the agency has not seen the logic of the argument that higher tariff should be justified by improvement in service delivery. It is unfortunate that Nigeria’s regulatory agencies have been contributing in no small measure to the deteriorating services being rendered by many organisations in various facets of Nigeria’s national life. The persistent insistence of the DISCOs on tariff hike is an indication that their objective is to extort from consumers the capital they need to boost their business. It is unfortunate that the NERC that should check their excesses has chosen to align with them. Consumers are still bearing the cost of replacing and repairing defective transformers. They are still paying for electric poles and cables whenever and wherever the need arises. There have been cases of dangerously dangling electric wires that eventually snapped and resulted in electrocution. More than two years after privatisation, the billing system is still characterised by arbitrariness as a substantial percentage of consumers’ premises remain unmetred. The electricity metre which consumers are being compelled to pay for remains the property of the operator. Efficiency, commitment to customer satisfaction and other hallmarks of a private concern are yet to be been seen in Nigeria’s privatised power sector. The new owners have been behaving as if the privatisation agreement does not impose any obligation on them. They have been enjoying an incredible level of indulgence. Nigerians are being told that power generation for 170 million people has risen to 5,000 megawatts for the first time in the history of the country and this is being touted as evidence of improvement that should be celebrated. The fact, however, is that there has been no correlation between increase in megawatts and hours of power supply. Previous tariff hikes did not translate into improved performance. Why must consumers continue to pay more for services not rendered? This is the point being made by the protesters on behalf of all Nigerians who are being fleeced by investors in the power sector.

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opinion

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Economic crisis: Now is the time to get it right By Folu Oyeleye

HAT do I say about knowledge? What do I say about education? What do I say about inculcating and imbibing? What do I say about attitude? It was our juvenile learning: “Slow and steady wins the race.” The Bible teaches us ‘long suffering’ as a fruit of the Spirit. One Yoruba adage says ‘Ojokankolaa gun k’orun’ meaning, it’s not the day you start growing that you reach the sky. The late Dr Tai Solarin, in one of his words of encouragement, quoted the words of Elizabeth Browning, “Great things are done with a great purpose, great effort by great minds with persistent patience.” Chairman Mao, in his revolutionary effort, closed down universities in China for many years in order to make the country’s universities producers of men of change, and not just mere certificate holders. After the tragedy of the Second World War, Japan closed her borders to foreign products. Here in Nigeria, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in his wisdom as a trained economist, lawyer, principled social welfarist, built the foundation of the South West’s economy through factors of production. Building economic foundation through factors of production is laying the foundation for industrial growth and economic emancipation. The factors of production are labour, land, capital and entrepreneurship. Land means all the natural resources, labour means manpower, capital is the means of exploration and means of production, entrepreneurship means management of resources. Chief Awolowo was a great manager of resources, a gift to the Yoruba race. He created farm settlements in order to manage natural resources; he also paid the highest wages in the country in order to get the best from workers. He enforced tax to raise capital, while introducing free and compulsory education in other to build entrepreneurship. If the military had not intervened in politics, and if

Awoism had continued in the South West, the country would have developed greatly by now. We lost focus, economic emancipation and social egalitarianism through the mismanagement of the economy at the advent of the oil boom. We went flamboyant with our fiscal policy, at a time when naira stronger than dollar, equivalent to the pound sterling, thereby attracting economic poachers called investors. Nigeria became a land where everything was lucratively marketable. The economic policy was fatally squandermaniac, very productively loathsome, but import-friendly. Attitude, they say, stays strong, difficult to change. Nigerians inculcated the spirit of ostentation, indolence and hedonism. One would have thought the economic recession of the 1980s that depressed the oil price to a unit indices would have taught us a lesson, but it didn’t. If it had, our economy would have been better managed. The Nigerian economic policy would have been directed towards regenerative production. However, the opportunity came again. General Abdusalam’s 1999 budget was based on $9 per barrel. Before the end of 1999, the oil price moved up to $40. It continued to rise, rise and rise till it rose to $120 per barrel. My dear compatriots, what have we got to show for it? What is on ground to identify with the years of oil boom? Would I be wrong to declare it ‘flagrant wastage of reincarnated oil boom?’

I have gone on odyssey of thought, I have browsed electronic and print media, and I’ve not been able to get the result on any nation that was helped to develop by another nation. That is why I am so highly aghast by our leaders’ preference for foreign investment. The amount we had made from crude oil sales since 1999 till date is enough to industrialise the nation. For God sake, why are we in a hurry to enjoy rather than develop. I am concerned about the level of unemployment in our country. I am concerned about the level of underemployment as well. I am concerned about my friends and colleagues in the Diaspora, who are waiting in vain for when it will be conducive to return home. What about the posterity’s judgment on my generation. Yes, the rulers do not care. They only care about themselves; they only care about today. Should we ascribe this to ignorance, mediocrity or sheer wickedness? There are many forms of international enslavement in the world today. At one point or the other, developing nations fought seriously for their freedom. In the 80s, Brazil was enmeshed in international debt. Brazil’s debt became a burden on it, but today, it is one of the fastest developing countries in the world. How did it achieve its economic prosperity, while we are still struggling? It is simple, Brazil looked inwards and developed its local industry and agriculture. Today, it is one of the largest agricultural producers in the world. The same thing cannot be said of Nigeria; it is so unfortunate that we even borrow to pay salaries. What a shame! My dear compatriots, we have over 180 million people living in this country. What does it take to ban importation, while encouraging companies to come in to set up manufacturing plants? It is unfortunate that we don’t really want to struggle. So how will our naira not fall against foreign currencies? •Oyeleye lives in Ibadan.

For a more humane Nigeria By Ahmed Oluwasanjo BREAKING news are not often good news, these days. Whether on the electronic, print or social media, the stories are the same – depressing and devastating. And sadly, the world seems to be getting inured to torrents of bad news, while helplessly looking forward to when, where and what will happen next. Across the globe, the news revolves around: devastating terrorist attacks, hundreds of migrants perishing in the Mediterranean, bitting economic hardship, rising unemployment, and the outbreak of diseases. At the moment, the world – especially Africa – is yet to recover from the scourge of HIV/AIDS and Ebola virus, while Zika virus spreads throughout the Americas. And from these trends, one could be tempted to feel the earth is revolting or God is turning His back on humanity. But worse than all of these diseases, are the pain, agony and destruction men inflict on their fellows through their actions and inactions. The human race seems to be under constant threat, and we move closer to the cliff at a very fast pace. Unfortunately, men are leading the war against humanity in this 21st century, as their desperation, wickedness, selfishness and grasping inclinations are on the rise by the day. It’s so sad! A critical look at the Boko Haram menace in NorthEast, Nigeria – a sad and ugly series of occurrences that has led to the death of over 20,000 people and involving over two million displaced persons – would make obvious one fact: men are the propelling force behind the monster called Boko Haram. Be it the brainwashed zealots who are ever ready to run the fool’s errand based on a belief that fighting for the almighty and an omnipotent God would earn them a recompense of blued-eyed virgins in the hereafter or the long-time negligence of good education – the bedrock of personal and societal development – of youngsters or the primitive accumulation of political kleptomaniacs, who have exploited the illiteracy, unemployment and poverty

of their followers to perpetuate themselves in power over the years, men are always behind the moving/dancing reeds and particoloured blankets we call masquerades. Consciously and unconsciously, men have sown seeds which, over the years, have grown into the large-scale national and global disaster known as Boko Haram. Likewise, the resurgence of Biafran agitation and oil pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta region are not the perpetrations of UFOs. And we cannot but experience the worst scenarios if nothing changes in the beliefs and practices of men – the leaders and the led. That said, the mind-boggling revelations in the diversion of funds meant for arms procurement to combat Boko Haram insurgents obviously exposes how desperate, dirty and callous some men could be in the pursuit of wealth. For these men, Nigeria could burn to cinders for all they care, provided they remain in the corridors of power and have oodles of cash in their bank accounts. What a low life! A life that values mundane things over human lives. Do we blame them at all when some of us still see their prosecution as a “witch-hunt”? Well, this is a topic for another day. On bad leadership and poor governance, no doubt, these dual factors father most of our problems in Nigeria. However, bad leaders are just reflections of who and what the majority amongst us are.

Leaders do not emerge from Mars or Pluto, they are members of our society and likewise, they do not form a bad government without the express support of their followers. Take for example, at leadership recruitment, if many of us took bags of rice or a bottle of beer in exchange for our votes, while others amongst us also served as mercenaries to rig elections – even at the expense of the lives and property of our fellows – what moral justification do we have to blame our woes on the elected? Please don’t get me wrong, I know desperate politicians entice the jobless and vulnerable amongst us to do their dirty deals, but the jobless and vulnerable also have conscience and the right to refuse such offers, considering the grave consequences of their indulgence in such acts on the society. Worthy of note is the prevalent cases of rape – particularly of minors – in our society. These days, parents send their female wards to school with their spirits hovering around them. Aside the fear of kidnappers, increasing cases of rape of minors is a nightmare an average parent now has to contend with as debased men have declared a phallic war against innocent minors. What kind of pleasure or search for power could drive right thinking men to go so low? Galling! The summun bonum in the “be your brother’s keeper” ethos that binds us irrespective of our differences in the past, is gradually giving way for the “be your brother’s killer” nature of barbaric men. But why? We might choose to mystify these ugly trends, blame them on God or the devil or find excuses in the non-performing government and failed leadership in Nigeria, but our moral sense – good and bad, right and wrong – behooves all men to take responsibility and play their roles in saving humanity from avoidable miseries and agonies. And the earlier we realise that a better and safe Nigeria is possible only when men – leaders and the led – turn a new leaf, the better. •Oluwasanjo writes from Abuja

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Femi Olukunle Coordinating Editor 08158610216

NBC trains officers ahead digital switchover Christian Okeke -Abuja

FERMA officials fixing a bad portion of one of the Nigerian roads

FERMA’II fix 103 roads, 10 bridges in 2016 —MD Christian Okeke -Abuja

HE Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) is to rehabilitate 103 roads and 10 bridges across the country this year. The move is part of the efforts to ensure that all federal roads remain motorable all year round. Managing Director of the agency, Mr Peter Odeh Ibu, who disclosed this, noted that the agency, through the award of contracts and direct labour mechanism in 2015, was able to embark on repair of major economic roads linking states. The effort, according to him, helped to minimise accidents during the last yuletide period. The FERMA boss stated that priority would be given to more economically viable roads across the country this year to boost commercial activities in the six geo-political zones. He maintained that the agency was positioned to perform optimally but currently battled with certain constraints which include inadequate funding, delayed release of fund and abuse of highway by articulated vehicles through excessive loading. Ibu recalled that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, had described the agency as a vital tool which should be repositioned for greater achievement in the future. The minister, he said, had already un-

veiled plans to upgrade the agency to become Federal Government Construction

Company to undertake full road construction and maintenance.

AHEAD the launch of pilot digital switchover in Plateau State, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has organised training for information officers who, it said, would take the digitisation message to the grassroots. Speaking at the training, which held in Jos, the Director, DG’s Office, Dr Armstrong Idachaba, commended Plateau State Government for its support towards smooth transition since the commission proposed the idea of using the state for a pilot scheme on digital terrestrial television transition. He expressed confidence in the capacity of the participants to further spread the message to the grassroots, where it is most needed. Idachaba explained that the digital transition was a technological innovation which promised a whole new TV experiences for Nigerians. Also speaking, Director, Technology, Federal Ministry of Information and Chairperson, Publicity sub-Committee of DigiTeam, Dr Veronica Adeyemo, noted that migration from analogue to digital broadcasting required enormous capital. She stressed the need for information officers to understand the issues that might arise from their interactions with the public. In his presentation, Mallam Awwalu Salihu, who is Director, Public Affairs, NBC, said: “Even the digital programmes or the digital systems that we have will not work because very soon, we will run out of spare parts for your television sets, run out of spare parts for your transmitters and most of the things that you are using in the analogue era because no one is producing them anymore. “Whether you like it or not, you cannot afford to be left in the digital darkness. Therefore, everybody: the general public, government, the regulators, the broadcasters themselves, the business community and the information officers, all have a role to play. And we must all play it successfully so as to achieve the goal of transiting.”

Crew 1. Christian Okeke chidiabujatribune@ yahoo.com 08030947856 2. Clement Idoko idokoajiga@yahoo. co.uk 08034412281

FERMA officials on another road fixing task

Ministry to boost youths’ interest in innovation, —Pg.22 research

War against terror: Minister meets UK counterpart on —Pg.22 further assistance

3. Kolawole Daniel kolawoledaniels@yahoo.co.uk 08030763782 4. Adetola Bademosi gloriaadetola@ gmail.com 08182214290 5. Collins Nnabuife chideraacollins@yahoo.com 08039521408 Abuja Xtra email & GSM: abujaxtra@ gmail.com 08054501406

abujaextra

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Ministry to boost youths’ interest in innovation, research Demola Adegbite-Abuja EDERAL Ministry of Science and Technology is targeting strengthening capacity of youths in creative innovation and research through science and technological tool. The ministry said it had commenced reengineering process in the sector with a view to setting standards in programme implementation. Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onuh, while playing host to members of Nigerian Academy of Science, led by its President, Professor Oyewale Tomori, noted that the ministry would play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the youths and encouraged parents to support their wards to develop interest in science and technology as a way of secur-

ing the future of the country. He lamented that though the National Research and Innovation Council (NRIC) was established over 30 years ago, it never met until January this year. Onu noted that by the development, it meant that there had been no effective coordination of all national efforts in the sector. He, however, assured of the determination of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to harness both the human and natural resources to build a better country through the application of innovations in Science and Technology sector. In his remarks, the President of the council, Professor Tomori, assured the minister of total support of the academy to his efforts in the science sector.

From left, Head of Research and Documentation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria(HURIWA), Miss Fadora Ekoja; Chairman, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and Special Assistant on Media for the association, Victoria Osareme, during a press briefing by HURIMA on why the Federal Government should send Iranian Abassador parking from Nigeria in Abuja on Monday. PHOTO: SUNDAY OSUNRAYI

War against terror: Minister meets UK counterpart on further assistance Christian Okeke-Abuja MINISTER of State for Foreign Affairs, Khajida Abba Ibrahim, has met with the United Kingdom (UK) Minister of State for Foreign Office, Baroness Joyce Anelay on possible ways to attract more assistance from the UK government to Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. The Federal Government had commended the UK government for providing tactical support and collaboration in the area of intelligence sharing with the military engaged in the battle against Boko Haram insurgents. Speaking when she received the UK minister in her office, Ibrahim assured her guest that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari was seriously addressing the issue of insecurity in the country. She noted that the military was doing

a great job in trying to see that there was security in the country and that terrorism was rooted out once and for all. The minister said the Federal Government was happy that the UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, had already given an assurance that his country would provide assistance in tracing foreign accounts owed by Nigerians in the UK with a view to detecting possible looted funds. According to her, the government was committed to fighting corruption and in stages. She said: “We look up to UK for advice and cordial relation. We have come a long way in the development of Nigeria. We have gone through different administrations and so far so good. We have been able to maintain democracy.” Speaking, Anelay said, “What was said behind closed door is what can be said outside that Nigeria has had democratic elections.”

Customs raises committee on distribution of goods to displaced persons Saliu Gbadamosi-Abuja THE Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), has inaugurated a national logistics committee on donation of relief materials to internally displaced persons. The committee is headed by Assistant Comptroller-General (Headquarters), Sanusi Umar. According to Ali, the essence of the donation of the relief materials was an obligation to care for fellow citizens who, he said, were in dire need. He said that the committee was saddled with the responsibility of transferring relief materials in the Service’s warehouses directly to the various displaced people’s camps across the country. According to him, the materials to be distributed were not seized and abandoned items, but those forfeited to the Federal Government. Stating the terms of reference of the committee, the Comptroller-General of Customs said the committee would be planning and executing the logistics involved in distribution of relief materials to IDPs. Ali said that the committee would establish contacts with existing camps for the purpose of direct handover of relief materials and providing security cover for relief materials on transit and in the camps before handover. The Customs boss said that the commit-

tee would ensure that its operation was carried out with strict adherence to transparency and integrity. He said: “We are living witnesses to the havoc which insurgency has wrecked in our dear country; numerous lives have been lost, properties destroyed. “Young Nigerians in their million have been turned to orphans, women have become young wisdoms, families have been separated and properties destroyed. “The political economy of the NorthEast region, which bears the major brunt of the insurgency, is indeed in a precarious situation that requires assistance from well-meaning Nigeria.”

Chairman, House Committee on Public Procurement, Honourable Wole Oke (left); Honourable Tony Nwoye (right) and other lawmaker during the committee’s oversight work in Abuja.

Corps Marshal, Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi (second left); Deputy Corps Marshal, Operations, D. Usthman (right) and other official appearing before the Reps Ad hoc Committee on Public Procurement in Abuja.

From left, Wife of the Vice- President, Oludolapo Osinbajo;wife of the German President, Danielle Schadt and representative of the FCT Minister, Dr Babatope Ajakaiye during the inspection of primary healthcare facilities at Dutse Makaranta, Abuja.

Ogbeh seeks improved investment to attract more hands to agriculture Collins Nnabuife-Abuja MINISTER of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has said that there is the need to make huge investment in agriculture which will, in turn, attract more youths into the sector. He lamented declining interest of rural dwellers in agriculture which, he said, would have helped to feed the nation and increase its Gross Domestic Product (GDP.) While speaking at a national workshop on new agricultural policy for the country organised by the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN), the minis-

ter said that it was worrisome that 75 per cent of an anticipated 450 million population by 2025 would be living in cities, leaving about 25 per cent in rural areas. ”Can the 25 per cent feed themselves and the city dwellers?”, the minister asked. He said: “To get to that level, we need to make huge investments in land preparation, in machinery, in seed improvement, in farmer education and also on encouragement or enticement of younger people into agricultural terrain.” In his welcome address, Senator Abdullahi Adamu observed that a nation that depended on other nations for its feeding

had no right to call itself independent. He lamented the situation where the country had close to 80 per cent of arable land, yet it was a massive net importer of food and other agricultural produce. The lawmaker noted that there was the need for a clear policy on procurement and sale of fertiliser at the right time during the farming season. According to him, it was pathetic that peasant farmers are still tilling the hardscrabble earth they inherited from their forefathers with obsolete farming implements.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

education

Editor: Laolu Harolds 08111845016 tribune.education@yahoo.com

Anxiety as JAMB set for second fully CBT UTME

Naza Okoli - Lagos

ARRING any last-minute changes, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) will, between February 29 and March 14, conduct the 2016 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The examination became fully computerbased in 2015. Expectation is, therefore, high, as stakeholders hope that JAMB will, in this second edition of the ComputerBased Test (CBT), leverage the lapses it encountered last year to maximum advantage. Mr Mike Ogbuehi, Registrar at Bafuto Computer and Secretarial School, Egbe, one of the 48 CBT centres in Lagos, told Tribune Education last week that JAMB had put “all measures in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise.” “The greatest problem any CBT centre can face is inadequate or unreliable power supply,” he said. “JAMB has come here several times to inspect our facilities. We have acquired a 70 KVA generator in line with the guidelines given to us by JAMB.” Space constraints A few weeks ago, some UTME candidates staged a protest in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, over “insufficient CBT centres in the South-West Region”. According to reports, the protesters said many of them were “posted” to states as far as Kogi, Edo, Nassarawa, and Bayelsa. However, when contacted, the Head of JAMB Zonal Office, Ibadan, Mrs Bola Elushade, said she was not aware of any protest in Ibadan, and that there were no cases of inadequate CBT centres in her zone. “Did anybody see anybody protesting, or it was a media protest?,” she asked. “Is it a media protest or a physical protest? Nobody came to protest in my office. I didn’t see any

protest; it was in the papers that I read it.” With examination dates spread out over a period of two weeks, how many candidates can a typical CBT centre accommodate? According Ogbuehi, over 5000 candidates sat the examination at his centre last year. “Last year the examination was done here for about 11 days,” he said. “We had morning, afternoon and evening sessions, and in each of the sessions, we had 170 candidates. That is over 5000 in all.” Posting Candidates in Lagos were also reportedly “posted” outside the state. However, the Head of the National Headquarters Annex, Lagos, Dr Beatrice Okorie, said it is candidates, rather than JAMB, who choose their own examination towns. “Nobody was posted anywhere,” she said. “Candidates choose examination towns themselves. JAMB only posts them to centres

It helps to preserve quality. It ensures that the weak ones do not have shortcuts to university admissions. For me I want JAMB to improve on this

in the examination towns they have chosen. Even as I am speaking to you, JAMB has not posted candidates to their centres. After the final testing of the centres… then JAMB will start posting of candidates to centres which are in the examination towns they have chosen. Candidates will be able to know their exact centres on the 22nd of this month.” Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of JAMB, Mr Fabian Benjamin, explained that candidates who were not able to choose their preferred examination towns were those who failed to do their registration early. “It depends on the available centres at the time they registered,” he said. “We started our registration in August last year. If a candidate did his or her registration in February this year, of course he won’t expect to get the centre that he would have wanted. Each examination town has its own capacity. “For example, in Lagos, we have Ikeja, Ikorodu, and so on, as examination towns. Each examination town will have a number of centres. The centres will be allocated to the candidates by us later. The candidate will be required to choose their preferred examination town. If a particular centre can only take 1000 candidates, and a candidate waits until the 1000 candidates have been registered, of course that candidate won’t be able to find a centre there; the system would automatically remove that examination town from the website. “So in Lagos, you may get to a stage when you won’t see Ikeja and Ikorodu and so on; and then after a while, you may not even see Lagos at all, and then you will be forced to choose another state. So, if you want to do the examination at your backyard, do your registration early.” Improving on the past Every occasion of JAMB’s UTME usually

opens the age-long debate as to whether a central body vested with powers to function as a gatekeeper regulating admission into tertiary institutions in the country is still necessary. Comrade Michael Olukoya, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) who spoke with Tribune Education on Monday believes the onus is on the examination body to prove itself worthy and dynamic at all times, urging it to see this year’s examination as its biggest test yet. “What I just want to tell JAMB is that they should improve on their past performance,” he said. “They should be more securityconscious – security in terms of the question papers. They should ensure there are no logistic problems, and they should not allow it to lose the respect and integrity it has always been known for, especially in the past. “As for the desirability or otherwise of JAMB… It depends on the angle through which one looks at it. Before 1978, there was nothing like JAMB. But the government of the day that brought it around 1979-80 had its own reasons. “Whatever the case, the fact remains that there should be an avenue through which prospective candidates for university admission would be screened. In the past, it used to be the universities conducting their own examinations. As an educator, I can argue that it is needed. I can also argue that it is not needed. “The fact still remains that it helps to preserve quality. It ensures that the weak ones do not have shortcuts to university admissions. All these fall under the purview of JAMB. Now that we have a system where even if you have 50 candidates in a room all of them will be attempting different questions, it is good. For me, I want JAMB to improve on this.”

education FUTA collaborates with Africa’s leading agric education network 24

As part of efforts to boost its internationalisation drive through collaboration with world class institutions, the Federal University of Technology, Akure has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE) based in Nairobi, Kenya. The memorandum is to facilitate partnership and collaboration in Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Management Education and Research and community outreach. Under the terms of the agreement, FUTA is to be the leading member institution of ANAFE in Nigeria, and will be expected to spearhead the establishment and promotion of the regional chapter of the network. The vice chancellor, Pro-

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

fessor Adebiyi Daramola, who was elated at the collaboration, said building bridges between African institutions would further develop the continent. He also added that the institution’s School of

Agriculture is very enterprising, having many collaborations with leading institutions across Africa. Daramola believes that the collaboration with ANAFE will further empower FUTA scholars to

contribute more robustly to the search for food security and to make agriculture a key contributor to the country’s economy. Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of ANAFE, Professor Aissetou Drame

Yaye, commended the vice chancellor for his open and transparent style of leadership. She said progress in Africa would be rapid if leaders are easily accessible to their followers. Yaye said

Yejide Girls Grammar School alumni celebrate alma mater at 60 By Doyin Adeoye

From right, Professor Owolabi Usman, conference chair; Dean Management Sciences, Professor Jonathan Adewole; Vice Chancellor, LAUTECH, Professor A. A. Gbadegesin; Registrar, Revd Agboola, and Head, Marketing Department, Professor Sola Ogunsiji, at the opening of the 3-day conference organised by the Department of Management and Accounting last week. PHOTO: LAOLU HAROLDS

EU mulls Centre for European Studies in UNILORIN The delegation of the European Union (EU) to Nigeria and ECOWAS is considering the possibility of facilitating the establishment of a Centre for European Studies at the University of Ilorin.

This was disclosed by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and head of the delegation, Mr. Michel Arrion, when a delegation from the university, led by its vice chancellor, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali (OON), visited the

EU Office in Abuja recently. Ambassador Arrion said that since there are Institutes of African Studies in many European and American universities, “I don’t see why we cannot have the Centre for European Stud-

ies in Nigeria.” He said he studied ECOWAS Affairs in Belgium. The UNILORIN team was at the EU Office in continuation of the university’s advocacy visits to explore areas of collaboration with repu-

Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Julius Okogie (right), and the Vice Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Professor Samuel Oye Bandele, during a recent visit by a delegation from the university to the head office of NUC in Abuja.

Federal Unity Schools PTA seeks more funding for education HakeemGbadamosi-Akure PARENTS under the auspices of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of Federal Government Colleges have urged the Federal Government to allocate more funds to the education sector. The association also made a case for the recruitment of more teachers and provision of quality infrastructure in schools across the nation. The South-West coordi-

she was impressed with the quality of professors from the university that she has worked with, and admonished FUTA to play a key role in contributing to the development of agriculture in the continent.

nator of the association, Pastor Rufus Bola Famuwagun, stated this during the handing over ceremony to the new executive of the PTA in Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Famuwagun, who is the immediate past chairman of the Federal Government College, Ikole-Ekiti, accused the Federal Government of abdicating its responsibility by not providing necessary facilities in schools.

According to him, more than 70 per cent of the staff in each of the federal government colleges were employed by the PTA, while over 90 per cent of the classrooms were built through the efforts of the parents. He said, “We are paying about N828,000 for PTA staff salary monthly here in Ikole alone. We help them during inter-house sports, give financial assistance to the school man-

agement and even build classroom for them, which is supposed to be done by the government. “Here in Ikole for instance, we built almost all the classrooms you are seeing here because those that were built by the government are dilapidated.” He pleaded with the federal government to allocate more funds for the federal colleges and recruit more teachers so as to improve on the decadence in the sector.

table organisations towards ensuring the full implementation of its triple mandate of teaching, research and community service. The EU Ambassador assured the UNILORIN team that his organisation was positively disposed to entering into effective partnership with the university in the areas of research, energy and innovation. Ambassador Arrion said, “We would like to find ways of working together with your Uuniversity”, and that the visit signified the beginning of an enduring and beneficial relationship. In his own remarks, the EU Deputy Head of Mission, Mr. Richard Young, noted that there are huge opportunities in European countries that Nigerians could take advantage of.

CURRENT students of the Yejide Girls Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan, and the Yejide Old Girls Association (YOGA) recently celebrated the institution’s 60th Founder’s Day anniversary. The three-day event was a means to recount the achievements of the school over the years, as well as raise a N100 million fund for more projects in the school. Speaking at the event, the chairman of the occasion, Mr Tunde Fagbemi, MD/CEO Maevis Limited, lauded the achievements of YOGA, adding that he will continue to support the association in its quest to lift the standard of its alma mater. The national president, YOGA, Chief Mrs Olukemi Sarumi, in her remarks, said that the association is keen on assisting the government by improving the standard of education through its projects. “When we celebrated the school’s 50th anniversary, we were able to raise funds with the assistance of well meaning Nigerians. We added our own resources to that and were able to give a good ICT centre, a home economics laboratory, boreholes and a few scholarships here and there,” she said.

As Oke-Ode Grammar School celebrates 47th Founder’s Day The Oke-Ode Grammar School Old Students Association (OOGSOSA) has concluded arrangements to mark the school’s 47th Founder’s Day on Saturday, 20th February, 2016 in the school’s premises A statement by the chairman, planning committee, Mr. Sikiru Lanre Nurudeen, disclosed that the event, which starts by 9.00a.m, will feature a special lecture, entitled ‘The Relevance of Alumni in Ensuring Quality Education in a Globalising Economy’ to be delivered by Dr.

Stephen Billy Olajide of the Department of Arts Education, University of Ilorin. There will also be a grand reception for three prominent old students: Chief Aro Yahaya, the Kwara State Commissioner for Works and Transport; Professor Rotimi Ogidan of the University of Kenya, and Mr. Tunde Ibrahim, a Permanent Secretary in the Kogi State civil service. The event will also feature a development fund launch towards the rehabilitation of the school’s library.

education

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Why most specialised varsities don’t stay within their mandate — VC, FUT, Minna

VER the years, hostel accommodation has remained a big problem at the permanent site of this university. Why has the problem remained seemingly intractable? Our students’ population, including postgraduate students, is close to 16,000; but the number of bed spaces we have for undergraduate students is about 2,250. Fortunately, the Presidential Needs Assessments Committee has recognised accommodation as one of our greatest problems and has allocated N2 billion to us for building of new hostels. We want to start with female accommodation, because females are vulnerable to vagaries of the society. We have started construction of 1,000 bed spaces accommodation for our female students, which should be ready for the next academic session, 2016/ 2017. But as of this session, what we do is that the Students Affairs Unit has a committee that sources for accommodation for students off-campus. Students who could not get accommodation here on the campus go to the Students Affairs Unit, put down their names, and we look for accommodation for them. It is much cheaper that way. We also have a committee that meets with the community. We meet with the community on regular basis to appeal to them not to react to market forces. Then we have entered into a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) an international company, Answani Investments Limited, which has promised to build 5,000 bed space accommodation. We have signed an M.O.U. with them. So, the university has started its own 1000 bed spaces, while Answani is promising us 5,000 bed spaces. We are also talking to some other investors. What plans do you have for male students? When we start with the females, then we will go to males. But note that Answanis will give us bed

Last year, FUT, Minna was ranked fifth best university in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission (NUC); but this year (2016), it is 27th. What could be responsible for this regression? To be frank with you, I was shocked when I checked and saw (it). Last year, an international organisation, Four International Colleges and Universities (4ICU) ranked us as number six in Nigeria. This year, the latest one, the rank was number five. So, I was surprised by the NUC’s e-ranking. When you go to Webometrics, we are also doing very well. I don’t know the criteria that were used by the NUC. I intend to go to NUC to know what we are not doing well.

earth dam, we are in the process of awarding contract of N500 million. We are a University of Science and Technology; we cannot be rationing water or electricity. Another factor is funding. Universities in Nigeria are barely surviving in terms of funding. You cannot plan on your capital funding because we depend on government. We don’t have philanthropists or public spirited people in Nigeria. Rockefeller, Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and the Ford Foundation that are funding education in Nigeria are not Nigerians. When they want to list rich people in Africa and in the world, you will see Nigerians being listed among them. But the question that readily comes to discernible minds is how are they impacting on their society or the public institutions like the universities? Government alone cannot fund education. The $5 million equipment we have, in the next five years, it would have been completely outdated. We are now having collaboration with some universities abroad. What they are throwing away, they are new to us and we are collecting it. Unless and until we have adequate funding, our ranking cannot improve. The six best universities in Africa are all in South Africa. The next best universities are in Egypt. The best university in Nigeria now (University of Ibadan) is number 20 in Africa. The money the South African government pump into research alone is more than all the capital and recurrent funds that we are using in Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari at a convocation recently expressed concerns that none of the Nigerian universities was ranked in the top 1,000 in the world. What do you think is responsible for this problem? Many things are wrong with the Nigerian university system. For example, we don’t have electricity supply. We buy 33,000 litres of diesel every month at about N5.2 million, depending on the market price. Whether we have four hours supply or two hours on daily basis (from public power), we pay an average of N4.3 million every month to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company. And if they are checking your website when you were off, what can you do? Then, NUC said a university should have a minimum of 18 hours electricity supply everyday. To make sure we have adequate treated water supply on this campus, we are planning to spend N500 million on provision of earth dam. This is not to mention its reticulation. And to provide

Just recently, about 400 students were withdrawn from this university due to poor academic performances. What could be responsible for the withdrawal of such large number of students? At the 100 Level, the students are encouraged to score the minimum CGPA of 1.5, which is the average marks for now in this university. So, if anybody scores below that 1.5, it means he has nowhere to go to in 200 Level. And that is why we encouraged them to go away and repackage themselves and readdress their needs. Some of our parents are so much in a hurry. You see 15-year-old boy on the campus, unlike when we went to school. Over the years, we have tinkered with our educational policy to the detriment of the system. So, if you lose concentration, what happens? You are gone, because the government has phased out Pass degree; the minimum now is Third Class and Third Class starts from1.5.

function is to tackle this area are people in the Schools of Medical Sciences. But in our Centre of Excellence for Genetic Engineering, one of the aims is to develop drugs – I mean intervention techniques, the drugs from local sources. And we are doing very well there. If you go to our Bosso campus where the laboratories were established, it has facilities that are some of the best in Africa, because it was funded by the World Bank/Federal Government. It has some equipment that you can only find here in Africa. But specifically, our researchers here work on developing the active principles in herbs, so that they would be used for medical purposes. We do not look at the etiology of diseases because we have no competence to do that.

Professor Musbau Adewumi Akanji is the vice chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna. In this interview with ADELOWO OLADIPO, he speaks on the factors responsible for the low rating of Nigerian universities on the global level.

spaces for both males and females. There have been calls for universities to specialise and be noted for certain fields of study, but lately many of the existing specialised universities are beginning to regularise their programmes, also running courses mounted by other conventional universities. Would you say that specialised universities in the country have been a worthwhile experimentation? The Federal Government saw in 1982/1983 the need to have specialised universities that would be devoted to specific fields of studies. That was what gave birth to the six Universities of Technology that we have – the Federal University of Technology, Akure; Federal University of Technology, Minna; Federal University of Technology, Yola; Federal University of Technology, Bauchi; Federal University of Technology, Owerri and then the Universities of Agriculture in Markurdi, Abeokuta and Umudike. For example, we are supposed to address science and technology, contributing to technological development of Nigeria. But because of lack of adequate funding, universities were mandated to source for not less than 10 per cent of their needs. In science and technology, you don’t find students. It is very hard to find students, because you must have Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Further Mathematics to go into such areas; whereas, in con-

ventional universities, anything goes like History, Sociology, Accounting, Economics among others. They have more subscription; you will see hundreds of thousands of candidates applying to such universities. Most states have problem with science teachers, so they don’t have qualified candidates to feed universities and our universities were asked to make money. So, some specialized universities have now vied into social sciences and humanities, where the students are. As a person, I think this would defeat the government’s aim of establishing the specialised universities. I think as much as possible, we should go back. You see University of Agriculture establishing Faculty of Medicine. It is completely out of place. I think the Federal Government should go back and encourage specialised universities to stay within their mandates. If you go to advanced countries, they have universities for specific needs and they don’t go outside their mandates. These days, infectious diseases pose serious challenges to the nation. Not long ago, it was Ebola Virus Disease; now it is Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever. FUT, Minna, is an African Centre for Excellence in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering. In what ways is the work of researchers here helping with these challenges? We don’t have medical sciences. The people whose primary

education

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

FUNAAB VC canvasses use of modern teaching technology

HE Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Professor Olusola Oyewole, has challenged academic staff on the need to adopt modern technologies to enhance teaching and effective learning in the nation’s Ivory Towers. He spoke at a two-day capacity building workshop, organised by the Centre for Innovation and Strategic Learning and Teaching (CISLT) of FUNAAB, tagged ‘Modern Methods of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’. Professor Oyewole, who was represented by the university’s Chairperson, Committee of Deans and Directors (CODAD), Professor Bolanle AkeredoluAle, called on the manage-

Abia Poly to train artisans, craftsmen Celestine Ihejirika - Umuahia THE Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, is set to commence a three-month training programme for artisans, craftsmen and auto technicians, among others, the acting rector of the institution, Okpara Onyekwere, told newsmen in his office. He said that a programme on skills acquisition is one sure way of impacting on the Aba environment. “We want to certificate artisans and craftsmen after a three-month training so that Abia State would also be able to export human resources. This will go a long way to help our people,” Onyekwere said. No academic qualifications are required, he added. The rector admitted that funding had remained a major problem of the institution which had hitherto depended on subventions from the state government, but he said that plans have been concluded to establish a functional bakery, a micro finance bank as well as a water processing plant to generate enough funds to run the polytechnic. “The micro finance bank will generate income for the school while offering the staff access to loans at low interest. We do not need to market the products of our proposed water processing plant outside the school to make our profit as we will break even selling to the school alone.

ment of higher educational institutions in Nigeria to put emphasis on the development of teaching and learning policies for better performance. He lauded the organisers

for hosting the workshop at this time and assured them that the university would continue to promote the advancement of quality teaching and effective learning.

The Director of CISLT, Dr. Olusegun Folorunso, had earlier disclosed that CISLT was established by the Senate of the university to widen the scope of the then Webometrics

Unit, and that its objectives include provision of systematic planning, monitoring and evaluation; promotion and investigation of the integration of learning tech-

Representative of the vice chancellor and chairperson, Committee of Deans and Directors,Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Professor Bolanle Akeredolu-Ale (centre); Dean Students Affairs, Professor Yemi Akegbejo-Samsons (2nd left); Dean, College of Plant Science and Crop Production, Professor Mufutau Atayese (right); Director of Distance Learning, Professor Olusegun Idowu (left), and Director of CISLT, Dr Olusegun Folorunso after the workshop.

Ex-VC, FUOYE, warns against permissiveness in varsities Sam Nwaoko, Ado-Ekiti FORMER Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Professor Isaac Asuzu, says the incidences of drug abuse and rape being reported in some universities are serious taboos every Nigerian university must tackle through concerted efforts with stakeholders. Asuzu, who, however, said such cases have never

been reported in FUOYE, admonished every university in Nigeria to fortify their intelligence unit, to prevent the country’s ivory towers from being turned into dens of criminals and safe haven for drug peddlers and abusers. He warned that any student found indulging in rape, drug abuse, examination malpractices, willful and malicious damage

of property, stealing and robbery, among other nefarious acts, in the university will be expelled. Asusu made the statements in Oye-Ekiti at the weekend while administering oaths on 1,200 students to mark 2015/2016 matriculation ceremony. He advised the students against engaging in acts that could disrupt the academic calendar,

so that they can graduate within the time stipulated for their courses. “We have dismissed students for indulging in examination malpractices and other offences. We don’t condone indiscipline. You are here to study, and don’t do anything that would jeopardise your future; because if you are caught in any crime, you are gone,” he warned.

From left, Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun; Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Professor Francis Oyebade; acting Registrar, Mr. Sunday Ayeerun; Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Otunba Solomon Oladunni; acting Bursar, Mrs. Olubunmi Ologun, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Professor (Mrs) Oluyemisi Adebowale, during the pro-chancellor’s maiden visit to the university recently.

MAPOLY to represent Nigeria at Africa Speech Contest MOSHOOD Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, will between Wednesday, 4 and Saturday, 7 May, 2016 represent Nigeria at the Africa and Middle East Speech Contest organised by the Junior Chambers International (JCI). The polytechnic will be represented by a National Diploma II student, Alumona Rita Ifebuche, from

the Department of Estate Management and Valuation. Alumona scaled the first hurdle amongst her colleagues in the interdepartmental speaking competition tagged the ‘Moruf Popoola Speaking Championship’. Rita also emerged the winner in the South West Public Speaking Championship; a competition

which took place among all tertiary intuitions in the South-Western part of Nigeria. She emerged winner of the James Adekunle Fadairo Annual Speech contest among all tertiary institutions in Nigeria, thereby qualifying to participate in the continental championship. Her next hurdle takes place in South Africa be-

tween 4 and 7 May, 2016 in a competition organised for winners in Africa and Middle East. Should she scale that hurdle, according to a statement by the Public Relations Officer of the institution, Mr. Sulaimon Adebiyi, Miss Alumona will qualify for the World Public Speaking Championship slated for Canada later in the year.

nologies in teaching and learning, as well as promotion, development and evaluation of pedagogically effective, innovative and transformative uses of ICTs for teaching and learning. He disclosed that the workshop was for academic staff within the cadre of Assistant Lecturer to Lecturer I, as part of university’s efforts towards staff development. At the end of the workshop, he said, the university would have harvested inputs that should enhance the realisation of the teaching and learning policy in the university. In his presentation on ‘Mentorship: A Missing Link in the University Educational Culture’, the Dean, Student Affairs, FUNAAB, Professor Yemi Akegbejo-Samsons, said a mentor cannot give what he/she does not have to a mentee.

OSPOLY commences TVE programmes IN line with the vision of the state government, the management of the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, has commenced vocational, technical education and remedial programmes. A statement by the Media Officer of the institution, Mr. Tope Abiola, quotes the rector of the institution, Dr. Olusola Agboola: “The commencement of the programme is part of the polytechnic’s drive to complement the efforts of the state government in its bid to improve the vocational and entrepreneurship skills of the people in the state.” Dr. Agboola stated that the programmes are specifically designed for artisans and young school leavers in the state to enrich their knowledge and skills in their various vocations. The programmes include Welding and Fabrication, Brick Laying & Block Making, Interlocking Arts and Design, Electrical Installation, Printing, Bread Making/Wire works, Soap and Disinfectants, Computer Training, Video and Photography, and agriculturerelated courses. The rector added that the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training of the institution has series of state-of-the-art equipment that would be used to train the applicants in their various disciplines, and that the centre is open to members of the public who desire apprenticeship in the vocations.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

Group Business Editor Sulaimon Olanrewaju

aviation

m:08055001708 e:lanresulaimon@yahoo.com t:@lanresulaimon

anchor Shola Adekola

m:0803 365 4818 e:sholanig@yahoo.com

Finum Aviation, unions seek support for IDPs Stories by Shola Adekola - Lagos

service firm in the Nigeria aviation industry, Finum Aviation Services with the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) and the Air Transport Senior Staff Service Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) have indicated plans to raise assistance for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various camps in Nigeria. The committee at a joint press briefing in Lagos said with a population of over three million persons scattered across the IDPs camps, Nigeria rank top among countries with the highest number of persons displaced from their homes as a result of conflicts. Chairman of the committee, Mr Ayuba Kyari, told journalists that the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika upon request has approved the decision of the bodies to raise financial and material supports for Nigerians who are unfortunately caught in the Boko Haram cross fire. “It is unfortunate that a section of Nigeria find itself in such disturbing situation that has produced the highest number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Africa. The aviation industry

is saddened with the situation and the Honourable Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has graciously approved the plans,” Kyari said. With the official launch date slated for Saturday 27 February,

2016, Kyari said the items realised will be forwarded to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for onward transfer to the IDPs in the camps. While calling on industry leaders and staff of aviation agencies to

lend support to the project, Kyari declared: “we will raise the assistance for the IDPs on an industry level, that implies that everybody in the sector should kindly help with one item or the other, or with money that can be use in buying

Med View Airline signs pact with Air Atlanta

From left, Mr Lookman Animashaun, Head of Engineering, Medview Airline; Alhaji Muneer Bankole, MD, Medview Airline and Mr Magnus Asgeirsson, Director of Sales, Air Atlanta, during the signing of aircraft B747 400 agreement between Medview Airline and Air Atlanta in Lagos on Monday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele

Lufthansa takes delivery of world’s first Airbus A320neo LUFTHANSA, together with Airbus and the Pratt & Whitney engine manufacturer have celebrated the delivery of the world’s first Airbus A320neo. Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the Lufthansa Group; Airbus President and CEO, Fabrice Brégier and the President of Pratt & Whitney, Robert Leduc invited 700 guests and media representatives to the official delivery at Hamburg-Finkenwerder. Following the ceremonial handover, the first two new-type airplanes were presented to the public. While the first A320neo, with the registration D-AINA, has already flown scheduled service since January, the second “neo” is expected to complement the Lufthansa Airbus fleet soon. The first experiences with the A320neo clearly show that the 15 percent lower fuel consumption mark has not only been achieved but even slightly exceeded.

food items that will be channelled to the NEMA to be given to the IDPs. “We have chosen Saturday 27 February, as a formal launch day and we are hoping that the minister and industry leaders will be available that day. “No matter how little the money is, it will help in buying drugs and even water to drink. Anything anyone can use to help these needy Nigerians will be appreciated,” he said.

The significantly quieter engines also increase customer comfort on-board and provide relief to residents near airports by reducing noise emissions. “On behalf of everyone at Airbus, I congratulate Lufthansa on being the A320neo launch customer. Together, we’re opening a new chapter in commercial aviation and I am confident that the A320neo will support Luft-

hansa objective to raise its environmental performance. The A320neo not only cuts emissions at every operational stage but also halves its noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft,” said Fabrice Brégier. “At Airbus we are have been proud to support Lufthansa’s growth over the past four decades with our partnership now

spanning almost the entire Airbus family, from the A320 right up to the A380,” he said. For Pratt & Whitney President Robert Leduc: “Pratt & Whitney is proud to build on its long and deep history with Lufthansa and Airbus by together marking a new era in commercial aviation with the delivery of the A320neo equipped with ultra-high bypass ratio Geared Turbofan engines.”

Air France wins prize for customer relations AIR France has been awarded first prize for Customer Relations in the transport sector at the 12th edition of the Customer Relations BearingPoint - TNS Sofres awards in Paris. The award was given in recognition of the efforts made by the company in terms of customer relations. In recent years, Air France has digitalised its services and now offers multi-channel availabil-

ity to meet its customers’ needs 24/7, both in France and abroad. The airline is also committed to a vast move upmarket of its products and services and intends to make a difference with its caring attitude towards customers. Commenting on the development; Alexandre de Juniac, Chairman and CEO of Air France-KLM declared: “We are constantly striving on a daily

basis to continually improve the service we offer our customers. I would like to dedicate this award to all Air France staff who every day ensure our customers a stress-free and relaxing travel experience.” The survey was conducted by BearingPoint and TNS Sofres in November 2015 with customers and users of companies and authorities, from a sample of 4,000 people.

MEDVIEW Airline on Tuesday signed an agreement with Air Atlanta of Iceland for the acquisition of a B747-400. Under the agreement, Air Atlanta will deliver the 463 capacity aircraft to Medview to shore up its fleet as the airline prepares to open up more international routes. Specifically, the aircraft will be deployed for Hajj operations and also to support London and Jeddah routes. At the signing ceremony at Medview Headquarters, Ikeja were the Managing Director of Medview Airline, Alhaji Muneer Bankole; Head of Engineering, Lookman Animashaun and Air Altanta Director of Sales, Magnus Asgeirsson. In his remark, Alhaji Bankole said the agreement was a turning point in the 10-year-old partnership with Air Atlanta as both parties have kept faith with the existing relationship. Meanwhile, the airline has taken delivery of another B737400, bringing the fleet size to six aircraft. The aircraft will be dedicated to Lagos-Abuja-Maiduguri route. In another development, Medview airline has joined humanitarian efforts to help Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the North East. Beginning from January 2016, the airline delivers a trailer load of rice and noodles monthly to IDPs in Borno. “It is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) to assist our people who are affected by the activities of insurgents,” Alhaji Bankole said.

aviation

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Arik Air begins flight to Libreville, Gabon

crucial moment With Shola Adekola

0803 365 4818

Why NCAA should tackle airlines owing workers TO say the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the supposed regulatory body in the country’s aviation sector is facing too many challenges especially safety related ones is a fact. The regulatory body is expected to monitor the domestic airlines’ activities including their financial strength and their adherence to safety rules regarding flight operations. While the airlines are expected to maintain their aircraft absolutely in line with civil aviation rules and regulations, they are also expected to take care of their workers on whose shoulders hang the ability to bring to fruition the expected safe operations. Because of the sensitive nature of the jobs the workers carry out in ensuring safe flight operations, it is certain that no airline operator is expected to take them for granted. Any operator who fails to take into consideration the importance of the workers being used to run his airline should be regarded as a ‘killer’ because at that point, anything goes and in aviation the idea of anything goes is almost a taboo. It is no more secret that many of the domestic airlines in the country today are indebted to their workers for months that many of the workers can no longer pay their children school fees or house rents not to talk of feeding their families and yet they work. The unfortunate thing in this dangerous trend is that the affected operators owe even those that can be described as grade one priority staff such as; pilots, engineers and other crew members without considering the implications. In the aviation sector today, some of the operators have become chronic debtors who have grown thick skin in indebtedness. The danger in any operator owing its workers is that such workers out of frustration can definitely compromise safety and there is no way such workers can be absolutely loyal to their work except just for the sake of passion for the job and the grace of God. Because they say a hungry man is an angry man, a worker who is owed for three or four months may start nursing the idea of cutting corners just to survive. It is therefore pertinent for the NCAA as the regulator to be more up and doing in putting the affected airlines on their toes. The need for the aviation authority to be more proactive becomes imperative because the consequence of such dangerous attitude can be catastrophic. The trend became more worrisome when recently the present director general in the regulatory body, Captain Muthar Usman declared before the house committee on aviation in Abuja how the affected workers often frustrate attempts of taking actions against the debtor airlines as the workers even shield the operators by denying that they are not being owed out of fear of being sacked. It is therefore at this juncture that even though the situation is dicey, the NCAA needs to up its ante in ensuring this dangerous trend is nipped in the bud. Agreed that airline business in the country especially is going through economic challenges, but one fact remains that a worker they say deserves his wages therefore, there should be a way out. While it is more dangerous is the contradiction in the fact that the some of the indebted operators spend money lavishly on other mundane things and still owe their workers. To prevent any untoward thing happening, the time has come for the NCAA to urgently take action against such airlines and in doing this, there is also the need to carry along the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body of the operators by appealing to the association to urge their members to stop owing salaries of workers. Failure to change from this dangerous attitude, the NCAA should not waste time in clamping down on anyone found culpable.

Nigerian Tribune

From left: Communications Manager of Dana Air, Mr Kingsley Ezenwa; Mr and Mrs Olawaye, couple who won return tickets on Lagos/ Accra route for the DanaPulse Valentine contest on Instagram; Cythia Fayoyin, Pulse TV VJ and a member of Dana Air Cabin crew, Adetoro Adewuyi, during the presentation of the return tickets to the couple.

Ethiopian Airlines invests $100 million on new aviation academy StoriesbySholaAdekola-Lagos

N line with its vision 2025 strategic road map, Ethiopian Airlines Group has invested $100 million in breakthrough expansion and upgrading of its Aviation Academy. The scale and scope of the expansion seals the Academy’s position as the largest and the finest Aviation Academy in Africa with annual intake capacity of 4,000 students. The new Ethiopian Aviation Academy has many class room buildings consisting of the Technical block housing the Pilot Training School and the Aviation Maintenance Training School; while the Commercial and Leadership block accommodates the Inflight Services Training School, Commercial and Ground Services School and Leadership School. It also has separate administration building, workshops, auditorium, students’ dormitory and large cafeteria. Currently, the academy has the best aviation training technology like full range of fleet cabin emergency, evacuation and door trainers fitted with standard swimming pool for cabin crew ditching exercises and more than 20 pilot training aircraft, the finest expertise, dedicated and experienced instructors and a perfect environment for students. Commenting on the development, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said: “Education is the greatest equaliser in today’s global village. We are proud to be in a position to avail the latest and next generation aviation technology training machines and facilities where we can train the continent’s youth and prepare them for the 21st century African Aviation development. The Ethiopian Aviation Academy is positioning itself to be the catalyst leader in aviation training technology in supporting the African Union

to realise its vision 2063.” Ethiopian Airlines, the largest and most profitable airline in Africa, is continuously expanding rapidly in the development of most departments. The New Cargo Terminal,

expected to be operational towards the end of 2016, will have an annual storage, for both dry and perishable goods, of 1.2 million tonnes with capacity to handle eight B747800 freighters at any one time.

IATA releases 2015 safety performance Says no fatal jet hull losses THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released data for the 2015 safety performance of the commercial airline industry. The 2015 global jet accident rate (measured in hull losses per 1 million flights) was 0.32, which was the equivalent of one major accident for every 3.1 million flights. This was not as good as the rate of 0.27 achieved in 2014 but a 30 per cent improvement compared to the previous five-year rate (2010-2014) of 0.46 hull loss accidents per million jet flights. There were four accidents resulting in passenger fatalities in 2015, all of which involved turboprop aircraft, with 136 fatalities. This compares with an average of 17.6 fatal accidents and 504 fatalities per year in the previous five-year period (2010-2014). The 2015 jet hull loss rate for members of IATA was 0.22 (one accident for every

4.5 million flights), which outperformed the global rate by 31 per cent and which was in line with the five-year rate (2010-2014) of 0.21 per million flights but above the 0.12 hull loss rate achieved in 2014. The loss of Germanwings 9525 (pilot suicide) and Metrojet 9268 (suspected terrorism) that resulted in the deaths of 374 passengers and crew are tragedies that occurred in 2015. They are not, however, included in the accident statistics as they are classified as deliberate acts of unlawful interference. According to IATA director general, Tony Tyler; “2015 was another year of contrasts when it comes to aviation’s safety performance. In terms of the number of fatal accidents, it was an extraordinarily safe year. And the long-term trend data show us that flying is getting even safer.”

NIPR honours FAAN MD THE Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr Saleh Dunoma was on February 11, 2016 honoured by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) with the award of “Leader of Service Excellence” award at the institute’s presidential dinner and awards in Lagos. According to NIPR, Dunoma was found worthy of the award because of his enormous contributions to the development of the na-

tion’s aviation sector and for his “outstanding contributions impacting positively on Nigeria’s reputation, including best practices in corporate communication, commendable corporate citizenship and landmark in corporate value delivery.” Dunoma was appointed MD/CEO of FAAN in 2014 and since then, he has brought his immense experience in airport management to bear on service delivery at all Nigerian airports managed by FAAN.

ARIK Air said it has responded to the yearnings of Nigerians living in Gabon by introducing Lagos to Libreville flight, enroute Port Harcourt. During the maiden flight at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at the weekend, the Gabonese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Corentine Hervo-Akendengue, hailed the airline’s decision to operate to the Central African nation. This is the first flight connections between the two countries, which have so much in common, including the fact that so many Nigerians live in Gabon and being oil producing nation, oil and gas companies in Nigeria have over the years longed for direct connection between Nigeria and Gabon. According to Arik, by introducing a direct flight between the two countries, It has solved knotty problems for these corporate organisations and Nigerians who live in Gabon who in the past spent two days or more to connect either of the countries, but direct flight takes about one and half hours. Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Suraj Sundaram explained that there has not been any direct flight between the two countries for so many years, noting that flight connection between the two countries is important because it will increase trade ties.

Airbus starts A350-1000 final assembly AIRBUS has started final assembly of the first A3501000 on schedule at the A350 XWB Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France. This A350-1000, one of three flight test aircraft to be built, will take to the skies for its maiden flight before the end of 2016 while deliveries will start in mid-2017. To ensure the smooth integration of the A350-1000 into the FAL while A350900 production is ramping-up, Airbus has added three additional final assembly stations. For maximum flexibility, all stations in the A350 XWB FAL can be used for both models. Currently in “Station 50” for fuselage join-up and nose landing gear installation, the first A350-1000 will next move to “Station 40” where the wings, main landing gear, pylons and tail planes will be installed.

Thursday,18 February, 2016

Nigerian Tribune

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maritime

Tola Adenubi

m:07068476673 e:adenubiadetola@yahoo.com

Ports access road rehabilitation tears maritime concessionaires apart The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recently sponsored advertorial in the national dailies indicating that Messrs AG Dangote Construction Company will begin rehabilitation of Lagos port access roads on a CSR basis has generated conflicting signals from other terminal operators, who have raised questions over the nature of the project, writes TOLA ADENUBI.

HEN the Federal Government declared open various terminals at the seaport up for grabs to private investors in 2006, some Nigerians took over some sections of the ports alongside foreign investors and both have successfully managed the terminals in line with best practises. Notable among this wholly owned Nigerian terminals are: Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL) owned by Flour Mills Nigeria Limited, Port & Cargo Handling Services (P&CHS) owned by Sifax Group, and Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL) owned by Dangote Group. While some sections of the terminals were also taken over by foreign conglomerates like the biggest container terminal at the Lagos port which went to APM Terminals, a member of the Netherlands industrial giant, A.P. Moller-Maersk Group; some other terminals went to investors from other European countries like the Five Star Logistics Terminals, TinCan Island Container Terminal etc. However, despite the huge investment by both the foreign and Nigerian owned terminal operators, the ports access roads, which lead to their terminals, have remained in a comatose state since the ports were concessioned. Although a responsibility of the Federal Government, who is duly represented by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), years of ineffective repair of the ports access roads has rendered them death traps for motorists. With containers falling on motorists and causing chaotic traffic gridlock, it became imperative that some of the terminals operators needed to take their destinies in their hands if they intended to compliment business in their terminals with good ports access roads. Daring the odds That was why on February 8, 2016, the media became awash of interest by Messrs AG Dangote Construction Company, a subsidiary of the Dangote Group and a sister company to GDNL that the major port access road to the Lagos port, Wharf road, will be rehabilitated on a Corporate Social

Dangote Responsibility (CSR) basis by the construction company. This was unprecedented at the seaports since many of the terminal operators had boycotted road repairs as a CSR initiative, rather concentrating on donations to educational and health institutions. According to a source at the Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL), the strain on business inside the terminal caused by the bad access roads necessitated the need to repair the road as a CSR project. “The bad access roads were affecting us at the GDNL, so there was need for us to influence the decision at the conglomerate level, which is the Dangote Group, to look into these things. So we are happy our parent company has seen the need to embark on it as a CSR project and we are most delighted over that,” he stated. Commending the initiative of the Dangote Group, another Nigerian administered maritime concessionaire, P&CHS revealed that it is open to partnership on the need to repair the ports access roads on a CSR basis. In the words of the spokesman of Sifax Group, Muyiwa Akanda (the parent company of P&CHS), in an

exclusive interview with the Nigerian Tribune, said: “We are ever ready to partner Dangote Group as regards repairing the ports access roads if called upon. “The crux of our own CSR is much more tailored towards individuals. Our CSR is much more into empowerment of the people. That is why we have programmes such as donations into secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

With containers falling on motorists and causing chaotic traffic gridlock, it became imperative that some of the terminals operators needed to take their destinies in their hands ... to compliment business in their terminals with good ports access roads.

“We run a foundation which caters for people, but as regards improving infrastructure at the seaports, we are ever looking for ways to partner efforts to improve infrastructure in the maritime industry. We are open to opportunity of partnership if called upon. So it is not an area we are closing our doors towards.” Conflicting signals However, the largest container terminal operator who incidentally is a next door neighbour to the Greenview Development Nigeria Ltd; APM Terminals have poured cold water on the Dangote led initiative, stating that it is not a project being single-handedly executed by the Dangote Group alone, but that it is a combined efforts of some other companies operating from the Lagos port complex. Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, the spokesman of APM Terminals, Augustine Fischer stated that, “I don’t know where you got the information from that it is Dangote Group that is going ahead to repair the port access road. I think it is in conjunction with some other companies operating from that area. It is not only Dangote. It is a combined effort.”

When reminded that the NPA had placed an advertorial in national dailies, stating that Messrs A.G. Dangote Construction Company had agreed to carry out repair works on the road on a CSR basis, Fischer explained that, “the notice in the national dailies states that a subsidiary of Dangote Group has been given the go-ahead to repair the ports access road. Have you asked if they are the ones financing the project? “You need to find out if it is only Dangote that is financing the project. I think it is a group of companies from that area that are doing a combined effort on the port access road. It is not only Dangote.” When asked if APM Terminal was involved, he said: “I cannot say authoritatively, but I know it is not only Dangote Group that is repairing that road. The truth of the matter is that access to the port is very necessary. It is very necessary to improve business, so we at APM Terminals are working in partnership with government to see that those things that are necessary are put in place.” Debunking the claim of APM Terminal, a certified Port Facility Security Officer of GDNL, George Umanah, also in an exclusive interaction with the Nigerian Tribune said the CSR project is a wholly Dangote affair. “I will advise you to go to our office and speak to the terminal Engineer, Mr Bolaji. Did you not see the publication sponsored by the NPA on February 8 in the national dailies? Was there any other company mentioned in that publication? NO “So you need not believe what people are telling you. If you need full details of the CSR project, please, see our terminal engineer, Mr Bolaji,” Umanah stated In the words of a maritime lawyer who declined not to have his name in print, “it is obvious that the decision by the Dangote Group to repair the road has caught many of the terminal operators unaware. They never thought any of their members will want to go out of its way to fix ports access roads since it is not their obligation to do so. “But with the advertorial that the NPA placed, which did not state that it is a combined effort, and the claim by one of the terminal operators that it is a combined effort; it is obvious that all is not well among the terminal operators.”

maritime FG loses N5bn annually to extortion, bribery at seaport —NPA 30

Stories by Tola Adenubi - Lagos The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said that not less than N5 billion is lost annually as a result of illegal collection of money at various points inside the ports, either from truck drivers, clearing agents and other operators. Speaking at the National Secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos, recently, General Manager, Western Ports of NPA, Chief Michael Ajayi lamented that not less than N5 billion is lost annually to bribery and extortion inside the ports. Ajayi, who recently set up

Thursday,18 February, 2016

a committee to check extortion of truck drivers at entry and exit points to the Western Ports acknowledged that various task forces set up to control traffic gridlock at various locations in Apapa have turned out to be flash points of extortion. He noted that the task forces, which usually comprise of Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) among several others, deliberately cause gridlock in Apapa in order to enable

them collect bribe from truck drivers and tanker drivers. “When I had a meeting with the truckers union, AMATO, NARTO, JCOST and others, they cried out a lot about extortion, security operatives robbing them off their sweat, and if you ask me, if God gives us the spiritual way of calculating the amount of money we lost illegally to these extortionists, it is running into about N5 billion per annum or more. “All the task forces are extortion points and are partly responsible for the gridlock

you see in Apapa. They deliberately cause that gridlock to make money,” Ajayi stated. Pleading with all security operatives inside the port to imbibe a change of attitude, the GM added that, “this is a government of change, pursuing anti-corruption mantra with vigour and we owe it as a sense of duty to also pursue it. While Mr President is pursuing it at the higher level, we at the lower level should also pursue it.” He noted that it took over 50 meetings with various stakeholders before “sanity

and free flow” of traffic could be restored on the popular Wharf Road in Apapa. He said that the extortionists collecting money brazenly and recklessly at the ports are doing so because they are being backed by somebody hiding and staying in the office. He assured that the new committee will equally check on terminal operators. He disclosed that ANLCA and NAGAFF members will be included and that the committee might be made a standing committee to stem corruption in the ports.

Coscharis Motors, Dangote, others to grace Shippers Day celebration FRONTLINE conglomerates including Nigerian Breweries Plc, Coscharis Motors, Dangote Group, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Flour Mills Nigeria Limited are expected to headline the Second National Shippers’ Day Celebration and Exhibition which will be holding at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos on February 25 and 26, 2016. The celebration which is an annual event, organised by the Shippers’ Association of Lagos State (SALS), is in collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC). Other stakeholders who will be attending the event include: NACCIMA, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) terminal operators and shipping companies, as well as other maritime stakeholders. Also, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi is Special Guest, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Mallam Habeeb Abdullahi is the guest and chief host is the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Mr Hassan Bello. The host of the day is Reverend Jonathan Nicole, President of Shippers Association of Lagos State. Speaking on the upcoming event, SALS President, Jonathan Nicole, said the theme of the event “Approaching a New Dawn in the Maritime Sector visa-vis The International Cargo Tracking Note.”

From left: Second runner-up, Agor Brendan; CEO Ships & Ports, Mr Bolaji Akinola; Champion, Kehinde Borokini; representative of the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and sponsor of the competition, Prince Olayiwola Shittu; Alhaji Mukaila Babatunde; Head, Corporate Communications, Sifax Group, Mr. Muyiwa Akande who represented the Executive Director, Human Resources and Administration of the Group, Dr Phil Ofulue and third runner-up, Philip Asuquo, at the fourth Ships & Ports Table Tennis Tournament, held in Lagos, recently.

Nigeria’s trade hub gets 80,000 hits monthly— Mintah THE Managing Director/ CEO of West Blue Consulting, Valentina Mintah, has said that every month, Nigeria’s trade hub get about 80,000 hits from prospective importers/exporters across the globe. She, however, bemoaned the underutilisation of the single window portal by the Nigerian government. Speaking in Accra, Ghana, the West Blue boss explained that “the Nigerian trade hub is a single window for trade information. Take for example, if you go on the portal and search for trade in cashew nuts, you don’t have to be an expert in trade to conduct such transaction. “if you input cashew nuts, let’s say coming from Azerbaijan; the portal will immediately tell you the HS-Code of cashew nuts, it will tell you the regulating agencies involved in that process of

bringing in cashew nuts into Nigeria, it will tell you the processes you will need to undergo to bring it into Nigeria, it will tell you the documents that you will need and the time and fees that it will cost you to complete the trade transaction. “That is the entire spirit of the concept. You don’t have to go to different agencies of government telling them I have cashew nuts, what should I do. “The next step is the transaction stage. I know I want to bring in cashew nuts from Azerbaijan and I logged into the Nigeria Trade Hub from my hotel room in Azerbaijan, but I want to commence transaction of cashew nuts from Azerbaijan to Nigeria while still in my hotel room. “With the Nigerian trade hub, all I need do is press the transact button on the portal and fill all the neces-

sary forms that it will display. While I am on this, my people are getting the commercial stuff ready and bagging the cashew nuts into the standard that I want before putting it onboard a ship for onward transfer to Nigeria. “We at West Blue Consulting have completed the information stage on the Nigerian Trade portal. We have completed the Needs and Gaps analysis on the portal. The Nigeria Trade Hub is experiencing about 80,000 plus hits a month from all countries all over the world. It is however currently underutilised. “The portal is a very powerful tool because it affords you the opportunity to get into the psyche of a wouldbe-trader. The portal allows government to know when someone in Panama or anywhere in the world is bringing in goods into Nigeria.

“On the exporting side, the Trade Hub also gives government feedback on interest shown in the country’s goods and services. How does it do this? It’s simple, on the Trade Hub, maybe somebody is thinking of how he or she could get palm nuts from Nigeria to maybe Panama. Once the person logs in onto the Nigerian Trade Hub to look at the necessary details it will cost him to export palm nuts from Nigeria to any country, the trade hub captures this activities. “With this activities captured, government can periodically run reports on the Trade Hub to see Nigerian commodities, both import and export, that are attracting interest from business minded people across the globe. With this information, government can now intervene to make more palm nuts available for export,” she said.

Nigerian Tribune

Customs to designate Ikorodu terminal for exports TO boost Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) plans to designate the Ikorodu Cargo Terminal as a dedicated export gateway. The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Deputy Comptroller Adewale Adeniyi, dropped the hint while discussing the topic “Maritime Domain Awareness: Role of the Media”, at the 2016 Africa Maritime Journalists Conference (AMJOC), held recently in Accra, Ghana. As part of measures to meet its N1trillion (about US$5billion) revenue target this year, the NCS spokesperson disclosed that the service will support excise companies and assist local manufacturers improve their export volumes, to enable them bring in the needed foreign exchange into the country. “Anyone familiar with the traffic situation in Lagos will appreciate what we’re trying to do at Ikorodu. We’re trying to see the possibility of moving the entire export operations from the mainstream seaports to a location in Ikorodu, so that trucks carrying goods for export no longer have to struggle with those taking delivery or returning containers at the major Lagos ports,” he explained. The NCS he further said plans to recruit no less than 1,200 seafarers this year, to strengthen its fight against smuggling through the waterways and equally provide employment to the youths. “The Nigeria Customs Service in collaboration with other security agencies is determined to effectively monitor and check criminal activities within Nigeria’s maritime space, to this end the service have acquired sea-going platforms for our Marine Commands (Eastern and Western). In my estimate, we will need about 1,200 seafarers, who will be trained as customs officers, to man these platforms, while some of them will be needed for maintenance and repair services,” he added. Adeniyi called for a paradigm shift in the continent’s approach to the rise in trans-border maritime crimes, saying “crime is transnational and our failure to share information and intelligence has made the fight against piracy, hijacking of ships, human trafficking, oil theft and other vices difficult to arrest in our waters, we must therefore set aside our parochial interests and see the threat to one as a threat to all.”

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

With Adewale Oshodi tribunearts@yahoo.com 08054005323

NCAC to develop national calender for cultural festivals By Wale Olapade

HE Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Mrs Dayo Keshi, has promised to double the organisation’s efforts at rebranding the Nigerian cultural potentialities, to not only serve as attractions to tourists, but also revenue generation for the economy. The NCAC boss, who was a guest at the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP’s) national conference, which was held in Calabar, Cross River State recently, spoke on the richness and benefits in identifying, building and developing the country’s cultural sector. The DG’s passion to bring about change to the NCAC through different innovation was bare out at the conference, where she promised to develop a national calendar for festivals in order to pave the way for tourists patronising Nigerian arts and cultural destinations. According to Keshi, “the truth of the matter is that festivals are not too many in any country that has strong cultural base like Nigeria. You do know very well that most of our small communities have cultural festivals, and when you go round the country, you will find out it is their way of life. “Again, the truth of the matter is simple; we will continue to develop national festivals; we will focus our energy, publicity and

everything on such festivals. “We can easily run 200 festivals. We will give special consideration for NAFEST; we know this is a festival that brings the country together in arts. “Therefore, what we are saying is that NAFEST is the mother of all festivals, but we are going to pick and highlight other festivals from different parts of the country. “The calendar is, therefore, important because, for instance, when a tourist misses a festival in January, he/she will have something to come and see in the next couple of months. On how to use the tourism content to generate revenue, Mrs Keshi explained that there is something unique about content, and tourism has always been a strong engine through which other allied industries develop. “When I say structure, I mean

•Mrs Dayo Keshi, NCAC DG we have to calendar our events; we have to identify the ingredients that will bring success to

the sector. It’s not done because you think you want to have a festival, but for every festival, there

Egyptian film, The Square, still banned at home THE first-ever Egyptian film to be nominated for an Academy Award has never been screened in its home country. The film, The Square (Al Midan) tells the story of revolution in the country. It seems to have been suppressed because of its critical depiction of the Egyptian army’s role in politics after the 2011 uprising. But authorities insist the film has been heldup for administrative reasons, claiming the producers had not

filed the correct paperwork. “It’s a kind of politics disguised in bureaucracy,” says the producer, Karim Amer. The film, nominated last year in the best documentary feature category, follows three activists from their initial joy after the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, to disillusionment at the ouster of Mohammed Morsi in 2013. Magdy Ashour, one of the film’s protagonists, had his house raid-

ed by police because he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, the now-banned Islamist movement. The film was released internationally to widespread acclaim, but in Egypt, the only way for citizens to watch it is on YouTube, where it has not been blocked by the authorities. The documentary highlights the use of violence by the army against civilians during the country’s Arab uprising in 2011.

Poet’s Blazing Moon depicts an ‘orderly dangerous’ world A review of Nwachukwu Egbunike’s poem, Blazing Moon by Uchenna Ekweremadu. IN a world where very few are increasingly being looked upon to set the pace for the rest to follow, Blazing Moon jumps onto the stage with the intention of doing the very opposite. From the moment the curtains part and light comes up on stage, we are ushered into a strange world altogether. In this surreal world, imagination is unfettered. Nothing is impossible. One could rightly guess that the poet deliberately placed MY WORLD as the first poem in this collection in order to clear any misconception that the reader might be tempted to entertain. And as such, one only has oneself to blame if one comes out of Blazing Moon feeling disappointed in any way. The first two lines

make that point as clear as day: “Let me take you to my world/

my own creation.” It is important to get one thing clear from the very beginning. At best it is paradisiacal, at worse it is fantastical. But either way, Blazing Moon is worth the time. A discerning mind wouldn’t miss the politeness in the first line, a politeness which is by no means patronizing nor persuasive. Suffice it to say that this first poem, MY WORLD, is the border at which the reader must pause and decide whether or not he or she really wishes to take that dive into the poet’s world: “Where the sea washes the streets And little ones swim in the sands Where mothers wash on sand banks and fathers till the seas…” Moreover, the warning comes early enough as the poet reminds us it is his “own creation”. Perhaps sensing that a few would

still be disappointed with this book in one way or another, the poet forewarns us to not expect something of the extraordinary. Simply put, this world of his is one where: “… so much is unknown, unsaid where there are no mysteries no boring into the skies no flight into the earth.” And to buttress that fact, the poem, PAINT YOURS, reminds us that the creator is at liberty to use paint on his canvas according to his discretion. If you are dissatisfied with the end product, instead of “staring and moping” and loving neither “the brush nor canvas”, there is only one thing you can do: “Paint yours” (pp 14). MY WEAPON is a plot to do mischief; a deliberate scheme to undo certain persons by simply drowning them in their vanities. continues pg32

should be a structural committee that has as its sole responsibility the assignment to ensure the success of the festival. “Of course, when you talk of festival, you have to take it to its natural environment. I spoke on the national festival of Durbar, I will think the natural environment of the Durbar festival should be in the North, without mentioning any particular state because it would thrive better there, just like the boat regatta will thrive better in the riverine areas and for the masquerade, it would thrive better in the East because they have the biggest of these things there.” Mrs Keshi added that “once there is a calendar, tourists will know when to visit a destination; now, the tourism ministry will be supported to sustain the calendar, which highlights that if you come on March 6, there will be Durbar. “So for us, we are going to work hard to drive this vision so that we will be at the minds of tourists at all times and also keep our calendar prompt year after year.

POEM

Undying flower

I have never seen a woman who flap due process fan When the fog form she never deform Bold as a lion gentle as a dove from zion Dressed in royal beeds and fervently engaging the weeds Bunch of amazon dominating every zone Up are so many thumbs because she is not scared of tombs High-pitched soprano judge yet no element of grudge The sun Knows am ain’t joking and the moon knows am ain’t poking Far from disvirgined justice and gallantly drinking democracy juice Never hesitate to remove the wheat from the chaff then she must be a righteous staff I will pay a piper for a melodious tune Groove there and wear the golden vest where guarantee is given for eternal rest. Ozovehe Aroke pasquare24@gmail.com

arts&review

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

‘Nigeria can rebuild its economy with the cultural sector’ CHIEF Fakayode Faluade is the founder of Ifa Olokun Foundation, a socio-cultural organisation that works towards projecting Yoruba values. In this interview with ADEWALE OSHODI, he speaks on why the country should develop its cultural tourism sector, as well as why government should give more recognition to adherents of the traditional faith. EXCERPTS:

coming of Christianity and Islam, people profess the traditional faith, but when the missionaries brought these two religions, the first thing they did was to paint our faith in bad light. They made people see those who practise the traditional faith as evil people, which is not so. We are now working towards making people realise that as there are fake priests among traditionalists, so there are in Christianity and Islam. We want the government to accord us the recognition we deserve so that we can continue to work and pray for the development of the country.

OUR organisation, the Ifa Olokun Foundation, recently hosted officials of the International Council of Ifa Religion (ICIR); what did you discuss at the meeting? The Ifa Olokun Foundation aims at promoting the Yoruba socio-cultural heritage, of which religion is a part. We want to project our culture in positive light. The world must know the positive attributes of an average Yoruba son or daughter. However, we recently discovered that some people are hiding under the guise of traditional priests to defraud unsuspecting members of the public who have spiritual problems. This is the reason we parleyed with officials of the ICIR, so that more can be done to curb the activities of these fake priests who capitalise on the problems of the society. Before then, during our festival last year, we highlighted the need for Yoruba sons and daughters to project the culture at all times; we want them to be wearing the native attire, and to be proud of it. We want the ladies to be having traditional hair-do, instead of fixing weave-ons. To encourage our

•Chief Fakayode Faluade ladies, we had a beauty pageant, and it was all fun. So we are simply after the promotion of the Yoruba way of life. You said you are bothered with fake priests who capitalise on the spiritual problems of members of the society to defraud them; how do you intend to punish such people? After this conference, we agreed that whenever a suspected fraudster who claims to be a priest is caught, we will interrogate him, to know under whom he had his training; we will ask him some questions to determine if he is a

true priest or not, and if he is discovered to be a fraudster, we will then hand him over to the police for justice to be served on him. It is so unfortunate that these fraudsters are the ones giving traditional priests a bad name, and we are working very hard to ensure that they are brought to justice as soon as they are caught. Government gives more recognition to Christianity and Islam, while relegating the traditional faith to the background; what do you have to say to this? This is what the Ifa Olokun Foundation is also out to change; even before the

Poet’s Blazing Moon depicts an ‘orderly dangerous’ world continued from pg31

THIS poem reminds me of Decius, one of the murderers of Julius Caesar. At the peak of their plot, the schemers begin to fear that their target might not show up at the Capitol on the ‘D’ day. Decius steps in claiming to know just how to lure Caesar to the Capitol, assuring his colleagues that he can “… o’ersway him; for he loves to hear That unicorns may be betray’d with trees, And bears with glasses, elephants with holes; But when I tell him he hates flatterers, He says he does, being the most flattered. Let me work; For I can give his humour the true bent, And I will bring him to the Capitol…” The schemer in MY WEAPON is as much a gamesman as Decius. He will “make them think: They do better They say better They are the best I’ll make them:

Want their way Seek their way Get their way… Argue when they’re wrong Argue when they’re right Argue when they’re neither right nor wrong…” He intends to fly them too close to the sun until their wings of wax melts and send them crashing down on hard rocks after which he will “…make news of their failure I’ll be the megaphone of their defects… I’ll enslave them with my lies.” (pp 41) SMOTHERED TO ASHES is a requiem specifically for Baga but also for all the other war ravaged towns that don’t make it to the news as would Boston or Paris or London. The poem shines light on human (and media) hypocrisy of treating “third world” tragedies differently from that of the “first world”. “When news broke in Boston Theirs was an instant reprisal No speeches made… Justice was served with no appetizer Yours was otherwise Lost in the Savannah of Borno

None to sing of you…” And while both government and rebel forces keep trading blames and claiming victimhood, Baga is “…Tossed in the middle/ as the sacrifice to the gory god of blood.” We learn that even when it makes the news; it is only for a day before some other news upturns it. But it is the resignation to fate, the learned helplessness in the last stanza that shatters the heart: “One more Who cares? Numbers only create numbness.” As Joseph Stalin would say: the death of one man is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic. THE TWEET OVERLORD is a beautiful poem. It is a mockery of blind worship and followership; the deification of the 1% by the 99%. The poem mirrors the asymmetrical relationship between idols of the social realm and their fanatical worshipers. This poem makes you wonder: what makes one a god? Is it the ability to stand apart out of the sea of humans? Is it the ability to acquire certain degree of notoriety irrespective of whether it is in a good or a bad way?

In what ways are you planning to project the traditional faith further? Our foundation is already planning a primary and secondary school; when this comes on board, it will be a normal school where all the subjects are taught. However, we will include the Traditional Religious Study so that students will learn about our religious ways of life. We won’t discriminate, that is, we will admit students from different religious backgrounds. In fact, when some people were growing up, despite the fact that they were Muslims, they studied in Christian schools, and vice versa. So we won’t discriminate in admitting students; we just want Yoruba sons and daughters to appreciate our culture and way of life better. We are hoping for a future where we will have many doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, among other professionals who practise the traditional faith. People have been talking about religious tourism; is there any way we can develop ours in Nigeria? Definitely! People flock to Israel and Saudi Arabia on a yearly basis to perform pilgrimage, and we can only imagine how much our people spend in those countries. If we can develop our tourism, then people can be coming all over the world to see our country. We should not forget that there are many people in the United States, Brazil, Cuba, and many other countries who have Yoruba ancestry. These people will be happy to come to Nigeria to experience what their ancestors experienced while they were here. We can see how foreign tourists come to the country during festivals like the Osun Osogbo festival, among others. So we need to develop our cultural tourism sector. It is even important now that the government is trying to diversify the economy; some countries even rely solely on tourism to create jobs for their citizens, as well as generate revenue for government. We can also do this in Nigeria. Nigeria is currently passing through a difficult economic situation, is there no way adherents of the traditional faith can offer prayers for the country? We are definitely praying for the country, but if government is serious then it will need to invite us to know how to go about organising more serious prayers so that we can overcome the economic challenges we are facing. In the olden days, whenever a town is facing challenges, the king sent for the priest, who would divine to know the steps to take. It is also possible now, but government must be ready to reach out to us on this.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016 Editor:

health YOU&EYE

Sade Oguntola sadeboguntola@yahoo.com 0805 506 9260

SEX,SEXUALITY&YOU

NATURALHEALTH

Egg freezing:

Fears, uncertainties of the Nigerian woman

The ticking of woman’s biological clock has long stopped being just a cliché but a source of profound petrification. While women desperately try to procreate early enough, some are not so lucky due to severe health challenges or the inability to find Mr. Right. VERA ONANA reports about how willing Nigerian single women are to explore the option of cryopreservation, a process of freezing one’s eggs for future purposes.

EBBIE (her pseudo name) was jittery about her appointment, but she believed it was the wisest decision to make. As her Toyota hatch back pulled into the parking lot of the fertility hospital, the conversation she had with her dear mother the night before filled the ambience of her car. Her mother had insisted it was wrong to tamper with nature, she couldn’t believe her daughter would consider freezing her eggs at age 29. The concept of cryopreservation Oocyte cryopreservation, according to Consultant Gynecologist of Nigeria’s award winning fertility centre, The Bridge Clinic, Lagos, Dr Tayo Abiara, “is the medical term for egg freezing and it is a process whereby a woman’s ovary is stimulated with medication (usually in form of injections) and her eggs are collected from her ovaries usually through the vagina and stored for future use. This is done usually for fertility preservation before anticancer therapy or more recently because of advancing age. Dr Abiara elucidated the subject by adding “egg preservation is popular in the western world as part of fertility treatment and for pre cancer therapy in women who have not completed their families and need to take chemo or radio therapy. In Nigeria, however, she said that it is new. “Oocyte freezing in form of vitrification has been used at the Bridge Clinic during artificial reproductive technique where the husband was inadvertently absent on the day of egg retrieval or could not produce a semen sample. That instance was a medical indication of the procedure. Increasingly, however, women advancing in age are seeking this treatment to preserve their eggs until they have a suitable male partner or when they are ready to start a family. This, on the other hand, is a social indication for egg freezing and is pretty new in Nigeria.” Women express their fears Invariably, most single Nigerian women have diverse

NATURAL HEALTH

Better choice to keep mosquitoes away Page 37

speculations and reservations about the concept of oocyte cryopreservation. A 33-year-old single banker, who works with one of the new generation banks in the country, said “I hear white celebrities talk about freezing their eggs all the time on E! Entertainment, but I never really understood the concept until recently. I think it is a beautiful innovation and would be a saving grace for a whole lot of us that have not been able to find our Mr Right early enough. But there are certain things I am not clear about. It is something I would like to try at my age, saving up some viable eggs is a wise idea, but how can I be so sure that the medical personnel we have in this country are capable of handling the procedure without complications like damaging my womb in the process of harvesting the egg, for instance,” she said. For 29-year-old Lagos-based party planner, “nature happens to be very unfair to the female gender,” she began. “I was perplexed when I learnt that a woman is born with all the eggs she would have for a lifetime and when she starts menstruating, they begin to decline. Imagine my horror when I clocked 28 last year and still haven’t found my knight in shining armour. So, I made an attempt recently by contacting one of the fertility clinics in Lagos metropolis, but the bill I was given got me running out of the front door like a thief,” she concluded. “To me, egg freezing is not a bad idea,” 24-year-old Nurse stated. “I know how important it is for a woman to give birth at ages between 19 and 33. Egg freezing is a way of preserving the eggs (ova) for future purposes, but the only thing I may have a problem with when people talk about cryopreservation is this–what is the motive? Why will a woman want to freeze her eggs? Cases like premature deliveries, menopause, cancer and other medical conditions are good enough reasons for any woman to carry out cryopreservation. They are acceptable reasons, but when the reason becomes career pursuit and may be fashion, then I don’t think that it is a good idea to carry out this procedure. Also, the cost is alarming. Why will a woman who doesn’t have any medical conditions spend so much on

INSIDE

Phasing out fake drugs with the Truescan device HEALTH QUOTE

cryopreservation?” Risk factors and mitigation In a bid to reassure these women’s uncertainties and trepidations, Dr Abiara said, “Cryopreservation itself does not put a woman’s reproductive system at risk but like any intervention, the risks need to be weighed against the benefits. There are risks attached to the egg collection procedure but this is minimised or absent when done by a trained doctor in a good standard facility where safety is guaranteed. The side effects of the medications are mild and with appropriate dosing, complication is minimised.” Cost implication Shedding light on the high cost of the procedure however, she stated that “cryopreservation is one of the Assisted Reproduction Technologies and the materials and items used are as at now imported. More so, a lot of things have to be put in place to ensure the state of preservation is maintained. It cannot be subject to power outages or out of stock so these things are expensive to maintain but the benefits obtained far outweighs the cost. Therefore, standards cannot be compromised when it comes to reproduction and fertility as the unborn child needs to be protected.” Increasing need for cryopreservation Dr Abiara added “the availability of successful oocyte freezing and thawing for fertility use is a welcome development because with increasing education of the girl-child and the lack of “suitable spouses” a lot of women are delaying child bearing till a later time. The truth is, females are born with a fixed number of eggs at birth. About one to two million eggs are present in the ovaries at birth and this number reduces as a girl is getting older such that by puberty she has about half a million eggs left for use during her reproductive years. Thus, as a woman gets older, her ovarian reserve declines, whether she is getting pregnant or not.”

NEWS

Page 36

IFC, others map out strategies to increase investment in health Page 35

The healthy, the strong individual, is the one who asks for help when he needs it. Whether he has an abscess on his knee or in his soul. — Rona Barrett

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Dr. Ben Ajayi 0805 400 5447

you-and-eye@gmail.com

The Red Eye – From simple Apollo to irreversible blindness dangerous, it will just finish your eyes” said Moruf, the ‘battery charger’. I would advise you to use your urine to wash your face four times daily. It will all disappear.” Isiaka decided that Moruf’s advice was more plausible and so he used his urine to wash his face, instilling some of it as eye

ne Friday morning, a few weeks ago, Isiaka, a mechanic, woke up with a pricking and gritty feeling in his right eye. The eye was red. Within a few hours, the left eye was affected too. It was a particularly bad time for Isiaka because he was working on an important customer’s car and had promised that it would be ready for collection that afternoon. However, owing to other smaller jobs he couldn’t deliver. He nevertheless assured Mr. King that, unfailingly, he would get it ready first thing

on Saturday morning. Come Saturday morning, the eyes had become more uncomfortable and there was watery discharge. He washed his face with water and ran to his mechanic workshop. Intermittently wiping the watery discharge with his handkerchief, he was able to complete Mr. King’s car. Isiaka’s friends had noticed his predicament and each started offering their “professional” advice. “Put some battery water, it will kill all the germs,” said Lameed. “This is Apollo; battery water is

He used his urine to wash his face instilling some of it as eye drops in his eyes. By the following day, the eyes were so swollen that he could hardly open them. Copious purulent discharge was streaking down his face

drops in his eyes. By the following day, the eyes were so swollen that he could hardly open them. Copious purulent discharge was streaking down his face. He therefore decided to see an ophthalmologist (eye medical doctor). I was alarmed when I saw Isiaka. It was obvious he originally had Apollo. This had now been complicated by gonococcal infection. At one time in the past, Isiaka must have had gonorrhoea, which was not properly treated. Thus, he had a chronic (asymptomatic) gonococcal infection of the urinary tract which he had now introduced into his eyes through the urine. Isiaka was commenced on the appropriate medications for his eyes while simultaneously treating the urinary tract infection. Within 48 hours of vigorous treatment, the swelling went down and his eyes were almost back to normal. Many others were not so lucky. In the last three epidemics of Apollo, many unfortunate people lost one or both eyes. The damage to the eyes was not from the viral infection (the Apollo) which is usually self limiting, but from the use of abrasives and dangerous chemicals such as battery water, caustic soda and gonococcal infection introduced from the urine.

Dr Abayomi Ajayi

ivf &you

info@nordicalagos.org

0700 6673422

Abortion after struggling with infertility— Rachael’s story Continued from last week “MY husband was genuinely shocked and he made no attempt to hide it. I heard his sharp intake of breath and felt his whole body stiffen up. If he was going to say anything about what I had just told him, the next words from my mouth shut him up because they were even more shocking. I’m not keeping it, I said with finality. “The insistence and steel in my voice surprised even me. I wasn’t asking for his permission to have an abortion, I was telling him that I had made up my mind to abort the pregnancy. My intent was clear and he understood that. I got to my feet and walked unsteadily to the bedroom, feeling more troubled than relived, but my mind was made up. This pregnancy had to go. “I fell asleep and much later, felt my husband’s arms around me as he joined me in bed. ‘I love you Rachael’, he whispered in my ear.

That statement was very comforting and I interpreted it as an acknowledgement of his support. So now, the feeling was mutual. The very idea of having another child at that point was terrifying to both of us. We had two one-year-old babies and two older children aged two and three. We were both working 8.00am to 5.00pm and so there was no way, no energy, no room and definitely no time for another child. We were barely hanging on by the skin of our teeth. It was ironic. One would think, after all that effort and stress of struggling through infertility and the difficulty of the infertility struggle, that I wouldn’t be stressed or troubled or not happy about a pregnancy or want to end a pregnancy. It is confusing alright. But like I said, it was a different period and I was in a different place. When you’re in the zone of infertility and you really want a baby, it is largely a physical thing. There are some mental aspects, but

physically, your body wants just one thing. That’s part of the stress of it. It’s this physical thing, like when you are hungry, and your body starts to freak out, or if you’re donating blood and you start to bleed out. It feels mental, but there’s this aspect of it that makes it much more acute. That was how it worked for me. I already had four lovely, healthy children and was no longer in the zone of needing or wanting any more children. Yes, I want the ones I have, but not more. I have four children already and they need things, so the idea of what it would entail to have more children was overwhelming. So I went ahead to have a surgical abortion. Was I justified? At that time, I had wondered — I had twins, one-year-old babies, and a two-year-old as well as a threeyear-old. Would I want another baby? The short answer is NO. My mind was made up. I’m fine with what I have. I no longer feel that urge to have babies. Of course, any new baby is cute, and I would like to hold it and cuddle it and

bounce it, because I love babies. But I don’t need to have another one of my own, because I understand that a baby is only a baby for a year and then it grows up and would still be needing me for the rest of its life. I already have enough on my plate with the four that I have. Maybe someday, some children when I’ve gotten out of this crazy zone with my own children, or maybe, I will help other people with their babies but I feel that it’s really OK if I don’t have more babies. Abortion is obviously still a personal decision for every woman. My own personal feelings are not what should dictate what another woman does with her own life. I can’t really even get my mind around that way of thinking to be honest. Everyone else can do what they want to do. For Rachel, she doesn’t believe she should be trying to raise another child when she clearly isn’t ready. For a woman with four children, all under the age of four, that’s a big commitment.

35 everydayhealth

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

IFC, others map out strategies to increase investment in health By Sade Oguntola

nternational Finance Corporation (IFC) in collaboration with Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) said it was mapping out strategies alongside other stakeholders to increase investment in Nigeria’s private health sector. Eme Essien Lore, IFC’s country manager for Nigeria, at a media session in Lagos, said this had become imperative in the face of Nigeria’s low health care expenditure. According to Lore, “IFC is committed to helping to increase access to affordable quality healthcare services by financing and facilitating financing for integrated networks. This will support the development of critical health infrastructure and attract private capital into the sector. “We are working with NSIA to boost investments in the healthcare sector and bridge the gap in undersupply of quality healthcare in Nigeria.” Lore who declared that access to fund was a chal-

lenge to the private health sector despite being the biggest group of healthcare provider in Nigeria, said “we think that if these group of individuals come together, perhaps we can help to solve this.” According to her, “The sector is so fragmented; there

are lot of small players operating, but none in large scale. Lack of partnership is a challenge for the sector. “For the entire system to be transformed, we need to see them scale up; we need to see larger hospitals that can serve larger number of patients. We are not at that

level yet; so funding does come to play.” Uche Orji, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, NSIA said that the organisation had identified healthcare as one of the core areas for its investment, adding that about 114 million dollars had been

set aside for this. Orji, represented by Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli, NSIA’s Chief Risk Office and Executive Director, said that the organisation was catalysing private sector investment in the healthcare sector by establishing public-private partnerships and innova-

From left: Mary-Jean Moyo; Chief Risk Office and Executive Director, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli; IFC Country manager for Nigeria, Eme Essien and President, Corporate and International, Apollo Hospitals Group, Chandra Shekar at the event recently in Lagos.

Why non communicable diseases will continue to rise By Sade Oguntola Experts have underscored low implementation of Nigeria’s prevention policies on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), saying at least 80 per cent of heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and diabetes, the four major types of NCDs, are preventable by simple measures. In a study to analyse its prevention policies in Africa, experts found that there were few NCDs prevention policy documents in the country to ensure that physical inactivity, unhealthy diets, tobacco use and harmful alcohol use, the four shared risk factors for NCDs, are eliminated. The project’s country team leader, Professor Oladimeji Oladepo, speaking at a oneday dissemination meeting on this in Abuja, said that multi sectoral actions to develop these policies were also found to be weak and not in line with global recommendations. Oladepo, a public health expert at the African Regional Health Education Center, Department of Health Promotion and Education, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria declared that political prioritisation and funding constraint remain major

threats to implementation and enforcement of proposed actions to checkmate growing burden of these diseases. He declared, “Nigeria has developed its National Policy and Strategic Plan of Action on Non-Communicable diseases. However, this has not been published and disseminated. “All the NCD Prevention best buys for tobacco are addressed in the unpublished NCD Prevention Policy and Plan and the 2015 National Tobacco Control Act 2015 but there are gaps for other risk factors. “Tobacco use is the only modifiable risk factor with the most comprehensive set of policy actions which aligns with global recommendations. Alcohol currently has no comprehensive health-sector driven policy to regulate its marketing, advertising and availability. “There are no legal acts to regulate the activities of the food industry with regards to salt and trans-fat content of manufactured foods and actions proposed in the policies in this respect are largely educational intervention for the general population. “Policy documents, which outlined actions to tackle physical inactivity, do not include the globally recommended best buy interventions.

“For most policies, there is a low level of multi sectoral approach and several relevant sectors pertinent to the implementation of the policies were not involved in the formulation process.” However, he declared that barriers to the NCD prevention policy development process include over dependence on donor funding and low or non-existent government budgetary allocation to support the process.

Given the poor understanding of the roles of different sectors in NCD prevention, he stated that NCD related policies in other sectors are due for review, adding that this would also offer an opportunity to mainstream the best buy interventions. Also speaking, Mrs Mojisola Oluwasanu described heart disease and stroke, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and diabetes as the world’s big-

gest killers. She declared that biomarkers and determinants of NCDs were highly prevalent in Nigeria, adding “in Nigeria, hypertension affects between eight and 46.4 per cent of the population. The International Diabetes Federation say that diabetes affects three million Nigerians. Also, about three-quarters of Nigerian women are either obese or overweight.”

have been a product of the citadel of knowledge.” He urged them to be worthy ambassadors of the university and contribute to the stride made by the alumni association in ensuring that exceptional nurses are produced. In her address, the acting Head, Department of Nursing, Dr Modupe Oyetunde spoke at length of the success story of the department which she described as unending. Also, she enjoined the inductees to “put God first for the road is bumpy and lonely.” She admonished them to always remember their roles as health care providers and respect all authorities. Oyetunde stressed the need for the inductees to keep learning and developing themselves saying, “someone’s life will be put in

your hands, mistakes are no options in nursing.” The graduands were presented by the Dean, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, Professor Adefolarin Malomo for oath taking session, signaling their absorption into the nursing profession. The oath taking session was coordinated by the registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Eunice Azuike, represented by Alhari Yusuf. Yusuf told the inductees: “the nursing profession is a calling and that you are being inducted today means you have been called.” She emphasised: “you must answer this call and do all it takes to be a professional nurse with a difference.” The induction lecture on “Nursing profession: Search

Ui awards 29 nursing degree By Vera Onana

The College of Medicine of the University of Ibadan inducted 29 members of the 2015 class of nursing into the nursing profession and awarding them the degree of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.N.SC). The ceremony of admission into the nursing profession took place at the Paul Hendrickse Lecture Theatre of the College of Medicine, University College Hospital (UCH) premises, Ibadan, last Wednesday. Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, who was represented by provost, College of Medicine, Professor Babatunde Salako, asked the graduands to “consider it a privilege to

tive solutions to ensure it reverses medical tourism and some other foreign exchange spending on health. According to him, “Nigerians are said to spend more than a million dollars annually going abroad for medical care. Research also shows that the key areas where they spend 80 to 90 per cent of these spending are in four major areascancer, heart conditions, orthopaedic and kidney problems.” Orji, saying that affordability of healthcare was still a challenge given that a lot of Nigerians are considered poor, declared that access to funds will ensure increased collaboration to scale up healthcare, skills and infrastructure to ensure the required change in healthcare delivery. He added, “NSIA has entered into a memorandum of cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Health to develop diagnostic centres and specialist healthcare facilities to be located within six Federal Medical Centres/Federal Teaching hospitals across all six geopolitical zones.” Mr Chandra Shekar, President, Corporate and International, Apollo Hospitals Group, said the group was ready to support the development of health in Nigeria given its 30 years wealth of knowledge as a private health provider. He declared, “Our objective is not only to treat patients that come to us, but also to sow back into countries of origin of people that come to us.”

for a new paradigm in Nigeria” was delivered by the Dean, School of Nursing, Babcock University, Ogun State, Professor Olasukanmi Ajao. Ajao in his lecture stated that “nursing is as old as mankind and is a profession that has come a long way but is yet emerging.” He expressed the need for nurses to continue to utilise latest technological innovations to upgrade their knowledge and practise across all specialties in nursing. Valedictorian of the nursing class of 2015, Nwagbo Sylvia, brought the ceremony to an emotional close with her riveting speech while urging fellow inductees to be committed to defending the image of the university.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

healthpeople Phasing out fake drugs with the Truescan device

Dr Dayo Adeyanju is the Ondo State Commissioner for Health. In this interview with HAKEEM GBADAMOSI, he speaks on the effort of the state government and the measures put in place by his ministry to phase out fake drugs in the state. Excerpts:

rural areas as well, including the riverine communities. Is there any collaboration between the agency and the state government to ensure the efficiency of this war against fake drugs? NAFDAC is part of the task force, it provides us with the formula which we input in our True-scan machine to be able to detect substandard drugs. The agency has the right composition of every drug which has been programmed on our device. So when we scan the drug, we will be able to check and be sure that it constitutes the real active agents. When the real compositions of the drug are absent, the device signals an error but if the drug is wholesome, it indicates this with an ‘okay’ meaning that the drug is suitable for consumption. Our Truescan is largely complementary to the scratch card initiative of NAFDAC. If any fake drug is detected through the scratch card, the customer can only walk away from such store, but when our task force discovers such fake drug, it closes down the store. We pack those drugs to the laboratory to examine them to be sure that they are really fake, so that NAFDAC can contact the manufacturer and enforce the appropriate sanction as spelt out by the law. If they are liable and culpable, they will be prosecuted. The course is suicidal. It is nothing but a crime and they can be charged for manslaughter. Will this crusade help to reduce or track down manufacturers of fake drugs.? This is the responsibility of NAFDAC, they take it up from there; they seal the shop and evacuate all the drugs. As government, we are just trying to ensure that there are original drugs in circulation and safety in what the people consume.

hat is so special about the newly introduced Truescan device ? Basically, the true-scan is a device to detect fake, adulterated drug over the counter. All the robust efforts of this government to ensure that our people are healthy can just be in vain, the infrastructure, the equipment, the personnel that are well trained might be in vain if at the point of prescription and what they buy and consume; are just mere chalk, placebo or ordinary water. In that wise, we feel that to truly complement all our investment in the health sector, there is need to ensure that the drugs we consume are of high quality and potent. So, the true drug scan was procured with the intention that we will be screening drugs; one, at our central medical store as they are being supplied. Two, at our various hospitals; three and of course, for some who will get their drugs procured outside: the pharmacies outside the hospital or outside government, need to be properly screened. Even drugs donated by non government organisations and other partners, will not be left out. We have the state task force, which is set up in the ministry. It comprises of the ministry staff; headed by my humble self as the chairman, the department of pharmaceutical services, the Pharmaceutical Society of

Nigeria, NAFDAC, NDLEA, police and others. The first monitoring exercise was in our State Specialist Hospital store. It was quite revealing; we looked at some commonly used drugs: anti-malaria, analgesics and antibiotics. In one of the monitoring exercises, there was a patent store where we found out that they were selling some fake drugs. If sick people take such drugs, there will be no improvement of their situation because the drugs will not work for the patients. Then, we might begin to think that the diagnosis was not right to begin with. In this part of the world, we might even begin to consider that the ailment is a spiritual attack. This latter thinking has so impoverished our people because the little and

If they bring any funny drug, we hold them liable and can track it out through the supply chains

lean resources avaliable will be expended in faith-based homes or other places to seek spiritual healing for what should have been cured or remedied medically. All of these are things that we have looked at, and as a government, introduced the True-scan that is screening and ensuring that what our people consume are of the highest quality. How will this crusade get to the rural areas, most especially the ‘mobile shops’ in the rural communities ? Sensitisation is on-going; we are creating awareness through radio jingles and the social media, but the most important thing is to ensure that patent medicine stores who are found to be harbouring these fake drugs are sealed off to make sure that they don’t continue to constitute a menace to the health of our people. We plan on meeting with them as a body to let them know the seriousness of the issue. Most of these people are not registered; the ones that are registered must meet the necessary criteria before they can dispense drugs. However, most of the patents we are talking about are not duly registered, so tracking them has become very difficult. Therefore, we must first ensure that all of them are registered. This step will not be restricted to the urban area, we are moving the campaign of proper registration to the

You described the initiative as the first in the country, that means the true scan machine is new in the country. We are the first to have it in the country as a state. NAFDAC bought one at the headquarters, but we are the first state to have it. What other measures have you put in place to check fake drugs in the state? First and foremost, we procure drugs from prime vendors in our procurement system that are sent to our hospitals. Now, there is a partnership between the state and the pharmacists: the Sunshine Copharm. Sunshine Copharm is the umbrella body for all pharmaceutical stores in the state. We buy through the Sunshine Copharm and we have ensured that all the members benefit. They are responsible because if they bring any funny drug, we hold them liable and can track such through the supply chains. Those are the checks and balances that are put in place apart from the Truescan machine. Above all, we are going to have a mega drug store, so that other pharmacies will be buying from us. What is the state government doing to reduce prices of these drugs for the common man ? Buying directly from the manufacturer will be much cheaper because we buy in bulk. This is unlike buying in bits. Our prime vendors supply us at a subsidised rate.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Lemon grass

natural

health

Eucalptus

Better choice to keep mosquitoes away By Sade Oguntola Mosquitoes really could be annoying and clearing them out is important for a good night sleep and the prevention of the many diseases they transmit. There has been a great deal of interest recently in the use of natural repellents for insects. Replacing DEET, the most commonly used chemicalbased insect repellent that is put on human skin with mosquito repellent plants have been seen as better alternatives due to its toxic effect. The great news is that ingredients for effective mosquito repellents are widely available. Nature has its own way of keeping insects in check. Many plants have essential oils which they exude that have insect repellent qualities. These essential oils, such as peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood, also come useful in making insect and mosquito repellents. This repellency of plant material has been exploited for thousands of years by man, most simply by hanging bruised plants in houses, a practice that is still in wide use throughout the developing countries. Plants have also been used for centuries in the form of crude fumigants. Plants such as neem leaves were burnt to drive away nuisance mosquitoes and later as oil formulations applied to the skin or clothes. Plant-based repellents are still extensively used in this traditional way throughout rural communities in the tropics because for many of the poorest communities,

this is the only means of protection from mosquito bites that is available. In fact, to many communities, “natural” smelling repellents are preferred because plants are perceived as a safe and trusted means of mosquito bite prevention. Scientists have discovered a range of plants that repel mosquitoes and several other interesting strategies that can be used to dissuade mosquitoes from lurking. These include: Lemon eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora): Lemon eucalyptus is a potent natural repellent extracted from the leaves of lemon eucalyptus trees. Discovered

Neem

in the 1960s during mass screenings of plants used in Chinese traditional medicine, its essential oil, comprising 85 per cent citronellal, is used by cosmetic industries due to its fresh smell. However, it was discovered that the waste distillate remaining after hydro-distillation of the essential oil was far more effective at repelling mosquitoes than the essential oil itself. Neem Neem is widely advertised as a natural alternative to DEET, and it has been tested for repellency against a range of arthropods of medical importance, with variable results. Several field studies from India have shown very high efficacy of Neem-based preparations. For instance, one found that the neem/coconut oil mix provided between 96 and 100 per cent protection against several different species of mosquitoes. However, the EPA has not approved neem for use as a topical insect repellent. Since it has a low dermal toxicity, when used undiluted, it can cause skin irritation, such as dermatitis. Due to the paucity of reliable studies, neem oil is not recommended as an effective repellent for use by travellers to disease endemic areas, although it may confer some protection against nuisance biting mosquitoes. Eucalyptus There is evidence that components of eucalyptus oil are as effective as DEET and in some cases more effective. Like citronella, which is present in lemon grass, eucalyptus should be reapplied regularly to maintain protection. Both Citronella and eucalyptus have a strong smell that is believed to confuse mosquitoes’ delicate sense of direction and taste, making it difficult for them to find a host. Both plants have the added bonus of doubling up as an antiseptic after bites. Soybean oil There is some evidence to show that soybean oil-based repellents provide long-lasting protection than citronella-based repellents. In some studies, a commercially available product called Bite Blocker provided complete protection against mosquito bites for as long as three to five hours. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine study found that Bite Blocker provided more than 90 minutes of protection against mosquitoes. As with other natural insect repellents, soybean oil mixtures have a short lasting action than DEET – but then they are also safer and can be used by the whole family. Basil Basil repels house flies and mosquitoes. Aside planting basil in containers by the house doors to ward off mosquitoes, its fresh leaves can be used to make an insect repellent spray. Lemon grass Lemon grass has long been used in natural insect repellents which contain citronella oil. Native to Asia, the grass can grow up to six feet tall and is quite an attractive ornamental grass. To help deter mosquitoes with its strong fragrance, plant lemon grass along walkways and in locations close to seating areas.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Victor Ogunyinka

health

m: +234-806 642 7323 e: ogunyinkavictor@gmail.com : @vogunyinka

In Ijaliye and Ewupe: Comrade Monsuru Akande

Mr Francis Ige

It’s one health centre serving thousands

Ten years on, residents of Ewupe/Ijaliye/Isorosi Community in Ado-odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have missed the soothing care of the central and local governments in all fronts. VICTOR OGUNYINKA writes on how the residents are dealing with their health challenges.

or people in Ewupe/Ijaliye/Isorosi Community in Ado-odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, there is only one government they know and it is not the state government, not even the local government. It is the government constituted by the community which has reasonably met their social amenities’ need against all odds. Human needs, they say is insatiable, but constitutionally, citizens of a particular country, state or community have the right to some basic amenities; good roads, potable water... and access to standard health facility! The emergence of a health centre was unfortunately birthed after two causalities coincidentally bled to death on different occasions. The general secretary of the joint community, Mr Francis Ige, informed that the health centre started when Comrade Monsuru Akande became the chairman of joint Community Development Areas (CDA). “He rallied the whole community to participate in the project. Through his effort, somebody donated the land; he mobilised voluntary donations from all the CDA; from blocks to all other building materials and it was successful. I think each CDA was made to donate 100 blocks and some bags of cement. Even the labourers worked there freely. The health centre was finally completed in 2013. The joy of it all is that the place is quite big. We have about five rooms for inpatients and each room can accommodate about eight people. The chairman of the community, Comrade Monsuru Akande, explained that on several occasions, the community has served in the stead of the government, stating that the building of a 24-hour running health centre

was to the credit of the “supportive nature of community members.” “I have been in this community for over 10 years without light, roads and health centre. We once had an emergency that led to the death of one of our own; he bled to death. There was also another case of a woman who wanted to deliver in the middle of the night, she also bled to death. After these incidences, we called for a community meeting and decided to build a health centre. We have about 47 communities and we tasked them to donate 100 blocks with two bags of cement and an individual volunteered to roof the health centre. “This is not the first time we have acted in the capacity of the government; we ran the only government secondary school for over five years before the Gbenga Daniel-led administration took over.” No doubt, managing a health centre that belongs to no one, but belongs to everyone would not be an easy ask. Who manages the affairs of the hospital and staff welfare? Would there ever be enough hands, qualified hands to meet the increasing demands of a health centre? While reacting to issues on how the community is managing the health centre and the population of the community, Comrade Akande said: “We decided to build the health centre for our own benefit, to support the government

and to bring the government closer. You can see how hardworking Gov Ibikunle Amosun has been working round the state; he cannot get the job done in a day. “The Ado-Odo/ Ota Local government former chairman, Rotimi Rahmon, supported us with two nursing staff and some equipment, but because we wanted the health centre to run for 24 hours, we needed to do more. As usual, we mobilised ourselves and we decided to employ two more nursing staff so that they could run shifts, we also employed a gardener and a security guard, but paying them has not been easy. We have close to a million dwellers in this community and this is the only health centre we have.” Furthermore a health extension worker at the health centre, Olaide Akinwuni, expounded that the health centre attends to an average of 10 outpatient on a daily basis, adding that there are rooms for

We have close to a million dwellers in this community and this is the only health centre we have.

One of the wards at the health centre. inpatient cases also. “Common ailments we deal with are malaria and typhoid fever; we also have antenatal programmes, immunisation for children and also family planning services. Whenever there is an emergency case, we refer such to the general hospital in Ota, which is some kilometres away. I think we still need a health educator to enlighten the mothers the more. We also need to get the health centre painted too. The community has been doing great in managing the health centre; they have been financially supportive.” A patient, who was just delivered of a baby girl few hours before the arrival of health+, Mrs Akorede Ekundayo, inputted that the nurses have been professional in their dealing and that they don’t charge much for their services. Comrade Akande, however, appealed to the government to come to their aid in supporting and providing necessary amenities for the community and not wait for an election year before doing the needful.

news

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Judge withdraws from suit challenging Saraki’s emergence as Senate President Sunday Ejike - Abuja

judge of a Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Adeniyi Ademola,

has withdrawn from handling the legal action filed by five senators, challenging the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President and Ike Ekwer-

emadu as Deputy Senate President. The case was withdrawn from Justice Ademola by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice

Ibrahim Ndahi Auta, following a petition from the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ekweremadu, against Justice Ademola. The chief judge transferred

From left, United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai and the Commander, US AFRICOM, General David Rodriguez, at the inauguration of US training assistance to selected units of the Nigerian Army, in Jaji, Kaduna, on Wednesday. PHOTO: NAN.

Military clears more B/Haram camps in Borno Chris Agbambu - Abuja

TROOPS of the 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion have cleared Boko Haram camps located at Komala, Dole, Kumshi and Moadori around the fringes of Alagarno Forest. The troops killed two Boko Haram terrorists and captured Mustapha Busuru (50years) and Usman Abubakar (56years), both notorious terroritsts, at Dole Village. They also destroyed all Boko Haram flags hoisted in the village. Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director in charge of Army Public Relations, said the troops also recovered two Toyota pick up vans, 40 motorcycles, Improvised Explosives Making Devices (IEDs), stockpile of foodstuffs and fuel dump. He said the patrol team also recovered horses and donkeys used for transportation by the terrorists. According to him, in response to a distress call of an attack by Boko Haram terrorists on Kuda Village along Butuku road, troops of 143 Battalion swung into action but the terrorists fled after setting the village on fire that led to the death of an elderly woman. Usman said the escaped insurgents regrouped and attempted to cross through Magar Bridge but were preempted by elements of the Battalion who killed two and wounded several oth-

ers. “Sadly, three soldiers and four locals sustained injuries, while the troops recovered a Toyota Buffalo vehicle mounted with an Anti-Aircraft Gun with registration number 081375, one General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) with registration number 132042, a loaded G3 rifle

magazine and 30 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunitions link,” he said. He went further to say that both military and the wounded civilians are receiving treatment at the unit’s Regimental Aid Post. In a related development, troops of 81 Battalion and 251 Task Force Battalion last night, laid ambush

against some elements of the Boko Haram at two of their crossing points at Komala and Musafanari general area coming from Sambisa forest. The ambush party decisively dealt with some terrorists on motorcycles in which a number of them were killed and a few others flee with gunshot wounds.

Buratai charges soldiers to shield liberated territories Muhammad Sabiu - Kaduna

THE Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, has charged officers and men of the Nigerian Army fighting the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East to shield liberated territories from the insurgents. He stated this at the inauguration of United States of America (USA) training assistance to selected units of the Nigerian Army, held at Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji, Kaduna, on Wednesday. Buratai stated that even though there were renewed efforts to clear the remnants of Boko Haram in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, he lamented that the insurgents are now mixing with civilian populace thereby making the process a bit slow and difficult. He said the onslaught against the terrorists by combined forces of the Army and Nigerian Air Force in

past months has degraded their capability. “All that is required is the bold action from our troops to hold liberated territories from the insurgents.

“As you are aware, the security challenges that have confronted the Nigerian Army in contemporary times are remarkably different from the ones we have in the past.”

Borno govt to re-open highways THE Borno State government said on Wednesday that plans are under way to re-open major highways linking Maiduguri to other parts of the state. Governor Kashim Shettima stated this while speaking at an interactive forum with traders of the Monday Market in Maiduguri. The governor explained that the objective was to rejuvenate the economy of the state which had suffered setbacks due to the Boko Haram insurgency. He said government had also constructed shopping malls in different parts of the state capital to encourage business activities. Shettima expressed op-

timism that the lingering Boko Haram insurgency would soon be over, following successes recorded by the military in its campaign against terrorism. He commended the leadership of the traders for maintaining unity among them. Shettima assured that the government was ready to assist the traders and other business barons to overcome the hardships they were facing due to the insurgency. Malam Hamza Hamawa, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade and Investment, said the forum was organised by the traders to express appreciation to the governor.

the case to Justice Steven Evoh Chukwu also of a Federal High Court in Abuja. Ekweremadu had petitioned Justice Ademola Adeniyi claiming that he would not receive justice from him on the strength of his relationship with “power bloc” in Lagos. In the petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Senator Ekweremadu claimed that Justice Ademola’s wife, Mrs Tolulope, was hurriedly appointed the Head of Service by the Lagos State Government as part of alleged measure to make Justice Ademola compromised in the case before him. The Deputy Senate President insisted that the external influence from Lagos will rob him of justice if Justice Ademola was allowed to make pronouncement in the matter and demanded that the CJN disqualifies Justice Ademola from going ahead with the case. Although the case has been slated for judgment, the Chief Judge of the federal high court was said to have withdrawn the case from Justice Ademola in the interest of justice. At the final adoption of brief of argument early this year, Saraki had told the court that he did not violate any law or breach any rule in the election that produced him as Senate President in June last year contrary to the claims against him by some aggrieved senators. Saraki told the court that he was returned un-opposed in the election by majority of the senators present on the election day in the upper chamber following his due nomination and endorsement for the office. In his preliminary objection to the legal action instituted against him and his deputy, Senator Ekweremadu, Saraki said that the election being challenged by five senators was free, fair and transparent by all standards and also conformed to the best practice of the world. The Senate President who argued in the court through his counsel, Kayode Eleja, had asked Justice Ademola to dismiss the court action against him and five others for being abuse of court process, frivolous and unwarranted. He said the five senators who instituted the court action did not disclose what they lost by his election because none of them aspired or contested the senate presidency with him or any other officers and as such have no locus standi to come to court.

Nigerian Tribune

Dogara: Ex-LG bosses warn lawmakers against impeachment plot Clement Idoko - Abuja

THE Association of Ex-Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ASELGON) has condemned alleged plot to impeach the Speaker of the House of Representative, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, in an attempt to destabilise the House. National President of the association, Honourable Albert Asipa, who spoke on Wednesday in Abuja, warned that ASELGON would not hesitate to mobilise its members from 774 local councils against such move. He said the warning became imperative as the National Assembly is now gaining stability and prepared to deliver the change Nigerians voted for, through legislations, adding that the association would not fold arms and allow personal agenda to override overall interest of the country. He reminded those who are championing the cause that they were not on the same page with Nigerians.

Supreme Court’s rulings on election appeals prevent chaos —Group Sylvanus Viashima - Jalingo

JUDGEMENTS of the Supreme Court which upheld the governorship election of Taraba, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Yobe and Zamfara among other states in the country have saved Nigeria from chaos and a possible civil war. Mr Goodman Dan Dahida, Chairman of ‘Concerned Taraba Tiv Youth Frontier’, stated this at a press briefing in Jalingo while reacting to the verdict of the apex court which upheld the election of Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State. Dahida, while congratulating Mr Ishaku and other governors who recently won at the Supreme Court, enjoined them to carry everybody along and provide good governance for the people of their states. “There were palpable global anxieties and local worries over the 2015 general election. Many predicted that the country would not exist as one entity after the election, but today we are one in spite of doomsday prophecies.”

news

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

N2.1bn arms deal: EFCC re-arraigns Dokpesi Sunday Ejike-Abuja

HE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, re-arraigned the founder of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, before Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court in Abuja, over his alleged involvement in the N2.1 billion arms purchase deal. Dokpesi, who is the owner of the African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower Radio, was first arraigned before Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the same court in Abuja, by the anti-graft agency which brought a criminal charge of N2.1 billion money laundering crime against him in December last year. Dokpesi’s fresh plea on Wednesday before Justice Tsoho followed the transfer of the case from Kolawole and the re-assignment to Justice Tsoho who has just been transferred from Lagos to Abuja division of the court this year. At Wednesday’s proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, informed the court that the suit was adjourned for trial, adding, however, that in view of its re-assignment, the defendants should take a fresh plea. As a result, the same charge was read to Dokpesi, which he vehemently denied the six-count criminal charges which also involved breach of public trust and procurement fraud slammed against him by the EFCC. After pleading not guilty

to all the charges, the defence team of five Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) led by Chief Wole Olanipekun, urged the trial judge to admit Dokpesi to the same bail conditions earlier granted him by Justice Kolawole, saying Dokpesi had been of “good behaviour” by coming to court since the commencement of the suit. Consequently, Justice Tsoho admitted Dokpesi to bail in the earlier bail conditions that were granted him and adjourned the suit till March 2 and 3, 2016 for

trial. It will be recalled that Dokpesi had been in the custody of the anti-graft agency for several days facing interrogation from operatives of the EFCC on the huge sums he allegedly collected from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd). In the charge signed by Aliyu Yusuf, Deputy Director, Legal and Prosecution Department of EFCC, Dokpesi was alleged to have, between October 2014 and March 2015, conducted

procurement fraud by fraudulently receiving the sum of N2,120,000,000 into the account of Daar Investment and Holding Company for the funding of media activities for the 2015 presidential election campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The alleged offence is contrary to Section 58 (4) (b) of the Public Procurement Act 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (6) and 7 of the same Act. Part of the six-count charge read: “that you

...Dasuki protests trial again Sunday Ejike-Abuja

FORMER National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), has warned that his trial by the Federal Government on allegations of unlawful possession of firearms and money laundering will make mockery of the judiciary if allowed to hold before the Federal High Court. Dasuki insisted that the Federal Government could no longer put him on trial having been in a contempt of the three separate courts that admitted him to bail, but flouted by government. At the resumed trial on Tuesday, the ex-NSA objected to the government’s bid to commence the trial, insisting that government must first purge itself before being granted indulgence by the trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola. Shortly after Oladipo Okpeseyi announced his appearance as counsel for

the Federal Government, with the witnesses he had brought to testify against Dasuki, Joseph Daudu, standing for Dasuki, demanded that Justice Ademola should not listen to the government for now. Daudu, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), informed Justice Ademola that three different courts had granted Dasuki bail, but that the Federal Government failed to allow him enjoy the bail even when it was his fundamental right. The counsel said the purpose of bail was to allow an accused adequate time and facility to prepare for his defence in a criminal matter, adding that “the same could not be said to be the case here, because the accused (Dasuki) is still being held in custody despite the three court orders.” “The conduct of the Federal Government in this matter has made Dasuki

not to enjoy his constitutional rights and this must be resisted by the judiciary in the interest of justice and the rule of law. “The worse is that for about seven weeks now; specifically since December 29, last year, when Dasuki perfected his bail conditions, but was rearrested, neither his lawyers nor his family knew exactly where he is being detained, but only aware that he is in the custody. “This will be tantamount to a mockery of judicial process if the accused person is not allowed to adequately prepare for his trial,” Daudu argued. Dasuki’s counsel complained to the court that since December 29, last year, when his client perfected his bail condition, he was promptly rearrested by the operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) and has since not been allowed to enjoy the bail.

EFCC hands over forfeited property in N8.8m scam to Skye Bank By Yejide Gbenga-Ogundare

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over an uncompleted threebedroom bungalow, a forfeited asset from a banker, identified as Seun Jamiu Odunayo, to Skye Bank Plc, which laid a complaint at the anti-graft agency against the banker. The trial led to Odunayo, a former banker, when the EFCC received a petition from one of the banks in 2012, following a complaint from one of their customers that a total of N8,829,650 was not credited into his account after he made a deposit at the bank with Odunayo, who was their cash officer. In addition, it was alleged by the bank that the customer’s daily sales pro-

ceed that was meant to be lodged into the customer’s account, which were picked from over four outlets, were also not credited. This led to the arrest of Odunayo by EFCC operatives in his native home in Sagamu after which he was arraigned before Justice Olabisi Akinlade of the Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja on November 1, 2012 on a 39-count charge bordering on fraudulent accounting and stealing, contrary to the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State and he pleaded not guilty to all the charges. But, in the course of the trial, he changed his plea to guilty on February 17, 2014 and he was sentenced to three years imprisonment without an option of fine on each of the 39 counts which were to run concurrently

commencing from November 1, 2012 when he was remanded in prison custody. Justice Akinlade further ordered that his property, an uncompleted threebedroom bungalow, located at Bisodun area of Ofada, Mowe, Ogun State, acquired from the proceeds of the fraud, be for-

feited to the complainant. Kaina Garba, a senior detective superintendent from the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the EFCC, in Lagos, formally handed over the property to Skye Bank Plc officials represented by Kayode Taiwo, Tamuno Douglas and Adekunle Juba this week.

Dr Raymond Dokpesi and Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited, between October 2014 and 19 March, 2015, in Abuja, conducted procurement fraud by means of fraudulent and corrupt act, to wit: receipt of payment into the account of Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited with First Bank of Nigeria Plc of public funds in the sum of N2,120,000,000 from the account of the Office of National Security Adviser (NSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the funding of media activities for the 2015 presidential election campaign for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and you, thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 58 (4) (b) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (6) & (7) of the same Act.”

“That you Dr Raymond Dokpesi and Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited, between October 2014 and 19 March, 2015, in Abuja, entered into a purported contract on presidential media initiative and received payment in the sum of N2,120,000,000 into the account of Daar Investment and Holding Company Limited with First Bank of Nigeria Plc from the account of the Office of the NSA with the CBN on account of the purported contract without a “Certificate of “No Objection to Contract Award” duly issued by Public Procurement Bureau and you, thereby, committed an offence contrary to Section 16 (1) (b), (4) & (5) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and punishable under Section 58 (6) of the same Act.”

N1.5bn subsidy fraud: Tukur, Alao, others to face trial AyomideOwonibiOdekanyinLagos

AFTER various attempts to quash a N1.5 billion fuel subsidy fraud brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an Ikeja High Court has decided that three oil marketers — Mahmud Tukur, Alex Ochonogor and Abdullahi Alao must face trial. The EFCC had charged them before an Ikeja High Court on a nine-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretences and forgery. The anti-graft agency claimed that they obtained the money from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) which they knew to be false. In his ruling, Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo dismissed the application

filed by the defendants and their firms, Eterna Plc and Axe Energy Limited, for lacking in merit. Their counsel, Messrs Olaniran Obele, Ebun Adegoruwa and Aderemi Oguntoye, however, argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the charge. They maintained that the proof of evidence did not support the offences alleged against the defendants. According to them, the criminal charge against their clients was an abuse of court process and should be struck out. They further argued that the EFCC failed to obtain a valid fiat from the Attorney-General of Lagos State to empower them to prosecute the defendants before the state high court. They said the issues in dispute related to fuel importation and revenue of the Federal Government, hence the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the charge.

Amnesty fraud: EFCC can arrest Kuku, court rules A Federal High Court, on Wednesday, declared that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had statutory obligation to investigate exPresident Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Kingsley Kuku, over alleged financial misappropriation. The court also ruled that

the anti-graft agency had the right to arrest Kuku if he refused to honour invitation sent to him. Justice Okon Abang also noted that the current travail of the embattled ex-special adviser in the administration led by Jonathan, had nothing to do with his political affiliation. Justice Abang gave this verdict in the fundamental

rights suit filed by Kuku against the EFCC and the Director of State Security (DSS). Kuku, in the suit, is praying the court for protection from arrest and detention by the operatives of the anti-graft agency and DSS. The applicant, who is currently outside the country on medical treatment, alleged that there was purported plans to arrest him

at the Airport in Lagos, on his return to country. Kuku averred that unless the court intervened, he might be arrested and detained by the anti-graft body. He alleged that his arrest was being instigated by the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, EFCC in it opposition to the suit challenged the court’s jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

41 news

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Protesters storm NASS, Education Ministry over sack of VCs Demand sack of minister Adetola Bademosi - Abuja

S mixed reactions continue to greet the recent sack of about 13 vice chancellors from the newly established federal universities and the appointment of new ones, the Coalition of Civil Society Group, on Wednesday, in Abuja, laid siege to the entrance of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Education. The group protested over what it described as an illegal termination of the appointments of five of the vice chancellors whose tenures were yet to elapse. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, at the venue of the prostest, the president of the group, Etuk Bassey said the act was a breach of the provisions of the University Miscellaneous Provisions Act No. 11, 1993. Etuk, who demanded the immediate sack of the Education Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said five out of the 13 sacked VCs were yet to exhaust their tenures, and as such, declared that they should be reinstated. According to him, “the appointment of vice chan-

cellors is a tenure appointment, which presupposes that every appointee is expected to serve the prescribed number of years as stipulated by the Acts governing the institutions.” The civil society president, who also accused the minister of tribalism in the appointment of the new VCs, described this as an aberration to the Federal

Character Act. “Among the new vice chancellors, four professors are from Bayero University, Kano, two from UNIJOS, two from ABU and the rest are from PortHarcourt, Owerri, Lafia, Kashere and Dutse, respectively, while the newly appointed chairperson of the University Governing Council including the vice

chancellor are from Kano State. “Is this not a clear violation of the Federal Character principle meant to engender unity in the country?,” he queried. However, the protesters were denied access into the National Assembly by security operatives even as they waited endlessly to be addressed by relevant per-

sons who never showed up. The group carried placards with inscriptions like “Mallam Adamu Adamu must go now”, “Professors demand respect not embarrassment”, Mr President call your Minister of Education to order”, “We want due process in the education sector”, “Reinstate sacked chancellors now”, among others.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (left) with a former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, during Fashola’s visit to the latter’s residence in Minna, Niger State. PHOTO: NAN

Fashola blames past administration for infrastructural decay Adelowo Oladipo - Minna MINISTER of Works, Power and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has said the past administration failed to develop the nation when it had the resources to do so. He stated this on Tuesday night, at the Niger State Government House, Minna, during a courtesy visit to the state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello. He recalled that years back, the country had money, adding that those at the helms of affairs failed to develop the country. ‘‘It just tells you the situation in which this administration inherited the country and what we failed to do at the time when the nation was earning over $100 per barrel of crude oil

a day, and what we failed to do then, we now have to do a lot more with less resources,’’ he said. Fashola decried the poor state of the roads in the country, assuring that the Muhammadu Buhari administration is committed to fixing the roads and then shift focus to their maintenance on timely basis. ‘‘We are making 60 kilometre journey that should take 40 minutes, we are making it at one and a half to three hours,’’ he stressed. The Minister, particularly, expressed concern over the deplorable state of the Ilorin- Jebba highway, and decried the time being wasted and the increasing rate goods were being damaged along the highway, due to the deplorable

condition of the road. ‘‘As I said to those truck drivers along Ilorin-Jebba road, staying there for four days if they have the opportunity for a way where they will pay toll, it would have been better than losing four days and their perishable goods there. We

The governor, who described artisans as the bedrock of the nation’s economy, charged them to work hard and utilise their skills to take the nation to the next level of development. He assured of his administration’s continued assistance and support to the group, stressing that their unalloyed cooperation was necessary for peace and development. Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, Dr Mimiko noted that God has blessed Nigeria with abundant natural resources, adding that the nation can survive without oil, but

find a place to park their trailers off the road. According to him, the federal and state governments must work together to establish the right of way, as well as protect the highway setback, which he said, would lead to sanity on the roads.

We won’t accept diversion of N5.2 trn contributory pension savings —Pensioners Soji Eze Fagbemi - Abuja THE pensioners under the auspices of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has kicked against any move to divert the N5.2 trillion savings, under the Contributory Pension Scheme, for other purposes and usages. The union said Nigerian

Mimiko tasks artisans on wealth creation AHEAD of his publicised meeting with interest groups in the state, Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko has tasked artisans to use their skills to create wealth, especially at this challenging period in the country. As part of activities marking the 7th anniversary of the Mimiko administration and the 40th anniversary of the creation of Ondo State, the Nigerian Tribune learnt the governor had been scheduled for interactive sessions with interest groups in the state including artisans.

will fix the roads first and we must go back to maintenance,” he said. He added that indiscriminate parking of trailers and heavy-duty trucks on the road was also responsible for quick depreciation of on our roads, insisting that the trailer drivers must

stressed the need for Nigerians to work harder . “Artisans are the bedrock of our economy, but must work harder, God has given them the skill to create wealth and to live well. We as government will strive hard to assist them,” Mimiko assured. Announcing the scheduled meeting with interest groups, including artisans in Akure, on Wednesday, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Kayode Akinmade while reviewing activities lined up for the 40th anniversary of the state with newsmen in his office.

workers alongside other contributors are saving their money for the rainy day, after retirement, adding that any attempt to divert the savings would be resisted. President of the NUP, Dr Abel Afolayan said “for government to think of diverting the money to infrastructural development without proper safeguards is unthinkable.” Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, hinted that the government should use the N5.2 trillion contributory pension savings for infrastructural development. But the NUP kicked against the move, saying it took exception to it and would not accept it. “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners takes exception to the position expressed by the Honourable Minister, and wishes to state that this statement is not only reckless but unfortunate. How on earth will government decide to use hard- earned people’s money that is contributed for a specific pur-

pose under the law, and the money would be used for another purpose that has no backing of the law. “The Nigerian workers alongside other contributors are saving their money for the rainy day in order to make life better for themselves after retirement, and for government to think of diverting the money to infrastructural development without proper safeguards is unthinkable. “What will be the fate of these people when they finally retire to fall back on their money and the money is nowhere to be found? “The union is not totally against investing on infrastructural development per se, but our fear is premised on the fact that there is high rate of impunity in the system coupled with the corruptive tendencies of our government officials who see pension money as a gold mine and their penchant for reckless infringement on pension funds as experienced under the old pension scheme.”

Nigerian Tribune

Airtel adopts Kaduna Primary School Taiwo Adisa - Abuja

TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant, Aritel Networks has announced the adoption of Yahaya Hamza Primary School, based in Zaria, Kaduna State as part of its education initiative, “Adopt-a-School.” Director of Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility of the company, Mr Emeka Oparah, who announced this in a statement made available in Abuja, on Wednesday, said the decision was communicated to the Kaduna State government, during his visit to the state Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Usman Adamu in his office, on Tuesday. According to Oparah: “Airtel will adopt the school for an initial fouryear period and will renovate the buildings, provide furniture, water borehole, modern toilet facilities, uniforms and books for the pupils and training for the teachers.” He stated that the main objective of the company’s adoption of primary schools, is to support the basic foundations of education and help in moulding the future leaders of our country Nigeria.

Jigawa PCRC laments inadequate police personnel Adamu Amadu - Dutse CHAIRMAN of the Jigawa State Police Community Relation Committee (PCRC), Alhaji Hadi Mustapha, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, to deplore more officers and men of the force to the state, based on the current shortage of police personnel in the state. The PCRC chairman made the call on Wednesday, in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital while speaking at the police command, when the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone One, Mr Shuaibu Gambo Lawal, paid a familiarisation visit to the state Alhaji Hadi Mustapha noted that the population of the state is over 4.6 million, adding that the figure of police personnel in the state was below 4, 000, being an indication of shortage of personnel in the command. He, therefore, called on the police not to take an advantage of the prevailing peace in the state, to relent on ensuring watertight security of the state.

news

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Benue rerun: Mark craves peaceful election

NANS declares support for Onjeh, to deploy 2,000 observers Ayodele Adesanmi and Clement Idoko - Abuja

HEAD of Saturday’s rerun for Benue South senatorial district, former Senate president , David Mark, has counseled his constituents to come out en masse to exercise their civic duties. Senator Mark urged

them to comply with the rules of the game by being law abiding just as he counseled those fanning the embers of war to think otherwise. He added that being in politics is a call for service and not a do or die affair, saying that the welfare and well -being of the people is paramount. The lawmaker decried

the series of unprovoked attacks on his supporters in the build up to the election and urged the people of Benue South not to be deterred by the antics of opposition but to demonstrate their civility by conducting themselves properly. Senator Mark reminded his people that the opposition may deliberately provoke them but “you must

stand tall and exercise your franchise within the ambits of the law.” He reiterated that the election is about the welfare and interest of the Idoma/Igede people of Benue State, reminding that they are the only people that have locus standi to decide. However, the former traditional political opponent to Senator Mark in Benue

From left, the Vice President, Financial Affairs, Babcock University, Mr Folorunsho Akande; President/ Vice Chancellor, Professor Ademola Stephen Tayo and the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr Phillips Oduoza, during a visit by the bank executives to the university, on Wednesday.

INEC to conduct rerun in Benue, Kaduna, 6 others Saturday Jacob Segun Olatunji - Abuja THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), will on Saturday conduct 22 of the Appeal Court-ordered re-run across eight states of the federation. This was contained in the Daily Bulletin News of the commission, which was made available to newsmen on Wednesday, in Abuja. According to the statement, this will mark the climax of the 84 court-ordered elections which the commission is to conduct from January to March The commission, according to the statement, will conduct senatorial, federal constituency and state constituency elections across eight states of Benue, Kaduna, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba and Imo. A breakdown of these elections showed that the commission will conduct four senatorial elections; three federal constituency elections; and 15 state constituency elections. The senatorial elections would be conducted in Benue South senatorial district; Imo North senatorial district; Kogi Central senatorial district and Kogi East senatorial district. In a related development, the federal constituency elections would hold in Okene/Ogori Magongo

Federal Constituency of Kogi State; Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency of Nasarawa State; and Kurmi/ Sardauna Federal Constituency of Taraba State. The 15 state constituency elections would be conducted across Imo, Kaduna, Kogi, Plateau, Niger and

Taraba states. Meanwhile, the INEC, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) office is to present the register of voters to contestants and political parties fielding candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship elections today (Thursday).

The Resident Electoral Commission (REC) for FCT, Professor Jacob Jatau, who disclosed this on Wednesdayin Abuja, said that the presentation which would take place at 9.30 a.m. at the INEC FCT conference hall, was in accordance with the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

South, Alhaji Abubakar Usman , has led a political coalition of all political parties in the zone to rally support for the re-election of Senator Mark on Saturday. Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has declared support for the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Daniel Onjeh, in the Benue South senatorial rerun slated for Saturday. NANS said it would equally deploy over 2,000 observers to monitor the exercise. Onjeh, a former President of West African Students Union (WASU), would be in fierce contest with Senator Mark, following the ruling of the Appeal Court, which ordered the rerun. The vice president of NANS (External Affairs), Oluwatosin Ogunkuade, in a statement on Wednesday, in Abuja, appealed to Idoma elders, spiritual leaders, traditional and religious groups, market women and civil servants “to eschew primordial sentiments” and support Onjeh as the senator representing Benue South in the eighth National Assembly. On the Benue rerun, he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exercise neutrality; ensure adequate preparation and distribution of electoral materials and make appropriate logistics and security arrangement that will ensure free and fair as well as transparent rerun.

Ekiti airport project not ill-timed, Fayose replies Adebayo EKITI State governor, Ayo Fayose, has said the capital projects embarked upon by his administration, including an airstrip are not only timely but are meeting people’s needs, contrary to the claim by a former governor of the state, Otunba Niyi Adebayo. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Idowu Adelusi, in Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday, the governor said the claim by Adebayo in Abuja, on Tuesday, that the airstrip project was ill-timed, was borne out of malice because Adebayo failed to utiilise the opportunity given him by the people of the state by executing projects he could be remembered for Ekiti people should thank God that APC people left this state, if not, this state would have collapsed. “I learned that they have resurrected and then met in Abuja. Let them gang up again, I will floor them come 2018.

“I am their headache and their game plan is to be lying against me. Let them keep lying. If they have anything incriminating against me, they would have published it. But they don’t have anything, that’s why they resorted to fabricating lies to assist them.” The governor noted that

all the states created at the same time with Ekiti 20 years ago have either built an airport or airstrip. The governor said when he conceived the idea to dualise Ado township roads, this same opposition party, then known as the Alliance for Democracy (AD), said the project was ill-timed and not well con-

ceived, but the people of the state are now enjoying the amenities. “Let us do a comparison between the former All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations in Ekiti State and point out which has enhanced or retarded the progress of the state.

Task INEC on free, fair rerun, Rivers govt tells Nigerians Bola Badmus - Lagos AHEAD of re-run holding on March 19, in Rivers State, the state government, has called on all Nigerians and the international community to challenge the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), government to ensure a free and fair rerun in the state. The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr Austin Tam-George, made the call in Lagos, while

addressing newsmen, saying it was important for Nigerians to work together to stop what he described as “this fast-advancing totalitarianism of APC.” Tam-George, however, assured that despite the threats of APC concerning the coming poll, the people of Rivers had made it clear that only their sovereign would prevail in the rerun billed for March. The commissioner, while raising concern about the political attitude of APC, observed that the party, which

controls the central government and is in charge of 23 out of 36 states in the country, among others, had been “acting less a political party and more as an extremist group, since winning the general poll last May.” Specifically, the commissioner accused APC leaders of attempt, in its obsession to vanquish the Peoples Democratic party (PDP) even after the general election by deploying what he described as “a dark, totalising rhetoric striking similar to that of Boko Haram.”

Nigerian Tribune

NSCIA scribe to deliver NAL lecture at Kwara varsity Biola Azeez - Ilorin KWARA State University (KWASU), Malete, has been selected as the host of the annual lecture of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL). NAL is the highest body of academics in the field of humanities in Nigeria. According to a statement by the vice chancellor of KWASU, Professor Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, the Secretary General of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Professor Ish’aq Oloyede, will deliver a lecture, tagged “Utilising religion for national integration and development, at the event scheduled to hold today (Thursday). Professor Na’Allah, who said the event was expected to be a re-union forum for academics, especially, those in the humanities, added that, “For a university that is only six years old, NAL’s decision to hold the 2016 NAL lecture at KWASU, is an expression of special recognition of the outstanding feat and position of KWASU with the Nigeria academia.

Ganduje tasks judiciary on increase in crimes rate Kola Oyelere - Kano

KANO State governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has callled on the judiciary to brace up to the challenge of possible increase in crime rate in the state, which could occur due to current economic hardship being faced by the people. He made the call on Wednesday after swearing in of the new grand Qadi for Kano State Sharia Court of Appeal, Qadi Abdullahi Wayya. Ganduje explained that his appointment is sequel to a recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC). Your appointment is coming at a trying period when the economy of the country is bad and the atmosphere in the judiciary, like in other sectors, would also be affected,” he said. Lamenting that the situation is so bad that some states cannot pay salaries, he, however, assured that despite the prevailing situation, the state government would do its best to settle all pending financial claims of principal judicial officers in the state. Governor Ganduje described the Qadi Abdullahi Wayya as a person of integrity, who has all it takes to man the new position.

communitynews

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Lawmaker equips youths for industrialisation in Epe community Chukwuma OkparaochaLagos

lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Honourable Abiodun Tobun, has vowed to prepare youths of his constituency, Epe, for the much anticipated industrial revolution in Epe, through the award of scholarship and vocational training. According to the lawmaker, with the construction of an international airport, refineries, free trade zones, and link roads, among others, which are expected to be carried out in Epe in a few years, it is good to adequately equip youths of the area with the right skills so that they can fit in and be the ones handling key jobs that would be available then. Thus, Tobun said he had taken the initiative to invest in the vocational training of youths of Epe in a way that would produce youths that could be pilots, electricians, technicians, and other key professionals in a way that would make them relevant when the industries finally kick off. Tobun, who represents Epe constituency I in the state Assembly, said the idea to sponsor indigent students on vocational training came up during the National Youth Council of Indigenes of Epe in December 2015. The lawmaker explained

that “we have to provide for the future, Lekki Free Trade Zone, Dangote Refinery and some other industries are coming on board, our children in Epe must be prepared for such technical know-how, so that they would not go there and be employed as labourers.” Promising to sponsor more students on vocational training, he added that “the era when people rely solely on seeking for

employment has gone. Our youth must strive to be self-reliant.” He added that “there are plans in the pipeline to train Epe youths on midwifery. As it is presently, in all our health institutions in the community, no Epe indigene works as a nurse.” While commending the lawmaker, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), Engineer Olawunmi

Jasper, said the beneficiaries of the scholarship worth about N1.2million, had three ample opportunities to improve their lives. “They have the opportunity of going to higher institutions, they may decide to be self employed and at the same time, they may seek for employment after their programmes,” he said. The LASTVEB Executive Secretary who was represented by the Director of Technical and Vocational

Studies, Laolu Oguntuyi, made this commendation during the induction ceremony of the students at Epe Local Government Area, Epe. The students are expected to undergo threeyear training programme, 2015\2018 session at Government Technical College, Odomola, Epe. According to LASTVEB representative: “I appreciate Honourable Tobun, who is the Chair-

Cross section of members of Agege Patriots, a non governmental organisation, with the Administrative Officer of Tunji Adebayo Orphanage, Mrs Titilayo Dahunsi (third left) and the Care Giver, Mrs Tope Idemudia, during the visit of the former to the Orphanage at Fagba, Lagos, recently.

Ilaje, Ese Odo commend OSOPADEC for developmental projects HakeemGbadamosi-Akure The people and residents of oil-rich communities in Ilaje and Ese Odo Local Government Areas of Ondo State have commended the management of Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) for the execution of projects in the area. The people stated this in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of the state, during the inauguration of the second phase of Lakwal Vanguard, a body responsible for the clearing of waterways across the coastal communities. Speaking on behalf of the communities, the traditional ruler of Ogbaro, Ogbaro of Ogbaroland, Oba Obafemi Ogbaro, appreciated the commission for embarking on projects

that would have direct impact on the lives of the people of the area. The traditional ruler noted that the execution of projects was a testimony that the present administration in the state is a listening government, who is ready to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people at the grassroots. Also speaking, the chairman of the commission, Johnson Ogunyemi, disclosed that the commission had been able to execute four different projects in the area, adding that all the projects were awaiting inauguration. Ogunyemi listed the projects to include 1.7 kilometres walkway in Bolowogho, rural electrification in Araromi seasides and Oke-Ereke and construction of 10 kilometres footbridges across 154 communities in OSOPADEC

mandate areas. He said the projects were part of efforts by the commission to improve the welfare of people living in the coastal region of the state, saying that the state governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, is committed to the development of the area. The OSOPADEC boss added that the commission decided to enlarge the workforce of Lakwal Vanguard from 300 to 500 in order to empower more youths in the communities and improve socioeconomic activities in the area. He disclosed that the commission will soon complete the water treatment plant in Aboto. According to him, when completed, the water treatment plant will put an end to the problem of water scarcity in Igbokoda, Ugbo, Aboto, Mahin, Ug-

bonla among others. He listed the achievements of the present administration in the area in the last seven years to include asphalt overlay of 3.5kilometre InikorogboOboro road, construction of 138 housing units in mandate communities, empowerment programme for 1,540 elderly persons and 635 physically challenged in the two local government in the coastal area.

Others include construction of model schools in Igbokoda, OSOPADEC office complex, and yearly payment of bursary and scholarship to students from the mandate areas in tertiary institutions He, however, solicited the support and cooperation of the people of the area with the state government to enable the commission embark on more developmental projects.

man, House Committee on Works for contributing to the development of vocational education. This kind of programme will develop our youths for self reliance. While commenting on the facilities at their various centres in the state, Oguntuyi said the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, had promised to upgrade the school facilities to enhance technical education. Oguntuyi explained that the students would be distributed into five different departments in accordance with their interests, adding that “we can’t decide for them.” He added that the lawmaker should be commended for having the strong will to encourage vocational training in the state, saying “I call him empowerment emeritus, because he has also promised to do the same thing for those who would be going for nursing.” The Executive Secretary of Epe Local Government, Ahmed Seriki, expressed happiness on the magnanimity displayed by the lawmaker. While thanking Tobun for his gesture towards Epe community, the council boss noted that the future of Lagos lied in Epe, adding that Epe indigenes should not be left behind in the scheme of things. Speaking to newsmen, some of the beneficiaries of the scholarship, Elewuro Olajide said “somebody told me that honourable was to give scholarship. So I decided to participate in the test and it was a pleasant surprise when I emerged one of the winners. I currently work as a satellite engineer, so I would like to go for Electronic Electrical Engineering.” Also, Balogun Sheriff expressed happiness for being one of the beneficiaries of the training. According to him, “I am so happy for the programme. I am currently working as an aluminium fabricator.” Clement Oluwabusayo said “this is an opportunity to forge ahead. I am being trained at a computer school, this opportunity will help me in future.”

Yoruba community in Kano: Ibadan Support Group calls for peaceful polls Candidates and delegates have been admonished not to see Saturday’s election of executive members of the Yoruba Community in Kano State as a do-or-die affair. Making the call in Sabon Gari, Kano was the Convener, Ibadan Support Group, Prince Bello Armstrong Muji.

Prince Muji observed that peaceful elections were sine qua non to development and adv ised members of the Yoruba community to steer clear of anti-democratic acts before, during and after the polls. He said the beauty of democracy is its competitive-

ness, assuring that necessary machinery had been put in place for a successful election. Prince Muji gave the assurance that the exercise would usher in an era of vibrant, purposeful, accountable and transparent leadership which had up till now, eluded the community.

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

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Libya: Gaddafi left behind a long, damaging legacy When the Arab uprisings began in Tunisia and quickly spread to Egypt, it was only inevitable that Libya, with a population that had been highly oppressed and deprived of its vast natural wealth, would follow suit. On February 15, 2011, the Libyan revolution was sparked by a gathering crowd in Benghazi, the second largest city and bedrock of opposition to Gaddafi’s tyranny, according to Al Jazeera. The peaceful uprising quickly spread from Benghazi to other cities and by the third day (February 17) the Libyan revolution was in full flow. Gaddafi’s reaction was

expectedly very brutal and violent. He ordered his security forces to shoot directly at demonstrators, hoping that this would squash the revolutionary dissent and keep him in power. The international community was obliged to intervene on March 19 to drive back Gaddafi’s huge military force that was sent to regain control of Benghazi. Five years on, people are still debating whether the military intervention was justified and the right policy. Some believed the West intervened purely to secure future interests in Libya’s vast wealth and natural resources.

Trump won’t be US president —Obama •Says being president is not a reality show

resident Barack Obama has a message for Donald Trump, he said being president is tougher than being on a reality show and the American people are too “sensible” to elect him, CNN has reported. “I continue to believe Mr. Trump will not be president,” Obama said at a news conference in California after a meeting with southeast Asian leaders. “And the reason is that I have a lot of faith in the American people. Being president is a serious job. It’s not hosting a talk show, or a reality

show.” He went on: “It’s not promotion, it’s not marketing. It’s hard. And a lot of people count on us getting it right.” The comments marked a political resurgence for a lame-duck President in his final year in office. Obama offered surprisingly frank assessments of the campaign to replace him, taking shots at Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. He also hinted hint that he was sympathetic to Hillary Clinton’s position on the difficulty of enacting political change, as she

Pope loses his cool with person who almost knocked him down In a rare sight of public agitation, Pope Francis lost his composure as he greeted a crowd of worshippers in Mo-

rella, Mexico. Pope Francis, who is usually calm and accommodating with his admirers, clearly

lost his temper with a person who pulled on him so hard that he fell onto a child on a wheel chair, Reuters said

The picture captures moment when Pope Francis was being pulled down by a fan when greeting a crowd of worshippers in Morella, Mexico. PHOTO: REUTERS

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When the devotee grabbed him by his cassock and wouldn’t let go, it caused the Pontiff to fall into a wheelchair-bound man. The Pope sternly told the man in Spanish “don’t be selfish.” Pope Francis recovered and kissed the man on the head following the incident. He waved to people in the open-air gathering for a few more minutes after the incident before leaving. The Pope went to Mexico on Friday and wrapped up his trip on Wednesday. It is his second trip to North America since becoming the head of the Catholic Church in 2013. He visited Cuba and the United States in September. .

Kenya to build jail for terror suspects

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta. PHOTO: AP

The Kenyan government is planning to build a new prison to confine only terrorist suspects and sympathisers. The facility is intended to deter the spread of terrorist ideology. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced plans to build a separate prison for terrorist suspects during a graduation ceremony for more than 2,000 new prison wardens.

“We will establish a new prison to hold violent extremist offenders. The truth of the matter is that we cannot allow them to spread their poison to vulnerable Kenyans,” he said. The president did not give details about where and when the prison would be built. Some top security officials have raised concerns about terror suspects spreading

their ideology to other prisoners and radicalising them in jail. During the past four years, Kenya has witnessed a series of terror attacks from Somalia-based militant group AlShabab. The group is believed to have sympathisers in Kenya, especially in the Eastleigh district of Nairobi, home to many Somali immigrants.

Apple rejects order to unlock gunman’s phone Apple will contest a court order to help FBI investigators access data on the phone belonging to San Bernardino gunman Syed Rizwan Farook. The company had been ordered to help the FBI circumvent security software on Farook’s iPhone, which the FBI said contained crucial information.

In a statement, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said: “The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers.” “We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.” Since September 2014, data

on the latest Apple devices - such as text messages and photographs - have been encrypted by default. If a device is locked, the user’s passcode is required to access the data. Entering an incorrect code 10 times will automatically erase the phone’s data, if this option Tim Cook said the FBI’s request set “a dangerous precedent”. PHOTO: AP has been enabled.

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

faces a tough challenge from a candidate in Bernie Sanders, who has fired up Democratic primary voters who are demanding sweeping reform. But it was the potential of a Trump administration that Obama seemed most eager to critique. The presidency isn’t “a matter of pandering and doing whatever will get you in the news on a given day. And sometimes, it requires you making hard decisions even when people don’t like it,” Obama said, adding that whoever succeeds him needs to be able to reflect the importance of their office and give foreign leaders confidence he or she knows their names and something about their nations’ histories. Obama also appeared to raise the question of whether Trump was prepared to be commander-in-chief. “Whoever’s standing where

I’m standing right now has the nuclear codes with them, and can order 21-year-olds into a firefight, and (has) to make sure that the banking system doesn’t collapse, and is often responsible for not just the United States of America, but 20 other countries that are having big problems, or are falling apart and are gonna be looking for us to something.” He added: “The American people are pretty sensible, and I think they’ll make a sensible choice in the end.” Trump responded to Obama during an event in Beaufort, South Carolina. “He has done such a lousy job as president,” Trump said, before adding that he didn’t mind being targeted by Obama, saying he took it as a “great compliment.” Trump wasn’t the only Republican who took a shot from the President.

Heikal, Egypt’s most famous journalist, dies at 92 Muhammad Hassanein Heikal, a leading Egyptian journalist, author, television celebrity, politician and a noted authority on modern Middle East whose work brought him worldwide fame and influence, died on Wednesday, aged 92. Egyptian state television said Heikal, a heavy cigar smoker, died following a short period of illness. As Egypt’s, and probably the Arab worlds, oldest active and most celebrated intellectual, Heikal was perceived by critics and admirers as a towering figure who had continued to attract attention until his death. Above all, Heikal was one of the most trenchant defenders of Nasserite Egypt and its pan-Arabism trends. Heikal was born on September 23, 1923, to the family of a wheat merchant in the Nile Delta province of Qalyubia. His father

thought that Heikal, as the eldest son in the family, should join him in managing his business. Instead, Heikal decided to pursue his education. Educated briefly at the American University in Cairo, Heikal became a crime reporter for the Egyptian Gazette in 1943. The paper which catered to the needs of expatriates living in Egypt had among its writer’s famous British authors such as George Orwell and Lawrence Durrell.

Muhammad Hassanein Heika

Thursday, 18 February, 2016

Editor: Ganiyu Salman tribunesporteditor@yahoo.com 08053789060

NWF technical director urges wrestlers to report injuries THE Technical Director, Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Damian Ohaike has advised wrestlers to always report cases of suspected injury. Damien who stated this at the training session of the team explained that injury is not an end to a career, but a way to caution athletes on his/her weaknesses. Damian Ohaike said over the years, athletes had sustained injuries and still bounce back to become champions. “In Nigeria I wonder why people panick when they hear any athlete sustains an injury; injuries are meant to occur even if I may say. Once you sustain an injury, you become more aware of the areas you should guard against. “In life there are always ups and downs, if you want to go up, you must start from the bottom, which is rebuilding yourself,” he said adding “as a matter of fact, the sport ‘wrestling’ injury is unavoidable, you must sustain it”. Damien, recalled that sixtime African Champion, Blessing Oborududu sustained an injury last year which prevented her from participating at the 2015 World Wrestling Championship, but bounced back to win her sixth title on the continent.

NNL, Nationwide clubs beg Dalung ahead leagues kick-off

My Arsenal success opened doors for Africans in EPL —Kanu

ANU Nwankwo has said his success with Arsenal paved the way for more African footballers to play and thrive in the English Premier League. The former Super Eagles skipper joined the Gunners in 1999 and helped Arsene Wenger’s men lift two Premier League trophies, two FA Cups during his five year at the club where he scored 44 goals in 198 games. February 18 marks his 17th anniversary of signing for the club, and the Abia

State-born star has fond memories of his time in north London. “I believe I was the first [African] person who came to England and did very well,” Kanu told Arsenal Player. “After that, the doors opened for African talents so, with Arsenal behind me and what we did with Arsenal, everybody now tends to follow the English league. “When I came over I saw a good coach who saw the best in me. I was a good player because he made it

easier for me to play. “Everybody believes that English football is all about playing the ball up, not keeping it on the ground, but Arsène has his own idea of football and it made it easier for us. He wanted us to play football the right way, he wanted us to enjoy it by passing the ball around

Kanu and that’s what we did. “It was very easy to adjust when you saw the fans. The supporters are behind you and they love you and what you are doing and that means you have to do more. If you keep doing more, they keep loving you and it was very easy for them to adopt me.”

NFF warns Oliseh, sacks Babangida Names Amuneke as U-20 coach Saliu Gbadamosi - Abuja THE executive committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has handed a stern warning to the Super Eagles head coach, Sunday Oliseh, over his recent outburst on YouTube, saying that it would not tolerate similar infractions in the future. This forms part of the communiqué issued at the end of the executive committee meeting held at the NFF’s Glass House secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, and signed by Barrister Seyi Akinwunmi, who was the chairman, communique drafting committee According to the communiqué made available to Tribunesport, the meeting rebuked Oliseh “for his unwarranted statements unbecoming of a national team coach in both regular and social media,”

adding that, “while acknowledging his apology, the executive committee made it clear that similar infractions would not be tolerated in future.” In line with global best practices, the committee decided that Oliseh henceforth must report to the NFF GeneralSecretary and the technical and development committee, and should be ready to defend his entire programme before the committee, including invitation of players and training programmes. The meeting, according to the communiqué, endorsed the recommendation of the technical and development committee on the reconstitution of the technical crew of the national U-20 team, the Flying Eagles and subsequently appointed Emmanuel Amuneke as the head coach of the team. Amuneke, who led the Gold-

en Eaglets to lift FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile last November, would be assisted by Kabiru Baleria and Emeka Amadi as assistant coach and goalkeeper trainer respectively. The NFF also approved the appointment of a foreign coach for the Super Falcons, who would be assisted by former internationals, Florence Omagbemi, Perpetua Nkwocha and Ann Chiejine, with Bala Mohammed as goalkeeper trainer. The NFF also announced the immediate disengagement of ex-international, Tijjani Babangida as Personal Assistant to Oliseh on the recommendation of the technical and development committee and mandated NFF scribe, Dr Sanusi Muhammed, to follow due process in effecting his disengagement.

CLUBS in the Nigeria National League, Nigeria Women’s League as well as the Nationwide League One have urged the Sports Minister, Barrister Solomon Dalung, to ensure that elections into the various league bodies are conducted before the leagues commence. Both the NNL and the women’s league are scheduled to begin next month. A member of the women’s football league forum, Nuhu Audu noted that it was ideal to have the boards of the two league bodies in place before leagues kick off. “The various leagues will not start before elections to their various management boards are held. We have pleaded with the sports minister to ensure that be the case,” said Audu, who is the chairman of Nasarawa Amazons. His declaration came on the wake of a stern warning by the Nationwide League One secretariat that clubs now have until February 26 to register for the new season or risk losing their places in the third-tier competition. A majority of amateur clubs have ignored an earlier deadline to register, insisting they wish to be presented with audited accounts of the NLO for the past four years.

Ekiti, Lagos clash in FOYSSTON final today

Amuneke

TEAM Ekiti will slug it out against Team Lagos, in the final of the maiden Fountain Youth Sports Club Soccer Tournament (FOYSSTON) today. To qualify, Team Ekiti hammered Team Ogun 3-0 with goals from Tolulope Ojo, to record his second hat-trick of the tournament, while Team Lagos defeated Team Oyo 4-2 via penlaties after the game had ended in a 1-1 draw. The final will hold at the Sports Complex of Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti.

tribunepools

DR. J.K. PPOLS (07039275802)

(12X13) 03-25-29-33-35.

Two weeks ago that was week 30, I released numbers 33x 33x BK in advance against week 31 the advance banker which was 33x 33x 33 drew. Check our records in Tribune Pools Page. As i said earlier I am now bent to concentrate to those clients that enrolled with me. The enrollment fee remains N5,000 now through Zenith Bank payable to Ekhomu John account number 2085795936. Please be informed that the enrollment fee for new customers as from March 31, 2016 will be increased. The naked games for last week 31 were 8x 19x 33. Now stakers are to pick two bankers from 3, 25, 29, 33, 35 and add to the above bracket games. Good luck says DR. J.K. POOLS. Win now.

SUNDERLAND SYSTEM

25. 26. 19 NAP 32 09038460009=

4. SPECIAL DRAWS N6, 000 WK 32 NO CUP CUP CUP CUP N6, 000 4. Special draws N6, 000 Wk 32 NO CUP CUP CUP CUP N6, 000 4. Special draws N6, 000 Wk 33 NO CUP CUP CUP CUP N6, 000 Two Bankers N3000 WK 32 CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP Two Bankers N3000 WK 33 NO NAP NAP PAIR NAP NAP Two Bankers N3000 Wk 34 NO NAP NAP PAIR NAP NAP Time to win Pool this wk 32 Sunderland system 4 special draws this wk 32 with play = 4/4. Correct hurry up to get your copy to day two Bankers cost N000 wk 32. No cup cup pair cup cup. 4 Bankers wk 32 cup cup cup cup pair send MTN card 09038460009.

WALSALL BET DUNDEE LUCKYMAN 08054352685

Grab a copy of luckyman 1-2-x guide and luckyman one sure draw plus our wk 32 special release will help you win big fortune on pools the special release is certain to bail you out of all your financial problem walsall bet Dundee.

(39 MUST 40) THE-LILIES 08086944309

The Lilies is really set to help you win on pools stick to us weekly and let fortune smile on your face call now for 3 Jackpot X5 and get out of poverty 39 must 40.

(49 NAP 47) SIR – BRAKA 08078052128

Our 3 Napable draws is now for grab send N1000 glo and win on pools.

MISTER-DRAW 08030415683

Notts. Co will hold leyton orient to a super draw plus 2 super draws cost N2000 MTN Card winning on pools is assured this Wk 32 act now.

FORTUNE DONOR DONATES 21-22 (08099111828)

The selfless and hardworking fortun Donor international is donating coupon Nos 21 & 22 for a very sure draw this week. Be sure you take advantage by adding the duo week and have your 2/3. Our 1BK costs N1, 500. 00, 2 Draws sell for N3, 000. 00, and 3 good and sure draws sell for N10, 000. 00 on 08099111828. Be a sure winner always!

F.A. CUP DRAW MASTER KEY= 09038460009

WK. 32 FREE= 5 BANKERS= 15X 16X 19X 20X 32 PAIR 27X 29.

FREE 3 BANKERS 15CBK 33 – 34 – 35. Call – 09038460009/0813588720 or 08142362005. Call for Account details. Or SEND MTN Cards.

SAM AYO – 12XX 13 08109152433 =

WEEK 31 Incredible win 20x 30x 33xxx Free 8/14.—5/5 Congrats we are at it again as promised this 2nd week 32 and in preparation for our last week Naps next week cost N100,000. Make good use of this golden & current winning chance. N25,000 this week. Good luck.

KAMARK SUPER -08186673842.

1X 4X 7X 22X 38 —WIN.

Free win against week 33 sure Naps. Key Arsenal vs Hull on No 1 for 3 weeks direct Naps in week 33, 34 Nap remain N10, 000 while the permutation id N8,5000 payable to Mr. S.B. Odesola at IBTC Bank, A/C No 0001361916. Good luck.

DOSA 08072216644 23 PAIR 24

Week 31 result= 19xx 30xx 33xx (8xx Pair 11) Dosa has done it again last week 31 as he scored 3 over 3 and the pair produce a draw. This week 32 is another jackpot week for all wise pool stakers. Send to me N5, 000 MTN recharge card for my 3 draws and a pair. No more story about it.

Nigerian Tribune Pools Page

THE WINNERS CHOICE

G E T A CO PY A N D W I N

M.B.A. EXPERT (08104694618) WEEK 31—8X 14X 26X (27F 46X) WEEK 32 —PAIR 37XX05.

So far 41 draws had been recorded from the last 4F.A Cup encounters with 11 each for the 1st, 3 and 8 draws fromweek 29 4th round. Also, wk 32 is the 2nd even after week 26. Meanwhile F.A. Cup weeks seem not to have any consistency with a flash back to the years past F.A. Cup Round 5 had been decided in wks 30 and 31 in years 2006-2008 and 2010-2012 respectively. Much as this happens, computation for draws is equally touched as it has to move even ahead of new developments. Among other nos, coupon Pools Nos 37x and 05x have been assembled from past Cup matches of 5th Round. This week 32 is also Purple and the 8th in the season in addtion, the 2 dates of play Cup 5 2010 correspond again. Your GET-UP continues, it remains at N45,000. You can also obtain 6 sets of nap at N500 each. They are not in jeopardy with special release. Call 08104694618 for details. Good luck.

ISREAL BAIL OUT NAPS – 09085712800. WINNING CONTACT – 09085712800 CONGRATULATIONS.

We are no longer new in this page and our mission is to put an end to stakers weekly loses. Thank God our 1st outing in weeks 26 and 27 was two heavy for many promoters to carry. Weeks of 11 and 10 draws Week 26 and 27= HUDDERSFIELD, PROSTON. Week 26 – 13x 15x 27x 29 – 11drs= 4/4 Week 27 – 15x 17x 27x 29 – 10drs= 4/4 Congrats again in week 30 and 31 on PORTVALE HOME 30 – CARDIFF, READING, OLDHAM, PORTVALE Week 30 – 15x 22x= OLDHAM 29XXX – PORTVALE 30X Week 31 – 14x 19x= OLDHAM 33XXX – PORTVALE 30X Once again, if you are one of those stakers that are yet to benefit from our ‘PAY BACK’ Naps, you are welcome to where MILLIONAIRES were hatched, WEEK 32 and 33FULHAM HOME 13= Controlled WIN. = N50, 000 note- freshers only.

OBINYAN PROMISES GOOD TIDINGS

The wizard of 12x and Chairman Managing Director of king and George group of forcast papers Price Willy Ehi Obinyan said at the weekend that he was set to give harvest of draws to stakers in this 5th Round F.A. Cup week. He said he was making this promise owing to non superlative performance of his papers recently. He therefore enjoined stakers to study movements of games thoroughly from all his fortune papers for sure win. The paper are Pools Telegraph, Zeters Pools Guide, Murphy Sports, Shoot Pointer, The Dream and Final Result.

MANCITY SYSTEM F.A. CUP SYSTEM C 08135888720= 29 NAP 32 3 Wks operation wk 31. 32.33

4 Special draws N6, 000 Wk 31 RED No 8x 19x 30x 33x 4 Special draws N6, 000 Wk 32 No Nap Nap Nap Nap with 5.6 Two Bankers N3000 WK 31 RED No 19x 30x pair 8x 5f Two Bankers N3000 WK 32 No CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP Stakers try to get MANCITY. 4 SPECIAL Draws this Wk 32 No cup cup cup cup with 29. 32. Two Bankers Wk 32 No cup cup with cup cup = 4/4. Send Mtn Card to 08135888720, 09038633666.

MADAM DE MADAM SUPER NAPS – 08023329191 14X 26X 30XXX – 8X 31= 10/10WKS

WESTBROM SURE WESTHAM= 02XX 05. CUPS AFFAIR. The 2 WESTERN teams are formidable twin. In every cup week says our newest Partnership Experts. 1st Cup (17) 01x 12x 23xxx WESTHAM – 10X 2nd Cup (21) 06x 22x 41xxx WEST & WEST – 4X 10 3RD Cup (26) 04x 13x 35xxx WEST HAM – 29X 4th Cup (29) 19x 32x 42xxx WEST & WEST – 11X 15 5th Cup (32) X X X WESTBROM MUST WESTHAM Note – 17, 21, 26, 29 and 32 are Cup weeks. Madams welcome Naps is scheduled for 3 weeks starting from week 31 (last week) Congrats if you read our last week advert, thanks for your patronage. Our partnership with the world reputable Panel Director draws gazette-fixing chairman made our recent success possible despite the 8 shock draws played last week. We triumphed. Call our media man (Mr Joshua) for your winning details. IT’S REAL. N50, 000. Winners please pay on scheduled.

TRIPLE SPICE OFFERS (10 – 16 – 21 – 5/24) (08035324990)

Your Indomitable Triple Spice International is again at it this week. We offere all Punters a sure winning line on the games on 10 – 16 – 21 – 5/24. The set is sure to produce a winning line this week as same set sells for N50, 000. 00 next week and week 34. This offer is delibrate this week to assist all pools pundicts to offset past loses. Make good use of them and start calling 08035324990 from Monday next week. You have won!

BEST BARGAIN INTERNATIONAL (08092621480) WK 32= 9CBK, 15CBK

Only the deep can call to the deep so says the Legend. That is why we are making every move to ensure that stakers get the best from us every week. The dawn of another cup week promises the best of times for stakers and that is why everybody must make use of this opportunity. With the cup sequence released to me by the Bookmakers and the Pools Panel, coupon Nos 9 and 15 must draw this with other classified and certified draws. All stakers who want a new beginning with millions in their accounts should call me on 08092621480, for us to discuss on the token amount they have to send to me to get the whole package. This week promises an exciting moment for all stakers who heed this call after the result on Saturday.

SOLOMON RESORT – 09091111800 (THE WISE CHOICE) 20X 26X 30XXX – 8X 09

CUP – AGAIN – CUP – WIN STENH ‘MUIR AWAY 49 IN CUP= WIN SURE NAP XXX CBK IN 4TH , 5TH and 6TH? CUP Week 29 ‘4th cup– 15x 29x 42xxx – 8draws Week 32 ‘5th Cup – X X X – 8draws? Position of Leeds UTD confirmed the number of draws played. Watch leeds at away number 8.again. Our Newly direct winning information on instruction made our winning easy. Act wisely, join the Solomon De wise team. Winners celebrates join us today. Welcome – N30,000= Goodluck.

ADEOTI SYNDICATE. 07051327960.

WATFORD – LEEDS (08X) 1-1 CUP. BK I am coming back again after two weeks leave. This week 32 F.A. Cup round (5) I am assuring fans & stakers good hope without fear. Last week result have nothing to do with my 2 weeks operation starting from this week 32 F.A Cup round (5) and week 33 A week after cup 5 just send your money to Ahmed Shafiri A/C Nos. 2001788431 Zenith bank Ibadan. N10, 000 cash. Each week and the game will be send to you after confirmation of your payment. WATFORD – LEEDS must PLAY 1-1. Draw with 4 others. As cup 5 concerns. 8xxxxbk. 1-1. All those who want to be a member should send money N25, 000 cash to the above account. To remind you again. There is winning for you on the release.Thanks. Goodluck to you all.

Thursday, Feb. 18 - 24, 2016 DR. JACKSON – 08156829811 (15XX 16)

CUP EXPERTS ASSISTED NAP. 4 weeks winijng gazet Current Man Utd – Man. City Away No 4. 10drs= Week 27 – 3x 9x 36xxx= 15/16 10drs= Week 32 – X X X = 15/16 Milton K.D and sheff wed a least must and other 3 Assisted cup Nap. Hint= Cup win is strictly on pools panel decision on draws fixing and control. N25, 000 – guaranteed.

MADAM HILLARY – 08163902330 (15X17)

8X 26X 30XXX NAP 34F. He who starts well will surely end well by His grace. Our long announced and awaited 3 weeks Nap started well last week. Never mind the CUP week. Draws are fixed 25, 000 again.

INNOCENT NAP

(08095602590) 14 NAP 15

4 special draws N6, 000 Wk 32= 2015 NO 10 X 11X 23X 33X 4 special draws N6,000 Wk 32 Cup No Cup Cup Cup pair Cup Cup Two bankers N3,000 wk 32= 2015 No 10x 11x pair 23x 33x Two bankers N3,000 wk 32 No Cup Cup pair Cup Cup KEY letter A.A. at Home No 48. 49 To control 4 special draws this wk 32 cup cost N6, 000 Two bankers cost N3,000 wk 32 No Nap Nap Nap Nap pair 2.3. Wk 32 Cup No Cup Cup Cup Cup pair 14x 15. Send MTN card 08095602590 the game will be sent to you by text message = 08095602590.

HERITAGE NAP 08032428168 12 MUST 15

The pair above is to launch us into a 4-week sequence starting from this week 32. The pair must supply with other gazette draws this weekend. Pay N25, 000 and get the game that will put an end to your losses in pools staking. Don’t miss the chance.

PETER NAP

13XXXCBK 08076546261

Congratulation to all those that will get my release this week as the setting that got 8xx, 14xx, 30xx 3/3 last week, though 8xx, was published free will get it again this week cost just N25, 000. 00 pay to saving acct. No:- 3023114822 First Bank in person of Mr Onaolapo – Peter A. Bank Fulham and the sure NAP. Goodluck

DR EKONDO 08034483290 17XCBK

NAP 17XXXBK DRAW PLUS two others cost you N10, 000= cash (Ten thousand naira only) Remember week 29 I told you I am the cup master and it drew 3/3. This is 5th round F.A. Cup must also Draws 3/3. Trial would convince you call the above number , call and be connected with special discussion. Goodluck.

022 CODE (48 PAIR 49) 08059580326

This is F.A Cup 5th round, your darling friend 022 code is at it again to give you 3 fixed draws and 1 hot pair. I am giving you an assurance that you will win on pool staking this week 32, therefore call me on my GSM number above for my bank account number for payment. Please don’t miss it. Cost N10, 000 cash.

SHORT – GUN

08050614477/ 08168241902 (16 HOT 49).

We continue with our ever reliable sequence that brought the pair of 8x and 34 last week with other fixed draws. This week, the pair above must play with other fixed draws like we did last week with 8 killer draws on coupon. The game costs N25, 000. Join the experts and stop wasting your money.

SIR MICHAEL NAP (5 PAIR 21)

(Unfailing pair, banker, unfailing Nap) 08130011263 Congratulation to all those that got my release last week as they won with, 8xx, 26xx, 30xx 3/3, the pair 13f, 14xx making 4/5. Meanwhile another 3/3 ana 4/5 this week cost just N15, 000 (Fifteen thousand naira) call for acct No or mode of payment.

WITH DR BROWN– 07088694992-5XXCBK

For week 32 F.A cup. Banker 15xxx is a key system that set only for cup. This controls 3 Nap draws correctly without any form of doubt position of WEST BROWN to give you 1 Banker in the nest cup plus 2 other draws cost 10, 000 naira. Join us for week 33 and 34. For more information call. Success is yours.

PLEASE COMPLY WITH OUR NO ADVERT NO WRITE-UP POLICY —MANAGEMENT

AMUKO & ASSOCIATES – 07014686970 5TH ANNUAL CUP WIN. WE OPERATES ONLY IN CUP WEEKS. WEEK 32 round 5 Cup Nap is a must (WIN). Free Cup pair – WESTHAM & WESTBROM = 02xx05. Our previous Cup winning weeks confirmed our Cup winning strength & tactics strcitly on Experts directives in 2015/2016 Cup winning diary N50,000. AKIN MR AKIN AT PEAK. WIN SURE NAP (07067202291) HON. EMMANUEL ON SPECIAL CUP NAP-08102874949. WINAGAIN.

DRAW COMMANDER TWO BANKERS N3,000 VOL I WK 32= 2014 X20X X39X PAIR X45X F46F

WK 32=2015 X10X X23X PAIR X31X X33X

WK 32=2016 CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP

BEST ENGLISH MAGIC TWO BANKERS N3,000 VOL I WK 32= 2014 WK 32= 2015 X18X X9X X33X X39X PAIR PAIR X10X X48X X11X X49X

WK 32= 2016 CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP

3 WEEKS OPERATIONS. WEEKS 32, 33, 34= 4 SPECIAL DRAWS N25,000 WEEK 32 VOL 2 N25,000. SEND MTN CARD TO 08095602590.

ADEOTI SYNDICATE (07051327960) 3 draws & a pair for Wks 32 F.A. CUP Round 5. Week 33 A week after Cup round 5 cost N10,000 cash. Each week and pay your money to Ahmed Shafiri A/C Nos: 2001788431, Zenith Bank, Ibadan. Week 32 F.A. Banker WATFORD-LEEDS. (08x) 1—1 with 4 others. Membership registration N25,000 cash. Last week result have nothing to do with the release. GOOD LUCK.

MAGIC KINGDOM (08056753098/07085060512)

Congratulations to all my customer who bought our game last week 3 that played 3/5 on 8x 14x 16F pair 2/F and 26x No 16 failed because it was lately paneled and the panel decision was unfavourable. In week 32, your first draws is on number 34 plus 2 others cost N10,000 because of those that complained on the price but please NOTE—Week 33 will cost N25,000 while week 34 cost N50,000 flat. All payment to BALOGUN ADESINA KAMORU. F.C.M. Bank a/c no-0279550010, Wema bank a/c no-0206965116 or GT Bank a/c no-0115505082. Call 08056753098 or 07085060512 for details. Don;t be a doubting Thomas. Good luck.

HOPE NAPS & CO 08107128449 CUP! CUP!! CUP!!!

BANKER= 9XXX, 9XXX, 9XXX Hope do assure fans & stakers of Thursday Tribune in Wk 32 cup releases that make you alright. Bank this banker with 3 others to gives you four draws. Just N10, 000. Pay to First Bank PLC Acc. No. 3088328823 in person of Mr. Gbadebo Stephen Aderemi. While the week releases will be send to you. Be happy Joy is on your way. Banker No 9xxx No 9xx No 9 it is must. Goodluck God Bless.

IKECHUKWU BROTHERS NAP

08168157259. WK 31 – 8X 26X 46XXX – 8X FREE Starting of another 3 weeks Naps. Weeks 18 -19 and 20 - 2012 Weeks 31- 31 and 33- 2016 Weeks 18 – 2012 8x WALSALL X 46X (8x 20x 46x) Weeks 31 – 2016 8x WALSALL X 46X (8x 26x 46x) Draw must start from No 8 and ended on 46 with 8 and 9 draws. 2ND WEEK – ALBIOW. R on 49 and NORWICH AWAY NO 1 X X X — NAP. 3RD WEEK — X X X X — NAPS. NOTE. One of the weeks must fall on CUP week. Success is sweet’ Welcome to the winners world of success.

FAITHFUL INTERVENTION – 07082899957

THE TRUST MEN NAPS – 8X 26X 33XXX (21 MUST 22) Records are kept for references and confirmation. OLDHAM HOME 22. Incredible winning gazet to be unveiled by compilers on Authentic winning diary. Reference to week 11 of 11 draws and week 32 in the current 2015/2016 football season. Week 11 – 8x 15x 36xxx - 21x22 Week 32 – X X X - 21x22 What you need to win with us is only your faith of winning/becoming a MILLIONAIRE. We are guilded by our foreign Experts directives & instructions. Draw is draw. N50,000 to faithful win.

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EMIRATES FLY – 08087104491. (12XX15)

Week 12 — 6x 13x 48xxx 12x Week 22 — 10x 18x 40xxx 15x Weeks 32 —X X X 12xx15 Congratulation to all clients on board with us last week. Out 10/10 weeks of Twos Nap is irresistible for both and new clients N25,000 agaian. Board to you Bank on Monday.

VICTORIOUS VICTOR– 08126994034. 01X 25X 24X 40X 49XXX

FREE! FREE!! FREE!!! Free win and get Victorious this week. The 3 sure Naps from the above naps cost N10,000= In preparation for our weeks 33, 34 and 35. Good luck.

4MEMMBERS. 4 BANKERS

08162705220. 15XX16

4 bankers N6,000 Wk 30 blue No 4X 15X 17X 29X 4 bankers N6,000 Wk 31 RED No 8x 19x 30x 33x= 4/4 4 bankers N6,000 Wk 32 Cup No Cup Cup Cup Cup 4 bankers N6,000 WK 33 No Nap Nap Nap Nap Stakers try to get 4 members 4 bankers. This wk 32 cup cost N6,000. KEY Plymouth. Portsmouth set at home No 40, 41 meeting letter M.B. at away to control 4 special draws this wk 31 RED cost N6,000 following wk 32 Cup. Key WALSALL ATHOME NO 26meeting letter W. At Away No 26 to control 4 special Draws this wk 32 cup cost N6, 000 wk 32 No cup cup cup cup pair 25.26. Send MTN card to 08162705220.

FOCUS UNBEATABLE 5 WEEKS OPERATION IN PORGRESS. 08079171744 (18X19).

Wk 30 Nap 16F 17x 29x pair 2F 8F. Wk 31 Nap 14x 26x 33x pair 19x 21F = 4/5. Wk 32 Nap X X X pair X X. Wk 33 Nap X x X pair X X. Wk 34 Nap X X X pair X X. Weekly winning is in progress cost price N20,000 cash per week. Call or SMS to shine your fortune this week.

WISDOM NAPS – 07088103080. 49 MUST 25

WALSALL HOME 25 = WHAO! Usual Promoters week with regular 8 draws. Our week 32 Nap is a replicate of week 13 Nap. Check your records. 8 drs Week 13 - 19x 32x 45xxx –x WIGAN . A (Away) 10 drs Week 32 – X X X – 49/ WIGAN. A (Away again) Get Wisdom Nap and let God intervene to your winnings. Money worth celebrating but doesn’t worth dying for. N25,000=Winning price reduced.

AMOS-FREE WIN – 08084077244.

12x 13x 14x 15x 16x=MUST Guaranteed 5 free win tagged. Be prepared to our week 33 and 34 Naps cost N100,000. Week 32 Nap – absolutely FREE Week 33 — N100,000. week 34 — N250,000. Take good advantage today & win.

DR B4 DR ARRIVAL NAP – A BIG TREAT ON PROMOTERS –

081062748396 – (15XX 16)

LUTON – A.F.C. WIMBLEDON AGAIN ON 34 At new Dr B4 Dr. place our week 31 New Era 2016 winning sequence has no equal despite its overhead and the Naira value in exchange market. Bail out for all stakers with unpaid wages/salaries. Finance is wealth, welcome to the new Doctors winning palace where all our clients welfare is our pride N45, 000 5th round Cup win. Goodluck.

FA CUP 3 SYNDICATE

=08139714848= 48 NAP 49

3 Special draws N6, 000 Wk 31 No 19x 26x 30x Pair 8x 9f 3 Special Draws N6, 000 Wk 32 No Cup Cup Cup Pair Cup Cup 3 Special Draws N6, 000 Wk 33= 3 special draws cost N6, 000 Wk31 No 19x 26x 30x pair 8x 9f Wk 32 No cup cup cup Pair cup cup.

FA CUP MONEY DOLLAR= 08135637650= 12 NAP 13

WK 32 TWO BANKERS N4000. 4 BANKERS COST N6, 000 Two BANKERS N4, 000 Wk 32 No cup cup pair cup cup 4. special draws N6, 000 wk 12 F.A Cup 1 No Cup Cup Cup Cup pair 12.13 4. special N6, 000 wk 33 No Nap Nap Nap Nap with Nap Nap. Stakers try to get money Dollar 4 special draws this wk 32 bankers cost N6, 000 two. Bankers cost N4, 000 Send MTN Card to 08135637650. The game will send by text message 08135637650.

EDITOR’S PLACE

36 x 4 9

PLEIAD DE MAXWELL = 09099968585 ARSENAL — HULL

ALBION. R — STENHSEMEIR. Beginning and the end. Anything that has a beginning must have an end. Can Hull hold Arsenal at Emirates? Even No bookmaker has the answer to that. Arsene Winger recent performance and their position in the League table has nothing to the outcome of their encounter on Saturday. Wigan trailing Walsall for a comfortable position behind Burton A. What is your comment to Walsall and Crew equally Wigan A. and Oldham on 1—1 and goalless draw last week. Watch - Cardiff to Bradford. C. Winning is likely at all 5s or 6s . Contact De Maxwell draw clinic for your sure win after discharged from surgery. TOKEN INVOLVED. Call & win.

JOSEPH RESUMPTION (STAKERS CHOICE)

08167278061 – 35XX 36.

ACCRINGTON AWAY 35 OR 36= 12DRS. WEEK 32 CONFIRMED WINNING COMPASS. Week 32’ 2014 and wk. 31 2016 – 2/2 yrs. —Sensation win. Weeks 26 & 31 MORECAMBE – OXFORD UTD. – KEY WESTBROM and WESTHAM MUST 5drs Week 22’ 2014 – 19x 45x WESTBROM 9X—5 draws. 8drs= Week 31’ 2016 – 20x 46x westham – 08x —8 draws. Calculated sure win last week and Westbrom, Wesham Naps completed winning sequence. Congratulations once again our Naps is as good as signed/approved blank cheque. ACCRINGTON AWAY 35 OR 36. ASSURED WIN AGAIN (Full pay) – Week 23 2015 – 8x 21x 45xxx — 35/36. —FULL PAYMENT WEEK. (Full pay) – Week 32 2016– X X X — 35/36.—FULL PAYMENT WEEK. Join the winners on the winning track and fulfilled winning experience. WIN – WIN – WIN

NAZAR MASTER THE PEACE SETTER, WE FLY OTHERS CRAWLS

The leading pools company in Oyo State and environs, Nazar Master Pools Company Limited, Ibadan, has continued to shine in the current U.K. Pools season with its performance by paying winnings as when due. This was made known to TRIBUNE POOLS in a statement made available during the week. According to the pools company, “we at NAZAR MASTER are on top of the situation in the pools industry, we have fully paid all winnings to date and we are not owing anybody up to date. We shall continue to make stakers happy with big dividend on our Treble Chance odds, while other stakeholders should count on us also for adequate reward.”

ZENITH NAP – 08146879314 (15 SKY 35).

WEEK 31 – 08X 26X 30XXX14 MUST 13

SUCCESS ON CHALTON ON EITHER DATES OF PLAY Reference to weeks 9, 14, 22, 27 and 31 NOWLETTER ‘A’ and ‘A’ at home Nos – 1 and 49. Week 26 — 06x 13x 35xxx — 15x 35. Week 29 —11x 29x 38xxx — 15x 35. Week 32—X X X — 15x 35 I repeat, No more hidden place for mushroom Promoters as we are now head bent to enrich all our clients both old and new Year finance is our priority. Winners celebrates. Gone are the days of winning on doubts on mere forecast but on JET age draws are fixed by the Pools Panels. Zenith the name that said it all. Happy winning. – N50, 000. Goodluck

MID – WEEK ON THE POOL WITH (5 – 15 – 21 – 10/25) (08087176217)

As the current English and Scottish Football season is graduating nosediving to a halt in few week time, our sincere desire is to help all our teeming fans to grab all they can grab now. This is why we give out the result of our research free to all on a platter of gold this week with 5-1521-10/25 for a very sure dividend. Be optimistic to take a dive and go all out for the bumper harvest next 2 weeks at only N50, 000. 00 each week. This ball is in your court. Mid-week has done her bit. Good luck!

WISDOM NAPS – 07088103080 (15XX 35) 4 WEEKS 2015/2016 – WINNING MUST

CONGRATULATIONS. Hurry your winning is Sure again with NORWICH away NUMBER ONE. Are you now in Pools staking business if yes this applies to you we have 4 colours in coupon history RED, PURPLE, BROWN and BLUE. In week 19 NORWICH away No. 1 – (RED) In week 30 NORWICH away No. 1 – (BLUE) In week 33 NORWICH away No. 1 – (BROWN) In week 40 NORWICH away No. 1 – (PURPLE) Week 19 – 13x 29x 32xxx — NAP= 11DRS. Week 30 – 15x 22x 40x — NAP= 14DRS Week 33 – X X X — NAP= 12DRS All our weeks 19 & 30 winners congrats once again and other intending winners are all welcomed – Be prepared again N50, 000 = wisdom win= Welcome & Goodluck.

AKIN MR AKIN THE NEWEST

HAPPENING IN POOLS HISTORY – 07067202291

WESTHAM – WESTBROM. NAP= 26X 30X 46XXX PAIR – 19X 20X. Whao! Panel last minute decision on Hamilton disallowed goal made our success possible again. Heart breaking match! All thanks to God and my newest source of winning contract. We may be on break starting from week 34 or 35 as stated by our Experts, No – information – No outing. CUP! CUP!! CUP!!!= WESTHAM – WESTBROM. WEEK 30 – 19X 29X 40XXX – 9/28X WEEK 31 – 26X 30X 46XXX – 19/20X WEEK 32 – X X X = NAP WEEK 33 – X X X = NAP Congrats our recent success is to God, our last week Nap was on P.W.D= Portvale, Walsall and Dundee United= in another 8 killer draws. Some called week 31 as Promoters weeks when they loss. Winning is sure on Authentic winning directives/instruction. N100, 000 – 2 clients before break, welcome.

MR. SOLUTION (SILENT LEADER) 08072974729.

4TH ROUND CUP NAP = 11X 32X 42XXX Check our previous Advert Week 30 — 09x 27x 48xxx — 29x 30x 5/5 Week 31 —08x 20x 46xxx — 29F 30x 4/5 Its no longer news telling any wise/adult stakers that we are equal to none even with 8 draws played last week. Time Na MoneyOur last week Nap was equally recorded in week 18 ’2012 of 9 draws and week 31 ’2016 of 8 draws. Draw started from No 8 ended on 46 with 29 and 30 to form a formidable pair. Congratulatoins again. Our CUP Nap never misses it, we enjoined all winning desires stakers to associated with us N50,000 Finance Solution pay point.

AMUKO & ASSOCIATES – 07014686970.

1ST, 2TH. 3TH, 4TH , 5TH CUP = WINNING MUST. We operates only in CUP weeks. Week 17 (1st Cup) 10x 19x 38xxx - PARTICK Week 21 (2nd Cup) 06x 22x 41xxx - PARTICK Week 26 (3rd Cup) 04x 27x 43xxx - WESTBROM Week 29 (4thCup) 11x 19x 38xxx - WESTBROM Week 32 (5th Cup) X X X - P&W Our previous CUP winning weeks confirmed our Cup winning tactics strictly on Experts directives in 2015/2016 CUP winning diary- N50,000.

PLEASE COMPLY WITH OUR NO ADVERT NO WRITE-UP POLICY —MANAGEMENT

Thursday, Feb. 18 - 24, 2016 MODUPE (08033566694) 03- 30-36. 2drs Call for your special NAP.

SOLOMON RESORT– 09091111800 (48/49) (THE WISE CHOICE)

20X 26X 30XXX – 8X 09 CUP – AGAIN – CUP – WIN STENH ‘MUIR AWAY 49 IN CUP= WIN SURE NAP XXX CBK IN 4TH , 5TH and 6TH? CUP Week 29 ‘4th cup– 15x 29x 42xxx – 8draws Week 32 ‘5th Cup – X X X – 8draws? Position of Leeds UTD confirmed the number of draws played. Watch leeds at away number 8.again. Our Newly direct winning information on instruction made our winning easy. Act wisely, join the Solomon De wise team. Winners celebrates join us today. Welcome – N30,000= Goodluck.

AYOMIDE NAP – 08069759520. 15 MUST 16.

5th Round special Cup Nap cost N5,000 No story. Welcome & Win. Good luck.

FA CUP MOLLY ONE BANKERS GROUP=

08055230300=2XX 3XX

With God one Bankers N1000 Wk 31 No. 26x Wk 32 No cup Wk 33 No cup Molly one Bankers N1000 Wk 31 No 46x Wk 32 No cup. Wk 33 No cup Big Man one Bankers N1000 Wk 31x Wk 32 No cup USA one Bankers N1000 wk 31 No 19x Wk 32 No cup. Stakers try molly one Banker Group. 4 Special draws this Wk 32 cup cost N25, 000 Wk 32 cup 1 No Cup Cup Cup Cup wk 33 Brown No cup cup cup cup MTN card 08055230300.

MAC-ANTHONY AGAIN SCORED 4/5

Congrats! Congrats!! Congrats!!!. 08069048857 (pair 6x 13x). I congratulate last week lukcy winners in wk 29, 30 and 31 on Nap 8x 19x 20x pair 29F 30x = 4/5. Week 32 2029382770; Akam Michael. A try is the secret behind success.

SHADOW (21 PAIR 22)

08087670776

Wk. 31= 10f 20xx 30xx (7 Pair 8xx) With only eight draws on coupon last week, shadow still produce 3 over 5 draws. This week 32, its 5 over 5 correct. Be one of the lucky winners this week by sending to shadow N5, 000 MTN recharge card. If you miss it, you will blame yourself on Saturday.

NEW CURRENT INTERNATIONAL KEY = 09038633666 = 08166222529.= 48 NAP 49

48. 49= 4 special draws wk 32 N10,000. two bankers N5,000 4 special draws N10,000 Wk 32 cup= 2015 No 10x 11x 33x 47 4 special draws N10,000 wk 32 No Cup Cup Cup Cup with Cup. Cup 4 special draws N10,000 wk 33 No Nap Nap Nap Nap with Nap Nap Two bankers N5,000. Wk 32 cup= 2015 No 10x 11x 33x 47 Two bankers N5,000. Wk 32 Cup No Cup Cup pair Cup Cup KEY-Letter A.A. at home cup CUPmeeting letter S.S at away No 48. 49 to control L. 4 special draws this wk 32 cup RED cost N10,000, two bankers cost N5,000 following wk 32 F.A. Cup to control 4 special draws cost n10,000 Wk 32 48.49 RED No Nap Nap Nap Nap with 48. 49 Wk 32 Cup No Cup Cup Cup Cup with Cup Cup. Send MTN card 09038633666.

WEEK 31 XRAY

8 draws! Good win. Promised fulfilled Oh Yes! Wise stakers ought to shine their faces andwin with Experts of merit. Depite the 8 deadly draws on card last week yet, many of our dear Compilers excelled on their 2 bankes and pair series. Many of our Experts got 3/3, 3/5 and 4/5 respectively on full payment. Expect more, promised made by our Pools Compilers. Congrats in advance to all admirers of this fortune page. Sam Ayo got his 2 bankers correctly, Ikechukwu, Sir Michael, Emirates, Madam De Madam, Sunderland, Short Gun, Zenith, Dosa, Mid Week, Shadow, MBA Expert, Mr Solution, Victorious Victor, Focus and the indomitable Akin Mr Akin. To whom much is given, much is equally expected. Please appreciate our Experts and stop pleading for free games. It won’t work, don’t be too wise. PAY & WIN.

WEEK 32 STATUS EKO — 01, 12, 31. LKO —03. SUNDAY 02, 04, 07. PANEL — 06. VOID —NIL.

WERRIBEE.C

BALCATTA

MODBURY

TWO BANKER WK 31 N3,000

WK 32 CUP CUP CUP

X19X X30X

X14X F46F

X33X X34X

SEND MTN CARD TO 08095602590

PETER NAP (13XXXCBK) 08076546261. Congratulation to all those that will get my release this week as the setting that got 8xx, 14xx, 30xx 3/3 last week through 8XX was published FREE will get it again this week, cost just N25,000 pay to saving Acct No: 3023114822, First Bank in person of MR. ONAOLAPO PETER. Bank of FULHAM and other SURE NAP. GOOD LUCK.

LOVE BEST = N4000 TWO BANKERS N4,000

WK 29 CUP X19X X42X PAIR X11X F12F

WK 31 X14X X26X PAIR X30X X33X

WK 32 CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP

MOVE FORWARD = N4000 TWO BANKERS N4,000

WK 29 CUP X29X X32X PAIR X41X X42X

WK 31 X19X X33X PAIR X46X F47F

WK 32 CUP CUP PAIR CUP CUP

4 SPECIAL DRAWS N25, 000 WK 31 NO 14X 19X 26X 33X = 4/4 SEND MTN CARD = 08135888720.

NJOROGE MR ASSURANCE – 08177474535 (36 MUST 35)

NOTTS CO – LEYTON (2-2 YEARS) Winning Directives Congratulation, our recent success glory is to God on our 2/2 years (BIANNUAL) sure win. Notts Co and Leyton O in 2012 was on Pools Panel decision and played a barren draw in 2014. Now 2016 – Your winning is confirmed. Week 23 ’2012 —05x 23x 28xxx 36x Week 34 ’2014 —07x 16x 38xxx 35x Week 32 ’2014 —X X X = 36xx 35 At Njoroge our winning is always our PRIDE. Stop begging for games it always at lost. Please Njoroge is house hold name in Pools Industry so we are ready to serve you better that ever. Welcome & Win —N25,000.

SIDELINES

NO 16,439

N150

THURSDAY, 18 FEBRUARY, 2016

“If the President or Visitor takes over the duty of the Council to appoint a Vice-Chancellor, he has acted ultra-vires. It must be added that the Ministry of Education or the NUC has no legal right whatsoever to direct the term of appointment or order the Council to act in a particular manner in the appointment of Vice Chancellor which is a matter exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Governing Council.” N the 12th February 2016, the Minister of Education announced the appointment of new ViceChancellors for 12 Federal Universities and the National Open University (NOUN). This development was reported in the media the following day as the “sack” of the Vice Chancellors of the said Universities. Some eight months ago, particularly on the 16th July, 2015, the Federal Government announced the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve the Governing Board of Federal Parastatals, agencies and institutions. The announcement was reminiscent of the announcement made by late President Yar’Adua when the Governing Council of all Universities was dissolved. What we have witnessed over the years is unwarranted interference with the statutory powers of University Council leading to instability in that sector. Following the outcry of the dissolution of Governing Council last year by Buhari Government including my articles on the illegality of the dissolution of University Councils by government, the Buhari Government announced on the 1st of August, 2015 that the Governing Council of Universities were not affected by the dissolution “for the time being.” As it was last year when the recent “sack order” was announced, concerned stakeholders continue to question the wisdom of the decision of the government to “sack” the vice Chancellors and appoint new ones in their stead. This concerns stem primarily from the fact that the responsibility for the appointment of Vice Chancellors is by the provisions of the University Miscellaneous Act, solely that of the Governing Councils of each University. Each University Establishment Act provides this much. For example, item 3 of the first Schedule to the Federal University Otuoke (Establishment) Act 2015 provides as follows: “The Vice Chancellor 3.The procedure for the appointment and removal of the Vice -Chancellor shall be in accordance with the provision of the University (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1993

OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D, D.Litt

As the organised Labour meets with the Federal Government and the National Assembly over the new electricity tariff hike, we can guess the question in the minds of the masses: Why do we have to pay so much money for so much darkness?

afeonthursday

aareafe@gmail.com

‘Sack’ of Vice Chancellors and appointment of new ones: The role of a Visitor in university administration as amended.” To be clear, it may not be absolutely correct that the Government sacked all the Vice Chancellors. From available information the tenure of some of the Vice Chancellors had expired and they had as a matter of fact handed over to acting Vice Chancellors. In a statement on the matter, the Committee of Vice Chancellors stated as follows: “For the nine Federal Universities established in 2011, except the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, the tenure of the vice-chancellors expired on Feb. 15, hence it will be wrong to say they are being sacked… For the three new Federal Universities at Birnin Kebi, Gashua and Gusau, and that of Oye-Ekiti, we are surprised that new vice-chancellors were announced to have been appointed, as this does not conform to the extant practice in the university system….The vice-chancellor at Oye-Ekiti was appointed after the pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, was named Minister. The vice-chancellors have inviolable tenure of five years; the situation is even made worse by the announced appointment of a new vice-chancellor for NOUN, which is no stranger to the statutory process of appointing a vice-chancellor. We plead that these vice-chancellors should be allowed to complete their tenure or proper statutory and transparent procedures be adopted, if they are accused of any wrong doings.’’ Given the above, the question is why government has chosen to act in the manner it has in the appointment of the Vice Chancellors. Is the government unaware of the fact that only the Governing Councils of the universities can put in place the process of appointment of the Vice Chancellors? Obviously it appears that the position of the law is not lost on the government for it is reported that the Governing Councils of the

affected institutions were dissolved a day to the announcement of the new Vice Chancellors. This thus explains the statement of the Government in August 2015 that the Councils had been exempted from dissolution “for the time being”. However this itself raises serious questions. Why did the Government not permit the governing councils that had begun the process of appointing new Vice Chancellors complete them before the dissolution? Alternatively, the government could have waited to reconstitute the Governing Councils of the Universities so that they could perform their statutory duties of appointment of new Vice Chancellors. What is discernible however from this all is that the President in making these appointments has purported to act in his capacity as Visitor to these universities. It is however my view that such capacity does not empower the Visitor to a university to act outside of its laws. A UNIVERSITY VISITOR Those universities and colleges which were originally founded by Royal Charter have Visitors. The Visitors exercise supervisory roles over the domestic affairs of the institutions, including entertaining and ruling on complaints by students which cannot be resolved through the internal procedures of the institution. In England, the Visitor of most universities is the Crown acting through the Lord Chancellor or the Lord President of the Privy Council. Other Visitors are eminent persons who are either specified in the Charter establishing the institutions or appointed by the governing body. VISITORS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Nigerian universities also have provisions in the Acts establishing them, for Visitors. For instance, Section 13(1) of the University of Ilorin Act provides that the President of Nigeria shall be the Visitor of the University.

This is similar to Section 15(1) of the Federal University, Otuoke Act (2015) which provides as follows: “The President shall be the Visitor to the University. Section of the Act also provides as follows: The visitor shall, as often as circumstances may require, not being less than once every five years, conduct a visitation of the University or direct that such a visitation be conducted by such persons as the Visitor may deem fit and in respect of any of the affairs of the University. The Questions is: Has the Visitor the power to dissolve the Council or appoint Vice Chancellor to the university particularly where a University has been established and a Council has been established by law? The answer is emphatic NO. We have a plethora of cases where this issue had been argued and decided to a finality. 1.In the case of Okaru v. Ndili 1989, 4 NWLR (Pt. 118) Pg. 700. Where the head of government, head of state he is in one capacity dealing with matter of state and in another capacity dealing with affairs of university. In latter capacity, he is Visitor, pure and simple. 2.In Olaofe v. University of Ibadan, 2001 10 NWLR (Pt. 720) Pg. 126, the Court held: The office of the visitor is a creation of statute. Thus, a Visitor cannot have more powers than those set up in the statute of creation of university. There is no doubt whatever that if the President or Visitor takes over the duty of the Council to appoint a Vice-Chancellor, he has acted ultra-vires. It must be added that the Ministry of Education or the NUC has no legal right whatsoever to direct the term of appointment or order the Council to act in a particular manner in the appointment of Vice Chancellor which is a matter exclusively within the jurisdiction of the Governing Council.

PSG will pay for my goal at Stamford Bridge —Mikel By Ganiyu Salman NIGERIAN international, John Obi Mikel believes the hope of Chelsea to advance in the UEFA Champions League is on course with the away goal his team scored against Paris St Germain on Tuesday night. The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner after his free kick blunder scored the Blues only goal, when he cancelled Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s opener, before Edinson Ca-

vani eventually gave coach Laurent Blanc cause to smile after the proceedings in Paris Mikel, however, told BT Sport after the game that he and his team-mates would send PSG packing at Stamford Bridge. “We know they’re a very good team. Our aim was to come out here and get a goal and we’ve done that tonight. “We still have the second leg to play back home, so we have to take that back home and capitalise on that and make sure we

build on that,” said the former Plateau United player. Mikel also defended his role to bring down Lucas Moura close to the box for a free-kick, which resulted in the homers first goal. “I had to fall in because he (Lucas) was going deeper and deeper into our 18-yard box. “I had to, if not get the ball foul him, which I did. And then the free kick as well just skipped off my feet and went into the back of the net,” he said.

Mikel

Printed and Published by the African Newspapers of Nigeria PLC, Imalefalafia Street, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. E mail: editornigeriantribune@yahoo.com Website: www.tribuneonlineng.com MANAGING DIRECTOR / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDWARD DICKSON. EDITOR: DEBO ABDULAI. All Correspondence to P.O. Box 78, Ibadan. ISSN 2712. ABC Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation. 18/2/2016.