Wednesday 16-22 October 2019, Edition

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POLITICS

Ikpeazu: Why road P.17 projects are delayed in Abia

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019 ISSN: 2545-5869

ENTERTAINMENT

VOL.4 No.39 N200

BUSINESS

How P. 11 xenophobic attacks inspired my new single

NLNG commits to $2.5 bn gas purchase

P.25

– Angela Okorie

South East’s economic base weak, lacks growth potential – NBS Report

• At N76bn, Rivers’ IGR more than S’East’s combined • S’East States generate N40bn in 6 months • Enugu, Imo lead charge • Anambra, Enugu among 5 States with lower IGR within period under revenue • More investments in S’East, higher IGR—experts

By KAYODE OGUNWALE and PAMELA EBOH

O

ne of the major indicators of growth and size of an economy--the quantum of internally generated revenue, which also derives from the level

• Gov. Ikpeazu, Abia

of production, employment and progressive taxation, is grossly underperforming in the South East States of Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed in its 2019 half-year report.

According to the report,

which was realised over the weekend, Rivers State with N76bn generated more revenue internally within the period under revenue than the five South East States put together, a clear indication of the low level of economic production and, by

• Gov. Obiano, Anambra

extension, employment generated by the economies of the South East States.

Specifically, the SouthEast States of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo altogether reportedly raked in internally generated reve-

• Gov. Umahi, Ebonyi

nue (IGR) of N40.376 billion in the first half of 2019.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report on half-year 2019 IGR for all the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, released over the week-

• Gov. Ugwuanyi, Enugu

end, Enugu State generated the highest amount of N10.699 billion during the first six months of the year 2019, followed by Imo State with N10.550 billion during the same period. Abia State

Cont’d on page 4

• Gov. Ihedioha, Imo

Glo has helped make Ofala huge tourism spectacle – Obi of Onitsha From JONATHAN AWANYAI

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he 2019 edition of the Onitsha Ofala Festival, sponsored by national telecommunications company, Globacom, was a grand celebration of cul-

Page 13

ture and tradition on Friday at the Onitsha Ime Obi, the palace of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe.

The Onitsha monarch, who made a grand royal entry into the Ime Obi

arena accompanied by his Ndi Ichies and other palace functionaries, was a sight to behold as he danced to the royal traditional egwu ota drums, to the applause of the dignitaries,indigenes of Onitsha Kingdom and other

tourists.

Welcoming his subjects and guests to the festival, Igwe Achebe paid tribute to Globacom for supporting the Ofala festival as the

Cont’d on page 4

Defections hit PDP in Bayelsa over Dickson’s politics

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

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The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS

Growth indicators in South East poor....

Cont’d from Pg 1

raked in N7.913 billion while Anambra and Ebonyi States recorded N6.073 billion and N5.141 billion respectively.

The report shows that, the 36 states and FCT IGR for the period rose 15.8 per cent year on year to N691.1 billion compared to N596.91 billion recorded in H2 2018. This indicates a positive growth of 15.78 per cent.

Also, of the 36 States and the FCT, only 5 States reported lower IGR (Ogun, Bayelsa, Anambra, Enugu, and Gombe) while the top five States by improvement were Zamfara with 171.3 per cent, Kebbi with 132.4 per cent, Osun with 113.8 per cent, Sokoto with 113.8 per cent and Ondo with 101.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, Lagos (N205.2 billion)

and Rivers (N76 billion) maintained their respective top two positions by the total value of IGR generated.

In the same vein, the net Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation in H1 2019 is put at N1.20 trillion while the total revenue available to the states including the FCT is put at N1.89 trillion.

Meanwhile, the five South-East States received the total amount of N125,027 billion as FAAC allocation during the same period.

Imo received the highest amount of N37.413 billion between January and June 2019, followed by Enugu with N35.713 billion and Abia with N33.522 billion during the same period.

Anambra and Ebonyi States received the lowest amount of N32.236 billion and N26.518 billion

respectively in the region.

However, the value of foreign debt stands at $4.23 billion while domestic debt hits N3.85 trillion at the end of the year 2018 respectively.

The report came against the backdrop of declining productivity in the zone occasioned by poor social infrastructure such as good roads and schools, power and water supplies.

The South East appears worst hit by the nation’s power supply problems as most cities and communities in the zone could go without power supply for weeks and months, thereby worsening economic productivity and, by extension, the unemployment situation.

Cities like Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba, which have the zone’s largest share of factories and businesses,

suffer incessant power cuts that not only affect capacity utilisation but also lead to huge downtimes owing to damages to equipment.

Experts say that the South East stakeholders must step up investment in social and physical infrastructure, technical education and factories in order to increase the level of production and employment in the zone and, by so doing, engender growth and revenue through income tax.

According to a Mass Comm teacher at the Federal Polytechnic Oko, Mr. Victor Agusiobo who spoke with The Oracle Today in Awka, the Anambra State capital, the economic situation in the South East calls for “a serious horizontal integration of the States of the South East into an economic entity where the States must jointly develop projects that are gener-

ally beneficial to that entity.”

For this to happen, he urged governors of the geopolitical zone to work towards developing their areas of comparative advantage and exporting same to other parts of the country thereby expanding their economy’s capital base.

Agusiobo noted that the South East must invest in first class, specialized hospitals to drive a modern health industry; build industries, galvanize procurement for her clothing, shoe making, vehicle manufacturing industries to generate employment and revenue for more growth and development.

“For these to happen, the governors do not have any business misappropriating the limited resources of the zone. The situation is dire and there must out of necessity be zero tolerance for corruption,” he surmised.

Go into entrepreneurship, Okowa urges graduates From JONATHAN AWANYAI, Asaba

D • Govs Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State

Glo has helped make Ofala...

Cont’d from Pg 1 official corporate sponsors since 2011, noting that the company had over the years introduced several innovations to the historic festival, thus making Ofala a huge tourism spectacle.

Attesting to Globacom’s contributions to the advancement of the Ofala festival, especially the company’s sole sponsorship of the Oreze International Arts Exhibition, the Onitsha monarch noted that the company’s partnership had been very beneficial to the festival.

The Oreze International Arts Exhibition was introduced to the celebrations seven years ago and over 4,000 artists have so far exhibited

their works at the forum.

“Our appreciation goes to our main sponsor, Globacom. The partnership with this company has contributed significantly to the growth of Ofala,” Igwe Achebe said.

He expressed delight that the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has endorsed the Ofala as a major festival in Nigeria, adding that the National Gallery of Arts has also provided support for the Oreze Arts Exhibition.

“To us, ndi Onicha, we are encouraged and energised by the knowledge that our kingdom is moving forward through our collective efforts,” he enthused.

Speaking with journalists at the Ime Obi, Globacom’s Regional Activation Manager, South East 2, Mr.

Noel Udeme said that “Globacom’s consistent sponsorship of the festival for the past nine years is an indication that we do not only love the Onitsha people, but that we are interested in the preservation of their cultural values.”

“Being a wholly Nigerian company, Globacom has contributed to the promotion of the culture and values of the people of Nigeria more than any other corporate organisation. (And) we are not relenting in our efforts at promoting what makes us who we are as a people. Our culture is our life and that is the driving force behind the Glo Heritage Series, the platform we are using to support Ofala festival and other major festivals across the country,” he added.

elta Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has challenged graduates of tertiary institutions in the country to pursue entrepreneurship rather thand not rely solely in pursuit of white collar job.

The governor gave the charge at the 2nd Combined Convocation of Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi Uku. He observed that though the society and education prepared people for white or blue collar jobs, with the exploding population, digital economy and an opportuned society driven by change.

He pointed out that entrepreneurship was the key to unlocking the doors of prosperity and personal fulfillment.

According to Okowa, the reality of today’s turbulent economy is that even the best graduates are likely to be without a job for relatively long periods of time after graduation; the solution to this problem lies in job creation through entrepreneurship.

“This is why, as a government, we have made entrepreneurship training the pivot of our educational policy and job creation programmes.

“In this new world characterised by dazzling speed and rapid change, graduates who excel are those whose best skill is thinking outside the box; be prepared to

learn new things and acquire new skills.

“As I always say, graduation does not mean the end of learning; it just means you are now responsible for your own learning; so, invest time, energy and resources to acquire skills that will put you on the path of profitable entrepreneurship.

“Avail yourself of the wealth of online education available free of charge; in an economy on a growth curve, opportunities abound for new ideas and businesses.

“Pay attention to the needs of the society and find creative means to address those needs; money gravitates towards those who solve problems for others,” he said.

The governor congratulated the graduands and management of the institution, and recalled that ``on assumption of office in 2015, I announced that I would only attend the convocation of any university or polytechnic if the certificates and transcripts of the graduates were ready for immediate collection.

“It gives me great pleasure that the certificates and transcripts of graduates from the 2013/2014 through to the 2018/2019 academic sessions are ready for distribution after this ceremony.

He announced the grant of N50 million for the development of entrepreneurship units of the institution.

Save my child, father of a paralysed girl begs Obiano, others

• Shops for N20m for daughter’s treatment abroad From PAMELA EBOH,Awka

T

he father of a seven-year-old paralysed child, Okechukwu Odika has cried out to the state governor, Wille Obiano, his wife, Eberechukwu Obiano and other well meaning Anambrarians to come to his aid to save his daughter.

Odika, an indigene of Neni in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state is asking for N20m to take his daughter, Chinyelu who suffered birth asphysia abroad for treatment.

Birth asphysia is a medical condition resulting from deprivation of oxygen to a newborn infant that lasts long enough during the birth process to cause physical harm, usually to the brain.

The middle aged man stressed that his daughter’s condition has

traumatised his family for seven years adding that Chinyelu was paralysed from head to toe from birth but was able to be managed by the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH. His words, “This condition has traumatised my family for seven years. My daughter was paralysed from head to toe from birth. A form of child stroke.

“The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital has managed her condition from birth and has been able to normalise her situation from head to hip.

“But her legs are paralysed; and because of that she doesn’t go anywhere, and she is seven years old.

‘The situation pose serious challenges to the plan of independent standing and possible ambulation.

The family wishes to seek for fur-

ther intervention abroad, hence this appeal.”

Odika said he had secured an appointment with Washington University Physicians who gave him assurance that his daughter would be treated of the condition at the cost of about $54,000, equivalent of N20m.

While begging the state governor, Willie Obiano, his wife Ebelechukwu and others to help, Odika said he had spent over N6m treating the child in Nigerian hospitals.

A letter from the US physicians as presented by Odika to The Oracle partly read, “Thank you for sending Chinyelu’s video and medical information for evaluation for dorsal rhizotomy surgery.

“If she has the surgery, we expect her sitting and standing postures will improve. Her balance and level of comfort will improve.”

Odika gave his contact telephone number as 0816 7435510.

• Nonyelu

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS

Minimum wage: Osun to join nationwide strike – Labour

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orkers in Osun say they will join the nationwide strike called by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) if the Federal Government and labour failed to reach agreement on consequential adjustment on the wage increase.

Chairman of the state chapter of the NLC, Mr Jacob Adekomi, who made this disclosure on Monday, said he had received the directive on the proposed strike by the national headquarters of the congress and that the directive would be followed to the letter.

The NLC General Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Ugboaja, had in a circular, directed the state councils of the congress to mobilise members for the strike in case the negotiations between government and the union slated for Tuesday, breaks down.

Adekomi, however, said it was unfortunate that labour had to resort to strike before workers’ demand for welfare would be looked into.

“It is quite unfortunate in this country that you do not get your right easily. The language employers of labour understand is agitation, which is quite unfortunate. It is about precedent now, if you want to get your right here, you have to do the unthinkable.

It is the unthinkable language that they do understand,” he said.

Adekomi, however, expressed the hope that the issue of consequential adjustment on the minimum wage implementation would be resolved between now and Tuesday.

‘Return of toll gates shameful’ — S’East group

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group known as the South East Revival Group (SERG) has described as “shameful and insensitive for the federal government of Nigeria to even contemplate a reintroduction of toll gates on any Nigerian road, let alone announcing it,” advising President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow himself to be hoodwinked by some interested individuals who do not mean well for the country.

This was contained in a statement issued after its meeting in Abuja on Sunday by its National Coordinator, Mr Willy Ezugwu, even as the SERG warned that “the federal government may be provoking the South East region, in particular, if that part of the country is included in such an unthinkable adventure like toll col-

lecting from citizens in such a neglected region.”

The statement maintained that “in a country where the welfare of citizens is a top priority, such proposal would have been considered a taboo.

“At the moment, there are several unofficial toll gates across the south east region at roadblocks mounted by the police, customs and other security agencies and they are currently extorting motorists day and night with impunity.

“We believe that some interested individuals are trying very hard to deceive Mr. President into their toll gate business. Toll collection concession has always been a big business for looters who have used the guise of raising money for road mainte-

nance to corner resources of the country.

“It is unfortunate that after increasing fuel pump price of by near 100 percent in 2015, virtually every federal roads in the country, particularly in southern Nigeria, is in gross disrepair.

“The south east has highest number of dilapidated federal roads.

States within the south east region are so literarily disconnected from each due to the poor conditions of federal roads in the region that toll gates would be the highest level of provocation of the people.

“SERG wishes to advise the federal government to be more innovative in solving the age-long problem of road maintenance as toll gate is not an option”, the group noted.

I

nternational human rights group, Amnesty International (AI) has identified 199 Nigerians among a total of 1,281 persons sentenced to death in Malaysia.

AI gave the figure in its report titled, “Fatally flawed: Why Malaysia must abolish the death penalty.”

It said the 1,281 death row inmates were being kept in 26 detention facilities across Malaysia.

In Malaysia 33 offences are punished with death sentence. The AI report said the 119 Nigerians were convicted of hard drug-related offences.

“As of 22 February 2019, 1,281 people were under sentence of death in Malaysia, held in 26 detention facilities across the country. “A startling 44 per cent (568) of all those under sentence of death were foreign nationals, from 43 countries.

“Nationals from Nigeria made up 21 per cent of this group, with those from Indonesia (16 per cent), Iran (15 per cent), India (10 per cent), Philippines (8 per cent) and Thailand (6 per cent) following suit. 73 per cent of all those under sentence of death have been convicted of drug trafficking under Section 39(b) of the Dangerous of Drugs Act, 1952 — an extremely high figure for an offence that does not even meet the threshold of the ‘most serious crimes’ under international law and standards and for which the death penalty must not be imposed,” AI said in the report.

NFC, Army, decry ‘wrong portrayal’ of military in movies

350 N/Delta communities sue Shell Units in UK over 2011 oil spillage

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wo Royal Dutch Shell Plc units were sued over their involvement in one of the largest oil spills in Nigeria’s history.

Shell Nigeria Exploration & Production Co. and Shell International Trading & Shipping Co. allegedly undermined the emergency response to the spill eight years ago and made inadequate efforts to contain it, according to lawyers for the Oil Spill Victims Vanguard.

“That oil, which has never properly been cleaned up, continues to blight the claimants, their environments, livelihoods and communities to this day,” lawyer Graham Dunning said in court documents.

The oil conglomerate acknowledges the overnight spill of 40,000 barrels of oil into the sea from the offshore Bonga oil field in December 2011, but said the case should be tried in Nigeria, not in English courts.

“In a joint effort with regulators and industry experts, we contained and cleaned up the spill, preventing any oil from reaching the shore,” Shell Nigeria Exploration said in an emailed statement. “These events all took place in Nigeria and any case relating to them should be heard in the proper local courts.”

Shell pointed to a similar case in 2017, where the judge ruled that a suit filed over whether the parent company was responsible for extensive environmental damage caused by oil spills in the Niger River delta should be heard in Nigerian courts instead. That case has been granted permission to be heard in the U.K. Supreme Court.

The Vanguard, which represents more than 168,000 people in over 350 communities affected by the spill, is seeking compensation and says the Bonga oil reached the shoreline, waterways and estuaries and continues to have a devastating impact. Shell International Trading is domiciled in England so claimants have a right to sue it in U.K. courts, lawyers for the group said.

Amnesty International identifies 119 Nigerians on death row in Malaysia

N •Captured rice smugglers in Akwa Ibom State

Lagos Govt declares state of emergency on roads, deploys 8 contractors

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agos State Government has declared a state of emergency on various dilapidated highways and carriage roads within the State even as Governor Babajide SanwoOlu ordered immediate commencement of massive rehabilitation work on critical roads and highways.

Sanwo-Olu’s directive followed the conclusion of his series of meetings with eight multi-national engineering firms and a subsequent directive that work must commence on major highways identified as critical to reduce traffic congestions on highways in Lagos.

The Governor said that eight engineering firms have been instructed to immediately mobilise to the respective sites and commence major construction work on the identified roads.

“This afternoon, we have just concluded meeting with various reputable construction companies and all of them have been given the brief to immediately commence major construction work in various parts of the State. The exercise will begin tomorrow with palliative work on the selected roads, which are both on the Island and Mainland divisions of the State”.

“The contractors have been given

the mandate to start mobilising to their respective sites without further delay. Their activities must first give our people an immediate relief on the affected roads so that there can be free flow of traffic even during the rehabilitation work”, the Governor emphasised.

To complement the major construction work on the highways, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) would be carrying out repairs of 116 inner roads across the State, in addition to over 200 roads already rehabilitated by the Corporation in the last three months.

He maintained that he was aware of the pain experienced by road users which was aggravated by persistent downpour, appealing to residents to bear with the Government while efforts were being made to assuage their pains and bring permanent relief.

“We expect the rains will begin to subside in this month of October and this is why we are mobilising our contractors to immediately start the major construction work on the identified highways and bring permanent relief to residents. I am giving all Lagosians the assurance that the contractors will start the construc-

tion in earnest and will deliver on the terms of agreements reached with them”, Sanwo-Olu assured.

He said officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) will also be working round the clock to control traffic in areas where the construction would take place.

Also speaking on the development, the Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, listed some of the critical highways and roads to be constructed to include; Ojota stretch of the Ikorodu Road, Motorways-Kudurat Abiola Way, Apogbon Highway, Babs Animashaun Road, Agric/Ishawo Road and Ijede Road in Ikorodu, as well as the Lekki-Epe Expressway from Abraham Adesanya to Eleko Junction.

She affirmed that there would also be massive re-construction work on a network of roads in Ikoyi, Ikeja GRA and Victoria Island.

The contractors deployed by the Government include; Julius Berger, Hi-tech, Arab Contractors, Metropolitan Construction, Slabaugh Construction, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Rajaf Foundation Construction, and RCF Nigeria Limited.

igerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Nigerian Military have decried the wrong portrayal of the military in Nigerian movies, saying it is undermining the military’s enormous sacrifices and its personnel.

Head, Public Relations, of the corporation, Mr Brian Etuk, said in a statement issued, Monday, in Jos that there was an urgent need to address the abnormality.

“Both institutions have resolved to embark on joint stakeholder engagements that will lead to the provision of research, equipment and personnel support to independent film makers who undertake the production of Nigerian military related films,” Etuk said.

He said in line with that, the Nigerian Armed Forces would collaborate with NFC in the production of television and film series that would showcase the numerous national, regional and global successes of its personnel in contributing toward peace and security.

He said the resolutions were the outcome of a meeting between the NFC and the Department of Civil Military Cooperation of the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, which took place recently at the NFC headquarters in Jos. The Spokesman quoted Rear Admiral Obed Ngalabak, Chief of Defence Military Cooperation, at the Defence Headquarters, saying that the Nigerian Armed Forces and its personnel had for several years been under-reported, in spite of its successes, such as its operations in Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Sudan.

According to him, Ngalabak said the military was willing to collaborate with NFC to address the disturbing wrong perception concerns, which will enable Nigerians to appreciate its sacrifices.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS ‘Tor Tiv’s visit to Buhari, sign of good things to come’ — Tiv Youths

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iv Youth Council Worldwide (TYWC) says the recent visit by the Benue Traditional Council led by Prof. James Ayatse (Tor Tiv V) to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari, after election Tribunal victory was a sign of good things to come.

A statement signed by Mr Mike Msuaan, President of the Council, on Monday said the action of the Tor Tiv had gone a long way to smoothen the rough edges in relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of Benue, thus restoring peace in the state.

It would be recalled that on October 9, Benue Traditional Council had paid President Buhari a courtesy visit at the Presidential Villa.

Msuaan observed that appointment of Sen. George Akume as the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs had further ensured peace in the state.

“The TYWC receives the news of the visit with elation and with a great sense of vindication and calls on the Tor Tiv to sustain the relationship which will no doubt attract further appointments and projects for the Benue people.

“We celebrate Sen. Akume for standing firm, preaching and working for peace in the wake of the crisis between the Tiv and the Fulani even at the detriment of his senatorial elections.

“The Tor Tiv had during the visit acknowledged the divinity of the mandate of President Buhari as well as the Tiv/Fulani brotherhood which according to him is as old as history.

“It is incumbent on the youth to abreast themselves of history and sustain the cherished relationship between the Tiv and other ethnic groups in the country,” he said.

The TYWC president also stated that the existing peace in the state had led to the tackling of security challenges, provision of infrastructure for Benue people and appointment of Benue sons into positions of authority.

Msuaan expressed the optimism that the plight of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state, and other issues brought before the president during the visit would receive due attention.

He called on the Benue people to support Tor Tiv’s quest for lasting peace and harmonious coexistence that would bring about development in the state.

UTME: Group calls for more digital training for students

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omputer-Based Test Proprietors Association of Nigeria (CPAN) has called for more training in digital skills for students taking Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in the country.

CPAN President, Mr Maxwell Akwuruoha made the call in Lagos on Monday at the 4th National Conference of the association with the theme: `Technology in Education’.

Akwuruoha said that students taking technical examinations should acquire e-testing skills which most of them lacked.

He observed that an average Nige-

rian student in the junior and senior secondary schools might end his/her education without knowledge of or operating the computer.

“Examination malpractice in the Nigerian education system is of great concern to all education stakeholders.

“The importance of technology in various aspects of human endeavour accounts for ease, cost effectiveness and seamlessness in life and business.

“Technology hardly fails when all expected requirements are put in place and the system devoid of un-

due manipulation,’’ he said.

Akwuruoha explained that following the overwhelming challenge of the e-testing in the 2019 UTME, the association embarked on a fact finding tour across the country.

He said it was observed that lack of relationship documents and memorandum of understanding aside other factors, was a major challenge facing both JAMB and CBT proprietors.

“CPAN stands in a better position to advocate, through collaboration with government agencies, multinational corporations and other stakeholders for national digital literacy

awareness,” he said.

The group, therefore, called for a review of technicalities as it concerned the relationship between JAMB and the CBT centres.

In his remarks, Dr Peter Okolie, Dean, School of Technology, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos said Nigeria was still battling with technological challenges and called for solution.

Okolie also called on the CBT centers to be proactive in order not to go obsolete as well as be in readiness to train prospective candidates on the use of computer free of charge or for a token.

ECOWAS Court orders Nigeria to pay N10m compensation to dismissed soldier

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• Former President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) and Heads of other Observer Missions in Maputo.

‘My greatest legacy is saving Edo State from dictatorship,’ says PDP chieftain

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ive months to the expiration of his tenure, the Chairman of the PDP in Edo, Chief Dan Orbih, says his greatest legacy is preventing dictatorship in the state.

Obih, whose tenure on the plum job expires on March 14 next year, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Benin.

He said that he stood firm to prevent untoward acts and dictatorial tendencies in the state.

Orbih said that he held the ruling APC in check in the state, dating back to the era of former Gov. Adams Oshiomhole, who is now the National Chairman of the APC. Citing the Oshiomhole era, Orbih said that the former governor “saw governance from a unionist perspective.

“He had no patience for the rule of law. So his actions and activities were like that of a unionist.

“He certainly did not like the voice

of opposition which my executive team kept alive till date,” the PDP chieftain stated.

Orbih, who was appraising his stewardship on the top job in the past seven and half years, revealed that the “Go and Die’’ saga was his most interesting experience in office.

“Go and die” saga refers to an outburst by Oshiomhole in 2014, directing a widow selling on a roadside to leave the place.

The party stalwart noted that the action of the PDP caused the whole nation to rise up against then Gov. Oshiomhole, who later apologized to the widow and subsequently gave her a job.

“It gave me great joy that my action and indeed, my entire exco’s action was able to bring a seating governor down from his high horse.”

Orbih said that another remarkable event of his tenure was the ability of his team to stop an attempt at

selling the Edo House in Lagos.

“Our action saved the state from what would have been a rip-off.’’

He stressed that his drive and passion as the state chairman of the party was borne out of a realisation that the state needed someone to speak out against “the propaganda of the APC’’.

Orbih, whose tenure as chairman expires on March 14, 2020, said that during Mr John Odigie-Oyegun’s tenure as APC National Chairman, he delivered Edo votes to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“During the last election again, I repeated the feat, even with Oshiomhole being the National Chairman of the APC and the state under the administration of an APC government.

“So, as we look into 2020, I believe Edo State is more than ready for the PDP to take over the state again.”

Orbih pledged that he would support whoever would take over from him on the expiration of his tenure.

LASTMA gets new General Manager

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agos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has appointed Engr. Olajide Oduyoye as the General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to replace Mr. Olawale Maroof Musa, who was appointed Permanent Secretary in the State’s Transportation Ministry.

Prior to his current appointment, Oduyoye was Deputy Director, Traffic Management & Transport Safety at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

Oduyoye, a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (FCILT), started his career at the London Borough Hammersmith and Fulham as Traffic Engineer from 1990. In 2005, he joined the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) as a World Bank Technical Adviser on Traffic Systems Management.

He has been involved in so many projects since he joined the Lagos State Government, including the

Junctions Improvement Design at 57 locations in Lagos; Design, Supervision and Implementation of BRT Mile 12 to CMS (Traffic Management & Safety); Ikeja, Yaba and Oyingbo Bus Terminals (Traffic Systems Management), amongst others.

Engr. Oduyoye has United Kingdom work experience in Transportation as well as Airport Planning, Design & Management.

He has since assumed duties at the LASTMA headquarters in Oshodi.

he Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice has ordered the Federal Republic of Nigeria to pay N10 million compensation for the violation of right to work to Pte. Barnabas Eli. The judgment is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

It said that Eli was dismissed from the Army for the loss of his rifle in 2012 for which he was sentenced to two years imprisonment by a court martial without recourse to the confirming authority before enforcement.

The court also ordered the government to pay the applicant the arrears of his salary and other entitlements from March 2015 to the date of his release from detention.

“In suit No. ECW/CCJ/APP/44/16, the applicant who was a member of the Nigerian Army averred that in 2012, in the course of his official duty, a rifle belonging to the Army was stolen at his duty post in Sector 7, Riyom in the country’s Plateau State.

“Delivering a default judgment under Article 90(4) of the Rules of the Court following a motion filed by the applicant on Oct. 10, 2018, the Court also held the government in violation of the applicant’s right to be heard within a reasonable time.

“In determining whether the decision of the Court martial required confirmation by the appropriate authority before enforcement, the ECOWAS Court relied on the provisions of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 which stipulates the punishment for the loss of public or service property.

“But required that the decision of such a court martial must be transmitted to a confirming authority for the confirmation of the finding and sentence.’’

The Court held that although the arrest, detention and trial of the applicant were validly done, the conviction had not been confirmed thereby making it null and void.

It said that the detention in prison of the applicant was arbitrary and consequently a violation of his rights to liberty contrary to Section 6 of the African Charter.

“However, the court rejected the applicant’s request to hold the government in violating his right to equality before the law; equal protection before the law; right to non-discrimination; right to life and to protection from torture.

“Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment as well as punishment on the grounds that evidence was available not to support these claims.’’

According to the statement, the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria did not put up a defence in rebuttal to the claims of the applicant.

The judgment was delivered by the panel of the Court by Justice Gberi-Be Ouattara (Presiding), Justice Dupe Atoki and Justice Januaria Costa.

7

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS

Abakaliki lawyers forum, NBA kick against police brutalization of colleague in Onitsha • says we’re waiting for the culprits in court

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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awyers from Ebonyi state who are carrying out their legal practice in Onitsha, Anambra state, under the aegis of Abakaliki Lawyers forum, have asked the authorities of Anambra state police command to bring to book all the policemen who allegedly manhandled a legal practitioner based in Onitsha and a member of the Abakaliki lawyers forum, Jacob Obasi in Onitsha, last Friday.

This is coming simultaneously with the position of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Onitsha branch which said they had taken up the matter to ensure that the officers involved do not go unpunished.

The forum said it is the level of disciplinary actions meted out to the culprits by the state police high command that would determine their next line of action in terms of legal

action against the police.

Chairman of the forum, Victor C. Alo who disclosed this to newsmen in Onitsha, yesterday, said after visiting the victim at Onitsha General hospital where he is currently battling between life and death, as a result of the level of beatings meted out to him by some armed policemen, it dawned on them that the policemen acted out of malice.

According to Alo, “when we visited Obasi at the intensive care unit of Onitsha general hospital, he was still unconscious and we discovered that blood was gushing out from his ears, his jaw swolen and his teeth shaking, an indication that he was badly beaten to pulp by the vicious policemen.

He therefore called on the police hierarchy in the state to bring the culprits to book and make them to understand that being authorized to carry arms does not give them li-

cense to operate above the law by reckless abuse of peoples fundamental human rights, adding, “even if the victim is not a lawyer, the police have no rights to abuse any law abiding citizen of this country”.

He said they have equally reported the matter to the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Onitsha branch where the victim belongs to, adding nthat they are waiting for the police hierarchy to take necessary action against the culprits.

Obasi had been reportedly beaten into a coma by officers of the Anambra State Police Command at Osuma Road junction by Awka road on Friday and was rushed to the general hospital by passers by who rescued him from the grip of the policemen.

It was gathered that the lawyer’s offence was his intervention in an attack on another citizen by the Police in the area who claimed to be

Buhari is now paying priority attention to capital projects in S’East – Ngige

preventing people from using Awka road because of the Ofala cultural festival of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe.

The Nigerian Bar Association, Onitsha branch, had equally described the action of the policemen as “unprofessional and barbaric.”

In a statement by the Onitsha NBA chairman, Ozoemena Erinne, the lawyers said they had taken up the matter to ensure that the officers involved do not go unpunished.

The statement reads in part, “The Branch was reliably informed that the only offence committed by O.J. Obasi Esq, was, as a concerned citizen, attempting to intervene when he sighted a citizen being pummeled by some Police officers in uniform, at Osuma Bus stop, Awka Road, a few meters from his law firm.

“The intervention to stop the beating up and brutalisation of a fellow Nigerian obviously irked the overzealous policemen who mercilessly pounced on him, and viciously

China’s exports fall 3.2% in September amid trade war with U.S

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By IBE NWACHUKWU

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resident Muhammadu Buhari has at last given approval for the rapid transformation of many development projects in the South East geopolitical zone.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige who disclosed this in Onitsha during the Ofala annual cultrual festival of the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, said though the zone did not vote for Buhari, he still regard them as his sons.

Ngige mentioned the on-going Second River Niger project, the Enugu/ Onitsha expressway with the Umunya section already completed, the Uga/Akokwa/Arondizuogu/Umulolo/ Okigwe higway which is ongoing, the Enugu/Okigwe/Umuahia/Aba/Port harcourt Expressway where aggressive work would resume as soon as the rain subsides an d above all, the the third Niger Bridge which is the coastal rail line starting from Onitsha to Asaba, Warri, itakpe to Abuja.

He therefore urged people of South East to thank Buhari for his consideration to give the zone a face lift, adding that they should give him the necessary support to achieve that feet, adding that those demanding for compensation for their lands in the on-going second Niger project should soft pedal and come up with minimal demand and not maximum demand, to avoid Buhari changing his mind .

The Labour Minister also urged Ndi Anambra to give their unalloyed support to Governor Willie Obiano to enable him accomplish his lofty objectives in the areas of transforming Anambra into an enviable state.

Responding, Deputy governor of Anambra state, Dr. Nkem Okeke commended Buhari for extending his development oriented programmes to the state, adding that with Governor Willie Obiano administration developing all the state roads and maintaining security network and Buhari developing federal roads in the state, Anambra would be transformed into an enviable status.

Okeke advised criminals still operation in the state or having the in tension to operate to steer clear as the newly launched phase II of Operation Kpochapu would not spare them once the CCTV camera detected them while in action.

attacked him, including hitting him with the butt of their gun.

“He is currently undergoing treatment at the General Hospital, Onitsha, for aggravated bodily injuries sustained in the process.

“In view of the above, the premier bar has vowed to urgently take up this matter, and, indeed, had taken some immediate steps, to serve as a deterrent to other Police officers and men, and as well serve the purpose of formal justice.

In his reaction, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Haruna Mohammed, expressed disappointment over the incident.

He said, “The Commissioner of Police John Abang, is deeply worried about this disturbing development allegedly perpetrated by the police attached to this Command. ” The CP equally directed with immediate effect discreet investigation to ascertain the authenticity of the development and if true bring perpetrators of this professional misconduct to book.”

•NOA Anambra chapter with Members of Nigerian Correction Services, Federal Road safety Corps at Custodian center, Awka during 2019 WSD.

AFC backs single India national league in 2024/2025 to end club turmoil

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ndia should merge two domestic football leagues into one toptier national championship in the 2024/25 season, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday.

The move will be part of a bid to end years of turmoil in club football.

The plan by All India Football Federation (AIFF) to merge the franchisebased Indian Super League (ISL) with the I-League has faced major obstacles.

This has left fans and stakeholders confused about the future of club football.

In July, the AIFF openly backed the ISL as India’s elite competition for the first time.

It had said then that it would recommend the AFC awarded its champions a slot in the continent’s elite club competition.

In response six I-League clubs wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and FIFA requesting intervention as well as an inquiry into the running of the AIFF.

On Monday, the AFC recommended that the ISL champions get a playoff slot in the AFC Champions League.

The I-League winners are also to take a place in the AFC Cup starting next season.

“Everyone has to put the good of Indian football at the forefront and take the best decisions to develop Indian club football,” AFC general secretary Windsor John said in a statement.

“The AFC will be very much involved to ensure the growth of the game to the next level with the pathway to a single league,” he added.

The winners of the traditional ILeague were previously awarded the slot in the continent’s elite club competition, AFC Champions League.

On their part, the champions of the upstart ISL gained entry to the secondary AFC Cup competition.

The ISL, promoted by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Rupert Murdoch’s Star India TV, has grown more popular

since its launch in 2014, while interest in the I-League has stagnated.

The I-League was formed in 2007 as a rebrand of the National Football League, India’s first professional league when it was launched in 1996.

Under the AFC plan, no club will be promoted or relegated in the ISL for the next three years, and the winners of the I-League would be promoted to the ISL from the 2022/23 season.

The AFC proposed one main league, with promotion and relegation, and one knock-out Cup tournament starting in the 2024/25 season.

“Every point of this package —and it is a package —- has been thought-out extremely carefully and it is aimed simply at providing the best chance to develop Indian club football,” John said, adding the plan would be presented to the AFC and AIFF executive committees.

“We have informed the AIFF that 10 to 12 teams are not enough for the top league —- it must be bigger”, he said.

hina’s exports dropped 3.2 per cent year-on-year in September, while imports plunged 8.5 per cent, according to customs data released Monday.

Both the exports and imports performed slightly worse than analysts had expected, underscoring the pressure on the Chinese economy from a trade war with the U.S. In August, China’s exports fell by 1 per cent year-on-year, while imports fell 5.6 per cent amid slowing shipments to the U.S. Chinese and U.S officials last week agreed on a truce in their year-long trade war, with U.S President Donald Trump suspending a new batch of tariffs that were meant to go into effect this week, and Beijing promising to buy more U.S agricultural products.

The negotiations, spanning areas such as intellectual property and financial services, produced what Trump called phase one of a “substantial deal”.

Chinese imports from the U.S fell 15.7 per cent year-on-year in September, while exports dropped 21.9 per cent.

For the nine months ending in September, Chinese imports from the U.S plummeted 26.4 per cent, while exports dropped 10.7 per cent.

The U.S/China trade deficit for the first three quarters of the year was 221.3 billion dollars, about 2 per cent smaller than the same period last year, according to Chinese customs data.

Trump’s displeasure with the large trade deficit between the world’s two largest economies was at the heart of the countries’ trade conflict.

Washington also accuses Beijing of intellectual property theft, forced technology transfers and treating foreign firms differently from domestic firms.

8

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION Nsukka Journalists Foundation (NJF) holds convention

From IKECHUKWU OKENWA, Nsukka

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he 2019 edition of the annual convention of Nsukka Journalists Foundation (NJF) will hold on Independence Day at Ikenga Hotels, Nsukka, Enugu State.

Addressing press men at preconference media parley, Chairman of the Foundation, Professor Nick Okonkwo Idoko, a university don and veteran journalist, said the conference, which is the second after last year’s maiden edition, will have journalists from the seven local government areas that make up Nsukka cultural zone in Enugu State, home and abroad, converge on the university town of Nsukka, host of the nation’s first indigenous university, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN).

Okonkwo Idoko stated that the foundation will, among other things, deliberate on a number of issues relating to the development needs of Nsukka cultural zone, which comprises Nsukka, Igbo-Eze South, Igbo-Eze North, Udenu, Igbo-Etiti, Uzo-Uwani and Isi-Uzo Local Government Areas.

Also of immediate concern to the group, is how to get governments at different levels to partner wit relevant stakeholders to ensure equitable distribution of social amenities among the communities.

As a host community of UNN, the question of a special status for Nsukka will feature in the deliberations at the convention which, according to Okonkwo Idoko, will be taking a more than passing interest in the welfare of members.

Said he: “As journalists, we report events and mould opinions that shape our society. We ask questions about the use of our commonwealth by those in positions of authority.

As professionals scattered all over the world, giving voice to the societies where we live and practise, we should also ask ourselves: have we also given voice to our people? As we do all those in our respective beats and postings, we have the duty to also ask questions about our home, Nsukka Cultural Zone. We owe it a duty to also ask about government activities and how these activities could be applied to promote quality standard of living for our families in our respective communities. Above all, we owe it a duty to come together to review how we are faring in our different locations.”

“We have more than 100 registered members,” Prof. Okonkwo Idoko stressed, adding: “Who says we cannot establish an in-house journal that could cater to our information needs?

We are meeting for the second time and we hope to settle a lot of issues at the end of the convention.”.

Also speaking, convener of the Foundation and Publisher of The Starlite newspapers, Nsukka, Mr. Harrison Ogara, said the formation of the foundation was the best thing to haven happen to the journalists of Nsukka extraction.

He stated that membership of the body is made up of veterans, middle class professionals, and the younger ones who have vowed to blend together for the greater good of the people of Nsukka Cultural Zone. He further stressed that only members who are officially registered are allowed to attend the convention, adding that the convention is expected to be formally declared open by the Executive Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Council, Hon. Patrick Omeje while the Enugu State Governor, Rt Hon Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, is expected at the occasion as the Special Guest of honour.

Mozambique elections: Jonathan charges electoral commission to set higher standards

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head of Tuesday’s general elections in Mozambique former President Dr Goodluck Jonathan has charged the southern African nation’s electoral commission to strive to set higher standards and be a shining example for other nations on the continent.

Jonathan who is the Head of the African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) in Mozambique stated this at a meeting with the president of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) Mr. Abdul Carimo and his commissioners in Maputo.

He advised Carimo to seek to build his legacy around transparent and credible election processes, adding that the conduct of free and fair elections in Mozambique would go a long way towards strengthening democracy in Africa.

He said further: “As you get ready for the October 15, elections the rest of the continent will be looking up to you, expecting a successful process that will take African democracy a notch higher and leave pleasant lessons for other nations.”

He added that Africa needs functional democracies and strong in-

stitutions that would bring about good governance and sustainable development.

In his welcome remarks, Carimo told the AU team that the Commission had made all necessary preparations for the conduct of a credible elections.

He however stated that there would be no elections at ten polling stations in the districts of Macomia, Mocímboa da Praia and Medumbe, Cabo Delgado, because of the violent activities of insurgents in the region.

Jonathan who arrived in Maputo

last Saturday had already met with the leadership of the ruling party FRELIMO, the main opposition party RENAMO, heads of other observer missions as well as some leaders of the civil society in the country.

Upon his arrival, the former President held a meeting with the AU short-term observers where he emphasized the importance of the elections in Mozambique for the ongoing peace process. He urged the observers to maintain highest standards of professionalism, integrity and impartiality.

EU ministers to consider steps against Turkey for Syria offensive

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• Caption: Igwe Sir John Iwuno of Nando, Anamra East Local Government Area directing the eating of roast yam to mark this year’s new yam festival in his domain.

Firstbank Georgian Cup hits the centenary mark, a possible world record in sports sponsorship

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n furtherance of its commitment to the growth and development of sports, nation building and the economy at large, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced its sponsorship of the Georgian Cup of the Kaduna Polo Tournament for the 100th consecutive year, possibly the longest running sports sponsorship in the world and a Guinness Book of Records potential. The 2019 edition of the epoch making sports championship runs from October 12 – 20, 2019 at the Kaduna Polo Club, Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna.

The Kaduna Georgian Cup Centenary Polo Tournament commenced in 1919, with FirstBank sponsoring the sports tournament for a 100 years. The Cup which was donated by the Bank to the Kaduna Polo Club, is the oldest and most respected Polo trophy in West Africa.

The 2018 edition of the tournament was won by team El-Amin, also billed to participate in the 2019 edition to defend its trophy, contested by other teams; Rubicon, Imani, Malcomines, Lintex Agad. A total of 45 teams are billed for the 2019 tournament.

Speaking on FirstBank’s unwavering centenary sponsorship of the Tournament, the President, Kaduna

Polo Club, Alhaji Suleman Abubakar said “the Georgian Cup Polo Tournament is indeed the Premier Polo Tournament in the country and it has proudly birthed many other sporting events across the country as well as the West African sub region as a whole. We are honoured to record such a milestone with FirstBank since the inception of the tournament 100 years ago.

“Indeed, FirstBank remains a noble brand close to our heart at the Kaduna Polo Club and the tournament has indeed been a catalyst of socio-economic growth of Kaduna and the nation as a whole” he concluded.

FirstBank’s sponsorship of the Georgian cup is perhaps the longest standing sports sponsorship in the world, a reflection of a longlasting partnership that aligns with heritage, shared values, elite performance and quality, all attributes worthy of celebration. This record sponsorship has been filed by the Kaduna Polo Club for consideration by the Guinness Book of World Records under the longest main sponsorship of a sporting world championship title.

Expressing the Bank’s delight on the sponsorship, the Group Head,

Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Folake Ani-Mumuney said “2019 is indeed an eventful year for us and one of the many highpoints since we were founded 125 years ago.

Part of our excitement stems from the pride we feel at having supported the Georgian Cup Polo Tournament for 100 years consistently.

We are indeed proud to achieve this feat as it reinforces our leadership role as an institution committed to the continued growth and development of sports and the economy at large. The Georgian Cup Polo Tournament is one of the many heritage sporting sponsorships supported by FirstBank over the years. Another example is the FirstBank 58th Lagos Amateur Golf Open tournament, in partnership with Ikoyi Club 1938 holding in November this year which we have also supported for 57 years.

We dare say perhaps another record in sports sponsorship” This unprecedented Polo extravaganza boasts notable players such as Chris Mckenzie, the best South African polo player; Max Charlton, the Best British polo player as well as other top Argentine players in attendance amongst many other professionals.

uropean Union (EU) foreign ministers are expected on Monday to discuss the bloc’s response to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria, with the possibility of sanctions and an EU-wide arms embargo on the table.

Last week, Turkey launched an operation in north-eastern Syria targeting Kurdish militias.

Ankara considers them to be linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is waging an insurgency within the country.

The incursion has drawn condemnation from Turkey’s Western allies amid fears of a severe humanitarian crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded its “immediate termination,” in a telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday.

Berlin has also halted the export of arms to Turkey that could be used in Syria, in line with decisions taken by France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, and Norway.

Sweden has called for an EU-wide arms embargo, as well as floating the possibility of imposing restrictive measures on individuals.

No sanctions decisions are expected at Monday’s talks in Luxembourg, according to EU diplomats.

However, the issue is also likely to be discussed at a summit of EU leaders later in the week.

The EU has warned that Turkey’s operation threatens to destabilise the region, exacerbate civilian suffering, trigger large population displacements and threaten progress achieved against the Islamic State extremist organisation.

Monday’s talks, attended by UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen, cover a range of other issues, including Turkish offshore drilling activities near Cyprus.

Developments in Libya, Iraq, and Afghanistan are also on the agenda, while the ministers will meet their Ukrainian counterpart Vadym Prystaiko over lunch.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS ACROSS THE NATION EFCC rounds up fraudsters at Osogbo ‘YahooBoys’ party

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peratives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibadan zonal office, Monday, said it raided an Osogbo-based nightclub notorious for hosting parties for suspected internet fraudsters.

The Sunday raid, according to EFCC’s Head, Media & Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, led to the arrest of 94 suspects and confiscation of 19 exotic cars, laptops, scores of sophisticated mobile phones and other items.

Popularly known as ‘Club Secret Underground’, the nightclub is located on the Ibadan-Iwo Expressway of the Osun State capital.

The wee-hour operation was sequel to an intelligence report hinting that the suspected internet fraudsters were organising a night party for Sunday, October 13 during which some of them intended to celebrate their loots.

A sting operation on the club had earlier been carried out to ascertain the authenticity of the intelligence. The confirmation led to the mega raid effected on Monday.

The suspects are currently undergoing further interrogation, and those indicted would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known as OKPALA CHINELO MAUREEN now wish to be known as MRS, ANAEDU CHINELO MAUREEN. former documents remain valid Banks and General public take

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known as OYOUOBA JOSEPHINE IJEOMA now wish to be known as ONYEDIBE JOSEPHINE IJEOMA. former documents remain valid Banks and General public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known as EDOZIE MICHAEL, now wish to be known and addressed as EDOZIE PASCAL MICHAEL. All formal documents remain valid.

Banks and general public please take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to certify that MRS OKAFOR UJU C. and MRS OKAFOR UJU CHINWE is one and same person. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note

CHANGE OF NAME

I formerly known as OCHULO NWANYIBUAKU now wish to be known as JUMBO JOYCE NWANYIBUAKU. All former documents remain valid. Banks and general public take note.

Man catches his wife with her lesbian partner

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woman, who indulges in the act of lesbianism has been caught in the unwholesome act with her partner by her husband in the Okota area of Lagos.

Seeing that her cover had been blown, the woman identified as Blessing Okoroafor reportedly took to her heels and was still at large as at press time.

Under the Nigerian law, lesbianism is a crime.

Indeed, a law signed by former

President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 made it illegal for gay people to even hold a meeting.

The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act also criminalized homosexual clubs, associations and organizations with penalties of up to 14 years in jail.

The Act drew international condemnation from countries such as the United States and Britain.

Following the enactment of the law, some Nigerian gays promptly

fled the country for fear of being caught on the wrong of the new law, if the government decided to enforce it.

Those who still dared to practise the outlawed sexual acts while in country did so secretly, even if it meant they had to live a double life.

“That was the case with Mrs. Okoroafor,” a source who claimed to know the couple closely told our reporter. “She was always in the company of that woman whom she

seemed to adore and you would see the woman with her almost on a daily basis and once Mr. Okoroafor was out of the house. It is now clear what that woman was always doing with Mrs. Okoroafor.”

Meanwhile, the distraught husband has vowed to bring his wife to justice “for deceiving me all these years.”

He has since reported the matter to the police who are already on the trail of the Mrs. Okoroafor.

Robbers dare ‘Operation Kpochapu’ Phase II launch

…Invade Onitsha petrol station; kill 5; steal millions of naira

By IBE NWACHUKWU

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• (From right): Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye; State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; and Deputy, Kadri Hamzat, after a meeting, Sunday, with eight multi-national engineering firms, including Julius Berger, Hi-tech, Arab Contractors, Metropolitan Construction, Slabaugh Construction, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), Rajaf Foundation Construction, and RCF Nigeria Limited, on the immediate rehabilitation roads

Umahi confirms recovery of soldier’s missing riffle

From CHINEDU NWAFOR, Abakaliki

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overnor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has confirmed that the missing riffle belonging to one of the soldiers attached to his convoy has been found.

The riffle was declared missing after an encounter between the security detail attached to his convoy and a group of persons observing wake at Onitcha Local Government Area penultimate week.

The mourners were said to have blocked the road thereby delaying the Governor who was going back to Abakaliki from his home Town, Uburu. A development that led to a near fisticuff between the security men attached to the governor and the youths of the area.

A soldier was said to have list his riffle while taking part in clearing of the road block.

Umahi had ordered for the arrest of the persons involved and banned wake beyond 10pm in the night, except permitted by the Chairman of the Council area.

The Governor also denied media reports that he ordered his security aides to shoot any person who blocks his convoy henceforth.

A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, noted that Umahi values the life of every single Ebonyian and could not have given such order.

He said the report was written in bad faith and urge the general public to discountenance it.

Full text of the statement read:

“Few days ago, the social media was awash with fabricated stories of total falsehood with intent to discredit the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr.

David Nweze Umahi, FNSE, FNATE. The stories have it that “Governor Umahi ordered security agents to shoot at anyone that blocks his convoy and another fallacy of how a certain man called ‘Fear Not’ blocked the convoy of the governor, struggled with some soldiers and made away with one of the soldiers’ riffle.”

“The above stories came as a shock to the state government as all the stories are in total disagreement with realities on ground which its evidence abound.

“Undoubtedly, social media has done us real good in some aspect but it has harmed the general public greatly as its circulated falsehood is alarming because it is uncensored.

“Governor David Nweze Umahi, FNSE, FNATE is an ordained Deacon of Christ Embassy, an Apostle of Anglican Church and a committed Child of God who is known for his spirit of forgiveness. He is a man with conscience and never ordered the security agents to shoot at anyone who blocks his convoy.

“Umahi returned on Friday, 4th October from South Africa after a 2 day working visit with Mr. President for the purpose of settling the challenges being faced by Nigerians in South Africa. He arrived at Imo State Airport from Abuja around 7:30pm and drove down to Ohaozara around 12:10am to inspect the ongoing construction of Ebonyi State

University College of Medicine. He took off around 12:45am to Abakaliki after the inspection only to get to Onicha around 1:00am to see some drunk young men who blocked the road in the name of ‘wake-keep’.

“The governor was at first sad for the delay in opening the road block as he already had a long day but the team of Police and Army who are attached to the convoy stepped down and cleared the road block and the convoy took off to Abakaliki safely but it was later observed that one of the Army officer’s riffle fell off while trying to clear the road.

“It is pertinent to note that there was no struggle throughout the time the incident occurred but the governor who is always thinking about the safety of Ebonyians wondered what could have happened if it were a person moving without a team of Army and Police.

“In his usual effort to curb the menace which may result from such act, the Governor introduced a precautionary measure by ordering that no event across the state should hold beyond 10:00pm for security reasons.

“However, the lost riffle has been recovered by the Army and those that took it and hid with ulterior motives have been arrested and will be tried and prosecuted accordingly in the court of law.

“The general public are by this advised to ignore the circulating rumor as it is being carried by haters of good governance”.

ew hours after Governor Willie Obiano launched the second phase of ‘Operation Kpochapu’ in Awka, the state capital, where he handed over about 111 operation vehicles fitted with CCT cameras and motorbikes to the police, dare-devil armed robbers, Saturday, went on rampage, killing five persons and injuring scores of others in two separate operations in Onitsha.

Among those reportedly killed include; two girls and three men at the Seaman petrol station near Borromeo round-about, directly opposite Zik’s Mausoleum center, Onitsha and a popular pharmacy along Awka road, Onitsha.

Investigations revealed that the rampaging robbers, with the aid of a masked pointer, drove into the petrol station in their vehicle at about 2.00am on Saturday and unleashed the terror, thus killing some petrol attendants and carting away huge sums of money.

Believing them to be those who wanted to refuel their vehicle as night travelers on storming the filling station, the petrol attendants reportedly opened the gate to attend to them, without knowing that they were armed robbers on a mission, as they shot dead one of the vigilante operatives on sight and then a worker, who was woken up by the barrage of gun shots and attempted to escape.

The robbers numbering about six also shot dead a female sales attendant who it was gathered hesitated when the masked pointer asked her for the key to the safe. The bandits eventually carted away all monies realized from sales for the day as the pointer showed where they were kept.

Scores of night travellers who then were plying the Borromeo roundabout axis, stopped their vehicles and an consequent attempt to flee the scene for safety, got injured including some workers of the filling station and nearby residents.

It was gathered that the same gangsters allegedly drove out of the petrol station and made straight for a popular pharmaceutical shop along the Awka road Onitsha, where on arrival, shot dead a man and a sales attendant before the masked pointer showed the safe and other places where money was kept.

Sales for the day were said to have been carted away according to impeccable inside sources.

Residents who heard gun shots got injured attempting to flee to safety.

When contacted on phone, Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Haruna Mohammed said that, “we are investigating the matter and will come out with our findings later.”

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

NEWS Extra Flood: NEMA, Delta govt. flag off distribution of fertiliser to farmers

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ational Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in collaboration with the Delta State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on Monday, flagged off the distribution of fertilisers to flood-impacted farmers in the state in 2018.

The fertiliser distribution to farmers in Oshimili South and North Local Government areas of the state was flagged off on Monday in Asaba.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Chidi Ogundu, the Supervisor in charge of the intervention in the state, said that the project, which was designed and coordinated by NEMA, was targeted at achieving national food security, in line with the objective of the committee on food security.

According to him, NEMA designed and coordinated the emergency agricultural intervention in all the flood and conflict-impacted states in the country.

Ogundu said that a total of 3,678 farmers were affected by the 2018 flood, which ravaged farmlands in all the 16 local government areas of the state.

He recalled that NEMA had worked in collaboration with SEMA and the state ministry of agriculture to conduct the enumeration of the affected farmers and verification of the farmlands.

The meetings, according to him, were followed with the distribution of seedlings, sprayers and agrochemicals. ”As the supervisor of the project, I worked with the team that was given to me and the process was so smooth. The team joined me during the enumeration exercise, which started precisely on April 19.

“After the enumeration, the farm inputs such as yam seedlings, vegetable seeds, cassava stems, plantain suckers, agro-chemical and sprayers were distributed to the farmers,” he said.

Ogundu explained that the distribution of the items was first carried out before the distribution of agro-chemicals and sprayers to the farmers.

He listed the affected local government areas to include Oshimili South, Oshimili North, Aniocha South, Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West, Isoko North and Isoko South.

Others are Patani, Udu, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Bomadi, Burutu, Warri South, Warri South West and Warri North local government areas.

Responding on behalf of the farmers, Mr Joseph Nwama, President, Merchant Club Cooperative Society, commended the Federal Government for providing them with the farm inputs. ”When they started this journey with us some months back, it was like a joke; but to our greatest surprise, they have given us everything they promised us,” he said.

Tension in Isiagu as robbers burgle houses, shops in Anambra

By Oge Onyeanusi, Nnewi

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esidents of Isiagu in Awka South local Government of Anambra State have raised an alarm over incessant robbery attacks on their property by unknown gunmen.

The Oracle Correspondent who visited the remote community reports that the environment has been thrown into panic, following the invasion, vandalization of transformers, stealing of heavy-duty generator donated to a secondary school in Isiagu and breaking into of houses and shops by suspected robbers to steal properties.

It was gathered that the incident

began six years back escalated some weeks ago in the community when suspected robbers invaded selected houses and carted away huge cash sums and other valuable items in broad-daylight.

Some of the residents who preferred to remain anonymous, lamented that the entire community was in panic mood due to ceaseless invasions of their houses as well as cultism activities Another source said many locked shops were burgled by robbers who were allegedly in possession of sophisticated weapons used to break in and easily open the gate of a building and shops’ padlocks with ease.

According to him, since the incident started, members of the community have been in panic, fear and having sleepless moments as they could not predict when their houses could be attacked again.

The recent robbery incident that took place in Ebe Isiagu was where sixteen pillars rods of building materials with its base was stolen by this hoodlums and snatching of phones, and other personal belongings in the area.

Some of the community’s elders who spoke to newsmen in Isiagu, Messers Ifeatu Ezeugo, Nnebedum Samuel, Ifeanyi Okeke said the ugly incident has been on the increase as some of their children

have joined cult gangs.

“Isiagu Community has been in this ugly situation for over six years now, no development, our children in Diaspora no longer come home due to fear of being attacked by cultists or armed robbers,” they said.

They called on law enforcement agencies, state and federal governments to come to their rescue and save them from untold tormenting and agony of sleepless moments due to the criminal activities.

Meanwhile efforts to reach the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer SP Haruna, so as to react to this ugly situation proved abortive as he refused to pick his calls.

Food security: C’River farmers partner Japanese group to improve yields From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

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• NOA Anambra chapter about offering free eye check , servises and drugs to staff and inmates at Awka.

Anatomists demand legislation on purchase, use of corpses From ANIEKAN ANIEKAN, Calabar

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ational President of the Anatomical Society of Nigeria, Prof. Theresa Ekanem, has called on government to enact legislation on the acquisition and use of dead bodies (cadavers) in Nigeria.

This the body said is imperative so as to enable medical schools in the country obtain license that will enable them acquire cadavers (dead bodies) for the purpose of educating anatomy students in tertiary institutions.

Prof Ekanem made the call at the University of Calabar Senate Chamber during the 16th Annual Scientific Conference/Annual General Meeting of Anatomical Society of Nigeria (ASN) with the theme, Anatomy Education: ‘’Implication for National Development.’’

Professor Ekanem lamented the challenges encountered by anatomists in acquiring cadavers for experiment and emphasized that the ASN is already working on the amendment of the 1993 Anatomical guidelines to ensure that licenses are obtained to open Departments of anatomy.

Prof. Ekanem who is also the Deputy Provost of the College of

Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, frowned at the method in which cadavers are acquired in the country, even as she called for sensitization of the populace on body donation.

“The method in which we acquire cadavers was questionable in the just concluded International Federation of Association of Anatomist in London United Kingdom.

The issue of body donation was suggested and we must start sensitizing the populace on body donation. ‘’Will this be accepted in our African culture and background? We need to amend the old law and ensure that licenses are obtained to open Departments of Anatomy.’’

Ekanem disclosed that the University of Calabar started the BSC Programme in Anatomy with the sole objective of training teachers to fill the lacuna caused by brain drain and lack of qualified teachers of Anatomy.

In an address, the Vice Chancellor of the institution and Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Zana Akpagu, described anatomists as ‘critical stakeholders’ in the medical profession.

Professor Akpagu who spoke through the Deputy Vice Chancel-

lor Administration, Prof. Mrs Lucy Udida said his administration was happy with the exploits of anatomists describing their contributions in the health sector as phenomenal.

The keynote speaker, Prof. Blessing Didia, who spoke on the topic, Anatomy Education: ‘’Implications for National Development’’, described Anatomy Education as a vehicle for National development.

He said about 1000 anatomists are trained per year in Nigeria, saying there was need for the state-ofart facilities to advance anatomy education in the country.

Prof. Didia who said poor budgetary allocations was responsible for the abysmal performance of Universities added that to have greater impact on national development anatomy educators in the country must consider curriculum review.

The keynote speaker said advanced economies have abandoned the traditional approach for a system-based and problemoriented clinical approach to anatomy education, even has he stressed the need for a curriculum that is adaptive to changing job market realities.

ocal farmers in Cross River state a new farming technology in Cross River state with the aim of maximizing yield and also bolstering income.

The technology which is a novel maize\cassava inter cropping method is made possible with support from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development alongside Sasakawa Africa Association.

This was disclosed to newsmen in Ikom (Central Cross River) by farmers during the 2019 Media Field Day organised by Sasakawa.

The farmers explained that the maize\cassava inter cropping farming technology is a product is a product of their engagement with their development partners and has ensured all year round farming, improved yields as well as increased income for farmers.

One of the farmers Agbam Iyam said “we have experienced a new thing because the planting is different, there is reduced work labour and also there is general efficiency in cultivating cassava and maize”, he said On his part, Pulin Agazuma chairman of Okumaya Multi-Purpose Association said the new farming technology has really benefited farmers in the state and this is evident in the exponential increase in their output.

Also speaking, Ekok Ntum the state coordinator of Sasakawa said the farming technique is also made possible with support from African Cassava Agronomy Initiative as well as researchers from the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan.

He said the farming technology has passed through three stages including research, validation and dissemination emphasizing that they are now in the third stage where the technology is being disseminated to individual farmers in the state.

Professor Sani Miko, Country Director of Sasakawa Africa Association assured that technology has been validated and assured that the association will sustain it’s support to farmers to ensure that they succeed in their farming endeavour.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

With Douglas Omoyooma ENTERTAINMENT Angela Okorie – Actress

How xenophobic attacks inspired my new single Recently, Nigerians and foreigners residing in the Rainbow Nation, South Africa came under a barrage of attacks which could be best described in the lyrics of Afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo as it left a trail of sorrow, tears and blood.

Indeed. over a dozen Nigerians were murdered in cold blood to the chagrin of not just Nigerians but Africans at large. In this chat, actress turned movie maker and now singer, Angela Okorie opens up on how the unfortunate incident inspired her to record and release her debut single entitled, Someday which was released October 1 to mark Nigeria’s Independence Day. The thespian began: “I felt very bad when I saw a video of Nigerians being killed in South Africa. I saw a lot of men including security operatives standing by and watching as our Nigerian brothers were slaughtered like cattle and it touched me so strongly and I just want to ask, what would you gain if you your fellow African brothers? We need peace in Africa, we need peace in the world, we need to be our brother’s keeper. That was what inspired Someday, a song featuring Joel.

“I will feel fulfilled when violence stops in Africa.

I will feel fulfilled when the songs that I am dropping which preach peace and unity impact Africans. Until there is no more insecurity in my country, until there is no more xenophobia in Africa and no more killings

by Boko Haram, I will not be fulfilled. Remember, the message I am conveying through my music is that people need to understand that you don’t gain anything by killing anybody. Peace and unity is all we need to be alive.

“Sometimes I just think about my son.

What if it was my son that was killed in SA? Imagines I am an old woman and I sent my son to South Africa for greener pastures and he’s working and all of a sudden, somebody stabs him to death. What would I do? God forbid,” laments Angela Okorie who says her sound is a fusion of gospel and inspirational music.

Any plans to go into secular music? “Yeah, when you are a musician you try as much as possible not to be stereotyped, Angela added.

Angela Okorie has surely paid her dues. From being an actress she has seamlessly transformed into a movie producer. Now she is venturing into music. What would she say is the biggest misconception have about her?

“By mere looking at me you will think that I am a snub and I don’t relate with my fans but trust me, I relate with my fans 100 per cent and I am not a snub either because my fans are the ones that made me and without them, there is no Angela Okorie. If they don’t watch my films, download my songs or comment on my stuff, I wouldn’t be where I am today so I respect my fans a lot.”

What is the craziest thing a fan has ever done to her? “I was in New York when a fan walked up to me and said ‘I love you, I am your fan, you can kill me if you want but I f**ing love you! Talking about how I handle my fans, I don’t know how to fake it-o. I just tell you the way it is. If you like me the way I am, fine. If you don’t, forget it. It is left for God to judge me. I know how to handle my fans.”

Latest movie project And while she is pursuing a new path, Angela Okorie has not abandoned her acting career. She opens up on her newest movie project: “It was entitled, What Lies Within. It is about the daughter of a governor whose father died and left her alone in this world and she was burdened with the challenge of searching for true love.”

Having seen it all and done it all, what is her advice for youngster who want to take after her: “My advice is she should just work on herself. The sky is going to be her limit once she is good at what she does. You don’t just come up and say because you look like Angela or because you sing like Angela, you will make it. Be who you are, come out as you are. Sing the songs that you have and the world will adjust. Once they love you, they will love you for who you are.”

Regrets?

“I don’t have any regret at all. As a matter of fact, I am thankful to God for creating me as I am. I am thankful to God for bringing me this far because a lot of people in our industry don’t even have the opportunity to get to this point.”

12

The Oracle Today Tuesday Ocotober 15 - 21, 2019

Isu Aniocha Community sues Anambra government, others for N5b as damages over land trespass

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he people of Isu-Aniocha in Awka North local government area of Anambra State have sued the state government claiming N5 billion as general damages for allegedly trespassing on the community’s land.

The land was allegedly acquired by the state government from Awka, usurpers of the rights of Isu Aniocha people for the developing of a housing estate in the area. Awka has no boundaries with Isu-Aniocha community.

The suite by Isu Aniocha community has as defendants the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation, Anambra State Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Anambra State Ministry of Lands, Survey and Town Planning, as well as Messrs Willie Okafor and Anthony Nwofor.

In the Suit No A/243/2019 filed at the High Court of Anambra State sitting in Awka, the plaintiffs were also claiming N200 million special damages for alleged destruction of 2000 economic trees at the rate of N200,000 per tree, N30 million for 300 timber trees, N500,000 for medicinal shrubs, N10 million for agricultural crops and N4.75 billion for four shrines and three deities.

Messrs Geoffrey Udeh, Basil Ezeike, Jude Okoye and Anthony Nwogbo, who filed the suit on behalf of Umuneri village in Isuaniocha also urged the court to grant perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their privies, agents and or cohorts from further trespassing on the said land.

Part of their 31-point affidavit read: “In May, 2019 the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation and the other defendants engaged thugs, cultists, and some mercenaries and moved them into the plaintiffs’ said land to protect the bulldozers caterpillars, etc they put on the land and to ward off the plaintiffs from their land.

“The bulldozers, caterpillars, etc damaged the agricultural crops, economic crops, medicinal shrubs, timber trees, shrines and juju (deities). The massive damage done on the plaintiffs’ land by the defendants and their agent and cohorts was very massive thereby impoverished the plaintiffs beyond measure.

“The plaintiffs were prevented from further cultivating on the land, reaping from the economic trees on the land, making use of the medicinal shrubs and trees, worshipping and consulting shrines and juju on their land which have been giving signs of wrecking havoc on the plaintiffs and the defendants that desecrated them and other persons involved in the desecration directly and or remotely.”

According to them, a petition was written to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police through the plaintiffs’ counsel, complaining against the massive malicious damage, regretting that the CP failed to investigate the petition to date.

The plaintiffs said that after the malicious damage/trespass, the defendants engaged surveyors who conspired with them in plotting the land and installing beacons without the plaintiffs’ authority and installed sign posts with the inscription:- “This land belongs to Anambra State Housing Development Corporation …… keep off” all over the plaintiffs land, which are still standing on the land.

They added: “The governor of Anambra State did not revoke the interest of the plaintiffs in the land and the land was not compulsorily acquired by the governor, or by other authority, including the defendants. The plaintiffs, on their part, did not consent to any acquisition or revocation and or trespass.

“The plaintiffs have been prevented by the defendants from making use of the land i.e, farming on same, reaping the economic trees thereon, burying the dead on the dead on the area designated as burial ground, consulting their shrines, deities, etc since May, 2019.

“The plaintiffs, who are predominantly farmers, have been suffering from undue hunger arising from massive damage to their agricultural crops, economic trees, etc and who have been prevented since May, 2019 from accessing their land for their agricultural activities. They are suffering colossal damage by reason of activities of the defendants on the land.”

They prayed the court to declare that the plaintiffs, as owners of the land, were entitled to the right of occupancy over the piece of land.

The statement of claims read in part,: ‘’The Plaintiffs are native of Umuneri Village in IsuAnaocha Town, Awka North Local Govern-

In

CORNUCOPIA

By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu PhD Telephone number: 08060750240 E-mail : odogwuchampionawka@yahoo.co.uk

ment Area of Anambra State, Particularly the 1st plaintiff, 2nd plaintiff, 3rd plaintiff are also the chairman, vice chairman, secretary respectively of Umuneri village meeting while the 4th plaintiff is one of the outstanding principal members thereof. ‘’ The Plaintiffs have the authority and consent of the principal members of Umuneri Village Isu-Anaocha Town to file and prosecute this suit on their behalf. ‘’The 1st defendant is a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal meant to commercially purchase, lease or otherwise acquire, hold dispose of lane, etc. ‘’The 2nd defendant is the Managing Director of the 1st Defendant while 3rd Defendant is the Estate Director of the 1st Defendant. ‘’ The 4rd defendant is a Ministry in Anambra State which handles housing and urban development matters in Anambra State while the 5th Defendant is in charge of lands, etc in Anambra State which Ministry the 1st and 2nd defendants claim allocated the land in dispute to the 1st Defendant. ‘’The defendants without jurisdiction jointly with one another decided and unconstitutionally and unlawfully trespassed into the Plaintiff’s land “Umuneri land” generically called and massively destroyed the economic, and agricultural crops, timber trees, medicinal shrubs, shrines, deities etc of the plaintiffs in May, 2019. ‘’The Plaintiffs became possessed and owners of the land thus:’’ Anoacha was the founder and progenitor of Isu and Achafia (who is founder of the town called Achalla town now). Achafia migrate to and settled at the present location where Achalla town now occupy. Isu as the first son remained in the present location of the town (Isu-Anaocha). ‘’All through this chain of continuous and unbroken genealogy dating from centuries past and times out of memory the said plaintiffs like their ancestors and predecessors have occupies, owned, possessed and cultivated the land in dispute, worship their shrine and buries their ancestors on the land; planted economic trees thereon and have been reaping the fruits ever since without any let or hindrance from any person until the plaintiffs out of sheet greed and wickedness and without any justification whatsoever started to lay a false claim to the land, claiming that the Governor has revoked the plaintiffs interest in the land which is fake and false………….. ‘’In the said plaintiff’s land there are economic trees and timber trees like Iroko trees, Agba trees etc. There are other economic trees like mango trees pea trees, banana and plantain trees, gravure trees, Ubuli trees, etc.

Also there are medicinal shrubs. On the land are many shrines and deities worshiped by the Plaintiffs from time immemorial e.g. Ifijioku shrine, Ajana shrine, Anya deity etc. ‘’The land has been the only agricultural land from where the plaintiffs earn their living through agricultural practices, greater number of the plaintiffs being professional farmers. Their subsistence lies squarely on their farming activities on the land year in year out till date until to their greatest surprise some intruders (land grabbers) who call themselves Ezinano people from Awka trespassed on the land in 2005 and maliciously damaged the plaintiff’s crops and started potting the land and installing beacons thereon in conjunction with surveyors. ‘’The plaintiffs thereupon organized themselves and chased them away from their land and as a result the Ezinano people of Awka sued the entire Isu-Anaocha community in respect of the land. The particulars of the suit

are as follows: Suit NO. A/51/2006 – Emeka Chinwuba and 2 ors (for themselves and on behalf of all other members of Ezinano Community, Awka Vs Chief Chukwuma Okoye and 5 ors (for themselves and the entire people of Isu-Anaocha Town, Awka North Local Government Area, Anambra State.) The Statement of claim of the plaintiffs, the Statement of Defence and Counter Claim of the Defendants and the Reply to the Statement of Defence and defence to the counter claim of the plaintiffs are hereby pleaded.

This suit had proceeded in court since 2006 till on 18/12/15 the plaintiffs’ suit – A/51/2006 was struck out by Hon. Justice C.A Emembolu thereby leaving the defendants’ counter claim still pending. Certified True Copy of the striking out proceedings is hereby pleaded. ‘’’ Notwithstanding the striking of their suit, Ezinano people of Awka represented by Emeka Chinwuba, Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Obi and Patrick Nkemka Okoye continued to interfere with the plaintiff’s said land by conspiring with Anambra Housing Development Corporation, Mr. Anthony Nwofor, Willie Okafor and Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and trespassed on the Plaintiff’s land in May, 2019 by massively destroying the Plaintiff’s crops, etc on the land and installing a sign post thereon which sign posts are still standing on the land’’. ‘’ In May, 2019 the Anambra State Housing development Corporation and the other defendants engaged thugs, cultists, and some mercenaries and moved them into the plaintiffs said land to protect the bulldozers caterpillars, etc they put on the land and to ward off the plaintiffs from their land. The bulldozers, caterpillars, etc damaged the plaintiff’s agricultural crops, economic crops, medicinal shrubs, timber trees, shrines and juju (deities) etc. The massively damage done on the plaintiff’s ;and by the defendants and their agent and cohorts was very massive thereby impoverished the plaintiffs beyond measure. ‘’The plaintiffs were and are prevented from further cultivating on the land, reaping from the economic trees on the land, making use of the medicinal shrubs and trees, worshipping and consulting shrines and juju on their land which have been giving signs of wreaking havoc on the plaintiffs and the Defendants that desecrated them and any other person involved in the desecration directly and or remotely. ‘’The plaintiffs wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State complaining against the massive malicious damage but unfortunately the defendants compromised the commissioner of Police who refused, neglected and or failed to investigate the plaintiffs’ petition till date in spite of the plaintiffs’ efforts to make the commission investigate the allegation all to no avail. The plaintiffs’ petition to commissioner of police Anambra State written through their lawyer Chukwuemeka Ume, Esq. dated 28/5/19 is hereby pleaded. ‘’The defendant in suit No. A/51/2006 have applied for the High Court to hear their counter Claim which application has been fixed for hearing. A copy of the application is hereby pleaded. ‘’The Defendants on record after the aforesaid massive malicious damage/trespass engaged Surveyors who conspired with the defendants in plotting the plaintiffs land and installing beacons without the plaintiff’s authority and without and justification in law or facts. ‘’ In addition to the above trespass the

Defendants also installed sign posts with the inscription:- “This land belongs to Anambra State Housing Development Corporation …… keep off” all over the plaintiffs land still standing on the land. The plaintiffs caused photographs of the sign posts and the malicious damage to be taken and the massive are hereby pleaded. ‘’The plaintiffs by reason of the trespass and damage aforesaid engage a Lawyer, Chief M.P.S. Ngini Esq. of Mkpuorah, Mkpuorah & Co. to write to the Defendants which he did.

The said letter date 31/7/19 urging the defendants to remove the sign posts, stop further damage to the plaintiffs’ crops, tress, shrines, etc and to pay the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) to the plaintiffs as damages for the massive damage is hereby pleaded. ‘’ The defendants reacted to the above letter in a letter 19/8/2019 and denied liability to the trespass and malicious damage to the plaintiffs properties – crops, trees, shrines, etc. The letter dated 19/8/19 is hereby pleaded. ‘’n the defendants letter dated 19/8/2019 the defendants alleged that the plaintiffs’ interests in the said land was revoked by the Governor of Anambra State in 2014 notwithstanding the pendency of the suit and counter claim over the land for title to same, which counter claim is still pending. ‘’The Governor of Anambra State did not revoke the interest of the plaintiffs in the land and the land was not compulsorily acquired by the Governor of Anambra State or by other authority including the defendants and the plaintiffs did not consent to any acquisition or revocation and or trespass. ‘’The plaintiffs have been prevented by the Defendants from making use of the land i.e farming on same, reaping the economic trees thereon, burying the dead on the dead on the area designated as burial ground, consulting their shrines, deities, etc since May, 2019. ‘’The plaintiffs who are farmers predominantly have been suffering from undue hunger arising from Massive damage to their agricultural crops, economic trees, etc and who have been prevented since May, 2019 from accessing their land for their agricultural activities have suffered, and are suffering colossal damage by reason of activities of the defendants on the land. ‘’The defendants destroyed more than 2000 economic trees and timber tress, agricultural crops worth more than N200,000,000.00, medicinal shrubs worth more than N500,000.00 and shrines, and deities of the plaintiffs which require not less than N7,000,000.00 to appease failing which it will wreck havoc of the plaintiffs and the defendants alike and anybody connected therewith. ‘’ WHEREFORE the plaintiffs claims against the defendants jointly and severally are for: ‘’A declaration that the plaintiffs are owners in possession and entitled to the right of occupancy over the piece or parcel of land known and called generally as “Ana Umuneri”, Isu-Anaocha, Awka North Local Government Area abutting on Obibia River, the natural boundary between the plaintiffs and Okpuno and Enugu Agidi towns into which land the plaintiffs trespassed in May, 2019. ‘’The sum of 5 billion Naira being and general damages for trespass on the land by the defendants.

Special damages including 2000 economic trees (Mango trees, cashew, pear trees, palm kolanut, etc) at N200,000.00 each- N 200,000,000.00; 300 timber trees (Iroko, Akpu, Agba, etc) as N100,00.00 each - N 30,000,000.00; Medicinal shrubs - N 500,000.00; Agricultural crops (cassava, yam, okro, cocoa yam, maize, etc) - N 10,000,000.00; 4 shrines and 3 deities - N 7,000,000.00; N 247,500,000.00; N4,752,500,000.00; N5,000,000,000.00 ‘’ GENERAL DAMAGES: The sum of N500,000.00 per day as general damages for continuing trespass and for loss of use of the aforesaid land. Perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants, their privies, agents and or cohorts from further trespassing on the plaintiffs’ aforesaid land from June, 2019..

•Odogwu has a PhD Mass Communication from Unizik. He is a Journalist and Editor as well as commentator on national issues. Email: odogwuchampionawka@yahoo.co.uk Phone Number: 08060750240

13

POLITICS The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

As centre can no longer hold in Bayelsa PDP, more appointees dump Dickson, and defections hit PDP From CLEM ONYEMAECHI, Yenagoa

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he echoes of the recent governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State are still reverberating across the state.

Twenty-one aspirants had contested for the ticket of the party on September 3, 2019 for the election scheduled for November 16.

At the end of the keenly contested exercise, Senator Douye Diri representing Bayelsa Central emerged winner.

However some of the aspirants and other stakeholders were not impressed with the process that produced DIri. Chief Timi Alaibe, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC) who came second after Douye Diri was among those who took exception to the process that produced Diri and has since gone to court to challenge Diri and the PDP. The bad blood caused by the primary was infectious as even some appointees of the governor could not mind the pecks of their office as they began to throw in the towel one after another.

The first to resign his appointment was Mr. Michael Ogiasa, the Special Adviser to Governor on Power Development.

His letter of resignation was addressed to the Secretary to the Government of Bayelsa State and dated 4th of Oct. 2019.

Ogiasa, who is from Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government area, did not give any reason for his resignation.

He, however, commended Governor Seriake Dickson for giving him the opportunity to serve Bayelsa State in the capacity of Special Adviser on Power Development Less than two weeks after Ogiasa left Dickson’s cabinet, five more appointees have followed suit.

The Director, Ethics and Compliance, Due Process Bureau, Benjamin Ogbara and Dickson’s Special Adviser on Culture, Chief Natus Zebakame have also tendered their resignation letters.

Others are Special Adviser on Agriculture, Godspower Ake; serving Commissioner 1 in the Bayelsa State Local Government Service Commission, Berry Negerese; the Special Assistant on Student Affairs, Iniruo Ipogi and Special Adviser on ICT Development, Clever Ebede among others.

Zebakame in his letter thanked the governor for giving him the privilege to serve the government and the people of the state.

He said: “This is, therefore, a formal notification to the government and the people of Bayelsa State as the decision to resign my appointment is entirely personal.”

On his part, Ogbara said he took the decision to resign to enable him go back to his private legal practice.

He also thanked the governor, for finding him worthy of the appointment and expressed his best wishes to the people of the state.

But more troubling for the governor and the PDP in the state is the recent defection of former Deputy Governor of the state, Chief Peremobowei Ebebi to the All Progressive Congress, APC. Ebebi was deputy to both Dr Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Timipre Sylva, former governors of Bayelsa. He was also the Director General of Chief Timi Alaibe Campaign Organization before the recent governorship primaries of the PDP.

•Dickson Hon. Stephen Diver, another chieftain of PDP also defected to the opposition APC, while former governorship aspirant, Chief Joshua Machiver, defected shortly after the PDP governorship primaries.

Apparently unruffled by the turn of events in the party, the Bayelsa Peoples Democratic Party has said that the party would win the forthcoming gubernatorial election with or without those defecting to the All Progressives Congress.

The State Chairman of the Party, Chief Moses Cleopas, in a statement said that the Bayelsa people and followers were not with the defectors who according to him, lack the requisite character, principle and integrity.

Cleopas stressed that the defecting politicians are motivated by greed and the inordinate quest for political positions being dangled to them by the APC. The Party Chairman boasted that the PDP won the election convincingly in 2015 in spite of the spate of defections and would repeat the feat in the next election without such “unstable characters”.

The PDP Chairman was reacting to the assertion by the former Deputy Governor, Chief Peremobowei Ebebi, that he was defecting from the party because of high handedness and fraudulent primaries conducted by the leadership of PDP. The Chairman however said that the difference between the party leadership and the defecting politicians was the lack of capacity to resist the temptation of suspicious political offers and even threats.

He recalled that the government regularized Ebebi’s position as a former Deputy Governor and approved a monthly pension of N2.5 million for him which he has been collecting since 2012 till date in addition to other forms of material and financial support.

He said that it was rather shocking that Ebebi whose nominee is still a serving Commissioner could come out to launch a scath-

•Diri ing attack on the government and the party in the search for “non- existent reasons” to justify his defection to the APC because of greed and inordinate quest for political offices.

According to the party Chairman, Ebebi was among the first leaders of the party to make a strong case for Senator Douye Diri, later discovered to be his cousin, as the best of the aspirants of the PDP to support in the primaries.

He said that that it was even more shocking that Ebebi who had received and endorsed Diri and his team when they visited him in his Yenagoa residence opted to accept the position of the Director General of the Chief Timi Alaibe Alaibe campaign organization two days after.

He said that same Ebebi attended the recent flag off campaign rally of the PDP at the Oxbow Lake, on October 7, 2019, where he spoke in support of the PDP and its candidate.

Cleopas said information at his disposal showed that Ebebi submitted several names for appointment and employment after the rally which was carried out as agreed.

The PDP Chairman described it as the peak of absurdity for Ebebi to defect to the APC, using the PDP primaries as his reasons when the primaries conducted by the APC and the anger triggered by the electoral fraud in the party has resulted in several court cases challenging the emergence of the party’s candidate, Chief David Lyon.

Cleopas challenged Ebebi to tell Bayelsans and indeed Nigerians whether his impeachment from office by Chief Timipre Sylva was high handed or considerate and whether the foisting of David Lyon on the APC in a most “bizarre and brazen manner” by chief Sylva was high handed on not.

He said that to the best of his knowledge, the only request from Ebebi which the state government had not fully acceded to was

•Alaibe the request to pay a grossly inflated debt of about N400 million purportedly owed his hotel by the state under Chief Timipre Sylva who he served as Deputy Governor.

On the defection of Hon. Stephen Diver, Cleopas described his defection a “shameless display of ingratitude to a government and party that have sustained him over the years”.

He recalled that Diver who was the first Special Adviser to “dive out” from the Government ff Sylva In 2011, and who was accommodated by the Restoration Government belonged to the class of Bayelsa politicians who are lacking in character and values.

According to him, it is a fact that the Bayelsa State Government which accommodated Diver from 2012 to date has spent almost N50 million to send him abroad for medical treatment on three occasions since he suffered a stroke and has been largely incapacitated in the past one year.

He said that it was “absurd and indeed tragic comedy” for this class of person to embrace the filth of blackmail against a government and party of which he has been a part for over seven years.

He said that Diver met with the governor about two days ago to pledge his loyalty and to debunk the rumours that he was holding secret meetings with the opposition in reaction to the burden of a conscience that was pricking him.

He said Bayelsans and Nigerians could now see the kind of people parading themselves as leaders in the state with the action of Ebebi and Diver.

Cleopas added that it was indeed curious that Diver who was one of earliest to back Senator Diri during the primaries , and later declared that he mobilized his supporters to vote for the candidate, could come out to say that he shared no political ideology with the candidate and his running mate.

14

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

BOLD & BLUNT

•Rudy Giuliani and Lev Parnas breakfast at the Trump International Hotel in Washington in September.

W

ASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors unsealed charges on Thursday against two men who have aided President Trump’s efforts to gather damaging information in Ukraine about his political opponents, a criminal case that signaled growing legal exposure for the president’s allies as Mr. Trump tries to blunt an impeachment inquiry in Congress.

The indictment of the two men, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, sketched a complex scheme to violate campaign finance laws and did not accuse Mr. Trump of wrongdoing. But it revealed new details about the push to pressure Ukraine: a campaign encouraged

by Mr. Trump, led by his private lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and assisted by obscure figures like Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman.

Mr. Trump continues to defend the effort, which is the focus of the impeachment inquiry that House Democrats opened last month. The new indictment, however, suggests the first criminal implications of the shadow foreign policy that Mr. Giuliani pushed on behalf of the president.

And it is another example of the extent to which the messy power dynamics of Ukraine — a former Soviet republic and close American ally with a recent history of political upheaval — now dominate discussions about Mr. Trump’s future. The impeachment inquiry began after a C.I.A. officer who has worked at the White House raised alarms about a July telephone call in which Mr. Trump seemed to suggest that American military aid was contingent on Ukraine’s help in unearthing information that could help Mr. Trump politically.

Mr. Giuliani has been public about his hunt for damaging information about Democrats, and the indictment gives a more complete picture about how he seems to have subcontracted part of the work to Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman, two of his long-time associates.

It directly connected the two men

As impeachment battle against President Donald Trump escalates…

Two associates of former Mayor of New York and a Trump buddy, Rudolf W. Giuliani arrested with one-way tickets at U.S. airport. Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of President Trump’s personal lawyer, were part of the pressure campaign on Ukraine to investigate Democrats. MARK MAZZETTI, EILEEN SULLIVAN, ADAM GOLDMAN and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM report to a key element of the pressure campaign, an effort to recall the United States ambassador to Ukraine, Marie L. Yovanovitch, after she became a focus of criticism from many of Mr. Trump’s allies. Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman donated money and pledged to raise additional funds in 2018 — some violating legal limits — for a congressman who was then enlisted in the campaign to oust her, court papers showed.

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that the two men were charged with making illegal campaign donations, and law enforcement officials harshly criticized the scheme.

On Thursday (last week), William F. Sweeney Jr., the top agent in the F.B.I.’s New York office, said during a news conference, that “campaign finance laws exist for a reason.”

“The American people expect and deserve an election process that hasn’t

been corrupted by the influence of foreign interests,” he said, “and the public has a right to know the true source of campaign contributions.”

“Laws make up the fabric of who we are as a nation,” Mr. Sweeney added.

“These allegations aren’t about some technicality, a civil violation or an error on a form. This investigation is about corrupt behaviour and deliberate lawbreaking.”

The lawmaker is named in the indictment only as “Congressman-1,” but campaign finance filings identify him as former Representative Pete Sessions, Republican of Texas. Mr. Sessions, then the chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, wrote a letter in 2018 to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying that Ms. Yovanovitch should be fired for privately expressing “disdain” for the current administration.

Mr. Sessions, who lost his re-election bid last year, said in a statement that he could not confirm that he was “Con-

gressman-1” but that he would “vigorously defend myself against any allegations of wrongdoing” and that he had no knowledge of the scheme detailed by prosecutors.

He said he met the two men to discuss Ukraine’s bid for energy independence and that he wrote to Mr. Pompeo “separately, after several congressional colleagues reported to me that the current U.S. ambassador to Ukraine was disparaging President Trump to others as part of those official duties.”

Some Trump allies believed Ms. Yovanovitch was trying to impede their effort to dig up damaging information about former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, a former Ukrainian official has said, and House Democrats are looking into whether her removal was linked to Mr. Trump’s attempts to gain politically helpful information.

Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman are witnesses in their impeachment inquiry,

15

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

BOLD & BLUNT

•David-West and Mr. Parnas had been scheduled to be questioned by investigators.

Ms. Yovanovitch was herself scheduled to appear Friday on Capitol Hill, but she remains an employee of the State Department and the Trump administration could try to block her testimony. If that happens, House Democrats have said that they are prepared to subpoena her.

Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman were arrested last Wednesday evening at Dulles International Airport as they held one-way tickets on a Lufthansa Airlines flight to Frankfurt. They were walking down a glass-framed jet-way, boarding with first-class passengers after indulging in free drinks and food in the lounge, when two plainclothes officers stopped them, according to someone who witnessed the arrest.

After they produced their passports to one of the officers, according to the witness, they were instructed to turn around and walk back toward the terminal, where a phalanx of uniformed and plainclothes officers waited.

At a hearing last Thursday in federal court in Northern Virginia, prosecutors argued that the men were flight risks, and a judge set bail at $1 million each.

Dressed in T-shirts, Mr. Fruman and Mr. Parnas were represented by two lawyers who defended Paul Manafort, the president’s former campaign chairman who was convicted last year in the same courthouse of financial crimes associated with his own work in Ukraine.

A lawyer for the men, John M. Dowd, who was not at the hearing, declined to comment. His clients were ordered to appear in court on Thursday in New York, where the charges were filed.

The work the two men did in Ukraine for Mr. Giuliani seems to have been a mixture of business and politics. Mr. Parnas advised Mr. Giuliani on energy deals in the region and pursued his own in Ukraine even as he portrayed himself as a representative of Mr. Giuliani on the Trump-related matters.

The indictment said Mr. Parnas acted “at least in part, at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials.” None were named, but Ms. Yovanovitch’s main critic in the Ukrainian government was Yuriy Lutsenko, then the nation’s prosecutor general who himself has a history of wielding the law as a weapon in his personal political battles.

Both Mr. Fruman and Mr. Parnas appear to have at least glancing contacts with Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump invited Mr. Fruman to a fund-raiser last year at the president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, he said in an interview with Forum Daily, a publication that bills itself as the “voice of Russian-speaking America.” The article featured a photograph of the two men, with the president giving a thumbs-up sign.

Mr. Parnas posted a photo on Twitter this spring of himself with the president and wished Mr. Trump a happy birthday. “I am honoured to call you Mr. President!!!” he wrote. “And my friend!!”

The president sought to distance himself from the men as he left the White House on Thursday en route to a political rally in Minnesota.

“I don’t know those gentlemen,” Mr. Trump said. “Now it’s possible I have a picture with them because I have a picture with everybody. I don’t know about them. I don’t know what they do. I don’t know, maybe they were clients of Rudy. You’d have to ask Rudy.”

Mr. Giuliani said that no one from the Justice Department had contacted him about Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman.

“I have to presume they’re innocent,” he said. “None of those facts that I see there make any sense to me, so I don’t know what they mean.”

He said that he was aware they were leaving the country, but he dismissed the idea that they were fleeing and said they regularly travelled to Europe on business.

Based in South Florida, Mr. Par-

nas and Mr. Fruman are executives of an energy company that donated $325,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC last year, which prompted a Federal Election Commission complaint by a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog accusing the men and the company of violating campaign finance laws.

Not long before the large donation, the men created a limited liability company called Global Energy Products, which they used to funnel large contributions, according to the indictment.

Last month, Mr. Giuliani sought to minimize the significance of the campaign finance inquiry into the two men and said it was resolved. And on Thursday, he questioned the timing of the indictment. “All I can tell you about this arrest is, it comes at a very suspicious time,” he said.

Prosecutors said Mr. Parnas and Mr. Fruman, along with two other men indicted on Thursday, David Correia and Andrey Kukushkin, also funnelled money to state and federal candidates in exchange for potential influence, according to court papers. The men wanted to set up recreational marijuana businesses in Nevada and other states, and were seeking political help to get access to the necessary licenses.

The plot was funded by someone identified only as “Foreign National-1” who had “Russian roots,” court papers showed.

The arrangement involved an attempt to seek licenses to sell legal marijuana in Nevada, but the defendants missed a deadline to apply for them — “two months too late to the game unless we change the rules,” Mr. Kukushkin told the unidentified foreign citizen, according to the indictment.

Mr. Correia was still at large but was expected to turn himself in, according to a law enforcement official.

Mr. Kukushkin appeared briefly in federal court in San Francisco, where the government argued that he was a flight risk who should not be granted

bail, citing his connections to overseas wealth, his multiple properties in the Bay Area and his refusal to turn over his Ukrainian passport. He was to appear again on Friday in court to discuss bail.

His lawyer, Alan Dressler, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mark Mazzetti, Eileen Sullivan and Adam Goldman reported from Washington, and William K. Rashbaum from New York. Reporting was contributed

by Nicholas Fandos, Katie Benner and Kenneth P. Vogel from Washington; Maggie Haberman from New York; Kate Conger from San Francisco; and Zach Montague from Alexandria, Va. Susan Beachy contributed research.

(Correction: Oct. 10, 2019 An earlier version of this article misstated the custody status of two men who were indicted. Andrey Kukushkin was arrested in California, and David Correia was still at large, not the reverse).

Mark Mazzetti is a Washington investigative correspondent, a job he assumed after covering national security from the Washington bureau for 10 years. He was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on Donald Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. @MarkMazzettiNYT Eileen Sullivan is the morning breaking news correspondent in Washington. She previously worked for The Associated Press for a decade, covering national security and criminal justice. @esullivannyt Adam Goldman reports on the F.B.I. from Washington and is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. @adamgoldmanNYT William K. Rashbaum is a senior writer on the Metro desk, where he covers political and municipal corruption, courts, terrorism and broader law enforcement topics. He was a part of the team awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. @WRashbaum • Facebook

16

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

INTERVIEW

Self-help key to survival of Nigerians –Prince Omeyi

A

lot of factors are militating against the system of governance in Nigeria, that is why those in government don’t usually live up to the expectations of the people, so observed a progressive Port Harcourt-based oil and gas businessman and philanthropist Prince (Dr.) Austine Chuks Omeyi.

To this end, Omeyi who is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of A&S Oil and Gas Limited/Custodian Energy & Logistic Limited in this Interview with THEO RAYS stressed that in the absence of quality performance from government quarters, self-help is very vital to finding solutions to the challenges facing Nigerians as well as survival of the people. He spokeshortly after he bagged an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Prowess University, Delaware in United States of America through the Institute of Arts Management & Professional Studies (IAMPS) at a ceremony held at Bitmi Banigo Auditorium, Abuja Campus, University of Port Harcourt.

•Reveals why those in government can’t perform well enough •Tasks wealthy Nigerians on hardworking, philanthropic services everything for the people. Those who are well-to-do have to endeavour to give back to the society to help ameliorate the suffering of the masses. Whatever you can do freely to help the people in your territory on roads, water, food and health like paying hospital bills, building a full fledged hospital and in education like paying school fees, providing text books, renovating classroom blocks and even building a full-fledged classroom bloc, please do it. If you can build five or six classroom blocks for your community, go ahead and do it for the people and don’t just wait for government. If I had continued waiting for government, maybe by now Odido won’t have access road and water to drink.

It is well understood that government cannot do everything for the governed but the rate at which government in Nigeria fail to meet the yearnings of the people is at alarming rate.

How do you look at that?

There are many factors that are militating against governance in Nigeria.

First some of the people are poor before going in there as government officials so they see government job as opportunity to make fortune without looking back at the plight of those they were meant to serve.

Second, some on the other hand see government as business outfit where they invest and get returns. We have people in the category of godfathers who use their money and influence to fix people in power and place them in a condition to return back what was invested in them. They confine their political sons into return on investment in a such a tight rope that they won’t be able to do any meaningful thing towards the people they are meant to serve. Third is that most people in government lack experience and capacity to render service of good leadership. You can’t give what you don’t have. So, all these factors combined together are militating against governance in Nigeria.

Your citation is rich in content both in academic and business and you are just 37. Yours is a glorious story, what is the magic?

Well I thank God for his goodness and mercy upon my life. I can say that everything about me is as a result of the goodness and mercy of God, vision and hard work. I studied Banking and Financing at the University of Calabar; thereafter I got a job in the bank which I did for just three months and left because my salary was not enough to take care of my needs. I proceeded to do my Master’s Degree on Criminology at Adelaide University in Australia so that I can now look for a higher job. After that, I enrolled for a certificate program in oil and gas facility maintenance business with Institute of Arts Management & Professional Studies (IAMPS). That led to my venture into oil and gas business.

The chances of making it the way you did is very slim for today’s youth.

What advice do you have for the youth?

First is to accept the challenge of being part of the struggle for the welfare of the people. Don’t limit yourself to selfish interest of making money for selfish agrandisement; think towards the welfare of others. I left the bank because the salary wasn’t enough to for me look after myself and others around me.

If I had remained in the bank as a staff, I wouldn’t be a job provider that I am today. Second is hardworking and to widen the scope of thinking. If you know that the God you are serving is big, make your plans big. That’s my philosophy and God has been driving me in that direction.

In most cases, the youth rely so much on government to provide jobs but government doesn’t live up to expectations. How do you see that?

Ordinarily, government cannot do everything for the people. I have my own story to tell. I am from Odido in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State. For a long time, we

•Prince Omeyi

needed the attention of government on road and water but we couldn’t get that attention. It took my effort on self-help to fix the road that connected us with a neighbouring local government. I had

to fix the road and sink a water borehole in order to respond to the needs of my people. Self-help is very vital to the problem solution and survival of Nigerians because government cannot do

What is the way forward towards addressing these negative factors militating against governance in Nigeria?

For goodness sake, Nigerians leaders should allow credible democratic process devoid of election rigging, godfathers and imposition of candidates on the party and the people generally to be in place.

People know what they need in terms of leadership at any given time and they know those in their midst who can give them the kind of leadership they desire but bad democratic process process is a hindrance to getting the right people into leadership positions in Nigeria. Nigeria as a country has great minds who are making waves on the global stage but such people don’t have chance to serve and that is most unfortunate for a country that is yearning for development.

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

POLITICS

Ikpeazu explains delay in completing road projects

•Says “I will take my time like the tortoise, but I will arrive”

O

n September 28th and 30th, Governor Okezie Ikpeazi embarked on tour of completed and ongoing projects being done by his administration after mobilizing the contractors with N6 billion last June. During the tour, he took time to explain the delays. In this report by BONIFACE OKORO who covered the tours, Ikpeazu said he would rather delay and deliver quality, durable roads than build “disposable roads.”

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, started his first day in office on May 30, 2015, with the massive flag off of the reconstruction of seven major roads in Aba, the commercial nerve centre of the state, to be completed within the first 100 days of his administration.

The roads were Umuocham Road, Old Express Road Ukaegbu, Umuola , Ehere, Kamalu Road and Faulks Road by Ariara.

At the flag off ceremony, Ikpeazu said great emphasis must be placed on quality of jobs to be delivered, adding that roads done by his administration must have drainages, as well as street lights, if done in the cities.

According to the governor, about 130 roads were awarded while about 77of the were completed in his first term. “I want to put it on record: it is not really about the number of roads that Okezie is able to do that is my business; my business is the quality of roads that I do,” he stressed.

Some of the signature projects among the road contracts were the Faulks Road, Aba Road in Umuahia, Port Harcourt Road in Aba and the Osisioma interchange (flyover).

They were all expected to be delivered before the end of the first term. But that was not to be. Reconstruction of these roads are still ongoing.

Two things that have attracted scathing criticisms against the Ikpeazu administration are the uncompleted road projects and the issue of workers’ salaries.

However on the issue of the roads, Ikpeazu has maintained that he prefers quality to quantity.

“I will say that a lot of people believe that we are slow because they don’t understand what we are doing,” Ikpeazu told journalists on September 28, 2019 when he embarked on projects tour.

“The roads we do at times can be best regarded as disposable roads. You can do that for political expediency and get all the accolades because you will begin to multiply the kilometers of roads you have done but the question is how many of those roads survived the next rainy season.

“Political expediency is nothing, ephemeral and of no moment at all. The most important thing is to treat problems from their roots; it is not about how many problems you attempted in an exam, but how many did you get right.”

“So, I think my greatest achievement here is that time is gone when anybody can do roads in Abia without drainage. If you want to do road for us, please, do drainage first. In fact, if you are unable to do the road, do drainage, let the next man do the road because that is the only way we can safeguard the roads we have,” the governor said.

He has maintained that it will be no use for his successor to begin to do palliatives on the roads he has done. According to him, roads done by his administration should last for, at least, 10 years.

“So, I am very very happy for that policy of this government and it has worked for us. So, as I speak today, the road we did and commissioned within the first 100 days in 2015 are still

standing. We have one or two that we may have to revisit because adequate soil tests were not done on them. But 90 per cent of the roads we commissioned are still standing till date and I am very very proud of the jobs,” he said.

It is important to note that the duration of a road project is usually determined by the scope of work to be done, topography and geography of the area as well as funding plan.

Another hindrance is that Abia State, at best, has five months construction window every year. You can only guarantee dry weather necessary for road projects could only be guaranteed between December and early April every year. But in order not lose so much time, the Abia government now wants contractors to do drainages during rainy season.

“We think that something that could be done during the rains is to do the drainage because, at least, you can monitor the flow of water and correct yourself, if it fails.

“I am sure that we will take advantage of the work we have done, even in this rains; when the dry season comes, it will just be to lay stone base and then asphalt and it will not take us so long to complete most of the roads we have embarked on,” Ikpeazu noted.

The governor took time to explain why the signature road contracts were still ongoing.

First are the heavy rains. “I want us to remark that the volume of rain this year in Abia is unprecedented. In fact, Abia was predicted to be among states that will be submerged by this time, according to meteorologists. So, they are still surprised that we are not completely submerged. But the rains are very very harsh that sometimes, little or nothing can be done under this rain,” he said.

FAULKS ROAD The Ikpeazu administration adopted Trade and commerce as one of the cardinal pillars that would drive development in Abia. But he said he realized in 2015 that lack of good roads was a major limiting factor in terms of promoting trade and commerce.

Narrating how the government embarked on reconstructing Faulks road, Ikpeazu said: “To find access to Ariaria was a major issue.

It was not possible to access Ariaria from any part of Aba and environs. Ama Ikonne was out of bounds from Brass Junction and Ukwu Mango was the limiting step from expressway, assuming you were coming from Port Harcourt. In fact as at that time, most of the traders in Ariaria will wake up in the morning, go to Ariaria, spend all their time playing draft,” he noted “So, we knew from the outset that there is going to be problem in terms of promotion of trade and commerce, unless we do something.

“That was why we started work after our inauguration in 2015, on two roads that lead from Aba into Ikot Ekpene axis. That is how we did Ukaegbu, Umuola and Ehere, providing alternative to the bottle neck that comes with Umuoba Road. And we had to also attempt to open our roads into Ikot Ekpene from two planks: the road from Owo which is also under construction and another one through Ekwereazu which we have completed.

“So, because of these two new openings, we brought in oxygen into the business life of Ariaria and other markets within Aba. Aba has a total of 15 markets and I think the markets are increasing because what I saw about

17 Harcourt Road. This government should have had no business returning to Port Harcourt Road. But I am somebody who abhors the word called palliative, I don’t like it. It is either I do the right or I don’t do it.

So, on Port Harcourt Road today, I am satisfied with the fact that the drainage of the two lanes has hit No. 1 Port Harcourt Road from Nnentu. It has never happened before.

So, I am sure that whatever I put on Port Harcourt Road today, will give me a minimum of 10 years. That is the kind of work I like to do.

The drainage may take more than a year to build, but my assurance is that once we are done with that road, the person coming after me will not have business going back to that road.

“That road will be completed at the appropriate time, I am not too bothered about it because the money for that road is available and it is in the bank. And they are working according to plan. It will include Uratta and Ngwa roads. If you get to No. 1 Port Harcourt Road today, you will see that that drainage has verged off into Ngwa Road which means it will continue till it gets to waterside. So, it is a duplex of roads- Utratta, Port Harourt Road •Ikpeazu and Ngwa Road and I am convinced and sure three weeks ago I went to Ekeoha Shopping that they are going to be completed accordComplex is amazing. ing to plan.

“So, when we did those two roads and got people into the city centre, we needed to also OSISIOMA FLYOVER take on Faulks Road which was also a major The first flyover to be built in Abia was construction work because of the challenge flagged of by the governor on Friday, January of flooding, especially from the Ifeobara axis. 20, 2017 at Osisioma Ngwa Junction on the “But in addition to Faulks Road, you have Enugu – Port Harcourt, Expressway in Aba. to open MCC Road again as a major exit route The 600-metre Concrete Osisoma flyover that can take people, goods and services out bridge will stretch from Osisoma of Ariaria,” he explained.

Junction to Alaoji axis. Vehicles plying the Aba in particular and much of Abia State Enugu-Port Harcourt fall within a low-lying heavy rain fall belt of NiExpressway will drive atop the flyover geria. Ifeobara basin is the lowest area in low- while commuters going into Aba lying Aba and the city receives more rains per metropolis will ride under the bridge. It annum than 95% of the cities of Nigeria. is conceived to ease the traffic and gridlock Ikpeazu flagged off the reconstruction of usually experienced at the Ossioma Junction. the 4.6km Faulks Road in Aba on June 23, 2016 The project awarded to China Zhonghao after it was re-awarded. The road, which be- Nig Ltd, was to be delivered in 18 months. But gins from Brass Junction by Aba-Owerri Road work is still going on there. through Ukwu-Mango to Aba-Port Harcourt Ikpeazu said that the contractor received Expressway initially awarded to a local con- N1 billion last June. “All the profiles that are tractor, was re-awarded to Setraco Construc- supposed to be on that bridge are ready. tion Company.

People can sit on that bridge now. But what The total cost of reconstructing Faulks is left to be done is the riser and decent and if Road which is a major link road to Ariaria you go to site today, you see one huge pudInternational Market and construction of a dle of water at the middle of the road. When 5.6km underground water channel that will I challenged the contractor, I said to him, my collect water from Ifeobara basin near Ukwu- brother, can’t you expedite action and build Mango to Aba River (waterside) is N6.8b. this bridge, he referred me to a neighbouring The planning of Faulks (Ariaria)-Ifeobara state where a flyover that was constructed road project took seven months of detailed collapsed. He said that the cause of such a review and research before arriving at a final thing is to compact laterite in a puddle of wadesign for the reconstruction of Faulks-Ariaria ter, that when the dry season comes, it will road that ultimately led to the containment contract and can drop up to one inch from of Ukwu Mango and Ama Ikonne challenges. the level of the metal which is not prone to The contract which was to be delivered contraction and if that happens, there will be within 24 months is almost completed. disaster. So, I have to take my time like the tortoise but I will arrive.”

PORT HARCOURT ROAD, ABA When he was at the project site, the conAnother road which has subjected the Ik- tractor was said to have travelled to China peazu administration to serious criticism is the and the governor told the engineer who renon-completion of Port Harcourt Road. It is a ceived him that the project must be ready by federal road which the federal government December this year. refused to rehabilitate for over 16 years then.

But when the then Minister of Power, ABA ROAD, UMUAHIA Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, The reconstruction of the road was told Ikpeazu that federal government is not flagged off by Ikpeazu on Wednesday, June ready to reconstruct the road, the governor 1, 2016. Initially, it was 2.65 km which covers decided to fix it with Abia money. the distance from the Railway Crossing down Ikpeazu flagged off the reconstruction to the Golden Guinea Breweries area. Now, work, in company of his Ebonyi State coun- Phase Two which starts from the Railway terpart, Engr. Dave Umahia, on May 5, 2017. Crossing through Afo Ibeji down to Ubakala It was also awarded to Setraco. It will have a at the Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Express BRT lane.

Junction has been included.

Said Ikpeazu: “Port Harcourt Road, Aba, The Aba - Umuahia dual carriageway has because I was there for the first three weeks, defied rehabilitation efforts by previous adwhen Setraco took over the road, I saw that ministrations for more than a decade. as they were excavating to remove unwanted Arab Contractors which is handling the materials, they had to go through three lay- project, government sources said, spent over ers of asphalt. So, some people came, took six months conducting soil test to ensure money from state government and poured that the road does not fail after completion. red mud on top of the existing asphalt and The reconstruction work is still ongoing. asphalted again, raised the level of the road To give township roads in Umuahia and above the level of the buildings around and Aba a facelift, Ikpeazu said government storm water invaded the residences of peo- would declare “Operation Zero Pothole” as ple. soon as the dry season sets in.

“So, naturally, those people reacted by Commissioner for Information, Chief John building embankments. When they built the Okiyi Kalu, said Ikpeazu was building roads embankments, storm water returned to that that would last and would not succumb to road. The government of Abia State, in the the pressure by those who want him to do past had spent so much money on the Port roads that will fail.

18

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

Africa Report The unrealized oil promise of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in era of “Billions At Play”

Standing in the 12th position amongst African oil producers, the DRC’s petroleum industry is miniscule at best, producing an average of 25 thousand barrels of crude oil per day, By NJ Ayuk

I

t is no secret that the DRC’s mining industry is of vital importance in answering the country’s and the world’s mineral needs. Today, copper, cobalt and other byproducts represent the backbone of the DRC’s economic structure at about 85% of its exports. That has been the case for many years, through several regimes, with little change. Besides metals, diamonds and oil represent the remaining of all that the DRC sends abroad, the vast majority of its outbound trade balance being composed of raw unprocessed goods.

Standing in the 12th position amongst African oil producers, the DRC’s petroleum industry is miniscule at best, producing an average of 25 thousand barrels of crude oil per day off its coastal ageing fields. But that seems rather odd. While there is not much talk about this particular fact, when we think of it, it is somewhat perplexing that the DRC, which is bordered by so many oil producers and has territorial waters in the prolific Gulf of Guinea, has never really developed an oil industry or even seemed to be interested in developing one, despite its prospective reserves. With a population of around 80 million people, of which around 75%, most statistics indicate, live in extreme poverty, the DRC is today amongst the five poorest countries in the world.

One would expect that the country’s leaders would strongly push for the exploration of the country’s natural resources to produce wealth and provide for better living conditions for its citizens. Yet, the DRC’s oil and gas reserves remain largely unexplored, while most studies estimate that there could be around 20 billion barrels of undiscovered oil in the country’s basins, both onshore and offshore. That is a tremendous amount of oil which, if confirmed, would place the DRC as the second biggest petroleum holder in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind only Nigeria, and far outdoing Angola’s reserves of 9 billion barrels of oil.

This is not the Africa we want, and this is not the DRC that we want.

First of all, keeping certain communities in poverty to retain power is a complete mistake. Power stability comes from generalized improvement of life conditions. If the country is wealthier and is capable of improving the lives of those that live in it, the more stable it will be and the more capable it will become of sustaining and giving continuity to that development.

Further, as I have extensively defended over the years, the sanctity of contracts is of paramount importance to attract investment and partnerships into any country. What company would want to invest in a country where a contract can be signed and then cancelled a few months later without further explanation or justification? And it is not just a matter of reputation, but of direct financial burden, lest not forget that just in March this year, an international court ordered the Democratic Republic of Congo to pay South African DIG Oil Ltd USD$617 million for failing to honour two oil contracts. That is 1.6% of the country’s 2017 GDP. How can any leader possibly justify such a loss to its economy. Not to, again, mention the enormous economic potential that could come from actually letting those contracts take shape and allow companies to explore the coun-

•Felix Tshisekedi of Congo’s Union for Democracy and Social •Chairman of the African Union, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Progress opposition party try’s oil regions.

Stability depends on investment, cooperation and development. To attract investment, conditions need to be created for the business environment to be enabling for industry development. Disrespecting contracts does not achieve that. Nor does keeping people from producing wealth.

Just in May, French super-major Total abandoned its exploration license in the DRC. Bloomberg’s article on the matter was titled “Congo’s Lone Oil Giant Quits Search, Partner Says”. That’s right, it was the last major oil and gas company to abandon the DRC’s oil plays. Others had been there over the years, Shell and Texaco for instance. About 10 years ago, Tullow Oil and partners tried to acquire a license for exploration, signed a contract, paid the bonuses, and saw the contract then cancelled and the same block then sold to yet another company just a few months later. Nothing has been done in the acreage since.

This is the absolute opposite of what must be done. Oil and gas production can bring enormous wealth to the country and its people, not to mention the ability the country’s gas reserves could have to produce electricity to power homes and industry.

Since January 2019, the DRC is led by a new government. It now has the opportunity to change the status quo of the DRC within the global oil industry and to promote investment. The country’s

oil and gas laws are fairly well developed and the potential for discoveries is huge; the problem is reputation. If the country’s leaders can reassure international investors that their contracts will be respected and if investments can be facilitated and transactions made transparent, there is little limit to how quickly the country’s industry could grow and how much its people could benefit. Better living conditions across the country would ease ethnic and social tensions and provide the basis for a level of socioeconomic development that the country has never seen before.

If the dependency on the volatile prices of mineral commodities continues, as well as the uneven distribution of wealth, and if the generalized situation of extreme poverty is sustained amongst the population, instability, rather than stability, will be the end result.

Further, the DRC has the opportunity to seek the help and support of international institutions and partners in developing its oil industry, such as the World Bank, the IMF or the Norwegian government, which have vast experience in helping other African oil producers. They can also seek closer proximity with the US, where most of the major companies with the capability, technology and capital to help develop their industry reside.

The US government also has an interest in promoting these developments in the DRC, as maintaining stability in the

sub-continent and the Central African region is of particular strategic importance for US interests.

It is astonishing to me that the leaders in Kinshasa are not willing to look from their windows just across the Congo river to Brazzaville and want to emulate the steps taken by their neighbour, the Republic of Congo, currently the third biggest oil producer in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Finally, good signs are coming from the current administration. In April, at the latest Africa Petroleum Producers Association’s Conference in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the DRC’s oil minister announced the country would put 38 blocks on offer for bidding and negotiation, located in three different basins.

This is an important step in order to call out investor attention to the country, and I applaud the initiative. Hopefully the regime change, the country’s adherence to the EITI, and the new block offer will help bring investment, but more will have to be done to reassure investors that entering this market will be a profitable and safe bet, and that their interests and rights are protected by the law.

NJ Ayuk is the CEO of Centurion Law Group, a pan-African law Conglomerate and the current Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber (EnergyChamber.org), the voice of the African Oil and Gas industry. He is the author of the upcoming book “Billions at Play: The Future of African Energy and Doing Deals”.

19

BU$IN£SS The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

•Energy

•Finance

•Stock

•Insurance

Nigeria’s financial inclusion rate now 63.2% –CBN

•Aviation

•e-Platform

•Tourism

Energy

‘Nigerian Content Law does not Nigerianize’ P23 e-Platform

‘We used phone numbers, emails for ads,’ Twitter P27 admits AVIATION

• Representatives of CNL, NDPHC, Olorunsogo and GACN displaying the signed GSAA document to enhance electricity supply in Nigeria.

Debts, taxes drain 2020 budget promises

By SOPURUCHI ONWUKA

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari whose main post election promise is to lift over 100 million Nigerians out of poverty appears to have a complex and complicated strategy for realizing the target: a paradox of driving poverty alleviation with increased consumption tax and draining future income with increasing loans.

While presenting the estimates to the national legislature, the president said the 2020 budget would stabilise Nigeria’s macroeconomic environment, boost investments in critical infrastructure, develop human capital and enable institutions to be more productive.

With the budget, he said, government plans to direct private investors to align with national economic aspirations that inform the basis for policies and programmes. He added that the budget implementation would also drive social investment

programmes that target most vulnerable Nigerians.

But doubts are high that the lofty ideals of the 2020 budget would be realized with just and paltry fraction of gargantuan funding outlay most part of which are directed at obligations that are far removed from the people. The funding misalignment between the budget and key poverty reduction initiatives enunciated in the proposal is accentuated by introduction of tax increases and deficits that make delivery of dividends to the vulnerable masses seem unworkable.

These unsettling indications form the major concerns in the N10.33 trillion 2020 federal budget presented to the National Assembly last week.

The budget is premised on expected revenue of N8.15 trillion or 16 percent above the projected revenues that supported the 2019 budget proposal. Oil income based on daily output of 1.28 million barrels per day (mbd) at anticipated market price of $57 per barrels is projected to fetch N2.64 trillion,

CBN Exchange Rates As At Monday, October 14, 2019 Currency Buying(₦) US DOLLAR 305.95 POUNDS STERLING 383.5083 EURO 337.4017 SWISS FRANC 307.2713 YEN 2.8261 CFA 0.4959 WAUA 418.6367 YUAN/RENMINBI 43.2588 RIYAL 81.5671 SOUTH AFRICAN RAND 20.6462 DANISH KRONA 45.1633 SDR 419.3045

Central (₦) 306.45 384.1351 337.9531 307.7734 2.8307 0.5059 419.3208 43.33 81.7004 20.68 45.2371 419.9897

Selling(₦) 306.95 384.7618 338.5045 308.2756 2.8353 0.5159 420.005 43.4011 81.8337 20.7137 45.311 420.675

some 28 percent lower than the N3.69 trillion targeted from the commodity this year.

Non oil revenue is projected to climb by significant 34 percent from this year’s estimate of N1.35 trillion to N1.81 trillion in 2020.

Major revenue surge is expected from “independent and other sources” where over 89 percent increase will push receivables from current 2019 estimate of N1.96 trillion to N3.70 trillion next year.

Considerable 21.103 percent of the 2020 budget or N2.18 trillion will be borrowed, improving on the current 2019 budget deficit of N1.92 trillion by significant 13 percent.

The N10.33 trillion, 21.1 percent of which would be borrowed, would be spent primarily to service previous borrowings. Whopping 26.72 percent of the total budget representing 2.76 trillion is to be spent on internal and external debt servicing, while another N560 billion will drain into statutory transfers.

Then 4.88 trillion or 47.24 percent of the total budget would be used to non-debt recurrent expenditure; leaving only N2.14

trillion or 20.7 percent of the entire N10.33 2020 budget available for service to the people.

Also, with provision to raise the Value Added Tax by 50 percent from current 5.0 percent to 7.5 percent, independent economists that discussed the projections also question the basis for projecting inflation rate at 10.81 percent.

The president stated in the budget that the proposed revenue is expected to be financed mainly by the additional revenue that would be derived from a proposed increase in the VAT. He expects the impact of the VAT rate increase to be cushioned with introduction of VAT exemption threshold for businesses with less than N25million turnover per annum, and by expanding the list of VAT exempt items to include educational items and other basic commodities.

The additional revenue generated from VAT would be used to fund healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Continues on Business Page

FG and the Enugu airport closure P26 Equity & Capital Market

SEC pledges commitment to sustainable financing P29 Money Market

$25bn FDI injected into the nation’s economy after recession helped boosting it P30

STOCK MARKET HIGHLIGHTS AS AT MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2019

Summary

ASI DEALS VOLUME VALUE EQUITY CAP BOND CAP ETF CAP

26,557.44 2,595.00 129,078,013.00 N2,742,226,654.06 N12,928,050,515,740.86 N12,773,061,346,802.00 N6,364,746,218.93

Top 5 Trades S/N Coy 1. GSPECPLC 2. GUARANTY 3. TRANSCORP 4. ZENITHBANK 5. FCMB

5 Top Gainers

Symbols Last Close DANGFLOURN 22.2 DANGCEM N144.2 FIDSON N3.6 UBA N5.9 MANSARD N1.6

Current Change %Change N23 0.8 3.60% N145 0.8 0.55% N3.95 0.35 9.72% N6 0.1 1.69% N1.7 0.1 6.25%

5 Top Losers (By Volume) Value(N) 36,600,000 N172,020,000.00 14,467,641 N387,276,777.20 9,860,747 N9,946,448.41 8,339,439 N149,808,270.45 8,052,261 N12,880,385.10

GSPECPLC UACN ETI FBNH UCAP

N5.2 N4.7 -0.5 N7.15 N6.65 -0.5 N7.4 N7.2 -0.2 N5.4 N5.25 -0.15 N2.13 N2.03 -0.1

-9.62% -6.99% -2.70% -2.78% -4.69%

The Oracle Today Tuesday Ocotober 15 - 21, 2019

ISSN: 2545-5869

The

racle www.oraclenews.ng

Today

EDITORIAL

20

VOX POPULI SACRUM

On the closure of Nigeria’s land borders

T

he Buhari administration has, since rian rice is unnecessary. Nigerians will eat are not in the best of conditions, and trafAugust 20, commenced the closure of Nigerian rice so long as it is available and fic gridlocks in Apapa are discouraging to Nigeria’s land borders. The ban is now its price is right. But the country does not importers. What happened to Warri, Port total, according to the Nigeria Customs produce all of its rice needs at the moHarcourt and Calabar? We need seaports in Service. This means that goods could no ment. We do not produce up to 50% of those places and more. longer be imported to Nigeria through the rice we consume. The argument that Those advising traders not to increase the any of its nearly 1, 500 borders; only 84 the border closure will create a conducive prices of their commodities or hoard esare legal routes. environment for local producers is one we sential food items because of the indefinite Of course, this is a tall order, for Nigeria have heard since the 1970s. closure of land borders are jokers. Did the is notorious for its porous borders. At We fully support any policy that could help federal government consider the interests present, the Customs Service’s boss, local businesses to thrive. What worries all of small businesses and small households Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), reports of a sharp well-meaning Nigerians, however, is nonbefore implementing this policy? increase in the duties collected at the implementation of otherwise good poliThe closure of land borders is hurting the maseaports and airports, as smugglers are cies. Closure of land borders is not one of jority of Nigerian households. So, governforced to patronize them. It is also rethem, unfortunately. For one, it is wrong ment cannot dictate to a trader how much ported that local fuel consumption has to put the cart before the horse. We ought he should sell or when he should sell his decreased since the policy took effect, to have ensured that we produce enough goods because government has not helped as fuel smuggling to neighbouring counfood for local consumption before banhis business. Traders hardly get credit tries has abated. ning imports through the land borders. facilities; they do not get free shops nor If the policy could be sustained, all would Essential commodities must be cheap, does government pay their overheads like be well. But will it? We do not think it will otherwise smugglers will continue to be in rents and workers’ salaries. This indefinite last six more months. The sharp increasbusiness. Even the customs officials who closure of land borders will likely kill many es in the prices of essential commodithrive on bribes they receive from smugsmall businesses. More jobs will be lost in ties like rice witnessed since the border glers are not likely to hold on for long. the informal sector that accounts for over closure are enough to force a rethink.

Small importers will not patronize the sea80% of jobs.

We cannot kill Paul to save Peter. Alports or airports. They may be frustrated, ready, there is much hunger in the land. but only temporarily so. In no distant time,

By March or April next year, when crops they may resort to self-help. It is practicalwill have been planted but harvests not ly impossible to police the porous borders, Our Vision expected anytime soon, the reality will especially those in northern Nigeria.

TO BE among the top five newspapers dawn on us: there will be famine across On the other hand, it would be necessary to in Nigeria and, in due course, the Numthe country. have more viable seaports. Even the ones ber One; to be a newspaper of records Ali’s call on Nigerians to patronise Nigein Lagos – the Apapa and Tin Can ports -that effectively caters to the informa-

tion needs of all segments and sections of the Nigerian society as well as all social classes and cultures. Essentially, we want to be a responsible corporate citizen, a commercially viable, properly organised media business, which meets its obligations to society, government and the workforce.

Mission

WE INTEND to contribute to the development of an inclusive Nigerian society, with a view to getting rid of the dark sides of our national life such as slothfulness, greed, corruption, nepotism and totalitarianism, among several others.

We will strive to continually engender and sustain national debates that would ultimately lead to the enthronement of healthy national values--to wit, hardwork, justice, equity and fair-play, transparency and good governance, resulting in the egalitarian Nigerian society of our dream.

We will give voice to the voiceless and, at all times, strive to be balanced, objective, honest, truthful and fair to all sides so that through The Oracle Today, our people, the Nigerian people, can see a bright light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel. And we shall do all this in absolute trust in God who blesses good intentions

21

The Oracle Today Tuesday Ocotober 15 - 21, 2019

OPINION

The Wailing Over Okonkwo’s Philanthropy in Anambra CHET MUO-ILO

T

he interest so far shown in the race to find a worthy successor to Gov. Willie Obiano in Anambra state, is bringing out the worst in some Anambra sons who rather than look at the brighter side of life, and politics, are focusing their energies on wailing over the philanthropy of Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, an indigene of Ogidi in Idemili North local government area of the state.

For a start, I am an indigene of Aguata, from Uga, precisely. That squarely puts me in Anambra South, the zone which has attracted so much mention as the next in line to produce the governor, though I do not know when and where and how the decision was arrived at. For me as an indigene of Anambra state, I strongly hold the view that zoning promotes mediocrity and should be expunged from our political lexicon. I am for the best qualified irrespective of his zone because leadership is too serious a business to be decided by zoning. Credibility and clearer understanding of the dictates of leading a state like Anambra, makes more sense to me than the settlement mentality we have grown with. Development does not understanding the language of zoning.

I digress! I return to the crux of this treatise.

I have heard, and also read commentaries shared on social media groups, condemning Dr. Obiora Okonkwo, for awarding scholarships to Anambra youths. Those who are behind this poisonous thinking are vexed that Okonkwo recently announced the award of 100 scholarships to Anambra youths during a church service at the Adoration Ground at Uke also in Anambra state. They are also complaining that he took some Anambra

youths to the Rotary Youth Skills Booth camp in Abuja. I heard that about 100 youths from Anambra benefitted from the exercise. I do not have details of his other scholarship awards. So, I will restrict this to these two incidences. Those two make up 200 youths benefitting from his scholarship. And this happened within months.

Personally, I have not come across Dr. Okonkwo. I live and practice in Owerri as a medical doctor and do not know him. I have only seen his pictures in the media and read about him on the internet. From what has been written about him, he has not held any public office. He has remained a private businessman doing his business in Nigeria. That is very significant. It means he is using proceed of his personal enterprise to help uplift our youths and redirect their future. As it is, he has 200 youths benefitting from his philanthropy. That is remarkable. You know why?

First, he is not making money, legitimately or illegitimately, as an appointee of government or an elected representative. He is not known to be a beneficiary of oil subsidy. Yet, we have young Anambrarians despising his gesture because of politics. This is where we lose it.

I do not know what interests those discouraging him for awarding those scholarships represent. But whatever interest they do represent, cannot be for the good of Anambra. I have read some say that Okonkwo’s philanthropy was aimed at the governorship of the state. I ask, so what? What exactly is wrong with that? In any case, Nigerians know Anambra to be spectacularly fantastic with elections. According to INEC, we have 91 registered political parties. Now, let us do the arithmetic. Of the 91 political parties, let us assume that only 50 will field candidates in the

next governorship election in Anambra state.

Of this conservative figure of 50, there will be at least four aspirants per party. That makes for 200 aspirants. If 200 aspirants to the governorship of Anambra, show the same level of philanthropy like Okonkwo has done, and award scholarships to 200 Anambra youths, either for university education or skills acquisition, that will translate to about 40,000 Anambra youths getting opportunities for better tomorrow.

Now, if only you know the implication of this on the unemployment index. 40,000 youths is massive. This is what I expect those wailing over Okonkwo’s philanthropy to think through and campaign for. Let them spend their energies challenging the interests they represent to award 200 scholarships, for a start, to Anambra youths. Imagine the impact on job creation, insecurity, housing and poverty index in the state etc. their minds wont swing that way. We tend not to see the direction that Okonkwo is taking us to. By awarding scholarships, both for tertiary education and skills acquisition, I see Okonkwo speaking directly to the heart of Anambra people telling them that education is the key that will unlock their future. For me, that is apt. However, we live in an environment where our people are made to believe that giving motorcycles and tricycles is empowerment. No, it is impoverishment. A youth who learns carpentry skills today, has the propensity to grow to become a big furniture manufacturer. He could own large furniture companies that would create several other jobs. Education is about wider vision. Okonkwo, I am told, started off as a trader at Onitsha main market before travelling to Russia for his studies. That perhaps is why he understands this better.

But the Okada or Keke rider? Where does he go from there? What is the income matrix of Okada riding that would make the operator live beyond hand-to-mouth? Besides, with Okada and Keke, described by many as the worst form of empowerment, we impoverish our people and condemn them to a life of penury and pain. Come to Owerri today and see the menace that Keke has become –they are even more than the passengers. Analyze the life of a Keke operator and see that with that form of empowerment, we successfully spread poverty. I believe that Okonkwo understands that and that is why he is focusing on educating our youths and creating for them opportunities to envision the larger picture of possibilities before them with acquisition of the right skills set. Now, that is my kind of leader. Not one that impoverishes our youths with Keke and Okada. So, I beg those who are challenged by Okonkwo’s gesture in this regard, to beg God for forgiveness for disparaging a positive vision and seeking to condemn our youths to a life of pain and penury. As far as I am concerned, that is the only aim of the campaign against Okonkwo’s philanthropy.

I only hope that beneficiaries of Okonkwo’s scholarships make the most of them and grow to become job creators so as to employ the children of those who condemn what Okonkwo has done for them. There ought to be limit to sycophancy. Okonkwo has done well for Anambra youths. If that takes him to Government House Awka, so be it.

•Muo-Ilo writes from Owerri, Imo state.

Drumbeat of violence ahead Bayelsa, Kogi poll

By EHICHIOYA EZOMON arely one month to the November 16, BBayelsa 2019, off-season governorship election in and Kogi, political actors are living up

to the billing of the states as “politically volatile.”

Reports of violence or potential assaults are on the rise, with the two major rival parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) trading counter-accusations of being purveyors of the disturbances.

The stakes are high in both states, as one party tries to take over from the other. In Bayelsa, APC angles to oust the ruling PDP, while in Kogi, the opposition PDP pulls all stops to upstage the APC. More worrisome are the “strongmen” involved in the election. In Bayelsa, outgoing Governor Seriake Dickson of the PDP seeks to install Senator Diri Douye, while former governor and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva of the APC backs Chief David Lyon.

In Kogi, Governor Yahaya Bello’s bid to retain his seat is challenged by Mr. Musa Wada, son of former Governor Idris Wada. This makes the poll in Bayelsa and Kogi a “battle of Governors.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigeria Police and poll watchers have identified Bayelsa and Kogi as “flash points” for violence in every election cycle in the country.

So, way back in the run-up to this poll, and against the untoward happenings in the 2019 general election, the electoral umpire, facilitators and observers had put machineries in motion to sensitise the political players in the states to the adverse effects of manipulating, and inducing mayhem in the electoral process.

The forewarning was wisely and promptly sounded, as it’s meant to encourage the states to shed the blighted toga they’d worn over the years during the choice of representatives of the people.

After all, a parlance in Esanland, Edo State, says that, “If you’re told that you’re not physically (walking) straight, you should strive to straighten your gait.”

But recent events in Bayelsa and Kogi have

shown that public optimism for a possible change of the status quo is misplaced, as the actors are back to their “thuggery” in election matters.

From the primaries to pick the candidates and running mates, and the commencement of campaigns for the poll, verbal and physical combats have taken over the political arena.

Thus, it’s timely, and instructive that the INEC has iterated its pledge to conduct the poll in Bayelsa and Kogi to the satisfaction of all stakeholders in the electoral system.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, at a parley with stakeholders in Kogi on Thursday, November 10, harped on the harm that bitter political rivalry wreaks on the society.

Without mincing words, he reminded the participants about “this unfortunate image of the state (Kogi) “as a violence-prone state when it comes to elections.”

He said: “Actions and utterances of political actors and their supporters, likely to lead to violence during electioneering, during voting on election day and during collation of results, is a big source of concern to the commission.

“Campaigns have commenced. You have a responsibility, as citizens of Nigeria and of Kogi, to keep your state away from this toga of trepidation, concerns, tensions and violence during elections.”

Agreeing to come with the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the INEC boss said: “If coming to Kogi every week, between now and November 16, will lead to peace and credible election in Kogi State, I will come to Kogi every week till the end of the election.”

Violent clashes had occurred in parts of Kogi lately, with the camp of Governor Bello of the APC alleging they’re perpetrated by the PDP to stop his re-election bid.

But the PDP, which fields Mr. Wada for the November poll, said the APC’s on the prowl, cautioning, “we will not sit and fold our hands when we are being tormented by undemocratic forces.”

The omens trending in Kogi are replicated in Bayelsa, a state where elements in “disbanded” militant groups need little incentive to return to their old ways that have held the Niger Delta, and indeed Nigeria, in the jugular.

Sadly, the major actors that should ad-

vance peace, are the ones fanning discord, by telling party faithful that the other political rival(s) plans to “steal our mandate” at the poll, thus putting opponents and the voters in harm’s way.

More worrisome, and dangerous, is party leaders’ continued drumming into their followers that a state belongs to a particular political party, as if politics is static.

For instance, Governor Dickson has boasted that the PDP would retain the state under it column, having been its “stronghold” since 1999.

At the launch of the party campaign in Yenagoa, the governor warned of the consequences of the state falling into the “hands of criminals and bandits,” a reference to the opposition APC. He said: “This state is totally and wholly PDP. Let me caution the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies; if you are here to kill and intimidate, you will have to do so much work because you have thousands of people to intimidate, to maim and to kill.”

Later in Lagos, the governor told newsmen that, “What (Nigeria) AGIP (Oil Company) has done is to outsource terrorism to the socalled candidate of the APC, Chief David Lyon, and I think in the next couple of days, when you see some images, you will be appalled.”

In a repost, the National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, wondered why a governor of Dickson’s calibre could engage in “gutter language” to describe his party’s opponent.

Citing the governor’s verbal war as a sign of his imminent defeat at the election, Oshiomhole said: “Let me use this opportunity to reply directly to my friend, Governor Dickson of Bayelsa.

“When a governor describes one of his own (indigenes) purely on the account of his political differences, using the name of terrorists and such things like that, then he has missed (lost) it already.

“We will not come to his own level. On this occasion, we will invoke a popular statement made by Michelle Obama at the peak of the last presidential election in the U.S. when she said, ‘When they go low, we go high.’”

This back-and-forth from party leaders doesn’t bode well for the November 16 elec-

tion that Nigerians have anticipated would close the controversial chapter on the 2019 general election.

The political gladiators should temper their language. Specifically, Governor Dickson has lived above the political fray, and shouldn’t, for wanting to “install” a successor, sell dummies that encourage his followers to undermine the laws of the election.

He should maintain his statesmanlike posture of almost eight years in the saddle, and wait on the LORD to give power to whom He wishes. When the polls are over, you will all remain Bayelsans!

•Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

THE GROUP Managing Editor/COO Felix Oguejiofor Abugu Deputy Managing Editor/COO Sopuruchi Onwuka Chairman Editorial Board Igwebike Mbanefo Political/Production Editor Kodilinye Obiagwu SE/SS Editor Odogwu Emeka Odogwu Acting BDM Kelechi Nze Head, Graphics & Designs Nnamdi Alex Chukwu Circulation Manager Felix Oti

22

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

BUSINESS

CBN restates fact on Diaspora remittances • Says official inflows is $2.6bn Stories By JEROME USHAKANG

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has disclosed that the official inflows of the remittances of Nigerians living abroad to the country were $2.6 billion and not $26 billion as erroneously quoted in some quarters.

The apex bank released accurate figures after some experts argued that $26 billion earlier said to have been remitted had not really impacted positively on the Nigerian economy.

CBN, Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, who queried the sources of the data being referenced by critics, dismissed the representations as fraught with inaccuracies as he alleged that some people appeared to have misrepresented the transactions that constituted diaspora remittances.

He explained that the data, purported to be from the World Bank had also been queried by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN, as it did not reflect the actual amount of inflows from Nigerians living abroad.

He said, “We are looking for the so called $26 billion diaspora cash because such cash will impact positively on our reserve. Understanding the methodology through which the data was sourced could provide an insight into why critics’ diaspora figures might be off the target.”

Meanwhile, a former Minister of Finance, Anthony Ani, had queried the huge sum alleged to be missing through diaspora remittances.

Ani, who alleged massive foreign exchange laundering in banks, explained that in 1995 the Ministry of Finance reviewed the country’s sources of foreign revenues and found that nothing was coming in from Nigerians in the Diaspora, whereas India and Jamaica were living on foreign exchange from their citizens abroad.

“The fact is that the Diaspora remittances are not retained in Nigeria and there is a collaboration between the CBN, Nigerian banks and Western Union/MoneyGram; in such an event, government must investigate the infraction, punish the money launders, and recover all past Diaspora remittances retained abroad.

Minister of FInance, Zainab Ahmed

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele

WIW gives impetus to Investor Education, protection

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embers of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) recently closed the third annual World Investor Week (WIW) but their efforts to promote investor education and protection will help investors now and well into the future.

For three-year running, from 30 September 30 to October 6, securities regulators, stock exchanges, international organizations, investor associations and other IOSCO stakeholders from some 90 jurisdictions participated in the weeklong campaign to foster financial literacy and investor education and protection.

The topics for this year’s WIW ranged from the basics of smart investing to online investments, digital assets and initial coin offerings.

Stock exchanges around the world celebrated throughout week with a Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy event, coordinated by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

The Chairman of the IOSCO Board and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Ashley Alder, said, “On behalf of the IOSCO Board, I commend the dedication and effort of IOSCO members and stakeholders in making the WIW 2019 such a success and in promoting investor education, investor protection and financial literacy across the globe.”

Also speaking, IOSCO Secretary General, Paul Andrews, said, “Global initiatives like this help bring parties together to work towards accomplishing a common agenda. It is critical to keep up this momentum to ensure that investors worldwide are better prepared, educated and protected.”

Chairman of IOSCO’s Committee on Retail Investors, Josà Alexandre Vasco, said, “We thank all WIW participants and supporte .”NiWIW gives impetus to Investor Education, protectionrs and look forward to tallying the results of the 2019 campaign. Th e enthusiasm

and creative initiatives that emerged on all continents will serve as an inspiration for the work in this field going forward.”

The aims of IOSCO through its permanent structures: Is to cooperate in developing, implementing and promoting adherence to internationally recognized and consistent standards of regulation, oversight and enforcement in order to protect investors, maintain fair, efficient and transparent markets, and seek to address systemic risks.

To enhance investor protection and promote investor confidence in the integrity of securities markets, through strengthened information exchange and cooperation in enforcement against misconduct and in supervision of markets and market intermediaries; and to exchange information at both global and regional levels on their respective experiences in order to assist the development of markets, strengthen market infrastructure and implement appropriate regulation.

Meantime, IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognized as the global standard setter for securities regulation.

The organization’s membership regulates more than 95 percent of the world’s securities markets in more than 115 jurisdictions and it continues to expand.

The IOSCO Board is the governing and standard-setting body of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and is made up of 34 securities regulators.

Mr. Ashley Alder, the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong, is the Chair of the IOSCO Board.

The members of the IOSCO Board are the securities regulatory authorities of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Ontario, Pakistan, Panama, Portugal, Quebec,

Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (both the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission).

The Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority and the Chair of IOSCO´s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee are also observers.

The Growth and Emerging Markets (GEM) Committee is the largest committee within IOSCO, representing close to 80 per cent of the IOSCO membership, including 11 of the G20 members. Dr. Obaid Al Zaabi, Chief Executive Officer, Securities and Commodities Authority, United Arab Emirates, is the Chair of the GEM Committee. The committee brings members from growth and emerging markets together and communicates members’ views and facilitates their contribution across IOSCO and at other global regulatory discussions.

Airtel Africa Partners Mastercard in Africa for global access network

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irtel Africa has announced a partnership with Mastercard, giving over 100 million Airtel Africa mobile phone users across 14 African countries access to Mastercard’s global network.

The Mastercard virtual (non-plastic) card allows Airtel Money customers, even those without a bank account, to make payments to local and global online merchants that accept Mastercard cards, while ensuring that the customer’s financial data is always secure and private.

In addition, Airtel Money

customers will also be able to make inperson payments at outlets via Quick Response (QR) codes (whereby payments are made from an Airtel mobile phone by scanning the QR code displayed at checkout or by entering a merchant identifier, at any location worldwide that Mastercard QR is accepted). To date, there are over 1 million merchant locations across Africa that accept Mastercard QR payments.

Airtel Money customers will also benefit from competitive pricing and preferential exchange rates for international

payments, and gain access to other domestically relevant use cases including bill payments , merchants payments and value added services such as cash management solutions.

The CEO of Airtel Africa Raghunath Mandava, said, “Airtel and Mastercard have a shared passion for digital transformation and making mobile financial services accessible to everyone across the continent. Through our partnership we will enable over 100 million Airtel Africa customers make safe mobile money purchases online and

in person. The partnership will also significantly bolster Airtel’s position as one of the the largest offline-to-online digital payment network in Africa. We are really excited to embark on this partnership with a globally trusted brand like Mastercard.

This partnership is truly revolutionary in our market, giving millions of people better access to the digital and online world.”

Executive Vice President for Market Development, Mastercard Middle East and Africa, Amnah Ajmal, said, “Across the MEA region our

digital partnerships strategy remains focused on enabling digital transformation for our partners so that their consumers can enjoy seamless access to payments and a superior experience. We are very excited to partner with Airtel to lead the transition to digital by enabling access to their millions of consumers for online and in-person payments across the globe. Mastercard is uniquely positioned as a single technology provider to enable our digital partners like Airtel to transition seamlessly into digital”.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

BUSINESS NSIO partners ICPC, others for transparent execution of SIPs

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ational Social Investment Office (NSIO) says it is partnering with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other antigraft agencies to ensure a seamless and transparent execution of the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs).

Communications Manager, NSIO, Mr Justice Bibiye, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, said that recent reports on extortion of cash transfer beneficiaries and cooks on the school feeding programme were disturbing.

He said that reported cases of truancy on the part of some N-Power beneficiaries had compelled the need for close monitoring of the various components of the SIPs to achieve the intended objectives.

Bibiye said that the NSIO/ICPC partnership would be formally inaugurated on Oct. 18 in Abuja.

“The NSIO has also been collaborating with security and antigraft agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Department of State Service (DSS) for a more robust monitoring approach, which partnership has led to several arrests and prosecution of defaulters.

“Nigeria remains a vast and

diverse terrain, while many of the SIPs beneficiaries reside in remote communities.

“The NSIO has ensured that from the federal level, all disbursements can be monitored and tracked through the BVN and unique identities of the beneficiaries but disturbing reports from the field call for more diligence from the CSOs, the anti-corruption agencies and concerned members of the public.

“The NSIO, therefore, continues to encourage and provide opportunities for feedback from the field, if only to safeguard the entitlements of the poor and vulnerable. This latest collaborative effort between the NSIO and ICPC is to further tighten all loose ends; to effectively checkmate acts that tend to undermine the strident efforts of the Federal Government to alleviate poverty in the country.

“The NSIO/ICPC partnership, which would be formally launched at an open event on Friday, Oct. 18, at the Auditorium of the State House in Abuja, is among other things, aimed at raising awareness to garner public support in fighting the menace of extortion, fraud and intimidation in the delivery and scaling up of the four projects under SIPs at the field level.’’

From left: Head, Human Resources, FBNInsurance Limited, Cathy Sanni; Deputy Director, Dayo Gbadebo; Benola; Chief Technology Officer, FBNInsurance Limited, Rivers Khumalo; Executive Director, Finance & Admin, FBNInsurance Limited, Festus Izevbizua, at the cheque presentation to Benola- A Cerebral Palsy Initiative in commemoration of the 2019 World Cerebral Palsy Day.

Nigeria’s financial inclusion rate now 63.2% –CBN Zenith Bank launches ‘Z-Money’ C to deepen financial inclusion

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enith Bank Plc. has introduced the Z-Money in order to take banking services closer to its customers and enhance financial inclusion among the under-banked and unbanked populace of Nigeria.

The lender explained that it hopes to open more bank accounts to new customers and enable make different financial transactions.

This, according to Zenith Bank in the statement, in Lagos, Monday, would be made possible through its network of agents spread across the urban and rural communities in the country.

With the Z-Money, customers would be able to open accounts, deposit cash into any account, withdraw cash from any bank account, transfer funds, buy airtime, pay bills, and do so much more in a convenient way.

Zenith Bank emphasised that in order to engender trust among its customers, it ensures that all transactions done through the agents are PIN protected and safe.

Commenting on the new product, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, stated that, “The bank remains focused on providing premium financial solutions that create value for its customers wherever they are

located across the country.”

He added that apart from helping to extend the bank’s retail reach across all segments of the market, the adoption of the agency banking platform also demonstrates the bank’s commitment to achieving financial inclusion in the country.

Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).

The bank’s commitment to world-class service standards has led to several product innovations over the last few weeks including the Zenith Timeless Account, which allows Nigerians aged 55 years and above bank for free, the Zenith Save4me, a high interest target savings account and Dubai Visa Service on the Zenith Internet Banking Platform, which allows convenient application and payment for visas to Dubai.

Business Post gathered that the new Z-Money agency banking product of Zenith Bank entails the onboarding of agents who are expected to render basic financial services on behalf of the financial institution.

entral Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday said the country’s financial inclusion rate stood at 63.2 per cent in 2018.

The bank said this in the 2018 Annual Report on the National Financial Inclusion Strategy Implementation posted on its website.

The CBN said the figure showed a marginal increase of 4.8 per cent from 58.4 per cent in 2016 to 63.2 per cent in 2018.

The bank said that the figure was achieved through its biannual financial inclusion survey conducted within the period reviewed.

It added that the measurement also disaggregated financial inclusion data on state-by-state level for the first time.

The regulator said the data showed significant improvement in the North West and North East zones with the two zones being more disproportionally excluded than any other zone.

They both stood at 62 per cent and 55 per cent exclusion rates respectively.

It said: “The Southwest remained the only region to have surpassed the targeted 20 per cent exclusion rate by 2020, with 19 per cent exclusion rate recorded in 2018.’’

The CBN described 2018 as an important year that brought a massive shift in financial inclusion policy approach.

It added that it was the ‘Year of Landmark Financial Inclusion Policies

NCC assures on ending use of pre-registered SIM cards in Nigeria

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igerian Communications Commission (NCC) says it is committed to clamping down on the sale and usage of pre-registered SIM cards in the telecommunication industry.

The Southeast Zonal Controller of the commission, Mrs Emilia Nwokoro, who disclosed this on Monday, when she paid a courtesy visit to the zonal office of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu, described the usage of such SIM cards as a crime, saying that anyone caught selling pre-registered cards would be arrested and prosecuted.

She said that the commission

had begun to mop up pre-registered SIM cards in the zone and advised subscribers with such cards to ensure that they completed the registration process.

She appealed to subscribers to always buy and register their SIM cards in controlled environments.

“The sale and usage of preregistered SIM cards are illegal and that is why we are mopping up such cards.

“Our enforcement team is already in the field clamping down on those selling such cards by the roadside,” she said.

The zonal controller said that

as a telecom regulator, the NCC had the responsibility of ensuring that the sector did not aid criminal activities.

On complaints of poor network service, Nwokoro said that subscribers were at liberty to take advantage of mobile number portability to get better service from any network of their choices.

“When a subscriber is not satisfied with the telecom operator, he has the right to port and this affords him the opportunity to change to any network of his choice while retaining his original number,” she said.

there is high tendency for galloping inflation.

Another area of curiosity in the budget remains the annual oil price under-projection which eventually churns in huge cash revenues that are never accounted for. With oil price benchmark of $57 per barrel penned down at a time when prices hover between $60 and $65 per barrel, it would be hard to rein in loose income if prices remain above the threshold across the year.

Also, projected oil output is fixed at 2.18 million barrels per day in the 2020 fiscal year when

cumulative national production is projected by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to grow from current 2.3 mbd to over 2.5 mbd towards planned 3.0 mbd by 2023.

In all, major concern remains how a N10.33 budget that runs on a deficit of N2.18 trillion, carries a debt servicing liability of N2.76 trillion, provides for recurrent expenditure of N4.88 trillion, introduces 50 percent increase in VAT, and holds promises for hyperinflation would lift over 100 million already impoverished people out of their

predicament.

From the above about N4.95 trillion of the total fiscal provision is linked to debt; another N4.88 trillion is tied to servicing government’s bureaucracy while additional N0.56 trillion is dedicated to statutory transfers. Instead, the critical numeric indices that form the pillars of the 2020 budget host worrisome pointers to a huge funding gap that will inevitably impair delivery of social services for over 180 million Nigerians over 60 percent of whom wallow in extreme poverty.

Debts, taxes drain 2020 budget promises Continues from Business Cover Again, with multiple foreign exchange windows benchmarked against official rate of N305 to a dollar provided in the budget, analysts at Delloitte, Budgit and FocusEconomics respectively find it difficult in their different assessments of the budget to see realization of the projected 2.93 growth in the gross domestic product.

The official exchange rate has remained stable for years now on

deliberate efforts by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to tame inflation with its monetary policies.

The measures have not prevented alternate foreign exchange windows from determining the real value of the Naira in the market place where the effective rate to the dollar has soared above N360.

With a combination of increased consumption taxes in an environment with very low manufacturing base and fears of further increase in the main currency for import of goods,

and Initiatives in addition to being a measurement year.’

The overall objective of financial inclusion is to bring the undeserved segment of the population into the formal financial system by providing them with access to financial services.

It said improved access to finance was an important factor in accelerating sustainable economic growth, reducing poverty and unemployment, and enhancing the stability of the financial sector.

The financial inclusion is the provision of a broad range of financial services which are relevant, appropriate and affordable for the entire adult population especially the low income and rural segment of our population.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

ENERGY

‘Nigerian Content Law does not Nigerianize’

By Sopuruchi Onwuka

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he main target of the Nigerian Content law currently operational in the petroleum industry does not discriminate against foreign companies but primarily seeks to build indigenous capacity and assets to favorably compete for opportunities.

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr. Simbi Wabote, offered the explanation to members of the new Senate Committee on Nigeria Content to explain the role of the regulation in the oil and gas industry.

The explanation came as the Senate Committee pledged to strengthen and extend implementation of the policy from oil and gas industry to other key sectors of the economy.

Mr Wabote who addressed the lawmakers during the onboarding engagement session between the NCDMB and members of the committee at the Senate Chambers in Abuja clarified that the focus of Nigerian Content implementation is not “Nigerianization” of the oil and gas sector, but domiciliation and domestication of value-adding activities.

He called for inter-agency collaboration and multi-year execution strategy in building infrastructure and facilities necessary for developing the right size of requisite capacity required to close skills gap and groom home based technical capability for industry services.

He said NCDMB is

currently focused on skills and infrastructure development, facilities and asset ownership and building the needed financial capacity to successfully fund and execute upstream contracts.

He told the legislators that one percent of all upstream contracts are mandated to be paid into the Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) to pool the credit source for execution of industry contracts.

Mr Wabote listed some of the key operational tools deployed by the agency in driving policy implementation to include the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS), the Nigerian Content Plan, the Nigerian Content Compliance Certification, the Nigerian Content Equipment Certification, Expatriate Quota Administration, Compliance & Performance Monitoring and Litigation & Prosecution.

He said NCDMB listed six operational guidelines

developed to operationalize the implementation of the Nigerian Content to include the NCDMB Expatriate Quota; Succession Plan & Deployment of Expatriates Guidelines; Rig Utilization Strategy Guidelines; Expatriate Biometric Data Capture System Guidelines; NCDMB Research & Development Guidelines; and NCDMB Research & Statistics Framework and Expatriate Temporary Work Permit Guidelines.

In plugging legislation gaps in the law, Mr Wabote explained that NCDMB had developed seven draft ministerial regulations to cover Research & Development, Training, Capacity Development, Growth of Indigenous Capacity, and Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Enforcement and Compliance Regulation.

Other areas covered in the draft ministerial regulation include Registration of Operators and other professionals with Nigerian professional bodies, as

well as Technology Transfer and Establishment of operations in Nigeria.

While congratulating the Senators on their election, Mr. Wabote told them that apart from driving policy implementation in the industry, NCDMB also has the responsibility of developing world class standards in local capacity for industry jobs.

In his presentation at the event, Chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Teslim Folarin, promised that the committee will work closely with NCDMB so as to understand its core initiatives and be in a good position to support them as well champion the proposed extension of the Local Content Act to other key industries He stated that the leadership of the Senate placed huge importance on Local Content because of its contributions to the development of the national economy and creation of employment opportunities for Nigerians.

Sylva rallies support for OPEC, APPO

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inister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has enjoined other African oil producers to exercise production discipline to guarantee reasonable price of the commodity in the international market.

Chief Sylva who visited Gabon, Angola and South Sudan to seek greater cooperation among African oil producers stated that production disciple has become important to enable the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Africa Petroleum Producers Organization (APPO) achieve the key objective of earning more from each unit of the commodity.

The Oracle Today reports that Nigeria is a key member of both

OPEC and APPO, and the country remains the biggest oil and gas producer in the continent.

Chief Sylva who doubles as APPO President toured the African oil producing nations that are also signatories to OPEC’s Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) Agreement to discuss compliance ahead of the next Joint Ministerial Meeting Committee (JMMC) of OPEC and non-OPEC countries in Vienna, Austria in December.

He stated that as a member of international energy groups such as the OPEC and APPO, Nigeria needed to further deepen its collaboration with fellow African nations so as to grow the continent’s oil industry.

The minister, who was accompanied by the Group

Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari and Nigeria’s OPEC Governor, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, explained that African oil producers needed to work together to earn more from petroleum resources and help their citizens.

After a meeting with Gabonese Minister of Oil, Gas and Hydrocarbons, Mr. Noel Mboumba in Libreville, Sylva said: “We believe that we can work together, which in the long run, will be good for our respective nations. Our interest in Nigeria is to further deepen our relationship with Gabon going forward.”

While meeting the Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources

and Petroleum, Mr. Diamantino Pedro Azevedo in Luanda, Sylva observed that Nigeria was committed to deepening its relationship with the Southern African nation even beyond the oil and gas business.

“You will see a greater and deeper understanding between Nigeria and Angola going forward. We are the two biggest producers in Africa and therefore we need to stand together. If we don’t stand together, other producing African nations cannot come together,” Sylva added.

Earlier on, Azevedo, lauded Sylva for the visit, noting that it was important for Nigeria and Angola to exchange views and share experiences so as to further strengthen their relations dating back to decades.

Will Komani River II discovery prove commercial?

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he local media went up with the announcement that oil has been discovered at last in the northern part of the country, exposing lack of background understanding of the key terms of exploration.

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) weekend announced the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits in the Kolmani River II Well on the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin, in the North-Eastern part of the country.

Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Samson Makoji, stated that NNPC acquired 435.54km2 of 3D Seismic Data over Kolmani Prospect in the Upper Benue Trough, Gongola Basin. This was to evaluate Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) Kolmani River 1 Well Discovery of 33 BCF and explore deeper levels.

The well was drilled with “IKENGA RIG 101” to a total depth of 13,701feet encountering oil and gas in several levels. A Drill Stem Test (DST) is currently on-going to confirm the commercial viability and flow of the Kolmani River reservoirs.

The Corporation explained that one of the reservoirs was perforated and hydrocarbon started flowing to the well head in which the gas component was flared to prevent air charge around the Rig. Preliminary reports indicate that the discovery consists of gas, condensate and light sweet oil of API gravity ranging from 38 to 41 found in stacked siliciclastic cretaceous reservoirs of Yolde, Bima Sandstone and Pre-Bima formations.

Computation of hydrocarbon volume, according to the statement is on-going and would be announced in due course.

Of course, the Komani River II well was just sequel to few earlier discoveries in the inland sedimentary basins up north. Komani River I was actually a sub-commercial discovery which was too small in volume to command investment in development and production.

Depending on the volumes of the discoveries, it would now be a business consideration for further investments to be made in harnessing the discovered resources, according to an industry expert who spoke on the discovery.

He said key considerations would focus on the size of the discovery, unit price (value) of the discovery, the cost of further field development and production, and cost of developing infrastructure for evacuation of output to the market. All these, he pointed out, constitute the budget for harnessing the hydrocarbon deposit indicated in the mandatory disclosure.

“Like Shell and others did with marginal fields in the Niger Delta, if the volume of resources found does not justify robust development and production budget, then it would just be a wise business decision to cut the losses and cap the well,” our source explained.

“We pray that something big has been discovered,” he said.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

ENERGY

Kyari restates commitment to refinery rehab

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roup Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Melle Kyari, has restated the commitment of his management to restore the nation’s internal refining capacity and grow oil production capacity to 3.0 million barrels per day.

Mallam Kyari who received visiting Vice President for the Americas, West Africa and Europe at Lukoil, Ivan Romanovsky, said he would leave no stone unturned to actualize the mandate of revamping the refineries and increasing production.

“We are adopting a global approach to solving Industry problems, we will work with you to see how we can support each other, to leverage on your capabilities,” he stated.

He invited them to participate in the upcoming bid rounds billed to hold in the near future.

Speaking earlier, Mr. Romanovsky said Nigeria was a country of opportunities with a number of projects that his company and NNPC can leverage on.

He noted that Nigeria had what it takes to achieve its production targets.

“I am pretty sure the goals that are set and the plans by the National Oil Company are achievable, especially with the help of international partners’’ Mr. Romanovsky stated.

On the refineries rehabilitation, he said his company was ready to support the NNPC not only to revamp the plants, but also to upgrade their capacity.

“We are open, more than glad to participate in upgrading the existing refineries, we have the knowledge and the technical know-how,” he said.

Frontier Oil surrenders gas portfolio to Savannah

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ndigenous upstream exploration and production independent with marginal field assets onshore Niger Delta, Frontier Oil Limited, has finally transferred its gas production and processing facilities associated with Uquo operations to Nigerian units of Savannah Petroleum.

The transfer of gas resources in the operations to Savannah facilitates a lingering acquisition of assets of distressed Seven Energy with which Frontier Oil had commercial arrangements that linked to gas production from the Uquo marginal field.

The UK firm which is driving the Seven Energy Transaction in Nigeria declared weekend that all parties involved in the complicated commercial arrangements governing operations of the Uquo license have altered their commitments and stakes in Uquo gas following processes leading to conclusion of acquisition of Seven Energy.

The Seven Energy Transaction refers to the planned acquisition by Savannah of the Seven Assets and the restructuring of Seven Energy’s existing indebtedness, as more fully described in the Company’s Admission Document of December 2017 and in relation to the Company’s RNS announcements of September 2018.

The RNS announcements specifically relate to the Frontier Transaction and the buy-out of minority shareholders in Universal Energy Resources Limited.

Subsequent announcements in December 2018 relate to the acquisition of an additional 60% interest in Accugas as well as the sale of a 20%, less one share, interest in SUGL and Accugas to AIIM. In its latest statement last weekend, Savannah declared that “final long-form documentation has been signed by Frontier Oil, Seven Uquo Gas (‘SUGL’) and Accugas

in relation to the restructuring of economic ownership interests at the Uquo marginal field and the operatorship of the Uquo gas central processing facility (the ‘Uquo CPF’), in line with the Company’s RNS dated 20 September 2018 (the ‘Frontier Transaction’).”

The Frontier Transaction will result in SUGL assuming responsibility for all operations. The responsibilities, according to Savannah, include production of the gas project at the Uquo marginal field involving control of gas-related capital investment projects, design and implementation of operations and production plans, as well as day to day gas operations at the Uquo gas field.

Savannag declared that following the agreements, SUGL would now retain total revenues from the gas sales, while of the Uquo CPF would now be transferred to Accugas.

“Following completion of the Frontier Transaction, the Enlarged Group will have effective operational control of the Uquo gas supply chain,” Savannah declared in a statement.

In line with the terms of the deal, Savannah said, Frontier would now be limited all oil related activities in the Uquo Field and retain all of revenue from oil sales.

Savannah added that the Frontier Transaction remains “conditional upon completion of the wider Seven Energy Transaction and is expected to occur following Transaction completion.”

“The principal remaining condition precedent for the Transaction relates to the execution of long-form documentation in relation to Seven Energy’s financial restructuring, following which the Transaction completion process will commence.

This completion process will follow the pre-agreed steps set out in the legally binding Implementation Agreement signed in February 2019,” the company added.

NNPC GMD, Mallam Mele Kyari, and Managing Director of NLNG, Mr. Tony Attah, displaying copies of the $2,5bn gas supply pre-payment agreement after signing at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, on Friday.

NLNG commits to $2.5 bn gas purchase

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igeria’s biggest gas offtaker, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, has committed to pay government princely $2.5 billion of N900 billion for gas feedstock to its six liquefaction trains that currently produce some 22 million tons of chilled gas per annum (22 mtpa).

The deal is also sold as paving way for the company’s seventh train conceived to grow liquefaction capacity by additional 8.0 mtpa to 30 mtpa.

Gas supply to the company’s liquefaction complex in Bonny Island mainly comes from production sites operated by Shell, Total, and Eni. The company also takes gas from operations of companies that bought over assets from Shell operated joint venture onshore Niger Delta.

In the joint venture operated

by Shell, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

holds overriding 55 percent stake on behalf of the government. It also holds overriding 60 percent in joint ventures operated by Total and Eni respectively.

Apart from equity and royalty gas accruable to government from the joint ventures, operators of Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) are also committed to paying royalty gas to NNPC which is the concessionaire of the operated assets. And where the produced gas commercialized, proceeds go to government under agreed terms that govern the operations.

The Oracle Today reports that gas from both JVs and PSCs separately operated by Shell and Total respectively are linked to channels that supply gas to the Bonny liquefaction plants of NLNG. Managing Director of NLNG, Mr Tony Attah, told The Oracle Today exclusively that the company currently feeds on 3.5 billion

Chevron fires NDPHC for additional 400MW

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hevron Nigeria Limited has entered a gas-to-power agreement that would spur optimized generation from the facilities of Olorunsogo Generation Company Limited and boost grid supply stability.

In the agreement which is endorsed by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited, Chevron is to guarantee interruptible supply of gas volumes ranging up to 63, 000 million British thermal units per day (0- 63,000MMbtu/d).

The boost gas supply is expected to leverage full available generation capacity at the company’s plants and contribute additional 400 megawatts of electricity to the national transmission and distribution grid.

Natural gas is the fuel the Olorunsogo thermal generation

plant at Ogun State. The plant is an existing NDPHC electricity generation project designed to supply about 750MW into the national grid, support government’s drive to power homes and businesses in the country with adequate electricity supply.

Captured in a Gas Sale and Aggregation Agreement (“GSAA”), the contract places commitment on the American oil multinational which operates upstream oil and gas exploration and production joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to meet fuel gas obligation to the power company on reasonable endeavours basis.

Bulk of the gas volumes are expected to flow from oil production sites operated under

NPDC mobilizing fire control at OML 20

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igerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC) says it is working on putting out raging fire at Abacheke community of Egbema West, Imo State, where the incident might have stalled operations on assets hosted in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 20 acreage location.

Acting Group General Manager in charge of Public Affairs Division of Niegrian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Samson Makoji, stated that the incident which

was reported last week has become a major safety concern in the area which is currently flooded.

According to him, the fire sparked off during hot tapping by thieving syndcates that thrive on proceeds of stolen crude oil and condensate.

He said preliminary investigation revealed that a spark ignited the fire at Well–18T located within the flooded part of Abacheke community, explain that the incident occurred during product stealing by vandals.

standards cubic feet of gas per day (3.5 Bscf/d) and would require additional 2.5 Bscf/d for its seventh train whose final investment decision is underway. When the seventh train of the company goes online, total feedstock volume is bound to escalate to about 6.0 Bscf/d.

He noted that the signing of the gas supply pre-payment agreement was a significant step towards ensuring the company’s business sustainability and competitiveness.

He called for support to ensure that the Final Investment Decision on the Train 7 Project is taken this year without fail, adding that the project was no longer an ambitious one in the light of developments in the global LNG market.

In the agreement signed by the key shareholders in the gas export company, NLNG committed to advance payment for natural gas to ensure full operations uptime at existing six train capacity.

The company’s Community Liaison Officer in charge of Abacheke Community indicated that no fatality was recorded.

NPDC stated that appropriate action to minimize the impact of the fire and ensure safety of the community had been taken.

The company said it was mobilizing and employing the services of a reputable safety consultant to completely put out the fire.

NPDC advised members of

Abacheke community and its environs to avoid the affected area and stay calm, promising to update the general public on the incident soon.

The Abacheke community incident follows a trend of vandalism on the nation’s upstream production facilities as well as downstream petroleum products distribution system.

Parent Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has also decried the increasing menace of oil pipeline vandalism which hit a record high of 228

the NNPC/CNL joint venture, and would be captured under the domestic gas supply obligation imposed by the government under a commercial arrangement monitored by the Gas Aggregation Company of Nigeria (GACN).

Thus, parties to the GSAA include CNL in its capacity as Sellers’ Representative for the NNPC; Olorunsogo Generation Company Limited; Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited (“NDPHC”); and Gas Aggregation Company Nigeria Limited (“GACN”).

Director in charge of Downstream Gas at CNL, Sanjay Narasimhalu, who signed the deal for the NNPC/CNL JV, stated that the GSAA is another demonstration of the joint venture’s commitment to the domestic gas market.

break points in July, 2019 alone.

In its July Monthly Financial and Operations Report (MFOR), NNPC declared that the breached lines represented an awful increase of 115 per cent from the 106 vandalized points recorded in June 2019.

Acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Samson Makoji, said out of the vandalized points, 15 failed to be welded, while five points were ruptured.

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

INSURANCE & PENSION Withdraw life pensions for AMAC ex-officials –Group demands

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ocio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, (SERAP) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to withdraw and revoke the bill for the unconstitutional payment of life pensions to ex-officials.

In a letter to AMAC chairman, Mr Abdullahi Candido, signed by its Deputy Director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the bill for payment of life pensions to chairmen, vice-chairmen, speakers and other officials of AMAC was illegal.

“If the bill/edict is not withdrawn within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter, we will take all appropriate legal actions to challenge the illegality and to compel you to comply with our request.’’

SERAP alleged that under the bill/edict, AMAC’s past council chairmen would receive an annual pension of N500,000; former vice chairmen were to receive N300,000 while former speakers would be paid N200,000.”

“The payment of life pensions to the council’s exchairmen, vice-chairmen and speakers would cause massive financial crisis.

“It will also cripple the council’s ability to discharge its mandate of providing public

goods and services to the people of Abuja.

“In addition, it will put jeopardy in citizens’ access to those services.’’

According to SERAP, the payment of life pensions to AMAC’s officials undermines the very concept of representative government.

It said that paying life pensions was a flagrant violation of the 1999 Constitution and the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act. “It amounts to an abuse of official power, position and resources for personal gains, and reverses the notion of government as public’s servant and not its master.’’

The letter reads in part: “The payment of life pensions to AMAC’s former officials is a copycat of the unconstitutional and illegal life pension laws that have been passed by several of the 36 state governments in Nigeria.

“Your council is setting a bad precedent as the first local council in Nigeria to introduce life pensions for its officials.

“This will send a dangerous message to other councils and risks opening the floodgates of life pension bills/edicts in several of the 774 local governments across the country.’’

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Universal Insurance not linked with Standard Payment Investment’ Scheme –Management Stories by VICTOR NZE

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anagement of Universal Insurance Plc has disassociated the company from the “Standard Payment Investment Scheme” currently circulating in some social media platforms and elsewhere, purporting to collaborate with Universal Insurance in its bid to extort money from unsuspecting members of the general public in the name of

investment for higher returns.

The Company, in a statement, Friday, stated that it does not know anything about Standard Payment Investment nor does it have any dealings whatsoever with the promoters of the Ponzi scheme and advised the general public and its esteemed customers against dealing with unauthorized persons in their relationship with Universal Insurance Plc. “We stand to refute the

claim by Standard Payment Investment that it has collaboration with Universal Insurance Plc. We do NOT know who they are talk less of having any dealings with them whatsoever.

“Our esteemed customers know us for what we stand for having been in the business of insurance for over five decades and still counting.

“We, therefore, wish to warn the general public against associating the

name of Universal Insurance Plc with the anonymous group of scammers.” Mr Ben Ujoatuonu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company said.

He further revealed that the company has taken steps to involve anti-fraud and law enforcement agencies in a bid to nip the fraudulent activity of the group in the bud and to prevent them from further dragging the reputation of Universal Insurance Plc in the mud.

Africa’s largest insurer to continue growth via M&A

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frica’s largest insurer is getting breathing room to build on its biggestever acquisition and expand existing operations as rivals scale back on the continent and its main competitor squabbles with its fired CEO. Sanlam Ltd. last year spent about $1.1 billion to buy all of Casablanca-based Saham Finances SA and gain a footprint in more African countries than any other financial-services company outside of banking. This as South African peers including Liberty Holdings Ltd. and Momentum Metropolitan Holdings Ltd. focus on their home market and Old Mutual Ltd. fights with ex-Chief Executive Officer Peter Moyo, while contending with hyperinflation in Zimbabwe.

“We might just have a little bit longer to execute on the strategy,” Sanlam CEO Ian Kirk said by phone. “But, of course, that doesn’t take the pressure off us to deliver.”

Founded in Cape Town in 1918 and now spanning 33 African countries and 12 others from the U.S. and India to Saudi Arabia and the U.K., Sanlam is growing its health, life, property and casualty insurance businesses to entrench its position on the continent. The insurer is targeting consumers and multinational companies and extending its operations in Morocco, West and East Africa as well as Namibia and Botswana, the CEO said. It is also seeking a foothold in Egypt.

“We need to be strongest in the big, important countries and obviously have the unique footprint that we have to

make sure that we insure the corporates no matter where they operate,” Kirk said. “At the moment in the insurance industry we are the only one really doing it but that will change no doubt.”

Sanlam is also looking at ways to bolster its reinsurance capacity with its general insurance unit Santam Ltd. and expand offerings to become a top choice for multinational companies and their staff, Kirk said. “That means building relationships with the brokers, and making sure that we are the network partner for international insurers that don’t have an African footprint.”

The insurer is seeking to benefit from a continentwide push to improve access to financial services. “It’s changing as economies become more developed and more diversified,” he said.

“If you take Ivory Coast for example, today it’s continuing to grow at double digits and has done for the last few years and insurance penetration is moving up as the country develops. We need more of that positive development in all these countries.”

Sanlam will look into “bolton acquisitions” in one or two countries, Kirk said during the company’s first-half results presentation. The firm has a partnership in Ethiopia and will invest in the country when it opens up, he said in the phone interview.

At home, Sanlam will be looking to buy money managers to bulk up assets as the rise of index-tracking funds squeezes margins in the industry, Kirk said.

From left: Company Secretary/Group Head, Legal Services, Royal Exchange Plc, Ms. Sheila Ezeuko; Chairman, Mr. Kenneth Odogwu, and Acting Group Managing Director, Mr. Wale Banmore, during the 50th Annual General Meeting of the Royal Exchange Plc in Lagos, last Wednesday.

Royal Exchange GWP rises to N14.7bn in 2018

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oyal Exchange Plc has announced its results for the 2018 financial year which indicated that the firm generated a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of N14.7billion from its business activities as at ended December 31, 2018, representing an increase of 15 per cent, compared to the N12.8billion recorded for 2017.

Addressing the company’s shareholders, in Lagos during its Annual General Meeting (AGM, in Lagos, Chairman, Royal Exchange Plc, Mr. Kenny E. Odogwu, said Net Premium Income for the period amounted to N9.1billion which is a 29.7 percent growth over the 2018 figure, while net underwriting profit amounted to N9.73billion in the financial year under review.

Underwriting profit went up to N3.67billion in the 2018 financial year, up from N1.05billion in 2017, while Net Income stood at N4.35billion, from the corresponding figure of N2.4billion in 2017.

A further analysis of the operating results showed that the Total Assets of the group witnessed a growth of 6.74percent, from N33.2billion in 2017 to N35.53billion as at December 31, 2018.

Net claims paid for

the period under review amounted to N3.1billion, an 8 percent marginal reduction from the 2017 figure of N3.42billon.

The Chairman noted that despite the very harsh operating environment, the group was able to deliver a better result in 2018 against the previous years and this was achieved through cost optimization initiatives, innovation in key categories and extensive retail market expansion as well as by participating in large-ticket financial transactions.

“Royal Exchange Plc envisions a situation where the retail insurance market should be able to contribute between 50-60 percent of our revenues in the future, as the retail market is the future of insurance in Nigeria, considering the population of the country.

“Royal Exchange Plc, will in the years to come, continue to be an aggressive player in the retail market in Nigeria and will be looking at different strategies to increase its product offering and visibility in the marketplace, while not losing track of the corporate market, where the returns and margins, are getting thinner,

yearly,” said Odogwu.

He further added that with the recent approval from the National Insurance Commission to undertake agricultural insurance, the company has entered into strategic alliances with various stakeholders in the agricultural space to drive insurance with that sector of the economy and in the couple of months, revenues will start coming in from there.

Odogwu also noted that streamlining major components of the group’s businesses remains a continuous exercise especially in the areas of service delivery, processes and operations to deliver superior returns in the medium term to shareholders through digital transformation.

According to him, the firm recently acquired a new insurance software and this will go a long way to enhance our operations and enable the group provide fast and efficient services to our customers.

“This will further enhance our on-going transformation processing involving the revamping of our mobile banking app for our Microfinance Bank,

Internet Banking and USSD Banking, procurement of a USSD code for the sale of all our subsidiaries’ products, ongoing development of a new website with call-toaction/sales capabilities, deployment of a core solution for our healthcare business, among other activities, all geared towards ensuring we remain the leading insurer that we are known for.

“The company has implemented various cost optimization strategies and business process reengineering measures which shall guarantee profitability in both the current financial year and the years ahead.

Our re-engineering process will center on three main pillars, namely Digital Transformation; Efficient Distribution Channels and Business Process Remodeling”.

“In line with recent regulatory announcements, we are already making arrangements to shore up the capital of the subsidiaries in order to meet up with the new NAICOM requirements and we are more than confident of the future of the group, despite the hostile business environment,” he announced.

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

Travel & Hospitality

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Stakeholders harp on sustainability, viability of tourism at 2019 ANJET seminar Stories by VICTOR NZE

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takeholders in Nigeria tourism have urged governments at all levels to move towards diversification of the economy from oil and gas to tourism in order to achieve the much needed accelerated growth.

Making the call during the just-concluded Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) Annual Tourism Seminar in Lagos, the stakeholders posited that the sector had the potential to drive growth across all sectors of the economy when full exploited.

Held under theme; “Tourism and Jobs: Better future for all,” the well-attended event held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, Tuesday.

A traditional monarch, the Olota of Otta, Ogun State, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, who took the lead in making the call urged the Federal Government to enable fiscal policies geared towards maximizing the job creation potential of tourism, in the same way as he also tasked citizens to exploit the industry with a view to utilizing the sector’s sustainability.

Obalanlege, who was the Royal Father of the Day, noted that Nigerians must stop depending on government for job creation but get creative to mine much of the enormous tourism potential the country was endowed with.

He suggested that cultural festivals in each community could be developed by members of such communities to generate revenue while ensuring that the events were developed over the years to attract local and International tourists.

He identified the Egungun masquerade festival as one of the tourism potential to latch upon, likewise the monumental buildings across communities which could be converted to tourist sites.

“With the huge tourism potential we are blessed with in the country, we should not be complaining about lack of jobs, individuals must be creative and tap into these tourism potential. The Egungun festival is an opportunity to latch on by the unemployed, different communities have their masquerade which should be developed and showcased to the world.

Faces at the 2019 Arik Air Customer Service Week celebration which held at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja’s General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Saturday “Nigerians need not look up to the government for job creation, government is only meant to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. The second tallest storeybuilding in Nigeria is in Otta, it should be better developed to attract international tourists; a lot more monumental buildings across communities can also be converted to tourists sites,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Gbenga Olowo,

Delta Govt. to build film village, pleasure park

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elta State Government has announced plans to build a pleasure park and a film village to enhance recreation and promote tourism in the state.

State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, who disclosed, Tuesday, this during his quarterly interaction with the media in Asaba, said that that cost of the project would be built into the state’s 2020 budget.

The governor who disclosed further that the park and film village

would be built in Asaba-Ugbolu axis, said that since the state had gradually become a destination for film makers, there was need to encourage the practitioners by building the needed infrastructure.

He noted that the state government would be operating a lean budget in 2020 which would be presented to the State House of Assembly by first week of November.

“The 2020 budget is going to be

contracted because the available indices have revealed that revenue accruing to the country is dwindling with reduced oil productions,’’ he said.

The governor who stated that government would consolidate on and complete all ongoing projects in the state, said his administration would complete the Agro-Industrial Park in Aboh-Ogwashi next year to create jobs and increase investment opportunities in the sector.

NIS inaugurates Forward Operation Base in Ogun

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igeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Saturday innaugurated a Forward Operation Base (FOB) at Oja-Odan border in Ogun as part of its efforts to strengthen the country’s border security.

Deputy Controller of Immigration (DCI) Sunday James, NIS Public Relations Officer (PRO), said in a statement on Saturday in Lagos, that the FOB was innaugurated by the Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola.

James said the Oja Odan OB was

part of the border management reforms embarked on by the service.

Rauf, according to NIS PRO, said at the ceremony that the establishment of the FOB demonstrated government’s commitment to strengthen the nation’s border security.

“It also demonstrates government’s commitment to boost morale of personnel by providing a befitting working environment,” James quoted the minister as saying.

The Comptroller-General of

Immigration, Muhammad Babandede , said that the FOB would complement the fight against irregular migration in form of Smuggling of Migrants (SOM), Trafficking in Person (TIP) and other trans-border crimes.

“The Oja Odan FOB like others, established by the service is equipped with modern communication gadgets. It also has well-furnished accommodation for operatives to be able to maintain every minute patrol and surveillance along the nation’s border,” he said.

African airlines’ passenger traffic rise by 4.1% –IATA

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nternational Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday said African airlines recorded a 4.1 per cent increase in passenger traffic in August compared to the same period in 2018.

IATA’s Director-General, Mr Alexandre de Juniac, said the traffic climbed from 3.2 per cent recorded by the airlines in July.

“This solid performance comes

after South Africa – the region’s second largest economy – returned to positive economic growth in Q2 2019. Capacity rose 6.1 per cent, however, and load factor dipped by 1.4 percentage points to 75.6 per cent,” he said in a statement.

According to him, global passenger traffic data for August 2019 showed that demand climbed 3.8 per cent compared to the year-

ago period, adding that this was above the 3.5 per cent annual increase for July, adding that August capacity also increased by 3.5 per cent.

The IATA chief said load factor climbed 0.3 per cent percentage point to 85.7 per cent, which was a new monthly record, as airlines continue to maximise asset use.

Managing Director, Sabre Network, West Africa, urged government to take the tourism industry seriously by sufficient budgetary allocation for the sector.

Olowo who was represented

by Mr Mayowa Badewa, Deputy Zonal Director, Western Zone, Sabre Travel Network, said that the tourism industry must be prioritised as huge employment opportunities could be derived from the sector.

Pointing out that other African countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Gambia were doing well in tourism because they had been able to work on improved connectivity, good infrastructures, visa relaxation policy and more, Olowo urged Nigerian government to collaborate with the private sector, intensify efforts in fighting security and terrorism, create policy for ease of doing business, good and safe roads for tourism businesses to thrive in Nigeria.

Arik Air celebrates customer service week, resumes Owerri operations Oct 21

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rik Air says it will resume flight services to the Sam Mbakwe Airport, Owerri, from October 21.

The airline made the announcement in a statement signed by its Chief Executive Officer, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, on Monday in Lagos.

Ilegbodu said the airline suspended flights to Owerri early in 2019 due to operational exigencies, adding that since then passengers had been yearning for a return of the carrier.

He said re-launch of flights to Owerri was coming on the heels of resumption of services to Warri by the airline on September 6.

“We made a promise to our esteemed customers that we will be returning to the routes that were suspended earlier in the year and our resumption of flights to Warri and now Owerri are a promise kept.

“In the coming weeks, the airline will be returning to more previously suspended destinations as well as opening more routes to cope with passengers’ demands,’’ Ilegbodu added.

Meanwhile, Arik Air celebrated the 2019 edition of its Customer Service Week in grand style with on-flight gifts and musical performance at

its General Aviation Terminal (GAT) Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, base.

The objective is to celebrate the customer and thank them for keeping faith in the airline even during its turbulent periods.

Since Monday, October 7 when the customer service week started, Arik Air has been serenading passengers at GAT with piano and violin thus making check-in procedure a pleasurable one. Passengers have also been winning branded gift items like lunch bags, water bottles and mugs on board flights. The icing on the cake is the flight tickets that are raffled on board.

Arik Air Chief Executive Officer, Captain Roy Ilegbodu said: “The 2019 customer service week which we have themed, ‘Service like Magic’, is to demonstrate our commitment to delivering quality service. We celebrate all our loyal customers for standing by us through every stage of our growth and maturity. We could not have done it without you.

“As a business, we strive to exceed your expectations.

However, we acknowledge this has not been without hiccups. On the occasion of Customer Service Week, we restate our commitment to rendering on-time performance and memorable experience at all our service points.”

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

AVIATION FG and the Enugu airport closure Stories by VICTOR NZE

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early three months after shutting down business activities and other means of livelihood of people of Enugu State for a muchtouted renovation and upgrade of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, the Federal Government may have tacitly admitted its unpreparedness towards the project after all.

Addressing the House of Representatives, Thursday, Minister of State, Hadi Sirika, told lawmakers that his ministry now requires a whopping N10 billion to commence work, leaving many to question the rationale behind shutting down life and business at the airport’s environs when the funds for the project was not at hand.

Sirika also told the House Committee on Aviation that the Ministry of Aviation has now put in a N10 billion request to Federal Government to resuscitate the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

“Given the money, we have a time frame of delivering the airport before Christmas; the choice is because we understand that people travel back home during the period and we want them to find a new airport on arrival.

We have put before government a request of N10 billion and we believe government is doing everything possible to provide the funds,” said Sirika.

It would be recalled that a Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) online statement made available, in May, this year, said the runway at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu would be shut for major repairs and works on the airfield effective on 24th August, 2019.

The statement signed by the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, also informed airlines, airlines, passengers and all other stakeholders that the move is aimed at resolving the existing safety/ security concerns to flight operations, adding that a date to reopen the runway will be communicated in due course.

Following the directive, international carriers such as the Ethiopian Airlines, on September 3 redirected flight operations to the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagba, even as dozens of domestic operators either diverted traffic to nearby airports or cancelled schedules out-rightly.

Similarly, the Enugu State Executive Council following complaints by FAAN approved the immediate closure of the Orie Emene Market (Orieneme Abattoir abattoir inclusive) to forestall tragic air accident at the Airport.

This is also as the Council ordered immediate removal of all illegal structures encroaching on the land of the airport, radio mast of the state broadcasting service, and the Free Trade Zone, all preparatory to the commencement of renovation work of the airport, which is yet to begin.

It would also be recalled that Sirika, while decrying the poor state of the runway of the Enugu airport gave the state government a choice of either downgrading the facility from its international status or shutting it down completely unless it clamped

down on activities around the airport.

Speaking during the 2019 Stakeholders’ Forum held Friday, Sirika then disclosed that entreaties made to the Enugu State Government to aid his Ministry carry out renovations on the runway were all to no avail. ”We may downgrade Enugu Airport in terms of international airport. The runway is terrible. I have been there three times, seen the governor of the state and told them what to do but nothing has happened.

There is a market and an abattoir there at the side of the runway. And this attracts birds. Of recent Air Peace suffered a bird strike and this affected the airline, thank God no major incident. ”At the end of the Enugu runway, you have the government establishing a free trade zone at the Centre. Enugu is to the East what Kaduna is to the North. When government wanted to expand the runway to 60m long and 71m wide there were few houses there and we were promised that they would be demolished and the owners compensated so we can have the improvement but now they have built more houses. ”Enugu airport would have to be closed down, that is the honest truth.

I’ve told the governor, please let’s face Enugu; expand it and extend the runway. We can push the market two or three kilometers away. We spent US$100 million dollars to do the terminal but who is going to go there?

Even domestic airlines we will stop,” Sirika said.

Following the minister’s warning, the state government hurriedly issued a directive to comply with the Ministry of Aviation.

“Following safety concerns raised

by Federal Airports Authority (FAAN) on potential air hazards in and around the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu as well as the near tragic air mishap involving Air Peace that occurred on 6th May, 2019, the Enugu State Executive Council has approved the immediate closure of Orie Emene Market (Orieneme Abattoir abattoir inclusive) to forestall tragic air accident at the Airport.

“Accordingly, the Chairman of Enugu East Local Government Area has been directed to effect the immediate closure of the market. Council also ordered immediate removal of all illegal structures encroaching on the land of the Airport.

“The State Executive Council had on 12th October, 2018 approved funds for relocation of the State Broadcast Mast on the approach of the Run Way to Okpatu Hill (Ugwu Rerenkwu) in Udi Local Government Area but the implementation of this project has been hampered by the disruptive activities of some youths in the community.

“Enugu State Government hereby directs immediate cessation of all hostilities against the project as any further interference will attract the full wrath of the Law given that Government has paid all the necessary compensation.

“The Traditional Rulers of Okaptu Communities and Town Union Leadership are hereby called upon to ensure full compliance with the above

directives.

These directives by the state government were later to be acknowledged by the Ministry of Aviation with Sirika assuring that work would be expedited.

“We wish to acknowledge steps taken by the Enugu State government in a bid to improve safety at the Akanu Ibiam international Airport (Enugu).

We are happy to see that the Enugu state government has seen reason with the Ministry to address safety concerns raised.

“We are appreciative that in the name of safety, Enugu State Executive Council approved the immediate closure of Orie Emene Market (abattoir inclusive) to forestall any tragedy at the Airport. We are also happy that the Council also ordered immediate removal of all illegal structures encroaching on the land of the Airport, radio mast of the state broadcasting service, and Free Trade Zone,” said Sirika.

Further confirming the agreement between the state government and the Ministry of Aviation, Managing Director of FAAN, Capt Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu, stated that the Authority was now fully collaborating with the government of Enugu State to address the menace of airport encroachment at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

Yadudu who made the disclosure after a joint facilities inspection visit to the airport by the Management of FAAN and the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, expressed gratitude to the latter for his swift response to this issue by directing that all illegal structures on the airport be demolished after only a week’s notice of evacuation.

“On the runway, we are very much in control, we have done all necessary preparations with our engineering team, our consultants and

Federal Ministry of Aviation and very soon, we will begin a comprehensive rehabilitation to ensure safe and reliable flight.

“Another one is where we promptly need the state government timely intervention and prompt action as you (referring to the governor) demonstrated in the case of the market place. This is about the issue of illegal residents on the airfield. This poses risk and safety concerns, when you have people living on the airfield and sterile area, you have people living in area where you have heavy machinery and equipment moving, and any presence of human being has the risk of major incidents or accidents because human activities come along with collateral activities in the household, with livestock and others.”

However, frowning at the continued delay in commencement of repair works at the airport, socioeconomic group, Igbo Renaissance Forum (IRF) further questioned the re-award of the contract for the repair of the airport to the same contractor who carried out the initial renovation work.

“For posterity sake, we would like to state that this current closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu is because of badly executed job by the same contractor, PW that has been awarded the contract again on Friday, the 13th of September, 2019.”

“The Igbo Renaissance Forum kicked off the day count campaign to draw attention of the world to the lackadaisical attitude from all the agencies to the mouthed repairs at the Enugu Airport few weeks back.

“As at today the 13th of October 2019, 50 days after shutting down the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and 30 days after signing the contract with the contractor, there is no sign of any activity for a job that the Minister for Aviation said would be done and

handed over by December 2019.

“To worsen matters, it has become obvious from the utterances of the Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria that no budgetary allocation was made for the repairs before going ahead to shut down the ONLY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT in the South East.

“As a Pro Igbo Organisation that is committed to ensuring that we revive the true Igbo spirit while reengineering the psyche of Ndi Igbo, we have resolved to firstly take the questions surrounding the Akanu Ibiam International Airport to our kith and kin who were and are still in positions of authority.

“We also demand that the Federal Government of Nigeria should treat the repair and upgrade works at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu like they did with other airports.

It is unacceptable to be hearing of no funds after shutting down the airport and giving a time line that is fixed for December 2019 for completion.

“It is on record that the runway project at the Abuja International Airport was done within 6 weeks. Why is it 6 weeks and 6 days and we are still talking about going on bended knees for the needed funds to be approved?

“We are using this medium to put those our brothers and sisters who have in one way or the other had any dealings with the Akanu Ibiam International Airport and its repairs and upgrade on notice, to get themselves ready as we shall be calling on them to explain to Ndi Igbo what they know and how we got to this point.

“This Akanu Ibiam International Airport saga will birth a new beginning in holding our leaders responsible like never experienced before,” read a statement signed by the International Coordinator, Nze Ugo-Akpe Onwuka (Oyi).

From right: New Airports Council International (ACI)President, Mr Mohammed Zouhair El Aoufir from Morocco; former President ACI Africa, Engr Saleh Dunoma and Secretary General, ACI Africa, Mr Ali Tounsi, during the ongoing 28th Annual General Conference and Exhibitions holding at the Kempinski Hotel, Ghana from October 11 to 18.

Hard landing probable cause of Royal Air Maroc cabin door incident –FAAN

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he Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has decried insinuations that a Royal Air Maroc aircraft was burgled while landing at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Friday.

General Manager, Corporate

Affairs, FAAN, Mrs Henrietta Yakubu, said the aircraft with registration number CN-ROR landed at the airport with its baggage cabin door opened.

Yakubu said the FAAN Aviation Security Personnel that escorted the aircraft upon landing confirmed

that all necessary security landing procedures were observed as the aircraft was landing.

She said in a statement, Friday, that officials also confirmed that there was no invader around the aircraft and that they suspected the opening must have been as a

result of force landing.

“Further investigation revealed that all passengers on the flight got their luggage intact, except for a certain Tazi Larbi, whose luggage with tag number 829116 did not come on the flight because it was left in Morocco.

“Appropriate agencies have, however, commenced investigation into the incident to ascertain the cause. The aircraft pushed back at about 5.30a.m and was airborne to Morrocco at 5.40a.m,” Yakubu added.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

e-Platform

‘We used phone numbers, emails for ads,’ Twitter admits

Stories by VICTOR NZE

T From left: Managing Director, Microsoft African Development Center, West Africa (ADC), Gafar Lawal; General Manager for Microsoft Nigeria/Ghana, Akin Banuso; Startup Advocate for Microsoft, London, Simona Cotin; and Executive Director, TechCircle, Oo Nwoye, during an event organized by TechCircle to foster collaborations needed to grow the Nigerian tech and startups space, at the Vanilla Moon, Victoria Island, Lagos.

witter on Tuesday apologized after “inadvertently” using phone numbers and email addresses for advertising even though the personal data was provided for account security.

Twitter users’ phone numbers and email addresses — submitted to allow for account authentication — were matched with advertisers’ own data to

enable targeted ads.

“When you provided an email address or phone number for safety or security purposes this data may have inadvertently been used for advertising purposes,” Twitter said in an online post.

“This was an error and we apologize.”

None of the user data was shared with partners outside the company, and it was unclear how many people were affected, the San Francisco-based company

said.

The issue was fixed in midSeptember, Twitter said.

“We’re very sorry this happened and are taking steps to make sure we don’t make a mistake like this again,” Twitter said.

Privacy and internet data are hot political topics worldwide, with tech giants such as Twitter and Facebook in the crosshairs of regulators.

Microsoft for Startups team, Nigerian tech experts meet to explore opportunities

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icrosoft for Startups team last week met with key players in the Nigerian tech community to deepen relationship and explore ways to foster collaborations needed to grow the Nigerian tech and startups space.

Organised by TechCircle, the dinner event held in Vanilla Moon, Victoria Island, Lagos, with over 50 renowned startup founders, stakeholders, incubators, industry leaders, investors, policymakers, tech journalists as well as the Microsoft for Startups team in attendance.

Giving the opening remarks, London-based Simona Cotin, Startup Advocacy Lead, Microsoft, said Microsoft was excited to deepen its relationships with Africa’s emerging tech scenes, work with root communities and the organization’s interest to invest in African startups to collaborate and facilitate the development of products solutions for growth.

The Executive Director of TechCircle, Oo Nwoye, said the event was purposeful and help stakeholders leverage Microsoft’s activities on the continent.

“Microsoft is doubling down on the continent and it’s a great thing that they want to take inputs rather than move with their ideas,” Nwoye said.

“They are trying to engage critical stakeholders to find out what interests them, how they could help and TechCircle is delighted to facilitate this maiden meetup for the Microsoft for Startups team. I am very excited, not just because of the plans but because of the actions Microsoft has already taken.”

Akin Banuso, General Manager for Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana noted that the event is the first of many platforms Microsoft is deliberately creating to meet with, and understand the startup community, market developments and to see how Microsoft for Startups can support.

“Now is a good time, the market is exploding and we as a company are open and ready.

We have the tools, expertise and experience of doing this globally, and we see that Nigeria is a young vibrant space.”

Banuso said the “mission is to empower every organization to achieve more, and we’ve realized that helping the ecosystem to grow will eventually grow the market and the region. Also, the more prosperous people are, the safer the environment is.

Obviously, we’ve created superior solutions that startups using our platforms could leverage to scale exponentially.”

Nigeria’s Team at the just-concluded 39th Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX 2019) which held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

GITEX 2019: Startups commend NITDA, request for increased slots

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tartups who participated at the 39th Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) have commended the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), just as they requested for more slots in subsequent exhibitions for more wins.

Some of the startups expressed their gratitude on Friday at the conclusion of GITEX at the Nigerian Pavilion that held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

GITEX is the biggest technology show in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia which attracted over 200,000 interests and more than 145 countries on technological advancements across the globe.

Co-Founder 247Medic, a health application that connects doctors with patients across Nigeria within a

maximum waiting time of 10 minutes, Mr Stephen Osawaru, said the agency needs to spread its reach to startups.

“I really appreciate the Federal Government of Nigeria and NITDA for this international exposure.

“We feel that they should engage more partners, state governments so that they can also be involved in sponsoring more startups.

“When the number of startups increases at this kind of exhibition, we will stand better chances to win at different categories of competitions,” he said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Notitia with Blue Circle application, a solution that digitizes patients’ medical history, Ms Chioma Aniegbe, said the federal government needs to be more open in creating awareness on its activities.

According to Aniegbe, there are so many Nigerian youths with innovative ideas but lacks the knowledge of the platform where to showcase their potential.

“The Federal Government should be more open in telling Nigerians what they do. Nigerians have the solution to tackle most of our problems because our problems are more local. We can use our applications, ideas to address our problems, all we just need is the licensing, the endorsements and the enabling environment to thrive,” Aniegbe said.

CEO Naira Packet, a Fintech solution thatreducesthecostsofmicrotransactions in Nigeria, secures crowd funding and donation platform for businesses, Mr Muyideen Oladipupo, said the exposure has allowed him see innovations and interact with other people.

90% of Nigerians lack access to safe, efficient electricity –Schneider Electric

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n estimated 90 per cent of Nigerians and 2.3 billion people globally lack access to safe and efficient electricity, according to Schneider Electric.

The company’s Managing Director, Anglophone West Africa, Mr Christophe Begat, said access to reliable power in Africa remained a challenge.

“About 90 per cent of Nigerians do not have access to safe, efficient electricity and this is a challenge to us to solve. Globally, an estimated 2.3 billion people do not have either or reliable access to electricity,’’ he said at the firm’s Digital Innovation Day 2019 in Lagos.

More than 500 participants, including stakeholders and

experts in technological innovations, automations and energy management had converged on Schneider Electric’s Innovation Day held at Lagos Continental Hotel on Saturday.

Deliberations and interactive sessions centered on contextual applications of the latest wave of digitization in powering the digital economy to increase efficiency, business growth, and profitability.

Experts also touched on issues, including having smart buildings — which can think, sense and adapt and also control and monitor from cell phones, tackling complex IT and DC environments with cloud-based management systems, big data analytics, mobile insights and

optimised operations.

Begat said human activities such as using generators and others were the main cause of rise in temperature globally and called for a coordinated effort by governments and power firms and other stakeholders to stem the trend.

He noted: “60 per cent of energy globally is lost and this is good for us (Schneider) as a challenge.

“There is an urgent need to reduce carbon emission all over the world and attain zero emission by 2030.’’

Schnieder Electric, Begat said, was committed to providing safe and clean electricity from solar and wind to address the current

faulty lines of energy transmission and attain full digital transmission of electricity to buildings.

Cluster President for Anglophone Africa, Mr Albert Fuchet, in a keynote address entitled, “Powering and Digitizing the Economy”, said the firm would deploy digital technologies to ensure efficiency and energy security and automation.

“Digital technologies provide possibilities for a wide range of benefits ranging from efficiency gains, customer intimacy, energy security and management, automation and remote operations, safer work environment, and a lot more, depending on the user’s preference.

“Ultimately, the organisation’s bottom line is impacted in a sustainable fashion. The broad application of Internet of Things (IoT) is still evolving. Exploring big data and cloud computing is ongoing. Also, virtually all equipment and operations can be made smart.

“In the oil and gas sector today, we see a fully automated offshore platform. What are the ancillary services to go with such innovations that Nigerians can offer? It does not stop there; more and more innovations are expected. Everyone who plays in the space needs to anticipate, know what is obtainable and participate profitably.”

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

e-Platform Google reportedly working on 5G Pixel

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oogle has started test production of a 5G-connected Pixel phone. This is a separate device from the Pixel 4 duo, which will only feature 4G connectivity – those are have already entered mass production and will be ready to ship soon after next week’s unveiling.

However, the Pixel 5G might not be unveiled next week or even this year. The sources say that Google could wait until

Spring to unveil the Pixel 5G alongside the affordable Pixel 4a.

That would still put it ahead of Apple, who won’t renew its premium lineup until September 2020. The only potential iPhone launch before that is of the rumored SE sequel and that certainly won’t have 5G. Anyway, the test production of the Pixel 5G is happening in China, but the units destined for the US market will be

Apple plans to build own 5G modem in 2022 iPhones

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pple bought Intel’s modem business earlier this year in an attempt to develop another piece of its hardware inhouse without being dependent on partners and their pace of research and development.

There’s still a lot of work to be done until that happens though as an inside source revealed that Apple’s own 5G modem is not coming to iPhones before 2022.

The current chipset supplier for Apple is Qualcomm, and the San Diego chip manufacturer has promised it will deliver 5G modems for the next-year iPhones.

However, given the rough year both companies had, fighting in court over licenses and malpractices, Apple wants to continue on its own. It started its own R&D team for RF modems and chips, which, not coincidentally, is based in the same Californian city as Qualcomm’s HQ - San Diego.

The source revealed that 2022 is the optimistic target.

Even if the fabrication is done in time, there should be given time for testing, optimization, certification to ensure compliance with global standards, as well as the domestic FCC. Apple mainly wants to have an integrated 5G modem in the SoC to lower the power consumption, although the Fast Company source says Cupertino is more likely to create both components separately for the 2022 iPhone, while an integrated platform will only arrive in 2023, despite the star acquisition that Apple made - it snatched Esin Terzioglu from Qualcomm, where he was VP of Engineering.

For comparison, Samsung unveiled the Exynos 980 with integrated 5G modem in August and should appear in smartphones by the end of the year, while Huawei is already selling the Mate 30 5G and Mate 30 Pro 5G with an integrated Kirin 990 5G chipset.

manufactured elsewhere to avoid the trade war – Vietnam is the most probable option.

Pixels are a bit player in the market with about a 0.5% share. However, this year Google is reportedly planning to double the 2018 shipments to 10 million.

Google Fi was supposed to launch its 5G service earlier this year, but that has not happened yet. This may have been delayed.

The new Tecno Phantom 9

Samsung soon to unveil Galaxy S10 Lite

…As international rollout of Android 10 beta for Galaxy S10 series starts

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outh Korean phone maker, Samsung is hinted of a Galaxy Note10 Lite (S10 Lite) in the works.

The Galaxy S10 Lite is rumored to feature 45W fast charging and Snapdargon 855 chipset, similarly to the Galaxy A91. In addition, it will have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage, 48MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide lens and 5MP depth sensor.

The front-facing snapper is supposed to be 32MP. Interestingly enough, a solid 4,500 mAh battery is expected to power up the device supporting 45W fast charging. The display should be 6.7” in diagonal with Full HD+ resolution.

Observers have, however, expressed doubts over the choice of ‘lite’ for a phoe that packs as

much features as the Galaxy S10, save for the cameras.

Meanwhile, after several teases, Samsung is finally bringing the Android 10 beta for its S10, S10e, S10+ and S10 5G phones internationally. The firmware was already live in South Korea for several days and now international users will be able to test out the new gesture navigation, Focus Mode, and One UI additions before the official Android 10 release.

Some new design features include improved notification management with minimized pop-ups and simplified button arrangement. The new design will come in handy during gaming sessions and media consumption as incoming calls will now take a significantly smaller portion of the

screen. Another tweak comes to the volume control HUD which has been slimmed down as well.

Dark mode has also been tweaked and now supports dimming wallpaper brightness and can adjust text, colors, notifications and the clock on the lock screen for easier readability.

The new Focus Mode allows you to pause certain apps during a set time period for fewer distractions. You will also get a redesigned Digital well-being tab for better control over your usage patterns.

In order to test out the new Android 10 beta build, S10 users will need to register through the Samsung Members app. Given that this is an early beta Samsung recommends that you don’t install this on your primary device.

Instagram rolls out Dark Mode across iOS, Android

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oday Instagram became the latest app that offers a dark mode for its interface.

The feature was in beta for some time and is finally available for the masses.

While the official Twitter post from Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri mentions the feature is live for iOS 13 and Android 10 devices, it’s also working on Android 9 phones which support a system-wide dark mode. The feature is triggered automatically once you toggle the dark theme in your device settings.

Dark Mode on Instagram for

Android Dark Mode on Instagram for Android Dark Mode on Instagram for Android Dark Mode on Instagram for Android.

The core functionality of the app remains unchanged. Dark colors replace all previously white user interface elements while other aspects like the top and bottom navigation bars feature a dark gray color.

While the added dark color palette is a nice addition you cannot toggle it within Instagram’s settings menu.

We hope this comes in future updates.

Xiaomi mulls phone with 120Hz display, 5X telephoto camera

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iaomi is working on a phone capable of recording 8K video at 30fps. Now with the first MIUI 11 beta out, sources at XDA Developers have discovered a refresh rate toggle in the display settings which comes with a 120 Hz option.

This confirms that Xiaomi is indeed working on a phone with the high refresh rate which up until now has only be featured on gaming phones like the two Razer Phones and the Asus ROG Phone II. In addition to the high refresh rate screen, it seems Xiaomi will

also offer improved telephoto sensors on its upcoming devices.

The camera app menu in MIUI 11 has revealed support for a new telephoto sensor with 5x optical zoom. In addition to that, there is an ultra-telephoto mode that will offer up to 50x digital zoom.

As of now, there is no indication that the same phone which will offer 8K video recording at 30fps will also come with the new telephoto camera and 120Hz refresh rate screen.

We’re expecting Xiaomi to give out some official clues in the meantime.

From left: Albert Fuchet, Cluster President, Anglophone Africa, Schneider Electric; Christophe Begat, Managing Director, Anglophone West Africa, Schneider Electric, Alhaji Bola Azeez, CEO, Bolamark Engineering Limited, Mojola Ola, Head, Building Business, Anglophone West Africa, Schneider Electric; Nurudeen Oyedeji, Channel Manager, Anglophone West Africa; Ifeanyi Odoh, Head, Offer Marketing and Business Development, Anglophone West Africa, Schneider Electric, during the just-concluded Schneider Electric’s Innovation Day which held at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Saturday.

Technology, solution to effective border management –NIS

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omptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr Muhammad Babandede, says technology and well trained personnel would guarantee effective border security and management.

Babandede who said this in a statement issued by the NIS Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Sunday James, Thursday in Abuja, posited that this would promote economic diversification, more jobs, and business opportunities for entrepreneurs in the country.

He also said that measures deployed by government especially the on-going

Operation Swift Response by the National Security Adviser had helped combat the menace, just as he assured that the border drill would continue to be a practice by the NIS as the Federal Government continue to harness the benefits of a safe border and nation.

“That is the heart of National Security Strategy culminating in secured, economically viable and prosperous nation.

“The two lead agencies in border security; Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) and NIS are leading others to enforce government directive by emplacing regular

migration and halting of smuggling activities across the Nigerian borders.

“This has been done with her neighbours which had yielded huge economic benefits of increased local production and consumption of local products inclusive market for home grown products.

“The agencies had stepped up security at the border for enhanced Internal Security with the ripple effects of massive arrests, apprehensions of criminal elements operating across the border as smugglers of goods and human beings.

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

EQUITY & Capital Market SEC pledges commitment to sustainable financing Stories By JEROME USHAKANG

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he Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, remains a strong advocate for the promotion of infrastructural development through sustainable financing.

So said the Acting Director General of (SEC), Ms. Mary Uduk at the formal launch of the Financial Centre for Sustainability in Lagos.

She said that the SEC believes, and very strongly too, that huge budget deficit and infrastructural gap in the country can be financed by harnessing resources available from sustainability finance investors and interest groups around the world.

The Acting D-G. stated that as Nigeria strives to build a diversified economy that harnesses the resources of non-oil sectors to anchor the transition to a more resilient economy, there is the urgent need to close the huge infrastructure gap with investments in sustainable finance initiatives driven primarily by complimentary efforts of the government, regulators and the financial services industry to direct financial capital to more sustainable economic activity.

Uduk said, “It is therefore my expectation that the launch of the Financial Centre for Sustainability, Lagos would serve as a rallying point for further discussions and engagement on ways of taking advantage of the enormous

resources and potential of sustainable financing to address the infrastructure gap of our country, deepen the product offering in the Nigerian Capital Market and create greater prosperity for investors and our people.

“There are tremendous opportunities in the areas of power generation and transmission, rail transportation, housing, agriculture and water, among others, where sustainable financing can be an avenue for the private sector to partner with government in the overall drive for prosperity and economic development.

“The Federal Government through the Debt Management Office (DMO) has led the way in Africa in this regard by issuing the first sovereign green bond in December 2017. It has since followed up with another N15billion issuance in June this year specifically to fund renewable energy, aforestation and transportation.

The Acting DG revealed that following the approval of the Commission’s Rules on Green Bonds in October 2018, two issuances have been made by North South Power Services Limited and Access Bank Plc worth N8.56 billion and N15billion respectively, to finance various infrastructural projects in the power, water and agriculture sectors of the Nigerian economy.

She said the onus therefore lies with all in the financial services industry to work together and continue to expand these issuances

SEC Acting DG, Ms Mary Uduk by locating a need and fashioning appropriate sustainable financing products to meet them.

“In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission led the creation of sustainable finance guidelines and disclosure requirements for capital market operators. The guidelines which will be rolled out before the end of the year were developed in line with the Nigerian Sustainable Finance Principles (NSFP),as adopted by the Financial Services Regulatory Council Committee (FSRCC).

“We expect more issuances given that the huge infrastructural gap not only promises competitive returns on investment, but more importantly

CEO, NSE, Oscar Onyema ring-fences the issue proceeds from misappropriation as the funds are tied to specific projects and would only be disbursed in line with the provisions of the issue prospectus”. she added.

In his remarks, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu tasked citizens to collectively deal with the large amounts of domestic, commercial and industrial waste generated daily across the city.

The Governor stressed that as a coastal city, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Lagos is at the mercy of rising sea levels. Our traffic situation means that the population is at the mercy of unchecked levels of emissions arising from the largest

concentration of automobiles in Nigeria.

He said that while all the issues outlined pose huge challenges, the citizens must also consider the fact that the opportunities also provide innovative ways of dealing with our environmental hazards which must first be seen, and then seized, adding that the “massive amounts of waste we generate represent huge potential for the recycling industry, and even for power generation.

Sanwo-Olu said that there are huge opportunities everywhere, but to convert these opportunities to manifest reality, great amounts of investment are needed, especially from the private sector.

NSE, LuxSE sign MoU to expand Green Bond markets

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in promoting cross listing and trading of green bonds in Nigeria and Luxembourg.

The signing ceremony was led by the NSE CEO, Mr. Oscar Onyema and LuxSE CEO, Mr. Robert Scharfe, during the annual meeting of the World Federation of Exchanges in Singapore on Wednesday, October 9, 2019.

The MoU further establishes an agreement for the two exchanges to collaborate with a view to sharing best practices and organising joint initiatives in their respective

markets.

Speaking at the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema said “This collaboration reinforces NSE’s drive to foster the growth of sustainable finance in Nigeria, a journey that commenced with the launch of the first Sovereign Green Bond by NSE, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Finance and the Debt Management Office.”

He emphasized that with the MoU, issuers will enjoy the benefit of increased visibility through the cross listing of their securities in Nigeria and Luxembourg. According to him, the partnership will further facilitate the growth of the Green Finance

industry in Nigeria and ultimately deepen the Nigerian capital market through the mobilisation of the foreign green capital needed to fund sustainable projects in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the CEO of LuxSE, Mr. Robert Scharfe, noted that sustainable finance is becoming a truly global movement, adding that by joining forces with other exchanges to promote and facilitate green finance, we strive to accelerate the sustainable finance agenda and increase awareness of and interest in investment projects that support the sustainable development that our world needs. “We are pleased to cooperate with the Nigerian Stock Exchange to further strengthen sustainable finance in and between

our markets.” He said.

The Nigerian Green bond market received international recognition following the issuance and listing on the NSE of the ₦10.69billion Federal Government sovereign green bond in December 2017. This issuance sparked significant interest from the international and local capital market communities as it opened new investment opportunities, especially for domestic investors, to increase their exposure to financial instruments that generate social and environmental impact.

The Luxembourg Stock Exchange operates the Luxembourg Green Exchange (LGX), a platform exclusively dedicated to sustainable finance instruments. LGX now holds

a 50 percent global market share of listed green, social and sustainability bonds. LuxSE works closely with selected stock exchanges around the world to support the growth of sustainable finance.

Meanwhile, The Nigerian Stock Exchange is a company limited by guarantee and services the largest economy in Africa and is championing the development of Africa’s financial markets. The Exchange offers listing and trading services, licensing services, market data solutions, ancillary technology services, and more. The Nigerian Stock Exchange continues to evolve to meet the needs of its valued customers, and to achieve the highest level of competitiveness.

NSE Rules on pricing methodology now effective

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he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has announced that the amendment to the rules on Pricing Methodology regarding price movements of equity securities traded on The Exchange is now effective.

Specifically, the amendments relate to the minimum trade quantity required to change prices for equity securities traded on the floor of Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The Exchange in a statement said the reviewed Rules became effective last Friday, October 11, 2019. According to the NSE, the amended rules are: Rules 15:29.2. C.2 of the Rulebook of the Exchange, 2015 (Dealing Members’

Rules).

With this review, the minimum trade quantity required to change prices for equity securities traded on The Exchange will henceforth be one hundred thousand (100,000) units for all securities groups. This implies that trades of fewer than One Hundred Thousand (100,000) shares in any of the groups are small trades.

Small trades in an equity security will not result in a change in the publicly reported price of such security.

The revised pricing methodology is expected to ensure overall market stability, and efficiency and fairness in pricing NSE securities.

The Exchange had on January 29, 2018, implemented amendments to its pricing methodology and par value rules that saw the categorisation of quoted companies under three groups with different pricing rules.

Group ‘A’ consists of large-cap equities that are priced at N100 per share or above for at least four of the last six trading months, or new security listings that are priced at N100 or above at the time of listing on the Exchange.

The second category, Group ‘B’ consists of medium-priced equities that are priced at N5 per share or above but less than N100 per share for

at least four of the last six months, or new security listings that are priced at N5 per share or above but less than N100 per share at the time of listing on the Exchange.

The third category, Group ‘C’ consists of equities that are priced at one kobo per share or above but below N5 per share for at least four of the last six months, or new security listings that are priced at one kobo per share or above but below N5 per share at the time of listing on the Exchange.

Hitherto, the prices of securities would only change if the volume of a trade was at a threshold of 10,000 for securities in Group A, 50,000 for

securities in Group B and 100,00 for securities in Group C Commenting on the amendment, the Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema, said,”The Exchange remains committed to maintaining a platform that engenders a fair and efficient market. This change is born out of the need to ensure that all price improving (up/down) transactions are material, making the market more efficient and attractive.

We will continue to review our rules and rule-making processes to boost investor confidence in our market, while ensuring that NSE rules comply with international best practice.”

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The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

MONEY Market $25bn FDI injected into the nation’s economy after recession helped boosting it Stories By Kayode Ogunwale

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he Federal Government has said that the $25 billion Foreign Direct Investment injected by Nigerians in diaspora after the nation exited recession in 2018 helped revived Nigeria’s economy.

Chairman, Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, revealed that Nigerians have expressed desire to inject their funds in over 200 businesses and projects across different sectors of the economy.

According to her, some of the sectors of interest are agriculture, telecommunication, technology, real estate, health and education among others.

She explained that over 300 investors would participate in the 2019 Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit scheduled for November 6-7, 2019, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to her, the summit tagged, ‘Leveraging Diaspora Investment for Economic Growth,’ is supported by the Nigeria Diaspora Alumni Network.

Other sponsors are Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Bank of Industry, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Bauchi State Government, Keystone Bank, and Rwandair, among others.

She said, “The summit underscores the fact that Nigerians in the diaspora represent a gamechanging leverage for the country as the economy exits recession and heads towards growth. They currently account for the highest

net contribution to FDI inflows into the country with $25 billion remitted in 2018.

“This year’s summit could not have come at a better following the presentation of the national budget and fiscal plans for the year 2020, marking a return to the old January to December fiscal year.”

According to her, the summit organizers’ decision to prioritize investment in small businesses was informed by the government’s current emphasis on providing support for the small business sector, and agriculture.

UBA promises to put customers’ needs first as it holds 2019 forum in Lagos

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nited Bank for Africa(UBA) has again reiterated its commitment to surpass the expectations of its customers through the provision of products and services that meet their needs. The Bank made this promise at a special Customer Forum to mark the 2019 edition of the Customer’s Service Week.

The forum which was held at the bank’s Head Office, in Lagos, was very interactive and presented an opportunity for the management, staff and customers to share ideas on how to improve customersatisfaction, in line with the bank’s Customer First Philosophy.

UBA’s Group Executive, Customer Fulfilment Centre, Mr Anant Rao, who welcomed customers to the forum, explained that the bank has deliberately re-focused and reengineered its activities to put the customers first, adding that it has been leveraging on a three-prong lever of People, Process and Technology, in a bid to ensure maximum satisfaction to the customers, without whom the bank will not exist.

He said, “The singular mission of our consistent and superior customer experience has been imbibed into the DNA of each and every staff of the bank. In this way, there is no gainsaying that Service has been institutionalized at UBA. The mantra of our Customers being our employers has been ingrained into the psyche of each and every staff.”

Also speaking, the Group Head, Marketing, Mrs Dupe Olusola, said the bank has tailored a lot of products to assist customers to thrive in their various fields, adding that there was a lot of focus on small and medium scale enterprises which are growth drivers of any growing economy.

She said, “At UBA, we are constantly thinking about you, creating personalized products you need to achieve your goals. Right from the kids, children, young adults, students to the mass retail market; SMEs; creative industry; agricultural; UBA has something for everyone, and we are here at your service all the time.”

Some of the customers who were at the event, commended the bank for the services it rendered to them, and also pointed out areas of improvement and expectation, adding that this will lead to beneficial interests to both parties.

UBA Customers, Mr Adegbola Abiodun and Mrs Adebanke Adegbola; Regional Head, Lagos Bank, UBA Plc, Mrs Pamela Shodipo; UBA Customer, Mrs Adepele Amure; Group Executive, Transformation and Resources, UBA Plc, Mr Chiugo Ndubuisi; UBA Customer, High Chief Goddy Ulasi; Group Head, Marketing, Mrs Dupe Olusola; Regional Head, Lagos Bank, Ms Emem Usoro; at the special UBA Customer Forum held to commemorate 2019 Customer Service Week in Lagos.

Sustainable Banking Network accelerates expansion of sustainable finance in Africa

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hirty-eight emerging market economies, including five countries in Africa, have initiated key banking reforms to drive development and fight climate change, according to the second Global Progress Report of the IFC-facilitated Sustainable Banking Network (SBN).

The SBN Global Progress Report shows that regulators and banking associations in countries in Africa are adopting national sustainable finance policies and voluntary principles as well as advancing green bond markets and innovative green lending policies.

According to IFC’s Regional Director, Southern Africa & Nigeria, Kevin Njiraini, “African countries will be among the hardest hit by climate change and Africa already faces daunting challenges around job creation and inequality,” He said, advancing sustainable finance is critical to help the region build competitive and resilient financial services that support inclusive economic development.”

In addition to providing practical resources for countries

undertaking sustainable finance reforms, the report also highlights the knowledge shared by SBN members, a hallmark approach of the network. This includes country progress reports from SBN’s six African member countries: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa.

According to the report, the key sustainable finance developments in the region include: “Nigeria issued the first sovereign green bond in the region at the end of 2017 and Nigeria’s Access bank issued the first Certified Corporate Green Bond in Africa in April 2019.

Morocco led the region in a first green bond framework in 2016, which was expanded to include social and sustainability bonds in 2018. Through the Marrakech Pledge, Morocco is championing a continent-wide effort to foster green capital markets in Africa.

South Africa’s Johannesburg Stock Exchange introduced a green bond segment in 2017 as part of the country’s sector-wide approach to sustainable finance that includes banking, insurance, pension funds,

and asset management.

Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority introduced green bond guidelines in February 2019 and saw issuance of Kenya’s first green bond in September 2019 for affordable green student housing. Kenya has also introduced tax incentives for green bonds – a first in Africa.

Ghanaian banks adopted the Sustainable Banking Principles with Bank of Ghana support in the summer of 2019.

Egypt has committed to draft a national roadmap for sustainable finance by 2020.”

Green Bonds are any type of bond instrument where the proceeds will be exclusively applied to eligible environmental projects.

They are regulated instruments subject to the same capital market and financial regulation as other listed fixed income securities.

The SBN report is based on an innovative results-measurement approach developed by SBN members as they work to convert sustainable finance policy reforms into practical implementation and behavior change across the banking sector.

Fidelity Bank canvasses better data sharing in retail growth

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he Executive Director, Operations and Information, Fidelity Bank Plc, Gbolahan Joshua has advised data validation agencies and organisations to adopt appropriate policies that provide financial institutions with the required flexibility to utilise available customer data.

Joshua who gave the counsel during a panel session at the 10th anniversary celebration of Verve in Lagos recently, explained that this would assist banks in the country drive new levels of customer engagements across digital channels and systems.

He harped on the need for data generating institutions in Nigeria to explore fresh ways to collaborate with one another.

Alluding to the importance of data validation as a major driver in enhancing the Know Your Customer (KYC) policy, Joshua noted that harmonization of disparate databases will accelerate lending processes by Banks.

“Digital identity is very critical in digital banking operations.

Industry collaboration must be embraced by both financial institutions and database generating institutions to simplify digital banking operations” he said.

Whilst stating that the bank was not averse to data sharing, Joshua said that the lender had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Open Technology Foundation (OTF) for the adoption of a standard Application Programming Interface (API) for its operations as a financial institution.

Open Banking is a system that provides a user with a network of financial institutions’ data through the use of application programming interfaces (APIs).

The Open Banking Nigeria Standard defines how financial data and services should be created, shared and accessed.

By relying on networks instead of centralisation, open banking helps customers to securely share their financial data with other financial institutions.

The panel discussion was moderated by Chief Executive Officer, Verve International, Mike Ogbalu III. Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Payment Processing, Interswitch, Akeem Lawal, Head, Consumer Distribution, Ecobank Nigeria, Stanley Jacob and Executive Director, Retail Bank, FCMB, Olu Akanmu also featured as panelist at the event.

Mike Ogbalu expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank and all partners of verve that were present at the event whilst assuring them that endless possibilities awaits the digital space in Banking.

The event which offered a unique opportunity for all participants to network with the industry’s brightest, had in attendance, a number business leaders and industry experts who gave valuable insights into the latest tech trends and shared experiences.

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The Oracle Today Tuesday Ocotober 15 -21, 2019

Crime

Social media, critical tool in crime fighting – IGP Adamu

Stories by VICTOR NZE

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igeria Police Force has announced that a massive counter-kidnapping operation is currently going on in Abuja and its environs.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, said the operation is aimed at rescuing all victims of recent kidnapping incidents in and around the Federal capital Territory (FCT).

“The Nigeria Police Force is currently carrying out a massive counter kidnapping operation aimed at rescuing all victims of recent kidnapping incidents in and around the FCT. “The exercise which is a joint operation between the Police and other security agents, is being carried out around Kuje - Robuchi axis and other blackspots within the Federal Capital Territory.

“Citizens are advised not to panic but remain calm as the law enforcement agencies and the security community are determined to rescue all the victims unhurt, arrest the kidnappers and their collaborators and restore law and order,” read the statement.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Mohammed Adamu, has advised Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs) to take advantage of the platform presented by social media in engaging the public on crime-related issues and awareness creation.

Adamu gave the advice at the closing ceremony of the just concluded 4 - day training workshop for all police spokespersons.

The workshop which attracted Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs) from the 36 states of the Federation, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 12 Zonal Police Public Relations Officers as well as Staff Officers of the Force Public Relations Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja, held at the Banquet Hall of the Golden Tulip Hotel, Agulu Lake, near Awka, in Anambra State.

The participants were later at the closing ceremony presented with certificates and assured of continuous training to meet up with modern policing trends in combating misinformation and fake news.

The training was coordinated by

•As police launch massive counter-kidnapping operation in FCT resource persons from the School of Media and Communication, Pan Atlantic University (PAU), Lagos.

In a related development, Force Public Relations Officer, Abuja, Mr Frank Mba, says the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohamed Abubakar, is committed to enthroning a more efficient, people friendly and community-oriented police force.

Mba said this, Friday on the sidelines of the capacity building workshop for Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs) in the country, which held in Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra.

He described policing as a dynamic profession which, according to him, draws its characteristic from the dynamic nature of the society it was established to police.

Mba said that spokesmen for the police, who doubled as image makers, serve as gateway for information management between the force and its stakeholders in the implementation of the national programme on community policing.

He said: “The PPROs are the van-

guard of the community policing programme, so they are here to be prepared and equipped with modern tools for discharging this core mandate and achieving the overall objective of the Nigerian police.

“They are here to learn, unlearn and relearn so that they can be better in what they do and also serve the nation and the people better.”

Mba said that the force would sustain the training and re-retraining of the PPROs because the world had become fast changing in crime mapping.

He said that PPROs needed to upgrade, constantly trained and retrained to be in top shape to do their job, especially with the emerging new media technology.

He said that the workshop was designed to inculcate in the officers the capacity to inform the public factually about the workings of the force and also launder its image.

“It is the responsibility of the police image makers to reposition the Nigerian police and after this capacity building conference, Nigerians will see the swift improvement in

these officers,” he said.

A cross-section of the PPROs, who spoke on their experiences at the workshop, paid special tribute to the IGP for initiating the programme.

Ebere Amaraizu (Enugu state command); Haruna Mohamed (Anambra); Ikechukwu Ogu (Ekiti state); Bala Elkana (Lagos state); Abdullahi Haruna (Kano state) and Mac Odiko (Akwa Ibom) all described the workshop as rich and educative.

They said that aside from availing all the PPROs in the country the rare opportunity to meet and interact with one another, it also equipped them with the necessary communication tool to discharge their duties more efficiently to the force and members of the public.

No fewer than 37 PPROs from the 36 state commands and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, along with zonal PPROs of the 12 police zonal commands and many top officers from Force Headquarters attended the training, which began on October 8.

•From left: Police Public Relations Officers (PPRO), Force Headquarters, Mr Frank Mba; Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano during just-concluded 4-day intensive capacity building Workshop for Police Public Relations Officers in Nigeria, comprising Police Public Relations Officers (PPROs) from the 36 states of the Federation, the FCT, 12 Zonal Police Public Relations Officers as well as Staff Officers of the Force Public Relations Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja, which held at the Banquet Hall of the Golden Tulip Hotel, Agulu Lake, near Awka

Navy nabs 4 suspected smugglers, seizes foreign rice in Akwa Ibom

igerian Navy, Forward OperatN ing Base (FOB) Ibaka, Mbo Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom

ing space until the illegal trade was completely eradicated.

Yilme, represented by the Base has nabbed four suspected smug- Operations Officer, Lt. Commander glers in connection with the smug- Kabiru Yusuf, said their action was gling of 220 bags of 50kg rice. in line with the directives of the Commanding Officer, FOB, Capt.

Peter Yilme said this in Ibaka during the hand-over of the suspects and items to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

He said that the Navy was commitolice Command in Nasarawa ted to making sure that perpetraState has arrested one Ahmed tors of the illegal trade were made Abdullahi, 23, for allegedly stabbing to face the full wrath of the law.

Yilme said that the suspects were his stepmother to death.

The command’s Public Relations caught with wooden boat carrying the smuggled rice, adding that Navy Officer, Mr Ramhan Nansel, who seized the items during a routine pa- confirmed the arrest, Saturday in Lafia, said the suspect allegedly trol around the Effiat waterways.

He said since the smugglers had committed the act at about 11 p.m. failed to relent from their ways, the on Friday at Ungwan-Yakubu, AgNavy would give them no breath- yaragu village, in Obi Local Govern-

Chief of Naval Staff and in compliance with the reference of the FOB. “On behalf of the Commanding Officer, I am handing over 220 bags of suspected smuggled rice to the Nigeria Customs Service,” he said.

Police arrest man, 23, for allegedly killing step mother

P

ment Area of the state.

According to the police spokesman, the suspect escaped from the scene of the incident and went into hiding, but that he was fished him out of his hideout on Saturday morning.

He said the suspect was about to be lynched by people of the village before the police intervened and took him into custody.

While receiving the 4 suspects and rice, Mr Alabi Adedokun, Deputy Superintendent of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), commended the Navy for the cooperation existing between them.

He said: “On behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), I, Alabi, Adedokun take over the 4 defendants and 220 bags of foreign parboiled rice, on behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service, we thank you very much.”

Speaking on behalf of the suspects, Godwin Nseyoh, 29 years old from Mbo Local Government Area, confessed that he did not know that smuggling rice was wrong.

“I am a fisherman in Effiat community. I didn’t know that bringing in rice from Cameroon is wrong,” he said.

NIS upbeat on new National Border Management Strategy

N

igeria Immigration Service (NIS) says that the new National Border Management Strategy (NBMS) will enhance national security, contribute to national economic development and promote social harmony.

Comptroller General, Muhammed Babandede, said this at a “Sensitization Workshop for Stakeholders on the Nigeria Immigration Service National Border Management Strategy” which held in Owerri on Friday.

The Comptroller General was represented by the Assistant Comptroller General of NIS in charge of Training and Staff Development, NIS, Abuja, Mrs Cecilia Adeuyi.

He said the objectives would be achieved through deployment of technology and human capacity as well as implementation of integrated border management concept.

Babandede said the workshop was to articulate a renewed fiveyear vision and institutional approach to border management in Nigeria within the scope of NIS as the lead agency for border management in the country, while taking into consideration the need for inter-agency collaboration.

He said the strategy would be limited to the movement of persons and would use an extended concept of border management that would include virtual borders through visa regimes, advance passenger information and related approaches as well as aspects of internal management of migration for non-nationals already in the country.

Babadede said the NIS had the mandate to protect national borders by maximazing the positive impacts of migration and the negative aspects, adding that securing national borders should be a joint task and a task that must be achieved by all.

According to him, the decision to undertake a strategic review and renewal of national border management strategy is motivated by major challenges in migration dynamics in the country and resolution of conflict tensions among bordering states.

Remarking, National Programme Officer, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Mrs Ukamaka Osigwe, who represented the Chief of Mission of IOM, Mr Frantz Celistin, said the organisation had partnered with the NIS in the past years in the areas of migration governance, data and policy, IBM-MIDAS installations and capacity building.

According to the IOM boss, the rationale behind the development of the strategy is to articulate a renewed vision and approach to border management in Nigeria within the scope of the duties of the lead agency for border management, the NIS. Celistin said he made the observation taking into consideration the responsibilities of other Nigerian government agencies responsible for other aspects of border management and the need for inter-agency collaboration.

Celistin pledged continued partnership of the organisation with the NIS through the provision of the required assistance.

Earlier, the Comptroller of NIS in Imo, Mr David Ringshun, said the document was very important as it would communicate the plans and strategies that NIS, as the lead agency, intended to employ in managing Nigeria’s vast territorial borders.

34

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

Crime Feature

End of the road for ‘Lucifer’

Why would anyone with good intentions go by the alias ‘Lucifer’? And why would anyone with a noble heart and a gentle spirit go by the moniker ‘devil’?

Indeed, why? The nefarious activities and unbridled killing escapades of the these two dreaded cultists and notorious kidnappers who bore these unedifying names, underscores the notion that nicknames or aliases are pointers to evil thoughts that lurk in the hearts of those who bear such names. And this time, the mournful nicknames are borne by very vicious criminals who have killed so many innocent people and, by their actions, instilled pain, agony, misery and sorrow in the hearts and homes of many families.

Ekwueme Brown Ike, an indigene of Egamini Rundele, in Emohua Local Government Area, who discarded his real name and chose to be known as Lucifer, is a cultist and kidnapper with expansive criminal contacts and a foreboding profile. Although there are other pockets of criminal gangs operating along the East-West Road, ‘Lucifer’ and his members constitute the most dangerous and major kidnap gang responsible for the hijack of some commercial buses and abduction of passengers in the Rundele axis of the East- West Road in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Personnel of Operation Sting, the joint security outfit created by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, in conjunction with the security agencies, had been tracking ‘Lucifer’ and members of his gang over his deadly enterprise. ‘Lucifer’ had been on the wanted list of the security agencies for some years. But he had remained evasive while hijacking private vehicles and commercial buses and abducting innocent passengers to fulfill personal legitimate obligations along the Rundele axis of the East-West Road.

Although ‘Lucifer’ is from Egamini Rundele, he scarcely lives in his community. To evade arrest, Lucifer like most criminals have camps inside the forest, where they think the security personnel would be scared to come to.

In some cases, they build their camps in forest close to rivers. They are fabulously rich from the ransom they collect for the release of their victims, so, they anchor fast moving boats nearby to assure them of a two-way get-away: either through land, meandering through the many pathways that they have rehearsed, or jump into the water boats and speed off through the river.

But this time, it was different. ‘Lucifer’ met his Waterloo! After securing diligent security intelligence, the Commander of Operation Sting, Assistant Commissioner of Police ACP. Shem Evans, put together a tactical strategy to apprehend ‘Lucifer’ and members of his gang.

For security reasons, the exact location or community where ‘Lucifer’ was seen was not revealed by the security agencies. Kidnap criminal gangs have multiple informers. They could be those selling on the roadsides; Motorcycle (Okada) riders; Tricycle riders; farmers, among others.

When ‘Lucifer’ and members of his gang noticed that they were being tracked, they fled towards Bayelsa

Dreaded cultists, kidnappers mauled down as Police trail them to forest-camps in Rivers, Bayelsa. In particular, security operatives have killed ‘Lucifer’, mastermind of kidnappings along East-West Road in Bayelsa State, along with ‘Devil’, another cultist/kidnapper that has killed over 30 people in Rivers forest. From Port Harcourt, NATH OMAME, Jr. reports State. The Police didn’t disclose whether ‘Lucifer’ and his deadly gang used the river or bush part as they ran away to evade arrest.

The security operatives revved up their chase of the criminal gang to Bayelsa State. ‘Lucifer’ on sighting the security personnel started shooting at the law enforcement agents, who armed with superior fire-power, returned fire-for-fire.

When echoes of the ferocious rattat-tat died down, the notorious reign of ‘Lucifer’, tinctured with blood, was, brusquely, terminated. He lay dead.

Motionless. As the leader of his criminal gang, he dared to show leadership by engaging the security personnel in a shoot-out, ostensibly, to pave way for his ‘boys’ to chart an orifice for their escape.

But ‘Lucifer’ was felled by State-Power, on Tuesday, October 1, Nigeria’s National Independence Day. The death of Lucifer is, without doubt, a remarkable victory for the security agencies. It will reduce the fear motorists go through and the morbid fright passengers harbour when plying the road.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Nnamdi Omoni, stated that “Lucifer was responsible for all the kidnappings and hijack of commercial buses in the Ndele area of the East- West Road.

The entire Rundele community has been thrown into wild jubilation as a result of his death.”

The celebration of Lucifer’s death in Egamini Rundele was infectious because of the widespread perception in the community that Ekwueme Brown Ike could not be killed by a gunshot because they were of the opinion that his charms would not fail him.

According to the Police, other members of Lucifer’s gang fled with bullet wounds, some with life-threatening bullet wounds. Omoni maintained that investigation had been intensified and assured that other members of Lucifer’s deadly gang that fled the chase by security personnel would be apprehended.

From what is playing out now, it is clear that the security agencies are fully prepared to restore normalcy in Rivers State. Currently, the greatest threat to peace, safety, security, and communal harmony is kidnapping. There is pervasive fear by millions of Rivers indigenes and residents alike over the rampaging escapade of kidnappers.

The situation is so bad that two Policemen and a civilian were on Tuesday, October 8, kidnapped at Ngo Community, in Andoni Local Government Area, by unknown gunmen who took their abductors to an unknown destination.

That singular development does not in anyway diminish the joint effort of the security agencies in combating full blast the suffocating menace of kidnapping. The Police has, however, stated that its operatives were on the trail

of the hoodlums.

Another cheering news, indeed, filtered in six days after Lucifer was killed by the Police. On Sunday, October 6, the Police killed another kidnap kingpin, Linus Lebari, 35, also known as “Devil” from Tekon Sogho community, in Khana Local Government Area.

‘Devil’ and members of his gang have killed over 30 people in Khana and Gokana Local Government Areas in Ogoni Land after collecting ransom for the release of their victims. Lebari and his criminal gang in the course of his criminal enterprise have also been terrorising the Ogoni end of the EastWest Road.

Personnel of the Rivers State Police Command attached to the Bori Division in the Khana Local Government Area of the state, had on Sunday, October 6, trailed Lebari and members of his gang to their hideout in the Okwale forest - a boundary between Rivers and Abia States.

At about after 8.pm, on that fateful day, Lebari and his gang members noticed strange movements around their hideout and opened fire on the policemen and injured two cops in the process.

Police spokesman, Omoni explained that “the hoodlums, on noticing irregular movements around their camp,

started shooting randomly, but in a return of fire from the police one of them was fatally wounded.”

“The police returned fire, killed Lebari and injured his gang members, who took to their heels with bullet wounds. Efforts are on to arrest other gang members, who fled with gunshot wounds,” he assured.

The Police is, however, “appealing for the cooperation of the public to share credible information that will lead to the arrest of these criminals.”

The greatest cooperation that the Police can get will come from the kidnappers, amongst whom the Police claim are some who fled with life-threatening bullet wounds. It is not unlikely that some of the kidnappers who sustained bullet wounds were arrested in the course of exchange of gunfire.

In general, criminals believe hugely in the protection they claim they get from their charms. The charms are prepared for them by native doctors. The native doctors are human beings who live in diverse communities. Criminals patronise native doctors in different parts of Nigeria.

For instance, residents of Egamini Rundele assumed ‘Lucifer’ was beyond death because of the charms he possessed, which gave him the weird courage to maim, rob, kill and kidnap

35

The Oracle Today Tuesday October 15 - 21, 2019

Crime Feature

people for ransom with boundless impunity. But, ironically, he was killled by a bullet.

So, who prepared the charm (s) for him? Vampire, another dreaded armed robber who was once arrrested and rescued by his gang members at the premises of a court in Owerri, in Imo State, was later killed in a forest in Ikwerre Local Government Area, in Rivers State.

He had claimed that the Police succeeded in arresting him in Imo State because he didn’t take his charms with him on the day that he was arrested.

So, locating and neutralising those who prepare these charms for criminals to destroy other peoples’ lives will be a worthwhile strategy.

Moreover, most criminals hit by bullets during exchange of gunfire with security agents patronise native doctors for treatment to avoid the prying eyes of security personnel. Or, arrange for equally criminal-minded health personnel, mostly quacks to treat them in very seedy places, luring them with cash.

From the confessions of criminals

apprehended by security agents, the boldness to commit high-level crimes is predicated on the intake of drugs or the influence of narcotics or other illegal substances that transform them from being ordinary rational human beings to dare-devil fearless and utterly heartless vampires.

Criminals operate with information.

Kidnappers have a complex network of informants and collaborators. How do kidnappers know what vehicle their target has boarded? How do they identify their target at the park? How do they know the very park their target boarded a vehicle? How do the kidnappers know that their target is in the First, Second or Third Bus? A local government chairman in Rivers State, last year, accused some drivers of two popular transport companies of colluding with kidnappers. The companies made spirited attempts to defend their drivers.

In furtherance of the allegation of the local chairman, why should the driver of an 18-seater commercial bus from Abuja, on entering Rivers State from the Owerri axis, at about 9.pm, be en-

gaged in a telephone conversation, telling whomsoever he is speaking to his exact location?

Why should the driver of an 18-seater commercial bus be speaking on the phone with one hand on the steering at the time of the day? First, his action is a traffic offence. Second, in disclosing his location, he is deliberately putting the lives of his passengers, whose safety has been entrusted to him by his employers at grave risk.

It will be utterly ludicrous to cavalierly dismiss the accusation of the local government chairman that some commercial bus drivers are accomplices to the odious crime of kidnapping.

True, the security agencies have the training, ability and capacity to track the fearful and complex web of informers being used by the kidnappers.

Those who sell tickets at the public parks and those who load the vehicles.

Those who sell alcohol drinks or even food at the parks are not the kind of people travellers should strike an intimate conversation with, for the risk is enormous.

And, then, most worrisome are those

who sell tickets at the private parks of established commercial transport companies to travellers - whose passengers, drivers and buses have become veritable targets of multiple kidnap gangs.

Established commercial transport companies have become veritable targets of kidnappers. Why is it that buses coming from Abuja or say Lagos, have an unhindered trip until they enter the boundaries of Rivers State?

Commercial buses coming through Owerri often run into the dark spot around Elele - Isiokpo - Omarelu in Ikwerre Local Government Area, while those entering Rivers State from the Delta/Bayelsa area run into the dark spot at the Rundele axis along the EastWest Road?

Despite the vigorous efforts of the Rivers state governor, the chairmen of Ikwerre and Emohua Local Government Areas and the security agencies at checkmating kidnappers, the hijacking of of commercial buses and the abduction of passengers have continued with boundless impunity.

The killing of ‘Lucifer’, on Tuesday, October 1, who operates along the Rundele axis of the East-West Road; and the elimination of Devil, on Sunday, October 6, who perpetuates his evil deeds along the Ogoni axis of the East-West Road, shows, clearly, that the crime of kidnapping has festered because of a complex and damnable web of hideous informers who nurture these villains with sensitive information which the hoodlums process to fuel their bloody enterprise.

For the concerted efforts of the Rivers State government; Ikwerre and Emohua local governments as well as other local governments; and the security agencies to succeed in curbing kidnapping, the expansive and deeply entrenched web of informers should be deeply investigated, unearthed and wholesomely decimated.

To make assurance double sure, the passport photograhs all drivers of commercial buses should be deposited with the Rivers State Police Command in the form of a second Identification Card (ID). Their phone numbers should also be attached to their ID’s and given to the Police.

The passports of all workers in transport companies and their phone numbers: loaders, and essentially, ticket sellers of established commercial transport companies should be given by the management of such companies to the Police.

All those who do businesses at the parks should also have an ID and phone numbers, a copy of which should be with the Police, with their verifiable phone numbers. Any driver, loader, ticket seller or owner of a business outlet caught making a telephone call with an unbelievable phone number should be arrested and dismissed from working in the transport company or from working or dong business at the park.

As for parks controlled by the local governments, the same procedure should apply. In all sincerity, the Police and the Department of State Security (DSS) should deploy undercover agents to these parks. The result of this elaborate security architecture will yield bountifully dividends and patently diminish the horrendous menace of kidnapping on the highways. idnapping of passengers on the highway has become a desperate disease which equally deserves a no-holdsbarred strategy of wholesome containment. For as the saying goes, to make an omelet, you need to break an egg!

36

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

Relationships and Love Advice

‘I love him, but he doesn’t have time for me’

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37

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

SPORTS

Super Rohr lauds Eagles’ performance Falcons captain on against Brazil in Singapore • Rues poor handling of activities by Pinnick led NFF target • As Barca Ladies defeat Sporting De Huelva

S

uper Falcons’ Captain, Asisat Oshoala netted the winner for Barcelona as they beat Sporting de Huelva 1-0 in a Spanish Primera Iberdrola game on Sunday.

The Nigeria international had ended her goal drought in the Spanish top-flight with a brace in Barcelona’s 6-1 comeback thrashing of Atletico Madrid before sealing a 2-0 win at Sevilla.

The Super Falcons captain who celebrated her 25 birthday last Wednesday, was on target for Nigeria in Monday’s 1-1 draw against Cote d’Ivoire but her side could not avoid a third successive Olympic qualifying crash.

The FC Robo product struggled with the devastation from another botched Olympic dream to inspire Lluís Cortés’ ladies to their fourth win of the season with her lone 29th-minute strike.

Oshoala’s goal condemned Sporting with Nigeria’s Peace Efih, Ghana’s Princella Adubea, Equatorial Guinea’s Oluwatobiloba Olanrewaju and Gambia’s Fatoumata Kanteh to a fourth league defeat.

The latest strike from the threetime African Women’s Footballer of the Year at Ciudad Deportiva El Conquero means she has now scored four goals in five league matches this season for Barcelona.

The win sees Barcelona retain the summit of the log on goal difference with 13 points from five matches, while Sporting are 13th with three points after five games.

Barcelona will host Juventus in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg on Wednesday before hosting Logrono on Sunday.

By MADUABUCHI KALU

S

uper Eagles’ Manager, German Gernot Rohr, has applauded his charges, who were held to a square stalemate by former world champions, Brazil in international friendly match in Singapore on Sunday.

The former Bayern Munich defender commended his wards for a good display against five-time world champions, Brazil, following a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

The Brazilians fought back in the game after going down to a Joe Aribo’s goal in the first half before Casemiro rallied to equalize for the Samba Boys and Coach Rohr says his players made him proud.

“It is not only the point but even the fighting spirit from my boys.

They played very well against Brazil who wanted to record a win against an African side after drawing against Senegal some days ago,” the Franco-German football tactician declared.

The Eagles’ gaffer believes that the Eagles wanted to win the game but for the spirited display of the Brazilians in the second half.

“We had intentions to win the game but the Brazilians came out stronger in the second half,” he said.

The Super Eagles will now depart to reassemble in November for the kickoff of the AFCON 2021 qualifiers which kick starts with the game against neighbours, Benin Republic.

Meanwhile, following the eye catching performance of Glasgow Rangers midfielder, Joe Aribo in the Eagles’ international friendly tie against Selecao of Brazil, his club assistant coach, Michael Beale, has heaped praises on him as he joined the world to celebrate the new kid on the block.

The 23-year-old midefielder, who

was making his second appearance for the Super Eagles, broke the deadlock in the 35th minute after an eye-catching movement in the Selecao’s box.

His goal against Brazil made it two goals in two matches and Rangers assistant coach Michael Beale was happy with the player’s goalscoring display against the star-studded Brazilians.

In his tweet, he praised the midfielder for his outstanding goal against Tite’s men and he was glad to see the player extend his bright start to his international career.

“Outstanding @J_Aribo19 two goals in two games for the national team” he wrote on his Twitter account.

As for Rangers, they were impressed with the way Aribo scored

Why Mourinho benched me for 15 games – Mikel

By MADUABUCHI KALU with agency report

T

•Asisat Oshoala in action

• Super Eagles against Brazil in 1-1 draw on Sunday in international encounter

he immediate past captain of the national team, The Super Eagles, John Obi Mikel, has explained the rationale behind his being benched for 15 English Premier League games by the man who ensured his being a Chelsea player, Jose Mourinho.

According to him, the former Chelsea gaffer dumped on the bench because of his poor disciplinary record that culminated in his getting a Red Card in the game against Reading in his first season at the EPL in 20062007.

“Jose Mourinho didn’t play me for

months after two red cards I saw for the first time,” Mikel told Trabzonspor’s official magazine.

“Then we had a great relationship with him. He was the one who brought me to the club.

“Coaching is a very difficult job because you have to deal with a lot of high ego. You should be able to control and fight the big names with high ego.

“Jose Mourinho is one of the best technicians who do this. He is very successful both tactically and in terms of human relations.

“Even now, we have a great relationship with him. You know Jose Mourinho. He’s his own person,” Mikel explained.

the goal despite the number of Brazil players in the box.

They wrote on their official Twitter account: “A brilliant goal by @J_Aribo19 for @NGSuperEagles against Brazil.”

It took Aribo just four minutes to open his goalscoring account for the Super Eagles during his debut against Ukraine in last month’s friendly encounter as the Eagles also shared the spoils with the East Europeans.

He will hope to continue his goal streak when the team face Benin Republic and Lesotho in AFCON 2021 qualifiers scheduled to take place in November.

However, the Eagles’ manager, German Gernot Rohr, has slammed the Amaju Melvin Pinnick led executive board of the Nigerian Football

Federation for their poor handling of the activities of the national team.

According to Rohr, it is most unfortunate that at this level and point, the NFF are still having problems with issues of visas for the players and invitations to the players.

He is of the opinion that the NFF should have gone beyond such mundane issues as it is not helping the team because of the distractions such issues have on the players and the technical crew and called on them to re-strategise for better organisation and result.

It is also worthy of note to state here that even the salary of the German does not come as when due as he is being owed arrears of salaries which is not helping the manager.

(Use Super Eagles against Brazil and insert Gernot Rohr)

38

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

SPORTS

Obiano to make Anambra aquatics sports continental headquarters Please, can we meet you?

Yes! My name is Jonathan Chuka Ifeama, the Chairman of Anambra State Aquatics Association, the body in charge of swimming and other aquatics sports in the state.

It is like this is the first time we are having a swimming association in Anambra State?

No, this not the first time that we are having swimming association. We have always had swimming association but the current global trend refers to swimming now as aquatics sports because it comprises different sports apart from swimming. We have other water sports apart from swimming that is why the association is now refer to as aquatics association or federation at the national level. In aquatics sports we have swimming, water polo, high diving, synchronize swimming which we now call astatic swimming. We also have Open Water swimming.

These are the different areas of the aquatics sports. Therefore, aquatics sports is beyond swimming and the body or association that supervises these various water sports is now known as aquatics. The definition now (aquatics) captures these different aspects of water sports.

When did you come into office?

I came into office last precisely before the Federation elections. I was inaugurated by my state last year.

What are the plans on ground to ensure that Anambra as a state has a public swimming pool because from my person investigation, there is no single swimming pool in the five southeast states?

So, what are the plans to ensure that Anambra that is supposed to be the pacesetter in sports not only in the southeast but in the country has a swimming pool that can be referred to as public swimming pool?

We have very great plans for aquatics sports in the state. Our Governor, His Excellency Dr. William Maduabuchi Obiano is a sports loving governor and he is determined to take the state to next level as far as aquatics and sports are concerned. What we can do as association is to work with the government, the chairman of the Anambra State Sports Commission, Tony Oli. We have plans to construct an Olympic size swimming pools and aquatics centre in Anambra State. We are going to have more than one as funds permit but we must have a standard Olympic size swimming pool that will be best standard that can host any event worldwide. We are going to have one in Anambra State in the shortest possible period. So that we can use it as a term plate to train our young boys and girls, young men and women to become future Olympic champions, that is the mandate of this association. That is my mandate, to make sure that Anambra has somebody at the podium if not in Paris in 2014, but in Olympic after that. We might not have it in To-

• To build Olympic size swimming pools, aquatics centres There is no doubt that Anambra State is not a name you are likely to see when aquatics sports is mentioned in the country but if what the Chairman of the state aquatics Association, Jonathan Chuka Ifeama is anything to go by, all that is going to be a thing of the past as the State Governor, His Excellency Dr. William Maduabuchi Obiano, has given the association mandate to ensure that the state becomes the destination of aquatics sports not only in Nigeria but the whole of Africa in the nearest possible time.

The Anambra Aquatics Association Chairman in exclusive interview with The Oracle Today Sports at the side line of Swimming Pool Complex of the National Stadium Surulere Lagos, where the just-concluded 8th Chief Naval Staff National Open Swimming Championship took place, expressed the desire to actualize the Governor’s mandate of making Anambra the Mecca of aquatics sports in Africa.

He assured that aquatics sports lovers in the state that with the support of Governor Obiano, Anambra is going to build swimming pools and aquatics centres across the state even as he expressed optimism that with the Governor’s support, there will be a swimming pool in the state before the end of the governor’s tenure, who has about three years left on his last mandate as the man at the helm of affairs in Anambra State. Excerpts: kyo 2020 that is just a few months away. Yet we still want to have Anambrarian at the podium at the Olympic swimming event in four years and eight years’ time; that is my mandate.

But they say it is easier than done. But you have to have vision to enable you to achieve your aim.

Having come to this CNS for the very first time, have you seen anything that has fuelled your desire to actualize or realize your dream for Anambra Aquatics? To ensure that Anambra has a swimming team like Delta, who despite having two Olympic size swimming pools in Oghara and Warri, does not rely on them for the training of their athletes but has to concentrate their training programmes in the rivers in places Obiarukwu, Ethiope River among other places.

That is a very nice question. We already have that programme in place. Anambra is an aquatic state.

Anambra starts from a river. Anambra is named after a river. If you are coming in from Delta State, you will meet a river before you get into Anambra. When you are coming in from Enugu State, you will equally meet a river before coming into Anambra State. So, Anambra is an aquatic state and we want to be No1 destination of aquatics in the whole of Africa. That is our vision and we are not mixing words about that. We must have it. We must get it done because we are an aquatic state.

We have riverine communities, the governor is from a riverine community and there are many of such communities like the Ogbaru, the Aguleri, Otuocha and other areas.

We have rivers and young people who can swim very well.

The reason we decided that we must have an Olympic size swimming pool at least one, we will have more than one because we want to be the capital of aquatics in Africa. The reason why we want to have an Olympic size Swimming Pool is to enable us demonstrate swimming as a sport and not just as a leisure. We have people who can swim very well and Anambra has a history of swimming many years ago with a lot of big names

in swimming that have come from Anambra even before Nigeria’s Independence. So, aquatics sports are not new to us however, this time round we want to add more spice to what we have. Already we have people at the grassroots who swim, who fish for a living and have to swim to survive when they have to leave their canoes to swim as well. So, swimming is part of our culture and tradition, but we want to formalise it as an Olympic sport and have more people who may not even come from riverine areas to be trained scientifically on how to swim backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle and then Synchronize swimming and play games in water polo. These are the things we intend to do going forward and I believe that my Governor will give us more necessary support to have outpost in events like this in the nearer future. And if we are given the opportunity to host the National Sports Festival (NSF) we cannot do that without a standard Olympic size Swimming Pool. So, for us to be on the sporting map of Nigeria by hosting the • Gov. Obiano National Sports Festival, we must be a part of aquatics sports family since we cannot play host to the National Sports Festival without aquatics sports. We must have a standard Olympic Swimming Pool at least one or two or three as the case may be to propel our state to the vision this association has and the mandate of His Excellency, the governor.

With the governor having probably about three years left on his final lap in charge of the state, do you think that this noble dream of having a standard Olympic size swimming pool in the state will be realize before the end of his tenure?

His Excellency, the Governor is an action man. His traditional title is “Akpokuo Dike” which in Igbo Language means when you call a great man, he answers you by action and not by words. The Governor is an action man; he has done a lot of work in the state. He is going to do much more. He will definitely do more during this tenure. Anambra is going to stamp its mark in swimming and other sports. The • onathan Chuka Ifeama Governor is an action man.

39

The Oracle Today WEDNESDAY 16 - TUESDAY 22 October 2019

SPORTS

By MADUABUCHI KALU

T

he 8th edition of the annual Chief Naval Staff Open Swimming Championship came to a glorious end at the swimming pool complex of the National Stadium Surulere on Saturday, October 12th with Delta State retaining its title as the No1 swimming state in the country after garnering 10gold, 10silver and 3bronze medals to bring their total medals haul to 23.

Interestingly, The Nigeria Police Force Swimming Team, captained by veteran swimmer, Yellow Yeiyah closely came second with 10gold, 4silver and 2 bronze bring their total medals haul to 16, while the third position went to Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps with 3gold, 4silver and 2medals bringing their total medal’s haul to 9medals.

In his closing remarks, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral IE Ibas, who was ably represented by the Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral S.M.D Evans, thanked the Government of Lagos State for accepting to play host to the annual swimming championship which has become the flagship swimming event in the Calendar of The Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAqF).

“This is a clear testimony of the love His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Olusola Sanwo Olu, who was represented yesterday by the Chairman of the Lagos State Sports Commission Dr. Kweku Tandor has for the sports of this magnitude. This can be attested in the hosting of several national and international tournaments in the state. Officers and the entire staff of the Nigerian Navy are indeed grateful for the support.

“Since this championship started 15 years ago we have witnessed superlative display of talents of young boys and girls from all over the

8th CNS National Open Swimming championship ends in grand style as Delta retains title

• Naval chiefs at 8th CNS in Lagos Federation. This championship has gone a long way to discover talents from the grassroots who have represented the country in various international competitions and have won several laurels for the country.

“I want to use this opportunity to call on the Nigeria Aquatics Federation to do more of sensitization of the public on this championship and at the same time, call on sponsors to partner with the Federation so that they will the resources to stage more swimming championships for Nigerian swimmers.

“I would also want to thank the Federation for organizing a championship that of international standard. I want to urge them to continue the good work they have been doing over the years and I believe that our partnership with them to develop swimming in the

country help in realizing the goal of discovering and nurturing talented swimmers that will win more international laurels for the country,” Vice Admiral Ibas enthused.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Hon. Sunday Dare who was represented at the event by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Adesola Olusola assured the Nigeria Aquatics Federation of support of the Ministry in order to realize its goal of making the water sports one of the pillars of Nigerian sports.

Many dignitaries graced the closing ceremony of the championship and the include, the representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral S.M.D Evans, who happens to be the Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters. Others include, the Flag Officer of Western

Naval Command, Rear Admiral, O.B. Daji, the representative of the Hon. Minister of Sports and Youth Development who incidentally is the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Adesola Adesoji, Director of Sports, Nigeria Police Force, Ibrahim Abubakar.

Other dignitaries in attendance include the President of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation (NAqF), Mr. Babatunde Fatayi Williams, the Vice President of the Federation, Rear Admiral B.A. Egbeina (rted), board member of the Nigeria Aquatics Federation, that include Dr. Odewunmi, Steve Onyeacholam, Pastor Samuel Jesimiel, Joseph Odobeatu amongst others. Also in attendance the chairman of Anambra State Aquatics Association, Jonathan Chuka Ifeama, Brown Ebewele a.k.a (The Juju Man) etc.

It is recalled that 16 states were listed for this this year’s championship but about four failed to attend following paucity of funds according information at the disposal of The Oracle Today Newspaper.

It is recalled that the CNS National Open Swimming championship suffered several postponements, before it was finally held between 10 and 12th of this month. It is noted that for two years, the flagship event in the Nigeria Aquatics Federation did not hold no thanks to the immediate past governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode who did not attend to the file on the championship despite assuring the Nigeria Aquatics Federation of the state’s willingness to stage the championship even as he refused to allow them to take the championship to another state.

Police Games: Ezeonwuka raises alarm over moves to sabotage hosting rights

R Ruiz Jr warns Joshua ahead of December 7 clash • Says “Am lighter, faster, more powerful”

A

head of former British heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua’s schedule rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr, who stunned the world by defeating the Nigerianborn British former heavyweight champion, the Mexican has warned his December opponent, Anthony Joshua that he will be ‘lighter, faster and more powerful’ when they go face-to-face again in the ring on December 7.

The Mexican shocked the world when he floored Joshua three times in New York in June to cart away Joshua’s three heavyweight belts.

Ruiz has been working hard as they get set to do battle again in Saudi Arabia before the end of the year, as he recently showing off a

new, leaner side to his physique.

According to him: “I have a lot of respect for Anthony, outside the ring he is a very good man,” he told ESPN Deportes.

“But inside (the ring) there are no friends, there is no respect or anything.

“It will not be an easy fight. I think it will be a hard fight, but nothing is easy in life, so we are training very hard. We will be prepared for whatever he bring.

“I will arrive in better condition.... lighter, faster and more powerful.

They will believe that in December they will win.

“People will always talk like this, but I have faith that we’re going to win and shut up more mouths.”

ommy Ezeonwuka, Proprietor of Rojenny Stadium and Tourists Village, Oba near Onitsha, has lamented that some interest groups in the Anambra Sports Sector were working hard to frustrate the hosting of Nigeria Police Games (NPG) in the facility next year.

Ezeonwuka, one of the leading private sector sports facility investors, said this on Monday while briefing journalists at Oba, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra, on the readiness of the stadium ahead on the Games.

The Oracle Today Sports reports that Rojenny Stadium is one of the facilities in the South-East with the capacity to host most sporting events, including football, basketball, volleyball, handball, swimming, track/fields and indoor games.

He said the Police team which ceded the hosting rights to Anambra had visited Rojenny severally and expressed satisfaction with facilities on ground.

Ezeonwuka, who thanked Gov. Willie Obiano, of Anambra for his support for Rojenny Stadium, said efforts were on to ensure that Police sportsmen and women had the best experience possible during the games.

He, however, called on Obiano to intervene and save the state

from possible embarrassment to some subterranean moves by some elements to divert the hosting rights from Rojenny.

This, he added, was because the Police authorities already knew what they settled for,” he said.

“The Police family came here and discovered that Rojenny has all it takes to stage their Games here, that we have the facilities that cover most of the sports that they are going to stage.

“My worry is that now that the Federal Government through the police want to use here, some people in charge of sports here are working hard to sabotage it by moving some games that we have facilities for here to other places, including to hotels.

“I built this place at the age of 23 and I have an agreement with the government that they can use here for free anytime they wish and they have been using it.

“But the recent changes in the sports sector where people who don’t have interest in sports development are in charge is trying to change all that,” he said lamenting the moves.

“How can someone say we will not host football and track and field here when we have Olympic standard swimming pool, tennis court, volleyball court, basketball court handball court and indoor

courts here?

“These people want to divert the Police away from here and divert them to different places instead of concentrating their games here.

“My advice is that these people should steer clear because I will place a curse on them.”

Ezeonwuka said Rojenny was a private sector contribution to sports development of over 35 years and should be encouraged and not embattled for selfish or personal interests.

He recalled how the Rojenny served as incubation ground for the Fanny Amu-led 1993 Golden Eaglets that had Kanu Nwankwo and expressed the hope that the Rojenny experience would produce police sports superstars.

“Rojenny is not just a stadium, it is a mini Olympic Stadium with rich heritage, we have hotel, natural environment, church, mosque, traditional worship places and social life provisions.

“I am not sure the governor is aware of what is going on, I am using this medium to draw his attention,” he said.

Tony Oli, Chairman of Anambra Sports Development Commission (ASDC) when contacted neither denied nor confirmed the insinuations; according to him, “I don’t have your time, go and ask the man that sent you’.

TUESDAY October 15 - 21, 2019

The

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A Model for Grassroots Development

G

ood governance is not rocket science but common sense. It is also about having the political will to do the right thing with honestly, checks and balances. For state governments – and local governments where they truly exist – now overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges facing them, this is a time to make their impacts felt by the majority of Nigerians who look up to them for succour.

Big contracts for big projects, though necessary if they could act as catalysts for grassroots development, can’t be popular among compatriots who worry most about their next meal.

I’ve occasionally drawn the attention of those in the driving seat of governance to a model for grassroots development they could adopt at little cost. Lack of opportunities, as I stated recently, is at the root of every problem afflicting the world today.

And, in the face of limited resources, government has the duty to help our communities to help themselves. Rather than give the people fish, it should teach them how to fish.

As the saying goes, when you give a man fish you feed him for one day, but if you teach him how to fish you feed him for a lifetime.

The model I’m about to describe is one that is a little familiar. But it has yet to be tested by any state or local government.

Enugu’s ugly experience My home state Enugu almost got it right, two years ago, but the programme derailed partly because there were no checks and balances and partly because first things were not done first. I’m referring to what the state government called “Visit Every Community” (VEC) which was, in 2017, renamed “One Autonomous Community, One Project”. Under the programme, the traditional ruler and the town union leader in each of 472 autonomous communities across 17 local government areas were to get N10million in two tranches for executing any project of their choice in their community. They got the first tranche (N5m) in November 2017.

The outcome was predictable. Although the VEC directorate within the governor’s office promised to monitor the projects strictly to ensure compliance, the story changed as soon as the money hit the joint account of each Igwe (monarch) and his town union’s president-general (PG): Most of Enugu’s 472 communities have been in turmoil because the money has obviously gone astray.

The Igwe and the PG of a community in Aninri LGA said the N5m would be used to grade roads. A woman described what happened: “I was surprised to see our men doing the road with shovels, diggers and hoes, afterwards. I think the money has been embezzled by our leaders, and we need government’s intervention over the matter.”

The leaders of the Aninri community were even generous. In some others, the choices were diverse: a public toilet or a police post, upgrade of a local market or purchase of a water tanker, building of a town hall or organizing of an Ofala festival. Where building of a structure was chosen, the money was for commencement of the work; many have not left the foundation level. Some have not even had the courtesy of giving an account to the people they lead. Some convened endless meetings of elders or youths during

Aniebo

Nwamu

•Gov. Ugwuanyi which goats or cows were slaughtered and assorted drinks served. Some went underground, fleeing from the prying eyes of journalists and inquisitive youth in their community.

So, that’s how Enugu’s N2.36billion has gone down the drains. The Igwe and the PG of each community are still expecting the second tranche of N5m. But it may not come. Enugu and most other states are already distressed, as they groan under heavy debts and labour unions’ harassment over payment of the minimum wage.

Now, let’s offer a model – a model better than Enugu’s “One Autonomous Community, One Project” -- and let’s see how N10m could be better spent in each community.

One community, one enterprise The government invites interested businesspeople or entrepreneurs from each community to fill and submit an “expression of interest” form. The candidates write and

submit a proposal for a viable business to be sited in their community-- a plan for a business most likely to do well in their area.

It must be a cottage industry that could employ no fewer than 30 people, and the budget is limited to N20m.

Under a private-public partnership (PPP) arrangement, each successful applicant is expected to provide 50% of the budget while the government provides 50% as a refundable loan at 0% interest. After the applications have been screened, one entrepreneur is selected from each community for a start. The successful candidate must show evidence that they have the needed N10m in a bank.

The government pays another N10m into the account. An ancestral land worth N10m is acceptable as collateral.

With close monitoring and supervision, each business owner starts the process as indicated in their business plan. In each community, we now have one or a combination of the following: a piggery, a cassava

processing plant, a rice mill, a crop farm, a bakery, fish farm and so on and so forth. And each employs at least 30 people who, together with the business owner, must reside in the community. The business owner starts paying back their N10m loan after two years.

When the first set of winners refund the loans, another set of applicants are invited.

Imagine the multiplier effects of having one such industry in each community: suppliers, farmers, labourers, sellers, food vendors etc. The enterprise is likely to be doubled in each community every year or two.

Successful candidates in our model will need to be trained and retrained. Textbook training would now be augmented with skills training. They may also be helped with purchase of equipment and machinery.

Wouldn’t they form better run cooperatives and chambers of commerce, if they’re organized in the way we’ve described? Can we literally force our leaders to toe this line?

It won’t cost government anything because it’s only expected to offer a refundable loan to willing entrepreneurs chosen from each community.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must be placed at the bedrock of the nation’s economy, for they’re the drivers of economic development and growth.

Agriculture and agro-based businesses, which are likely choices of our model community, may have power as a problem. But they won’t need as much electricity and other infrastructure as other businesses in order to do well. And they’re relatively inexpensive. There’s a lot of agro-allied industrial interventions and investments to be done in that sector.

Change for the better Government is not a good “businessman”.

And this accounts for the poor performance of NERFUND, Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry, SMEDAN, People’s Bank, DFRRI, community, microfinance, mortgage banks and similar organisations that government started with the best of intentions.

The loan seekers or their cooperatives in our model for grassroots development would be well known; it won’t be a matter of bringing their grandfathers and great-grandmothers to sign certain documents, or somebody bolting away with a bank’s money.

We’ve got to change our attitude to governance in this part. Things are worse now for the greater majority of Nigerians than they were a few years ago. They will continue to grow worse until we challenge ourselves and appeal to our deepest call to service and decency. The minimum wage, from all indications, is unpayable. And even if it were, only an insignificant minority stands to reap any benefit.

Our governments play too much politics but offer little governance. The time has come for them to replace patronage as government policy with productivity and replace expediency with necessity. Everyone gains when government stops looking after the individual and starts looking after the community.

•Nwamu, an entrepreneur, is the CEO of Eyeway.ng +234-8054100220 (SMS/WhatsApp only)

The Oracle Today is published by The Oracle Newspapers Limited. Head Office: 116 Awka Road, Onitsha. Lagos Office: 25 Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA Ikeja. Abuja Office: 1st Floor, Plateau House, Central Business District, Abuja, FCT. ISSN: 2545-5869 Email: oracletoday2016@yahoo.com, Twitter: @oraclenews.ng Facebook: oraclenews.ng@facebook.com Website: www.oraclenews.ng Advert hot lines: 09078310060, 09061836916. Editor: FELIX OGUEJIOFOR ABUGU.