Thursday, September 20, 2018 Edition

Thursday, September 20, 2018/ Muharram 10, 1440 AH Vol. 29 No. 078 N150

1616 Days after

@pmlonline

peoplesdailyng

. . . putting the people first

The nation awaits rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls

APC shifts presidential Cholera outbreak: Death We’re not recruiting, toll rises to 31 in Borno NECO alerts of fraudsters primaries to September 25 pAGE 4

pAGE 15

pAGE 16

Osun guber: Buhari overrules IGP on Adeleke’s arraignment page 5

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo with the baby of Mrs. Samila Hassan, another victim who gave birth in the IDP camp yesterday. Just like Mrs. Hawau, Mrs. Samila is equally grateful for the care provided by the government towards the safe delivery of her child, during Osinbajo’s visit to displaced victims at Zungeru primary school, yesterday in Niger.

Buhari, 87 others to address UN General Assembly >page 7

FG approves concession of 20 silos to private operators page 5

Suspends planned National carrier, Nigeria Air

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

News CONTENTS News 2-10,14 Editorial

11

Op.Ed

12-13

Politics 15-17 Business

19-20

Metro

21

World News

22

Africa News

23

World News

24

Kano Police Academy disowns admission list From Kano

Mustapha

Adamu,

T

he Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State has disowned a list of candidates who were ostensibly successful in the last selection examination, published in the Daily Trust

newspaper publication of Tuesday, the 18th of September 2018 (on pages 35 to 41).

This was contained in a statement signed by DSP Muhammad Sabo Kurawa, who doubles as the Personal Assistant to the Academy Commandant.

The statement described the

list as fake, as it was intended to mislead the public, noting that the said list did not emanate from the institution.

It advised the general public to disregard the list in circulation and wait for the authentic list of successful candidates, which would soon be posted on the

official website of the Academy.

“We wish to state that the institution is being guided by the laws and principles of Federal character and will not derail from its tradition of transparency in all its dealings including admission of fresh candidates,” said the statement

Fayemi names 37-member inauguration c’ttee

By Musa Adamu

E

kiti state Governor-elect, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has set up a 37-member inauguration committee, charged with the responsibility of organising a hitch-free ceremony to usher in the new administration on October 16th, 2018.

According to his Media

handler, Ooayinka Oyebode, the Committee is to liaise with officials of the outgoing administration, relevant agencies and stakeholders for proper coordination and execution of a successful inauguration ceremony.

He further disclosed that the members of the committee came with ample experiences from the public and private sectors.

Oyebode who a himself a member of the committee, said the Terms of Reference for the committee include: developing a framework for formal communications with relevant government agencies and stakeholders for a smooth inauguration ceremony; designing and implementing programmes for the inauguration ceremony; carrying out a

comprehensive assessment of facilities and venues for various events; ensuring thorough supervision and excellent delivery of outlined events and activities leading to a successful ceremony.

Other tasks, he revealed, include guest management, Media coverage; crowd control; security and general entertainment.

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari confers with Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, during the Federal Executive Council Meeting, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: State House

‘Lagos records five cases of domestic violence daily’ Page 4

Environment 25 Feature 26 Sports 29-30 Back Page

32

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Army sets up rehabilitation centre for injured soldiers

T

he Nigerian Army has set up a modern rehabilitation centre for soldiers injured in combat and non-combat operations in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the centre, located at the 44 Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna, was established with support from the German Government under an agreement signed in December 2017, through the instrumentality of the German Technical Assistance Group

(GTAG).

The minister of defence, Munsur Dan-Ali, who inaugurated the centre on Wednesday, said the GTAG had also reflected positively in a key sphere of capacity development and expansion in the armed forces.

The minister, represented

by Mohammed Garba, chief of logistics, defence headquarters, said the centre was remarkable and fully equipped with state of the art facilities.

“It is yet another major milestone in the efforts to provide optimal healthcare intervention to our troops and indeed highly commendable.

“It will facilitate the provision of highly needed rehabilitation services to troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces.”

Earlier, the chief medical director of the hospital, Nathaniel Okeji, said ensuring troops health after injury or debilitating illness is dependent on effective and total

medical care covering preventive, curative and rehabilitative.

“The ongoing counter terrorism and counter insurgency has resulted in a dramatic increase in devastating injuries to troops like brain and spinal injuries, surgical and traumatic amputation, burns and psychological injuries.”

According to him, a holistic care for wounded soldiers comprises evacuation, evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation..”

(NAN)

Minister tasks body on food safety

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he Nigerian Society for Toxicological Science has been charged to ensure the safety of Nigerian exportable food products and natural drugs so as to make them competitive, sustainable and meet the requirements of international standard.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu gave the charge when the Executive of the society, led by its President, Prof. Uche Osunkwo

paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

Dr. Onu said the Nigeria needed the vital human capital of the society so as to convert Nigerian her resources into products and services for the good of the country.

According to the Minister, Nigerian food products with export potentials can only be sustainable and competitive when they meet international standards, adding that the society should be prepared to assist in ensuring the safety of these products

Dr Onu also implored the society to lend its help in the area of environmental protection of the nation’s vital herbal resources.

He decried the situation in which Nigeria continues to import drugs rather than process our natural herbs into drugs for local consumption as well for export.

The Ministry, he added will continue to ensure only useful beneficial products are imported into the country so as to reduce the cost of health care delivery.

Dr. Onu urged the society to take advantage of the

Executive Order 5 to advance the professional interests of the society.

Earlier, the President of the Society, Prof. Uche Osunkwo, briefed the Minister him about different areas of toxicological challenges to the Nigerian community like atmospheric, tobacco, oil and gas pollution, food toxicology, lead and other heavy metals toxicology. Other challenges, like drugs and traditional medicines were also identified.

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

News

Police arrest 4 suspects, as cult fight claims 5 students in Edo

From Osaigbovo Iguobaro Benin

A

renewed cult war has claimed four students of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma in Edo State.

The killings among members of rival cult groups, occurred at a graduation party at the University.

Unconfirmed reports said a final year medical student of the University and nine others were killed during the clash on Tuesday night.

State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo who however, confirmed the report on Wednesday, said a student was among the dead.

He said that he could only confirm the death of one person while four others sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to an undisclosed hospital.

He further stated that no fewer than four suspects had been arrested with arms and ammunition recovered from them.

According to him, “I am currently in Osun State for a national assignment. But the report reaching me does not confirm 10 (dead). I got a wind of it (incident) that five people were shot in a cult rivalry.

“The people at war were members of different cult groups. The shooting was as a result of cult rivalry; that is the information reaching me.

“Arrests have been made.

I think four or six people have been arrested with weapons recovered. I do not know whether all of them (victims) actually died.

“But the information, as of yesterday (Tuesday) was that five people were shot, one was confirmed dead and the remaining four were taken to a hospital.

Efforts to reach the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Edward Aihevba, were unsuccessful as he neither picked his calls nor responded to a text message sent to his mobile number.

But it was gathered that students of the institution had been living in fear since the incident occurred.

Some of them living outside the campus were said to have fled their hostels for the fear of a reprisal as they prepared to write their examinations.

A student, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated, “I heard about it (incident).

People are afraid to leave the campus, ahead of the University examinations which will begin on Friday.

News Editor, Ese Awhotu

Zainab now substantive Finance Minister, says Presidency

By Lawrence Olaoye

T

he Presidency has clarified that Hajia Zainab Ahmed has relinquished her position as the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning and has become the substantive Minister of Finance.

Asked to clarify the main status of the minister whom President Muhammadu Buhari had mandated to oversee the Finance Ministry following the resignation of Kemi Adeosun last Friday, Special Adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said she was addressed as the Finance Minister at the Council Chamber during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by the President yesterday.

Adeosun had thrown in the towel as a result of unrelenting calls for her ouster from the cabinet following allegations that she forged her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.

Acknowledging the receipt and acceptance of Adeosun’s resignation, the Presidency had in a statement announced that Buhari had mandated Ahmed to oversee the Finance Ministry.

However, there have been controversies around her real status in the cabinet since she resumed at the Ministry of Finance on Monday.

At the FEC meeting yesterday, it was noted that she sat on the seat vacated by Adeosun who was a substantive minister until her resignation from office.

Argument therefore ensued

on whether Ahmed had been elevated from the position of a junior minister in the budget and national planning ministry to that of a substantive finance minister.

On Ahmed’s real status “You know she was minister of state budget and national planning, she will relinquish that or she has relinquished that to go and oversee the finance ministry, so that is her status for now.”

Asked to be specific on whether she would be supervising, oversighting the ministry, Adesina said “It is a matter of nomenclature, yes but she is overseeing the ministry.”

Pressed further, he said “What you call her is a matter of nomenclature but if she is overseeing the ministry, then she

is. But note that she is no longer minister of state budget and national planning for now until anything contrary happens. But for now, she is in charge of the ministry of finance.”

On whether she could be referred to as a substantive Finance minister, Adesina said “Well, you know that statement was written in English and that statement says she will oversee the ministry of finance, let’s leave it like that. I just told you she is no longer minister of state budget and national planning, she will be minister of finance, in fact that was how she was addressed at council. Don’t forget it is also a legal thing, if a minister is going to be appointed there are procedures that is why it is a deployment.”

L-R: Representative of the Minister Defence, Maj.Gen. Mohammed Hong Garba; German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Regina Hess and Director Peace Programme, German Embassy, Mr Schoot Andre, during the inauguration of the newly rehabilitation center building at 44 Nigeria Army Hospital, yesterday in Kaduna.

Photo: NAN

Flood: 0ver 200 communities submerged in kebbi -Official From Ahmed Idris Kebbi

Birnin

O

ver two hundred communities in Kebbi state have been submerged by the recent flood while destroyed thousands of farmlands across the State.

Briefing newsmen yesterday in his office, the Executive Director of the State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Abbas Kamba said that the flood which occurred through River Niger, destroyed houses and farmlands.

He explained further that with the recent visit by the national

agency, the assessment records have done and submitted to the federal and state governments for their support.

Abbas gave the names of the affected local governments areas as Suru, Bagudo, Yauri, Shanga, Ngasky, Dandi and Arugungu Local Governments area of the

State He said that the Kebbi state government has already provided them with new land for their resettlement and also ensure their safety in terms of healthcare.

He urged them to remain calm, noting that both the State and Federal Government are working hard for their support.

Yobe North adopts Buhari, Lawan, Buni as consensus candidates

T

he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Yobe North Senatorial District on Wednesday adopted President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan and Maimala Buni as consensus candidates for 2019 general elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that supporters from six local government areas that make up the district, Bade, Jakusko, Machina, Yusufari, Nguru and Karasuwa, unanimously passed votes of

confidence on the trio and adopted them at a meeting in Gashua.

They adopted Mr Buhari for a second term, Mr Lawan to return to the Senate, and Mr Buni for governor.

Adamu Dala-Dogo, Speaker, Yobe House of Assembly and chairman of the occasion, commended the senate leader for canvassing for federal projects, especially roads, electricity and employment opportunities to the zone.

“Yobe North has under the Buhari administration enjoyed

numerous federal projects which were canvassed by the senate leader.

“We want this gesture to continue in the next dispensation and that is why we have endorsed them as our consensus candidates for re-election,” he said.

A former federal legislator, Sani Ell-Katuzu, said that though the zone had expected the governorship slot to be conceded to it, the governor and party stakeholders in their wisdom nominated Mr Buni to succeed Governor Ibrahim Gaidam.

“Having been the state governor for years, Gov. Gaidam is in a better position to know who is capable and competent to succeed him, we appreciate his choice and assure our total support and loyalty,” Mr Sani said.

Gamcho Tela, another former state legislator, said that adoption of the senate leader was to ensure continuity of his empowerment programmes for farmers, traders, women, fishermen and scholarships to the people of the district. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

N EWS

Buhari, 87 other presidents to address UN General Assembly

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari and 87 other presidents are expected to address the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, September 25 at the UN headquarters in New York.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Buhari is expected to deliver Nigeria’s national statement on the first day of the general debate of the General Assembly high-level events.

NAN reports that the Nigerian leader was initially placed as the number 20 on the list of the speakers out of the 193 world leaders that

would address the Assembly.

However, the revised list obtained

by NAN showed that Mr Buhari is now the number 18 on the list of the speakers, now speaking before the leaders of Japan and the United Kingdom.

He would deliver the address to the General Assembly during the afternoon session on the first day between 7.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. (between 12 midnight and 1.00 a.m.

Nigerian time).

The president of Brazil would be the first world leader to present his address to the 73rd session followed

by the U.S. President, Donald Trump, the traditional second speaker, being the host country.

UN Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said the number of participating Heads of State and Heads of Government in 2018 are higher than that of 2017.

“In advance of the plenary session, 88 Heads of State and 45 Heads of Government have confirmed that they will attend this session, which is up from 77 Heads of State and 37 Heads of Government last year.

“Regarding other events, as of today, the Department for

General Assembly and Conference Management has received 342 requests for meetings during the high-level week. Compared to the same time last year, 343 requests had been received.

“As of today, the UN has received a total of 741 requests for bilateral meetings amongst Member States.

“This number will increase during the next week. Later in the week, the number of bi-laterals for the Secretary-General will be announced,” the UN spokesperson said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio

Guterres, in his remarks at the opening of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, told the Member States that they would have a busy session ahead of them.

Mr Guterres said that the UN needed action for peacekeeping, financing for the 2030 Agenda, empowerment for the world’s young people, urgent steps to end poverty and conflict, and much else.

The secretary-general encouraged the Ambassadors to tell their leaders to come to next week’s high-level week ready to be bold, ready to cooperate, and ready to forge solutions.(NAN)

Shi’ite: Ashura Communities petition Obaseki over exclusion from oil, gas board mourning Edo State House of Assembly companies situated therein in the

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro Benin Producing Areas Development had on Tuesday given the various exploration and production of oil Commission. procession not a Their grievance was contained nominees by the governor a clean and gas. ajor oil producing According to the counsel, communities in in a petition they filed through bill of health, a development which threat to peace Orhionmwon Local their lawyers, Aigbe & Aigbe has incensed some members of available statistics as released From Femi Oyelola Kaduna

T

he Islamic Movement in Nigeria has vehemently discountenance some alarmist message that have gone viral on the social media insinuating that the Shi’a annual religious mourning procession, popularly known as Ashura will be violent in Abuja and other cities across the nation, with some saying people should stay indoors to avoid eminent clash with the mourners.

The President of the Media Forum of the Group, Ibrahim Musa stated this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

According to the statement, the message is mischievous and is aimed at causing unnecessary hysteria among citizens, saying how can one rationalise this blandishment based on the notion that the Shi’as would hold a protest march in Abuja and other cities?

“We have been holding these annual Ashura marches for decades here in Nigeria peacefully, and this year’s own won’t be an exception. ‘ For those who are hearing about Ashura procession for the first time, it is held annually on the 10th of the first Islamic calendar month, Muharram, to commemorate the martyrdom of the third rightly guided Imam, Hussein (as), and scores of his companions who were mostly members of the Prophet’s family at the hands of the despotic ruler of the time, Yazid (LA). “ Ashura mourning session has been happening in Nigeria since time immemorial in various forms. Most notable of which is the one marked by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, when mourners of Imam Hussein (as), the grandson of the Prophet (S), mostly clad in black, hold flags and banners to solemnly march in a funeral procession.

“Previous processions in the recent past has been characterized by state-sponsored terror attacks on mourners by the government, especially in Kaduna, Funtua and Jos leading to wanton loss of lives and properties.”

M

Government Area of Edo State have petitioned Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki over alleged neglect in the composition of the state’s Board of Oil and Gas

Solicitors and addressed to governor Godwin Obaseki, said the exclusion of indigenes of Ugu Communities in ESOPADEC Board violated its extant laws.

the communities.

The solicitor expressed concerned that the communities are the immediate recipient of the adverse effects of activities of the

by DPR in 2016 showed that communities in Ugu ward produce oil and gas adding that whereas, “other communities produce only oil”.

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

By Lawrence Olaoye , Tobias Lengnan Dapam and Vivian Okejeme

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari has overruled the invitation extended to the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 22 Osun state gubernatorial polls, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

A credible source in the Presidency yesterday disclosed that Buhari was uncomfortable with the invitation extended to the opposition candidate at the twilight of the governorship poll in Osun state.

The source stated that the President had ordered the InspectorGeneral of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to suspend any action until after the conclusion of the election on Saturday.

Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Jimoh Moshood, had in a statement yesterday counseled Adeleke and four others to make themselves available to the police for arraignment over charges criminal conspiracy, examination malpractice, amongst others.

Adeleke, the senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, has been accused alongside, Sikiru Adeleke, Alhaji Aregbesola Mufutau, Gbadamosi Thomas Ojo and Dare Olutope of examination malpractice, criminal conspiracy, impersonation, breach of duty, aiding and abetting.

According to the statement, the police had in July 2017 arrested them over the said allegations and after investigation had filed charges against them at the Federal High Court Abuja.

The invitation extended to the opposition party’s candidate on the eve of Osun state governorship election attracted widespread criticisms and condemnations.

Many have alleged that such invitation smacked of a ploy by the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) to put Adeleke at a disadvantaged position ahead of the polls.

The IGP’s invitation to Adeleke came just as the West African Examination Councils (WAEC) yesterday cleared the Osun gubernatorial aspirant in Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State of certificate forgery.

Two chieftains of the All

News

Osun guber: Buhari overrules IGP on Adeleke’s arraignment Progressives Congress (APC), Wahab Adekunle Raheem and Adam Omosalewa Habeeb, had dragged the PDP candidate before an Abuja High Court praying the court for an order to disqualify him from participating in the September 22 governorship election in Osun State.

The Plaintiffs in their motion submitted that governorship hopeful does not have a required education qualification.

However, the examination Council, in an affidavit deposed to by one Osindeinde Henry Sunday Adewunmi and filed at the registry of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, confirmed that the PDP gubernatorial candidate sat for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination in May/June 1981.

In the four-paragraph affidavit filed in compliance with the order of Justice Othman Musa, directing the

examination body to supply the court with particulars of Adeleke in the 1981 examinations, WAEC confirmed that Adeleke sat for the examination at Ede Muslim High School, Yidi Road, Ede, Osun State with center number 19645.

The affidavit deposed to by Osindeinde, Deputy Registrar/Head of School Examination Department accompanied with the ledger containing the names and results of all the candidates from number 001 to 221 who sat for the secondary school certificate examination in the said school.

The certified true copy of the ledger, however, indicated that Senator Adeleke, who is currently representing Osun West senatorial district in the Senate, sat for only English Language in the examination.

The plaintiffs in an ex-parte application argued by their counsel,

Mr. Bankole Joel Akomolafe, on September 11 claimed that the PDP candidate did not sit for the WAEC examination in 1981 because the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination had not been introduced in the country as of 1981.

They further alleged that the National Examination Council (NECO) examination he claimed to have sat for could not be genuine because NECO had not been established at the time Adeleke claimed to have sat for the examination.

The Plaintiffs therefore prayed the court to restrain Adeleke from parading himself as the governorship candidate of PDP in the coming Saturday’s gubernatorial election.

They also prayed the court to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from recognizing Adeleke as a candidate in

the governorship election.

Justice Musa had in his ruling on the ex-parte application on September 11 refused to bar Adeleke and also refused to make any order against INEC but however, ordered Adeleke to appear before the court yesterday September 19 to show cause on why he should not be disqualified from participating in Saturday’s gubernatorial election.

The judge also ordered WAEC to swear to affidavit to confirm or deny participation of Adeleke in the 1981 WAEC examination and to also make available to the court the ledger containing names and results of candidates for 1981 WAEC examination.

In response to the court order, WAEC admitted that the PDP candidate actually sat for the SSCE in 1981.

An undergraduate, Miss Tolulope Ogunyemi (right) presenting Mathematics Text Books to students of Ajaara Community High School, Ibadan as part of her effort to encourage students’ interest in Mathematics, yesterday in Ibadan.

With her is the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Education, Mrs Iyabo Fatoki and Deputy Director, Curriculum Development in the ministry, Mr Oyebisi Ojewuyi. Photo: NAN

FG approves concession of 20 silos to private operators

By Lawrence Olaoye

R-L; Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, Minister of Defence, Big General Mansur Dan Ali and Minister of Communications, Otunba Shittu, during the Federal Executive Council Meeting, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: State House

‘Lagos records five cases of domestic violence daily’

F

atal Badru, a professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, on Tuesday said statistics indicate that a minimum of five cases of domestic violence are being reported daily in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Badru spoke at a symposium organised

by Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in Lagos.

He delivered a keynote address at the Symposium, themed “Securing the Home Against Violence”, and put

together to commemorate the 2018 Domestic and Sexual Violence Month in Lagos.

Mr Badru said: “According to the DSVRT statistics, there has been an increase in domestic violence daily in Lagos.

“At least, a minimum of five incidences of domestic violence are reported daily.”

The sociologist said recent doctoral studies also showed that domestic violence was more prevalent in the urban areas than the rural areas.

He attributed the high level of domestic violence in urban

areas to psychological factors and stressful living conditions.

He advocated the protection of persons with disabilities from domestic violence.

Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos State, at the event, highlighted the role of the home in the upbringing of wholesome children.

Represented by George Onafowokan, his special adviser on Social Development, the governor said, “The home is the first place the child lives.

“The parents are the primary educators of the children and the

home is the first place of security of the children.

“Every kind of behaviour begins from the home; it is from our behaviour that children learn, and they are the direct representatives of who we are.”

He said that parents should be cautious in bringing up children because of the effect it has to the larger society.

Also, Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Lagos Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court said the Lagos State Judiciary was taking up the fight against sexual and domestic violence.(NAN)

T

he Federal Government has approved the concession of 20 national silos spread across the country to private operators.

The government is to earn the sum of N6 billion from the concession in the next 10 years after which the agreement could either be renewed or terminated.

The government has also approved the sum of N3 billion to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for the provision of materials for flood victims across the country.

Briefing newsmen after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, said “Today we presented a memo to council seeking concession the silos which have been built in different parts of the country. A total of 33 silos exist with a capacity of 1,360,000 metric tons of grains and there are spread almost evenly through the geo-political zones of the country.

Suspends planned National carrier, Nigeria Air

“In 2014, government decided to concession some of these silos, so that the private sector can help use them and pay a fee to the federal government.

“The process was carried out by the World Bank, the concession committee of government, NGOs, private sector and the ministry of agriculture. It has taken this long to arrive at this because the processes are very slow. We wanted absolute accountability. And so we arrived today at presenting a memo to council to approve the concessioning of 20 these silos most of them with a capacity of 100,000 tons. Members of council asked a lot of questions on how we intend to manage this and make sure the concessionaire actually do the right thing.

“We informed them that the fact that we are concessioning some of the silos does not mean we are reneging on our responsibility to guarantee food security. We are keeping six of the silos which is according to international

standard, we keep five percent of all the grains we harvest every year, the rest will go to private sector groups. Those who bided and have shown capacity have been the ones allocated the silos, those who are unable to manage them will have the concession revoked.

Government will earn N6 billion in the 10-year period of the first instance.

The federal government remains the owner of the silos and at the end of 10 year it can either renew, revoke or takeover the silos and operate them ourselves.

The advantages of the concessioning include, private sector groups with these silos in their possession will drive the production of grains where these things grow more suitably. We have request for grains from different parts of the world, soya beans, sesame, sorghum and millet.

We also have massive rice production going on and the likes of Dangote and Coscharis going into rice production

now need these silos. So concessioning it to them means they will organize local groups to produce grains for them to dry properly and store and market when the need arises or even export.”

Also at the briefing, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, disclosed that federal government has put in place measures to contain the expected flooding following early warnings He noted that the water level has risen to 11.19 , but has not reached the 12.4 level that led to flooding in 2012.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has suspended the proposed new National Carrier, Nigeria Air, a Channels TV news report said yesterday.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Serika, made the announcement on Wednesday through his Twitter handle - @hadisirika.

“I regret to announce that the Federal Executive Council has taken

the tough decision to suspend the National Carrier Project in the interim.

“All commitments due will be honoured.

“We thank the public for the support as always”.

He, however, gave no reason for the decision, the report said.

The Federal Government’s reported decision to suspend a new national carrier follows its unveiling two months ago.

During its unveiling on July 18, the minister said the national carrier will be private sector driven and not a “social service”.

According to him, the Federal Government will not own more than 5% (maximum) of the new National Carrier.

Sirika explained that the airline will create economic and job opportunities.

“We want to use this new privatesector-led airline to make a statement that, ‘Yes, Nigeria can do it!’ and we want to promote our cultures and traditions. It will also create economic opportunities and jobs”, he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

PAGE 6

News We’re not recruiting, NECO alerts of fraudsters From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

T

he National Examination Council has charged the general public to disregard an online publication purporting that the body is planning to recruit new staff.

The National Examination

Council, NECO, said it was the antics of fraudsters to dupe unsuspecting applicants.

The Acting Registrar of the Council, Abubakar Gana disclosed this yesterday in a statement issued by his Head of Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani, who noted that the report of recruitment

was false and the imagination of fraudsters.

According to the statement, “the Council enjoins members of the public to disregard the publication as it has no plan to recruit new staff.

The Council hereby strongly states that the publication is the product of the imagination of fraudsters

who are out to defraud unsuspecting members of the public”.

Gana added that the leadership of the Council has issued stern warning to fraudsters involved in the scam adding that anyone caught in the nefarious act will face the wrath of the law, adding that the public especially applicants should shun the

antics of the fraudsters in other not to fall victim He said that the leadership of NECO was on the same page with the change mantra of the present administration of President Mohammedu Bahari which is optimized by transparency and zero tolerance for impunity.

Group lauds Jos residents protest over abandoned road projects Buhari over ecological R projects From Ado Abubakar Musa Jos

By Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

A

group, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), has commended the Ecological Fund Office, a department in the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, as it embarks on the commissioning of about 70 ecological intervention projects in communities across the six geo-political zones of the country.

In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group said the projects, worth billions of Naira, were approved for implementation

by President Muhammadu Buhari in order to end the devastation and subsequent suffering caused by desertification, gully erosion and flooding in specific locations and communities across the country.

According to the BMO, “There is no doubt that the interventions by the Ecological Fund Office in the affected communities have solved problems that have given sleepless nights to citizens whose means of livelihood and property, including farms, houses and other valuables were threatened by or lost to desertification, flooding and disastrous gully erosion.

“In some of the benefiting communities, whole towns and villages, where hundreds of people live, were saved from devastation by the interventions, thereby safeguarding the well-being of the residents.

“Already some projects have been commissioned in Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom States. The locations of the projects reflect the diversity and spread of the interventions. In Nasarawa town of Nasarawa state, a 2.5-kilometre drainage to control gully erosion and road improvement projects were executed.

“Both were commissioned by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Alhaji Abubakar Malami on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari,” the group said.

The Federal Government awarded contracts for the projects in June 2017 for N451 million. They were completed within schedule in January 2018.

The Minister said at the commissioning ceremony that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari does not consider political partisanship in serving Nigerians and the provision of amenities that have positive impact on the well-being of the citizenry.

The Akwa Ibom state Commissioner for Environment, who represented the state governor during the commissioning ceremony, expressed delight for the gully erosion, roads and flood control projects.

esidents of Jos in Plateau state have protested over abandoned road projects

by Governor Simon Lalong in their various communities in Jos north local government area of the state.

The residents vowed that if the abandoned road projects are not completed before 2019 election by the governor, they would use their PVCs to vote him out of office.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition during the protest in the capital city of Jos, their leader Buhari Shehu, lamented that the work of the uncompleted roads commenced since last two years, but abandoned and have been causing hardship to the people of the affected areas.

“Jos North LG gave Lalong block votes. Our votes made him the governor, so we are now begging him to come to our aid . But if his government fails to complete the projects, we would use our PVCs to vote him out in

2019 “We urge Lalong to urgently mandate the contractors to return to site so that life can be bearable to people that are suffering as result of non-completion of the roads.”

When contacted, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Yakubu Datti responded on the protest.

He said, “Governor Simon Lalong had a meeting with the contractors hadling the projects and money would be available to them to enable them go back to site soon.

“The governor did not abandon any road projects, the construction was stopped because of rain, because you cannot construct roads during raining season, “ Dating said.

Dati added that the Commissioner for Works, Pam Bot and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor Lalong have inspected the road projects and would soon commence the work.

Some of the roads according to the group include: Anguwan Rogo, Anguwan Rimi, Dilimi, New Market among others.

L-R: M&E Consultant Mantra Project, Dr. Asani Omowunmi, Executive Director, ANEEJ, Dr. David Ugolor, Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Right and Civil Education, Mr. Ibrahim Zikrullahi and Executive Director, New Initiative for Social Development,, Mr. abiodum Oyeleye, during the opening ceremony of a two-day Train-the-trainers workshop for supervisor filed monitors, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Flood: Jigawa accuses FG of neglect, says 30 dead, 210 communities submerged From Mika’il Tsoho Dutse

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he Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Barrister Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia has accused the Federal Government of excluding the State from the emergency support to states, saying that while 30 people have died, 210 communities have be submerged due to floods.

It could be recalled that, few days ago when the Jigawa state deputy governor visited the affected communities he begged the federal government and other international agencies to come to the rescue of the victims as the flood still continued to ravage communities

and their farmlands in the state.

The deputy governor told newsmen that no fewer than, 30 people were confirmed died while hundreds of pregnant women and other patients with different ailment are hindered from accessing medical services as flood cut-up over 210 communities across 14 local government areas in the state.

Barrister Hadejia maintained that thousands of houses and over 68,000 hectres of farmlands were submerged and destroyed by the floods worth billions of Naira.

When our correspondent visited the affected areas, youths and other members of different communities worked day and night constructing

an embankment around their communities to minimize the flood damages.

Some of the victims told our reporter that for over thirty years ago the land never witness such flood disaster that took away all what they have including the lives of some people in the area.

According to one of the victims, Malam Adamu Mai’unguwa of Budamai village who arrived Harbo Sabuwa village from Budamai village on a canoe carrying pregnant women and patients for transportation to Jahun Hospital, said they spent three hours on water before reaching the road.

Malam Adamu noted that, they

only managed to convey patients with complicated sickness as the journey from their village is not easy and very risk.

“Our village with population of over 1500 people is completely surrounded by water and all roads are submerged by the flood we can only reach out to road after spending three to four hours on canoe which we are not use to it before” In Miga local governments, the chairman of the council, told the Deputy governor that, the affected area that, the flood keep up increasing in the last 7 days, and people of the area have been sleepless to control the damages.

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

Costoms raid illegal stores in Gombe, Bauchi, seize hard drugs From Ahmad Bauchi

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Mohammed

he Nigerian Customs Service, NCS has raided stores in Bauchi and Gombe States and arrested one suspect, seized hard drugs.

The seized contrabands includes; Tramadol 120mg seized is 840 packets while the Diazepam is 4, 437 packets valued at N7, 350, 000.

The Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit, Zone D, comprising of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Benue and Nassarawa States, Peters Olugboyega, disclosed this yesterday in Bauchi when he handed over the drugs to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Peters said the operation was carried out jointly between operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abuja Headquarters and the Federal Operations Unit, Zone D, Bauchi, .He said, “On Thursday, 13th September, 2018, the Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service Abuja Headquarters Information Patrol left Abuja and invited the Operatives of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone D, Bauchi, on joint credible Information Patrol of suspected hard drugs being deposited in a store around Tudun Wada area of Gombe state.

“The joint operatives raided the store and were able to evacuate hard drugs comprising of Tramadol 120mg and Diazepam controlled drugs and the drugs are psychoactive, psycho-pharmaceutical drugs that change brain function.”

He said that the Diazepam is a medicine of Benzodiazepine family that typically produces calming effect adding that the Tramadol is an opiod pain medication used to treat and moderate severe pain, “these are controlled drugs, you can imagine the havoc they may cause to our youth if drugs of such magnitude find their way into our society and the Federal Government is worried with the damaging effects these hard drugs are causing in our society.

Receiving the drugs the exhibits, officer of the NDLEA who represented the State Commander, Nasiru Babura, said that the agency will carry out a thorough investigation before taking the suspect to court.

Babura, a Superintendent of Narcotics, warned that any person caught importing, supplying, transporting or abusing drugs will be prosecuted.

He also counseled that drug traffickers should consider themselves as parents and “if they import these drugs, they don’t know where these drugs go to, it might end up destroying close members of their family.”

CRIME News

UK to prosecute more Nigerians over alleged human trafficking -Official

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he British government on Tuesday restated its resolve to ensure speedy prosecution of more Nigerians living in the UK involved in human trafficking.

The UK minister of state for immigration, Caroline Noakes, made the assertion during her visit to some facilities of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in Lagos.

Ms Noakes, a Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, expressed displeasure over the high number of NAPTIP cases pending in different courts in Nigeria.

The minister said she would ensure complete prosecution of all the agency’s cases in the UK. “We had a recent good success where the UK Government, law enforcement agencies collaborated with Nigeria in prosecuting human

trafficker.

“It is a huge step forward to share information and share expertise.

“I am really appreciative of the Nigeria officials coming to the UK to give evidence in court to prosecute traffickers; that is a huge forward,” Ms Noakes said.

She commended the works done on NAPTIP facilities in Lagos, stressing that within few weeks of approving money for renovation, the facilities had gone beyond their expectations.

“I am here to see the change made on NAPTIP’s facilities by the UK Government.

“In just few weeks, the work done is impressive. The facilities are being changed for vulnerable women and people trafficked.

“It will be a safe place for them to be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the Nigeria society.

“The facilities will help the victims to be comfortable and go through rehabilitation,” the UK minister said.

Ms Noakes was appointed the Minister of State for Immigration on Jan. 8, 2018, while she was also elected Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North in 2010.

The NAPTIP South-West Zonal Commander, Kehinde Akomolafe, who received the minister, on behalf of the DirectorGeneral, Dame Julie OkahDonli, commended the British Government for the assistance.

Mrs Akomolafe said that the responsibility of NAPTIP was huge which needed more assistance in any way possible.

She said the agency’s management was doing its best with the available resources, stressing that more suspected

traffickers were being prosecuted with 11 cases currently pending at various courts in Nigeria.

Mrs Akomolafe said one of their officials was in the UK to testify in a case of human trafficking against one Cassandra Iyamu, assuring the Minister of more collaboration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the UK Minister had inspected the building facility located at the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, currently occupied by NAPTIP and NDLEA. She also visited NAPTIP shelters for victims within the state.

The Airport Commander of NDLEA, Ahmadu Garbage and that of NAPTIP, Taiwo Waheed, were on hand to receive the minister.(NAN) R-L: Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Adelegan Solomon, President NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, General Secretary NLC, Comrade Ozo Eson and the National Treasurer of NLC, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleef, during the Congress media briefing after the National Executive council meeting, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Independence Day: Niger Govt. to pardon, pay fines for inmates From Yakubu Minna

Mustapha

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s part of efforts to decongest the prisons in Nigeria, the Niger state government has concluded arrangements out of magnanimity to pardon and pay fines for the deserving inmates in the state to mark the country’s Independent Day come 1st October.

The State Advisory Council Committee on Prerogative of Mercy led by its Chairman and Attorney- General and Commissioner of Justice, Barrister Nasara Dan-mallam who spoke to

the newsmen yesterday after they round up assessment prison tour in the state.

Dan-Mallam said that it was part of fulfillment of their statutory obligations to visit all the prisons in the state to ascertain those who deserved pardon and the repentant as well as those who have shown remorse for their did and recommend to Governor Abubakar Sani Bello for action.

According to statistics Minna old and new prisons has a total of 705 inmates in their custody with a breakdown of 238 and 467

rather than 149 and 160 capacity respectively in addition to 17 under age criminals who are also in the remind home in Minna the state capital as at yesterday visit.

The commissioner decried the high rate of awaiting trials in the prisons some without appearing in the court just for minor offences hence to partner with the police to reduce to barest minimal such menace.

He assured that the state government will surely complement the efforts of the federal government in the provision of prison facilities in the state.

When visited, it was found that the New Prison has 118 awaiting trial, 91 convicted, 11 lifer, and 11 condemned criminals while the old prison has in its record 89 convicted, 42 and 44 short and long terms, 376 awaiting, 141 armed robbery cases, 87 homicides, 20 rape cases and 11 for drug offenses.

The State Prison Controller, Mustapha Iliyasu Atta in an interview, however, applauded the state government efforts, saying it will go a long way in decongesting prisons and will surely save some funds for the federal government developmental projects.

2019: Borno politicians recruiting armed thugs -NSCDC

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he Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Borno State on Tuesday decried the recruitment of armed thugs for political campaigns in the state.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, the NSCDC

Commandant in the state, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri, the state capital that the command had noticed an influx of such thugs at campaign grounds.

Mr Abdullahi said the thugs

were being used by politicians to intimidate opponents at political rallies.

“Such actions by these politicians could mar the fragile peace recorded. The insurgents can equally disguise among them

to perpetrate unsuspected attacks.

“We, therefore, warn politicians that these nefarious activities are contrary to Section 227 of the 1999 constitution (as amended) and Sections 94 and 95 of the Electoral Act,’’ he said.(NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

PEOPLES DAILY, thursday, september 20, 2018

Continued from the previous page

KANO STATE GOVERNMENT

22ND AND 123RD KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETINGS PREPARED BY THE COUNCIL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT, GOVERNMENT HOUSE, KANO. COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE ONE-DAY 2ND CONFERENCE ON STRENGHENING INTERFAITH AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS FOR PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN KANO STATE AND NIGERIA HELD AT THE CORONATION HALL, GOVERNMENT HOUSE, KANO ON SATURDAY, 13TH JANUARY, 2018

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and approval during the 122nd and 123rd meetings: he Kano State Executive Council held its 122nd • Memorandum on the Construction of 3No. and 123rd meetings under the chairmanship of Dams in Three Communities in the State The His Excellency, the Executive Governor, Dr. memorandum was presented by the Ministry of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR on Monday 13th Rural and Community Development following the August, 2018/2nd Zhul Hijjah, 1439AH and Sunday receipt of requests from some communities for the 9th September, 2018/88th Zhul Hijjah, 1439AH construction of earth dams for the enhancement respectively during which approvals were granted for of their socio-economic and agricultural activities. the execution of capital projects, the implementation Sequel to this, the ministry carried out need of human development programmes and initiation of assessment for the provision of the dams that policies to enhance the living standard of the teeming would go a long way in addressing the problem people of the state. of unemployment in the rural areas and prepared In his opening remarks during the 123rd meeting, a bill of engineering measurement and evaluation the Chairman welcomed the members and said that the for the execution of the projects at Waskaya, meeting could not hold since the Eid-el Kabir festivities Kure and Unguwar Kofa/Kyanfawa in Gwarzo, due to so many official engagements. He expressed Kibiya and Garun Malam Local Government Areas happiness over the peaceful observance of the Sallah respectively. Accordingly, Council approved the celebrations including the traditional homage to release of the cumulative sum of N26,460,377.25 to Government House paid by the Emir of Kano, Malam the ministry for the construction of the earth dams Muhammadu Sunusi II, praying to the Almighty Allah through direct labour. to accept the devotions of those who were in the Holy • Memorandum on Request for the Provision Land for pilgrimage and other Muslim faithful in of Road Marking Materials, Manual Tools and Nigeria.

According to His Excellency, many political activities The Executive Governor of Kano state, Repairs of Road Marking Vehicle The Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport presented the also took place in the state and Abuja including the Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, OFR memorandum on request for the procurement of national caucus and NEC meetings of APC attended by road marking materials, manual tools and repairs the President, Vice President, Governors, members of the national assembly and other prominent members of the party during of a road marking vehicle in respect of Kano Roads and Traffic Agency which valuable recommendations were proffered to the party on the (KAROTA) to enable it to carry out some road markings on some identified conduct of party primaries at all levels for the emergence of its candidates major roads in the metropolis thereby ensuring safe motoring by reducing accidents. Accordingly, Council approved the release of the sum of for next year’s general elections.

The Governor further disclosed that the meeting recommended two N13,243,480.00 to KAROTA for the stated undertakings.

• Memorandum on the Construction of a 2-Coat Surface Dressed Road options of either direct or indirect primaries and the party opted for direct primaries for the emergence of its presidential flagbearer while states Linking Yar Chacho to Faruruwa Town in Shanono LGA The memorandum was presented by the Ministry of Works, Housing are at liberty to adopt the option that is most suitable to each of them.

Kano State chapter of the party opted for direct primaries in order to and Transport on the need for the construction of a 14-kilometer 2-coat ensure fairness and transparency while eliminating all corrupt tendencies surface dressed road linking Yar Chacho and Faruruwa Town in Shanono including bribing or abducting of delegates. He also stated that the party Local Government Area with a view to ensuring the smooth movement of mapped out a sequence of primaries to be conducted starting with the goods and people in the area. Accordingly, Council approved the award of the contract for the execution of the project to the qualified contractor presidential primaries.

He pointed out that sales of forms for participation in the forthcoming at the cost of N438,285,176.78 in order to overcome the transportation primaries in the state and the party would carry out dialogue and consensus challenges facing the agrarian communities in the area for a long time.

• Memorandum on Request for Approval for the Conduct of Preand if these fail direct primaries would be conducted for the emergence of the party’s flagbearers. Toward achieving this, a few hours back, the State Retirement Workshop for Civil Servants in Collaboration with the APC Youth Volunteers were inaugurated and this move would greatly Consultancy Services Unit of Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies sanitize the conduct of primaries in the state.

The memorandum is from the Office of the Head of Civil Service The Chairman added that movement of politicians from one party to another also took place in Kano State and APC is now healthier, more requesting for approval to organize and conduct a pre-retirement workshop peaceful and cohesive with the defection of some elements, describing this for some retiring civil servants in collaboration with the Consultancy as a good development. According to him, the former governor of the state Services Unit of Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies. and minister, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau and his teeming supporters joined The workshop will equip middle and lower retiring staff with the requisite the ruling APC after a series of consultations and the visit of the national knowledge and skills on agriculture, production of detergents, antiseptics, chairman of APC to the state in a bid to persuade him to defect from PDP shoe-making, etc so as to have reliable means of livelihood after retirement. to APC. He assured that many more PDP members would join APC which Accordingly, Council approved the release of the sum of N14,000,000.00 will be a good omen to the ruling party at both national and state levels. to the Office of the Head of Civil Service for the stated commitment.

• Memorandum on Request for Government’s Intervention to Construct He welcomed Malam Ibrahim Shekarau into the fold of APC who that day registered as a bonafide member at his Giginyu Ward in Nassarawa Local Drainages and Other Measures to Address the Problem of Perennial Flooding at Garangamawa Quarters in Gwale LGA Government Area.

The memorandum was presented by the Ministry of Environment The Governor then informed the members that APC had inaugurated the Campaign Committee for Osun State gubernatorial election under his following the receipt of a request from Gidauniyar Alheri Community for chairmanship in Abuja to ensure the victory of the party at the polls slated government’s intervention in constructing drainages and other measures for 22nd September, 2018, pointing out that this assignment would involve toward addressing the menace of flooding at Garangamawa quarters in a lot of activities including meetings toward achieving the noble objective. Gwale Local Government Area. Sequel to this, the ministry’s technical The following memoranda were presented before the esteemed Council staff visited the site, assessed the scope of works required which involves members by ministries, departments and agencies for due consideration Continued on the next page

the construction of a line reinforced concrete drainage and prepared a bill of------ engineering measurement and evaluation for the execution of the works. Accordingly, Council approved the award of the contract for the execution of the flood-control project at the cost of N14,274,523.94.

• Memorandum on Request for Government’s Intervention in Constructing Drainages and Other Measures to Address the Problem of Floods at Chiranchi Kudu in Gwale LGA The Ministry of Environment presented the memorandum following the receipt of a request from Chiranchi Zumunta Association for government’s intervention to construct drainages and other measures in order to overcome the problem of flooding at Chiranchi Kudu in Gwale Local Government Area. To this end, the ministry inspected the affected site, assessed the scope of works which involves the construction of three reinforced concrete drainages with cover slabs and prepared a bill of engineering measurement and evaluation for the execution of the works.

Accordingly, Council approved the award of the contract to the qualified contractor at the cost of N36,975,188.22.

• Memorandum on Request for Approval for Capacity-Building in Ffavour of Mathematics, Computer and Science Teachers Under the State Science and Technical Schools Board The memorandum was presented by the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation on request for approval to conduct a 1-week capacity-building training by the National Teachers Institute (NTI), Kaduna in respect of 500No. Mathematics, Science and Computer teachers under the State Science and Technical Schools Board in line with the present administration’s policy on manpower development to enhance productivity. Accordingly, Council approved the release of the sum of N45,650,000.00 for the stated undertakings.

• Memorandum on the Need for Alteration Works at the Pharmacy Unit and Supply/Installation of Equipment at Marmara Maternity Hospital The Ministry of Health presented the memorandum on the need for the execution of alteration works at the Pharmacy Unity and supply and installation of equipment at Marmara Maternity Hospital for the improvement of maternal and child healthcare services. In line with this noble objective, the ministry’s technical team carried out assessment of the alteration works and the required equipment after which a bill was prepared for the execution of the works. Accordingly, Council approved the award of the contract for the stated undertakings to the qualified contractor at the cost of N55,340,367.50.

• Memorandum on the Redemption of Pledge Made to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State Chapter The Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources presented the memorandum on request for the redemption of a pledge in the sum of N132,000,000:00 made by the state government to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kano State chapter as assistance to subsidize the purchase of tractors for use by its members across the 44 local government areas of the state. Accordingly, Council approved the release of the stated sum of N132,000,000:00 as part of efforts to enhance farming activities in the state.

• Memorandum on the Supply and Installation of 600No. Solar-Powered Streetlights at Various Locations in the State The memorandum was presented by the Ministry of Rural and Community Development on the proposal for the supply and installation of 600No. solar-powered streetlights at various Islamiyya and female boarding secondary schools in the state. Accordingly, Council approved the award of the contract for the stated undertaking at the cost of N210,000,000:00.

• Memorandum on the Need for the Reconstruction and Repairs/rehabilitation Works at Two Health Posts in Kiru LGA The memorandum was presented by the Ministry of Health on the need to reconstruct and repair/rehabilitate Kailani and Achi Lafiya Health Posts in Kiru Local Government Area for the improvement of basic health care services in the communities. This move followed the serious dilapidation of the two health facilities which inhibits effective health care delivery to the teeming people of the areas. To this end, the ministry’s technical team inspected the sites, assessed the scopes of works and prepared drawings and bills of quantities for the execution of the projects. Accordingly, Council approved the award of the contract to the qualified contractor at the cost of N14,239,140.37.

UPDATE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE 122ND EXCO SITTING A. PRESENTATION OF ACADEMIC CERTIFICATES TO 12NO. STATE-SPONSORED GRADUATE NURSES OF AL-MANSUOURA UNIVERSITY, EGYPT Council witnessed with appreciation the presentation of academic certificates to 11No. graduate nurses of Al-Mansoura University, Egypt out of whom six bagged A Grade while the other graduate will receive his/hers pending the clearance of a minor issue. Over N4 billion had been spent on the sponsorship of foreign students which is more than the amount required to sponsor all internal students for many years.

The state government reiterated its commitment to continue with the scholarship programme despite the formidable challenges while other state governments in the federation had brought back their foreign students. The graduate nurses expressed appreciation over the continued sponsorship of their studies by the present administration, presented an award to His Excellency, the Executive Governor in appreciation of the present administration’s gesture to them and resolved to serve the state

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diligently.

B. INAUGURATION OF THE COMMITTEES FOR THE DISBURSEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP ALLOWANCES TO INTERNAL STUDENTS OF HIGHER INSTITUTIONS IN THE COUNTRY BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR Council witnessed with appreciation the inauguration of five committees for the payment of scholarship allowance to internal students of higher institutions in the country in respect of the 2015/2016 academic session

by His Excellency, the Executive Governor.

The committees, headed by Hon. Commissioners, are to oversee the hitchfree disbursement of the allowances amounting to N350 million through cash/table payment to the beneficiaries in order to avoid the pitfalls of the e-payment as some students have died. Internal students in the state had not been paid their scholarship allowances for many years prior to the 2015/2016 academic session and the determination of the present administration to settle the backlog of the allowances in batches.

UPDATE ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE 123RD EXCO SITTING A COURTESY VISIT TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR BY MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FEMALE TEACHERS (NAFET), KANO STATE CHAPTER LED

BY THE CHAIRPERSON, HAJIYA AI’SHATU SANI MUHAMMAD Council witnessed with appreciation the courtesy call on His Excellency, the Executive Governor by members of the National Association of Female Teachers (NAFET), Kano State chapter led by the chairperson, Hajiya Ai’shatu Sani Muhammad. Membership of the association comprises professional female teachers of basic, secondary and tertiary schools across the country. The visitors expressed appreciation over the present administration’s priority attention to the education sector especially the recent recruitment of over 1,000 female teachers. His Excellency enumerated some of the efforts of his present administration to develop the education sector through the execution of numerous infrastructural projects, recruitment of teaching staff with the recent employment of 1,195 female teachers, training of over 25,000 teachers to acquire the minimum NCE qualification, girl-child education programme, among other undertakings. The state government also pledged to assist the association toward the successful hosting of the national conference in the state capital.

B. COURTESY VISIT TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR BY THE EXECUTIVE MEMBERS OF THE NIGERIA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (NIM), KANO STATE CHAPTER LED BY THE CHAIRMAN, DR. ABUBAKAR S. GARBA Council witnessed with appreciation the courtesy call on His Excellency, the Executive Governor by the executive members of the Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), Kano State Chapter led by its chairman, Dr. Abubakar S. Garba. The state would host the annual conference of NIM and the state government pledged to assist the association toward the successful hosting of the conference in the state capital. His Excellency pointed out that the failure of public and private entities in the country are attributable to mismanagement which informed the decision of his administration to employ Open Government Partnership (OGP) to ensure transparency in governance in addition to according priority attention to staff training and re-training.

C. SIGNING OF THE KANO STATE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND PRELIMINARY STUDIES BILL 2018 INTO LAW BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR Council witnessed with appreciation the signing of the Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies Bill 2018 into law by His Excellency, the Executive Governor to replace the law establishing Kano State College of Science, Arts and Remedial Studies (CAS). This development would enable the college to conform with the requirements for the award of NCE certificates, enter into affiliations with other universities for the award of degrees in education, access federal government’s interventions through TETFUND and collaborate with other sister institutions in and outside the country. His Excellency expressed his administration’s commendation to the management of the college, the State House of Assembly and other stakeholders over this development and directed the management of Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies to ensure the optimum utilization of this opportunity for the benefit of the people of the state and the country at large.

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY The Council has endorsed these useful phone numbers provided by the security agencies in case of any emergency. Accordingly, members of the general public may contact KAROTA for breakdown of vehicle(s), traffic congestion, accident or illegal/wrong parking on 08091626747, the State Police Command on 08032419754 or 08123821575 and the State Fire Service on 07051246833 or 08191778888.

SIGNED MALAM MUHAMMAD GARBA HON. COMMISSIONER MIN OF INFORMATION, YOUTH AND CULTURE KANO STATE

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

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News

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L-R: Director Cooperate Affairs, Mr Ambrose Oruche; President of Manufacture Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr Frank Jacobs and Director General of MAN, Mr Segun Ajayi-Kadir, during a news conference on MAN 46th Annual General Meeting, yesterday in Lagos.

Photo: NAN

Bangladesh, Egypt to showcase arts, crafts at INAC Expo

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

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angladesh and Egypt said they are set to showcase their unique art and crafts in the forthcoming International Arts and Crafts Expo (INAC) slated for November in Abuja.

The Bangladeshi High Commissioner, Shameed Ahsan

made the disclosure during a courtesy call yesterday to the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Runsewe while assuring his country’s total participation to INAC Expo.

The Ambassador stated succinctly that, “Your leadership role encourages us to partner with you”.

In his remarks Runsewe was

thankfully saying that this year’s maiden edition of the International Arts and Crafts Expo promises to be the first of its kind in terms of packaging and organization.

The envoy equally accepted to host Bangladesh day during the event to promote the natural endowments of his country to world.

The DG affirmed that this year’s

INAC will beva platform to network over thirty-five countries that have indicated interest to participate.

He said some of the countries includes Venezuela, Tanzania, Spain, France, USA, Cameroun, Togo, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, Syria, China, Pakistan amongst many others.

NECO allegation: Call your men to order, PDP tells IGP

By Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

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he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned the Police to desist from acting the script of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against its governorship candidate in the September 22, Osun State governorship election, Senator Ademola Adeleke.

The PDP called on the Inspector General of Police to protect the integrity of the Force by immediately calling his officers hounding Senator

Adeleke to order.

The party described the latest twist in the Adeleke Certificate Circus, leading to laughable trumpedup charges by the Police, as horrible, nauseating and displeasing.

The PDP said this in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan The party said the sudden realisation of allegations that Adeleke was involved in a National Examination Council (NECO) exam malpractice in 2017, as well

as his subsequent invitation by the police, barely two days before the governorship election, is a ploy by the APC to distract the PDP candidate and if possible, put him out of circulation before and during the election.

Accordingto the statement, “While the PDP is in no way against any legitimate effort by any security agency in the discharge of its duties, we totally reject this unrelenting attempt to use trumped up charges to take down our candidate, simply because the APC has realized that he

is coasting to victory.

“Perhaps, the police needs to be educated that the West African Examination Council (WAEC) has already confirmed that Senator Adeleke wrote his WAEC examination in 1981, thus ending the earlier unnecessary controversy about his WAEC status.

“Moreover, this is the same police that have not been able to invite the disgraced erstwhile minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, who confessed to having a forged

COEASU wants FG to implement CONTISS 15 for lower cadre

By Usman Shuaibu

T

he National Public Relations officer of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Dr. Ahmed Bazza Lawan, has called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency to implement CONTISS 15 for lower cadre in the colleges of education across the country.

His words: “The issue of CONTISS 15 we called it migration of lower cadre. In the agreement signed by the government there is what we called CONTISS 15, before as our people reached the peak they stopped at CONTISS 14

Pricing out good candidates

he ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has put hefty prices on nomination forms for the various positions for which it intends to field candidates in next year’s general elections. The polls come up in February. The party is asking for 45 million naira ($125,500, 108,000 euros) from every aspirant who wants to take part in its presidential primaries. President Muhammadu Buhari, certain to be the sole aspirant, has had the fee paid for him by a group of supporters. The fee more than doubles the N27,5 million the APC demanded for the same position in 2015.

Abubakar

he Plateau state Ulama and Elders’ Council has condoled President Buhari over the death of Dr Abdullahi Bawa, Wase, the Nigerian ambassador to Qatar.

The group described death of Bawa as devastating and an irreparable loss to Nigerians.

The Council in a statement jointly signed

by Co-Chairmen, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, Prof.

Abdurrahman Lawal Adam and Secretary, Dr Khalid Aliyu Abubakar also said that the death of Dr Bawa has thrown the entire Plateau state into mourning.

The statement reads : “he has played an exceptional role in peace making and peace sustenance in Plateau, he was such an easy-going person that embraced all irrespective of religious, ethnic or sectional background.”

The council commiserated with President, Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state, and the Emir of Wase, Alhaji Muhammad Sambo Haruna over the sudden death of Dr Bawa.

The council prayed may God give the entire family of the deceased the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss

PAGE 11

EDITORIAL

Ulama Council condoles Buhari over death of Ambassador Bawa From Ado Musa Jos

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

and for you to reach your peak, it means you are level 17, but CONTISS 14 is not up to 17.

So, we put forward an argument to the government and the government graciously accepted and that CONTISS 15 was created.

But what happened was that the senior cadre were migrated while the lower cadre was left behind since 2010, and since then we have been struggling to see that the government implements it.

What is sad about it, is that our sister tertiary institutions like polytechnics the government had implemented theirs”.

He further said: “CONTISS 15

was signed and approved by the immediate past government of president Goodluck Jonathan that lower cadre should be incorporated and their arrears paid. So, we are calling on the Federal Government to do something about CONTISS 15.”

Lawan, who made the call while speaking with peoples Daily in his office in Zuba, expressing with dismay the manner at which the Teacher Education was neglected by the government of the day.

He urged the government to put in place necessary teaching and learning facilities at the colleges of education in Nigeria in

the interest of the students, noting that Teacher Education can not be toyed with.

On the Need Assessment, he explained that COEASU engaged the government in 2014 in the provision of basic infrastructural facilities in the colleges of education but up till now no Boko was released.

While commenting on the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), the National Public Relations Officer said IPPIS is a system where the government wants to payroll every worker from the centre, asking the government to adjust the civil

service platform to accommodate tertiary institutions in terms of their retirement age, sabbatical leave and contract staff among others.

He said the leadership of the union was ready to support any policy of the government to check leakages.

Lawan, who is an academic staff of the FCT College of Education Zuba, however, commended the government for the step being taken to approve the shortfall as well the promotion arrears of 2012, thanking the government also for approving the personnel allocation.

The cost of nomination and expression of interest forms for the governorship is N22.5 million. For a senatorial ticket, an aspirant will pay N1m for the expression of interest form and N6m for a nomination form, while those for House of Representatives will pay N3.85m, including N350,000 for the expression of interest form and N3.5m for the nomination form. A House of Assembly aspirant will pay N850,000, including N100,000 for the expression of interest form and N750,000 for the nomination form. The party, however, has offered a half-price discount for women and the disabled.

benchmark will not be missed.

Reactions to the stupendous fees parties are charging have been one of anger and dismay. The Not-Too-Youngto-Run group, which successfully campaigned for a reduction in the age limit for elective offices, says the fees are “exorbitant” and would disqualify potential candidates. It accuses the main parties of “reneging” on a pledge to cap the cost of nomination forms for all elective positions. The Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, a lobby group, fears the high costs show “how the two main parties have monetised the political environment. The system favours the wealthy and fosters cronyism and corruption, as sponsors who often pay for a The Centre for Anti- candidate’s forms expect Corruption and Open pay-back once they are in power.”

“

Leadership, a lobby group, fears the high costs show “how the two main parties have monetised the political environment. The system favours the wealthy and fosters cronyism and corruption, as sponsors who often pay for a candidate’s forms expect pay-back once they are in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which ruled Nigeria power for 16 years, but in 2015, lost the Presdiency to APC’s Buhari, has reduced the cost of its presidential candidate forms to 12 million naira and the governorship from 11 million naira to six million naira. Unlike, APC, the PDP has made its forms free for female candidates, in a move to widen the political space and catch the votes of women.

The APC and PDP are, unarguably, the biggest political guns going into the elections. There are motley other 89 parties that eye the presidential race.

These have not yet announced their fees. When they do eventually, the fees may be far less than those of the two frontrunners but the million naira

OUR MISSION

While we at Peoples Daily agree elections in Nigeria are, by world standards, scandalously expensive because politics here is seen as business that must yield profit for the investor, there is no legislation as yet that says parties can charge only so so amount for a nomination form.

The electoral law, in its present form only pegs the amount of money an individual may contribute to a candidate’s campaign.

That said, the huge sums parties are charging run against the letter and spirit of the #NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN law that National Assembly passed last year and was signed by President Buhari last June. It is like offering younger Nigerians aspiring to elective office a clear coast with one and blocking the road with the other.

As Professor Lai Olurude has observed, “the majority of aspiring Nigerian youths cannot afford the huge amount of money placed on nomination forms by the leading political parties.” We ask, therefore, for a drastic reduction to the barest minimum in order not to discriminate against this significant, vibrant segment of our population from the 2019 political contest.

OUR PEOPLE

Chairman “To be the market Malam Wada Maida, place of ideas and Oon, Fnge the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the Chief Operating Officer (Ag) truth, maintaining the Editor, Daily highest professional Hameed M. Bello and ethical standards while delivering value to Manager, administration Hassan Hammanyaji our stakeholders”

OUR VISION

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

Letter to the Editor

The difficult side of democracy

By Abdul Mahmud

A

s many perceptive observers have correctly noted, chaos lies at the core of our democracy. They point to the madness or, more profoundly, the struggle over “who gets what, when and how”, of those who squeeze the civic out of our democratic order to gain political notoriety, as evidence. The madness that characterizes fraudulent party selections and the chaos and violence that often follow our general elections make the evidence irrebuttable. Two points are implicit here: the first one concerns order as the nature of democracy.

The rooting of democracy is practically impossible in a polity reduced to chaos. The argument here is that how power is acquired is governed by rules and by the “principle of societal organization”. In effect, democracy must be rule-based in order to reduce or eliminate tension. The second one centers on representation as an essential character of democracy. For democracy to flourish the recognition of otherness and difference must exist to promote harmony and unity in the party political rank.

The evidence seems to point out the problem we are always confronted with when we elect folks who turn public offices into the wonderland of mad people, the asylum of those whom the gods have condemned to death by first making them mad with power. Do I tar everyone with the same brush? No. There are folks who unfortunately find themselves inside the insane asylum of the men and women of power and who, like Alice in Lewis Caroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’, despise the stereotyping because they were voted to be among mad people. I enjoin these folks to Cat’s message to Alice: “Oh, you can’t help that…I am mad. You are mad. You must be, or you wouldn’t have come here”. If the evidence truly exist, here it is: pugilists who turn the hallowed chambers of the legislature into boxing rings and their fellow colleagues into opponents or sparing partners. It doesn’t matter to them if the gavel, the symbol of legislative authority, becomes the hammer while the heads of their colleagues are the nails they hammer into nothingness.

No sane person undresses in the public and lashes at anything or everything in sight like the bull in a china shop. The emptying out of psychiatric inmates of the state asylum system into our national and states Houses of Assembly where they display animality is a yearly ritual in our part.

Foucault describes this ‘emptying out’ as a voyage outside the city walls to where mad people become prisoners of their own departures. In our case, we don’t send our mad legislators outside the city walls; in fact, we send them with our votes to Abuja and the states capitals of our country to mock our collective unreason, conjure up images of our collective insanity, and create party political squabbles. No sane person undresses in the public only to put on rags of shame as our legislators have consistently done since the inception of civil democracy in 1999.

Politics makes things happen. In our case, politics makes things happen in strange ways. Consider, for example, the ceaseless Boko Haram attacks on innocent citizens in the northeast and elsewhere, conflict over land ownership and grazing rights in the north-central, the increasing theft of crude oil in the Niger-delta, and homes riven by hunger and hardship. To address these problems we need a programme of constitutional and legislative reforms and a stable legislature. How can all of this be possible when our legislators display a certain proclivity for laziness and utter disregard for the pain we endure? The problem I see here is the high purchase on power that huge pomp, emoluments, allowances, salaries and entitlement afford our political leaders that they repudiate the very essence of politics thereby making our democracy empty.

The appeal to force, might and power to resolve political conflicts, rather than seeking to mediate them through compromises and cooperation, makes our democracy chaotic. It is this appeal that births the idea that the will of the godfather is supreme or that it is the will of the godfather that constitutes the supremacy of the party, regardless of other competing wills. Not true. The idea that a political party represents the collective interests and aspirations of all members quite rightly makes the party supreme. The non-recognition of competing wills, otherness and difference, or “the difference of the other”, is most worrying. Yes, it is worrying, but I doubt if our politicians make sense of the destruction they unleash on our democracy and the chaos that threatens it. Bukola Saraki appears to make sense of this destruction when he tweeted recently, “it is time to remind ourselves of the solemn promise to deliver real change, which can’t be achieved in atmosphere distracted politics” (sic).

Will our politicians make sense of Saraki’s reminder and begin to act in a manner that makes politics less distractive or our democracy less chaotic? I doubt it. Here, the politics of chaos merely allows our politicians to negotiate new terms and framework favorable to their pursuits and engagements and to enjoy new privileges and entitlements. Saraki’s reminder, though correct, is a curious one, which makes sense only if our politicians accept that representation is not about sharing “two hundred positions” as a certain Abdulmumin Jibrin gleefully let out as the odious carrots of reward at the disposal of his House principal, Yakubu Dogara.

Can our politicians redeem themselves? Can we fix our politics? Can we bring order back to our democracy?

Yes, but it appears already late. The bull is no longer in a china shop; it is rampaging through our quarters of governance. Consider this: two acting Directors-General were announced at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) within three days. That too is chaos!

Abdul Mahmud is a Public Affairs Analyst

PAGE 12

Opinion

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

Stimulating the economy through the people (1)

By Poju Akintyanju

T

here appears to be a consensus that the Federal Government will need to stimulate the economy by pushing more money into the society.

Government itself has stated that its recovery programme will be private sectordriven; and through some social safety net measures such as the school feeding system and direct employment of teachers.

There is no doubt that a multi-pronged approach will need to be taken to make life more bearable for the people and set the foundation for a truly diversified economy.

This article recommends that a large fraction of the stimulation should be done through the people and not the so-called private sector. This position is premised on two reasons. One, the formal private sector in Nigeria is inefficient, unimaginative and complicit in the corruption-induced quagmire in which we have found ourselves and therefore cannot be relied upon as the major driver of (re)building the national economy. Secondly, at this stage of our national development and given the conundrum in which we have found ourselves, the state should participate more directly in programmes that will rescue the economy by involving the people. The aim of government is the welfare of the people and not profit.

The Nigerian private sector is part of the nation’s problems in significant ways. The private sector usage in Nigeria means the formal or organised private sector engaged in big time industrial, construction, banking and service provision employing masses of people. The Small and Medium Scale enterprises as being conceived mimic the formal private sector and hope to transform into it; thus, they are conditioned to have the same mentality. The critical feature of the private sector is that it is profit-driven; that is that making profit is its only goal. This drives its efficiency and ruthlessness. If they do not make profit at

the level they envisage, they attack their employees and may even close shop. The number of industrial concerns that have relocated from Nigeria during economically difficult times is instructive. We can also recall here when the backward integration to agriculture was the vogue by industrial concerns in Nigeria. Once they could not make success/profit from it, they back tracked. The private sector establishments are private concerns and they are not about patriotism irrespective of what they mouth.

While they are entitled to their modus operandi, the point being made is that they are birds of flight that no nation in the type of difficulty Nigeria is will depend on wholly for economic upturn.

When a nation is in economic crisis calling for the injection of stimulus into the economy, the private sector usually first comes to the mind of government because they are believed to have established structures and possess an inherent degree of efficiency that can utilise the stimulus to cause economic upturn through increased production and employment. However in Nigeria, we have a private sector economy that has no root. There is no industrial root; no educational, research and development, integrity, work ethic, patriotic roots. The claim to efficiency of the private sector is exaggerated. We have the example of the privatised electricity generation and distribution. The level of efficiency and service delivery seems to be worse under the private sector compared to when the facilities were run by a government agency.

The consistent poor service of the mobile telephony companies in Nigeria is another evidence of gross ingrained efficiency of our private sector. The private sector in Nigeria does not have robust structure that can be used to resuscitate the economy.

We have the evidence of the Central Bank Governor that the scarce foreign exchange made available to the private sector was not used for production but in importing manufactured goods from other countries

for sale; meaning that they did not generate additional employment from production.

There is also evidence that our private sector is corrupt, unproductive and unpatriotic.

The example of the fuel subsidy fraud by the private sector is an open secret. They engage in corruption which undermines government programmes designed to induce greater productivity and increased employment. An example here is the Federal Government’s Export Expansion Grant which in response to pressure from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria was designed to encourage increased export of locally produced goods to diversify foreign exchange earnings and generate more employment. An investigation inaugurated by the Federal Ministry of Finance showed that huge fraud was perpetrated in this scheme as the Nigerian private sector floated companies that produced nothing but claimed foreign exchange as subsidy.

There is additional evidence that previous subsidies of the private sector had borne no fruit. This can be exemplified by the subsidies that had been provided for our banks whose effect was not felt by the public but it rather deepened the feeding bottle mentality of the banks fastening their mouth on the teats of the national treasury as the implementation of the Treasury Single Account has exposed. Finally, a reason why the government should look beyond the private sector in stimulating the economy is that there is evidence that nations in our stage of development and with the type of crisis we have on hand who invested in the people directly through increased state-directed economic activities were able to build economic structures that rescued the nations and became enduring. The economic mode employed by, for example, Britain, China and Russia (USSR) at the stage of building the base of their development is different from what they employ now. Mouthing or aping the practices in economies that are at a different stage of development and with character

totally different from ours will always result in frustrations, even catastrophes.

Consequently, government should design programmes that will stimulate the economy through direct involvement of the people. There is a myriad of possibilities in this regard if Government puts its mind to it. This article makes two suggestions.

The first suggestion is that the government should establish new farm settlements. This is not a novel concept in Nigeria. Part of the strategies of the Awolowo-led administration in the then Western Region was the establishment of such settlements which provided employment, produced food for the people and served as a focal point to modernise agriculture. The Federal Government should establish one farm settlement per state; each state three farm settlements, one in each senatorial district; and each Local Government (with some grant aid from the Federal Government) one settlement each. This will give us 918 farm settlements. If on the average 100 farmers are settled in each settlement, we will pull 91,800 persons off the unemployment pool. The settlers will be drawn from the pool of unemployed university graduates of Agriculture, Engineering and Science and those with diploma and certificates in these areas. Any other unemployed person with a flair for farming may be considered.

If we provide that each settler will have access to five hectares of land to farm, we will put additional 459, 000 hectares under cultivation (some variation for the riverine area and completely urbanised local governments will occur here). This is a complex but straight forward scheme whose implementation can begin within six months of initiation. The governments will have to acquire the land and do the initial clearing. We may have a residual structure for this in the NALDA. Poju Akintyanju is a Public Affairs Analyst.

Retrospection on 2008 global financial crisis

By Zhong Sheng

S

eptember 15 marked the 10th anniversary of bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.--then one of the world’s largest investment banks. Its failure, a rare disaster in history, soon set off banking crisis in over 20 countries and left millions of people out of their jobs and properties, bringing a crushing blow to the world economy.

Its fall dragged many countries into slump of economic growth and even sovereign debt crisis. With the international financial market thrown into turmoil, various forms of protectionism staged on.

The crisis fully exposed the system deficiency of the West, arousing global condemnation against the capitalism “without enough restraint and supervision”.

The world has never ceased retrospection on the crisis, and it is especially of vital significance in today’s world, as the aftermath of the international financial crisis has become a new challenge of the international society, such as inward-looking policies, as well as the rising trend of anti-globalization and trade frictions.

As pointed out by Financial Times, the wave of populism and protectionism that have spread across western countries, especially the principles that the US

“

We are now facing new, post-crisis, fault lines—from the potential rollback of financial regulation, to the fallout from excessive inequality, to protectionism and inward-looking policies, to rising global imbalances. government follows today in issues concerning foreign relations, pointed to the wider long-term consequences of the crisis.

The structural contradiction that had long existed in the western world was revealed by the international financial crisis.

The world renowned economist Raghuram Rajan once compared the cause of the crisis to “fault line”, a term used in geology.

He explained that the rocks in the earth’s crust would break apart and generate fault lines in them when they born too much pressure, and earthquakes usually occurred along fault lines.

Rajan attributed the causes of the US financial crisis to the collision between the income inequality and domestic politics in the US, the imbalance of international payment, as well as the friction among

different financial systems were, saying the crisis further led to the global financial tsunami.

Now here comes the question: Are those fault lines closed and disappearing now?

The US Congress spent years blaming and vilifying “Wall Street,” only to restrict its critical market-making and liquidityproviding functions while leaving the credit-rating firms and their conflictladen model untouched, said a Wall Street Journal report.

“Lawmakers achieved nothing meaningful in the eight following years,” added the article.

“We are now facing new, post-crisis, fault lines—from the potential rollback of financial regulation, to the fallout from excessive inequality, to protectionism and inward-looking policies, to rising global imbalances.” Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine

Lagarde warned in a recent blog article.

As a matter of fact, the restless US is now agitating the world. The increasingly polarized politics, falling Rust Belt, shrinking middle class, widening wealth gap, surging number of illegal immigrants, and the abuse of opioids are mounting in the US society.

The improper moves of the US on global stage have made “uncertainty” a regular thing. The US has impacted the international political and economic order by pulling out of international organizations and multilateral agreements, making enemies on trade issues, and deviating farther and farther from the traditional path.

Because of such practices, the global business circle is worrying that the next round of crisis is possibly around the corner.

History shall never be forgotten. Ten years ago, the international community stood together to tide over difficulties and finally realized economic recovery.

In today’s world, people should be clear that only with cooperation, win-win strategies, and coordinated action, can the world achieve stable and sustainable economic development and realize common development and prosperity.

Zhong Sheng is a Public Affairs Analyst.

PAGE 13

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

How best to manage disasters

By Aaron Adamu

T

hese are indeed trying times. The floods are here again, and as usual, thousands are affected. Homes have been destroyed, farms have been washed away, and the list goes on. While it is succinct to state that just like in other climes where natural disasters such as hurricane, earthquakes, and floods have continued to wreak havoc, the responses of disaster management agencies come to bear in no small measure in cushioning effects and giving those affected a sense of belonging and a life afterward.

And this brings us to the recent flooding experienced in some parts of Nigeria as a result of heavy rainfalls that causes rivers Niger and Benue to overflow. As at the last count, Niger Kogi, Anambra, and Delta states have been declared as National Disasters by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). It is also understood that Taraba Adamawa, Kebbi, Edo, Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa and Kwara states are being monitored carefully by NEMA. In this regard, I will start on a high note. The preparedness and responses by NEMA have been excellent in my opinion.

I recall when the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency issued a warning that Rivers Benue and Niger had almost reached levels that resulted in flooding in 2012, NEMA issued a statement informing Nigerians on its preparedness for the flooding and it also consequently issued precautionary information to these communities.

Now, this is why I decided to pen this

article. Kogi state is among the worst hit states and as at the last time I checked, the director general of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja has somewhat relocated to Kogi state. This was aside from the fact that he had held series of meetings with stakeholders to assess the reports from the fact-finding committees that visited flood-prone states after the warning by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency. I was more than impressed, and in my opinion, this was indeed a proactive approach and a radical departure from that norm that placed so much emphasis on reactionary activities.

I stand to be corrected, NEMA in the past two years had indeed shown how and what it meant to have a disaster management agency in a country. This is in line with the adoption of the preventive disaster management operations introduced into the agency by the director general, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja.

I also recall that sometime in 2017, while addressing the 2017 General Session of the Global Platform on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Cancun, Mexico, the DG was quoted as saying “support from the political leadership in Nigeria has enabled a giant stride towards ensuring appropriate actions on reducing risks, disaster preparedness, mitigation and recovery in the country.

He also said the Federal Government has empowered and equipped NEMA to comprehensively manage disasters in Nigeria, with a fully functional Department of Disaster Risk Reduction already created in the agency.

Now, this was why I wasn’t surprised and also impressed with the responses

Comment

of NEMA in recent times in disaster management in Nigeria. Hear what the DG has to say: “President Muhammadu Buhari approved N3 billion for the first stages of preparedness, response disaster mitigation and it was on that note that stakeholders under the coordination of NEMA had activated a National Contingency Plan, a policy document, which gives NEMA the power to establish operational structure. An operational structure has been put in place with a National Emergency Operational Centre domiciled at the NEMA headquarters and five Zonal Emergency Operational Centres (EOC).”

I am left in awe whenever I hear the DG of NEMA speak on issues concerning disaster management. His grasp and understanding thrill me, so much so that I have told all that cared to listen that one of the best decision of President Muhammdu Buhari was to have appointed a highly detailed and competent individual to head NEMA. And why they would always ask me.

The reason is simple. Which category of people is mostly affected by disasters? The answer is obvious, and that is mainly why I am in praise of President Muhammdu Buhari because he has demonstrated that this is a government that is concerned about the ordinary Nigerians unlike in times past where our inefficiency in disaster management results in loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties.

Back to the crux of the issue, NEMA’s outings in disaster management in the past two years can best be described as impactful.

It is instructive to state that DG has visited almost all parts of the country that has in one way or the other experienced any form of disaster, be it human-made or natural for on the spot assessment and also leading rescue and relief operations. For example, the DG of NEMA was on the ground during rescue operations when a building collapsed in Abuja recently. He was also in Benue during the September 2017 flood that affected scores of villages in the state. And the list goes on.

In my opinion, what this signifies or indicates is that there is a government that cares and holds that critical constituency so dearly and the need for them to feel the impact of his administration. This is even aside from the efforts of NEMA in assisting the Nigeria military in the resettlement of thousands of Nigerians that were displaced as a result of the insurgency in North East Nigeria. It also suffices to state that under this arrangement, thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have successfully returned to their communities. This is also commendable.

The list can go on without end. But what is instructive and a takeaway from the activities of NEMA is that once there is a will, there would always be a way. This much the DG of NEMA has demonstrated with the support he has received from the political authorities.

And if most political office holders exhibit this much patriotism, Nigeria would indeed be better for it.

Adamu is a public affairs analyst and contributed this piece from Abuja.

Much Ado about diversification of the economy

By Abdulsalam Jubril

O

ver the years, we have heard on several occasions from successive government that our monodependent economy will be diversified.

Such governments have made promises of diversifying the economy before and after elections or usurping power with sugarcoated tongues. Alas, such promissory statements have turned out to be faux promises. What they are all interested in is the revenue that is derived from crude oil.

Hence, our economy has become mono-cultural, depending on a single commodity. Other sectors of the economy have been relegated to the background, while the management of oil revenues has proven inefficacious in driving the economy to bring about the much needed level of development. The diversification of the economy has been long overdue as continued over-reliance on crude oil exports has always made the economy vulnerable to shocks.

Following the drop in crude prices from a peak of $114 per barrel in July 2014 to as low as $33/barrel in January 2016, the country’s reserves have suffered great pressure from speculative attacks, round tripping and front loading activities by actors in the forex market. This fall in oil prices also implied that the CBN monthly forex earnings has fallen from as high as $3.2 billion to as low as $1billion.

Yet, the demand for foreign exchange by mostly domestic importers has remained unabated. The net effect of these combined forces unfortunately is the depletion of the country’s forex reserves and pressure on the naira. No wonder there has been much rage over the unavailability of forex.

As a result of this drop, our economy is being faced with ginormous challenges.

Many states within the federation are unable to pay workers’ salaries. The

“

The yam barns that used to be the pride of many an Igbo man are non-existent now. The revenues gotten from cocoa and oil palm in those early years have vanished in the annals of history. Interestingly, cocoa was a major foreign exchange earner for Nigeria in the 1950s and 1960s and in 1970 the country was the second largest producer of cocoa in the world. existing infrastructures are swiftly getting dilapidated while new ones are not in place. Power generation has degenerated significantly. The financial system is crumbling and foreign investors are shunning our bonds and stocks. Companies are laying off workers in their hundreds due to inability to pay salaries. Prices of commodities have skyrocketed while the cost of living has doubled if not tripled.

Security still remains a major challenge as incessant protests from Niger Delta militants, kidnappers, religious extremists, the Biafran movement, herdsmen among others continue to threaten our economy.

Our failure over the years to adequately utilize the gains made from crude oil sales cannot be disconnected from massive corruption and mismanagement among the political and economic elites. However, what stops us from finding and effectively utilizing other sources of revenues? There have been beautiful and erudite road-map plans and strategies on the diversification of the economy by seasoned professionals and intellectuals. There has also been much talk of agriculture, not forgetting the mineral resources that are said to

be abound in many parts of the country.

However, hitherto, nothing tangible has come out from them. Revenues derived from the sale of crude oil are what we still depend upon as a country; thus the current quagmire we have found ourselves in.

During the pre-independence and early independence years before oil became the mainstay of our economy, agriculture flourished and provided the much needed revenue that sustained the economy.

Fast-forward 56 years later, the famous groundnut pyramids in the North are simply fabled-stories old men tell to our generation. The yam barns that used to be the pride of many an Igbo man are nonexistent now. The revenues gotten from cocoa and oil palm in those early years have vanished in the annals of history.

Interestingly, cocoa was a major foreign exchange earner for Nigeria in the 1950s and 1960s and in 1970 the country was the second largest producer of cocoa in the world. But following investments in the oil sector in the 1970s and 1980s, our share of world output declined. In 2010, cocoa production accounted for only 0.3% of agricultural GDP.

A question that begs for answers is that why does successive government in our clime depend solely on crude export as a source of revenue? Why have they failed to look elsewhere and ensure our economy is not mono-dependent?

From all indications, the present administration is also towing the line of previous governments, depending on oil revenue and simply paying lip-service to the diversification of the economy. However, the need for diversification of the nation’s economy has never been more imperative than now, especially with the dwindling/ fluctuating oil prices in the international market. The dynamics of oil has also changed, especially with the production of shale oil.

The cost of producing shale oil imposes a cap on oil prices, with about 72-countries in the world potentially capable of producing shale oil. Nigeria’s key customers, the US and China are already producing shale oil or looking for alternatives to our oil.

We need to begin moving away from oil dependence, particularly looking to the private sector to be the engine of growth and development that would make the country attractive to investors. Agriculture, if given the needed attention is capable of creating about 70% of jobs for our unemployed youth. Agriculture being a sector that requires a large labour force can help create employment for the large unemployed ablebodied men and women in the country.

Human capital is also a grey area that governments have consistently failed to explore. The less we depend on oil, the better for us as a nation. A situation where about 90% of the country’s revenue comes from oil portends great danger for the economy with today’s realities. The diversification option offers a way out if done urgently and capably.

Written by Abdulsalam Jubril is a Public Affairs Analyst.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

PAGE 14

NEWS

$322.5m Abacha loot: CSO trains 200 partners, supervisors on accountability

By Lateef Ibrahim Abuja

I

n its determination to ensure utmost transparency and accountability in disbursement of the recovered $322.5m stolen funds popularly referred to as ‘Abacha Loot’, a civil society organization, ANEEJ, has commenced the training of about one hundred (100) partners and supervisors to achieve that purpose.

The various participants, in the training programme which took off in Abuja yesterday, are to be deployed to the various states in the country to further train others.

The Executive Director of ANEEJ, Rev David Ugolor, while declaring open the 2-day “Train The Trainers Workshop”, explained that the disbursement of the 322.5 million dollars Abacha loot in the programme is scheduled to start from October 2018.

Rev Ugolor pointed out that the cash transfer programme has been on since last year with funding from the national budget and a loan facility from the World Bank.

According to the Executive

Director, “To provide a bit of a background, In December 2017, the Swiss government repatriated funds stolen from Nigeria by the late Gen. Sani Abacha. A total of $322.5m was repatriated comprising $321m and $1.5m interest.

“This was about the last tranch of money kept in Swiss Banks by Nigeria’s former leader. “This followed a period of negotiations between the Nigerian government and Swiss government before the MoU for the return of the loot was signedduring the Global Forum on Asset Recovery (GFAR) held in Washington in December, 2017.

“The federal government of Nigeria announced to Nigerians that the $322.5m will be used to support the poorest of the poor

through the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme which is also called Household Uplifting Programme.

“The cash transfer programme has been on sincelast year with funding from the national budget and a loan facility from the World Bank.

“The disbursement of the 322.5 million dollars Abacha loot in the programme is scheduled to start from October 2018.

“As part of the implementation of the Monitoring of Recovered Assets in Nigeria throughTransparency and Accountability (MANTRA) project with support from UKAID, ANEEJ is working with six partners to monitor the use of the Abacha loot in the Conditional

CashTransfer Programme across states that are implementing the programme.

“The training that you will be undergoing in the next two days is to prepare you for that monitoring exercise.

“At a broader,our objective is for this training to deepen your understanding and experience about the role of civil society in processes to ensure the transparent and accountable recovery and utilization of looted assets in Nigeria.

“The involvement of ANEEJ in this process is built on the fact that we were part of the MoU between Switzerland and Nigeria for the repatriation of this tranche of Abacha loot. “This level of recognition given to a

civil society organisation in an agreement between two sovereign states is unprecedented.

“We therefore have a unique opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of having civil society deeply involved in such processes. And the best way to do this is by ensuring that there is utmost transparency and accountability in the use of such repatriated assets for the benefits of Nigerians.

“By your selection and participation in this training through our Partners, you are now an integral part of this process and we hope and believe that we can all demonstrate the needed enthusiasm and commitment to the achievement of these objectives.

L-R: Minister of Internal Affairs, Dambazau, Deputy Gov of Osun State , Mrs.Grace Titilayo Laoye Toori, Kano State Governor , Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, President Muhammadu Buhari, APC Governorship Candidate of Osun, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, Governor of Osun State Raufu Aregbesola, APC National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole at the APC rally for Governorship Candidate at Oshogbo on Tuesday in Osun state.

Ex Customs boss commended over revenue generation From Femi Oyelola Kaduna

T

he former Customs Area Comptroller in charge of Kano and Jigawa area Command, Alhaji Yusuf Abba Kasim has been commended for his efforts at improving on revenue generation while in office in 2017.

The commendation was given by a custom licensed clearing agent, Alhaji Sani Muhammad who also described the former area comptroller before he was redeployed to another command as a man with integrity, transparent and accountable.

He noted that the Kano/ Jigawa command during Alhaji Kasim tenure witnessed tremendous improvement which was equally visible in revenue generation which surpassed the target for the year.

The clearing agent who gave the commendation on a sideline of an event in Kaduna also posited that, “for the past 30 years, the Kano/Jigawa command has never attained positive changes, good leadership and development cpmpared to the administration of Abba Kasim as the area comptroller, whereby the command generated over N13 billion as revenue in 2017.”

I did not authorize petition against FMC Lokoja, HoS tells court From Lokoja

A

Ahmad

Ibrahim

former Head of Service in Kogi State, Dr Sabinah Atta has told a Lokoja Chief Magistrate court that she did not authorize a petition written against the management of the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja.

Atta who disclosed this in Lokoja yesterday, while giving evidence in a case of forgery brought by the police against the Chairman of the Kogi State Elders Forum, Mr James Elukpo, said that the petition dated July 7, 2016 and addressed to the minister of health was without her knowledge and approval She pointed out that the accused used her name to write the petition without her consent,

insisting that there was never a time members of the forum decided to write a petition against the management of the hospital.

The witness who spoke while being led in evidence by the police prosecutor, Mr Theophilus Oteme further admitted that members of the forum actually met and agreed in principle that the next Chief Medical Director of the FMC should be an indigene of the state.

Consequently, she averred that Elukpo in his capacity as the chairman of the forum was instructed to write a letter to the minister of health on the need for him to consider an indigene for the position.

She stressed that she was taken aback when her attention was called to a petition allegedly written by her and two other

persons against the management of the FMC, saying that was not what actually transpired.

Atta disclosed that she had promptly written the management of the FMC to dissociate herself from the petition alleging massive corruption, mismanagement among other allegations against the management.

She equally told the court that she wrote another letter to Elukpo to dissociate herself from the petition but said she was shocked when the accused admitted the contents of the petition and subsequently heaped insults on her.

Atta told the court to take special notice of Elukpo’s reaction to her letter and the insults heaped on her, maintaining that she has earned her honour and integrity over the years purely on

merit.

Oteme had earlier called the current Chief Medical Director and the immediate past Chief Medical Director of the FMC, Dr Olatunde Alabi and Dr Debo Eleshin respectively as witnesses in the case.

In their submissions, both Alabi and Eleshin revealed that a copy of the petition was sent to the FMC by the Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja for reaction.

Eleshin also informed the court Attack had equally denied writing the petition when he earlier engaged her on the allegations contained in her petition.

The case has been adjourned to the 3rd of October, by the Chief Magistrate A. S. Ibrahim at the instance of the defence counsel, Muazu Abass.

PAGE 15

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

2019: USAID, IRI hold workshop for stakeholders on election violence mitigation From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

he International Republican Institute (IRI) in conjunction with United State Agency For International development (USAID) have organised a one day capacity building workshop for critical stakeholders on election violence and its mitigation in Adamawa state.

Declaring open the workshop tagged ‘Consensus building on Election Violence mitigation’ in Yola Wednesday, Sentell Barnes, Resident Program Director, International Republican Institute (IRI)said the organisation is committed to improving the participation of marginalised groups by addressing the factors that hinder their contributions in electioneering activities.

Barnes stated that the women, Youths and people with special needs are some of the people shortchanged in participating in politics.

“We are here because we are regarding as major stakeholders in cutting this menace as we take action to end or largely discourage what defers us.

“Since 2017, IRI is implementing the responsive political party program which seeks to increase political parties responsiveness and representation as well as oversight and accountability of government in Adamawa Bauchi, Ebonyi and Sokoto States”, Barnes highlighted.

Represented at the occasion by the Adamawa state Coordinator of the IRI, Charity Anaja, Barnes advanced that all hands must be on deck to ensure violence free elections come 2019.

Presenting his paper titled Scenario Planning On Election Violence Mitigation, Umar Kari harped on the challenges causing crisis, listing impunity among political parties, election injustices, rigging, vote buying, hate speech, fake news and campaign of calumny among others.

Kari observed that weak democratic institution and bad media are part of the major constraints facing our election will must be addressed squarely.

Earlier in his good will message, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa state, Kassim Gaidam, described the workshop as timely, noting that it will be a very useful tool in the hands of all stakeholders.

Gaidam expressed appreciation with the commitment of their partners, especially IRI in contributing immensely in the election projects in many facets like the workshop, adding that the commission is mindful of the fact that a violence free election is an acceptable election and so will continue to do everything for peaceful exercise.

APC shifts date for presidential, guber primaries

By Umar Muhammad Puma

T

he National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has approved the review of the time table for the conduct of

the 2018 primary elections of the party.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Emma Ibediro, the presidential

primary elections will now hold on 25th September, 2018, while governorship primary elections will hold on 29th September, 2018.

The Senate primary elections is expected to hold on 2nd October, 2018, and that of the House of

Representatives is scheduled for 3rd October, 2018, while State House of Assembly primary elections holds 4th October, 2018 and National Convention (Presidential holds on 6th October 2018 respectively).

Lagos 2019: Jimi Agbaje joins governorship race

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in 2015, Jimi Agbaje, has joined the race for the PDP governorship ticket for the 2019

election in Lagos State.

Agbaje who lost to incumbent Governor Akinwumi Ambode of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in 2015, has collected nomination and expression of interest forms at the National Secretariat of the PDP in

Abuja.

Agbaje would be slugging it out with Femi Otedola and others for the PDP ticket in Lagos.

Since the 2015 elections, Agbaje joined the race for the PDP National Chairman but stepped down at the

VOXPOP

stage of negotiations to prune down the number of contestants.

The former PDP governorship candidate has intensified preparations for the primary election of the party across the country.

Who will you vote in 2019 presidential election?

February next year, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect a president for fresh term of four years, several aspirants have indicated interest to contest the election, in this vox pop, Hafsat Abdullahi and Henrietta Attah Lucy sample the views of people on the street regarding who they will vote for in the Presidential election, as well as what they expect from the government.

Oluwatosin Samuel

I

want to vote Atiku Abubakar in the next presidential election. I believe President Muhammadu Buhari will not win the election except if the election is rigged. If the election is free and fair, I do not see him wining because he made a lot of unfulfilled promises and therefore we want to change the change. I stand for PDP, Atiku is more ambitious and ready to meet up the needs of the people. I expect the government to work on security of the country because the killings we are experiencing today are not acceptable. And the economic situation of the country needs to be improved so that the prices of food in the market will be affordable.

Sani Muhammad

I

will vote for President Muhammadu Buhari for many reasons. I like Buhari because he has done well in the area of security, he has fought corruption. People don’t like Buhari because they are not able to steal money. I am very sure Buhari will win the election as nobody among the presidential aspirants will be able to defeat him because none has his qualities. I think that the PDP aspirants are just playing. But I feel that among the PDP aspirants and looking at the last election, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will win the primaries. Only Kwankwaso will be able to compete with Buhari. The government should give attention to security, as regards this election, to enable the people to come out and vote. Security is very necessary for elections as that is the first place that problem arise from.

Mahammed Jamilu

I

will vote for Muhammadu Buhari because I want him to complete eight years to enable him finish the work he has started and also for him to correct his past mistakes. He is the only sure candidate for the election and nothing will stop him from winning except God because we are still with him. I expect him to create more job opportunities and I believe he will do better. Other candidates will come for the money and not the people.

Nwachukwu Prince

B

Godwin Owen

I

want to vote for Atiku Abubakar because with him, everything will go well for Nigerians. Businesses will flourish. I do not see President Muhammadu Buhari winning in the 2019 election because he has failed Nigerians in all aspects. Atiku will beat all other aspirants in PDP and I expect the government to work on the economy, create more jobs for Nigerians.

Madam Martha

A

s for me, I really don’t know who to vote for because in my church, we wrote our names so we can vote one person; all of us, so no need to go and vote another person.

I want Nigeria to be better so that everybody can enjoy it, they should make things cheaper in the market for us also.

ase on the present situation of the country, the high prices of things in the market, everybody knows what is going on, everybody needs change, I Will like to voteSenator Musa Kwankwso because President Muhammadu Buhari is not capable, and the people surrounding him are giving him wrong advice and we need someone younger to be able to run the country because Buhari is too old to shoulder the problems of the country. So Buhari cannot win the election because he is incompetent. We need change and not just by writing but change by action, so I want the government to create more jobs for Nigerians, create social amenities like water, good roads etc. Also, I want government to improve the security of the country because of all these killings are not acceptable.

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

POLITICS

2019: 2000 PDP members defect to APC in Jigawa From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

N

o fewer than two thousand supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition parties have

dumped their parties and defected to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Jigawa state.

Receiving the defectors at Kazaure, one of the APC chieftains in the state, Alhaji Bala

T.O. said the party will treat the decampees equally with other members of the party in the state.

According to him, the decampees come from four local governments, including:

Kazaure, Roni, Gwiwa and ‘Yankwashi local government areas in the state.

He maintained that, among the decampees are some chieftains and ex-women leaders of PDP with hundreds of their supporters.

Group endorses Umeh for second term in Senate

By Henrietta Attah

N

igerians for Democratic Action (NDA) has endorsed the Anambra Central Senator, Victor Umeh, for a second term in the Senate, in the 2019 general elections.

In a statement issued in Abuja by the National Publicity Secretary of the NDA, Ndukwe Kalu, the group said it reached this decision after

its annual Congress on Tuesday, in Abuja, where it endorsed the candidature of Victor Umeh for Senate in the 2019 general elections.

NDA further said it chose to endorse Umeh for a second term because of his outstanding features as an embodiment of patriotism, a detribalized compatriot with abundant milk of human kindness, which he generously dispensed particularly to the less privileged he

gives annual scholarship.

“His impressive performance in the Senate since January 2018 he assumed legislative duties after tortuous post-election litigations shows that he is indeed, a man of the people.

“Nigerians for Democratic Action overwhelmingly adopt him as the candidate to represent Anambra Central Senatorial District in the Red chamber. Accordingly, all members

of our esteemed Group and lovers of representative governance in Nigeria should work for his reelection to the Senate.

“A man of courage and vision, Senator Umeh has sponsored and cosponsored laudable people-oriented motions including: The Urgent Need to include the Eastern Rail lines in the Nigerian Railway Development Project”, “Illegal Confinement of Underage Offenders and Infants

Bauchi female guber aspirant picks ACD nomination form From Ahmad Bauchi

Mohammed,

B

auchi State female governorship aspirant, Baheejah Mahmood, has picked the Action Congress of Democracy (ACD) governorship interest form, saying she has all it takes to become Governor of Bauchi State in the 2019 general election.

Baheejah stated this when she picked her declaration of interest and nomination forms to contest for governorship seat in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director General of Her Campaign Organization, el Faruk Gado, which was distributed to reporters in Bauchi. , The statement quoted the aspirant to have said: “It is with deep sense of moral responsibility, with the purchase of the intent and nomination forms; this confirms my decision to vie for the gubernatorial ticket of our great party, the Action Congress of Democrats (ACD) ahead of the 2019 general election”.

She said, “This decision was informed by the genuine concern of our people and the numerous calls I have received from different youths and women groups to contest in the forthcoming gubernatorial election of our dear Bauchi State in order to rescue the state from the problems of under development and to find ways to improve the living standard of our people by executing people oriented projects that will impact positively on the lives of our people”.

Baheejah added “Having considered the plight of the people, I have consulted widely, decided with my family members, various women groups, key party stalwarts, political associates and other party faithful; I have come to a conclusion to grant the wishes of my people by declaring to contest the gubernatorial election by the grace of the Almighty Allah.”

She pledged to run an all-inclusive government that will carry everybody along and bring development to all the nooks and crannies of Bauchi State.

A Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Sen. Victor Umeh (M), briefing newsmen after his visits to All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA Secretariat, yesterday in Awka. Photo: NAN

in the same Prison with Adult Prisoners”, Co-sponsor with Senator Stella Odua (Anambra North, APGA) the “Federal University of Education Aguleri, Anambra State (EST, etc) Bill 2018 (SB, 653)”, etc.

NDA commended Umeh’s performance in the Senate so far, and expressed the believe that he will do more if he is reelected to the Upper Chamber, just as it added that he has provided the desired synergy needed by the Anambra State government, controlled by APGA to deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of the State.

“NDA enjoins the good people of Anambra Central Senatorial Zone to vote for continuity and return Umeh to the Senate in 2019. He is competent and has in many ways enriched the nation’s democratic process.

“NDA also calls on eligible Nigerians to obtain their voter cards and ensure they vote for candidates of their choice in all elections. All votes must be counted and count in the overall results as sovereignty resides in the people.

“We welcome INEC’s decision to ban smart phones at polling booths across the country. This will eliminate the obnoxious vote buying and selling syndrome”, the statement said.

Zenith Labour party unveils pocket-friendly nomination fees to aspirants

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

Z

enith Labour Party (ZLP), one of newly registered political parties, said it has endorsed a pocket-friendly policy towards the purchase of expression of interest and nomination forms in order to give teeth to the aspirations of NotToo-Young-To-Run Act. In a statement issued by its

National Publicity Secretary, Segun Jones, the party fixed its Expression of Interest and Nomination forms as follows: State House of Assembly: N100,000.00 and N400,000.00, while House of Representatives forms are N200,000 and N800,000.00 respectively.

The Senate aspirants will part with a total of N2 million, Governorship N6 million and

Presidential N12 million.

Commenting on the development, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Zayyan Aliyu, said that the party took the decision in the best interest of aspirants, stressing that those under 30 years of age, including women and people living with disability are exempted from paying for nomination forms.

“Our party, relying on its fundamental principle of fairness to all as well as the need to allow every Nigerian express their political will have decided that it would be a big burden on aspirants to charge ridiculous fees at this period of national adversity when many Nigerians can hardly afford three square meals a day,” Zayyan said.

Electoral Bill: Group commends NASS joint C’ttee for proactiveness

By Hafsat Abdullahi Henrietta Attah

A

and

civil society group, Peace and Anti-Corruption Advocacy has commended the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters headed by Senator Suleiman Mohammed Nazif for its proactiveness and patriotism in adopting the 4th version of the Electoral Amendment Bill.

In press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday and signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Comrade James Okoronkwo, they noted that by this singular act the National Assembly has demonstrated her preparedness to ensure a free, fair and peaceful general election next year in Nigeria.

They also recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari

had earlier withheld assent to the electoral amendment bill because of 14 contentious areas which he insisted must be addressed by the National Assembly.

Speaking further, the group stated that by addressing the controversial issues raised by the executive in the electoral amendment bill, the NASS Joint Committee on Electoral Matters has rekindled the hopes of Nigerians on the ability of the legislature to

rise above party affiliations to work for the overall development of the nation.

In the same vein, they urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to complement the National Assembly’s commitment to a peaceful election by being a transparent umpire.

The group also appealed to Nigeria Police and other security agencies to remain neutral during and after the election.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

PAGE 17

interview

Nigerian politicians haven’t learns from past violence - Ningi Abdul Ahmed Ningi was the Deputy Senate leader in the 7th Senate, he was one time Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, and headed the Solid Minerals and Police Affairs Committees in the lower chamber, in this interview; he talks about his aspiration and the political situation in Nigeria.

You have been consulting your people on your gubernatorial ambition since last year and from the beginning of this year, a lot of groups and stakeholders are openly endorsing your candidature to go for the gubernatorial ticket, what is your plan?

That is very correct, I have been consulting my people, I have visited all the senatorial zones of the state and the response has been encouraging and positive. We give thanks to God that our little contribution in the state and National level is being appreciated by the people at home, remember they have been with me all my political life, and from the look of things they are satisfied with our performance, Alhamdulilah, the consultation is still ongoing, we are waiting for the guidelines to be released by the PDP national headquarters, till today we are still meeting our elders and youths to see how we can reach our destination.

So we can now say you have heeded to the clarion call of your people?

Yes, it is a call to serve, and I look up to God for guidance, I am daily praying to God, if it is for good let it be, if it is for bad God should take care, but to tell you the truth, the outpouring of calls and support for my aspiration is overwhelming and I cannot reject my peoples demand. I have accepted their call.

What stands you out among other aspirants vying for the same position of governor of Bauchi state?

A lot of things, firstly, my connection with the people of Bauchi state, and by the grace of God, a true Ambassador of my state, and secondly, my pedigree and experience. I have had cognate experience in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, I was Chairman Solid Minerals and later Police Affairs Committees, I have presided over committees like Niger Delta and Sure-P at ad hoc levels, so, I have what you call experience.

As I said earlier, I am connected with the grassroots all over the state, not only in my constituency and senatorial districts, all over Bauchi state; anywhere I go to in the state, I am at home. And I have been a staunch and committed party man since 1999.

Do we say your connection with the people has been the secret of your rising political profile?

Yes, that is what I am telling you, I have been in the National Assembly since 1999, three times as a member of House of Representatives and a proactive Senator, it is the grace of the Almighty Allah and the love my people have for me that has kept me going to this moment. For over 16 years now, I have been on the side of truth, saying it no matter whose ox is gored, and those close to me know that I am for all Christians, Muslims, Women, Youth, the disabled and even the aged. An interesting aspect of my political life is that even non indigenes in the state benefit from my empowerment programmes, name them, Igbos, Yorubas and other ethnic groups, who have made Bauchi state their home. I am a firm believer that power comes from God and resides with the people, God gives position to whom he wishes.

What are your plans for Bauchi state if you get the ticket and eventually win the governorship election?

My plans for Bauchi state are numerous, but let me assure the people of my great state that I would consolidate on the achievements of all previous governors and initiate programmes that would improve the lot of the people of the state. Be that as it may, I will place high premium on the development of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), I intend to create thousands of jobs through massive support for MSMEs in the state, education, youth empowerment, eradication of poverty and revitalizing agriculture, as well as rekindling hope for the hopeless citizens in the state will

Abdul Ahmed Ningi also be my priority. We will also revitalize agriculture, which is our mainstay, we would make Bauchi State financially autonomous, the state will no longer depend on monthly federation allocation to pay salaries, and execute projects. We shall lay emphasis on security, protection of lives and properties.

Our mission and vision will be published at the right time; this is just a synopsis, but above all, we will be there to serve the people of Bauchi State.

What advice do you have for politicians’ countdown to 2019 elections?

Very good, I think first and foremost, we should all display maturity in our quest to seek the peoples’ mandate, so let us all play the

game according to the rules please, there is no need creating tension, politically-motivated violence and deliberate physical assault on voters and election officials by hired thugs, assassination of political opponent. It is not our style here and God forbid, it will never happen, we in Bauchi are real democrats and we are proud of that tradition. Though it appears to me that an overwhelming majority of Nigerian politicians have not learnt useful lessons from history about the ultimate futility of using violence to achieve political power.

Let me urge my fellow politicians to put the interest of the masses first before their personal ambition, all bitterness should be put aside; I want to advise all politicians to play according to the rules of the game.

Why Senate should pass Small Arms Proliferation (Prohibition) Bill before 2019 elections - Okereke

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

T

he Chairman of Presidential Taskforce against Proliferation of Small Arms, Osita Okereke, has called on the Senate to pass the Small Arms Proliferation (Prohibition) Bill before the 2019 general elections, saying this has become necessary to ensure nonviolent elections next year.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja, Okereke, who was chairman of the Inter Party Advisory Council, raised alarm over the rate of illicit flow of small arms across the country, saying there is no justification for the Senate to continue to hold down the Bill.

He said the law has become operational in about fourteen out of the fifteen countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), hence he pointed out that the Senate does not need to pass the Bill but to ratify it as soon as it reconvenes.

“This bill is the best bill that the senate can pass. They acknowledged that it is bill of interest and that Nigeria has to be free from illegal arms. But you know in Nigeria, we have been working on it. It is bill that all the ECOWAS country except Nigeria and Gambia, have passed, it is now beyond Nigeria.

“Of the sixteen countries of ECOWAS, fourteen have passed it. For this reason,

ECOWAS gave Nigeria ultimatum to pass the bill, which was 8th February; they gave Nigeria thirty days to pass the bill, which they have not done.

“Last three weeks before these problems of National Assembly started, that very Thursday is the day they would have worked on the bill. They had problem and the House closed, but this bill, you don’t even need to subject it to the processes of passing a bill, but it is ratification.

“They have to ratify the bill, and make the announcement. Even the President has the powers to do so, only that it is something that the senate has to deliberate on. So the bill has no case

again to discuss this matter, but just to ratify it because, it is an existing bill in fourteen countries, and Nigeria is the President of ECOWAS and it is a dent on the nation.

“So, if we are the President of ECOWAS community and we have not done what we are supposed to do, it is not healthy. But I believe that Nigeria, the National Assembly, the senate, will ratify the bill as soon as they come back.

I have made so many moves, I know that it is a course I said I must carry to a logical conclusion no matter what happens, people are threatening me here and there, but I don’t care”, he said.

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

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1.93 1.93 105 1.93 1.93 MEDVIEWAIR 0.00 0 0.68 0.68 0 0.68 0.68 MEYER 0.00 0 179.00 179.00 0 179.00 179.00 MOBIL 0.00 0 28.55 28.55 800 28.55 28.55 MRS 0.00 0 3.60 3.60 0 3.60 3.60 NAHCO 0.00 0 18.00 18.60 0 18.60 19.00 NASCON 0.00 0 89.00 90.00 0 90.10 90.10 NB 0.10 0 0.62 0.62 0 0.62 0.62 NEIMETH 0.00 0 3.06 3.00 0 3.06 3.06 NEM 0.06 0 1,380.50 1,380.50 0 1,380.50 1,380.50 NESTLE 0.00 0 0.31 0.31 0 0.31 0.31 NIGERINS 0.00 0 62.50 62.50 50 62.50 62.50 NOTORE 0.00 0 1.56 1.56 0 1.56 1.56 NPFMCRFBK 0.00 0 5.00 5.00 0 5.20 5.20 OANDO 0.20 0 79.90 79.90 0 79.90 79.90 OKOMUOIL 0.00 0 1.90 1.90 0 1.90 1.90 PHARMDEKO 0.00 0 60.00 60.00 0 60.00 60.00 PRESCO 0.00 0 0.62 0.57 0 0.62 0.62 PRESTIGE 0.05 0 12.50 13.50 0 12.50 12.70 PZ -1.00 0 4.50 4.50 0 4.50 4.95 REDSTAREX 0.00 0 0.23 0.22 0 0.24 0.24 REGALINS 0.02 0 0.23 0.23 0 0.23 0.23 ROYALEX 0.00 0 3.25 3.25 100 3.25 3.25 SCOA 0.00 0 606.70 606.70 0 606.70 606.70 SEPLAT 0.00 0 0.65 0.66 0 0.70 0.70 SKYEBANK 0.04 0 0.23 0.22 0 0.24 0.24 SOVRENINS 0.02 0 41.55 41.60 0 42.00 42.00 STANBIC 0.40 0 0.20 0.21 0 0.20 0.20 STDINSURE -0.01 0 1.45 1.45 0 1.45 1.45 STERLNBANK 0.00 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.20 0.20 SUNUASSUR 0.00 0 189.70 189.70 0 189.70 189.70 TOTAL 0.00 0 6.75 6.75 0 6.75 6.75 TRANSCOHOT 0.00 0 1.21 1.21 0 1.25 1.25 TRANSCORP 0.04 0 0.78 0.78 0 0.78 0.78 TRANSEXPR 0.00 0 0.77 0.77 0 0.77 0.77 TRIPPLEG 0.00 0 10.10 10.00 0 10.20 10.20 UACN 0.20 0 1.70 1.70 0 1.70 1.70 UAC-PROP 0.00 0 7.40 7.70 0 7.50 7.80 UBA -0.20 0 5.50 5.45 0 5.80 5.80 UBN 0.35 0 2.81 2.82 0 2.81 2.83 UCAP -0.01 0 0.20 0.20 0 0.20 0.20 UNIC 0.00 0 43.00 43.00 0 43.00 43.00 UNILEVER 0.00 0 0.38 0.35 0 0.38 0.38 UNIONDAC 0.03 0 0.97 0.93 0 0.97 0.97 UNITYBNK 0.04 0 0.23 0.23 0 0.23 0.23 UNIVINSURE 0.00 0 1.91 1.91 0 1.91 1.91 UPL 0.00 0 0.26 0.26 0 0.26 0.26 VERITASKAP 0.00 0 14.97 15.17 0 14.97 14.97 VETGRIF30 -0.20 0 3.30 3.30 0 3.30 3.30 VITAFOAM 0.00 0 20.70 20.70 0 20.70 20.70 WAPCO 0.00 0 0.37 0.36 0 0.37 0.39 WAPIC 0.01 0 0.58 0.60 0 0.58 0.61 WEMABANK -0.02 0 20.25 20.75 0 20.75 20.75 ZENITHBANK 0.00 0 Copyright © 2018 NgTradeOnline

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DMO clarifies on Nigerian Treasury Bills auctions, Interest Rate

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Debt Management Office (DMO) has clarified on how Auctions of Nigerian Treasury Bills are conducted.

The Office said, the clarification was necessary to correct the erroneous media reports on the recent NTB, which it said was capable of misleading the public.

NTBs are the Federal Government of Nigeria’s short-term debt instruments issued regularly by the DMO through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), who in this instance

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh has hinted that the sale of 21 percent shares of the Federal Government in the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Plc to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will contribute over N17 billion to the national treasury.

At the signing ceremony for the sale of the Federal Government’s 12.4 billion shares in the NSPM to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) held on Tuesday, September 18, 2018 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Okoh also said that the conclusion of the transaction represents another success in the implementation of the Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation programme.

He maintained that the Federal Government was handing over to the CBN; a company with tremendous potentials to achieve significant growth. The DG said this could be attested to by thefollowing: The global market for security printing was estimated to be worth $27.2 billion in 2017 and is estimated to grow at about 4.8% annually to $34.3 billion by 2022; Africa is a fast growing market for security printing. The industry is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 9.6% over the next 5 years. This growth is fuelled by high population growth and increased mobility across the region as well as increased spending on identity programs. The global market for passports and ID cards is valued at around $3.7 billion and is growing at 6% per annum; and in the area of its core operation which is currency printing, the total amount of cash in circulation is growing at 4% per annum globally and is expected to increase at a similar rate in future.

He recalled that the earlier effort to privatise the Mint between 2002 and 2004;pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Public Enterprises (Privatisation and Commercialisation) Act were unsuccessful necessitating the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) to formulate a different transaction strategy and approved the strategic investment by the CBN in the company.

is the DMO’s agent.

Investors bid at the NTBs Auction at their own Interest Rates, thus the Rates on NTBs are not predetermined or determined by the CBN or the DMO. The Rates at which the investors bid is entirely at their discretion, but will typically depend on prevailing secondary market rates, their portfolio needs and investment preferences.

In allotting to bidders oftentimes, the DMO and CBN will also be guided by similar factors and the implications for markets and

macroeconomic stability.

Taking into account all these factors, the Interest Rates at the Auctions will ultimately be determined by demand and supply.

The claim that CBN ‘increased’ Rates to ‘attract’ investors at the NTB Auction is therefore not correct.

In analysing the Auction, the press report further attributed the higher Interest Rate to ‘fears of capital flight ahead of the 2019 general election’.

Having highlighted the many factors considered by investors in NTB, as well as,

the key considerations of the DMO, and equally important, the fact that foreign investors still participate in the domestic fixed income securities markets, it is wrong to attribute the Auction Rate to fears about capital flight.

To buttress this point, Interest Rates on NTBs in the first half of 2017 were much higher than the present rates, at a time when there was no election approaching.

The DMO shall continue to educate investors on its activities in line with its mandate.

CBN’s 21% stake in NSPM to contribute N17bn to national treasury -BPE “The purpose of the strategic investment was for CBN to manage, restructure and restore the company to profitability within a period not exceeding 5 years, following which it would be privatised by the Bureau.

“In compliance with NCP’s directive, the Bureau warehoused 12.69 billion shares of the Federal Government’s holding in the Mint with the CBN at a par value of 0.50k per share amounting to N6, 344,900,000. It was further agreed that this consideration would be refunded to the CBN from the proceeds of sale realized from the eventual privatization of the company”.

The Head, Public Communications, BPE, Amina Tukur Othman in a statement quoted the BPE boss to have said that the CBN’s strategic investment in the company

was a success, achieving its objective of turning around the fortunes of the company and returning it to profitability.

Following the expiration of the strategic investment period, the Director General added “the CBN indicated its strong intention to acquire the company on an arm’s length basis, noting the sensitive and strategic nature of the security printing and minting services rendered by the company which include immigration and electoral materials”.

He added that after a careful consideration of the pertinent issues, the Bureau submitted a proposal to the NCP to formalise the sale of 21% of the Federal Government’s interest in the company to the CBN whilst Government would retain an equity holding of 10.1%. This

proposal was duly approved by the Council.

Also speaking, the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, said that the NSPM is a national asset treasured by the government.

He noted that the company had consistently being a loss maker until the intervention of the CBN, adding that the intervention of the CBN brought to an end the importation of currency to the country.

The Governor announced that the company had ceased producing international passports though it has the capacity to execute the task and the company, if well positioned, would sufficiently provide national security materials for the public sector and specialised security materials for the private sector, such as bank cards.

L-R: Programme Manager (Africa), World Initiative Soya in Human Health. Chris Slemp; Agricultural Consultant, Michael David; National President, Catfish and Allied Fish Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chief Rotimi Olibale; Regional Agricultural Counsellor, US Embassy, Lagos, Jude Akhidenor and CEO, Triton Aquaculture Africa, Raju Samtani at a Fish Feed and Management Workshop at International Institute for Tropical Agricultute (IITA), yesterday in Ibadan.

Photo: NAN

Recent Sanctions not to restrict access to investor returns - CBN clarifies

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday said that it acknowledges the public interest over sanctions recently imposed on four deposit money banks (DMBs).

It restated that it will continue to welcome foreign investments and investors.

The Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, Isaac Okorafor in a

statement said, “indeed, some of our recent innovations and reforms of the Foreign Exchange regime such as the introduction of the NAFEX window, are designed to simplify foreign exchange regulations.

“Furthermore, the delegation of the issuance of Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs) to commercial and merchant banks some years ago was done to instill confidence in the investor community and encourage the flow of

foreign direct and portfolio investments into the Nigerian economy.

“The recent sanctions on the banks arose due to irregularities with respect to repatriations made on behalf of MTN Nigeria Limited and were not in any way designed to restrict access to investor returns.

“In response to the recent regulatory actions, the Banks and MTN are engaging the CBN and have provided additional

information which is currently being reviewed with a view to arriving at an equitable resolution.

“We assure all investors that the integrity of the CCI regime remains sacrosanct and there shall be no retroactive application of foreign exchange rules and regulations.

“The CBN welcomes all legitimate investors to take advantage of the enormous investment opportunities in Nigeria,” the statement said.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

Page 20

Energy

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said it was wrapping up funding arrangements on the Ajaokuta-KadunaKano (AKK) gas pipeline project.

Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr.MaikantiBaru, was quoted to have disclosed this while speaking at the Nigerian Day at the 30th edition of Gas Technology Conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, NduUghamadu in a statement quoted the GMD to have explained that tremendous progress was recorded towards securing funding for the project during the last visit of President MuhammaduBuhari to Beijing, China.

Dr.Baru, who was represented at the event by NNPC Chief Operating Officer, Gas & Power, Engr. Saidu Mohammed, revealed that the corporation had gone far in negotiating the terms of funding as well as the best payback structure for the project, affirming that the financial partners were willing to collaborate with the corporation on the matter.

The AKK gas pipeline is designed to enable gas connectivity between the East, West and North, which is currently inadequate. It would also enable gas supply and utilization to key commercial centres in the Northern corridor of Nigeria with the attendant positive spin-off on power generation and industrial growth.

The GMD said the ground-breaking ceremony for the project was near, explaining that Nigeria was focused on expanding its critical gas infrastructure such as pipelines which would lead to a gas grid covering the entire country.

“Once you have the whole nation covered with a gas grid, industries will naturally spring up along the way and litter the entire country. That is our target in the long run,” Dr.Baru noted.

The GMD described the coming

NNPC wrapping-up funding arrangements on AKK Gas Project

of Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) as a “big bang” that would usher in new developments for Nigeria’s energy sector and expand the nation’s economy, adding that the project was also capable of unlocking new vistas for country’s LNG potentials.

Dr.Baru, who said the corporation had been looking forward to the FID on Train 7 in the last ten years, revealed that the wait would soon be over, even as he commended the Federal Government and the various shareholders for their support towards the NLNG project.

He said Nigeria was looking outwards with its gas resources because God has blessed the country with

abundant reserves.

“We cannot consume out our gas resources in the next 50 years, even if we generate as high as 40,000mw for power. We are happy that in the NLNG is a credible company capable of competing in the international arena,” Dr.Baru added.

Established in 1989 to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources and produce Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) for export, the NLNG is owned by the NNPC (49%), Shell (25.6%), Total (15%) and Eni (10.4%).

It currently has six trains in operation, while the Final Investment Decision (FID) on its Train 7 is

expected to be taken in December 2018, a move that will increase the company’s production capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA. Dr.Baru stated that beyond the LNG business, Nigeria was looking at other ways of marketing its enormous gas resources such as the establishment of a gas hub which would lead to the springing up of fertilizer, petrochemical and other gas-based industries in the Niger Delta and across the entire country.

On his part, the Managing Director of the NLNG, Mr. Tony Attah described Train 7 as the next big thing not only in Nigeria’s gas industry, but also in the

global gas arena.

He stated that the company had made tremendous progress on Train 7, assuring that all the shareholders remained ever committed to supply of gas feedstock for the project.

“We are here at Gastech to assure the world that this time around, we mean business. And with the support from Government and our shareholders, Train 7 will be a success,” Attah concluded.

The Gas Technology Conference (Gastech) is the world’s most significant meeting place for upstream, midstream and downstream natural gas and LNG professionals where over 30,000 of participants convene to do business.

METRO

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

Page 21

Fire razes shops, houses in Nyanya Stories by Stanley Onyekwere

N

o fewer than 15 shops and 10 houses were purportedly gutted by fire in Nyanya the early morning of yesterday , a densely populated outskirt of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Our correspondent reports that the shops mostly affected by inferno were those belonging to food vendors, provision dealers,

tailors, computer operators, saloon operators and electricians, including residential apartments in people occupied the living rooms.

Narrating the incident, one of the victims, who identified herself as Nkechi, said the shops located along Check point, the boundary between Mararaba in Nasarawa State and Nyanya in Abuja were razed down by inferno caused by an electrical fault.

According to her, the inferno started at about 8:30 am, following an electric spark which ignited fire in the shop of one electrician whose name she refused to disclose.

She explained that the electrician rather than raised alarm for quick intervention was trying secretly to quench the fire until it overpowered him and spread to other shops and rooms on the block.

It was gathered that though no life was

L-R: Minister of Mine and Steel Development, Alhaji Bawa Bwari; Economic and Commercial Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Morph Yao and Prof. Yao Wensheng of the Institute of Geophysical and Geochemical Exploration during the opening ceremony of the operationalization of MoU between the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency (NGSA) and China Geological Survey (CGS), yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

lost in the inferno, all contents of the shops and rooms including wares and household items were completely burnt even with the prompt arrival of the Federal Fire Service who only prevented the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.

Meanwhile, all attempts to reach out to the FCT fire service failed as the authorities were not ready to speak to press as at the time of filling this report.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at Nyanya Market, Abuja, for the official Launch of the Trader Moni Program, yesterday in Abuja.

Dangote launches ‘BlocMaster’ for cement moulders

By Etuka Sunday

B

uilders and other stakeholders have lauded the BlocMaster Cement which was formally launched by Dangote Cement PLC yesterday in Kano, Kano State, describing it as extra strong and the best for block moulding in Nigeria.

Before it was officially rolled out yesterday, the innovative cement product had been adjudged ideal by the country’s engineers, builders and block makers, due to its rapid setting within an hour, its strength and top quality.

Multitude of block makers in attendance lauded the company’s innovate efforts and after a demonstrative test also confirmed its strength and asserted that surely, it is the best product for building construction for now, from the stable of Dangote cement.

Speaking at the official unveiling of the cement yesterday, Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje called on all Nigerians to patronize the new cement to help minimize the menace of collapse building in the country.

The Governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government Alhaji Usman Alhaji commended the Management

of Dangote Group, adding that it has always been supportive in all sectors of the economy.

Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc Eng. Joe Makoju said the new brand is a product of years of deep research, adding that it has been tested and approved by builders nationwide.

According to him, it is strong and affordable to Nigerians because of its rapid setting, especially during raining season.

“This is a new era. This is a new quality. This is a product of

research,” Mr. Makoju said.

Speaking, Group Chief Marketing Officer OareOjeikere said the new cement is multipurpose and very strong, urging Nigerians to adopt it for all construction purposes.

He said he was happy that hundreds of builders in Kano had used it before the launch.

The immediate past chairman, Nigeria Institute of Building and Director Consultancy Services, Science and Technical Schools Board, Kano State

AbdullahiAlhassanSanSan said he was elated because the new cement block will address the issue of collapse building in the country.

Speaking also at the event, Manager Magina Blocks Industries Kano Nura Musa Yahayah said he has used the block and can therefore recommend it to Nigerians.

According to him: “I can recommend this product. I have personally used it and I am very convinced that it is the best for those of us who are in the business of cement moulding.

It is strong and sets very fast. This

is the product that we need at this time and we are grateful to the Management of Dangote Cement for giving us this product” Chairman Kano State Concrete Block Makers and Allied Products Association Alhaji Umar Faruk Musa said the cement innovation will translate into more income for block makers and in the long run for Nigeria.

He commended Alhaji Aliko Dangote for yet another giant stride, a week after a flour brand was unveiled by the same Group.

Adesina invites Canada to Africa’s investment table

By Etuka Sunday

A

frican Development Bank President,AkinwumiAdesina, yesterdayurged Canadian business leaders to “be part of the action and seize investment opportunities on the continent.”

Adesinawas quoted to have made the call while meeting with 80 leading representatives of the Canada-Africa Chamber of Commerce in Toronto.

Promoting the Bank’s upcoming Africa Investment Forum (AIF), scheduled for 7-9 November 2018 in

Johannesburg, South Africa, Adesina said, “Canada must not be missing at Africa’s investment table. It is time to change the lens through which Africa is perceived and to make clear distinctions between perceived and real risks.”

AIF will bring together global private capital and investment funds, sovereign wealth funds and the private sector, for what is primarily being billed as a transactional marketplace to bridge Africa’s $68 $170 billion infrastructure gap.

Stella Kilonzo, Senior

Director of the Africa Investment Forum; Timothy Turner, African Development Bank Group Chief Risk Officer; Garreth Bloor, Managing Director, Glenheim Venture Capital; Chris Clubb, Managing Director, Convergence Blended Finance; HakanGunay, Senior Director of Finance, Skypower Global, were among panelists discussing investment and blended finance options in Africa at the event.

Addressing participants, Bank Executive Director, David Stevenson explained that the Forum was “about

deals and getting things done and not a talk shop.”

Adesina, who is leading a highlevel delegation alongside Stevenson, Executive Director for Canada, China, South Korea, Kuwait and Turkey, also met with Reeta Roy, President/CEO of the MasterCard Foundation, to discuss synergies for supporting youth employment and access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Africa.

Earlier in Ottawa on Tuesday, Adesina announced a $1 billion synthetic securitization transaction

FCTA legal officers tasked on mitigating debt incurrence

T

he FCT Administration has urged its legal officers to brace up to the challenge of offering the best services and legal representations, to ensure that the administration does not incur debt anymore.

This is coming on the heels of

increasing worries due to the high log of judgment debt hanging on the neck of the present FCTA, which was inherited from its predecessors.

The Administration urged all FCT officers to ensure due diligence in the discharge of their functions to the public

to stem unnecessary litigations.

According to FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who spoke recently at the continuing education programme of the Legal Services Secretariat, all legal officers posted to various Secretariats, Departments and

Agencies (SDAs) must guard against any act that would expose the Administration to legal ridicule.

He urged all FCT officers to ensure due diligence in the discharge of their functions to the public to stem unnecessary litigations.

Judge harps on infusion of human rights into schools’

By Stanley Onyekwere

F

CT Chief judge, Justice Ishaq Bello has advocated for the infusion of human rights education into school’s curriculum, so as to strengthen children against exploitation.

Justice Bello said that children can be guided by human rights education to make informed choices in life, to approach situations with critical and independent thought, and to empathise with other points of view.

He made this assertion, in his

keynote speech, delivered by FCT Chief Magistrate, Mabel T. Segun-Bello, recently at the 3rd Annual Secondary Schools’ Human Rights Summit (SSHRS), in Abuja.

He noted that having the right kind of education is a must for proper development of children and the society at large.

According to him, even in kindergarten, children should learn and experience the fundamental human rights values of respect, equality and justice.

“Today, at schools everywhere children

should be thought that no human being can properly be defined by a single point of reference: not nationality, not ideology or religion.

“Every child should be able to grasp that this recognition of blurred crosscutting identities- of the wonderful diversity of individuals and cultures within our shared membership of humanity, which is a source of tremendous enrichment.

“As we gather here today, to listen, to listen, to empathise and resolve to act, may the students who benefit from this event, use the values that they have

learned to create greater peace in Nigeria and the world,” the Judge stressed.

Also, speaking, Mr. Deji Ajari, Coordinator Sterling Centre For Law and Development, the organisers of the Summit themed: ‘Towards Effective Implementation of the Child Rights Act in Nigeria’, re-echoed the position of the judge.

He explained that the initiative aimed consistently sensitising young people on understanding and promoting child rights in Nigeria.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

Page 22

world news Trump on Sessions:

N international_peoplesdailyng@yahoo.com

‘I don’t have an attorney general’

U

S President Donald Trump has said he does not “have an attorney general” in his fiercest attack yet on Jeff Sessions.

In an interview with Hill.TV, Mr Trump renewed criticism of Mr Sessions’ decision to step aside from the inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

He also said he was unhappy with Mr Sessions’ response to immigration.

The attorney general is yet to respond to Mr Trump’s comments.

It is unusual for a sitting president to attack their attorney general and critics accuse Mr Trump of trying to meddle in the legal system.

After the president criticised Mr Sessions last month, two key Republican senators signalled that they would support Mr Trump if he were to fire Mr Sessions after the November mid-term elections.

However, other Republicans told Politico they thought this would be a bad move and said they were standing by the attorney general.

Mr Sessions has pushed back against previous criticism by Mr Trump. “While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations,” he said in August.

“I demand the highest standards, and where they are not met, I take action.”

Mr Sessions was an early supporter of Mr Trump’s presidential campaign.

But he left the Russia investigation - which

is also reportedly now looking into whether Mr Trump has attempted to obstruct justice - in 2017, citing a potential conflict of interest, and handed control to his deputy, Rod Rosenstein.

The president insists there was no collusion between his campaign and the Russian government, and denies he has attempted to obstruct justice.

What has Mr Trump said this time?

“I don’t have an attorney general. It’s very sad,” Mr Trump said during Tuesday’s interview.

He added that he was “very disappointed” about Mr Sessions’ decision to leave the investigation.

Asked whether he would consider firing Mr Sessions, the president responded: “We’ll see what happens. A lot of people have asked me to do that.

“And I guess I study history, and I say I just want to leave things alone, but it was very unfair what he did [in recusing himself from the Russia investigation].”

Mr Trump also told Hill.TV that he was “not happy” with Mr Sessions on immigration and other issues, and said the attorney general had performed “very poorly” during the nomination process for the post.

“I mean, he was mixed up and confused, and people that worked with him for, you know, a long time in the Senate were not nice to him, but he was giving very confusing

Florence: Two patients dead after van swept away in floods

T

wo mental health patients have died when the police van they were being transported got caught in floodwaters in the US, police say.

The two officers escorting the pair were eventually rescued. The patients’ deaths bring the death toll from Storm Florence to 37.

Thousands of homes and roadways in the region remain underwater less than a week after the storm made landfall.

President Donald Trump arrived in North Carolina on Wednesday to survey damage.

Mr Trump praised the response to the “devastating” storm by federal and local disaster officials at a news conference in North Carolina on Wednesday morning.

“Unfortunately, the money will be a lot, but it’s going to come as fast as you need it,” Mr Trump said. “We’re going to take care of everybody.”

Mr Trump will be heading to South Carolina next.

The storm’s latest victims in South Carolina were identified as Wendy Wenton, 45, and Nicolette Green, 43, by the Marion County Coroner, US media report.

The Horry County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement that when the waters overtook the van, they rose too quickly for the pair to be saved.

A high water team eventually rescued the two deputies who were escorting them. The deputies were able to climb atop the van as waters inundated the vehicle.

“Despite persistent and ongoing efforts, floodwater rose rapidly and the deputies were unable to open the doors to reach the individuals inside the van,” the police statement said, according to the Greenville News.

“At this time, the recovery effort is ongoing, and the transportation vehicle cannot be removed due to rising waters and dangerous conditions.”

The detainees were women being transported from Waccamaw Mental Health and Loris Hospital to a behavioural health hospital in Darlington, South Carolina, according to the Associated Press.

“Tonight’s incident is a tragedy,” Sheriff Phillip Thompson told the Greenville News.

“Just like you, we have questions we want answered. We are fully co-operating with the State Law Enforcement Division to support their investigation of this event.”

The tragic incident occurred near the Little Pee Dee River, which continues to rise as water from upriver North Carolina makes its way into South Carolina’s waterways.

Mr Trump said in an inteview he was “very disappointed” in Mr Sessions answers,” he said.

“Answers that should have been easily answered. And that was a rough time for him.”

Donald Trump no longer likes Jeff Sessions, one of his earliest, most prominent supporters.

This is not news. There are also political reasons why the president has been unwilling to straight-up fire his attorney general. This is also not news.

That Mr Trump went so far as to say he

doesn’t have an attorney general - a slightly tamer version of “he’s dead to me” - is dramatic, but it’s variations on a theme.

What might be surprising, and might also be significant, is the president’s decision to criticise Mr Sessions for more than just his recusal from the Russia probe. He doesn’t like the way he’s handling the immigration issue, for instance.

Brexit: Theresa May tells EU ‘don’t demand the unacceptable’

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heresa May says the EU must “evolve” its stance on the Irish border as she prepares to make the case for her Brexit plans to other European leaders.

In Salzburg, the PM welcomed the EU’s recognition its initial proposal to avoid a hard border in Ireland was “unacceptable”.

It comes after EU negotiator Michel Barnier suggested a shift in tone on his controversial “backstop” plan.

Mrs May said her own Chequers plan would ensure “frictionless trade”.

The UK and EU both want to avoid a hard border - meaning any physical infrastructure like cameras or guard posts - but can’t agree on how.

Mrs May has previously rejected the EU’s “backstop” plan - which involves keeping Northern Ireland aligned with its trading rules - saying it would divide up the UK. Ahead of the Salzburg summit, Mr Barnier said most checks could take place away from border areas, an apparent concession to the UK. But another key EU figure, European Council President Donald Tusk, said the UK’s own plans “will need to be reworked”.

Addressing reporters as she arrived for dinner in the Austrian city, Mrs May said her blueprint

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

for future relations was “the only credible and negotiable plan on the table that delivers no hard border in Northern Ireland”.

She added: “If we’re going to achieve a successful conclusion then, just as the UK has evolved its position, the EU will need to evolve its position too.”

Why is the Irish border an issue?

After Brexit, the 310 mile border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will become the UK’s border with the EU. At the moment, thousands of people cross it every day for both work and pleasure - as do goods, like food and medicines, being delivered across the two countries.

As part of the EU single market and customs union, these products do not need to be checked for customs and standards, but when the UK leaves these two arrangements, this all changes.

Nobody wants a hard border for the checks - in fact the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which helped bring peace to Northern Ireland, got rid of security checks as part of the deal, and police in Northern Ireland have warned reinstating them could make crossings targets for violence.

But there is no agreement between the UK and EU, or

between Leavers and Remainers, about the answer.

Privately, EU officials say those checks could be carried out by British or EU officials, or by health inspectors rather than customs officials, to “de-dramatise” the border issue.

Mrs May has insisted there needs to be “friction-free movement of goods”, with no customs or regulatory checks, between Northern Ireland and the Republic, in order to avoid a hard border there.

There are just over six months to go before the UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March 2019.

Negotiations are at a critical stage, with both sides hoping for an agreement on the terms of the UK’s withdrawal and future trade relations by the start of November at the latest.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Barnier said the talks were in the “home straight” but there were still significant areas of disagreement such as on the role of the European Court of Justice in enforcing the withdrawal agreement and intellectual property issues, including geographical protections for food and drink.

“October is the key point in time - it is the moment of truth,” he added.

Source: BBC

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Vying for control of Nigerian football

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he Nigeria Football Federation has been beset by problems for many yearsImage caption: The Nigeria Football Federation has been beset by problems for many years Four men are competing to become the next president of the problem-hit Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).

The polls, scheduled for Thursday in Katsina State in northern Nigeria, are expected to go ahead despite moves from some quarters to prevent them from taking place.

A faction claiming to run the National Association of Nigerian Footballers wants the elections halted and Nigeria’s Sports Minister Solomon Dalung has labelled the electoral gathering as ‘illegal’.

However football’s world governing body, Fifa, has given the election process its seal of approval by sending two observers, Luca Piazza and Solomon Mudege, while the president of the Burkina Faso Federation, Sita Sangare, is expected to oversee the event on behalf of the Confederation of African Football.

The four men hoping to take charge of one of the hottest seats in African sport are incumbent Amaju Pinnick, former president Aminu Maigari, Taiwo Ogunjobi and Chinedu Okoye.

Liberia ex-central bank chief denies $60m vanished

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iberia’s former central bank governor Milton Weeks says he is fully co-operating with the police as they investigate allegations that at least one container-load of newly printed banknotes has gone missing.

Mr Weeks told the BBC’s Jonathan PayeLayleh in the capital, Monrovia, that he was “definitely” not aware of any money missing after it was printed abroad, and brought to the country between November last year and August this year.

“I myself want to get to the bottom of this to understand where these allegations are coming from,” he added.

Mr Weeks said he still had all his “civil liberties”.

Earlier, the Ministry of Information said he was among a list of people barred from leaving the country while investigations take place into the alleged disappearance of the money reported to be worth between $60m (£45.6m) and $100m.

Salvini refuses to apologise over slave remark

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taly’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has rejected calls by the African Union to retract comments he made referring to African migrants as “slaves”, AFP news agency reports.

Mr Salvini said his comments had been distorted.

“In fact, in Vienna I said exactly the opposite, to defend asylum seekers and immigrants who some people in Europe use as slaves,” AFP quoted him as telling journalists.

Mr Salvini’s made the comments during a row with Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn at a migration conference on Friday.

Mr Asselborn had suggested that Europe needed immigrants because of its ageing population when Mr Salvini, according to AFP, replied by saying: “In Italy we feel it’s necessary to help our children make more children. And not to have new slaves to replace the children we’re no longer having.”

The AU said in a statement on Tuesday that he should “retract his derogatory statement about African migrants”.

“It is the view of the African Union that namecalling will not resolve the migration challenges facing Africa and Europe,” it added. .

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f r i c a

Italy expels South African drone-flyer

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25-year-old South African man has been ordered to leave Italy after he flew a drone near the Vatican while the pope was leading Sunday prayers, Rome police have said.

The man’s drone and camera had been seized, police added in a statement.

Last year, two French tourists were fined about $3,000 (£2,300) for flying a drone near Rome’s famous Colosseum, AFP news agency reports.

South Africa’s top banks have accused the governing African National Congress (ANC) of pressuring them to help out a notorious business family implicated in high-level corruption.

The accusations have been made this week at a judicial inquiry into the activities of former President Jacob Zuma, the Gupta family, and what’s become known in South Africa as the crime of “state capture”.

On Wednesday, it was Nedbank CEO Mike Brown’s turn to describe, under oath, how a senior minister had put pressure on him to support the Gupta family, whose business accounts had been shut down by local banks concerned about alleged corruption.

“I found it particularly strange. It felt like a form of threat,” said Mr Brown, explaining that Mosebenzi Zwane, the former mining minister, had suggested that “things could happen to your [banking] licence if you don’t behave in a particular way” and help the Guptas to resume their banking activities.

Thousands of tourists visit the Vatican each day

Zambia minister sacked amid corruption scandal

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ambia’s President Edgar Lungu has fired the minister in charge of community development and social welfare, making her the first casualty of an investigation into what happened to about $4.3m (£3.3m) meant for poor families.

Mr Lungu acted “swiftly” by relieving Emerine Kabanshi of her post following allegations of the “misuse” of money in her ministry, chief government spokeswoman Dora Siliya said in a tweet.

The money had gone missing from the Social Cash Transfer programme, and had been used to buy expensive vehicles, according to the UK-based journal Africa Confidential.

The UK has suspended direct financial aid to Zambia following the allegations, saying it takes a “zero-tolerance approach” to corruption and fraud.

Ireland, Sweden and Finland have also freezed aid to the country.

Zambia’s biggest opposition party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), said it was “heartbreaking that donor funding meant for the old, women and children who have no other means of survival” was being “plundered”, UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema said.

In a Facebook post, Mr Lungu said he had also dismissed the Postmaster General, McPherson Chanda.

He had ordered a “clean-up” of the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services and the Ministry of Transport and Communications, especially Zampost, the state-owned postal company, Mr Lungu said.

Anti-corruption agencies have been

ReportReport this social embed, make a complaint instructed to carry out a speedy investigation to establish whether there was “criminal liability” over the Social Cash Transfer programme, Mr Lungu said.

The aid freeze by the UK is believed to affect the education, health and nutrition

sectors, as well as social cash transfers for the poorest Zambians.

On Wednesday, the UK’s Department for International Development said there was “no evidence that confirms any loss of UK taxpayers’ money”.

Liberia ‘vanishing’ cash: Travel ban imposed

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iberia’s government has banned 15 people, including the son of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, from leaving the country while it investigates the alleged disappearance of tens of millions of dollars intended for the central bank, the Ministry of Information has said in a statement.

Border posts have been informed that Charles Sirleaf, the deputy governor of

the central bank, and Milton Weeks, the former governor of the bank, are among those barred from travelling abroad, the statement added.

Mr Sirleaf and Mr Weeks have not yet commented.

However, Mrs Sirleaf was quoted by the Front Page Africa news site as saying that the bank had given “full evidence and clarification” to refute allegations that the

money had disappeared.

The government has ordered an investigation into the alleged disappearance of the newly printed bank notes that had reportedly come from abroad between November last year and August this year.

“The government... takes the ongoing investigation seriously because it has national security implications,” the statement added.

PAGE 24

North Yemen conflict: A million more Korea’s children face famine, NGO warns Kim Jong- A un agrees to shut missile site

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orth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to shut one of the country’s main missile testing and launch sites.

He signed a pledge to permanently close the Tongchang-ri facility, after talks in Pyongyang with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jaein.

Both leaders also “agreed on a way to achieve denuclearisation” on the Korean peninsula, Mr Moon said.

Mr Kim said he hoped to “visit Seoul in the near future” - he would be the first North Korean leader to do so.

China has welcomed the outcome of the inter-Korean summit, saying both sides had found “new and important common ground”.

What was agreed on denuclearisation?

The main focus of the summit was the issue of denuclearisation. While the US and North Korea agreed in broad terms earlier this year to work towards that goal, negotiations have stalled.

Pyongyang has now sought to reconfirm its commitment.

Mr Kim expressed a readiness to shut down the Yongbyon nuclear facility - where North Korea is believed to have produced the material used in its nuclear tests - if the US took some reciprocal action. The details of that were not specified.

But he went further on Tongchang-ri, saying the engine missile testing and launch facility would be permanently closed “in the presence of experts from relevant nations”.

The BBC’s Seoul correspondent Laura Bicker said the announcement is a major step forward.

Satellite images suggest Tongchang-ri is in the process of being destroyed, she added, but the declaration will allow inspectors to verify the process.

Tongchang-ri has been North Korea’s main satellite launch facility since 2012, according to monitoring group 38 North.

It has also been used for testing engines for North Korean missiles capable of reaching the US. North Korea blew up its main nuclear testing site at Punggye-ri shortly before Mr Kim’s meeting with US President Donald Trump in June.

“The outcome is a big win for Moon Jaein, who has managed to extract a series of positive headlines from Kim Jong-un related to denuclearisation,” Ankit Panda, editor of The Diplomat, told the BBC. “None of the concessions are truly costly to Kim and won’t help move North Korea toward short-term disarmament, but provide a further basis for confidence building on which USNorth Korea talks can move forward.”

What about North-South relations?

The two countries also made advances on inter-Korean ties, announcing plans to link up their railways, allow more reunions for families separated by war and co-operate on health care.

Mr Moon invited the North Korean leader to Seoul, suggesting the visit should take place before the end of this year.

They will also seek to co-host the 2032 Summer Olympics.

ENVIRONMENT

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

further one million children are at risk of famine in Yemen, the charity Save the Children has warned.

Rising food prices and the falling value of the country’s currency as a result of a civil war are putting more families at risk of food insecurity.

But another threat comes from fighting around the key port city of Hudaydah, which is the principal lifeline for almost two-thirds of the population.

Save the Children says a total of 5.2 million children now face famine.

Why is there a war in Yemen?

Media captionThe conflict in Yemen has been raging for years - but what is it all about?

Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in early 2015, when the rebel Houthi movement seized control of much of the west of the country and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.

Alarmed by the rise of a group they saw as an Iranian proxy, Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab states intervened in an attempt to restore the government. They have received logistical and intelligence support from the US, UK and France.

At least 6,660 civilians have been killed and 10,563 injured in the conflict, according to the UN. Thousands more civilians have died from preventable causes, including malnutrition, disease and poor health.

The fighting and a partial blockade

A 14-month-old child suffering from malnutrition receives treatment at a clinic in the city of Amran

by the coalition have also left 22 million people in need of humanitarian aid, created the world’s largest food security emergency, and led to a cholera outbreak that is thought to have affected 1.1 million people.

Why can people no longer afford food?

The war has also led to severe delays in paying the salaries of teachers and public servants, with some people receiving no wages for almost two years.

Those who are paid face food prices which are 68% more expensive than when the war began.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni riyal has lost almost 180% of its value over the same period, according to Save the Children.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

PAGE 25

Edo promises intervention in gully erosion-ridden communities

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overnor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State said the state government would soon carry out intervention work in three gully erosion-prone communities of Iguosa, Evbuotubu and Erhumwunse. within the Benin metropolis.

Obaseki gave the assurance in a statement by Mr Crusoe Osagie, his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, which was made available to the News Agency if Nigeria (NAN) in Benin City, the state capital.

The governor said other affected

communities to enjoy the palliative included Queen Ede in Ikpoba Okha Local government area and some others in Auchi axis of Edo North senatorial district.

He assured residents of the communities that the intervention work would be carried out in phases, saying that the state government was not oblivious of the worrying situation in the communities.

Obaseki disclosed that the state government was partnering with the World Bank’s Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) to

provide succour to some of the affected communities.

According to him, “We are working with partners to ensure that the affected communities are salvaged.

“There are extensive projects in Auchi, Ewu, Ibore as well as Queen Ede. A good number of them have been finished and the people are better off with the projects.

“We appeal to residents in Iguosa, Evbuotubu and Erhumwunse to be patient as we are making plans to also intervene in their communities.

“We understand the apprehension by the people residing in these communities.

I want to assure them that we have them in our plans.

“We urge the people in these communities to be hopeful, understanding that just as we have dealt with the gully erosion sites in Ibore, Ewu and others, we will also get to them,” he said.

The governor noted that his administration would efficiently manage the state’s resources for the benefit of the people.

Earlier this month, the currency reached its lowest value in history, placing a further burden on population.

Fears also remain of potential damage to or a blockade of Hudaydah’s port as a result of the fighting.

The UN has warned that in a worstcase scenario, the battle for Hudaydah could cost up to 250,000 lives, as well as cut off aid supplies to millions of people living in rebel-held areas.

What has Save the Children said?

“Millions of children don’t know when or if their next meal will come,” the chief executive of Save the Children International, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, said in a statement.

Mustafa Badreddine Street sparks outrage in Lebanon

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he naming of a street in the Lebanese capital Beirut after a late military commander of the Hezbollah movement has sparked a political row.

Mustafa Badreddine, after whom the street in the suburb of Ghobeiry is named, is alleged to have masterminded the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005.

The street itself leads to Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

Hariri’s son Saad, the current prime minister, called the move “seditious”.

The street sign was changed just days after the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) began hearing the closing arguments in the trial in absentia of four other men linked to Hezbollah who are accused of being behind the car bombing that killed Rafik Hariri and 21 other people.

Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the assassination.

After attending the trial in The Hague last week, Saad Hariri said he was confident justice would prevail and that his father’s murderers would be held to account.

But he also stressed he would behave as an “official who has the responsibility to protect the country and the Lebanese people” even if a group in the national unity government he has been trying to form since May’s election was implicated.

On Tuesday evening, the prime minister tweeted: “The decision to name a street after Mustafa Badreddine is regrettable.

“There are people who want to drag the country to another place. They must take

Mustafa Badreddine was killed in 2016 while overseeing Hezbollah’s operations in Syria responsibility for this before God Almighty month, as required by law.

Badreddine - who was designated a and before the Lebanese people.

“We are talking about extinguishing terrorist by the United States - was killed in 2016 in Syria, where he was believed to sedition. But this is sedition itself.”

The interior ministry has said it has have led Hezbollah units fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad. demanded the street signs be removed.

He is also alleged to have been involved But the municipality in Ghobeiry, where support for Hezbollah is strong among in the October 1983 bombing of the US residents, has insisted the name change Marine Corps and French army barracks in Beirut that killed 305 people, and the was “legal, normal and legitimate”.

It said it informed the ministry of the bombing of the US and French embassies move in June 2017, and that the ministry in Kuwait in December 1983. did not express an objection within a

Kogi Flood

UN, partners support Nigeria’s response to flooding

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he UN has announced that it is supporting the Nigerian Governmentled rapid assessment and response to the flooding disaster in the country, in collaboration with its humanitarian partners.

The UN spokesperson, Mr Stephane Dujarric, said this at a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York

Dujarric said: “On Nigeria, over the past two weeks, floods caused by heavy rains have affected at least 12 states in Nigeria, with areas located along the Niger and Benue rivers at particular risk.

“Yesterday, the Government of Nigeria declared a national disaster in four states – Kogi, Niger, Anambra and Delta.

“The United Nations and humanitarian

partners are supporting the Nigerian Government-led rapid assessment and response, including through coordination, information management and reporting.”

The Federal Government on Monday declared a national disaster over flooding that had affected the four states.

The declaration was made by the Director-General of the National Emergency

Management Agency (NEMA) on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari.

More than 100 people have died in floods in several Nigerian states following heavy rains that caused the Rivers Niger and Benue to overflow, NEMA said.

Eight other states: Taraba Adamawa, Kebbi, Edo, Rivers, Benue, Bayelsa and Kwara are being monitored, the agency said.

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

26

Feature

Four ways US mid-terms are undemocratic

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f Democrats sweep to power in Congress, it will be seen as a rebuke of the Trump government.

If the Republicans prevail, the message will be that the nation has validated his stunning 2016 victory.

Yet in a country of nearly 326 million, perhaps only 100 million ballots will be cast.

The United States is a representative democracy. At times, however, the process for determining control of the federal government can appear very undemocratic.

Here are some reasons why.

Low turnout If mid-term elections are less than fully representative of the popular will, the American public - first and foremost - has itself to blame.

A majority of citizens who are eligible to vote simply choose not to.

In the 2014 mid-term elections, only 35.9% of the voting-eligible population cast a ballot. That was the lowest mark since 1942.

The modern peak was in 1966, when 48.7% turned out - still less than half.

In the 1970s, the numbers took a precipitous decline - a consequence of the Watergate political scandal, perhaps - and they largely held steady until its most recent low point.

Presidential election years are somewhat better, which is not entirely surprising given the vast sums of money spent on advertising and the non-stop media attention.

The peak was 64% in 1960, and after a drop through the 1970s and 1980s, the numbers rose again, to 62% in Barack Obama’s historic 2008 election and 60% in 2016.

Even in the 2016 presidential election, however, a Pew Research Center reportfound that the US turnout levels ranked 31 out of 35 democratic nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Some of this lack of enthusiasm to vote can be ascribed to the relative noncompetitiveness of many of the congressional races, where incumbent politicians frequently win more than 90% of the time.

Voter suppression In a number of states, legislatures have made it more difficult to register to vote and cast ballots. Supporters explain that the actions are intended to combat voter fraud, although they are frequently hard-pressed to come up with tangible evidence of widespread malfeasance.

Voters in eight states must present government-issued photo identification in order to cast a non-provisional ballot.

Another eight states prefer that voters have photo identification, but they accept other methods of verifying identity.

When combined with the difficulty some particularly the poor, the elderly and minority communities - have with getting proper government identification, the impact can be substantial.

According to a University of Wisconsin study, in 2016 at least 17,000 voters in Wisconsin were deterred from casting ballots during the presidential election because they lacked acceptable photo identification. Mr Trump only won the state by 22,700 votes.

Some states have also ramped up efforts to purge their voter rolls, which frequently contain inaccuracies because individuals die or move to other precincts without informing their local election board (although there is little evidence that those inaccuracies lead to widespread illegal voting).

The move to trim the lists has been

California is among a handful of states that have handed their map-drawing authority over to independent commissions. In others, such as Pennsylvania, state courts have ruled partisan gerrymandering violates state laws.

Even with explicit prohibitions on the most glaring forms of gerrymandering, however, imbalances can be difficult to avoid. Republicans nationally have a built-in advantage in the House of Representatives due to simple demographics. Their voters tend to be more spread out across the country, while Democratic voters congregate in larger urban areas.

In 2016, because of the byzantine machinations of the Electoral College, Donald Trump became president despite losing the nationwide popular vote by nearly 3 million.

Red meat, green veg, nuts and seeds are all good dietary sources of iron particularly pronounced in the nine states (mostly in the South) that, because of their history of racial discrimination, had until a 2013 Supreme Court decision been required to obtain federal pre-approval for any changes in their voting process.

According to a report by the Brennan Center, left-leaning think tank, 12 million voters nationwide were removed from state rolls from 2006-08. From 2012-14, that number increased to 16 million. The centre attributed half of that rise - 2 million voters removed - to the actions in states covered by the Supreme Court decision.

Georgia recently ignited a firestorm of controversy because it quietly tried to close seven of the nine polling places in a part of the state with a large population of low-income black residents.

Gerrymandering In 37 states, the boundaries of voting districts - for members of the US House of Representatives as well as state legislatures - are determined by state politicians. That creates a built-in incentive to draw lines that maximise the political advantage for the party in control, giving their side greater representation than would be indicated by a

straight distribution of the vote statewide.

It’s a power legislators regularly exercise.

Two common strategies for partisaninclined map-makers are to “crack” opposition voters into multiple districts to dilute their numbers or “pack” them all into one constituency. With computer-assisted statistic modelling, what used to be sometimes haphazard attempts to “gerrymander”, as it is called, has become an exacting science.

Media captionWhy are US election campaigns never-ending? Ask America has the answer In the Wisconsin state assembly races in 2012, for instance, Republicans won 60 out of 99 seats (60%) despite winning only 48.6% of the state-wide vote. Democrats have produced similar advantages in states like Maryland.

The Wisconsin map became the basis for a lawsuit by Democratic voters and officeholders alleging that it amounted to an unconstitutional infringement on their constitutionally protected voting rights. But while the US Supreme Court has ruled it illegal for legislatures to use line-drawing to diminish the power of minority voters, it declined to strike down the Wisconsin maps for political bias.

“

In the 1970s, the numbers took a precipitous decline - a consequence of the Watergate political scandal, perhaps and they largely held steady until its most recent low point.

Presidential election years are somewhat better, which is not entirely surprising given the vast sums of money spent on advertising and the non-stop media attention. The peak was 64% in 1960, and after a drop through the 1970s and 1980s, the numbers rose again, to 62% in Barack Obama’s historic 2008 election and 60% in 2016. Even in the 2016 presidential election, however, a Pew Research Center reportfound that the US turnout levels ranked 31 out of 35 democratic nations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Some of this lack of enthusiasm to vote can be ascribed to the relative non-competitiveness of many of the congressional races, where incumbent politicians frequently win more than 90% of the time.

PAGE 27

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

The Senate map Mid-term elections don’t fully reflect the will of the people for another fundamental reason. It’s the way the nation’s founders wanted it.

The two-chambered Congress, with a House of Representatives and a Senate, was a result of the “Great Compromise” between the large and small states during the 1787 Constitutional Convention. Seats in the House of Representatives are determined by proportional representation, but every state has equal influence in the Senate.

As the US has grown, the contrast has become particularly stark. California’s 40 million residents, for instance, elect 53 members of its House delegation, while the entirety of Wyoming, population 579,000, has one. Both states, however, have two seats in the Senate.

Then there are the residents of US territories like Puerto Rico and Guam, as well as the District of Columbia (with a population by itself greater than Wyoming’s), who have no congressional representation.

While the entire membership of the House of Representatives stand for election every two years, the framers of the constitution designed the Senate to be less responsive to popular will. Members of the upper chamber of Congress serve six-year terms, staggered so only one-third of the 100-seat body comes up at a time.

In an apocryphal story, George Washington once explained to Thomas Jefferson that the Senate was like a saucer into which the hot tea of the House could be poured to cool. In fact, the Senate was once even less democratic than it is now. Prior to a 1913 constitutional amendment, senators were chosen by state legislators, not American voters.

This year, thanks to special elections, 35 Senate seats are up for a vote. Of that number, Democrats (and Democratic-friendly independents) are defending 26 of them including 10 in states Mr Trump won in 2016.

The reality, then, is that while the political winds could be blowing strongly to the left, the Republican Party still has an opportunity to hold - or gain - ground in the chamber that has the sole power to confirm executive and judicial appointments and ratify international treaties.

Residents of 17 states will be sitting on the sidelines for one of the most meaningful political battles of the year. And in the states that do cast ballots, some voters will have more of a say in the outcome than others.

November could very well become an inflection point in Donald Trump’s presidency. If it is, however, it will be a result of the voices of a minority of Americans being heard. BBC

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DUAGTHERS OF ZION AND WOMEN OF FAITH INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. MRS. GRACE NKIRUKA NWUFO - PRESIDENT 2. DR. (MRS) ABANA IFEOMA JULIANA - SECRETARY 3. MRS. MBAH PHILOMINA 4. MRS. ANYANWUOCHA CHRIS THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.Women empowerment by promoting the participation of women in the growth and development of the society.

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICE

Paulina Edobor Foundation

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.Mr.Okeikhan John Edobor 2.Mrs.Christy Medlin 3.Mr.Ahmed Johnson Orukpe 4.Mrs.Otekpen Rosemary Edobor 5.Mrs.Orizeme Florence Jockey 6.Ofure Rita Edobor

-president -1st voice President 1) -2nd vice President -3rd vice President -secretary/coordinator -publicity

The Aim and Objectives: 1.To care for orphans and widows in their distress by meeting their spiritual, physical, emotional, economic and Educational needs.

2.To provide guidance, inspiration and hope to children in seemingly hopeless conditions.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : Barr.Chris Iyeikhian 07033406424.

PUBLIC NOTICE

ASSOCIATION OF BROTHERS ABOARD NOBILITY

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. Aina Bamidele Kolawole - Chairman 2. Obi Chukwuka Izuchukwu Chinedu - Secretary 3. Olutunfese Olusoji 4. Asamah Alexander Inumah THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.To promote peace, unity and progress among other Members.

2. To set for the welfares of their members .

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : Barr Mohammed Attahiru 08036492700.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.NSUNGUSI EFFIONG NSUNGUSI - CHAIRMAN 2.AFFIONG NSUNGUSI EFFIONG 3.OFUENENG NSUNGUSI EFFIONG 4.IKWO NSUNGUSI EFFIONG - SECRETARY 5.UTAN NSUNGUSI EFFIONG 6.NSUNGUSI NSUNGUSI EFFIONG

THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1.AUDU ABUDU WAHAB 2.ABU IBRAHIM 3.MALLAM ISAH ALI 4.OSIKHUEME OSIKHENA FRANCES 5.NURUDEEN DELE 6.IDRIS YAKUBU 7.MUHAMMED TIJANI 8.YAMINU MOMODU 9.MAMUDU ABDURAHIM

ANSONS EMPOWERMENT FOUNDATION

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.TO HELP THE LESS PRIVILEGED.

AYUELE CLAN HUNTERS ASSOCIATION

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE: 1.TO CATER FOR THE WELFARE OF MEMBERS.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED: Barr. Opaola oluwagbemiga.

SIGNED : SECRETARY

SIGNED : GEORGE-BASIL OKWENNA ESQ.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

SUNRISE SCHOLARSHIPS FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.JOHN CHUKWUDI ARACHIE 2.IFEYINWA LORETTA ARACHIE 3.MESOMACHUKWU ARACHIE 4.KAMNSIYOCHUKWU ARACHIE 5.ZICORAEBUBECHUKWU ARACHIE 6.CHOBACHUKWU ARACHIE

PEACE FOUNTAIN EMPOWERMENT SOCIETY

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. JAGABA DAVID IBI -CHAIRMAN 2. TASHARA SOLOMON -SECRETARY 3. DANLADI ISYAKU 4. YUGUDA AISHA USMAN 5. BASHIR HAUWA MUHAMMAD 6. PASTOR KASSAM DAVID 7. OBINWA PEACE OGECHI 8. ABUBAKAR FATIMA KABIR

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. To eradicate illiteracy In Adazi Nnukwu community in Anaocha local government of Anambra state.

2.To help in eradicating the level of poverty in the community of Adazi Nnukwu 3.To increase the level of literacy that will help in crime reduction in the community of Adazi Nnukwu

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1. To act as an umbrella body in catering for the welfare of the society.

2. To provide assistance to the ambitious but less privileged through skills acquisition, counseling, education and empowerment programs.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED : SECRETARY

SIGNED : SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE TABITHA MISSION FOR ORPHANS AND WIDOWS INTL THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. PETER EJEH APEH (PRESIDENT).

2. BINTA APEH (SECRETARY).

3. WILLIAMS ENENCHE ( MEMBER).

4. SAMUEL APOCHI ( MEMBER).

5. MABEL ERASTUS ( MEMBER) 6. OYEGHE SEPREBOFA MIEDERI. (Member).

PUBLIC NOTICE

ALAGO CHRISTIAN ASSOCITION OF NIGERIA

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

The sent word of grace and fire miracle International Assembly

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.Edaire Omo Ugege 2.Mrs Edaire Patience 3.Ifitis prosper THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.To preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY

PUBLIC NOTICE

ADVOCACY FOR PEACE AND RIGHT CHOICE INITIATIVE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. MAILAFIYA OYANKI 2. EZEKIEL O. OZEGYA 3. EGBA JACOB OBOSHI 4. ELIAS ORUME ADOKWE 5. DR. EMMANUEL AWOSE OSAKEDE

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. ATERE OLAYEMI OLABOSIPO CYNTHIA - presi6dent 2. OSAYEMI IYABODE MULIKAT - TREASURER 3. OKOLIE NNAMDI CLEMENT - SECRETARY 4. IGE OLAGOKE MARTINS - VICE PRESIDENT

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.To cater for the welfare of orphans and widows in the society.

2.To help the less privileged in the Society.

THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.TO PREACH THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AND TO UNITE THE PEOPLE OF ALAGO COMMUNITIES IN NASARAWA STATE.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION.

SIGNED : By: barr oyeghe seprbofa esq.

SIGNED : Barr. Grace Ose Inegbenebor 08036333921

THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.To bring about peaceful co-existence of citizens in Nigeria.

ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED :

By BARR. Biodun Ogundare 08165413597

CLASSIFIED PUBLIC NOTICE

UJUGBO INYABRI & ISHOJA UGABI FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.DR. SOLOMON UGABI - CHAIRMAN 2.EJIM ODAMA PETER - SECRETARY 3.PHOEBE HINDAN UGABI - MEMBER THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.TO PROVIDE FREE MEDICAL OUTREACH/SERVICES TO THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : USANI ODUNI ESQ 07088078887.

PUBLIC NOTICE

PRAYER HOUSE OF ALL NATIONS

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.Phillip David Abiodun ------- CHAIRMAN 2.David Feyisike Falilat---- SECRETARY 3.Charles Kolawole 4.Stephen Olayinka 5.S . M Ayodele 6.Rotimi Sunday THE AIM AND OBJECTIVE : 1.prayer and intercession ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY

LEGAL NOTICE IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION BIRNIN KEBBI, KEBBI STATE Whereas the person whose name is set out in the first column here under died date and place stated in the said column.

Whereas the person whose address had claimed relationship with the said deceased is set in the second column here under has applied to the High Court of Justice for GRANT OF LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION will be granted to such person unless a notice to prohibit the grant there of is filed in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice Birnin Kebbi, within TWENTY ONE DAYS from the date of publication of this notice.

SCHEDULE

Name and Address of Deceased Applicant Name and Address SGT. ILIYASU ISIYAKA ZAINAB ISIYAKA NIGERIA POLICE FORCE MARU LOCAL GOVERNMENT ZAMFARACOMMAND ZAMFARA STATE

Who died on the 23th DECEMBER, 2017 Dated at Birnin Kebbi on 18TH day of SEPTEMBER, 2018 MOHAMMED ADAMU YELDU Probate Registrar

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PUBLIC NOTICE

GOD’S MASTER PIECE FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1.MRS. UZOR-OKAFOR AZAGBA 2.MRS. ORIANZI AUGUSTA 3.MRS. ORERUAN EFE CLEMENTINA THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE : 1.TO ENABLE CHILDREN SEE THEMSELVES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF GOD. 2.TO ENABLE CHILDREN DISCOVER WHO THEY ARE, IDENTIFYING THEIR TALENTS/GIFTS AND PROMOTE THEIR TALENTS. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : DIEGBE, DIEGBE & ASOCIATES

PUBLIC NOTICE

ENE KEZE ARTS AND ADVOCACY FOUNDATION

Notice is hereby given to the general public that the abovenamed organization has applied to the corporate affairs commission for the registration under part C of the Companies and Allied Maters Act Cap C20 LFN 2004.

The Trustees Are: 1. ADEBOWALE AUGUSTINA 2. LARABA OIBOH 3. RIET NEL WIJNEN 4. OKPO ARIT OKPO KAISO 5. QUEENETTE NKESE-EDEM HOGAN 6. FEMKE GEERTRUIDA BERNARDINA HERREGRAVEN AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: 1. A centre for research and queer arts archives 2. A platform for cultural and creative projects for queer women and allies 3. Using media and popular arts culture to educate and transform mindsets, for social change in Africa 4. Initiating and empowering a new genre of radical nonconforming feminist thinkers as artists

PUBLIC NOTICE

SELF-EMPLOYED BUS DRIVERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, DELTA STATE

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR CHANGE OF TRUSTEES UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE EXISTING TRUSTEES ARE : 1. EMMANUEL SOTU - RETAINED 2.PIUS ALU - RETAINED 3.CHIEF RICHARD OGHENEME - RETAINED 4.COMRADE OGHENEKARO ERUEME - RETAINED 5.HON. JONES AGINTUKU - REMOVED 6.JOHN OSA - REMOVED 7.DAVID IWERE THE INTENDING TRUSTEES ARE : 1.BELIEVE EYARUNU - ELECTED 2.JACOB OWIVRI - ELECTED 3.JOHNSON ERUEME - ELECTED THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS CHANGES SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_ GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY.

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NFF election: Maigari faces last minute disqualification

SCHEDULE

Name and Address of Deceased Applicant Name and Address INSPR. ABUBAKAR SALIHU ZAINAB ABUBAKAR NIGERIA POLICE FORCE U/GWAZA, ZAMFARACOMMAND GUSAU LOCAL GOVERNMENT ZAMFARA STATE

MOHAMMED ADAMU YELDU Probate Registrar

murjanatu I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS murjanatu abubakar harka. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS murjanatu abubakar ibrahim. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

sports@peoplesdailyng.com, SMS- 08142929046

wednesday, september 20, 2018

Whereas the person whose name is set out in the first column here under died date and place stated in the said column. Whereas the person whose address had claimed relationship with the said deceased is set in the second column here under has applied to the High Court of Justice for GRANT OF LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION of the personal property.

Notice is hereby given that the said LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION will be granted to such person unless a notice to prohibit the grant there of is filed in the Probate Registry High Court of Justice Birnin Kebbi, within TWENTY ONE DAYS from the date of publication of this notice.

Signed: QUEENETTE NKESE-EDEM HOGAN.

ENE I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS ene ahubi imoni. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS ene imoni atsegbua.

ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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LEGAL NOTICE

Who died on the 02th MAY, 2018 Dated at Birnin Kebbi on 24TH day of JULY, 2018

aragbonkpa I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS oyamendan gloria. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS aragbonkpa gloria ada. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE PROBATE DIVISION BIRNIN KEBBI, KEBBI STATE

Any objection to the registration should be forwarded to the Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission. Plot 420 Tigris Crescent, Maitama, Abuja within 28days of this publication.

Yahaya I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS Isah Ibrahim. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS Yahaya Ado. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY

PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

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Yahaya I, FORMERLY KNOWN AS Gloria Godwin. NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AS Gloria Ogbeche. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. ALL AUTHORITIES CONCERNED AND GENERAL PUBLIC PLEASE TAKE NOTE. PUBLIC NOTICE

AMIHZANNABE FOUNDATION

THIS IS TO INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT THE ABOVE NAMED HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION (CAC), ABUJA FOR REGISTRATION UNDER PART ‘C’ OF COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT, 1990.

THE TRUSTEES ARE : 1. Dr. Mohammed Danjuma Alhaji - Chairman 2. Mohammed Sani Jima - Secretary 3. Mohammed Ismail Jima 4. Mohammed Salisu Jima 5. Mohammed Adamu Jima Aim and objective The promotion of humanity through researchers seminar, campaign/Sensitization of global threatening diseases . Also assisting Media through philosophic helps ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR_GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT , OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET , MAITAMA , ABUJA WITHIN 28DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED : SECRETARY

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Alhaji Aminu Maigari

By Amaechi Agbo

A

head of today’s election into the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Executive Board, former president of the NFF and a strong contender for the exalted position of NFF president, Alhaji Aminu Maigari could be disqualified few hours to the commencement of voting.

The former NFF President’s impending disqualification is coming few days after petitions over certificate forgery against him was submitted by two petitioners, Mr Chum Onye and Ahmed Shubairu Gombe who alleged that the two certificates of Grade 3 submitted by Maigari were contradictory.

In a letter made available to our reporter, the NFF Electoral Committee, 2018 said that during its screening, the committee discovered the discrepancies and could not reach a unanimous decision.

The letter added that in order to reach a consensus, the matter was put to vote of which 3 out of the 5 members of the committee voted in favour of Maigari being

cleared to contest the election.

In the letter titled “Petition Against Alhaji Aminu Maigari for Forgery of Certificate: the Findings of the Electoral Committee/ Resolution” and signed by the committee chairman, Muhammad Sank Katu, the committee in its three-point resolution, withdrew the initial clearance offered Maigari to contest today’s election and substituted it with a “provisional clearance.”

Below is the full detail of the letter: Petition Against Alhaji Aminu Maigari for Forgery of Certificate: Findings of the Electoral Committee/Resolution.

We received two petitions soon after the submission/publication of the list of cleared candidates into various offices of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, by Mr Chum Onye and Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe dated 14/9/2018 and 17/9/2018, respectively.

The two petitions were written against Alhaji Aminu Maigari for forgery of certificate and submission of same for the purpose of the screening exercise conducted by the Electoral Committee for the candidates

vying for various offices of the NFF. During the screening exercise, the Electoral Committee discovered the discrepancies in the certificates presented

by Alhaji Aminu Maigari who is vying for the post of the president of the NFF. However, the committee could not reach a unanimous decision on whether to disqualify him or not, hence the need to resort to voting.

During the voting, three (3) out of the five members of the committee voted in favour of him being cleared and allowed to participate in the election which led to the inclusion of his name in the list of cleared candidates.

Upon receiving the petition, the committee met and resolved to forward a copy of the petition written by Chum Onye to Alhaji Aminu Maigari for his response vide a letter dated 14 of September, 2018 urging him to appear before the committee on or before the 17 of September, 2018 for purpose of clarification.

Alhaji Aminu Maigari received the

letter and informed the committee through a phone call to the chairman of his desire to appear before the committee on the 15th of September, 2018 which he did and undertook to produce the originals of the said documents for verification/clarification on or before 17 of September, 2018. Alahaji Aminu Maigari failed to produce the said original documents.

It is therefore based on the above premise that the committee makes the following resolutions: That the documents submitted by Alhaji Aminu Maigari i.e the 2 Grade Three Certificates which are attached to the petitions are indeed not the same both in substance and in content with each other.

That the said certificates are submitted to the committee in contravention of Article 5(1)(i) of the guidelines for the NFF Executive Committee Election, 2018.

That the clearance earlier given to Alhaji Aminu Maigari to contest for the office of president of the NFF is hereby substituted with a provisional clearance.

FCT Coaches Association Chairman, Godwin Bamigboye

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, september 20, 2018

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28 teams register for Chief Justice of Nigeria competition

By Amaechi Agbo

T

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been called upon to use today’s election into the executive board of the federation and build lasting peace in the football family in the country.

Chairman of the FCT Coaches Association, Godwin Bamigboye made the call ahead of the schedule NFF Executive Board election holding in Katsina State, today.

Coach Bmaigboye who is also a board member of the FCT Football Association, called on the football administrators and stakeholders to use the election which is coming a day before the world celebrates International Peace Day to promote peace, unity and development of football in particular and sports in general in the nation.

“The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) election into the Board of the Federation is scheduled to hold on Thursday 20th September, 2018 in Katsina.

The election holds the day before the annual United Nations International Peace Day which holds on 21st September.

“It is no longer news that the peace of football has been disrupted and distorted over times in the country. I want to quickly avoid going into the politics of football in Nigeria but rather to say that the enormous

potentials of football in the promotion of peace, unity and development is yet to be tapped.

“This is so because the apex football body in Nigeria is a victim of the problem which it has the capacity to solve at all levels.

“As the International Peace Day is here with us and the NFF elections almost coinciding with the Day, it is expected that the spirit and purpose on this United Nations initiative will have impact on the football stakeholders and thus open a new chapter of peace, stability and progress to football and by extension afford the football stakeholders play their roles that will culminate into national development through the instrumentality of sports (football in particular) as a potent tool or weapon for social, political and economic mobilization for national development.

“Even as the Nigeria Football Coaches Association (NFCA) through its FCT Chapter partners with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPRC), some mileage have been achieved.

“It is therefore my hope and that of the large number of football stakeholders that the NFF election in Katsina will come and go without rancour so that we shall from then henceforth transit into a period of Peace, Progress and Prosperity (PPP),” Coach Bamigboye said.

We will represent Nigeria well at CAF Champions League -Idoko boast

B

enue State Ahead of next year’s CAF Champions League, management of Lobi Stars’ FC has promised to represent the country well at the continental competition.

Vice Chairman of the Club, Mr. Mike Idoko made the pledge yesterday when he led other members of the board on inspection tour of facilities at the Aper Aku Stadium, Markudi.

Idoko explained that the board members decided to embark on the tour to assess the facilities ahead of CAF/NFF inspection team expected in October this year.

He said a cursory look at facilities indicate that it has all it takes to host continental matches.

The Vice chairman however,

noted that certain facilities like the flood lights, seats, especially the VIP section, score board and dressing rooms need to be given a facelift.

“This is not the first time CAF competition has been played here.

In 2000, Lobi played continental matches here. But we have to look at the floodlights, score board, seats and the dressing rooms. I am confident all these facilities will be put in place before the inspection team arrives next month. The Governor has assured us of adequate funding,” he said Idoko appealed to Nigeria Football Federation, NFF to assist the team with some technical officials especially a psychologists to enable it represent the country well.

HEALTH

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PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, september 20, 2018

Tuberculosis taking over the world -WHO

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Use NFF election to build peace in Nigeria football - Bamigboye

World Taekwondo approves Nigeria Taekwondo International Open

T

he World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has approved the 2nd Nigeria Taekwondo International (NTF) Open Championships by awarding it a G-1 International ranking.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NTF-organised event planned for Abuja is the first competition in Nigeria to have an international ranking.

NTF said on Tuesday in Lagos that the competition would hold in Abuja from November 16 to November 18, and termed it a priority programme of the current board.

Chika Chukwumerije, NTF Technical Director, said the federation worked very hard to get the approval from World Taekwondo through the African body, after being satisfied that the event fulfilled all conditions.

“In spite of some top competitors on the continent, our athletes have literally no world ranking because they cannot afford to travel to compete, but the upcoming event is still sanctioned. “We will provide hundreds of our elite and upcoming athletes the opportunity to gain vital world ranking points, and competitive experience with some of the best athletes in the world,” the three-time Olympian said in a statement.

Meanwhile, chairman of the NTF’s Technical and Development Committee, Sani Lawal, has blamed the lack of G events for the rise of other African countries over Nigeria at international events.

“Countries like Cote d’Ivoire have more than seven competitors in the high ranked Grand Slams series because their athletes have a lot of ranking from organising G-ranked tournaments in Cote D’Ivoire since 2012.

“We can see the impact of these tournaments in the fact that they won an Olympic gold and bronze medals in Rio Olympics in Brazil and World titles in 2017.

“So, getting the Nigeria Open to be sanctioned by the World Taekwondo body is the way forward if Nigeria Taekwondo is to have players on the world stage,” Mr Lawal said.

2019 AFCON qualifier: South Africa to host Super Eagles in Johannesburg

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afana Bafana of South Africa have announced they will host the Super Eagles in a crucial 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on November 17 at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg.

Bafana’s recent matches have

been staged in Durban.

However, SAFA announced that the country’s team will now play their next two AFCON qualifiers at the 80,000-capacity FNB Stadium – vs The Pirates of Seychelles on October 13 and vs Nigeria on November 7.

South Africa are second in Group E with four points, same as leaders Libya after two rounds of matches.

In June 2017, they beat Nigeria 2-0 in Uyo to record their first-ever win over the Eagles in an official game.

ountries are not doing enough to curb the spread of tuberculosis (TB) which is threatening to affect some 1.3 billion people, a quarter of the world’s population.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that a quarter of the world’s population are at risk of developing TB during their lifetime.

According to WHO, countries are not doing enough to end tuberculosis (TB) by 2030 in spite of global efforts that averted about 54 million TB deaths since 2000.

WHO, at the release of the latest Global Tuberculosis Report, said TB is “the world’s deadliest infectious disease”, noting, however, that fewer people fell ill and died from tuberculosis in 2017.

Globally, an estimated 10 million people developed TB in 2017 while the number of new cases is falling by two per cent per year.

The deadly disease, which usually infects the lungs and is transmitted through the air, remains one of the top 10 causes of worldwide deaths, and is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, above HIV/ AIDS. The WHO report provided an overview of status of the epidemic and the challenges and opportunities countries face in responding to it.

Overall, TB deaths have decreased over the past year, and in 2017, there were 1.6 million deaths – including among 300,000 HIVpositive people.

Of the 10 million people who fell ill with TB in 2017, only 6.4 million were officially recorded by national reporting systems, leaving 3.6 million people undiagnosed, or detected but not reported.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is World Health Organization Director General According to WHO, 10 people with TB from 2018 to 2022. needs to do to end TB and drugThe WHO’s Report called for resistant TB. countries accounted for 80 per cent “We must capitalise on this of this gap, with India, Indonesia an unprecedented mobilisation of national and international new momentum and act together and Nigeria topping the list. to end this terrible disease,” said Treatment coverage lags commitments.

It urged political leaders Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO behind at 64 per cent and must increase to at least 90 per cent by gathering next week for the first- Director-General.

While under-reporting and ever ‘United Nations High-level 2025 to meet the TB targets.

To urgently improve detection, Meeting on TB’ to take decisive under-diagnosis are mentioned diagnosis and treatment rates, action, building on recent moves as major challenges in the fight WHO, the Stop TB Partnership and by the leaders of India, the Russian against TB, the most urgent the Global Fund launched the new Federation, Rwanda, and South stumbling block is funding.

In 2018, investments in TB initiative in 2018, Find. Treat. All. Africa.

“We have never seen such prevention and care in low- and #EndTB. countries fell The initiative set the target of high-level political attention and middle-income providing quality care to 40 million understanding of what the world $3.5 billion short, and without an

increase, the funding gap would rise to over $6 billion by 2022.

Dr Teresa Kasaeva, Director of the WHO’s Global TB Programme, said: “It is unacceptable that millions lose their lives, and many more suffer daily from this preventable and curable disease.

“We need to join forces to root out this disease that has a devastating social and economic impact on those who are ‘left behind’, whose human rights and dignity are limited, and those who struggle to access care. The time for action is now,” he said. (NAN)

A mere drop of blood makes skin cells line up

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team of researchers performed experiments on blood-deprived cells that were subsequently exposed to blood serum. Remarkably, all the cells started to move and grow in the same direction as soon as the blood serum was added.

What happens to skin cells when they are confronted with blood? A team of researchers from Oslo University Hospital, led by Emma Lång and Stig Ove Bøe, performed experiments on blood-deprived cells that were subsequently exposed to blood serum. Remarkably, all the cells started to move and grow in the same direction as soon as the blood serum was added. Assistant Professor Liesbeth Janssen and master student Marijke Valk from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) developed a matching simulation model,

revealing new insights into the mechanisms of wound healing.

The results were published in the journal A person encounters approximately 10,000 injuries during a normal lifespan, ranging from small cuts to traumatic injuries and surgery. In most cases, wounds are miraculously repaired, but in some cases the healing process is defective and leads to chronic wounds. This is commonly associated with aging and certain pathologies such as diabetes and obesity.

It is well established that blood plays an important role in wound healing, and various molecular components in the blood are known to trigger tissue repair processes after injury.

In the Nature Communications paper, the authors investigate what happens when dormant

skin cells are brought into contact with blood, when no wound is present. They find that the blood serum induces spontaneous movement (migration) and growth (proliferation) of cells -- two processes that are important in wound healing. Furthermore, they demonstrate that the cell divisions are polarized and aligned with the direction of cell migration, a new insight that may potentially be relevant in tissue repair. The study shows that the presence of blood serum is sufficient to activate dormant skin cells into a migratory and proliferative state, and that a wound edge -- previously believed to trigger cell migration and growth -- is not necessarily required.

The team from Oslo subsequently studied how the movement and growth of cells is affected by the connectivity between cells.

Interestingly,

they saw that disconnected cells undergo only random individual motion, but that strong cellcell connectivities lead to much more pronounced collective and coordinated cell migration, spanning distances of micro- and even millimeter length scales.

To understand this phenomenon, Valk and Janssen of TU/e developed a numerical simulation model that mimics the shape and movement of the cells both in the presence and absence of blood. In their model, blood-deprived cells remain in a quiescent state, while the addition of blood activates cells to undergo spontaneous motion.

The simulations indicate that enhanced cell-cell connectivity causes cells to align more strongly with their neighbors, ultimately giving rise to the large-scale collective motion observed in

experiments.

It is known that inflammation and increased blood flow to a wound site can be activated without having an open wound, for example by bruising. The scientists involved think their results may be relevant in this field. “One may speculate, based on our data, that cell migration is also activated in these situations,” says Professor Bøe. “We may also speculate that our skin cells are much more active and dynamic than previously thought and that blood-regulated skin dynamics occurs in many different situations.”

“The next step now is to understand why the presence of blood triggers the active forces inside the cells, and why the cells divide asymmetrically in the direction of cell migration,” says Janssen.

. . . putting the people first

wednesDAY, september 20, 2018

SPACE FOR SALE

SPORTS Ain’t the ‘rule of law’ a bitch? (II) latest

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Costa slammed with four match ban for spitting

Federico Di Francesco Douglas Costa in a faceoff

and

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uventus winger Douglas Costa has been banned for four Serie A games for spitting at Sassuolo’s Federico Di Francesco, during Sunday’s 2-1 win.

Costa was booked in injury time for elbowing and then aiming a headbutt at Di Francesco after a dangerous lunging tackle on the Italian.

The Brazilian, 28, was then sent-off via VAR, after TV replays showed him spitting in the Italian’s face.

He will miss games against Frosinone, Bologna, Napoli and Udinese.

The Italian Football Federation decided not to punish Costa any further for violent conduct.

After the game, Costa described his reaction as “ugly” and apologised to his team-mates and the club’s fans on Instagram.

Pan Pacific Open: Osaka beats Cibulkova in straight sets

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apan’s Naomi Osaka has beaten Dominika Cibulkova 6-2 6-1 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo her first match since winning the US Open.

The 20-year-old beat Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam earlier this month - a victory overshadowed by Williams’ outbursts at the umpire.

The third seed raced to victory in 59 minutes against Slovakia’s Cibulkova.

She will play either Barbara Strycova of the Czech Republic or Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit in the quarterfinals.

Taye Taiwo and Oduamadi

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have attempted to use the rules of ‘International Humanitarian Law’ and those of ‘Diplomatic And Consular Law’ to illustrate the fragility of that all-important principle called the ‘rule of law’ -especially when weighed against the exigencies of ‘national security’, or the less hideous term ‘public interest’, or even the more omnibus one, ‘national interest’. Unlike the aesthetic art which exists solely for its appreciation, the ‘law’ does not exist merely for its own glorification.

Aesthetic art does no more than just exist to enchant and to sooth the senses –which is why it is described as ‘art-for-art’s-sake’. But law must do more than just exist, enthrall or fascinate the senses of man. It must demonstrate a utilitarian value.

The law must work justice. It must establish order; else the law cannot be said to effectively rule, as the term ‘rule of law’ implies.

And which raises the ‘chicken and egg’ question: ‘which should come first, between ‘national security and the ‘rule of law’? The latter is the means by which to achieve a just and ordered society.

But there cannot be a just and ordered society except that it is also secure. Thus ‘national security’, is about the most fundamental object of law. It is what the law must strive always to achieve. In that guarantee alone lies the terra-juris or the environment that the ‘rule of law’ itself requires to thrive. But the object of ‘national security’ although it is also to establish order among others things, it is not necessarily to enforce the ‘rule of law’ –even though doing so may be incidental to it. If ‘national security’ is in jeopardy in spite -or because- of the ‘rule of law’, then the ‘rule of law’ is of no consequence.

The debate about whether or not ‘national security’ should be superior to the ‘rule of law’ is a needless one. Because, in actual fact, it is not so much about the superiority of one over the other as it is about the exigency inherent in ‘national security’ in relation to the abject tardiness of the rule of law.

Said the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli “Protection is not a principle, (as the ‘rule of law’ is) but an expedient”. Yes, the rules of war are imposed on combatants by law, but expediency alone governs when to shoot and how to avoid being shot. The concept of ‘national security’ supersedes the principle of ‘rule of law’ to the extent that the demands of ‘national security’ often cannot brook the lethargy of the ‘rule of law’. It is incumbent on ‘national security’ sometimes to assert itself outside of the due process of law in much the same way that in war situations, the laws are ‘silent amidst the rumblings of arms’.

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THURSDAY Column WITH Mohammed Adamu (08035892325 sms only)

dankande2@gmail.com National security is a veritable sanctuary for all –including for the ‘rule of law’. Everything including the ‘rule of law’ bleeds when the security of a nation is put in harm’s way. But the ‘rule of law’ itself can afford to bleed without occasioning harm to ‘national security’. And so, for all that jurists care, let the ‘rule of law’ forever remain supreme, but let the ‘rule of law’ –the way that in war situations it has accepted to be ‘silent amidst the rumblings of arms- even so, let the ‘rule of law’ keep its reverent peace in the heat of every executive fury to secure the nation. If the exigencies of ‘national security’ must wait on the tardiness of the ‘rule of law’, then it is the law that is served by man and not the other way round.

If the ‘law’ had been allowed to take precedence over the exigency of ‘security’, masterminds of the abduction, in 1984, of fugitive Umaru Dikko, would successfully have brought the former Shagari Minister to Nigeria concealed in a ‘crate’ under the ‘inviolable’ cover of ‘diplomatic immunity’. But the British Police at the Stansted Airport in London, did not, in deference to the due process of law, go first to the courts to secure an order permitting the revocation of ‘immunity’ from the diplomatic ‘crate’, before opening it to expose a most unusual ‘diplomatic item’, in an abduction gambit never contemplated by the wildest stretch of the imagination of those who conceived the laws of immunities and privileges in international law. Yes, the courts are to determine what should constitute threat to ‘national security’; but the executive arm, upon which the duty to secure the nation rests, cannot afford to be in court always,

“

seeking judicial leave to deal even with existential threats to national security that require expedient action. Nor are those affected by executive actions denied the right to challenge them in court.

But on-duty British police officer Yvonne Fletcher was not that lucky.

She was, in 1984, murdered in London, by a person shooting from inside the Libyan embassy on St. James’s Square, during a protest mostly by anti-Gaddafi Libyans resident in London. And even as the Libyan sniper had a field day shooting, the British Police, in strict compliance with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular relations, restrained itself from violating the diplomatic sanctity of the Libyan building.

Meaning that if the sniper had had enough rounds of ammunition to shoot all day, the premises of the embassy would still have remained inviolable and the British Police would be acting contrary to ‘rule of law’ if they had rushed in to stop him. Besides, even the person of the shooter too, was immune from arrest, detention or prosecution.

And so, two weeks after the incident all personnel of the Libyan embassy were safely escorted by the British Police to the airport and allowed to leave London, with all their belongings, including the weapon used in the shooting.

Said Lord Denning, in his book ‘Landmarks In The Law’: “All the ordinary people in England were astonished. Why, why were these murderers allowed to go free?”

Denning before the House of Lords on 16 May 1984 cited several grounds upon which he thought that the ‘rule of law’ should have taken the back seat in favor of

He also cited Article 29 of the Convention on the inviolability of the person of the diplomatic agent, arguing that since the host state is obligated to ‘take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity’, there has to exist inherent in that law a corresponding “correlative” to the effect that “If we are to protect him from any attack, surely he (too) is not allowed to attack us; (or) our personal freedom or dignity by firing weapons and guns from the embassy

national security or public interest.

He argued that although the Vienna Convention makes ‘inviolable’ the premises of the Embassy and the person of the diplomatic agent, such inviolability cannot be without exception, because Article 41 of the Convention stipulates that “the premises of the mission must not be used in any manner incompatible with the functions of a mission”. The use of the Libyan mission to shoot and kill was not only ‘incompatible with the functions of a mission’, the British Police would’ve been justified to enter the premises to restrain the sniper.

He also cited Article 29 of the Convention on the inviolability of the person of the diplomatic agent, arguing that since the host state is obligated to ‘take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity’, there has to exist inherent in that law a corresponding “correlative” to the effect that “If we are to protect him from any attack, surely he (too) is not allowed to attack us; (or) our personal freedom or dignity by firing weapons and guns from the embassy”. Denning also cited the exception of emergency (exigency), asking rhetorically whether a “drunken diplomat with a loaded gun in a public square” is to be left to harm society because not letting him be offends the ego of the law. Again Denning wondered, hypothetically ‘if the premises of the embassy is inviolable, should it retain that inviolability even in the event that it is on fire and that the fire was “likely to spread to adjoining premises unless firemen and or police go in to the embassy and tackle the source of the inferno?

By this implying that a gun man shooting sporadically from within a diplomatic building is as dangerous as a fire outbreak and that if it has to take violating the law to restrain him, so be it!

To be continued

DAN GAYE N769bn looted funds recovered by FG -AGF

-News

Who are the bloody thieves?

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