Theniche june 12 , 2016

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June 12, 2016

Jafaru, Prisons boss, denies falsifying his age

Vol. 2 No. 44

Don’t’ take public goodwill for granted, Okogie warns Buhari PAGE 40»

PAGE 4»

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Lagos - 32oC

SUNDAY WEATHER

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Nigerians on essential medical drugs at risk

Dealers suspend imports over dollar scarcity, high costs Call for govt intervention

By Kelechi Mgboji Assistant Business Editor

S

ome Nigerians have already died.

Others on life-saving drugs are dying in instalments because their prescription drugs are out of supply or not affordable.

Families across the country with patients surviving on such drugs grapple with the reality of losing them in avoidable circumstances.

BUSINESS Electricity key to manufacturing, job creation, says Adegbenro PAGE 54»

“After about four to five months, when the banks go for bidding severally without success, they would call you to take back your money.

“I know more than 10 of our colleagues whose documents have been processed with their money tied down with the banks for the past five or six months, and they could not get dollars.”

INSIDE THIS ISSUE POLITICS 15» JUDICIARY 25» LIFE 31» FAITH 40» BUSINESS 51» SPORTS 59»

Suspension of imports Investigation by TheNiche showed that most dealers suspended imports of the pharmaceutical products (also called ethical drugs) after the prices hit the roof and beyond the reach of average Nigerians.

Insulin, mephromin, glipremin, and all drugs for the treatment of diabetecs,

Continues on page 5

ENTERTAINMENT

Wome, Ajao selected for Talents Durban

Buhari may appoint Jonathan Niger Delta envoy

PAGE 34» Page 4

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TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Windows and limits of taxing the economy (2) In part one of this report, published on June 5, Correspondent SAM NWOKORO listed ways the government can collect tax to fund the N2 trillion deficit in the N6.8 trillion budget for 2016.

This second part examines more of such tax windows.

Penalise corporate tax defaulters The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) should make corporate organisations to comply with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) mandate for firms to file annual business report and tax receipts, in line with the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

FIRS Director General, Tunde Fowler, disclosed late last year that many corporate organisations and individuals who are supposed to pay tax were not doing so.

He said about 200 oil and gas firms had not filed returns for the 2015 business year and about 35,650 corporate bodies were not paying tax.

Fowler made the disclosure at a tax summit where he also listed many steps the FIRS had taken to ease tax administration.

However, the public perception is that the tax collectors themselves need to be scrutinised in the light of allegations that most FIRS personnel were recruited without due process.

Implement NEITI report During a visit to Nigeria in April, International Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (IEITI) Chairman, Clare Short, urged Abuja to implement its various reports on the extractive sector compiled since 2012.

Her plea coincided with the counsel from Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Chairman, Waziri Adio, who disclosed that reports on Nigeria’s extractive industries compiled between 2009 and 2012 showed that at least $11.6 billion remains unremitted to the federation account by operators in the extractive chain, especially oil and gas.

A NEITI report presented in Abuja on May 16, 2016 said Nigeria made $58.07 billion from hydrocarbon industry in 2013 and lost $5.966 billion and N20.4 billion from the operation of off-shore processing agreement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The concerns of these bodies should be taken seriously

and their recommendations implemented to recover such funds.

Gas flaring An energy expert, Chris Mgbeokwere, has faulted the penalty on gas flaring as too lenient.

About 63 per cent of ‘associated gas’ produced during crude oil production is flared.

With the emergence of local upstream operators, probably up to 70 per cent of gas is being flared.

In 2015 alone, between $3.5 billion and $5 billion worth of gas was flared from about 257 flow stations in the Niger Delta. About 17 per cent of 95,471 metric tonnes of gas was produced that year.

The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said in its 2015 global energy report that Nigeria produced 86,325.2 standard cubic feet (scf) of gas in 2014 and flared 10,736.8 scf.

It also reported that Nigeria lost $868.8 million (about N173.76 billion) to gas flaring in 2014.

The law imposing a fine of $500,000 on a company which fails to report within 24 hours any emergency flaring on account of equipment failure is hardly implemented.

Besides, indigenous firms in particular have not been paying the mandatory 5 per cent levy ring-fenced for the Education Trust Fund.

The government should enforce gas flare penalties, and also raise the penalties where firms fail to implement gas utilisation projects.

Oil firms to create value chains One of the protocols of the United Nations mandates on sustainable development is “inclusive growth”.

The UN expects public and private sector partnerships in the creation of jobs to engage as many people as possible in economic activities.

Experts argue that Nigeria should enact laws to make big transnational corporations establish auxiliary businesses in order to create jobs for Nigerians, rather than repatriating all their profits.

One of those seeking to

compel multinational companies to invest in the economy rather than just exploiting the market is Olisa Agbakoba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who pioneered the Cabotage Act. He often calls for measures to compel multinationals to develop value chains of their enterprises in Nigeria rather than repatriating everything to the detriment of the economy. At the moment, Nigeria does not have any enforceable measure on that more than penalising companies when they break the rules.

Enforce genuine CSR An oil and gas consultant, Syl Okpowa, said: “When it comes to corporate social responsibility (CSR), only a few established corporate names perform.

“Most local firms, especially those in the oil and gas sector, are poor in mitigating the social cost of their operations to the areas they operate in.”

“Their CSR activities are only tokens and do not address significantly the social cost of their operations to their immediate communities.

Everything is pushed down to the government.”

According to Okpowa, all over the world, governments use CSR commitment to fashion economic and commercial policies such that only those who measure up enjoy state protection, guarantees, or waivers.

He urged the government to initiate strong partnerships with big corporations, especially those in the lucrative sectors of the economy to drive the template on Sustainable Development Agenda (SDA).

Buhari

Many corporate organisations and individuals who are supposed to pay tax were not doing so.

About 200 oil and gas firms had not filed returns for the 2015 business year and about 35,650 corporate bodies were not paying tax.

Highway tolls President Muhammadu Buhari says priority will be given to road projects that have the capacity to boost economic activities.

Works, Housing and Power Minister, Babatunde Fashola, has alerted that the government will introduce road tolls to shore up the dwindling federal purse sequel to the oil burst.

A lack of good policy has

Fashola

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun

House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara hindered the country from deriving revenue from highway tolls, caused in part by the fixation on oil.

The United States Congress is currently debating a 1,030page highway bill that would make it easier for states to install tolls on highways.

Nigeria scrapped its highway toll system in 2004 out of poor foresight that the oil boom from 1999 would not end. The boom ended in 2013.

Now tolls seem the safest route to raise internally generated revenue (IGR).

The highways are of poor standard, most have been derelict for more than a decade, and this gives highway tolling more endorsement than disapproval.

Transport experts argue that the plan to reintroduce highway toll to raise funds to finance roads and ensure efficient maintenance is not a bad idea if it can block the leakages and turn toll gates into “growth centres”.

Lagos State Chairman of the Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Samuel Ukpong, said: “The government needs to call in stakeholders if we want to reintroduce toll gates.

Let’s look at its growth centres.

It is a very good thing.

“For it to take the form of growth centres, there must be good infrastructure in place.

Fowler

From where there are toll gates, the government can do 100 kilometres of roads to link the major highways, and the new infrastructure will attract new settlements to decongest densely populated urban centres.

“The traffic situation in big cities in Nigeria is very serious now because of congestion.

When we turn these toll gates into growth centres, it will help us to grow the economy and decongest city centres.”

Teniola Kehinde, Association of Consulting Engineers chairman, added that funds from toll gates should be used to maintain roads.

“We are hoping that we would have learnt from experience and that the management of roads now has moved to another level.

“There is a bill at the NASS (National Assembly) to create a national road fund and the idea is that all the roads revenue will go into that fund and would be used to manage and maintain them,” he said.

Penalise pastoralists damage farms

who

There is a new danger to agricultural revolution in the country for which previous governments spent billions of naira to encourage modern farming methods and boost

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Agbakoba

From where there are toll gates, the government can do 100 kilometres of roads to link the major highways, and the new infrastructure will attract new settlements to decongest densely populated urban centres ….

“When we turn these toll gates into growth centres, it will help us to grow the economy and decongest city centres.”

national productivity, away from subsistence agriculture.

This threat comes from herdsmen who prowl cultivated land in search of grazing fields and damage crops – undermining yield, threatening food security, and scaring away investment in agriculture.

Experts have asked the federal government to give a deadline to pastoralists to ranch their cattle, failure which they should be penalised.

They say those who allow their cattle owners to stray into cultivated fields and damage plants and human lives should be prosecuted, jailed, and bared from drawing from government’s agricultural incentives.

Recover misappropriated bailouts There is an urgent need to review the various bailouts given between 2013 and 2015, as the beneficiaries may not have invested those monies in the projects intended.

If power sector operators had deployed loans from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from 2012 when the N213 billion electricity fund was established, power supply would not have remained unstable.

People are calling for an investigation of those who borrowed from the fund, and if found to have diverted any amount, return it to the treasury.

This call resonated in May when the House of Representatives queried why the government is seeking another N309 billion bonded loan which Fashola said would “bridge the electricity market shortfall to cover 2015 at N187 billion and another N122 billion for 2016.”

The lawmakers threatened to investigate the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over the N213 billion electricity fund.

The House Committee on Power, Privatisation, Loans and Debt Management has been mandated recoup all misappropriated funds.

Reduce NASS allowances Another avenue through which the government can raise revenue is the shedding of most of the allowances of NASS members.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who did not want his name in print asked Buhari to scrap constituency allowance to save money, since most times lawmakers do not give a satisfactory account of the allowance.

Adio

Exclude local content defaulters from incentives Another suggestion is penalty for companies which fail to obey the Local Content Act. A stockbroker, Chucks Onyekwere, said as Buhari prepares to implement the 2016 budget, “many companies are already on the queue to get one contract or another.

“The federal government should go beyond partisan considerations and award contracts only to firms which comply with the local content policy of the government.

That is one way of creating employment.”

Quote Gencos and Discos on NSE Power generating companies (Gencos) and distribution companies (Discos) have milked electricity consumers,

Ukpong like most companies enjoying various kinds of waivers since 2009.

The government should make legislation to compel these companies to be quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) rather than being allowed to repatriate

profits or share loot among board members.

Experts insist it will help deepen the capital market and increase Nigerians’ stake in businesses raised up from the doldrums by the recent oil boom.

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June 12, 2016

News

Buhari may appoint Jonathan Niger Delta envoy

By Ishaya Ibrahim

Iran is the world headquarters of the

Acting News Editor

They added that this proposition be-

T

he fog is clearing over President Muhammadu Buhari’s 10-day holiday in the United Kingdom, which seems to critics like leaving his troops when the enemy is closing in.

His latest trip to London is not only for medical reasons, TheNiche learnt from senior government officials.

He is there to find a way around the onslaught against oil installations in the Niger Delta, which has reduced oil output from 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to less than 1.3 million bpd.

That may lead to Buhari appointing former President Goodluck Jonathan special envoy on Niger Delta affairs.

He has been conferring with Jonathan, representatives of international oil companies (IOCs), British government officials, and a faction of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) since he arrived London on June 6.

“For the record, Buhari is not coming to London for ear infection treatment but for a secret negotiation meeting with the Niger Delta Avengers,” an insider who is privy to the behind the scene arrangement told TheNiche on the condition of anonymity.

Jonathan met with Buhari in Aso Rock on June 3, and flew to London on June 6 to deliver a lecture organised by Bloomberg.

Unseen hand in Niger Delta attacks “Intelligence at the government's disposal on the Niger Delta Avengers revealed their connection to two Middle East oil producing countries which are angry with Buhari's government for treating the Shiites as nothing, and the continuous detention without trial of its leader, Ibrahim Al-Zakzakky,” the source disclosed.

Buhari

Jonathan

Shiite Islamic faith, and has been unhappy with the Nigerian government for the killing of Shiite members in Zaria on December 12, 2015.

The anger was expressed in a telephone call to Buhari by Iranian Prime Minister, Hassan Rouhani.

Iran is also a major player in the international oil market with a daily oil export of about 2.3 million barrels, a figure it is lobbying to raise.

“The weapons and technology at these guys’ disposal are not something a serious government would take lightly.

There is speculation they also have connection to the North Korean government,” our source added.

came crucial following the rejection of the peace deal by the NDA which was brokered

by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the governors of oil producing states last week.

The militants insisted in a tweet that “we are not negotiating with any committee. If the federal government is discussing with any group, they are doing that on their own.”

They announced in the same tweet that at 10am on Wednesday, June 8 they blew up an oil well (Well RMP 20) belonging to Chevron located 20 metres away from Dibi flow station in Warri North Council, Delta State.

It was learnt that the IOCs and the British government prevailed on Buhari to leverage on the goodwill of Jonathan in the Niger Delta and use him to stabilise things there, otherwise it would be bad business for everyone.

How Abuja intends to fund the N6.07 trillion 2016 budget remains tricky if it fails to resolve the impasse which has left the treasury broke.

Jonathan to the rescue Buhari, who is expected into the country on Friday, June 17, may also announce the appointment of Jonathan as his special envoy on Niger Delta affairs, sources said.

An uneasy holiday The cover up of Buhari’s travel to London was the reason for the ambiguity in the explanation by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, who said the president went on holiday and would only use the opportunity to see an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist.

Adesina insisted that Buhari “did not go to London for treatment. We made it clear in that statement (June 5) that he had been treated in Nigeria here. The medical experts here only told him that since he will be in London, he can seize that opportunity for evaluation.”

Based on Adesina’s statement, analysts said Buhari would not go holidaying in London at a time his countrymen are wallowing in poverty unless there are important reasons to do so.

“If he wanted to rest, he could have chosen to rest in Obudu Cattle Ranch as Jonathan did in 2011, or any other resort in the country,” the source argued.

Who are Niger Delta Avengers?

The NDA said in its blog that its members are young, educated, and well-travelled.

“Most of us were educated in Eastern Europe; but don’t worry, when we achieve our goal (sovereign state of Niger Delta) then you people will be proud of us.

“The Niger Delta Avengers is more concerned with the people of Niger Delta unlike you (former agitators) that were into kidnapping, killing of Nigerian soldiers, sea pirates, vessel and tanker hijacking.

“But we were able to carry out all our operations without killing a fly. We have sophisticated arms far better than what you use to have during your kidnapping days.”

Jafaru, Prisons boss, denies falsifying his age

By Ishaya Ibrahim

Acting News Editor

N

ew Controller General of Prisons (CGP), Ahmed Jafaru, has denied the age falsification allegation against him.

TheNiche published on June 5 that he allegedly changed his date of birth twice from September 30, 1956 to 1957 and

later to 1959.

Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) Public Relations Officer, Francis Enabore, a deputy controller of prisons (DCP), alleged that the story was conceived by those aggrieved by the appointment of Jafaru as CGP. He said the age and other biodata of every Prisons official are captured in an NPS document called the Nominal Roll, and whoever is bandying any

age of a prison warden other than what is in the Nominal Roll is giving the public false information.

“If they say this person has falsified his document, what you should do is get the Nominal Roll.

“I am sure if you (reporter) had done that, you would have asked where is the name of the CG, and would have given him the opportunity to tell his own

story and not to trust the story told by his enemies,” Enabore said.

TheNiche called Jafaru’s number and sent a text message to him on Friday, June 3, but he did not respond.

On Saturday, June 4, Enabore called to explain Jafaru’s position. It was, however, too late because the newspaper had gone to press.

Jafaru

We’ve made impact, says Delta Assembly speaker

By Oye Chukwujekwu

Special Correspondent, Asaba

D

elta State House of Assembly Speaker, Monday Igbuya, says despite the economic meltdown caused by the fall in oil price, he and his colleagues have made impact in legislative matters.

He expressed gratitude to God for giving legislators good health and strength to make laws and to co-operate

with the executive.

Igbuya listed the achievements of the Assembly in the past one year to include passing 10 out of 23 bills received, approval of 33 motions and 16 reports, as well as several matters being tackled by different committees.

He said the Assembly is conscious of the yearnings of the people, and promised quick delivery of the dividends of democracy despite dwindling federal allocation.

Igbuya commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his sup-

port for the Assembly, assuring that the legislature would continue to maintain cordial relationship with other arms of government.

In another development, 87 cooperative groups in Delta South Senatorial District have received a fish smoking kiln each, as part of efforts by the government to create job for women and promote fishing.

The kilns were distributed with cash component for transport fare by the office of the chief job creation offi-

cer at three centres – Ughelli, Warri, and Koko.

The women were drawn from the 87 wards that constitute the eight councils in the senatorial district.

Okowa’s representative, Eboh Eric said the distribution showed the government's commitment to empowering women at the grassroots as part of prosperity for all Deltans and to engage them in fish processing as well as boost fish production.

The representative of the

chief job creation officer, Jerry Erugdegde, urged the beneficiaries to use the kilns to create jobs and wealth through fish .processing and help meet the high demand for fish.

Felicia Babudor, a beneficiary from Patani Council who represented the women, said they are grateful to the government for its support, and promised that they would use the kilns to generate wealth for themselves and their families.

Recall 10,000 sacked workers or face fight, NLC tells banks

By Kelechi Mgboji

Assistant Business Editor

A

n ultimatum of 21 days has been issued by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to banks to recall over 10,000 sacked workers or face a long and hard battle.

Labour leaders met with bank representatives in Lagos where they described the firings as illegal because stakeholders were not consulted.

A communique signed by factional NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said over 10,000 bank workers have been affected by the sack gale in the past few days with the spill over effects on more than 200,000 Nigerians.

“The NLC … calls on the culpable banks to quickly redress their steps by immediately calling back the illegally sacked workers.

“There are no circumstances sufficient for the resort to lawlessness as the banks have chosen to do and whosoever advised the banks to toe this dangerous path cannot mean well for the banks and the nation as a whole,” the communique said.

“If banks, however, after correcting themselves … insist on sacking the affected workers, they must comply with the procedure for embarking on such unfortunate exercise.

“Congress will be forced to take all necessary steps to assist the banks see the need to comply with the laws of Nigeria if after 21 days of this release the illegally sacked workers are not recalled by the affected banks.

“We advise all affiliates and state councils to start immediate mobilisation against these banks as we work with other segments of the society to compel them to work within the ambits of our laws and the traditions and ethos governing industrial relations practice in Nigeria.”

Labour expressed concern over a situation where banks’ junior workers are made scapegoats while top management staff with a huge wage bill that constitutes significant strain on earnings get spared.

It commended the Ministry of Labour for urging the banks not to lay-off their staff and the proposed penalty but urged the ministry to anchor its request on the illegality of the actions.

“On the basis of this, Nigerian workers demand that the ministry goes beyond the call and seek a reversal of the illegality.

“This is to avoid a dangerous precedence from being set where an employer can just wake up and sack hundreds of its workforce without recourse to the laws of the land.

“We must not encourage lawlessness in Nigeria, no matter who is involved, especially in sensitive matters that deal with the livelihood of a large number of Nigerians.”

TheNiche

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News Nigerians on essential medical drugs at risk

Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole Continued from PAGE 1 hypertension, and cancer are scarce as the products are no longer coming in.

Dealers said they are running out of stock.

Pharmaceutical products dealers, most of whom are based in the Idumota axis of Lagos Island, complain that they cannot access foreign exchange (forex) for costly drugs.

It was learnt that over 20 dealers have not got dollar allocation more than five months after filing forms with their banks.

In some cases, banks return money, saying they cannot raise the dollar equivalent of the millions of naira dealers deposited.

Expired N30m worth of drugs Lagos Medicine Dealers Association (LSMDA) Island Branch Chairman, Felix Ugbojiaku, explained that his members further got discouraged from importing drugs because at the current exchange rate of over N350 per dollar, drugs are no longer affordable to average Nigerians.

He disclosed that some dealers bear huge losses arising from stock customers cannot buy as business lull worsens.

He lamented that over N30 million worth of drugs which have expired due to low patronage will have to be turned over to the National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Dollar scarcity, high forex rate Ugbojiaku said most prescription drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, kidney ailments, and many other serious health conditions are imported.

His words: “Those drugs are nowhere to be found in reasonable quantity any longer. NAFDAC gives special permit for importers to bring those drugs into the country.

“The reason why they are scarce is that the hard currency (dollar) used in buying the drugs are nowhere to be found, in addition to the high cost of dollar exchange.

“Even when you have all the money to buy, you can’t get dollars. Some of our colleagues’ proforma invoices have been with their bankers since January this year.

“After processing documents for imports, the waiting game begins. Letter of Credit (LC) can only be opened when there is availability of funds, which is the dollar equivalent of any amount of naira you paid.

“In some cases, after about four to five months, when the banks go for bidding severally without success, they would call you to take back your money.

“I know more than 10 of our colleagues whose documents have been processed with their money tied down with the banks for the past five or six months, and they could not get dollars.”

National Association of General Practice Pharmacists Employers (NAGPPE) President, Gabriel Onyejemuo, warned that “in a few months time, the country may experience a very deadly situation in the health sector because the drugs to save certain lives may not be found in our contracting drug market.”

According to him, those who have the drugs do not want to bring them out because of the depreciating naira value against dollar at the parallel market.

“If they do, they are going to suffer because they won’t get the dollar to bring in drugs again.”

He said some dealers put their own stock on the market because of the expiration date.

“If not for reason of expiration date of the drugs, there would have been unprecedented scarcity by this time when naira-dollar exchange rate has depreciated terribly.”

Former Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) President, Azubuike Okwor, also reiterated that the drugs for diabetes, hypertension, cancer and other diseases have gone out of the reach of most Nigerians.

“If you manage hypertension, diabetes, cancer, et cetera now, and you are on top class drugs that will hold your system where you want it to be, the prices of those medicines are not any where near what ordinary Nigerians can afford,” he stressed.

Solution suggested by Ugbojiaku Ugbojiaku urged the government to set up a special intervention fund for the pharmaceutical industry to save lives.

“There is need for the government to give priority attention to importers of pharmaceutical products.

“There has to be a standing directive that documents and applications for pharmaceutical imports should be processed speedily and backed up with

June 12, 2016

Ishaya Ibrahim Acting News Editor 0807 204 0241 iib1000@yahoo.com

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funds. Dollar has to be made available to this category of importers without delay.”

He also called for the establishment of a bank dedicated to the pharmaceutical industry with N1 trillion capital base, to assist both manufacturers and importers, and lift the sector to international standards.

“For the pharmaceutical bank, the government should consider it as urgent and set aside a minimum of N1 trillion as its capital base.

“If the government could set up and operate a Bank of Industry (BoI) there’s no reason why it should not consider a Pharmaceutical Bank with perceivable value chains capable of transforming the fortunes of this economy.

“With such initiative, Nigeria can soon become a major exporter of pharmaceutical products at least to neighbouring African countries. This is one area the government should consider for its diversification of the economy.”

Onyejemuo seeks palliatives Onyejemuo asked the government to provide palliatives for importers of ethical drugs.

“You don’t just take such medicine or any other medicine for enjoyment sake, rather it is for life saving.

“In the drugs market, we have OTC (over the counter) and poison (ethicals). Ethicals are poison and strictly administered by professionals in registered pharmaceutical premises or institutions.

“This class of drugs is not imported freely. Now, with the prevailing foreign exchange rate, it will be difficult for anybody to import this class of drugs and sell them because the prices have hit the roof.

“And unless the government comes up with palliatives, no businessman will risk his hard earned income to import at such high cost.”

Solution proffered by Okwor Okwor, who is also the managing director of Cosmos Pharmacy, said one way to provide help is by ensuring the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) works.

“Unfortunately, there is no health insurance scheme. The country has been talking about a national health insurance scheme for more than a decade.

“Long after so much talk, we haven’t arrived at a situation where people can access their medicine at reasonable cost with ease.”

He said those who hold the system to ransom have vowed that the NHIS must not work.

But he urged well meaning Nigerians to ensure those who live under safety nets do not die for a lack of medication.

Why selling some drugs is risky The question is how can consumers afford drugs considering the high cost of imports?

Pharmacists cannot keep some drugs beyond expiry dates and the products waste away in warehouses.

Some medicines have two or three years’ shelf life; but some, like multivitamins, expire in less than two years.

An importer brings in the products but customers do not buy; the drugs expire and the importer loses.

“There are drugs worth over N30 million within our domain which have already expired. Our mem-

Onyejemuo bers are waiting for NAFDAC to come and evacuate them for destruction,” Ugbojiaku disclosed.

He explained that many drug categories are involved; not only life-saving ones but also antibiotics, analgesics, multivitamins, and other routine drugs.

“The drugs expired in our hands not because people don’t want to buy but because the economic lull affects everybody.

“Importers bear the losses, not manufacturers.

When you import one or two containers of drugs, and customers have no money to buy; before you realise your money, the drugs may expire and you have to throw them away.

“Unfortunately, the government is not making things easy for people. There are many hospitals without drugs and here we are talking about throwing away large quantities of expired drugs.

“The government used to buy and equip hospitals with drugs, but now the hospitals are left to sustain their operations if they must remain in business.

“With proper arrangement, the government can buy up all the drugs and distribute them to hospitals before the drugs expire.

“Who knows how many lives that could have been saved if these drugs were distributed to dying patients who had no money to buy drugs they needed.

“We cannot on our own import drugs worth millions of naira and dump them in hospitals entirely for free. Even if you try, hospital authorities may mistake your gesture and suspect the drugs to be unwholesome for consumption.

“The hospitals will even prefer to be given allocation for all their pharmaceutical needs themselves.”

Ohanaeze, Northern govs seek end to religious intolerance

By Christian Nwokocha

Assistant Editor (South East)

N

orthern and South East governors have joined Ohanaeze Ndigbo leaders to demand an end to religious intolerance which latest victim is Bridget Agbaheme, a Christian and an Igbo woman, who was killed in Kano by Muslim fanatics.

Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, and Ohanaeze mem-

bers, led by its President General, Gary Igariway, met with Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, at Government House, Owerri to seek a way out of religious intolerance prevalent in the North.

The murder of Agbaheme and other citizens across the country by herdsmen dominated the meeting, which was also attended by All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun.

Okorocha convened the meeting to discuss the stability of Nigeria where the Igbo can live without being molested. He had earlier condemned the murder of Agbaheme, who resided in Kano with her family.

He pleaded with Imo indigenes in Kano to remain calm while the security agencies do the needful.

El-Rufai said Northern governors condemn the killing of Agbaheme, which should be treated as murder, insisting that the killers should face

criminal charges.

“We will not accept a situation where Christians or Muslims will hide under the umbrella of religion to commit crime.

“If someone insulted God, the person should be left for God to take care of. I have advised the Kano State governor to publicly deal with the people involved to serve as a deterrent to others,” ElRufai disclosed.

Igariway warned of the consequences of targeting Igbo and

Christians in the North and reminded Northern leaders of their responsibility to protect the indigenes of other states living in their midst.

All parties resolved that herdsmen and religious fanatics committing murder should be tagged criminals and enemies of Nigeria.

Northern governors were also in Owerri to join in celebrating Okorocha’s infrastructure and human capacity development since he mounted the saddle five years ago.

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TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

News Ambode promises fair disbursement of N25b ETF

Ogbemudia cautions over Niger Delta

•Says fund is to create jobs and wealth

Ambode

L

agos, the Centre of Excellence, will not discriminate in the disbursement of its N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) ring-fenced for

small scale enterprises and innovative business ideas.

The aim is to create more jobs and distribute more wealth in Nigeria’s most populous state of 20 million, and in turn raise internally generated revenue (IGR), currently N25 billion a month, to provide more social infrastructure.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode made the pledges at Ikeja Airport Hotel, Lagos during the first stakeholders’ summit organised by the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.

Ambode, represented by Deputy Governor, Idiat OlurantiAdebule, said the only criterion for accessing the fund is to be a resident in the state with a marketable business idea.

A statement issued by Ambode’s Chief Press Secretary, Habib Aruna, quoted him as saying that credible and experi-

enced Nigerians are on the ETF board.

Accessing the fund will be “credible, transparent, accountable, and will not discriminate on account of gender, religion, physical ability or disability, political affiliation and socio-economic background,” he stressed.

Ambode established both the ETF and the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and the government’s contribution of N6.25 billion to the ETF for this year has been released and disbursement will soon begin.

He said the summit was initiated to generate ideas, harmonise strategies, and devise strong partnership for sustainable wealth creation.

He urged participants to suggest ideas that would add value to the design and implementation of programmes for creating jobs and wealth, and promised that his administration would

favourably consider such recommendations.

Ambode wants to expand potential and innovative ideas for the youth by providing support and a conducive environment.

He said dwindling oil revenue presents a unique opportunity to chart a new direction for sustainable economic growth, part of the reason the state supports the establishment and growth of small businesses to generate wealth for the collective prosperity of all.

In his goodwill message, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo commended Ambode for his laudable achievements in infrastructure renewal and security.

Osinbajo, represented by Presidential Adviser on Economic Matters, Adeyemi Dipeolu, said infrastructure renewal and security are necessary for job and wealth creation for long

term progress.

ETF Board Chairperson, Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru (former Federal Inland Revenue Service boss), said Nigeria must create about 1.5 million jobs quarterly to keep the number of unemployed people flat, which compels effective collaboration between the government and the private sector to devise solutions.

She lamented that many Nigerians spend time to acquire certificates that are of no value, urging them to look for opportunities and come up with innovative solutions to problems.

Omoigui-Okauru advocated order and discipline in the society to help create job opportunities.

She said the government would soon disburse the fund, and the ETF board is building a foundation for trust and credibility.

Maduike asks FG to investigate his HIV vaccine • Federal Medical Centre denies cow meat poisoning

By Onwukwe Ezeru

Special Correspondent, Umuahia

E

zeibe Maduike, a professor at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Abia State, has urged the federal government to investigate his vaccine for HIV/AIDS and publish its efficacy.

He also asked the Nigerian Academy of Science (NAS), which sued Jeremiah Agbalaka to court over his claim for the cure of HIV, to investigate and authenticate his own claim.

Ezeibe, head of department of the school of veterinary medicine at MOUAU, told TheNiche in an interview

that he regrets the inability of Abuja and its agencies to investigate and partner with him to develop and commercialise his vaccine which was developed with solid minerals in Nigeria.

He said the involvement of the government in the development of the vaccine will signpost Nigeria as the first country to discover the cure for HIV and also create employment.

Ezeibe disclosed that since 2012 when he developed the test to confirm his work, and former President Goodluck Jonathan approved his patent in 2014, he has not received financial assistance from the government or individuals.

“I am incapacitated because of a lack of fund. I have

written to the management of MOUAU. I have also written to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for its support to procure equipment that can help produce the drugs in the university,” he added.

He confirmed that over 300 people have received cure through his vaccine “Aluminum-Magnesium Silicate” from across the world with the help of physicians and the approval of MOUAU. Ezeibe said the drug, Antivirt (anti viral therapy), for now is administered free of charge, and urged HIV patients to make themselves available for cure.

He also implored MOUAU to showcase the vaccine, which was developed in the school.

In another development,

the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia has denied report on social media which advise against beef consumption because Fulani herdsmen injected cows with a poisonous substance.

FMC Chief Medical Director (CMD), Chuku Abali, expressed shock over the publication, saying 13 people alleged to have died from meat poisoning in Amaekpu was an attempt to tarnish the image of the hospital.

He said the publication, which also alleged that doctors from the FMC, led by one “Ifeanyi Felix O.”, conducted autopsy on the victims and found out the deaths were caused by poison injected into cows.

Abali insisted that there

is no doctor bearing such a name in the FMC, and no team of doctors from the hospital conducted an autopsy of that nature.

He explained that the FMC, a tertiary healthcare and research institution, detects, treats, and if need be announces any outbreak of epidemic when it is clinically confirmed, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and in line with the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and international best practices.

He urged residents of Amaekpu Ohafia and other Nigerians to disregard the report of meat poisoning.

I won’t meddle in legislature, Bello pledges

By Our Reporter

K

ogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has pledged to preserve the independence of the legislature, an arm of government often at loggerheads with the executive in several other states because of personal interests.

Nonetheless, he also wants lawmakers to resolve their disputes and concentrate on making laws to deliver the good things of democracy to the landlocked, agrarian North Central state.

He promised legislative independence at the one-year anniversary of the state House of Assembly, a “very important milestone … because it marks one year of the triumph of courage over fear in this legislature.

“It marks one year of the victory of the interests of Kogi people over personal interests. It represents one year of making laws for the unity, order and good governance of Kogi State.”

Bello recalled that in the past one year, the Assembly passed the budget, “promptly and saved Kogi State from descending into a financial impasse,” screened appointees with dispatch “and prevented vacancies in critical service areas.”

Through it all, he stressed, the lawmakers remained “intrepid”, and discharged their duties with “humility and determination in the face of highly acidic attacks.”

Said he: “This is probably the most maligned legislative chamber ever in the history of legislative chambers in Nigeria. The odds have been daunting but … members have remained indomitable.”

Bello commended the speaker and other lawmakers for “staying true” and holding steady the tripod of democracy, change and the Kogi new direction.

“The most important attribute of any legislature, in my opinion, is independence. In this context, 'independence' would mean, freedom from external influenc-

es in the performance of official duties.

“I am making a solemn assurance that if anyone will interfere with the independence of this legislature, it will not be Yahaya Bello and the administration that he leads.

“We are committed to a mutually affirming partnership with this House.”

He reiterated that the Assembly “will not be tied to the purse-strings of the executive.

As we promised the judiciary last month, the legislature will enjoy financial and operative autonomy – at least under this administration.

“Your money will come to you as and when due, or when available; and you will be at liberty to expend it at will, provided that is done in accordance with the extant principles of accountability and probity.

“We note that the physical structures of the Kogi State House of Assembly need renovation and upgrading. We shall do

our best to make that happen as soon as resources permit. In any case, we shall see what can be commenced immediately.

“The security of members must be assured for them to function effectively and maximally. We have done what we can but we will take more enduring steps to perpetuate the security of members.

“This may include looking for lawful ways to distance this Assembly Complex from other structures which may constitute a security threat. I and Mr speaker and other principal officers will brainstorm on this as soon as possible.”

Bello said the issues confronting the Assembly are a “family affair” which the executive knows is within the powers of legislators to resolve.

“The misunderstanding among our lawmakers in Kogi State is small compared to what we have seen your counterparts in other states confront and conquer.”

Bello He urged the lawmakers to put aside their personal issues and pull together for the constituents who elected them.

By Titus Oise

Special Correspondent, Benin Renewed destruction of oil facilities is a challenge for the federal government to look for alternative sources of revenue, says former Governor of old Mid-Western and Bendel States, Samuel Ogbemudia.

He told TheNiche in an interview in Benin City that Nigeria needs to go back to agriculture which produced groundnuts in the North, cocoa in the West, palm oil and rubber in the MidWest and East “which cannot be bombed.”

“The bombing and destruction of pipeline in the Niger Delta is a challenge to the country to look for an alternative source of funding.

“If we had paid attention to agriculture and the North is producing groundnut, the West cocoa, the Mid-West palm oil and others do the same, nobody can sabotage the pipeline,” he stressed.

“The pyramids in Kano, you cannot say you want to go and bomb them. The pyramids of cocoa in Ibadan, you cannot go and blow them off. It is because oil is passing through pipelines.

“Many years ago, when I suggested that all petrol stations should be connected to the pipeline direct to the refineries, they forced me to back down.

The issue of bombing pipeline would not have arisen.

“I suggest that we need to sit down and do more of our homework. We are not doing enough.

Edo amends varsity law

By Tony Campbell

Special Correspondent, Benin Edo State House of Assembly has amended the law establishing the Edo State University, Iyamoh.

The school is now known as Edo University of Iyamoh.

Section 1 of the principal law was amended by a Committee of the Whole through an application by the majority leader, after the request was given overwhelming approval by the lawmakers.

Speaker Elizabeth Ativie, while giving her report, affirmed members’ support in favour, directed the clerk to accord the bill its third reading, and to send it to Governor Adams Oshiomhole for assent.

In another development, Ativie has led other principal officers to visit crown prince Eheneden Erediauwa.

She said the visit was to identify with him on the death of his father, and expressed the hope that Edaiken will build on the legacies of the late Erediauwa.

She informed him of the change of leadership in the Assembly and pledged the continued support of the legislature for the traditional institution.

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

7

News The Week Ahead NYSC Batch A Stream II orientation begins June 13

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) announced in Abuja on Monday, June 6, 2016 that Batch A Stream II orientation will commence tomorrow, Monday, June 13, 2016 and end on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.

All prospective corps members are advised to put all their documents in place and report to their camp grounds.

The orientation was originally fixed for May 21 but postponed due to a lack of funds.

Encounter at the Shrine on June 18 GIG Time Expressions

will present “Encounter at the Shrine”, a music/dance concert, on Saturday, June 18 between 3pm and 8pm.

The event, targeted at everyone, will hold at New African Shrine, Ikeja. The gate fee is free.

Those expected to make presentations include Sammie Okposo, Segun Lawal, Olufunmi, Mike Abdul, Sarah Boulos, Mike Aremu, and Wajo.

Buhari returns June 17 President Muhammadu Buhari, who left Nigeria on Monday, June 6 for a 10-day holiday, is expected to return on Friday, June 17.

Buhari, who went to the United Kingdom to treat his ear infection, handed over to Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, to act as president.

APC holds Edo gov primary June 18 The All Progressives Congress (APC) will hold its Edo State governorship primary on Saturday, June 18.

Twelve delegates from 192 wards in the state’s 18 councils will converge in Benin City to choose one out of 12 aspirants to Government House, in place of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who serves out his second term on November 12, 2016.

Rivers separates Army presence in Ogoni from politics • Seeks residents’ co-operation to combat crime

By Joe Ezuma

R

Assistant Editor, South South

ivers, a state endowed with the liquid gold but infested with crime and killings, is firing on all cylinders to create jobs, train youths in skills, and to pacify Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Ogoniland to stem the blood spill.

Deputy Governor, Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, has urged all residents to join hands with Governor Nyesom Wike to fish out criminals, including cult members, who keep the state under siege.

Commissioner of Police, Musa Kimo, has also held a town hall meeting in Port Harcourt where security stakeholders deliberated on the tension between local communities and Fulani herdsmen.

Crime is sweeping through the oil-rich but volatile state in the Deep South, with political murders, cult killings, and kidnapping crippling lives and businesses.

Banigo urged residents to offer useful tips to the security agencies to fight crime rather than trade blames, since security is a collective responsibility.

Soldiers in Ogoni Wike recently urged the military to move into Ogoni and crime infested areas, which the All Progressives Congress (APC) described as self reversal, because he had initially opposed the presence of soldiers in Ogoni.

But Banigo urged the APC not to misrepresent Wike’s position. ''The opposition should not misrepresent the position of Wike in seeking the support of the military to tackle kidnapping and cult activities in some parts of the state,'' she stressed.

What Wike does not want, she explained, is the demand by an opposition party for military presence for political reasons, because it is anti-democratic.

Banigo expressed surprise that while Wike is trying to encourage security agents to curtail crime, some politicians are playing politics with security matters.

She also stressed that the completion of major roads by the administration in the past one year is a sure way to revive businesses and boost tourism.

In her view, the construction of the Borokiri New Road, Abonnema Wharf Road, and 1.3-kilometre Industry Road, will help expand revenue base.

She reiterated that Wike is committed to fulfilling all promises made during his electioneering and will improve the state’s economy through the provision of infrastructure to attract investors.

Banigo praised Wike for his development efforts toward restoring Port Harcourt to its Garden City status, stressing that the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park on Aba Road would stimulate healthy interaction and recreation for children and adults alike.

She implored residents to support the government to actualise its New Rivers Vision and thanked

Harry-Banigo

Kimo

The aim “is to promote technological and cultural ties with Israel, create opportunities for capacity development, job creation and empowerment of the youth in line with the New Rivers Vision of the present administration.” host communities for their cooperation in the execution of projects.

Strategy for jobs, skills, empowerment The state government has also unfolded measures to strengthen residents’ ability to survive the national economic hardship.

The measures include crime reduction, job creation, training programmes, and skills acquisition as well as encouraging sacrifice by the people.

Banigo said the government has concluded plans to sponsor 200 youths to acquire vocational skills in Israel and that Wike has directed commissioners and special advisers to buy 10 “Win a trip to Israel’’ ticket lotteries for the less privileged.

She said the training in various skills is going on at the same time with the sending of youths and ministers of God to Israel.

The aim, as she put it, “is to promote technological and cultural ties with Israel, create opportunities for capacity development, job creation and empowerment of the youth in line with the New Rivers Vision of the present administration ….

“Wike gave the directive in fulfillment of his social contract with the people, to bridge the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor and the social disequilibrium in the state.”

The programme is to make the participants “employable and be employers of labour,” Banigo added, because the era of going to Israel for pilgrimage as a jamboree is gone.

She urged residents to embrace the administration’s philosophy of sacrifice and “be your brother’s keeper”.

She said since Wike assumed office a year ago, he has demonstrated the political will to institutionalise sacrifice and hard work among politicians and public office holders.

According to her, despite dwindling federal allocation, Rivers has

earmarked N23 million to sponsor less privileged youths and ministers of God to Israel in this year’s Christian pilgrimage.

Brainstorm on security At the town hall meeting, Kimo called for synergy between communities, security agencies and herdsmen to check the rising attacks of cattle rearers on local communities.

Participants included representatives of the police, the Department of State Security (DSS), Immigration, Prisons, Customs, Army, Navy, Air Force, council caretaker chairmen, traditional rulers, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and journalists.

They also included members of the Farmers' Association of Nigeria and Hausa/Fulani cattle owners and herdsmen.

Kimo said it is necessary to strengthen the “harmonious relationship” between the police and other security agencies on the one hand and between residents and security agencies on the other. ''We experience cult-related crimes that have snowballed into other crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, killings.

“The most recent and very alarming is the phenomenon of herdsmen scourge which is more prevalent in the North Central but also has extended to parts of the South East as well as cattle rustling,” he warned.

Kimo noted that lives have been lost, villages pillaged and burnt down, and urged communities, residents, and security agencies to form a formidable front to confront the monster.

Participants agreed that police community relations should be energised and the security agencies be pro-active in tackling dangerous herdsmen who have no “business with AK47 riffles.”

The meeting sought more powers for councils to combat crime, since they are close to the grassroots where most crimes, especially herdsmen attacks, take

place.

Stand-off in Niger Delta However, the stand-off between Abuja and Niger Delta militants over pipeline vandalism may drag longer, given the rigid positions of both parties.

Most speakers at the flag off of the clean up of Ogoni and other impacted communities in Bodo on Thursday, June 2 traced oil pollution to sabotage and pipeline vandalism as well as laxity by oil multinationals.

President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, warned Niger Delta militants, vandals, and oil thieves that his administration will not tolerate‎ any act of criminality.

He said crude oil theft, blowing up of facilities, and kidnapping of oil workers, all have negative impacts on gas supply for electricity generation and the economy.

Buhari lamented the loss of lives in Ogoni and the entire Niger Delta, and blamed oil companies and past governments for not addressing the environmental hazard ‎ caused by oil production.

He warmed that the federal government will deal decisively with oil theft and pipeline vandalism, and called for co-operation in the clean-up to ensure full and proper execution.

But Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) shave pledged to continue the destruction of oil facilities in the region because of what they see as unequal distribution of national assets.

In turn, the military – particularly the Air Force – has vowed to deal with the NDA if it continues with criminal activities.

''We experience cultrelated crimes that have snowballed into other crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, killings.

“The most recent and very alarming is the phenomenon of herdsmen scourge which is more prevalent in the North Central but also has extended to parts of the South East as well as cattle rustling.”

8

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Notes

From

Nnanna Okere okere_nnanna@yahoo.com +358 4684 74258

Finland

T

EU pledges EUR 6m to Libya’s stability

he European Commission (EC) has announced over EUR 6 million ($8.8 million) to support stabilisation efforts in Libya.

Up to EUR 5 million will go through the instrument contributing to Stability and Peace to the stabilisation facility, an initiative of the Libyan Government of National Accord, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the international community.

Another EURO 1.1 million will

be provided to a city profiling system which collects data at municipal and local levels. This profiling system will also provide analysis to support planning for stabilisation, resilience, and recovery activities. This action will be implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHSP), together with United Nations Population Fund (UNPF).

The Libyan presidential council was named under a UN-sponsored peace agreement signed on December 17, 2015 in the

Moroccan city of Skherat. The Tunis-based council appointed a government of national accord.

On February 23, the unity government received the support of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives.

Five years after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011, the North African country is still struggling to make a democratic transition.

EC President, Jean

Germany to deport 100,000 migrants this year

G

German Chancellor, Angela

ermany expects up to 100,000 undocumented migrants to leave the country in 2016, a figure Interior Minister, Thomas de Maiziere, hailed as high but insufficient after last year's record influx.

"If the current trend continues then we will reach a total of between 90,000 and 100,000 deportations and voluntary returns," De Maiziere told reporters.

"That is good but not good enough. That is why we must con-

tinue to work to ensure that those who must leave our country actually do so."

Between January and April, some 20,000 foreign nationals without permission to stay in Germany returned to their countries of origin voluntarily under government programmes.

Those totals marked a strong increase from 2015 when 37,220 returns were recorded during the year as a whole, and 13,574 in 2014.

German authorities said 9,280

Espoo ranks number one city in Europe

E

spoo in Finland is the safest city in Europe, according to an international benchmark study, which defines it as the most sustainable city on the continent.

The study showed that measured by economic, sociocultural, and ecological sustainability scores, Espoo has maintained its sustainable development.

The survey, which covered more than 140 cities in the European Union (EU), was prepared for the Dutch presidency of the EU. Knowledge, safety, and nature were highlighted as Espoo's particular strengths.

From a sociocultural perspective, Espoo's scores for the level of education and income as well as for health are among the top scores in Europe.

Its population is growing and people find the city safe. Its attractiveness is enhanced by an extensive range of sports, culture, and services on offer.

Espoo

Espoo residents say they trust the society and one another.

Greenhouse emissions in Espoo, already very low, continues to fall.

This is attributable to the Suomenoja heat pump station, introduction of pellet-fired boilers at the Kivenlahti heat plant, as well as low-emission electricity.

Both solar power and geothermal heat have also become more widely-used.

The introduction of geothermal heat has improved the situation, and Espoo will be the first city in Finland to test the renewable geothermal energy source, which produces completely emission-free district heat.

St1 plans to drill seven-kilometre deep heat wells into the Otaniemi bedrock in the near future.

Espoo was also classified as a green city; explained mainly by the Nuuksio National Park, the Espoo Central Park, the long seashore, and the abundant and easy-to-access natural environment.

It is a growth city which invests heavily in a network-like urban structure based on rail traffic.

This improves competitiveness, although the investments will result in severe debts.

The cost of research and product development is also relatively high in Espoo.

Mayor Jukka Makela said innovation and collaboration are the key elements in maintaining sustainable development.

"We promote partnership and collaboration between the city, its residents, enterprises, Aalto University, and other stakeholders in all our operations," Makela explained.

"Being a responsible trailblazer is one of Esoo's values, and it involves the commitment to develop Espoo in a socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable manner.

“A great example of this is the cross-administrative Sustainable Development Programme, which has a steering committee where elected representatives and council employees work together to promote city-level sustainable development.

"We are building a strong community, Espoo Innovation Garden, in the city. It offers great opportunities to improve both Espoo's and Finland's success on a sustainable basis."

Other Nordic cities also did well in the benchmark study: Stockholm came second, Copenhagen fourth, Helsinki seventh, and Tampere eighth.

The quantitative benchmark study of European cities was carried out by Telos, an academic centre for local and regional sustainability studies at Tilburg University in the Netherlands.

were deported during the first four months of 2016, compared to 22,369 in all of 2015 and 13,851 in 2014.

De Maiziere did not provide a breakdown of the migrants' countries of origin.

Germany has said it aims to speed up the returns of people not granted asylum after the arrival of nearly 1.1 million people fleeing war and poverty in 2015.

In particular, it has aimed to streamline processing of asylum applications and classified several Balkan states as safe countries of origin

to accelerate expulsions. Certain North African countries are also on the list.

Germany recorded a steep decline in asylum-seeker arrivals in April, according to official data last month, after the closure of the popular route used by migrants through the Balkans.

Some 16,000 migrants arrived in April, down almost a quarter from 20,000 in March, and nearly a 90 per cent plunge from December when 120,000 arrived.

Future snowless winters will cost Norway dearly

W

armer winters with less snow will have major financial implications for a variety of industries, says an expert panel that examined the impact of climate change on Norwegian winter sports.

Billions of kroner are at stake if Norway’s winters become significantly warmer, a report entitled ‘Gra Vinter’ (Grey Winter) presented by the Norwegian Climate Foundation in Oslo warned.

The traditional Norwegian winter may disappear completely or partially within the next few generations, said the report.

A snow map projecting conditions through 2100 shows that low-lying and coastal parts of Norway, the most populated areas of the country, will face significantly shorter snow seasons by midcentury.

In 2100, the norm can be that large swathes of the country have very little winter snow, if any at all.

How quickly the changes occur and their severity depends on the levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Dagrun Vikhamar-Schuler from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, said there have always been variations to Norway’s winter weather but the trend shows that snow conditions are undergoing significant changes.

“The measurement station at Bjornhol tin Nordmarka shows that snow and skiing conditions have changed quite clearly over the past 100 years.

“We have lost four ski days each decade since 1900. That means a total loss of about one and a half months,” she explained.

The last 50 years of measurements at Bjornholt also show fewer days with dry snow. For skiers, that means more days with wet

Skiing in Norway snow conditions.

The same trend is found in Sirdal in Rogaland, where measurements also show a significant increase in wet snow days over the past 50 years.

The reason for the wetter snow is that Norway’s annual mean temperature is on the rise.

“The average annual temperature has risen by about 1 degree from 1900 to 2014. We have always had natural fluctuations, but now we also see clearly the effects of human-induced changes,” Vikhamar-Schuler said.

With winter and snow an integral part of the Norwegian national character, what snowless winters will do to hearts and souls is one thing.

Economically, loss of snow will have serious consequences for industry and municipalities, added Hilde Solheim, a former tourism director who wrote the report for the Norwegian Climate Foundation (Norsk Klimastiftelse).

Her words: “It’s impossible to set a value on a perfect winter day spent skiing but in the report, those who know the most about Norwegians’ relationship with snow and skiing pointed to the

importance of snow for local communities.

“And there is a lot of talk about its formidable socioeconomic importance.

“Nobody in the world spends as much on sports equipment as Norwegians. Figures from the sports industry show that Norwegians spend four billion kroner on equipment for winter activities.”

She said around two million Norwegians strap on their skis at least once a year.

On winter’s best snow days more than 200,000 people can be found skiing in the fields around Oslo, which also makes an important contribution to public health.

Solheim stressed that the national activities of Ski Association Norges Skiforbund and Norwegian Trekking Association provide clear economic boosts to local communities.

“The big World Cup events typically have a turnover of 15-20 million kroner per event. Each event krone in turn provides four kroner in additional business through the purchase of goods and services in the region,” the Grey Winter report said.

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

PhotoNews

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (left) and Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, during the BuhariMeter Town Hall Meeting organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel Abuja.

National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Osita Izunaso (left), handing over documents submitted by the 12 aspirants for the 2016 Edo State governorship election primaries to the Chairman of the APC Screening Committee, Chibudum Nwuche at the party’s National Secretariat.

Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside (right) receiving a plaque from the Comptroller, Lagos Seaports and Marine Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Mrs. Modupe Anyalechi, when the latter and her team paid a visit to NIMASA headquarters in Lagos.

L-R: Principal, La Seal Schools, Ogba, Lagos, Maurice Onyeizu; Miss La Seal, JSS, Raji-Rouf Amdalat; the Proprietress, Mrs. Grace Akinloye; Master La Seal, JSS, Muibi Rasheed and Culture Organiser, Chijioke Okereafor, at the school's Cultural Day in Lagos.

June 12, 2016

9

Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi (left), with Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Kayode Fayemi, after a meeting at the Solid Minerals Complex, Abuja..

L-R: Ulonnam Ebere with his daughter, Adanganga; wife, Adaobi; and son, Ulonnaya (the celebrant), during a special one year birthday thanksgiving Mass for the son at SSS Michael, Raphael & Gabriel Catholic (Archangels Parish) in Satellite Town, Lagos.

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State (right) with the Second Republic Vice President and elder statesman, Alex Ekwueme (left), during the requiem service for Richard Okeke, father of Anambra State Deputy Governor, Nkem Okeke, at Immanuel Church, EnugwuUkwu, Anambra State.

Pat Azurunwa and wife, Faith, during the Matriculation of their daughter, Ogechi (middle), at Madonna University, Elele, Rivers State.

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TheNiche

Diplomacy

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

ECOWAS court’s wake-up call for Nigeria

Ecowas Court

Member of Department of State Services

The recent decision of the ECOWAS court to penalise Nigerian security forces for killing six citizens at Apo Village near Abuja is a wake-up call for Nigeria to mind her rights observance profile, writes Correspondent, SAM NWOKORO.

T

he Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) court in Abuja has resolved the long standing suit between some citizens and the government.

Eight Nigerian motorcyclists were shot dead in an uncompleted building by men of the Nigerian army and Department of State Services (DSS) in September 2013, and the shooting sparked local and international outrage. The killers claimed they were hunting for Boko Haram insurgents near the Apo Legislative Quarters in Abuja.

Aside the eight, 11 others were wounded by gunshots during the raid.

Reprieve But last week, reprieve came the way of the justice-seekers as the ECOWAS court finally put a seal on the emotional outrage by holding that their killing was unlawful and could not be defended by the security forces concerned. It consequently found the Nigerian government guilty of extra-judicial killing.

Consequently, the court ordered the payment of $200,000 to the families of each of the persons killed in the raid, and $150,000 to the injured.

The court rejected the argument that the killing occurred in the course of maintaining the rule of law. It held that though the Nigerian government has a duty to maintain law and order in the society, “it has corresponding duty to protect innocent citizens caught in the crossfire as well as provide remedy for victims who suffer

loss of body parts and property in the crossfire under international humanitarian law”.

The case was last heard on May 10, 2016. Earlier arguments were heard on February 7, 2015 and November 30, 2015.

International and local outcry that attended the killing made the National Assembly to institute a probe into the killing.

Enter National Human Rights Commission In an 83-page report presented on the matter in Abuja by the then Chairman of the National Human rights Commission (NHRC) Governing Council, Chidi Odinkalu, the commission also held that the sum of N135 million should be paid as compensation to the relatives of the victims.

The commission therefore awarded N10 million to each of the bereaved families and N5 million to each of the 11 others that sustained injuries.

It also directed that the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) must lodge the evidence of payment with the commission’s office within 30 days.

Maintaining that contrary to reports that the victims were Boko Haram members, NHRC said the security agents did not even interview those injured in the attack to verify that claim. Before the operation, the security agents should have interrogated the owners of the property where the squatters were killed. It also said that no ammunition was shown to have been recovered from the property where the killing took place.

It also stated that the claim by security agents that the squatters were the first to open fire was not believable in the circumstance.

The council urged the military and the DSS to undertake a review and harmonisation of the Rules of Engagement governing the operations of security agencies, to bring them into compliance with the applicable rules of international humanitarian law governing non-international armed conflicts. It also asked the security agents to file a certified text of the harmonised and updated rules of engagement with the commission within two months.

The report read in part: “Having investigated this complaint, heard all the parties and examined the relevant laws, the NHRC, exercising its powers under Sections 5 and 6 of the NHRC Act, 2010 (as amended), hereby determines and declares that: ‘At the time of the lethal encounter giving rise to this complaint on or about September 20, 2013, there was a Non-International Armed Conflict (NIAC) going on in North East Nigeria involving the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the one hand and an organised armed group, Jama’atu ahlus sunnah lid da’awati wal jihad also known as ‘Boko Haram’, on the other. The theatre of active conflict extended to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

“With reference to the existence of a NIAC in Nigeria, the rules of international humanitarian law, including, in particular, common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, are applicable to the parties to the conflict. The

rules of human rights law under the Nigerian constitution and other relevant laws supplement international humanitarian law in the theatres of conflict and remain applicable outside those theatres.

“There is no credible evidence to suggest or show that the victims in this case were members of ... (Boko Haram) or involved in direct participation in hostilities. They were, therefore, protected civilian noncombatants.

“The defence of self-defence asserted by the respondents is not supported by the facts or evidence.

“Taking account of all the circumstances in this case, the application of lethal force was disproportionate and the killings of the eight persons as well as the injuries to the 11 survivors were unlawful and there is no basis in law for confining detainees freed by the respondents to internal banishment.”

Bandwagon The judgment of the ECOWAS court, being the first it would deliver on matters such as this since its presence in a Nigerian legal suit, will undoubtedly open the floodgate of litigations bordering on rights abuses, as Nigerians have been getting it through the law enforcement agents in recent times.

It is the opinion of analysts like Professor Epiphany Azinge that the presence of ECOWAS would serve as an early warning signal for member nations to stick to the independence of the judiciary all the times. He sees the ECOWAS court as capable of

influencing member states in the discharge of judicial duties without fear, since at the end of the Supreme Court decisions, another window still exists.

Odinkalu

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Diplomacy

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Push to end HIV/ AIDS by 2030 The latest move by a global summit on HIV/ ADS to end the scourge by 2030 represents the United Nations resolve to keep to the spirit of sustainable development around the world, writes Correspondent, SAM NWOKORO.

T

he Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) has always been in the frontburners of many nations’ health and sustainability programmes since the turn of the century. In Nigeria, the fight against HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has since been a concerted effort by government and the private sector, especially in areas of counselling.

Nigeria has not received any global encomium on containing HIV/AIDS, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies the most populous black nation among countries in the developing world that take the HIV/AIDS fight seriously.

Nigeria’s approach at containment Nigeria has made a number of moves to, in the absence of approved cure, contain the scourge.

The country engages in HIV/AIDS education, through mainly non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Government, the civil society and the mass media are seriously involved. Communitybased organisations (CBOs) and faith-based organistaions (FBOs) are not left out in this campaign.

However, most enlightenment campaigns don’t get to the prisons as it does to those outside.

Jingles, playlets, drama, music and sketches are used, while parents strive to inculcate healthy habits in their children.

These and other related issues formed the subject of recent Global Leaders’ Summit on AIDS which took place in New York under the auspices of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). After the summit on June 8, which was attended by more than 100 heads of government or their representatives, the global body came up with a communique which emphasised that the task of eradicating HIV/AIDS in the world must be accomplished by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The communique read in part: “UNAIDS welcomes the new goals, targets and commitments of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly Political Declaration on Ending AIDS. Countries have agreed to a historic and urgent agenda to accelerate efforts towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. The Political Declaration provides a global mandate to fast-track the AIDS response over the next five years.”

Ndaba Mandela

The communique added the targets and commitments will guide the world in addressing the critical linkages between health, development, injustice, inequality, poverty and conflict.

According to the Declaration, these goals can only be realised with strong leadership and the engagement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), communities and the civil society.

Mogens Lykketoft, the president of the 70th session of the General Assembly, chairs the Highlevel Meeting on HIV/AIDS. At the meeting, Ndaba Mandela, grandson of former South African President, addressed the General Assembly, recalling that, when he was 21, his father had died of AIDS. Participants at the meeting also heard from Loyce Maturu, a 24-year-old activist living in Zimbabwe, who shared her story about being born with HIV and later contracting tuberculosis.

Ms. Matura stressed that among the barriers that hinder progress in combating the AIDS epidemic are stigma and access by people living with and affected by the disease to treatment, care and support services.

“For us to accelerate ending AIDS among adolescents and young people, there is a need to invest in evidence-based adherence support interventions,” she said.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

The 90% pledge At the end of 2015, the number of people on HIV treatment reached 17 million, exceeding the 2015 target of reaching 15 million people, the communique added.

Leaders pledged to ensure that 90 per cent of PLWHAs (children, adolescents and adults) know their status, 90 per cent of them who know their status are receiving treatment and 90 per cent of them on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

Countries further committed to urgently address low treatment coverage rates among children living with HIV. Accelerating prevention outreach HIV prevention targets encourage countries to promote access to tailored comprehensive HIV prevention services for all women and adolescent girls, migrants, key populations (sex workers, male homosexuals, people who inject drugs, transgenders and prisoners).

The Declaration recognises the importance of location and population, as the scourge is distinc-

Lykketoft tive in each country and region.

It encourages regional action and accountability by setting regional targets on prevention and treatment, including to: • Reach all women, adolescent girls and key populations with comprehensive HIV prevention services, including harm reduction, by 2020.

• Reach three million people at higher risk of HIV infection with pre-exposure prophylaxis by 2020.

• Reach 25 million young men in high HIV incidence areas with voluntarily medical male circumcision, and make 20 billion condoms available in low- and middle-income countries by 2020.

It, however, fails to bring the needed visibility to key populations most affected in different regions.

The commitment to eliminate new HIV infections among children and to ensure that their mothers’ health and well-being are sustained is reaffirmed in the new Political Declaration

with emphasis on ensuring that mothers have access to immediate and life-long antiretroviral therapy.

Right to health The Declaration further recognises that progress in protecting and promoting the rights of people living with, at

The 2016 Political Declaration seeks: *Reduction of new HIV infections to fewer than 500,000 globally by 2020 *Reduction of AIDS-related deaths to fewer than 500,000 globally by 2020 *Elimination of HIV-related stigma and discrimination by 2020

risk of and affected by HIV has been far from adequate, and that human rights violations remain a major obstacle in the response to HIV. Member states pledge to review and reform legislation that may create barriers or reinforce stigma and discrimination and to promote access to non-discriminatory health-care services, including for populations at higher risk of HIV. AIDS out of isolation The Declaration affirms that the AIDS response will spur progress across the SDGs. It calls for universal health coverage and access to social protection.

Adopting targets beyond HIV, member states emphasised the continued importance of an integrated approach to a range of health issues, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, cervical cancer, human papillomavirus, no communicable diseases and emerging and re-emerging diseases.

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TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Civil Society Platform

Sparing a thought for exploited children

Becker

Bafil-Ofili

Children working in a quarry

As the global community marks World Day Against Child Labour today, Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, brings to fore the inherent risks in using children for cheap labour.

“

Child labour has no place in well-functioning and well-regulated markets, or in any supply chain. The message that we must act now to stop child labour once and for all has been affirmed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Acting together, it is within our means to make the future of work a future without child labour.”

These are the words of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director-General, Guy Ryder, in his message to mark the 2016 edition of World Day against Child Labour (WDACL), observed the world over today.

June 12 is set aside every year by the ILO to draw attention to the millions of children around the world whose rights are being denied.

With about 168 million children still oppressed through child labour, all supply chains, from agriculture to manufacturing, services to construction, run the risk that child labour may be existing.

‘Child Labour in Global Supply Chains’ is the theme of this year’s edition.

ILO estimates that among the

168 million children involved in child labour globally, 85 million are engaged in hazardous work that jeopardises their health or safety.

To commemorate the 2016 World day Against Child Labour, a Geneva-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged governments to better regulate businesses to prevent child labour in global supply chains. It claimed that millions of children risk pain, sickness, injury and even death to produce goods and services for the global economy.

Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director of HRW said: “Consumers usually have no way of knowing whether the food they eat, the clothing and jewellery they wear, or other products they buy were made with child labour,” cautioning companies not to profit from the exploitation of children.

HRW said it has documented hazardous conditions for children mining gold in Ghana, Mali, Tanzania and Philippines.

According to the rights group, an estimated one million children worldwide work in small-scale, labour-intensive mines, and 15 per cent of the world’s gold is sourced from artisanal mines. Children risk death and injury climbing into

unstable mine shafts and carrying heavy bags of ore. They also may suffer irreversible brain damage from handling mercury, a highly toxic substance used to process gold that is exported to refineries in Dubai and Switzerland.

Commemoration of WDACL in Nigeria Edo State-based non-governmental organisation, Child Protection Network (CPN), as part of activities marking the WDACL, has called for the enactment of child’s rights law and demanded immediate establishment of family court to take care of cases of abuse against children.

Coordinator of CPN, Ms Jennifer Ero, during a protest march with students in Benin City, the state capital, said: “We need family court to stop rape and child labour. Without family court, the law would be just dormant.”

The group also demanded, for children, freedom from discrimination, right to healthcare services, free access to education and protection from abuse and exploitation, including child labour and rape.

Speaking with TheNiche, a volunteer officer with Women’s Rights and Health Projects

(WRAHP), Vivian Emesowum, said “experience has shown that child labour is a problem that comes from parents”. She made reference to the law that exempts a child or minor from taking decision or consent on his or her own.

Her words: “Children are not responsible for their actions, but the parents.”

She fingered failure of the family as one factor that breeds child labour. “We need to go to the family because when the parents are not doing what they are supposed to do, the problems would then go back to the child and he bears the brunt.”

In the view of Emesowum, most parents have failed to love their children equally, adding that once a family is divided, the effect goes back to the child.

Programme officer with Partnership for Justice (PJ), Ivy Bafil-Ofili, told TheNiche that child labour cuts across different aspects.

She cited children who are used as house-helps, hawkers, as well as those who could not attend a regular school as part of child labour.

“Depriving a child of her/his childhood is also a form of child labour. Children performing work that, at their level, they are not

supposed to do, minors working in industries, house-helps doing different kinds of work for their mistresses or masters are all child labour,” she added.

Bafil-Ofili also attributed the cause of child labour to poverty in the society, adding that in talking about child labour, one has to look at the environment.

She lamented that a lot of “those children are prone to rape and different vices, as there are cases of rape and sexual abuse on children hawking.”

Panacea To nip this menace in the bud, Bafil-Ofili suggested that children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood, to be in school in a good environment and good protection policy put in place for them.

“There should be policy to ensure that child trafficking is brought down to the barest minimum. Industries and companies should have the policy in place.

The law should protect children from employment for cheap labour,” she advocated.

She urged government agencies to put programmes and law in place to ensure that children are protected from abuses.

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Civil Society Platform Albinos as endangered species

Albinos

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Ero

Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, writes on the dilemma of the albinos who have become endangered species in most African countries.

R

eports reaching TheNiche have it that people with albinism living in Malawi have been the victims of a surge of attacks by those seeking to use their body parts in ritual practices.

According to an Amnesty International report released on Tuesday, June 7, at least 18 albinos have been killed since November 2014. A spike in the killings came this April, when four people, including a two-year-old, were killed.

International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD) is a yearly United Nations observance on June 13. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. The date was chosen because on that day in 2013, the UN adopted its first resolution on albinism.

It was proclaimed by the UN to spread information about albinism and to avoid mobbing and discrimination of albinos. The IAAD aims to increase the global attention to rights of the albinos.

Albinism is a congenital disorder characterised by the partial or complete absence of the pigment melanin in the skin, hair and eyes.

Lack or absence of melanin in the skin makes albinos more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers. Albinism is also associated with visual problems, namely photophobia, amblyopia (lazy eye), nystagmus and others.

Albinos in other African countries People with albinism often face social challenges, as their condition is often a cause of discrimination, ridicule and even sometimes fear and violence. In some African countries such as Malawi, Burundi and Tanzania, many people with albinism have become murder victims in recent years.

IAAD focuses on raising public awareness of albinism and preventing attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism. All UN member states, as well as international and local organisations and civil society are encouraged to participate in appropriate events and activities.

According to reports, a UN expert, Ikponwosa Ero, had warned that in Malawi, an estimated 10,000 albinos face “systematic extinction” if they continue to be murdered for their body parts for use in witchcraft.

Ero, who is a Nigerian albino and UN human rights council’s expert on albinism, told journalists at the end of her 12-day assessment in Mala-

wi that the situation “constitutes an emergency, a crisis disturbing in its proportions”.

Her call for action came as a court in Malawi sentenced two men 17 years for murdering a 21-year-old lady with albinism. The two had pleaded guilty of the offence but blamed their action on “Satan”.

Ero said the Malawian police had recorded 65 attacks, abductions and murders of albinos since the end of 2014. Albinos were targeted because of beliefs that their body parts “can increase wealth, make businesses prosper or facilitate employment”, she said. “Even in death, they do not rest in peace as their remains are robbed from graveyards.

“Malawi is one of the world’s poorest countries, and the sale of body parts of persons with albinism is believed to be very lucrative.

“Albinos are an endangered group facing a risk of systematic extinction over time if nothing is done to stem the tide of atrocities.”

According to her, “It requires an emergency response from government, civil society and development partners working in strong partnership” to stop the crime of killing albinos.

In Nigeria...

Albinos in Nigeria are optimistic of overcoming the age-long stigma on them because of their skin colour.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Albino Foundation (TAF), Jake Epelle, believes that Nigerians with albinism are on the verge of overcoming the age-long social stigma and discrimination, expressing his gratitude to the advocacy efforts of the UN and of his organisation which works to empower persons with albinism and educate the society on albinismrelated issues in Nigeria and the world.

TAF urged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, reinstate the treatment process it started in 2007, to help prevent skin cancers among persons with albinism in the country.

Epelle noted that without the programme, an average of three Nigerians with albinism will die every month from skin cancer.

Interacting with newsmen in Abuja, Epelle said: “We started a project in 2007 with the federal government which is the skin cancer prevention and treatment project.

“The (Olusegun) Obasanjo administration adopted that project. So far, about 2,520 patients we have referred to the National Hospital have

been treated. That project has been ongoing until the current administration. I got a firm promise from the current administration that it will continue.

“However, the management of the National Hospital discontinued that project abruptly.

Since then, we have been trying to talk with them without interface with the presidency.

I have a letter from the Office of the Vice President saying they will get back to us and continue this programme.”

Advocacy Human rights groups have continued to intercede in favour of the albinos. Network of People Living with Albinism, urged the federal government to create laws that will protect the fundamental human rights of people living with albinism.

The group, which walked the streets of Abuja last weekend to create public awareness about the need to protect albinos’ rights, decried the continued discrimination against people living with albinism.

It recognises the importance of increasing awareness and understanding of albinism to fight global discrimination and stigma against persons with albinism.

Noting that discrimination against albinos in Nigeria is not serious compared to other African countries, the network urged the government to take proactive steps towards protecting the albinos’ rights and make treatment of people living with albinism free across the country.

Chief Executice Officer of Golden Effects Limited, Segun Akintunde, told TheNiche that albinism is genetic disorder which has psychological, physical effects and health factors such as congenital sight issues because they are different from the rest of African blacks.

Akintunde said the way the society relates with the albino either helps their psyche or diminishes their morale.

He posited that, for the albino, getting good education is hard.

“It is difficult to cope in the classroom. You cannot see clearly, and when you are moved to the front, it is not even better, and the school authority cannot understand what the young man (or woman) is going through.”

He expressed the need for good educational system, to understand the albinos’ problem and help them get along.

Decrying the attitude of some people who

make jest of albinos, he appealed that they should be seen as normal human beings and not creatures from Mars.

According to Akintunde, who is also an albino, some people do not get it right.

“They do not associate because of what they have been. I am an albino and I enjoy being an albino. It is the act of God to break that monopoly of black,” he said.

How govt can help He appealed to government to come to their aid.

“If government can listen to some of the requests by enlightening people more to understand the albino, to see and know more about albinism, (produce) documentaries, and organise awareness programmes that will help people’s perception of albinos, then albinos will have sense of belonging and not seen as animals for rituals or money-making,” said he.

“Let them be in public schools and let people who know about albinos help them.”

Epelle

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TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

News

International

62 people own same wealth as half the world's population The world's richest are getting richer while the wealth of the poorest is being spread more thinly, research finds.

S

lums in Colombia, one of the world's most unequal countries. Rex features Wealth inequality has grown to the stage where 62 of the world’s richest people own as much as the poorest half of humanity combined, according to a new report.

The research, conducted by the charity Oxfam, found that the wealth of the poorest half of the world’s population – 3.6 billion people – has fallen by 41 per cent, or a trillion United States dollars, since 2010.

While this group has become poorer, the wealth of the richest 62 people on the planet has increased by more than half a trillion dollars to $1.76 trillion.

The report, “An Economy for the 1%”, says the gap between the global richest and the global poorest widened in just the 12 months to January 2016.

In 2011, 388 people had the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity. In 2013, this fell to 177. The number has continued to fall each year to 80 in 2014 and 62 in 2015.

Oxfam GB chief executive

Mark Goldring said a crackdown on global tax havens was a necessary step towards ending the rampant global inequality.

“It is simply unacceptable that the poorest half of the world population owns no more than a small group of the global super-rich – so few, you could fit them all on a single coach,” he said.

“World leaders’ concern about the escalating inequality crisis has so far not translated into concrete action to ensure that those at the bottom get their fair share of economic growth.

“In a world where one in nine people go to bed hungry every night we cannot afford to carry on giving the richest an ever bigger slice of the cake.

“We need to end the era of tax havens which has allowed rich individuals and multinational companies to avoid their responsibilities to society by hiding ever increasing amounts of money offshore.

“Tackling the veil of secrecy surrounding the UK’s network of tax havens would be a big step towards ending extreme inequality.

Slums in Colombia, one of the world's most unequal countries. Rex features “Three years after he made his promise to make tax dodgers ‘wake up and smell the coffee’, it is time for David Cameron to deliver.”

In November 2015, the Public Accounts Committee of MPs warned that HMRC had made "little or no progress" on measures to reveal the scale of aggressive tax avoidance happening in Britain.

In addition, last year the Office for Budget Responsibility

announced that George Osborne’s tax avoidance crackdown had missed its target by hundreds of millions of pounds.

But the report’s authors say the situation could be even worse in the world’s poorest countries.

The researchers estimate that as much as 30 per cent of African financial wealth is held offshore, costing the governments of countries in the re-

gion $14 billion United States dollars each year.

That money, if collected, might otherwise be destined for the world’s poorest.

Last year an investigation

by The Independent revealed that the United Kingdom was paying millions of pounds to European Union-listed tax havens in the form of international aid.

A significant number of tax havens are also British Crown

dependencies and have Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state.

The government says it has made cracking down on tax avoidance a priority.

In September 2015, HMRC said it had collected £1 billion from users of tax avoidance schemes as a result of new rules.

• Culled from www.independent.co.uk

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PARLIAMENT THE GRASSROOTS

TheNiche

June 12, 2016

Politics

www.thenicheng.com

Big Issue: Emeka Alex Duru Editor, Politics & Features 0805 4103 327 e.duru@thenicheng.com nwaukpala@yahoo.com Daniel Kanu Assistant Editor 0805 618 0203 kanuemperor@yahoo.com d.kanu@thenicheng.com

INTERVIEWS

June 12 and quest for restructured entity INTERVIEW

»

PAGE 20

APC laying foundation for Nigeria’s future, says Nwamkpa

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INTERVIEW

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PAGE 24

Ezeude: As a woman I’m not marginalised in politics

Babatope: FG loot recovery story a hoax Former Transport Minister and Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebenezer Babatope, in this interview with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, speaks on the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, PDP’s comeback moves among other contending national issues.

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TheNiche

Interview June 12, 2016

Babatope: FG loot recovery story a hoax

Babatope

D

ifficulties in the land and vindication of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s earlier position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks focus I must confess that the difficulties are very grave. It appears to me that the APC government has not found any answer to this problem. When President Goodluck Jonathan was there, it was easy for them to apportion blames and criticise and say that we were having economic problem because the PDP created it. But then, despite the challenges and difficulties that we had, PDP government was able to manage the situation.

Nigerians were still soldiering on and able to manage and conduct their lives. Nigerians were able to fend for themselves because of the environment created. Today, it is so difficult and hellish. It has been quite hard for Nigerians surviving this hardship.

I want to appeal to the APC leadership to sit down and find solution to this alarming level of poverty and hunger in the land and save Nigeria from this terrible economic mess.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, one year after The only thing I can say of the President Buhari regime is that Buhari

is not a corrupt person. That is quite clear to me. But when you remove that ,there is nothing else complimentary I can say about Buhari and the APC regime. The last one year has been chaotic. Nigerians are suffering and are battling it hard with their lives. Something must be done very urgently to save our country. We have never had it so bad.

On-going anti-corruption crusade I don’t see any anti-corruption war going on, given that Buhari has reneged on his promise to name those who have returned money. He is saying they don’t want to offend the law ,and I ask: which law are they offending? If a man has stolen money and returned money, you must mention his name. Let the person come out and say that he or she did not return money because he felt guilty. How can one return money if he or she is not guilty of any crime, and you say you don’t want to name names? To me, it is an attempt by the APC leadership to dodge issues. We should name those who have soiled their hands with corruption. We should ensure that there is freedom for all and anybody is cleared of any charge of selective justice. What is going on is selective justice. If the law finds an accused, the person is taken to the court for trial.

If the accused is free, the court will set the person free. You are defend-

ing the cause of people who returned money and you are saying you don’t want to mention their names, you don’t want them to say anything. Mention the names of people that returned money, and let them say something; let them go to court to ascertain their innocence or to ascertain that they are not corrupt. So that is why I cannot see any anti-corruption battle going on. To me, what is going on is a charade. They have embarked on selective justice and that should not be so.

They have to be fair to all. Saying that they don’t want to name names, they don’t want the accused to talk, for me, is a careless talk.

Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, said Nigeria is broke…

If, as they claim, PDP messed up the treasury, how did the regime of APC get money to bail out some states who

were unable to pay salaries? Yes we have economic problems and Nigeria has been having economic problems, but it had not been as grave as it is today. All I am saying is that the APC should find solution to the problems on hand; it should stop passing the buck and continue to blame the PDP endlessly.

When Jonathan was there, yes we had problems too, but we looked for solution. We were able to forge ahead and did not continue to bemoan the military. APC should stop passing the buck; rather, they should face the matter on the ground squarely. For now, they have not got the solution to the economic problems and they must admit it. And as somebody suggested, they can assemble the best of Nigerians who can give them solution to these problems. We have great economic experts who can bail them out

TheNiche June 12, 2016

from the mess on the ground.

Blaming the PDP is a very lazy way of showcasing incompetence. They must rise up to the challenge.

PDP, Makarfi care-taker committee and the way forward At least, we are seeing the solution to the crisis in sight. I am happy about that. All we had been saying was that we could not permit a situation whereby our party, the PDP, was left in the hands of a stranger. Ali ModuSherriff has not offended anybody.

We were in the same United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) during the late General Sani Abacha era, and I know him very well. Sherriff is a stranger to our organisation. I am not saying that he wants to rule forever. We thank God that we now have a solution and we must ensure we leverage on this solution to take the party to the next level.

I am happy that the solution to the crisis is in sight and PDP is finding ways to resolve everything to make

sure there is permanent peace. So, we must seize this opportunity which, to me, is very important.

Sherriff ’s group working against the interest of the party from the background Which Sherriff faction? Almost all members of the National Working Committee (NWC), maybe except one, have left him (Sherriff ) and aligned with the party. So, he hasn’t got any faction. If he had taken advice, he would have still been the acting chairman and would have laid a good legacy for himself. He wants to be chairman and when the time comes, the presidential candidate. Which type of party is that? Our party is not that of where anything goes. It is not for senseless people. It is one that would want to defend democracy. I am happy with what has happened because it is in the general interest of the party.

With what has happened, PDP will come out more united and stronger.

PDP and agenda to wrest power from the APC in 2019 We are very determined to do so.

We made mistakes, we have seen our mistakes and we have learnt from our mistakes. This mistake culminated in the APC winning the election and messing up all that we have built. We want to take the power back and ensure that Nigerians

are saved from the heavy sufferings we are now exposed to. We are prepared to ensure that come 2019, power flows back to the North. It is in our constitution.

When power flows back to the North, we are going to ensure that the candidate we are going to present to Nigerians will be one that is capable and will make sure that the country is saved from what we are having now. We are positioning the party for a take-over in 2019 and we are serious about it. We have all it takes to stage a comeback because Nigerians now know that APC is not a better alternative.

Renewed restiveness in the Niger Delta by the Niger Delta Avengers Honestly, those who have called for dialogue are right. You see, two wrongs never make a right. We cannot blame the Niger Delta Avengers or anybody. The boys there are ready to fight to defend themselves because they feel alienated when they consider what is going on in their land. Let us dialogue with them. Let us talk to them. They are Nigerians. When Boko Haram started with their mayhem, I was among those who said we should talk to them. I said if Boko Haram did not seize the opportunity of a dialogue, the organisation will make itself irrelevant to Nigeria and to itself.

We need to dialogue to get solutions to these problems.

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Government is winning the war against Boko Haram Well, I think the Army is doing its best, but the problem is that in most cases they are begging issues. When PDP was there, they said the PDP government did not know how to handle it well. But now that they are there, could anybody say they are handling it well? Boko Haram is still harassing people, killing people. Let them declare clearly that Boko Haram is a national problem and let all Nigerians contribute to its solution. If they don’t do that, we are wasting our time.

In this era of cross-carpeting to the ruling party, are we likely to see you cross over to the APC? It is absolutely impossible for me to cross over to APC because I am a core PDP man and by the grace of God I will remain in the PDP until the very end of democracy in Nigeria or I answer the supreme call of God. Though crossing of the carpet is a matter of choice and part of democracy, I definitely will be laying a very bad example if I do so at my age. I am going to be 74 in six months’ time. So, how can I cross because we lost power?

No way. I will not only be a strange element in the APC, but I will become an embarrassment to younger people who are looking at us for examples.

Such thought cannot cross my mind.

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TheNiche

Big Issue

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June 12, 2016

June 12 and quest for restructured entity

Abiola

Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, looks at June 12, 1993, presidential election, 23 years after, and other issues in the quest for a restructured federation.

T

oday marks the 23rd anniversary of the controversial annulment of the June 12, 1993 election believed to be the freest and fairest election ever conducted in

Nigeria.

On June 12, 1993, many Nigerians believed they were at the threshold of witnessing the completion of a political transition from military dictatorship to democratic governance, with the conclusion of the presidential election.

Even before the election was conducted, opinion polls had given victory to business mogul and philanthropist, Moshood Abiola, who ran on the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Abiola (South West), had Baba Gana Kingibe (North East), as running mate.

His only rival, Bashir Tofa (North West) of the National Republican Convention

Atiku

(NRC), had Sylvester Ugoh (South East) as running mate.

Proving permutations right, results released showed that Abiola was clearly in the lead and on the verge of emerging victorious, having trashed Tofa in his polling booth in Kano.

But the final results did not see the light of day, as then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, made a shocking announcement that the election had been annulled.

Expectedly, Nigerians reacted with street protests, nationwide strikes and civil disobedience.

The resultant crisis eventually forced Babangida out of office on August 27, handing over to a short-lived Interim National Government (ING) led by Ernest Shonekan from Abiola’s South West, who was overthrown by General Sani Abacha on November 17, 1993.

Abacha later had Abiola jailed for claiming his mandate, resulting in the death of Abiola in detention on July 8, 1998.

Babangida

The June 12 anniversary has become a yearly event mostly in the South West.

There have been calls from some quarters to make June 12 Democracy Day in Nigeria. But government has upheld May 29 – when the military, through General Abdulsalami Abubakar, eventually handed over power to a democratically-elected government – as the nation’s Democracy Day. Till date, the plethora of crises that Nigeria is yet to come over still abound as the ideal of June 12 remains elusive or at best a fleeting illusion.

The Babangida agenda Detailing the reasons for the annulment, Babangida, in a nationwide broadcast, said he was equally disappointed as most Nigerians were on the outcome of the election which he claimed was fraught with discrepancies.

He had noted that the election was annulled because it was afflicted by the problem of not meeting the basic requirements of free and fair election.

“Even before the presidential election, and indeed at the party conventions, we had full knowledge of the bad signals pertaining to the enormous breach of the rules and regulations of democratic elections. But because we were determined to keep faith with the deadline of August 27, 1993 for the return to civil rule, we overlooked the reported breaches.

“Unfortunately, these breaches continued into the presidential election of June 12, 1993, on an even greater proportion. There were allegations of irregularities and other acts of bad conduct levelled against the presidential

candidates, but NEC went ahead and cleared them.

“There were proofs as well as documented evidence of widespread use of money during the party primaries as well as the presidential election. These were the same bad conduct for which the party presidential primaries of 1992 were cancelled.

“It must be acknowledged that the performance of the judiciary on this occasion was less than satisfactory.

The judiciary has been the bastion of the hopes and liberties of our citizens.

Therefore, when it became clear that the courts had become intimidated and subjected to the manipulation of the political process, and vested interests, then the entire political system was in clear dangers,” he said.

Has anything changed?

It is obvious that democracy and democratisation are primary values which Nigerians should cultivate, sustain and consolidate so as to enhance freedom, liberties and social development of the citizenry.

But 23 years after June 12, which provided the beacon on which even the present democratic election was erected, Nigerians are yet to enjoy good governance, analysts insist.

They argue strongly that, in real terms, the country is yet to attain global standards in democracy, though appreciable feats may have been recorded in areas of free speech and measured liberties.

Incidentally, many of the people that constituted the bulwark of opposition against military dictatorship are, today,

TheNiche

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Buhari

part of government.

Riding on the wing of the then National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) which then gave the military the fight of its life, the arrowheads of the struggle had, at the onset of the current dispensation, emptied into Alliance for Democracy (AD), with the rest teaming up with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The former All Peoples Party (APP) also had a sprinkle of activists, but in far less number than PDP or AD. PDP took the shine off AD on account of its more national outlook, compared with the latter that concentrated more in the South West.

Over time, however, the AD, realising its limitations on account of playing regional politics, transformed to Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before fusing with All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and fragments of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form All Progressives Congress (APC) – the ruling party at the centre.

The APC, which took over power last year, accomplished the feat on account of the dissatisfaction by Nigerians on the poor governance provided by the PDP in the 16 years it held power.

The result: PDP was voted out in the 2015 presidential election making way for the APC. The journey so far One year into the exercise, opinions are divided on the extent Nigerians have been positively affected with the leadership change. The argument by many is that going by the real definition of democracy, according to former American President, Abraham Lincoln, as “government of the people, by the people and for the people”, most Nigerians are still feeling alienated.

There have, for instance, been allegations of absence of level-playing ground in the leadership recruitment processes at all tiers of government.

June 12, 2016

Jonathan

The exercise, to critics, is yet to be instituted, as it is still an elite show, just as the culture of transparency is lacking. The rule of law is also observed in breach.

The result is that the huge political capital that greeted the present administration under President Muhammadu Buhari is on the verge of being withdrawn by the majority of Nigerians, including those who voted for the party due to dissatisfaction so far with PDP’s performance.

It took the President close to a year to pass the budget, owing to what most political watchers described as “needless rancour between the executive and the national assembly”.

APC has refused the Senate President Bukola Saraki to function because he is not the party’s preferred candidate. And this has continued to slow governance, while the masses bear the brunt.

So far, the cost of living has remained high, with hunger taking toll on Nigerians.

Donald Ubong, a lawyer, told TheNiche that the enthusiasm that greeted the Buhari-led government seems to have gradually died, owing to hardship being experienced by the masses.

He expressed shock that it was only on Thursday, June 9, that the government released its list of ambassadors for National Assembly confirmation.

“How can you run a government in a fledgling democracy like Nigeria without ambassadors? It’s a display of outright political insensitivity,” he stressed.

The government is equally accused of faltering on other grounds. On the security angle, for instance, although strong efforts are on by government to degrade the Boko Haram insurgency in the North, the group is still killing and maiming with their soft target approach.

As if the security threat of Boko Haram is not enough embarrassment to the nation, the militants in Niger Delta are striking oil targets with deadly ef-

19

Nwabueze

ficiency and vowing to take Aso Rock by storm.

Many insist that the militants, particularly the Niger Delta Avengers, are yet to be given desired attention.

Although a committee has been given two weeks to arrest the menace in the region, security experts have faulted the approach, suggesting a more pragmatic and proactive approach than command tactics.

There is also the new face of terror from the herdsmen which government, in the opinion of critics, has not shown great determination to contain.

From the Agatu community of Benue State to Nassarawa, Plateau and Enugu communities, the killings and wanton destruction of property have been alarming.

On account of apparent government inaction on the murderous activities of the herdsmen, members of the largely South East-based Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and many other aggrieved ethnic militias from other regions seem to be strategising for selfdetermination.

On the economic side, the country seems to be passing through one of its worst periods as the mass of the people go through hardship.

Although Buhari has assured that things will get better, nothing seems to have changed in terms of succour and practical relief from government.

Way out Analysts, who argue on how to bail the country out of its present quagmire, recommend restructuring as a strong option.

Restructuring, they say, will provide the needed fiscal federalism that, many believe, will ignite healthy competition for growth among the component parts of the country.

The implementation of the National Conference report of 2014, which

former President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned, has also been suggested as a way out.

This is because all the knotty issues contending with the nation’s unity, political stability and economic growth were tackled and solutions proffered by the conference document which membership cuts across ethnic nationalities and professional groups Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently harped on the need for urgent restructuring, if the country is to make any progress.

Even elder statesman and renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof Ben Nwabueze, has been among the long list of those advocating publicly for a new Nigeria. But the sincerity and political will to implement it has been lacking.

For Atiku, whose view incidentally corroborates with that of a large spectrum of Nigerians, restructuring and renewal of the federation will make it “less centralised, less suffocating and less dictatorial in the affairs of our country’s constituent units and localities”.

“Our current structure and the practices it has encouraged have been a major impediment to the economic and political development of our country,” Atiku added.

Last line Despite all the noise about the nation’s elections, political analysts who spoke to TheNiche were agreed that certain basic prerequisites that constitute irreducible minimum for democracy are still absent.

Such essential factors, they contend, include, among others, free and fair elections, uninhibited voter preference in election, respect for electorate as unfettered final arbiter on elections, decorum and fairness on the part of the electoral umpire and absolute respect for the rule of law.

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Interview June 12, 2016

APC laying foundation for Nigeria’s future, says Nwamkpa The fight against corruption by the Buhari administration will lay a solid foundation for Nigeria’s economic future, Abia State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Donatus Nwamkpa, in this interview with Special Correspondent, ONWUKWE EZERU, talks, among other national issues, on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari one year after.

P

resident Buhari’s achievements one year after For the purposes of your question, Mr. President has restored the confidence and respect of the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has also ensured the rule of law through legislative, judicial and executive federalism whereby the executive has, for the first time in this country, allowed the legislature and the judiciary to perform their duties without interference.

His present step towards deregulation in the marketing of petroleum products, which is aimed at allowing for availability of fuel in the society and reducing the situation whereby less than three per cent of Nigerians were busy siphoning public fund in the name of fuel subsidy, speaks volume.

Another achievement is the stable security situation he has provided.

Today, the people of the North East can heave a sigh of relief. The Boko Haram menace has been uprooted and subdued by a determined federal government.

The Presidency has restored discipline among Nigerians. The era of embezzlement, flagrant display of ill-gotten wealth, brazen fraud and misappropriation has gone. Today, the Nigerian budget, for the first time, has passed through the litmus test where each arm of the government checkmated each other.

On the international scene, the Nigerian President has become one of the respected presidents in the world, unlike before. He has identified the culture and the problems of Nigeria’s presidency and launched war against

corruption, creating a new image of the country to the outside world. For the first time, the international community has known that corruption can be fought and stopped in Nigeria. This is a new dimension which he has added to international thinking on corruption.

Finally, Mr. President has been able to carry women along in his administration. Not in theory but he has put it in practice. Today women were appointed to positions of authority.

Anti-corruption crusade selected and targeted at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members I say no to this. Which party had been ruling this country for the past 16 years? It was PDP, and most positions that had to do with finance were handled by PDP members. Who said PDP was targeted. Is the Senate President a PDP member? Is former Director-General (DG) Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) a PDP member? They were tried for various corrupt practices. Let them give the public evidences that serving APC members were found in one form of corrupt practices or another. Let them show documentary evidence of the offence that is traced to any member of the All Progressives Congress. There is no need crying wolf. Nigeria was “fantastically corrupt” during the reign of PDP. Those accused were culpable and they should face the music.

PDP and the vow to take back power in 2019 PDP has never won any credible election in Nigeria, and for the first time in Nigeria, general election became oneman and one-vote. PDP has always de-

Nwankpa

pended on the help of security agencies during the election. I am assuring that APC as a party cannot seek the help of any security agency during election.

From our performance in this government, the public confidence has been restored. In 2019, election would be vote according to your conscience.

What APC is doing now is not the foundation for today, but for the future.

APC is not disturbed. We don’t also believe in one party state. I am advising PDP governors to perform well, so that their people will vote for them. This is a period of governance and our achievements will speak for us.

In Abia State, there had never been a credible election in the governorship; rather it was always characterised by manipulation. Come 2019, the story in Abia will be different. I only urge the electoral body to perform its role with transparency.

The “change” promised Nigerians during the campaign yet to manifest after one year Nigerians are not disenchanted. It is only a few cabal (members) that can be disenchanted because what they were doing before would not happen now. Today, the average Nigerian is happy. This is the first time the cabal that looted the treasury of this country is being touched by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Forget what they post in the social media; go to the villages and hear what people say. What the President is doing is total cleansing that would lay a solid foundation for generations yet unborn.

No positive change comes on a platter of gold. The cabal has been dislodged and all the openings for siphoning the

national fund have been closed. At the end of this crusade against corruption, there would be changes in this country.

A situation where an individual in Nigeria will transfer billions of United States dollars into his account at the detriment of the ruled is bad. Nigeria must be good and all Nigerians should support the APC government.

The Igbo marginalised by the APC government I don’t agree with you. The President appointed his kitchen cabinet (devoid of any Igbo man), and political analysts should not take kitchen cabinet to mean political appointments. In the appointment of chairmen and members of the board of federal establishments, the Igbo will get their fair share. My only advice to Ndigbo is for them to support the government of President Muhammadu Buhari that has the capacity to effect change. We should shun opposition and allow the Igbo politics to be keyed into the national political grid.

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration one year after Ikpeazu as a governor has shown some flashes, particularly in Aba, and I want to tell you that he has a long way to go. If only he would be given free hand to work, he will perform.

He should be allowed to take his personal decisions without the cabal turning him around. Once he has free hand to operate, the public will assess him. But for now, he has no blame. As soon as he regains his freedom, he can be assessed. He has not told Abians the real state of the economy he met.

On the whole, within one year, he has tried.

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

21

Raising new generation of leaders in Ebonyi

Umahi

Odoh

Kelechi

Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, is moving to raise a new generation of young and vibrant leaders in the state with the brain and brawn needed to take the state to the next level, reports Special Correspondent, CHIJIOKE AGWU.

I

t is not uncommon for any leader to talk on his visions and the strategies to attain such. These, however, remain at the level of pontification until they are matched with the quality of persons to help him drive the vision.

Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, while taking his oath of office on May 29, 2015, had declared that within the first four years of his administration, Ebonyi would witness unprecedented projects that would place it far above many states in the country. His words: “Within the next four years, we will take giant strides which will make Ebonyi State a shining example to all; and a beacon of collective achievement in the eyes of the world.”

The governor noted that to attain the Ebonyi of his dream, his government would do away with mediocrity and embrace merit and hard work. He added that he was going to start by forming a government peopled with young, vibrant and intelligent individuals with both the brain and brawn necessary to take the state to its rightful place in the country.

According to him, “merit and excellence shall be our watchword. Mediocrity will be buried in the permanent crypt where it belongs. That is why we are determined to form a government brimming with creative ideas and innovative energy.”

To walk his talk, Umahi’s first appointment was a young and vibrant intellectual, Professor Benard Odoh, who was in his 30s, as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

The appointment of the university teacher was a huge surprise to many an Ebonyian especially the members of the Divine Mandate Campaign Organisation, especially as Odoh was the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for Ebonyi Central Senatorial district in the election. By that, he openly worked against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the elections.

The appointment, however, fell in line with the governor’s vision of forming a

government brimming with new ideas and creative energy.

Days later, another young and experienced lawmaker, Ogbonna Nwifuru, also in his 30s, emerged the Speaker of the House of Assembly.

Umahi’s love for the young and intelligent also reflected in his cabinet, making it a cast of young and intelligent Ebonyi indigenes.

The same trend was replicated at the Local Government and Development Centre levels where the governor carefully selected citizens of impeccable character and integrity to man the 13 council areas and 64 development centres in the state.

Umahi’s determination to change the ugly history of Ebonyi through raising new generation of young and vibrant leaders continued with the emergency of Onyekachi Nwebonyi as state chairman of PDP and Maxwell Umahi as his deputy.

The emergence of Augustine Umahi as the National Vice Chairman of PDP (South East) and Chidiebere Egwu as the Zonal Youth Leader is another testament of the determination to give Ebonyi an entirely new and resourceful leadership for the future.

Recall that Governor Umahi’s deputy, Kelechi Igwe, is another vibrant intellectual with fresh ideas and creative energy which endeared him to his boss.

Against the backdrop of these injections, analysts argue that Ebonyi is currently witnessing a new generation of young and intelligent leaders needed to reposition the state.

The exercise is, however, not coming without severe opposition, especially from members of the political elite who feel displaced by the new order. The development has, therefore, pitted Umahi against some critical stakeholders in the state, especially some members of his party.

TheNiche gathered, for instance, that the opposition against Augustine Umahi, younger brother to the governor, emerging the National Vice Chairman of PDP

(South East) was one of the ways to challenge Umahi’s quest for a new political leadership in the state.

In the process, Senator Sonni Ogbuoji allegedly teamed with Senator Obinna Ogba (Ebonyi Central) and Linus Abba Okorie (Ohanivo Federal Constituency) among others to persuade Ali Odefa to resign his position as Special Adviser on Internal Security to the Governor to contest the position of PDP National Vice Chairman for South East against the political calculations of his boss.

Although Ali later lost the position to Augustine Umahi, that was not without some incidences. As a way of fighting back, the governor, upon returning to Abakaliki immediately after the Congress, relieved Ali of his appointment.

The governor also approved the sack of 25 other appointees he allegedly made under the influence of Ali and some other stakeholders in the state.

Umahi, however, recalled the sacked appointees on Saturday, May 28, 2016, after a successful peace meeting spearheaded by former governor of the state, Senator Sam Egwu, stressing that some of them might not retain their previous positions.

He directed that they undergo the House of Assembly screening which they had passed through in their earlier appointments.

Umahi also said though he had forgiven Ali, the latter would be redeployed to another wing of the government.

A senior member of PDP in Abakiliki who spoke to TheNiche under anonymity applauded the governor’s quest for a new political leadership in the state, adding that what he did was in line with what others before him did.

His words: “His political move, as controversial as they seem, are quite commendable. Every leader who wants to succeed must build his own political family based on loyalty. Former Governor

Sam Egwu did it. That was how the likes of Idul Igariwey, Senator Obinna Ogba and many others came on board, and since then, they have worshipped Egwu as their political god. Elechi also did the same thing, bringing up the likes of his inlaw, Senator Chris Nwakwo, Chukwuma Nwanzuku, Ndubuisi Agbo, Chinedu Oga and many others. And you can’t beat the fact that many of them are still loyal and indebted to him.”

He, however, warned the governor against bringing too many political neophytes with neither political appeal nor influence, arguing that it might prove counter-productive.

“I am not even against his assemblage of young politicians, whether they are Ph.D holders or professors. My concern is that too many of them without proven support base may backfire on him. He should also take note of that,” he added.

A resident of Abakaliki, who gave his name as Ekwe Odi, said the time is ripe for a new generation of young leaders in Ebonyi since the gerontocracy introduced by the former governor, Martin Elechi, did not offer the needed political leadership in the state.

He said: “At least for the first time, let the young lead. Is this state meant only for the old people? During the old people’s government of Elechi, what did we get?

There is nothing wrong in trying. So let us try young politicians too.”

But for Chukwuma Ogbu, Governor Umahi is not interested in building any generation of young leaders in the state, except bringing in people who will perpetually be beholden to him.

“Governor Umahi is only bringing hungry and beggarly boys into power to use them to be in control of all layers of power in the state,” he alleged.

He doubted the ability of some of the young politicians to deliver their wards in a serious political contest.

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TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Analysis Eighth NASS, one year after

Ekweremadu and Saraki confer during plenary

Dogara

Editor, Politics/Features, EMEKA ALEX DURU, takes a look at the National Assembly in the last one year, throwing to the fore its areas of accomplishment and default.

B

ut for relative semblance of stability which prevailed in the Senate and House of Representatives in the last couple of months, the eighth National Assembly (NASS), which clocked one year on Wednesday, June 8, would easily have passed as a complex of controversies.

The controversies, occasioned by human and institutional factors, virtually set the tone for the business of the legislature at its inauguration on June 8, 2015. While the confusion lasted, it exposed the underbelly of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), portraying it as a party that was merely concerned with grabbing power and not necessarily what to do with it.

What particularly set the stage for the theatre of the absurd that NASS almost degenerated into was the crisis that trailed the election of its principal officers.

Before the inauguration of both chambers of NASS, APC had, in a manner that was not elaborately explained to even some key members, settled for Ahmed Lawan as Senate President and George Akume as Deputy Senate President. It also positioned Femi Gbajabiamila as House of Representatives Speaker, while Ali Monguno was to be his deputy.

The decision, however, did not go down well with the Bukola Saraki group in the Senate nor the Yakubu Dogara elements in the House of Representatives. The aggrieved elements, who clearly had been schemed out of APC consideration, went into alliance with their PDP colleagues, thus giving rise to Saraki/Ike Ekweremadu victory in the Senate and Dogara’s emergence in the House.

The outcome struck the APC as a thunderbolt. Raising the banner of supremacy of the party, the party promptly vowed to get even with the Saraki and Dogara groups.

In what appeared the first salvo, APC fired a statement by its then National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed (now Minister of Information), where it

dismissed the emergence of Saraki and Dogara as totally unacceptable, describing it as the highest level of indiscipline and treachery by the affected officers.

“There can be no higher level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any party,” he fumed, adding that the party would use all constitutional and legal means available to it to reverse the exercise. Mohammed vowed that APC would not accord the current NASS leadership any recognition, adding, curiously, that with the developments in the legislature, the change promised to Nigerians by the party would no longer be attainable.

Even with what seems relative stability in the affairs of the two chambers, Saraki, who went ahead to fill the key offices in the Senate with his loyalists, is yet to get a reprieve from the party’s leadership. The Presidency, which had initially pledged neutrality in the affairs of the legislature, somehow, got drawn into the impasse by the utterances and body language of President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he barely disguised his utter disdain for the Senate leadership. Reports insinuated that Mr. President, on several occasions, avoided scheduled meetings with Saraki.

Enter CCT saga It was against that backdrop that when the Senate President got involved in asset declaration saga with the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), many readily read the unseen hands of the presidency and APC on the matter.

Saraki’s ordeal with CCT began to take shape on September 11, 2015, when he was charged to the tribunal by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) over allegations of false declaration of his assets, contrary to constitutional requirements.

Part of the accusation was that he deliberately manipulated the assets declaration form he filed prior to his assumption of office as the Senate President, by making anticipatory declaration of assets.

He was equally accused of failing to declare some assets he acquired while

in office as governor, from 2003 to 2011.

Saraki was also expected to explain before the CCT how he acquired some assets which the federal government believed were beyond his legitimate earnings.

While trial asted, the Senate was divided along two broad lines of those supporting Saraki and those angling for his fall. Some even made outright calls for his resignation, stressing that his presence in the dock put the integrity of the legislature to question. The trial and consequent division gravely affected the workings of the upper legislative chamber.

Saraki acknowledged same in his recent encounter with journalists, describing it as a distraction.

“We could have done more. There are a lot of hours that we are losing when we go to court. We have to do that; I want to clear my name as soon as possible, so that we can move forward. It is an unfortunate distraction. I think it was ill-conceived by those that started it,” he said.

Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, however sees the Senate President’s travail as a befitting reward for perfidy, vowing that he would go down at the end of the day.

According to him, “APC does not want Bukola Saraki as the Senate President. Saraki has caused enough implosions within the party. He has brought public opprobrium to the party. He has slowed down the party’s machinery from taking off smoothly. He has portrayed us as a weak party. Now is the time for him to go. Saraki has no choice than to go, otherwise he will have himself to blame.”

The Senate President has not gone.

He is even not thinking of doing so.

If anything, he is looking at post-CCT Senate where he and his colleagues would come up with legislative initiative that should guard against carrying lost political battles to the legal arena.

The current Senate, Saraki stressed, remains focused, adding that at the end of its term, the members would have made a lot of great strides that would

set the chamber and NASS at a level much higher than they met it.

He identified setting up a constitution amendment committee headed by the Deputy Senate President to streamline areas of the constitution needed to be amended as a bold effort by his colleagues.

The House of Representatives, which also had its own share of restiveness earlier, seems to have got its acts right, after all. In the scorecard of the Green Chamber released last week, Turaki Hassan, media aide to the Speaker, enthused that the legislators set standard in the number of bills and motions they had seen through.

He said: “It should be noted that in the seventh Assembly, which was rated high in terms of bill’s passage, 700 bills were presented in four years, while in just one session, about 600 bills of high quality were presented in this assembly for consideration, most of which were from the recommendation of the Statutes Reform committee constituted by the Speaker.”

According to him, almost 80 of those bills, representing about 18 per cent of the 600, have been effectively passed by the House.

In similar stead, Hassan stated that the House, by last month, had considered 600 motions, which he said was an unprecedented effort.

Notwithstanding, Nigerians insist that members of NASS need to do more. Dr. (Mrs.) Ijeoma Ogbuehi, Director, Gender Care Initiative, a Lagos-based NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), argued that the legislators need to rise beyond controversies and perks of office and devote more time in their core constitutional duties.

“What we read on cars being purchased for the lawmakers at exorbitant rates was disgusting. The stories that trailed the budget controversies were not what we bargained for. I think the lawmakers need to rise beyond these.

They are trying in some areas, no doubt. But I think they still need to put in more efforts,” she remarked.

Many Nigerians reason in that respect.

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Feature

23

Okezie Ikpeazu’s Abia, one year after

Ikpeazu

Afikpo road

Special Correspondent, ONWUKWE EZERU, writes on the assessment of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu administration by Abia indigenes, one year after its inauguration.

W

hen he was sworn in as Abia State governor on May 29, 2015 at the new International Conference Centre, Ogurube Layout, Umuahia, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu pledged that his tenure would witness structured development of the state. The initiative, he said, would be anchored on five pillars, including education, agriculture, infrastructure and oil and gas.

One year down the line, reactions have been pouring in on the efforts of the Ikpeazu administration in keeping with its promise to the people.

But his critics, especially members of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, accuse the governor of not matching his 2015 pledge with actions.

Led by its governorship candidate in the 2015 election, Alex Otti, APGA accuses the governor of not making tangible efforts at repositioning the state. In an advertorial in a Lagos newspaper recently, for instance, Otti literally described Ikpeazu as lacking the vision and drive to govern the state.

The governor’s former Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Godwin Adindu, however, disagrees, insisting that the administration is on course in delivering its campaign promises to the people, adding that within the first one year, it touched all sectors of economy using its five-pillar template. “As at the end of one year, we were on 65 active roads constructed simultaneously across the three (senatorial) zones of the state, with 27 fully commissioned. In the area of agriculture,

the state launched the Return to Farming and Women in Fish Farming Initiative aimed at empowering the youth and women in setting up farming cooperatives which will help drive key government policy as regards agriculture,” he said.

Adindu stated that other areas the administration touched included the establishment of trade centres where artisans would add some professionalism to their trade.

Government, he added, has concluded plans to launch the construction work on the Abia industrial cluster, stressing that already the order had been placed for the procurement of the equipment, with an aim to mechanise and automate the process of leather-making and other artisanal works in the state.

Education, the immediate past CPS said, received a boost in the state. His words: “The government has started work on the construction of the permanent site of the Abia Polytechnic at Osisioma area of Aba. It has under its Universal Basic Education (UBE) provision launched a pilot arrangement to feed 30,000 primary school pupils three times a week in 10 council areas of the state.”

Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abia State, Uchenna Obigwe, assessing the administration, stressed that its relationship with the workers in the state had been cordial. “The government of Ikpeazu has a human face, both in infrastructural development and workers’ welfare. Though workers were being owed two months’ salary arrears, efforts are being made to ensure that these arrears are paid, including pension,” he told TheNiche.

Obigwe remarked that in line with the dwindling revenue from Abuja, Abia’s allocation from the federation account has reduced drastically, making it impossible for government to meet up with other overheads, including salary. He added that despite this hiccup, Ikpeazu has managed the scarce resources at his disposal very well.

“Labour fights against unwillingness and not against unavailability. Anything that will undermine the workers’ welfare, labour will resist it. I want to use this opportunity to call on the federal government to put more thought to giving additional assistance in form of bail-out to states who managed their first bail-out fund well. The government should also bring to book states that did not manage theirs well. That is the only way Nigerians will have the face to tell the world that the APC government is fighting corruption,” Obigwe said.

The traditional ruler of Obinolu Autonomous Community in Umunneochi Local Government, Eze Luke Uche, also scored the governor high. “Despite the lean resources of the state, Ikpeazu has done very well. What he has done in Aba since he assumed office is overwhelming.”

Uche added that on the area of security, Ikpeazu has proved his mettle. “The recent security summit organised in Abia was a welcome development, especially as it was aimed at strategising to fight crime,” he stated.

Part of the government’s initiative in the area of security that excites Uche most is in the governor’s directive to the traditional rulers to nominate 10 young men to be trained

into the state vigilante to complement the efforts of the military, police and other security agencies to fight crime in the state.

Chairman of the state’s Local Government Service Commission and Pension Board, Dan Egbeogu, on his own, described the Ikpeazu administration as a bench mark that cannot be compared because he has shown and exhibited the qualities of a good leader in all sectors of the economy, including health. He lauded the administration for its recent donation of ambulances to Abia State Passengers Integrated Manifest Scheme for prompt attention to accident victims on the highways.

Incidentally, while the opposition APGA criticises the governor and his administration, it counterpart, the All Progressives Congress (APC), thinks differently. To the APC, there is still time for proper assessment of things in the state.

State APC chairman, Donatus Nwamkpa, who spoke to TheNiche in Umuahia, admitted that Ikpeazu had shown some flashes of development-mindedness, especially in Aba, adding however that there is still much to be done.

“He should be given a free hand to run his government. As soon as he regains his freedom, Abians can assess his performance. I want to tell you that he has not told Abians the real state of the state’s economy when he took over. With the cabals clustering around him now, nothing should be expected,” Nwamkpa said.

Adindu added that the administration is on course, that Ikpeazu at all times is conscious of his pact with the people and will not disappoint them.

24

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Interview Ezeude: As a woman I’m not marginalised in politics Emilia Ezeude ran for the Lagos State House of Assembly to represent Ajeromi-Ifelodun Constituency II on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015. The entrepreneur and activist speaks with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, on the performance of the All Progressives Party (APC), plans to re-position PDP and her mission in politics, among other issues.

Ezeude

C

ritics say the All Progressives Congress (APC) is a better alternative to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which they allege ran the country aground.

Not at all. It is always easier to criticise from the outside. We can see what is happening. It is clear to everybody that the APC is feasting Nigerians with propaganda. What can you point at that they have achieved so far? When President Goodluck Jonathan was there, they were always criticising; but now they are in power and all that they still do is find funny excuses. Nigerians are tired of their excuses.

They said they had the magic wand; so let’s start seeing their miracles. You can see that they have nothing to offer. Even Babatunde Fashola then as governor of Lagos State said there was no reason power should not be fixed within six months by any serious government in power. But here is Fashola as Minister of Power and nothing has improved. All that we hear is tariff increase, but where is the light? Nothing has improved and you can see that we are even nosediving on a daily basis.

Governance is not an easy thing; it is not for the boys. Nigerians now know the truth.

Jonathan had very good programmes for the country, but he was sabotaged and we are seeing the result. I had been in a meeting with Jonathan and could see that he was a man that was driving the country with great focus and a bigger picture. Today, we are trapped and you can see the hardship in the land. Because of bad politics, they muzzled Jonathan out and today the people that promised us change; that the United States dollar would come down to one naira within one month, that Boko Haram would cease within two months, that power would be restored within three months, that our children would be given free meals, that all the

youths would get employed, that fuel would sell for N40 per litre etc, are seen with empty promises. But trust Nigerians; they will wait for them (APC leaders) in the next election because they now know that APC has no truth in its promise.

What is the Lagos PDP leadership doing to re-position the party to return to winning ways, particularly in the governorship poll?

Factions and crises are synonymous with political parties, there is no party that will not have one crisis or another. I can tell you that a lot of consultations have been made and fences mended. Everybody is on the drawing table to work. We are one large family. The party is coming out with a united force in the next election and you will see the impact when the time comes. PDP will bounce back, I assure you.

What is your mission in politics?

My mission and passion for politics are all about helping people. When you have a kind of ministry for help, a zeal to assist others to be better and live a more meaningful life, you cannot really be satisfied with what you are doing because there is a limit to what you can do with your personal money. The more you assist, you will find out that more people still need the help. So one’s personal income cannot do as much as one would want, to help out. The next thing you may want to do, like in my own case, is to see if you can get government instrument to touch the lives of more people. A lot of people are suffering, especially the women and children. And my heart always goes out to them.

So far, would you say there is a levelplaying ground politically with your male counterparts?

I know a lot of women talk about marginalisation and that they were not given a levelplaying ground to showcase the stuff they’re made of. But I would not say I am marginalised. I see it as a competition and I do not want to be bothered by the excuse of unequal playing ground. I believe if you are willing and serious about what you are doing, one day victory will be yours. I will continue to battle it out until I win. What gives me joy is that I have all it takes to deliver the service if given the opportunity to represent my people.

Are you satisfied with women’s participation in politics?

I don’t think I am satisfied so far. But I want to see it as something that will take a gradual process. This is because women in our clime are just coming up, unlike in the Western world where women have been (in politics) for years, and some even becoming presidents. But you see, in those places, even the men give them a sense of confidence, encouragement and platform to showcase their capability. But here in Africa, perhaps because of our culture, traditions and some other inhibitions, women going into politics are being looked at with a kind of perception. We see politics here basically as a man’s affair; so when a woman wants to venture into the political field, most people are not comfortable with such moves, as they look at the woman as if she is biting more than she can chew. I think it is a problem of wrong perception, and this discourages most women who intend to present themselves for political positions, even when they are qualified and can deliver even more than their male counterparts. For me, somebody has to take the lead. I am not satisfied because the number of women in politics as well as in government are still very low.

But Rome was not built in one day. We will

continue to push, and by God’s grace we will get there one day.

Even in Lagos here, they remind you that you are not Yoruba. But I have been in Lagos for over 30 years running my business and with close to 100 staff that I pay; so I am entitled to run for political position here. I am poised to make a mark in politics and to run for higher offices at the right time.

It is believed that your financial muscle must be solid for you to run for elections in Nigeria. How strong are you financially?

Politics here is all about spending money; so you have to be comfortable to a reasonable extent. In fact, you don’t even venture into politics if you have not gotten money. You can’t make it without money and that, to me, is another bad aspect of our politics in Nigeria.

You need money to sustain yourself, to purchase your form, print posters, for advertorials, to rent office, arrange for meetings etc. Even if you are the people’s choice, you still need money to do certain things before it would get to the stage the people will vote for you. I think part of the problem is the level of poverty in the land. Hence voters expect ‘something’ from you before they vote for you.

What are some of the things you intend to do if you eventually win?

At the moment, I have a non-governmental organisation, Emily Foundation, that caters for the less-privileged, particularly women and children. But when I get there, I will first ensure that good laws are made.

If I am doing all that I am doing now with personal finance, of course I will redouble efforts to do more if I am in public office. In sum, I will improve upon what I am doing now in terms of empowerment and assistance to people.

TheNiche

Judiciary www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

25

Onyewuchi Ojinnaka Email: onyewuchi_ojinnaka@yahoo.com 0811 181 3060

NJC not constitutional – Uvieghara Professor of law and former Commissioner, Nigerian Law Reform Commission, Egerton Uvieghara, celebrated his 80th birthday recently. In this interview with Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, he speaks, among other issues, on life after retirement and the constitutionality of National Judicial Council (NJC).

Uvieghara

Y

ou taught law in the university for a long period before retirement. Since you retired, have you ever felt like going back to the classroom?

I started teaching in 1966. I introduced two new subjects into the syllabus, Labour Law and Commercial Transactions. I also wrote two books, one on each subject. I became professor in 1979. The only job I have done in my life is teaching. In 1993, I was appointed Commissioner for Law Reform in the Nigerian Law Reform Commission. There are usually four commissioners. Justice P. K. Nwokedi, formerly of the Supreme Court, was the Chairman; Dan Agada (of blessed memory) and Nwachukwu from Abia State.

The University of Lagos allows you a leave of absence for four years and my initial appointment was for five years. Just before my appointment, I was in the Council of the University representing the Senate, so I wrote for an extension of one year, 1993 to 1998.

In 1998, I retired from the university officially, although I had not been there since 1993. I retired so that vacancy will be created and new people will be appointed.

Another five years from 1998 took me to 2003. After 10 years, you are not re-appointed. So, I did my 10 years as Commissioner for Law Reform. At that time, I just felt I had done enough for this country and maybe, unlike most Nigerians, I should rest. I have not done anything since 2003. I wake up in the morning, clean my compound, drink tea, drink beer, drink wine. I am happy. I am in retirement. I do not have the urge to go back and teach. I used to help the federal government draft bills, but I am not ready for all that any longer. I am happily retired.

Have you ever practised law?

Yes, for half a day. It was in the third of month of the three months’ course, and it was meant to be the last three months course in 1963. I got enrolled in 1964 and I thought I would practice, but I went back to England to do my Master’s degree and

I got a job. I thought I would practise and my father took me to his friend’s chambers.

My boss sent me to the Magistrate Court; I sat down there the whole day and frankly I am an impatient person. So, I raised my hands; first I said “Sir, I have been here since morning.” I did not know that “sir” is not used in the Magistrate Court; you say “Your Worship”. So he said, “young man, sit down; when we are ready we will call you”. Since that day, I did not go back again. I went to my principal, Mr. Davies, a West Indian, and told him I did not like the job. So my practice was half a day in the Magistrate Court.

All my life, I have been a teacher.

Are you comfortable with the number of law lecturers awarded the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) annually?

My major experience in life is with the University of Lagos. Many things in that university have been bastardised. We used to give gold medals or rewards to people who have put in so many years; but all these have been bastardised. So, one is not surprised. I have a colleague, Professor Olawoyin, who once said, many people that were made SAN do not even have the money to go and receive the award in Abuja. SAN is not a creation of Nigeria; it is the creation of the British. We call it Senior Advocate here, but there it is called Queen’s Counsel or King’s Counsel, and the language is that you take silk.

How do you take silk? Because you are very bright, because you are called upon to deal with more important legal issues, pressure on your work is heavy, you can no longer cope because if they know you as a quality lawyer, everybody would want you, and you can no longer cope. So, you apply to take silk, then you take juniors and you do not pay them below certain level. The idea is that you would have made money, you would have quality people in your chambers and they are to maintain the same standard that you have set. That is not so in Nigeria.

There are two divisions in Nigeria to become SAN. I could have applied because I have writ-

ten many books and I always boasted when I wrote those books that they were the best, that “if you want to do better, let me see what you write”. When I wrote my first book, Felix Ibru was the chief launcher. Dr. Stanley Macebu, a brilliant man, spoke as lecturer. I have not launched any book since then. Why should I be asking my friends to buy my books? I do not think it is fair. Even during my 80th birthday, some newspapers approached me with their package and I said I do not do it, why should I put my friends in such difficult situation? Some may even be struggling. I do not call upon my friends to use their resources to help me. You can help me by associating with me. I associate with them.

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mohammed Uwais, had explained that SANs should not be appointed to the Supreme Court because there is no way one can assess their level of integrity.

Do you agree with him?

Justice Uwais was my classmate at the Nigerian Law School in 1963 and I knew him to be level-headed. In Nigeria, the method of appointing judges has been difficult. In the United Kingdom, you have to be a famous practitioner. The best brains are appointed judges. There is no issue of which state you come from. Here, there is the issue of states because you cannot just mention state in isolation; how do you divide it? This state says this is my quota. If a state says this is my person, how do you assess him?

These days, that you are a SAN does not mean you are intelligent, it does not mean you are appointable as a judge; you may have been sent by your state. There are many SANs who cannot be appointed not because of integrity, I do not know about that one. They do not have the wherewithal mentally to cope, and unless you are a SAN you are not likely to be appointed a judge; it is not a guarantee that you are competent.

Integrity is difficult to say. Is it integrity in law or corruption? I do not know. I have never given a bribe to any judge. But when (Justice Kayode) Eso was appointed, the

National Judicial Council (NJC) was set up.

Eso made report, and some people were dismissed; one was a Judge somewhere in the North with connection in the presidency. I do not know if that is the integrity he is talking about. I know the report was factual, that many judges are corrupt and Eso was not the only one there; he was just chairman of the panel. They were asked to retire.

If it is integrity of taking money, Uwais was also accused of taking money. But I know him; he would not take any money.

Now Buhari comes in and condemned the judiciary. I agree with him, but if I were the President, I would not do what he is doing; I would not take Saraki to tribunal. Tribunal jurisdiction is very narrow, and it deals with the code of conduct. He ran away from the regular court because he does not trust them.

What I would have done is to send a bill to the National Assembly, that I want to create special courts for corruption as part of my campaign slogan to tackle corruption head-long. The National Assembly may dilly-dally, but the world will know he has done his own bit.

How do you see the suspension of two judges by NJC? Let me start again with NJC which was created as a result of Kayode Eso’s panel report.

Is it constitutional? In my own view, it is not. How can somebody be sitting in Abuja appointing people to deal with the conduct of somebody in Kogi or Delta State? That is not constitutional. In appointment, NJC has to confirm judges who are being appointed in Lagos. It has been given the power in the hope that, that will bring some succor, but the NJC is very careful because the Chief Justice of Nigeria is the chairman. More judges should be removed. We keep saying the judiciary is corrupt and everybody is going on doing what they like, it is business as usual, so, maybe, this is a welcome development.

One of the judges was suspended because he lied about his age. A judge who tells lies has no moral right to sit in judgment. You tell a lie about your age and you are a judge.

That is not fair enough.

26

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Editorial Buhari’s needless medical tourism

W

hen the news broke penultimate week that President Muhammadu Buhari would be seeking medical attention in the United Kingdom over what his media aide, Femi Adesina, called “a persistent ear infection,” many Nigerians were not amused.

The reason is simple. Both in his first incarnation as military head of state and now as a democratically elected president, Buhari has been perceived as someone that has no sympathy for such indulgencies unless where absolutely necessary, particularly if the bill was to be footed by the state on behalf of public officials.

And ear infection, whether persistent or not, cannot be categorised as one of those life-threatening ailments that cannot be handled by medical doctors at home.

So, when Dr. Osahon Enabulele, vice president of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), said it was a "national shame" that Buhari went to the UK for treatment when Nigeria had more than 250 Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists, as well as a National Ear Centre, his position resonated well, even when some people may consider his characterisation of the president’s action as harsh.

The major quarrel is not just that by travelling to the UK to treat ear infection, the president has reneged on a promise to end "medical tourism", which is becoming routine, but by so doing, he is wittingly or unwittingly passing a vote of no confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery.

When the fact that Nigerians spent $1 billion (£690 million) on foreign medical trips in 2013 alone is thrown into the mix, then the gravity of the situation becomes more palpable.

In a speech to the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) in April, Buhari said the government's hard-earned cash would not be spent on treating officials overseas, In a speech to the Nigeria government especially in cases where Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) had the expertise.

It is therefore inexplicable that in April, Buhari said the the same president would, barely government's hard-earned one month after, go contrary to his own prescription. cash would not be spent Many Nigerians believe strongly that Buhari should lead by example on treating government using Nigerian doctors and officials overseas, especially by facilities, and ensure government in cases where Nigeria had officials do same.

This is more so because of the the expertise. fact that many of the medical doctors abroad are Nigerians. For instance, it is estimated that the UK alone has more than 3,000 Nigerian-trained doctors, while there are well over 5,000 of them in the United States.

What is needed to resuscitate the country’s comatose health sector is not to fritter away scarce resources in foreign lands all in the name of frivolous medical tourism but for the government to be pro-active in addressing the brain drain responsible for this hemorrhage.

This will include improving the working conditions and creating the enabling environment that will convince those abroad to come back home.

There is need, therefore, to create specialised laboratories for research and diagnosis in viral haemorrhagic fevers in each geo-political zone to enable the country nip in the bud life threatening diseases before they go viral.

In any self-respecting country in the world, three things are very critical: health, shelter and clothing. These are modules we should also emulate to complement the change slogan.

But, most importantly, the health of a president of a country is a national security issue. That is why no country conscious of its national security allows its number one citizen to be exposed to the risk of outsiders catering to his health needs.

If Buhari makes it a point of duty to get treated locally, he will discourage medical tourism and save the nation scarce foreign exchange.

That is the way to go and we say no to this frivolous medical trip.

» PoliticsXtra

With Sam

sidonlookme@yahoo.co.uk 0805 618 0195

So, Nigerian doctors can’t handle ear infection?

T

oday is June 12. Remember? Yes, the day of that election; the election that was annulled with extreme military insensitivity. It was the day in 1993 that Nigeria took one political misstep that hauled the nation many years backward.

Within a flash of seconds, there was hope for a country that for many years was held captive by deadly military politics. And just when we thought it was all over, a statement signed on a plain paper, announced the annulment of the election; an election regarded as the freest in Nigeria at that time.

It was an ugly decision that set the hand of the clock backward for the country. Tempers rose. Blood flowed. Smell of death filled the air. Shallow graves dotted the landscape called Nigeria as demonstrators were slaughtered at will.

For those who are 23 years and below: June 12, 1993 was the day Ibrahim Babangida supervised the presidential election that produced Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola as the clear, though unannounced, winner.

Celebration was in top gear, particularly in the southern part of the country for obvious reasons. It was the first time the South was going to produce a president – whether military or civilian at the centre.

Forget about Aguiyi Ironsi who was killed just after stepping in; and Olusegun Obasanjo who was an accidental head of state after Murtala Mohammed was killed.

It was in the midst of the subdued celebration that further release of the election results was embargoed by the military leadership when it became clear that Abiola was leading. Even his opponent in the National Republican Convention had already prepared a congratulatory letter for Abiola when Babangida and his co-travellers deflated the balloon midway.

Trouble started. Babangida was forced to step aside. An Interim Government led by a technocrat, Ernest Shonekan, was inaugurated. A few days later, Abacha and David Mark pushed out Shonekan in a bloodless coup that inaugurated Abacha as the new head of state.

When Abiola protested the take over and the decision of Abacha to ignore the mandate given him by the Nigerian people, he was immediately arrested and locked up on charges of treasonable felony; although he was never tried in a court of competent jurisdiction as demanded by law.

A few months later, Mark challenged Abacha, accusing him of breaching their terms of agreement; which was to take over, conduct a fresh election and get out of the way.

That was a risky enterprise; and Mark new it. That same day, in the evening, he flew to Ghana; and into exile that lasted many years.

The nation got politically sicker when Abacha died many years after. It was natural for the pro-June 12 politicians and activists to demand that Abiola be brought back to assume office. Then Abiola died under questionable circumstances.

And the story ended there. But June 12 has refused to die.

Talking about sickness, our straight-faced President Muhammadu Buhari has travelled to the United Kingdom to have his ears examined by better qualified Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctors.

That leaves the Nigerian ENT doctors jobless, according to one reporter.

Does that mean he is sick? Buhari is not sick; says Femi Adesina, a very senior journalist and presidential spokesman. His eyes indicated that he was already offended at the suggestion that his boss was sick. Sorry sir. The president is not sick.

Adesina’s definition of sickness is a bit queer. To be sick, you must suffer from something that puts you down, and deprives you of the appetite for anything and the ability to talk or answer a reporter’s questions. He came short of saying that if you are sick, you can’t walk or work; you won’t even be able to eat or be available to be seen by anybody.

For some days since the report hit the online media that Buhari was sick, and based on Adesina’s denial, I have been looking through a couple of dictionaries for an acceptable definition of sickness.

Some of the dictionaries are like what we used to have in our primary school days. It was called Michael West Dictionary.

Observations from...

We aren’t all lying liars, wailing wailers

A

ll manner of long-winded phrases are daily added to our political lexicon by politicians. They assail one another to have the larger slice of the national cake.

This day it is the "lying liars"; the next, it’s the "wailing wailers".

There is never a lull in Nigeria’s current democratic narrative. When party A is not insulting party B, the government and the governed are having a cat-and-mouse interaction over a nonissue.

We still cannot decipher the time for governance from the time for politicking.

Those in the opposition do not recognise the time to give constructive criticism; neither does the government know the time to focus on rebuilding the nation’s broken down walls.

Our political space is a theatre of confusion, similar to the Biblical Tower of Babel. While everyone is talking, no one is listening. Issues are twisted and turned on their heads.

At times in the political melee, one can hardly differentiate between the argument of a pedestrian and that of a professor.

When the issue at hand favours one party, it is

amplified. When this party’s “heroes” in government or opposition make a glaring mistake however, the same people keep mute or throw tantrums when anyone summons the temerity to point it out.

The attitude of our politicians has caught on our youths. Lots of young people are so ephemeral in their thinking they drag their feet on major issues.

Instead of discussing how we can move our nation forward, some trend the mundane and the ridiculous on social media.

Rather than discuss issues that can really move our nation forward in the media, young people infected by the name-calling syndrome spend hours insulting perceived “enemies”.

Nigeria cannot move forward in this kind of atmosphere.

Wailing and lying must stop in our polity.

We’re not a nation of wailing wailers; neither are we a nation of lying liars.

We’re a nation of winners, fantastically blessed.

• Samuel Adeyemi Lagos

TheNiche on Sunday welcomes letters, maximum 250 words, from readers. Send to oguwikeng@yahoo.com

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

27

On the beat Oguwike Nwachuku

For instance, if you check for the meaning of sickness in Michael West, what you are likely to see is: sickness means the state of being sick. For the meaning of ‘sick’ you’ll be told: a state that can lead to sickness.

To be sick, according to some of the dictionaries at my disposal, means a state in which you are unable to function normally and without pain. It also means unhealthy condition of the body.

What this implies is that Buhari is sick because he has pains in his ears, a condition that has made the ears unable to function normally.

That’s why he needs medical treatment.

Tell me, what is really wrong in stating clearly that the president is sick; and the sickness is that he has some pains in his ears caused by infection? What is wrong with that? When did it become an offence to be sick?

Is there anything criminal about sickness; even when it is the president that is affected?

At a time when the president has banned foreign medical treatment for public servant, how come he couldn’t be treated at the State House clinic? Was it really necessary to fly the president out for treatment of a mere ear infection?

Is this a confirmation that even at the seat of government, there is no medical facility and personnel that could handle this problem?

oguwikeng@yahoo.com, o.nwachuku@thenicheng. com

Beyond medical tourism abroad

S

ometime in April, my brother-in-law, a venerable (archdeacon) in the Anglican Church, lamented over how he and his wife were treated when they took his elder brother to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri.

What bothered John Uruakpa so much was not that his brother’s health was deteriorating at an alarming rate, but the manner doctors and nurses at the government-owned FMC treated with levity the man’s case who was brought there on referral.

The man could not eat, sleep and pass stool. He coughed uncontrollably, had blood oozing from his nose which made breathing a herculean task. Neither him nor those looking after him could sleep.

Because of the amount of lost blood, the private hospital where he was on admission infused several pints of blood in him, and after he got some stability, referred him to the FMC for further investigation.

Uruakpa said preliminary medical investigation did not reveal that he was a victim of the dreaded Ebola virus or diagnosed of any terminal ailment that could have threatened the lives of care givers at the FMC or any other hospital.

The private hospital where the man was originally admitted spelt out what it thought the FMC could do to advance his treatment. The referral was for superior advice so that proper diagnosis would be carried out.

But instead of the doctors and nurses at the FMC providing medication, and relieving agonising relations, they abandoned him.

Uruakpa narrated that from morning till evening when they brought his brother to the hospital, the doctors and nurses simply left him to his fate, with some of them conjecturing he was probably a victim of Ebola.

What an irony! Without admission or

investigation?

All efforts by him and his wife, who is a senior registered trained nurse/ midwife, to get the hospital officials to attend to the man fell on deaf ears.

Though they were shocked to the marrow that such a cold treatment could be meted out to the sick on referral by those who took the so-called Hippocratic Oath, it also dawned on them that the reason so many patients die suddenly in hospital is principally because some hospitals have deviated from the purpose for which they were set up.

With the resolve to save his brother’s life, Uruakpa moved him out to another private hospital, where again he received treatment but was referred back to the same FMC, Owerri.

“I will never go to the FMC, Owerri again for whatever reason. But tomorrow we will go to the FMC, Umuahia since it is the same government hospital. That is what my spirit is telling me,” he said sadly.

At the FMC, Umuahia, his brother was received and attended to immediately, and investigation revealed that wrong diagnosis had caused several complications that were about to terminate his life if the right steps were not taken urgently.

The Uruakpas knew that time was of essence and were ready to save the life of one of them, but the doctors and nurses at the FMC, Owerri thought differently.

It is in the habit of doctors and nurses at the FMC, Owerri to engage in indefinite strike. They derive pleasure in doing so. When they are not doing that, they fight the leadership of the hospital, and this has destroyed the good intention of the hospital and diverted attention from treating the sick to being perpetual protesters.

What stares you in the face when you visit the FMC, Owerri is strike by doctors and nurses, and a desolate environment with wards of patients

abandoned to wait for death.

The above preamble is critical to this week’s discussion in this column because of the 10-day vacation President Muhammadu Buhari took to travel outside the country to treat his ear infection.

The government has a lot to do to control the mounting medical tourism that has become part of Nigerians’ lifestyle. It is now an ego thing to say you went for treatment abroad. If you have a relation who did not die of a particular ailment overseas you belong to the lower cadre of the society.

That is why, week in and out, Nigerians travel in their hundreds to the United States of America, Britain, Germany, France, Finland, India and South Africa for medical treatment.

Matters are made worse by the popular saying that “health is wealth”, hence we seldom consider the huge amount the country loses in foreign exchange (forex) from families that fly their loved ones outside Nigeria for health related issues, including minor ones like headache, tooth ache, catarrh, and what have you.

In the case of Buhari, who is currently in the United Kingdom to deal with challenges posed by his ear, most people are already complaining, including yours sincerely.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Lawal Babachir, disclosed on Wednesday, June 8 that three ministers are also overseas for medical treatment.

What bothers me is that a president who introduced a policy stipulating that senior government officials should be barred from medical tourism outside our shores should not have been the first to jet out for the same purpose with his ministers.

Nigeria boasts no fewer than 250 Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists who themselves confirmed during the week that they have all it takes to solve the problem that took Buhari to

the UK. Nobody disputes the competence of ENT doctors in Nigeria.

However, if what happened to Uruakpa’s brother – who was almost wasted by doctors and nurses at the FMC, Owerri – is anything to go by, it becomes obvious that Nigerians and our system are the ones fueling the desperation of people to go for medical treatment abroad.

Medicine, no matter the area of specialisation, is a serious profession that practitioners are supposed to be serious human beings both physically and spiritually. Unfortunately, most are yet to come to that understanding. And the situation gets worse by the day.

I get worried over the attitude of doctors in our country as against their counterparts oversees. Those in government hospitals abandon their beat for private practice because of money. It is not only nauseating but also defeats the aim of medical philosophy, doctrine, and practice.

Everywhere in the country resident doctors have taken industrial action to the level that looks like it is an aspect of medicine they have to specialise in.

Buhari owes Nigeria a duty to monitor what is going on in government hospitals. The health sector needs high level of sanitisation. It has to start from the president and key government officials by patronising such government hospitals to enable them look closely at what the personnel are up to.

After nearly 56 years of independence, Nigeria should boast hospitals where different kinds of ailments can be treated.

A situation where Nigerians, including our president, jet out at the slightest medical threat simply because our hospitals lack equipment for diagnosis and treatment is not sustainable.

Funny World

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Nigeria’s education sector: Growing cause for concern

URING a public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Tertiary Education and Services at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja, on June 6, 2016, the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, noted that the bills and motions that were before the committee and invited stakeholders for consideration were “geared towards bringing the much-needed change in this all-important sector to competitive world standards, such that the foreign exchange being spent on overseas education could be preserved and channelled to other needy sectors”.

The Speaker described as “alarming” the report that Nigerians spend more than N500 million annually on the education of their children in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, and maintained that this state of affairs was something that every Nigerian should be concerned about. Equally worrisome for Mr. Speaker and the entire membership of the House was that N1.5 trillion, being about half of the federal government’s total appropriation in 2015, was being spent on Nigerians studying abroad.

Despite the frequently mouthed need to bring Nigerian educational institutions up to international standards – or, to use Speaker Dogara’s expression, “competitive world standards” – one finds it hard to believe that there is much sincerity behind all those right-sounding-words. The actions and policy decisions taken by successive governments do not

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was posted to Surulere office, shortly after, to manage the office after my colleague, Dipo Onabanjo. Surulere office offered me immense independence, but did not offer me sufficient challenge to compensate for the remoteness of the location with mainstream business in Lagos.

Lagos Island office provided me experience in the whole array of sub-sets of the profession. Surulere was heavy in management real estate. There was little challenge there.

I was bored and said so. I earned a recall to Lagos for speaking forth.

I must recount what developed shortly afterwards. I was seriously upset with the management of Harriman Epega and Company early in 1974.

A young lady, who had worked hard for the company as a typist got married, became pregnant and had to seek maternity leave from the partners. The economic climate was good for the practice, but the partners

demonstrate a genuine willingness to tackle head-on the challenge of our abysmally low and still falling standards of education. Some examples of recent happenings demonstrate this clearly. At the beginning of this month of June 2016, the authorities (Minister of Education and Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB) announced the scrapping of the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and declared 180 (out of 400) as the minimum score for admission into any tertiary institution in Nigeria. However, these institutions would be free to conduct oral and essay examinations for their prospective students.

Several questions arise, especially with regard to universities. First, is it worth offering admission in a university to someone who could not score up to 50 per cent of the obtainable marks? University education is expensive; that is the reason some countries make students pay dearly for it if they desire it (like in the United States of America, although there are student loans), while those countries who choose to keep the costs relatively low are compelled to control the number of people who gain access into universities (as in France and Germany). That is, you cannot make universities accessible to just about everybody and at the same time keep the fees low – which is what is happening in Nigeria’s government-owned universities. We want to have our cake and

eat it. The consequences are staring us in the face, for example, in the dilapidated structures which have exceeded their initial capacities due to uncontrolled and unplanned yearly increases in admission. Unconfirmed reports have it that the number of “freshers” for the current session at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is in excess of 7,000.

Also, because of the costs associated with maintaining a huge number of students in our public universities, the federal government has been unable to adequately fund research, which is critical for development. Many of our universities are therefore not much more than schools where teachers merely pass on the knowledge accrued from other people’s innovation. When will we begin to fund research the way it deserves, so that we can bring sustainable solutions to our own problems too and contribute significantly to the global knowledge pool?

Because we do not fund research, we are condemned to always look to the developed world for solutions to many of the challenges confronting us. And yet, there are well-trained academics in our institutions, many of whom obtained their degrees from the leading universities of the world and even manage to find ways of travelling frequently abroad to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in their fields.

However, the investment required for conducting research locally has to be provided.

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The current medical trip of President Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom to seek treatment for an ear infection and a persistent cough has equally directed attention to the education sector, driving home the point that the country needs more than lip service to be paid to revitalising education. Why do we lack the capacity to treat the President’s ear infection if, according to reports, the country has more than 250 Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists? If our leaders know that they can always jet out of the country for their own health issues, will they commit to really improving the sector? If travelling abroad for medical reasons has been banned for public office holders, should the President not be the first to give the lead?

A final issue is the politicising of education seen in the policy of making Vice Chancellors of universities political appointees. The practice for several years now is that before Vice Chancellors are appointed, they usually register as members of the ruling political party. Whether this is a requirement is not certain, but it has become the practice. If appointment into the leadership of an educational institution is not based on merit, how could the country pretend that it aspires to world standards? Where in the world is such being practised?

Dogara wants the education sector to become a foreign exchange earner for Nigeria. Let him go and talk to his colleagues in government.

Echoes from my past (4)

were loose with expenditure.

They waived any expense item that did not massage their fast bloating egos. The partners reached a decision that she should resign and re-apply for her position after delivery of her child. I thought that was callous and insensitive of them.

I was so upset by that decision that I wondered what virtue there was in being affluent. If affluence meant avoiding responsibility in order to deny simple folk the benefit of one’s labour, I was not interested in being affluent. I probably did not belong there at Harriman and Epega (the registered name of the firm had in the mean time changed from Harriman and Co as result of the ingress into the practice of Benjamin Epega).

An intuitive guidance was strong, that I had had enough. Mr. Epega was hard-nosed and thrifty. Mr. Harriman was not focused on the profession enough. To a large extent, the partnership was beneficial to the practice. But Mr. (now Dr.) Ben Epega was pinching pennies a bit too much for the

health of the practice. He also laboured in quiet disapproval of the style of expenditure of Hope. Although disciplined financial attitude was engendered in the practice, allowances due to staff for speeding up work came slower and output was afflicted.

The partners gave ill-formed sub-professional staff no sense of discipline with the manner they treated resources. This resulted in attempts by sub-professional staff to make some money on the side while half-heartedly serving the firm. I did not condone that attitude among staff. Over time, staff saw that the partners themselves were not sufficiently disciplined. They started cutting into deals of the company and one was caught red-handed. The partners wanted the associates in the firm to adjudicate the issue and find the staff guilty, so he could be relieved of his post. I resisted being used for that, since the partners had, at an immediate earlier instance, promoted the culprit without consent and approval of the associates under whom they worked. This was the second unacceptable event that

directly led to my withdrawing my services from the practice of Harriman and Epega.

I went thereafter into deep contemplation on what I was offering to the firm as against what I was getting from the practice. I discovered that the real task of the partners of grooming younger professionals and guiding them unto the disciplined path was not being done.

I hold firmly to the view that the main purpose of pupillage is to bring up professionals, in an established tradition of discipline, education and re-education, monitoring and inculcation of discipline, which would sustain the positive growth of the profession. I hold the view that the distraction, which the professions suffered in the poor management of the economy, which the military will remain to blame for, accentuated the ineffectiveness of the professions in checking the profligacy of the administration of the country’s resources.

If the professionals had remained untainted, it would have been difficult for the military to enjoy the field day they had.

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Ramadan, spiritual rebirth and social change

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By Rasak Musbau asting in Ramadan develops in a person the real spirit of social belonging, of unity, brotherhood, and equality before God. Ramadan offers Muslim faithful a unique opportunity to move closer to God and inspire spiritual rebirth and revival. In climes where nationalistic Muslim leaders and scholars exist, the month of Ramadan is a platform to use the guidance of holy scripture to rally the people and inspire spirit of identifying with the nation and proffering answers to some of the national questions, as the month emphasises mankind and not Muslims. National questions are solved easily where people, especially scholars, understand their social responsibility and live up to standard.

As the fasting of this year’s Ramadan begins, it is important to understand that simply keeping away from food and drink is not sufficient to reap the benefits of fasting and to attain piety as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. The purpose of the fast is to help develop self-restraint, self-purification, Godconsciousness, compassion, the spirit of caring and sharing, love of humanity and God. Fasting in Ramadan must develop in a person the real spirit of social belonging, unity and brotherhood and of equality before God. This spirit is the natural product of the fact that when people fast, they feel the hunger and hence worries and stresses of the less-privileged and the have-nots in the society.

However, fasting, generally, is a more comprehensive action that should help the leadership in striving to eradicate poverty and shun financial mismanagement of the nation’s resources.

Indeed, a fasting person is one whose limbs withhold from sins, his tongue from lies, foul speech and falsehood, his stomach from food and drink and his private parts from sexual intercourse. These he does seeking nothing but the pleasure of Allah and Allah alone. “If you do not abstain from evil words and vile deeds,” says the holy prophet, “God has no need of your abstinence from food and drink.” This is how Ramadan fast is meant to teach Muslims not only to lead an innocent and spotless life, but also to be peace-loving.

How pathetic is our situation in this fantastically blessed nation? We have been fasting for ages, and yet poverty, corruption, terrorism, inequality and tribalism remain constant blights in our country.

Now, can we use the opportunity of this fasting month to critically examine our national problems and with the fear of Allah chart a progressive course for this fantastically blessed country? Will our leaders attain piety and sincerely face the task of serving the country and eschew corrupt tendencies?

Ramadan fasting should not be seen as a duty to be completed in any manner, but as a tremendous opportunity to elevate our ranks in the hereafter by becoming pious with a desire for social change. It should lead to improved moral and spiritual revival as the month “opens the gates of paradise and closes the gates of hellfire while the devils are chained” (Bukhari and Muslim).

A great opportunity for personal and national rebirth knocks at the door of Muslims with the arrival of this glorious month. Allah says: “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed to you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may attain piety” (Qur’an Chapter 2 vs 183). “When you are fasting,” asserted the Apostle of Allah, “abuse

not anybody, and if a person disputes or fights you, turn away from him by saying, ‘I cannot fight because I am fasting.” Here, one wonders if members of devilish sect called Boko Haram and the murderous herdsmen would also be fasting.

We should have concern for our fellow countrymen at all times, but Ramadan is the time of the year when we can really feel for them and grab the rewards more than ever. It can be said that Muslims watch television and listen to radio mostly during the month of Ramadan. So, one of the best ways of doing Dawah is to be directly involved in programmes in the media. The late Moshood Abiola and Wahab Folawiyo would not be forgotten on their efforts at sponsoring radio/television programmes during Ramadan.

Pitiably, while there is no argument about appropriateness of radio/television to reach out to a large number of people, the sponsors of most programmes do so for personal aggrandisement and unwarranted publicity for themselves. It is common for such people to make their anchor man somebody who sings their praises throughout the programme without disseminating convincing message at the end of the day. What a better time to give Islamic perspective to the challenges and solution to our nation’s myriad problems. At least, with beautiful messages disseminated on electronic media, people, even if not converted, will better appreciate the essence of the religion.

However, Islamic scholars need to focus more on the education sector in the month of Ramadan. The way our education is, there is no theory of change that could really transform it. Most of our schools are mere literacy centres with little or no road map for change. What we have can best be described

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as schools without education. It’s a vicious circle that has no end in sight and for this reason poverty persists in its gravest forms.

We need compassionate leaders to change this, as no foreign degree or articulate English speech of those who plan and re-plan the same thing without any aspiration to change can equal the compassion. It will tremendously achieve a lofty goal, during the month of Ramadan, if Islamic scholars focus some of their public lectures on addressing the decay in the education sector.

Let me seize this opportunity to call attention of Muslim faithful in position of authority to reflect on the example of two of our heroes, Abubakr and Umar, his successor. Abubakr changed neither his residence nor his mode of living when he became a ruler. He refused to take a salary until his companions forced him. When Umar was asked what his entitlement from the treasury should be, he replied: “Two sets of clothing, one for the summer, and one for the winter; enough to perform the Hajj and sufficient to provide me with food for myself and my household on the level of a man of Quraish who is neither over-rich nor over-poor.”

Most state governments will sponsor tafsir (commentary on Qur’an) during this month.

Let me also call their attention and, indeed, attention of all to the saying of Imam Shafii: “All humans are dead except those who have knowledge; and all those who have knowledge are asleep except those who do good deeds; and those who do good deeds are deceived; except those who are sincere and always in a state of worry.”

Ramadan Kareem to all Muslim faithful!

• Musbau is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

From Cana in Galilee, some planning tips patazurunwa@yahoo.com 08023033488 (SMS only)

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or the discerning mind, lessons abound everywhere. They may not come easy, as nothing good is picked on a platter. For every breakthrough in research, insight, contemplative learning and a change of thought-process, the senses must be alert; intuition must be carefully analysed before it is accepted as fact resulting in a change of the status quo.

What can be taken up for rigorous academic work can simply be summarised by an event without a conscious effort at addressing the subject matter.

Every Christian knows the story as told by St. John in John 2:1-10. There was a wedding ceremony in Cana, in Galilee, to which our Lord Jesus Christ and His mother, Mary, were invited. In the course of the ceremony, they ran out of wine. Mary drew Jesus’ attention to the situation and after an initial hesitation by Jesus, Mary simply asked the servants to do whatever He directed them to do. Jesus told them to fill the six water pots of stone containing about 20 to 30 gallons each with water. They filled them to the brim. Jesus then asked them to “draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast”. The water had become wine! I shall return with the concluding part of this remarkable miracle presently.

Expectedly, Christians always whip themselves up into a frenzy anytime this Jesus’ feat is re-told as it enriches their belief in the awesome power of our Lord. Interestingly, however, only a few people may have wondered why they ran out of wine. Was it for lack of planning or just due to some extraneous factors? Let us examine some possible reasons.

First, more people than were actually invited might have turned up. The love for free food and drinks did not start with this generation. To avoid overcrowding and the attendant shortages and tension on the part of event planners these days, six-pack men-bouncers are deployed at the entrance. Those without cards are turned back. In very strict situations, a card admits only one, even a couple cannot gain access with only one card. Who says today’s planners do not read John 2:1-10 as part of pre-event lessons? For our nation, Nigeria, it is possible that our founding fathers called a party for 30 million people. Alas, 170 million people showed up. Little wonder then that the food and drinks finished even before the conclusion of the opening prayer.

Whereas a party or event owner can send uninvited guests out, Nigeria is owned by all. Our men who could have been at the gate as bouncers did not get any part of the food and drinks, and so, they are hangry and lacking in strength to do the job of bouncers. The artificial methods of population control have not gone down well with some religious teachings. What to expect then? A continuing population boom in the face of economic gloom. The verdict? We

have failed our planning test as a nation.

Second, there might have been mistakes by the service boys and girls. At parties, those who know those in charge of food and drinks are served first, and given more.

What is meant for 50 guests can be given to 20 “known” guests who may even take some home, while a majority of others at the party would go hungry. This is a classic example of the Nigerian situation. Our leaders who are meant to serve us now serve themselves, their godfathers, their illegitimate “principalities” and other sundry partners-in-crime.

The favoured few get the oil blocks, import waivers, concessionary taxes, right-of-firstrefusal in contact awards and political appointments. The sum-total is corruption. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claimed that 16 years was not enough to clean up the mess created by the military in its cumulative 30-year (mis)rule.

Ironically, corruption during the “corrective” PDP years grew exponentially. The All Progressives Congress (APC) is already alerting us that a period of one year is no time at all to scratch the surface in patching the mammoth plundering of the nation by the PDP. The APC generally appears to be enjoying a sumptuous meal with some hand gloves covering some dirty fingers. Can we ever have service boys and girls who will not make deliberate mistakes? The way it is going, may be not in God’s own time. Verdict? Very poor result.

Third, the event planners might have under-estimated the appetite of the guests. In a normal situation, a plate of food and a bottle of drink should suffice for a guest. But when the guest does not trust how soon after he will avail himself of the next opportunity to

be feted, he will literally expand his tummy to “take care of tomorrow”.

Last, it was a divine arrangement for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to perform His first miracle. I will not delve deep into this spiritual scheme, lest the pen in my hand turn into a chewing stick.

The concluding part of the Cana history was that the miraculous wine, which was served later, tasted much better than the one first served to the guests.

What can we take away from this Cana narrative? It is imperative to note that whenever top dignitaries are invited to an event, a large crowd follows them. Many of the guests at the wedding must have gone there to share in the company of Jesus and Mary.

Next is that whoever gives never lacks.

Jesus came to the rescue of the bridegroom because He knew that the bridegroom genuinely wanted people to share in his joy.

Again, with hard work, focus, determination and open hands, your best is still to come.

The latter wine proved to be the crowning glory of the day and confirms that it is really not over until you quit. Our leaders should take a cue from Jesus, who solved a problem when it cropped up, and never took the microphone to advertise Himself after performing the miracle as our politicians are wont to do for even no work done.

So, as you plan your next celebration, may only the required number you have adequately planned for show up; may the service boys and girls divorce themselves of nepotism; may your guests realise that they eat to live and not live to eat, and at the end, may you have a special guest who will cover your shame and embarrassment if your plans fail you. Amen.

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Chibuike Amaechi: C minister making his www.thenicheng.com

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The scheduled inauguration of Kaduna/Abuja railway next month speaks volumes of the Transport Minister who promised that his ministry would ensure completion of all existing projects under his ministry within the first tenure of the current dispensation, writes Correspondent, SAM NWOKORO.

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T IS NOT easy to man a government department such as the Ministry of Transportation in Nigeria. Reason: The issue of infrastructure development in the country, most times, is politicised. Thus, most projects are abandoned. Some projects see many governments and tenures.

If there is any sector of the nation’s economy that holds the key to her rapid industrial growth, it is the rail sector because of the capability of the train to haul goods and personnel in large numbers, and at a relatively cheap rate. It is the common man’s most convenient means of transportation, both in developing and developed countries. The rail system is the springboard of industrialisation.

Nigeria’s rail system has been the most politicised in the nation’s infrastructure politics. This is understandable at a time land and air transportation is increasingly becoming risky.

However, the news that Rotimi Amaechi, the Transport Minister, has deemed it fit to break this jinx by tackling head-on the projects initiated by the immediate past government is cheering. The Minister of Transport did not resort to the old tactics of always abandoning projects initiated by their predecessors or inflating the cost for selfish reasons. Rather he went outright to itemise those that are of strategic importance to the nation’s growth aspirations and continued with them without looking back.

The result of this first-of-its-kind demonstration of public spirit is the scheduled flag-off of service on the newly constructed Kaduna-Abuja rail line. Barring any last minute hitch, this new rail service will commence operation first week of July when President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to formally flag it off.

This will probably be the first major federal project Buhari will commission. Perhaps that will mark the real change in tangible terms that Nigerians have been clamouring for, and which the All Progressives Congress (APC) government promised.

Assurance Last week, after what seemed like his last inspection tour of the project, Amaechi told journalists who accompanied him on the tour: “We are looking at the first week of July because we are good to go. In two weeks from now, the contractors will test-run the tracks without carrying passengers? In another two weeks, they will test-run it with passengers free of charge, and that will take us to the last week. So by first week of July, the President will come to flag it off for commercial activities. After the flag-off, anyone who boards must pay, and that is why I told the director of Nigerian Railway Services to start ensuring that within this one month, they should make sure that people who are going to use this railway have a firm identification.”

And to ensure the safety of the users in these times of terrorism and threatening sabotage of government property here and there, the minister designed safety standards. He explained: “About identity, the Ministry of Transportation should work with Nigeria Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for identification of users. One thousand police officers would provide security for the rail service daily.”

Amaechi’s determination to make a difference in the

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transport sector is a continuation of his achievement in Rivers State as governor.

He modernised Port Harcourt megalopolis, to the extent that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognised the Garden City as the world’s Book Centre.

Life-changing infrastructure The completed Lagos-Kaduna rail line is a milestone in Nigeria’s transport infrastructure development. Reporting on project, a London-based international journal recognised by the World Bank as an authoritative voice in transportation round the world, Railway Technology.

Com, reported: “The Abuja-Kaduna rail line is one of the first Standard Gauge Railway Modernisation Projects (SGRMPs) undertaken in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa.”

President, Initiative for Infrastructure and Modern City Development (IIMCD) and Country Co-coordinator of the Annual Global Infrastructure Leadership in Nigeria, Daniel Omonze, said during the 2015 London forum held at Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in London that the 186km Abuja-Kaduna rail project was listed among the top 100 infrastructure projects in the world. It remains, at press time, one of the successfully executed China-Nigeria business partnership arrangements. It was built on the basis of Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) mode for 30 years.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has equally been receiving public acclaim for the tenacity of purpose it has deployed in ensuring the completion of the project.

Details of the rail line The Abuja-Kaduna rail line is 186km with standard gauge railway tracks from Idu, near Abuja, to Kaduna in the North West. It has nine stations and features both passenger and cargo trains.

The passenger trains on the line can operate at a speed between 200km/h and 250km/h. The travel time between Abuja and Kaduna will be reduced to one hour, and each passenger train can carry up to 5,000 commuters.

The cargo trains, carrying 800 tonnes of goods, will take one and half hours to travel between the two cities.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) earmarked N1.1 billion in October 2014, for the procurement of two locomotives for the Abuja-Kaduna standard-gauge rail lines.

Financing and construction: The project is estimated to cost $874 million. China’s EXIM bank provided $500 million as a concessionary loan for the project.

The remainder was provided by Nigeria.

Contract for building the new line was awarded in December 2010. Track-laying for the single standard gauge line was officially launched in July 2013.

The rail line construction was 68 per cent complete by July 2013

with the earthwork 92 per cent complete and hydraulic structures 87 per cent complete. Approximately 85 per cent of the construction was finished by October 2014 and final works were concluded by early December.

The rail line involved the construction of 30 railway bridges, including five box bridges. The bridges are built with precast T-beams. By mid-2013, 187 out of the total 348 precast T-beams were produced and 52 of these were successfully installed. Each T-beam is 2.5 metres in height and 120 tonnes in weight.

The man Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, born May 27, 1965, served as the fifth governor of Rivers State from 2007 to 2015. He was re-elected for a second term on April 26, 2011. Amaechi was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before defecting to APC on November 27, 2013.

Amaechi was born in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers, to Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mrs. Mary Amaechi. He was raised in Diobu, a densely-populated neighbourhood in Port Harcourt, and had his early education at St. Theresa’s Primary School from 1970 to 1976. He earned his West African School Certificate in 1982 after attending Government Secondary School, Okolobiri. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree (Honours) in English Studies and Literature from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in 1987, where he was the president of the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS).

He completed the mandatory National Youth Service in 1988. He thereafter joined the services of Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Limited owned by Dr. Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers where he worked until 1992.

Amaechi cut his teeth in politics as secretary of the now defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in Ikwerre.

He was Special Assistant to Odili as deputy to Governor Rufus Ada-George in the Third Republic.

Odili believed in him as a young man with potential in politics and adopted him

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as a political son, guiding and nurturing him in politics, and consequently facilitating his election into the Rivers State House of Assembly in 1999. He won a seat in House of Assembly, and was subsequently elected the Speaker. He was elected the Chairman of Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies.

He was re-elected into the House of Assembly in May 2003. Same year, when the National Assembly moved to hijack the legislative functions of the House of Assembly, Amaechi and his colleagues took the matter to the Supreme Court which ruled that the control and supervision of local government is the prerogative of the House of Assembly.

The cordial relationship between Amaechi and Odili translated into the harmony between the executive and legislative arms of government in Rivers, until Amaechi launched a campaign against the state government, in an effort to succeed Odili as governor in 2007.

He contested and won the PDP primary for Rivers governorship in 2007. His name was substituted and he took the case to the Supreme Court. He became governor on October 26, 2007, after the Supreme Court pronounced him the rightful candidate of the PDP and winner of the April 2007 governorship election in Rivers. He was re-elected for another term of four years in April 2011.

His administration invested in infrastructure development, construction of roads and bridges, sticking to the vision of connecting all parts of the state by road. He was also committed to urban renewal and modernisation of transportation services.

Amaechi, who holds the National honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), is a Catholic and a Knight of St. John.

He was the Director-general of the APC Presidential Campaign that threw up the Buhari government, and was subsequently appointed Minister of Transportation on November 11, 2015.

His marriage to Judith produced three boys (Obinna, Chimkamkpa and Lemchi).

Abuja-Kaduna railway line

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TheNiche

nicheEntert www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Wome, Ajao selected for Talents Durban

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Wome

wo Nigerians, Wome Uyeye and Adefoyeke Ajao, are among film talents selected from across Africa to attend this year’s Talents Durban which forms part of the 37th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).

Presented under the theme, ‘Degrees of Separation: Connecting People and Story’, the ninth edition of Talents Durban, organisers said, aims to boost the already rising flow of contemporary filmmaking in Africa, and to encourage filmmakers on the continent to share their stories through the lens of their own particular culture.

Sharlene Versfeld, publicist for DIFF, said participants would interact with over

Grace EdwinOkon ready with Deeply Cut

600 delegates from DIFF and Durban FilmMart, the co-production and finance forum which takes place from June 17 to 20 during the festival.

The talents will also be part of several projectoriented, hands-on skills development programmes.

Practical development programmes within Talents Durban include Story Junction, masterclasses, and one-on-one mentorships, she stated.

Presented in cooperation with the Berlinale Talents, an initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, Talents Durban is a five-day development programme consisting of workshops and seminars

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for African filmmakers delivered by film professionals and academics. It is one of the six Talents International programmes formed

by Berlinale Talents.

The Talents, who are selected through a rigorous application process, will also have the opportunity to attend screenings and other events at the DIFF. The other Talents programmes include Talents Beirut in Lebanon, Talents Buenos Aires in Argentina, Talents Sarajevo in BosniaHerzegovina, Talents Tokyo in Japan and Talents Guadalajara in Mexico.

Other participants are: Amirah Tadjin (Kenya), Desmond Denton (South Africa), Flavia Motsisi

race Edwin-Okon has produced yet another brilliant and educative short film, Deeply Cut – The Hepatitis B

Dilemma.

The screenwriter, author, producer, actress and former beauty queen told TheNiche that it is one of two short films she recently made.

Deeply Cut, with executive pro-

(South Africa), Hiwot Getaneh (Ethiopia), Izette Mostert (South Africa), Kennedy Omoro (Kenya), Maragert Wacera (South Africa), Nathan Rice (South Africa), Peter Seduffia (Ghana), Razanajaona Luck (Madagascar), Sakhumzi Mati (South Africa), Sameh Morsy (Egypt), Sheetal Magan (South Africa), Tamara Dawit (Ethiopia), Thea Small (South Africa), Tumelo Moutlana (South Africa), Wim Steytler (South Africa) and Yara Pereira (Mozambique).

Talents Durban participants will have access to all industry masterclasses, panel discussions and festival functions. In addition,

ducer as Kehinde Omoru, she said, tells the story of Bili’s greed that leads her to desperate measures to make extra money. This leaves in her trail a lot of possibly infected casualties, including her bosses.

“It also educates people about Hepatitis B,” she added.

The project stars Eniola Badmus, Kiki Omeili, Ashionye Raccah, Saeed Mohammed (Funky Mallam) and Judith Audu, while the music is

the talents will be invited to all festival functions as well as events of the Durban FilmMart.

Each of the Talents Durban participants will receive a mentor for an intensive programme of one-on-one consultation and project and strategy development workshops for the entire group. The mentors selected are experts in their respective fields (e.g. documentary, fiction, drama series, web, mobile content, TV) that suit the needs of the participants and their projects.

Talents Durban is supported by the Goethe Institut SA, the German Embassy in South Africa and the Gauteng Film Commission.

by Glowreeyah Braimah. The short film is produced by Roxanne Care Options and Derwin Productions.

Edwin-Okon conceptualised and set up the Derwin First Shot Initiative to give young men and women their first shot at shooting their first “feature film”, by providing the needed funding, professional guidance and support required for them to do so. Mrs. and Mrs. Johnson is a product of the initiative.

tainment

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

with Terh Agbedeh

Encounter @ the Shrine holds June 18

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IG Time Expressions presents Encounter @ the Shrine, a music and dance concert, which promises to be fully loaded, with awesome and entertaining content, on June 18, from 3pm to 8pm at the New African Shrine, Ikeja, Lagos.

The Society for Performing Arts in Nigeria (SPAN) one of the many supporters of the event confirmed to TheNiche

that the programme will not only be refreshing but also a bundle of fun.

Gate is open to all who are interested at no fee.

Included in the programme for the day are dance battle organised by Wajo, lots of freebies and gifts.

Sammie Okposo, Mike Abdul, Mike Aremu, Iyebiye, S.O.D, SPAN, Wajo, DJ Mow, Olufunmi, Oxygen Music Group, ICE, Segun Lawal and and a host of others will be performing to make the occasion memorable.

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Henrietta Kosoko: A thespian steeped in her trade

Favourites

Diana Bada Song: ‘Don’t Rock My Boat’

by Bob Marley Music Video: ‘Where they from’ by Missy Elliot ft Pharrel Movie: Hair Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Tope Tadela Award-winning actor, Tope Tedela, was a year older last Sunday. Born TemitopeChristopherTedela,he came to acting limelight with his role in A Mile from Home, which won him the Best Actor in a drama at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers’Choice Awards (AMVCA).

The mass communications graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has since been on award-grabbing spree with trophies from the Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA), Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards, Express Star Awards and the Nollywood Movies Awards (NMA).

Apart from his role as Julian on the television series, Edge of Paradise, he is a voice-over artiste and broadcaster.

Okposo

Aremu

Film Festival that has been renamed Zuma, organised by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), which had its first edition in 1992.

“Prior to that time, I had been invited by the British government to attend a training programme at the BBC in Scotland in 2001, which was basically Edinburg Film Festival. I was there for about six weeks to study the way the festival is run.

“When I came back, I felt festivals are not even government-run. If you look at it very well, governments only create the enabling environment for festivals to thrive. From Berlin to Cannes, they are all non-governmental in scope. So, I felt there was a need for us to create a festival in Nigeria. That was why in 2003 we started this plan and by 2004 we birthed with the first edition,” he had said.

He explained that, at that time, it was a travelling festival, in the sense that while they were in Abuja, there were no cinemas, so they had to make do with a projector.

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Birthday

13th AIFF accepting entries till July 31

rganisers of the Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF) are still accepting entries until July 31.

The festival founded by filmmaker Fidelis Duker will take place from October 4 to 7 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The genres for which filmmakers are expected to make submissions are: features, short documentaries, experimental and animation. Interested participants can get more details at the festival’s website.

Duker once told our reporter that his company, Nafifo Ventures, pioneered the festival circuit in Nigeria with AIFF being the oldest apart from the National

June 12, 2016

enrietta Kosoko, actress and wife of actor Jide Kosoko, is dead. She died on the morning of Monday, June 6 at 53.

Said to have slumped and rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, only two weeks ago, she celebrated her 53rd birthday.

A source close to the family said she has been battling diabetes for a while.

She came into limelight in

“We were projecting the festival films at different locations in Abuja, in hotels and so on. Why we stayed this long is because one, we came into the business of film festival not specifically for money-making.

It was my own way of contributing. I felt I needed to create a legacy, so that even when I am no more in the business, when you mention my name you will remember me with the festival. And I felt that though I had made so many films, let me create a niche, and that was how we started the festival in 2004,” said he.

Another reason, he said, is because of the passion he has for the industry in which he has worked most of his life.

“Interestingly, what I have found out over the years is that the festival has also given me a wider understanding of the challenges of filmmakers, particularly the younger filmmakers who have nowhere to screen their films.

“We found out that what we were seeing in Idumota in those days were feature films made by commercial filmmakers.

These young boys from the film schools, who had brilliant ideas, could not screen their films and we never got to see these films. We felt this festival will be an opportunity for them to screen their films.

People should see your film and make comments, whether negative or positive.

We felt this was a very good medium where we could do that,” he added.

1995 after starring in the movies Omolade (written and produced by her husband) and Onome. A cross-over actress who knew her onions, she was comfortable with roles in English or Yoruba.

A wake has since held in her honour with many a Nollywood actor in attendance to pay their respect.

Other movies that have benefitted from her great acting talent are: Boya Lemo, Eleda Teju, Alayaki and a host of others.

Born on May 30, 1964,

she hailed from Delta State.

A trained caterer, she was into that business before acting came along, no doubt through the influence of her husband.

She might have been a part-time actor, but when she met her husband in Mushin, Lagos, he encouraged her to become a full-time actor.

Hip-hop artiste, LT, is one of the twins she had from a previous marriage.

Her children and husband survive her.

New music

‘Best Rapper’ Rapper, MIN (Music is Natural) has released a new single titled ‘Best Rapper’ featuring two other rappers, Paybac and the Hennessy VS class captain, Blaqbonez. If there was ever a tight rap song, pundits are saying that this is it. It is therefore no surprise that it is enjoying a lot of play on terrestrial and online radio.

Location

Flash of Pain The movie, Flash of Pain, is currently in the making with cast and crew on set. Directed by Emma Anyaka, it stars Rachel Oniga, Seun Akindele, Adibeli Ify, Chiwetalu Agu and a host of others.

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TheNiche June 12, 2016

FREE SPEECH

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By Sani Abdulrahman

t’s a particularly humid April morning at the Government Girls Day Secondary School in Gusau, Zamfara State, where Mariam and her 63 other classmates sat with their eyes steadfastly glued to the blackboard as the teacher introduced a new topic in Chemistry to their young and inquisitive minds. It’s one of the marathon revision classes scheduled to prepare these young female scholars for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination starting in a few days. Even my presence and camera did little to break their rapt attention as they tried to absorb every term and equation on the board. The stakes are high.

Two years ago, thousands of miles from Gusau where Mariam and her friends are having their preparations, a larger group of female students were undergoing a similar exercise in a similar institution before tragedy struck. A tragedy that shook Nigeria to its very foundation and held the attention of the whole world for months after 276 female students were kidnapped by terrorist group Boko Haram from then Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State. Fifty-seven of them managed to escape and since then the clamour for the release of the remaining 219 is on.

The Chibok Girls, as they are now known, have proved to be a watershed in Nigeria’s fight against insurgency. Two years later, the North East communities ravaged by the war are springing to life again, though the scars remain. A particularly worrying scar is the damage done to female education in Northern Nigeria. While there is no concrete data available yet to compare enrolment rates in primary and secondary schools before and after the tragic incident, it is incontrovertible that some damage was done to the psyche of parents who are desirous of sending their children to school, especially the female ones.

That unfortunately is a rather unpleasant com-

Defying the odds: Girl-child education in Zamfara

www.thenicheng.com

plication to a grim reality. The global figure for outof-school children is estimated at 121 million, 65 million being girls, and over 80 per cent of these girls live in Sub Saharan Africa. According to The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 40 per cent of Nigerian children aged six to 11 do not attend any primary school, with the Northern region recording the lowest school attendance rate, particularly for girls. Despite a significant increase in net enrolment rates in recent years, it is estimated that there are still 10 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, most of them girls. Of those fortunate enough to enrol, less than two-third complete primary school and even fewer girls finish secondary school.

Zamfara State has proved, in recent years, to be the silver lining in the cloud of female education in Northern Nigeria. The state has the highest enrolment figure for girls in primary and secondary school in the North West, and third highest in North West and North East combined. Indeed, Zamfara is the only state in the North West and North East to have more girls than boys in secondary school in the last two years. The number of girls who enrol in school and complete their O’ level also increased by 40 per cent in the last three years. It doesn’t end there. In five out of 14 local government areas in Zamfara, there are more girls than boys in both public and private primary schools. One of the very few states in Northern Nigeria with such record. These statistics are by no means accidental, but as a result of deliberate moves by and strategic policies of the current administration in Zamfara led by Governor Abdul’aziz Yari.

Close to the Government Girls Day Secondary School is Government Girls Arabic Secondary School, a manifestation of the strategic purposefulness with which the current Zamfara government has pursued improvements in girl-child education in the state. Most parents do not send their children, especially girls, to school and prefer to send them to Qur’anic rather than formal schools.

One of the secrets to getting parents to enrol their children in school, especially girls, and keeping them there in Zamfara is the provision of alternative school structures and curriculum, an example of which is the Arabic schools in the state. Government Girls Arabic Secondary School, for instance, sits close to Government Girls Day Secondary School. Both are girls-only secondary education institutions with modern facilities. The former places more emphasis on Arabic Studies than the latter.

The availability of such diverse options has made it possible for the state government to convince parents to send their girls to school without the fear of erosion of values they hold dear The School For Continuing Education for Women in Gusau is yet another example of the determination of the Zamfara State government in ensuring that girls are women in the state are trained, educated and empowered to compete with not just men, but their peers worldwide.

Many children do not attend school because they are needed either at home or to bring additional income into the family. The burden of catering for the family is often placed upon the girl-child at a young age, and as a result many of them are unable to complete their education, if they are lucky enough to start at all. This gap is what the Zamfara government has managed to bridge through the provision of a specialised educational system to cater solely to young married women.

Government Girls College in Talata Mafara is the only female science school in Zamfara and one of the few that exists in the North West. This is where the future female doctors and engineers from Zamfara are being trained. The school spots one of the best boarding facilities in Northern Nigeria and full housing facilities for staff. An ultra-modern laboratory and well-stocked library are pointers to the seriousness with which the government takes the training of these crop of aspiring female scientists.

This story of girls in Zamfara who are defying all odds in the pursuit of education will not be

complete without mentioning the investments made by the governor in this sector. Yari stepped into the governance of Zamfara and had to take far-reaching steps in raising the standard of education in the state. More than 300 new blocks of classrooms were constructed and commissioned in the first year alone. A 7,000-capacity teachers training centre was built in Gusau fully equipped to prepare teachers for the latest demand in teaching profession.

The current administration has gone to great lengths to take Zamfara out of the bottom rung of WAEC pass rates it was in 2012 by placing emphasis on the education of girls and women. The 2016 budget of the state and amount allocated to education shows the government is serious further reducing the number of out-of-school children in the state. Due to high poverty rates, most families cannot afford the associated costs of sending their children to school such as uniforms and textbooks.

This hurdle has been removed by making education free in the state. Added to that is the school feeding programme as an incentive to keep children in school and keep the properly nourished for the intellectual rigour of learning.

Just two months ago, an advisory committee set up for the revival of the education sector in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states, headed by former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, submitted its report. The governor, who received the report on behalf of his colleagues, gave indications that nothing less than 35 per cent of the annual budget of the state will be allocated to education.

This is the kind of good news Mariam and other girls in Zamfara need to inspire them for the challenges ahead. If the pace of advancement in girl-child education in Zamfara is maintained, the Yari administration would have succeeded in providing a template for tackling one of the greatest obstacles to the development of the Northern region.

loyalty and national followership.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used the National Unity Government to knit a fragmented nation together at the dawn of the new democratic era. A leading member of the opposition, Bola Ige, became the Minister of Power, though Obasanjo performed poorly in the South West. Obasanjo/ PDP saw the overriding need to dilute the bad blood brewed by the annulment of June 12 presidential election and the ugly events that followed it. In 2011, PDP also zoned the Speakership of the House of Representatives to the South West despite performing poorly there.

In contemporary America, President Barack Obama has appointed at least 18 Republicans, including Robert Gates (Secretary of Defence, 20092011) and John McHugh (Secretary of the Army), Chuck Hagel (Secretary of Defence, 2013-2015), Ben Bernanke (Chairman of the Federal Reserve, 2010-2014), and Jon Huntsman Jr. (Ambassador to China, 2009-2011), into key positions.

The truth is that a country dies when it dies in the hearts of her citizens. She dies slowly and painfully when it evokes only indifference and indignation among any section of the citizenry.

As Senator Ekweremadu has often pointed out, even before the 2015 polls, global experiences show that a people who feel unjustly treated and alienated would never be interested in peace or in contributing their quota to national development. The resurgence of Biafra consciousness in the South East and South South as well as the rebirth of militancy in the Niger Delta may well lay credence to this.

Now, whether it was by coincidence that both the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ekweremadu, were born the same year (1962), one cannot tell. But their emergence as presiding officers of the eighth Senate was more like God going out of his way to do for us that which we could not really sit down to do for ourselves. After all, as it is often said, God is a Nigerian.

Although the South East and South South regions voted overwhelmingly for the PDP and rejected the APC, their electoral choices do not make them less Nigerian, and indeed an important part of Nigeria. For one, oil revenue, the lifeblood of the nation, flows from their territories. Again, although it is now the minority party, PDP still commands a strong representation that almost equals the numerical strength of the ruling APC in

the Senate.

Ekweremadu’s emergence, therefore, partly filled a big hollow that could have occurred in running a vast country like ours without the South South/ South East in any principal position. It also partly solved the challenge of accommodating a potent force like the PDP. Unfortunately, for the bi-partisan Senate leadership, which Ekweremadu’s emergence created, the sea has been anything but calm. Yet, the good thing is that Saraki and Ekweremadu have so far jointly and successfully waded through the stormy, muddy, shark-infested political waters, charting a trajectory for a more resourceful Senate in the past 365 days.

For Ekweremadu in particular, the past one year has put paid to some outlandish lies, misconceptions, misgivings and mischiefs peddled by propagandists at his emergence.

First, it is common knowledge now that it is not anathema to be elected a presiding officer from the opposition/minority party as Section 50 of the 1999 Constitutions shows. It has additionally emerged that even before Ekweremadu’s re-election, the APC had, in the same June, produced the Speakers of the Benue and Plateau Houses of Assembly, even as a minority party in those states. There was also an antecedent in the seventh NASS. Further, Ekweremadu has shown that a deputy president of the Senate of the opposition stock does not necessarily have to work against the country’s President and/or the ruling party’s programmes, so long as they are in Nigeria’s interest.

The Saraki/Ekweremadu-led Senate has so far given all needed corporation without necessarily being a rubber stamp. They have even got the Senate to bend backwards on certain matters, including the 2016 Budget.

Additionally, the PDP Caucus in the National Assembly has proven itself a most responsible opposition; one that understands that the federal government is one and concerns itself with the welfare of Nigerians. Citizens face the same challenges, irrespective of party affiliations. There are currently no separate foodstuff market or exchange rate for those who voted for change and those who voted against it.

Ekweremadu declared in a recent interview: “As PDP, we are Nigerians and we love Nigeria as well. We are not going to hinge our return on the failure of the APC. No. Certainly, we want APC to succeed. We would like APC to succeed in the

interest of Nigeria.”

Only recently, the PDP took the lead, even ahead of the APC, in praying for Buhari’s quick recovery as he embarked on London medical trip.

Ekweremadu, who led the prayer at Wadata Plaza, prayed: “Father, you give power to whom you have chosen. This your servant, General Buhari, you have made him our President today. Father, may it please you to give him good health. Whatever is afflicting him, Father, we are appealing to you to stretch your healing hands and make him whole again.”

Ekweremadu has also shown a high level of neutrality and patriotism expected of a presiding officer. The high point was during the ministerial screening when all PDP senators, except Ekweremadu, stormed out of the chamber to protest the decision of the Senate to go ahead to screen former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, despite indictment by a Rivers State panel over alleged corruption. As another PDP senator later explained, it did not necessarily mean that Ekweremadu was not on the same page with his party, but he is a presiding officer of the Senate, not that of the PDP. Again, just as Ekweremadu’s total loyalty to Senator David Mark enthroned unparalleled stability in the sixth and seventh Senate, he has also shown unalloyed loyalty to Saraki. He has continued to weather the storm with him and in the ongoing effort to reconcile contending interests within the Senate. In the ongoing Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) trial, Ekweremadu, along with other senators, have displayed courage and solidarity for their President, standing staunchly together in defence of the independence of the legislature.

Saraki, in his goodwill message to Ekweremadu on his 54th birthday in May, described his deputy as “dependable, solid, and progressive”. This can indeed be rightly deemed as Ekweremadu’s oneyear report card.

Ekweremadu has truly shown that though tongues and parties may differ, our national needs are virtually the same. Therefore, it behoves our political leaders, across party lines, to fold their sleeves and work concertedly to lift the nation from her humongous challenges. A man whose house is on fire does not go chasing rats about.

• Anichukwu is Special Adviser on Media to Deputy President of the Senate

Ekweremadu and bi-partisan Senate leadership

By Uche Anichukwu

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resident Abraham Lincoln was bidding for another term of office in the final days of the American civil war in 1864.

He shocked the war-torn nation by dropping his Vice President and fellow Republican, Hannibal Hamlin, and chose Andrew Johnson, a ‘War Democrat’ from Tennessee, as his running mate.

American historians adduce two major reasons for this. The very bloody American civil war divided the country between the Union (the United States national government and the 23 free states as well as five states at the border that supported it) and the Confederate States of America (11 states in the South that opposed the Union). With victory over the Confederacy/South now almost a fait accompli, Lincoln wanted to demonstrate leniency and that he was after America’s unity, not conquest and retribution.

A statesman, Lincoln was also thinking ahead about the post-war re-construction. A Southern Vice President would serve as a foothold, Tennessee would serve as a gateway to the South, while a Democrat would put both parties on the same page in ending the war, in re-construction and re-integration. Lincoln even went on to temporarily rename Republican Party the National Union Party for the purpose of that election.

Although the Nigerian 2015 presidential election was not a war in the true sense of it, it bore quite some semblance of it. The propaganda, the manipulation of ethno-religious and sectional sentiments was just too high. It turned citizens against one another, with a great number fleeing to their regions. The tension was palpable and choking, and Nigerians feared for the worst.

Thank God for that singular patriotic congratulatory phone call from then President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which pulled Nigeria from the brinks and deflated the ballooning trepidation.

Ordinarily, the greatest task before a post-2015 election Nigerian government (whether APC or PDP) should have been to take immediate steps to re-unite Nigerians; to deploy the virtues of equal opportunity, fair treatment, accommodation, and forgiveness (if voting for a different party is indeed a sin) to enthrone a higher order of patriotism,

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

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TheNiche

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Close Up June 12, 2016

‘I attended college just to acquire knowledge’ For Ozomelam Umah Okorie (a.k.a. Emodee), music started while he was nine. He did not stop when he got to secondary school or even at the University of Port Harcourt where he studied. Now on his way to stardom, the up-and-coming musician who organises the Miss Ututu Beauty Pageant in his hometown tells Assistant Life Editor, TERH AGBEDEH, the road he has so far taken.

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ow have you been with music?

I started singing, performing for people right from the age of nine.

I was still in primary school then. I had my band. From there to secondary school I was still doing it and I was known for music and performance when I was in secondary school. I was still doing it when I entered higher institution. I didn’t go to the higher institution because I wanted to work in any company or office, I felt I needed to go to school to acquire knowledge.

What did you study?

I studied theatre and media art at the University of Port Harcourt. I (majored in) directing. I am supposed to be a director in Nollywood; but since music is what I like doing, I decided to go with music.

Do you direct your own videos?

Yeah. But since I don’t have my own camera, I still invite a director. However, before that, I would have my own concept.

As a nine-year-old, where were you performing: school, church or elsewhere?

We had this children drum set designed with strong waterproof (nylon bags). I had my band with my players, and whenever they were playing, I would be singing. People were inviting me to perform. They loved me perhaps because I was a little boy who was already a performing artiste.

Where were you based then?

I was in my hometown then, in Abia State.

So, at nine you already knew that you were going into music?

Yeah. My primary school was at Aba, but my parents were in my hometown, and anytime I visited them I continued with the music. But then, in Aba, I was known for my music.

Your parents didn’t mind?

I think it was giving them joy because I was also doing well in school.

Are you the first child?

I am the last born.

Your first paid show.

Even while I was in primary school, I was getting money (from performances). But it was not a negotiated payment. It was when I was in the higher institution that I got to know that someone could call you for a show and ask you how much you were going to collect, and you could bargain on the fee.

That was when I started collecting money (to perform).

If someone were to give you an open cheque for a performance, what amount would you fill in?

It depends on the kind of show, the place and the performance the person wants. That is what determines how much to charge.

How much were you getting for your performances in the university?

In school, even if it is N2,000 because you want to become known, you (take it). Then when you are going outside the school into town (with this one, stress is involved, transportation is involved and time is also involved), the money increases, maybe you double the amount.

Would you say that you are popular now?

I am still climbing to that point. I can’t say that I am well known now.

Have you decided where you want to get to?

Sure, and I know I will get there. I want to be the number one artiste in Africa.

What steps are you taking to get there?

I have not really relented. I can remember that some of my friends that we started the music together (because of one thing or another) dropped out and now concentrated on other businesses. Some who also graduated from the university found

themselves jobs in companies. I got so many jobs in Port Harcourt, but said I am not going to work...

Including from a multinational oil company?

No. I got a bank job, but I don’t see myself in that sector, so I decided to stay strong, believing that one day I would get signed to a good record label to push me since I am not that financially strong to push myself.

What brand of music are you into?

The kind of music I do generally is secular. So I do hip-hop; Nigerian hip-hop, not really core hip-hop, reggae hip-hop. I also do R&B. So, would you say you are one of those born for music?

Sure.

You had a band when you were nine; are those kids in the band with you still in music?

It is only one or two of them; most of them are off music.

How does that make you feel?

It makes me feel great that I still know what I want. At a point, they were like; you don’t want to quit, others are quitting. But since I know what I want, I stayed strong and I will still stay strong till tomorrow because I know where I am heading.

What is the label you are on called?

Godek Records. It is a new record label.

Apart from being an artiste on the label, do you perform administrative functions or other duties?

No, I just bring ideas. I am like the founder of the record label because the man was never into entertainment. It was because of me that he fell in love with entertainment. So I am the

senior artiste.

When were you signed on to the label?

March this year.

You have not done an album yet.

But I have done a song and also shot the video that will be dropping next week (this week).

When is your album due out?

How the industry is now, an album is not really the main thing; it is to have a hit that will shake the whole country.

Is ‘Toriba’ the track, for you?

Yeah, it is a hit track. But I am still going to do a bigger hit.

Do you think there is a chance in the industry for new acts like you?

The industry is not easy, but I don’t see anybody who is better than me in the industry.

I have been living in Port Harcourt for years, but I left for Lagos because I feel the best place for music is Lagos. I know so many artistes that I am better than who have made it today in Lagos, who are being celebrated. I believe I am the best, and once I step in they will know that someone has arrived.

Do you have any plans for anything humanitarian in the future?

Things change and the problem we are facing today in my community may not be the one we will be facing when tomorrow comes, when I must have made it big. So the problem at that time will determine what I will be doing for my people.

What language is ‘Toriba’?

It is a slang from Calabar.

What does it mean?

You cannot do anything to me.

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Relationship While single

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hough youth grow weary and tired, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint – Isaiah 40:30-31.

Being single can be tough, especially for someone who really wants to be in a relationship.

Such an individual becomes envious of those in committed relationships and thinks if s/he had someone, all their problems would go away.

They even go through the length of thinking that the reason they are single is because of a defeat in who s/he is. They become hard on themselves.

While single, the logical things to do are:

Tinu Agbabiaka

Love yourself

self to dinner.

Before you can love anyone else, you need to love yourself first, because nobody can love you more than you can love yourself.

A relationship won’t save you or fill some empty part of you. It’s easy to think this way because we all want to be loved by someone. It feels good to be loved.

But true love comes when two people love themselves first and can share that intimate love with each other.

Therefore, love yourself first!

Find ways to lift up your spirit

Love being around yourself You could go out to eat and treat yourself to a nice dinner.

Enjoy the meal and spending time with yourself. If you feel uncomfortable doing this, that means you need to do it again or try doing something else aside from treating your-

If you had a free afternoon, what will you do?

Think of things that will get you excited, and do it. If you already do this, there is nothing bad in trying something new.

Stop wishing what could have been When you find yourself thinking about the “what if’s” in life, try tasking yourself the following: “is this actually useful in helping me be happy right now”.

“Is it helping in any way?”

Probably not, then why waste your energy pondering about these things?

Stop idealising your ex

Your ex is not perfect. Accept it. We tend to associate this person with all of the good memories when we are feeling lonely.

The hard truth is this; your ex is a person that you are not in a relationship with any more. That is it; they are nothing more, nothing less.

Feel genuinely happy for others in relationships (including your ex) It is ok to feel jealousy, it is human nature. But when this act of jealousy is beginning to affect your happiness, or make you hate people, it is time to check yourself.

One way to get over some of these feelings is to verbally tell friends how happy you are for his or her relationship.

In turn, they are happy to hear it and that energy bounces back to you. The

He is caring, but I don’t him as my husband Dear Agatha I just have to compliment you for what you are doing.

There is this man who has expressed a desire to marry me but I don’t like him because he is much older than me. He is 35 while I am just 21. He has a Ph.D and is a lecturer.

He appears caring and a good man but I don’t want him despite the position of my friends that I give him a chance because of his attitude towards me. I honestly have never taken him or the idea of spending the rest of my life with him seriously.

However, my spiritual adviser’s statement that this man is my God-given husband is making me have second thoughts about him, even though it doesn’t alter the way I feel about him.

I’m honestly very upset with my spiritual guardian for this message because this man isn’t the type of man I want as a husband. He does everything I ask of him but I think he is doing it because he needs a young lady to marry.

I need a man I will love, cherish and be proud to introduce to people as my husband, not a man I will marry because I think I don’t have a choice. As it is, I don’t think I will be faithful to him, should I eventually marry him, because I don’t love him.

In addition, looking at him I don’t think he can give me the kind of satisfaction I want in bed, because am convinced his

manhood would be small. Even though we have not had sex together, I loathe men who are small sized.

Are you too of the view that he is my husband?

Please help me, because I know marrying him would be the worst mistake of my life. I don’t want to marry the wrong man.

Confused young lady.

Dear confused young lady From your email, you are not looking for an honest opinion but one that will fall in with the plans you have for yourself.

Nevertheless, I would be failing in my God-given assignment if I don’t try to tailor some of the jaundiced thoughts you hold about marriage generally and your situation in particular.

From experience, there is no substitute for truth. Your age is one of the challenges you are currently having. This is because at this age, your outlook in life is still cocooned in illusion which, in the real world, has no place at all.

Having gone through your doubts at your age and experienced the gripping influence of some of the romance books we read, I can guess correctly the mental image you have of your ideal man.

Painfully, those images are, most times, laced with poisoned arrows that end up destroying us at the end of the day.

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It is alright to want a tall handsome, young man who has what it takes to make our skin glow with passion and our friends feel a twinge of envy when they see us together.

But do you have what it takes to cope with such a man? Do you have what it takes to endure his kind of faults and pains?

This is the reason so many marriages involving our youths are collapsing like packs of cards.

It is mostly due to the lack of good foundation to premise the marriage.

Honestly, the things you said about qualities necessary for you to remain faithful to him are very right, even if they are unfortunately flawed in the sense that you are not also looking at other important factors that make a marriage work.

You are also not looking beyond the present into that pregnant future when good looks no longer matter but the quality of care and attention that a man is able to give a woman and vice versa.

Furthermore, what is all this internal agony you are putting yourself through if this man hasn’t touched something fundamental in your inner person?

Why are you finding it difficult to turn him down for good?

After all, it isn’t as if your parents betrothed you to him or that you are under some kind of obligation to anybody to consider his proposal whatsoever.

Ordinarily, the business of dating starts with a man expressing

Certified relationship expert

0817 313 7189 info@pclng.org, botl@pclng.org more you do this, the better you will feel about relationships.

You begin to associate relationships as something positive even as a single person.

Get out and meet people The best time to do this is when you are single (at any age). You may not find a relationship right away, but it’s always great to practise.

Go out for drinks/lunch with coworkers after work Don’t set any expectations for yourself, just go out there and have fun, and while at this, you might start to attract people you may be

interested in, without even realising it.

Find people you can relate to It is a lot easier to joke about the challenges of single life with someone who is also single. In fact, it’s helpful to know that you aren’t the only one thinking some of those "crazy thoughts".

Find people who you can relate to but also can lift you up, not put you down.

It is ok to be single, it is fun also, therefore embrace it.

Everyone is single at one point or another, and it is how you choose to live the single life that is up to you.

Auntie Agatha want

a likeness for a woman who has the responsibility of either accepting or turning it down.

If he is that loathsome to you, why are not you walking away and forgetting everything about him? Why are you even chewing on his proposal at all if your stance and attitude towards him are anything to go by?

This is what you should ponder on.

Why are you even considering him? The fact that you are unable to let go of his proposal or person should tell you that deep down, you have something going for him but you haven’t been able to decipher precisely why he has become something of a permanent figure in your thoughts and life.

On the surface, you don’t want him but deep in your subconsciousness there is something appealing about him, which is the reason you want my help and are confused.

No woman gets perplexed by the offer of a man she has nothing going for.

That you are shows there is something about him that you cannot ignore; something your inner person has discovered but which you haven’t, because you aren’t being honest to yourself.

You can only discover this if you allow the Spirit of God direct you properly.

Not every marriage will be between a handsome man and beautiful woman. The story of the Beauty and the Beast will always come to play in the lives of

0805 450 0626 (sms only) gathedo@gmail.com so many people who are really honest with themselves to look past the superficial.

At 21, you are still too young to know the real qualities that make a marriage work.

Sex is very important but it is an overplayed factor. If it were not, two people who enjoy undiluted sexual pleasures would not tell their friends that “beyond the good sex, we don’t have anything in common.”

No man and woman live their marriage inside the bedroom alone. There is a whole life outside the bedroom and they all must add up to help keep the sex part stay relevant.

No matter how great the physical side of a relationship is, if the man isn’t caring, sensitive, responsible and attentive to his wife, or the woman respectful, appreciative and supportive of her husband, there will be no marriage at the end of the day.

Age and the other things that happen in our lives as we grow older each day on earth make it foolish for the success of any union to be built around the great sex theory alone.

Even as young couples, there are days your mind want it but your body is too weak to do it.

To guess the size of his male anatomy just by looking at him shows how far you have gone.

With your kind of experience, do you think a young man your age would have the calmness of mind to trust you or your presence of mind to want to make a

wife out of you?

Even some experienced women lack this knowledge to be so precise in their assessment of a male anatomy by merely looking at the man.

What this shows is that if you don’t meet the right kind of man who has the maturity to appreciate your kind of person, you may end up the punching bag of an over jealous male who doesn’t know how to curb what he might see as your excesses.

Again the essence of having spiritual guardian is to help in the job of intercessions. If you don’t trust the message of this person occupying this position in your life, then something is wrong somewhere.

Look at your heart and life for the truth, because as it is, you are in the best position to make the decision of what you want to do with your life.

Since you are collecting things from him, the best you can do for yourself is to learn to be objective in assessing him.

To continue to keep him for material gains while you treat him like an ancient piece of trash will one day boomerang as he too would soon get tired of your attitude and move on to a woman who appreciates his kind of person.

Don’t wait until then before taking an X-ray of what you really want and not what you think you want.

Good luck.

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TheNiche

Faith

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Don’t’ take public goodwill for granted, Okogie warns Buhari Anthony Okogie, archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos Metropolitan See, held a press conference as part of activities marking his 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a priest.

Okogie, a social critic for decades, also spoke on issues germane to national survival. TEMITOPE OJO reports excerpts.

How life has treated you It has not been all that smooth. The beginning was fair and I thank the good Lord for it. I was brought up in the Christian way and taught by my parents that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

My parents instilled in me that once I have the fear of the Lord everything would work out well, which is what has been keeping me.

Most memorable days During my early days as a priest, when I was asked to go to the war front, I trembled and ran to my bishop thinking I would be assigned somewhere else.

But he said I should go, that there were human beings in the war front.

Another time was when my junior was promoted and I began to wonder if I would have to start calling him “my lord”.

He came to the cathedral and I asked him what I should call him. He told me that in two weeks’ time my own promotion would come. In the same month, I was made the auxiliary bishop of Oyo and rejected by my own people.

It is one incident that I try to forget, but thank God it did not drag for along.

Two months later, when everything was calm and I was doing my work, I was brought back to Lagos as an auxiliary bishop. I was finally made an archbishop in 1973.

Nigerian democracy A large chunk of my years as the archbishop of Lagos was devoted to speaking out

against all forms of injustice and oppression of the downtrodden by those in positions of authority.

Though a clergy, I believe that it is the right of every citizen to aspire to actualise his God-ordained destiny within the framework of the larger society.

It is also my firm conviction that one should never be silent or docile when his or her fundamental rights are being unjustly trampled upon by those who have sworn by the Constitution to safeguard the welfare of all law abiding citizens.

These, to a large extent, have for years defined my guiding principles, actions, and utterances as a clergy and a citizen of Nigeria.

For instance, during my years as president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and also as two-term president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), during the Ibrahim Babangida military era, I did not shy away from saying the Gospel truth whenever it was obvious the country was being led stray by the leadership.

How well these agitations have been sustained to achieve set goals over time is a topic for another day.

Current state of the nation Though I may not be as visible as I used to be, I have, however, not relented in my commitment and desire to see to the entrenchment of a truly egalitarian society where justice, equity, and the fear of God would reign supreme.

These have always been my desire. You may say that at my age, since I am near

Okogie

Buhari may mean well for the country but, so far, his actions and utterances have failed to help put food on the table of the average Nigerian. This government needs technocrats. the departure wing to heaven, I should be indifferent to the numerous challenges confronting the country. I beg to disagree.

How can I remain quiet when 17 years into our democratic dispensation, the ship of our nation is being tossed about by self-inflicted storms that are drowning innocent lives by the day?

How can I keep mute when Nigerians have continuously been taken for a ride over the years by our politicians, who, rather than serve the masses, play them like the game of chess?

I want to affirm that as long as the good Lord gives me strength and the breath of life, I will never remain

silent while this country is in turmoil.

On Sunday, May 29, we marked Democracy Day under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but is there much to really celebrate?

Seventeen years into our democratic dispensation, have we really matured as a nation? What lessons have we learnt from the errors of the past and what efforts are we making to avoid a repeat?

The swearing in of President Muhammadu Buhari last year was perceived as a major milestone in the people’s quest for positive change and improvement in their quality of life. But a

year later, the people are still grumbling.

Indeed, the hardship has even doubled.

I want to make it clear here that I do not belong to any political party. I am only a concerned Nigerian who is saying it as he sees it.

Buhari may mean well for the country but, so far, his actions and utterances have failed to help put food on the table of the average Nigerian. This government needs technocrats.

For a long time people have been talking about farming and they gave it deaf ears, now they are talking about it but how much money have they given to farming to improve it? What

are they doing with the money they are getting from the looters?

Implications of oil pipeline vandalism For the years that the late President Musa Yar’Adua and his successor, Goodluck Jonathan, held sway, we saw a drastic reduction in the activities of militants in the Niger Delta.

Unfortunately, the militants are now back to the trenches under different pseudonyms. Their recent attacks on oil facilities in the region are daily crippling the country’s capacity to produce oil optimally.

The oil and gas pipelines ruptured in Warri West Local Government Area have also worsened the electricity generation plan of the government. For how long will this continue?

One fact is certain. Ours is a mono-economy that relies solely on oil for our foreign

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

For a long time people have been talking about farming and they gave it deaf ears, now they are talking about it but how much money have they given to farming to improve it? What are they doing with the money they are getting from the looters? exchange (forex) earnings.

With the sorry state of our economy, we cannot at this crucial time afford a further breakdown of oil production in the Niger Delta. That would further place the country’s finance in a precarious situation.

There is a popular saying that to jaw jaw is better than to war war. I am equally aware that Buhari has vowed to deal decisively with the militants.

Some days ago, the dailies reported that the military invaded Gbaramatu believed to be the home town of a wanted former militant, Tompolo.

While condemning the disruption of oil facilities under any guise, I equally want to stress that the use of military force is not the best solution.

guard the lives of citizens. No life is more important than another.

The questions many are asking are: who provided the herdsmen with AK 47 weapons? Are the herdsmen truly Nigerians or Boko Haram sect members, particularly as global terrorist watchers have listed them as terrorists?

However, I am glad at the outcome of the recent visit of Catholic bishops to Buhari during which he ordered the law enforcement agencies to quickly fish out the perpetuators of the dastardly acts and bring them to book.

If the identity and judicial trials of the perpetuators are made public, it will also assuage the grief of the affected communities in the knowledge that justice has been done.

Curbing herdsmen killings

Buhari’s fight against corruption

One of the most contentious issues facing the present administration is the carnage allegedly linked to Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the country. We are all too familiar with the Agatu killings and those of Nimbo in Enugu State.

First, I want to express my sincere condolence to the families of the deceased and pray that the good Lord will comfort them in their period of grief.

The loss of lives in any form is very sad, particularly if such lives are cut short in such tragic circumstances as the attacks by the herdsmen. Such barbaric acts only dehumanise us.

Some have opined that the failure of Buhari to make a public pronouncement immediately the issue came to national discourse is borne out of his affinity to those concerned.

That aside, I want to reiterate that it is the responsibility of the government to safe-

One of the major campaign slogans of the APC last year during the electioneering was the fight against corruption.

Coming at the wake of alleged endemic looting credited to the past administration, cleansing the land of supposed corrupt elements was perceived as a sure way of stabilising the country and entrenching speedy growth and development.

The past one year has seen the present administration making spirited efforts to recover looted funds and prosecute the offenders.

Despite these, Nigeria’s perceived reputation as one of the most corrupt nations on earth was reiterated by British Prime Minister, David Cameron, on the eve of an international parley when he branded Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt”.

The psychological impact of that statement made before Queen Elizabeth is still

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fresh in the minds of many of us.

While it is true that corruption has become endemic in this country, I also want to stress unequivocally that there are still men and women of high integrity who have not sold their birthrights to the monster called corruption.

I commend Buhari for his commitment to clean the polity. There is also need for him to be more systematic in the fight so that even after he leaves office the structure in place would make it difficult for corruption to thrive.

There have been complaints by members of the opposing party that the fight has been selective and only targeted at the PDP (Peoples Democratic Party).

Buhari must respond to this proactively by allowing the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to truly work independently, based on facts and figures at its disposal.

Handling agitation for Biafra Many of us who witnessed the pogrom that was the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970 have yet to come to terms with the devastating effects. That is why it is imperative that we do not have a repeat of the civil war, God forbid.

Buhari should, therefore, do the needful by releasing Nnamdi Kanu [leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB] as a sign that he is ready to dialogue with the group.

He must remember that it is the right of any group to peacefully seek for secession if it feels marginalised.

The use of force is never the right approach to quell such agitation.

Image of CAN I was there for eight years, some persons were not satisfied because they had a hidden agenda and were questioning if it had to be Catholics alone.

Years ago, almost everybody respected CAN, both in and outside Nigeria. We lost our birthright when Sunday Mbang made a very

Okogie

I commend Buhari for his commitment to clean the polity. There is also need for him to be more systematic in the fight so that even after he leaves office the structure in place would make it difficult for corruption to thrive. bad mistake by selling us to [former President] Olusegun Obasanjo. Since then, OBJ lost respect for us.

Whenever we wanted to hold a meeting, we sourced for the resources from our pockets, we did not go to the government for funds; because if you are serving God He will take care of you.

I’m sorry to say that what is happening in CAN is a disgrace to Christianity. And it is going to go on until a God-fearing person heads it.

Abducted Chibok girls It is good news to hear that some of them are back, though people still doubt if they were among those taken away.

I do not really know how the rescue is going to take place, since the government is not willing to give in to

their abductors’ terms.

Buhari describing Jonathan as a patriot for conceding defeat The truth cannot be hidden. I can remember what the APC said about Jonathan during the election campaign and what people are saying about him as if he did nothing for Nigeria.

That comment coming from Buhari, I think it is an open confession and he too has to be very careful because people are watching him.

Advice to Buhari The task of building a viable nation calls for the involvement of everyone of us. Evil thrives when good people stay aloof. We must

therefore continue to hold our nation accountable.

The days of impunity are over. We must prove to the international community that there are good people among us; that we are not all corrupt as some believe.

We must call our leaders to order when they err and commend them when the need arise.

So, my advice to Buhari and his associates is this: do not take the goodwill that you enjoy from Nigerians for granted. Do all that is necessary to revamp the economy before things get out of hand.

The economy in particular needs the input of tested experts. There is no shame in seeking for help in order to formulate policies that would attract foreign investors who would shore up our economic fortunes.

Chimara joins collated cannons

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Chimara

he Anglican Diocese of Ideato, Imo State will today, Sunday June 12, celebrate mass to consummate the promotion of some servants of God. It will be the occasion of the priestly ordination and collation of canons of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Arodizuogu.

The ordination will be

officiated by the Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri and the Diocesan Bishop of Ideato, Caleb Maduoma.

Those to be ordained priests are Emmanuel Olubuogu, Chukwuma Alozie, Sopuruchukwu Okwaraejiaku, Shedrack Chukwuzitere, and Abel Chibuike.

Those to be collated as canons include Kelechi Chimara, Godwin Okpara,

Godstime Okereke, and Chukwudubem Uduji.

Chimara is the vicar of Umuopia Parish in Akokwa Archdeaconry. He is also the Anglican Children Ministry (ACM) coordinator and chaplain of the Anglican Diocese of Ideato.

He is a man God has used immensely to His glory. He is humble and has exemplified himself as a servant of God, and is a source of inspi-

ration, counsel, and guidance to the youth of Ideato Anglican synod.

Chimara was preferred a statutory canon of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Arondizuogu at the third session of the sixth synod of the Diocese.

A thanksgiving service and reception in his honour holds on Sunday June 26, 2016 at Christ Church Umuopia, Akokwa, Imo State at 8am.

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TheNiche June 12, 2016

The Nigerian Charter

A brief history of Nigeria (2)

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• Continued from last edition.

ensions between the north and the south continue to dictate Nigeria’s political environment.

To at least install some balance, parties from north and south agreed to rotate the presidency. Meaning that a president from the southern region should always follow a president from the northern region and vice versa.

Each president can stay on for (no more than) two terms.

This informal arrangement did ease tensions somewhat, but at the same time reduced the accountability of Nigeria’s leaders.

Put differently, by allowing the arrangement to stand, it becomes less likely that voters will hold their leaders accountable for past mistakes. Instead, leaders are chosen on the basis of their ethnicity and the practice of favouritism is widespread.

Reasons why we are where we are Nigerians do not agree on anything – everyone is pursuing personal interest to the detriment of national

interest. Greed and corruption are rampant.

Corruption does not take place only in government. At religious organisations, private offices, schools, even our homes, corrupt practices are endemic.

Everyone is struggling to grab his share of the so-called ‘national cake’.

Political appointments have become an opportunity to ‘eat and settle' the boys and families and communities of such appointees.

The ‘carnival’ that takes place at the State House during the swearing-in of new ministers is a pointer to this.

Another reason for our deplorable state is the issue of bad leadership and the lopsided structure of the nation.

“When we hear a house has fallen, do we ask if the ceiling fell with it?” – Chinua Achebe.

Notable novelist Chinua Achebe’s tongue-in-cheek is a take on how everything rises and falls on leadership.

But it also begs the question whether a ‘House of Nigeria’ ever existed; if yes, what kind of ‘house’ was it?

Renowned constitutional lawyer, Professor Ben Nwabueze in a widely published article, ‘A New Nigeria of our Dream’, says “the Constitution is defective and unfit for the no less unaccept-

Becoming the best Ituah Ighodalo

Senior Pastor, Trinity House Zion Center e-mail:pastorituah@trinityng.org

able reason that the federal system which it establishes for the government of the state, while generally accepted as best suited to the circumstances and needs of the country, is too lop-sided and unbalanced by overconcentrating too much power and financial resources at the centre at the expense and to the detriment of the states which comprise the ethnic nationalities; it thereby fails to establish and maintain a proper balance between the needs and demands of building a nation and the preservation of diversity in a multi-ethnic, multireligious and multi- cultural country.”

Wole Soyinka’s submission spells out the crux of the trouble with the Nigerian edifice: “Centralisation, in short, has been the bane of the nation – on any level you choose – and nothing will answer the necessity of a harmonious relationship and development of its parts other than a severe curtailment of the control of the Centre over the functioning of its parts … any re-designing of the nation’s internal portrait must depend absolutely on strategies that emanate from the

Angels and demigods (1)

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ach person is a wholistic being who has a material aspect and a metaphysical aspect, but who is the soul. The problems of the world are so great that they cannot be addressed by looking at just one aspect of our existence.

There must be an appropriate marriage between the material, the metaphysical, and the spiritual. This is not only healthy but it is imperative and necessary for survival. Angels and demigods are important in this regard, for they are forces who can assist us in surviving and advancing.

The holy books and higher beings There are many dimensions to God's creation. There are lower hellish planets; medium planets; higher, heavenly kingdoms; and the spiritual world. There are many agents of the Supreme who are greater than us, have a more subtle nature, but are not quite God. The angels and demigods are in this category. An analogy is the President's cabinet. The President has many cabinet members who oversee different departments. There is a difference between a cabinet member and the actual head of state, the President himself.

Demigods, or devas, are the Lord's cabinet members. They oversee the affairs of the material world. People often mistakenly identify the demigods, or those who are empowered to represent the Divinity, as the actual Divinity Himself.

Angels are of a pious nature, as are the demigods. They differ from demigods in that angels are not serving in administrative positions.

Various scriptures refer to angels and demigods. Let's begin with the Bible. Genesis 1:1 says: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 2:1 says: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them."

If God created the heaven and the earth, we can understand that He existed somewhere else, and brought

into existence the heavens and the earth from His own abode. The heavenly planets are actually where the angels and the demigods reside.

The Supreme Lord is above the heavens, in the spiritual world [see chapter two]. Both the demigods and the angels are material beings but are more subtle material beings than earthlings.

From this, we may go to another point. In Genesis 1:26, we find something quite astounding, which we have all heard countless times: "And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air," and so on.

The "us" in this verse is plural and shows that God is not existing alone.

If God does not exist alone, who is He talking to? He is talking to the demigods. They, as the Lord's cabinet members, are taking responsibility for the creation of the beings in the material universes.

It is the demigods who say, "Let us make man in our image. Let us create a being in our image who has the ability to make spiritual progress. Let us advance the position of the earthlings so that they have more of a chance to aspire toward the Godhead."

As earthlings we are not a part of the original creation. The living entities on this particular planet are part of a secondary creation. It is just like a drama where after Act 1, the curtain closes. Then there is Act 2 and the curtain closes again.

Similarly, there is always creation, maintenance, and annihilation in the material universes, and then the curtains close. Then the entire process is repeated again and again. Only the spiritual kingdom is always existing, unperturbed by the vicissitudes of time.

Let's examine one more point in the Bible. Genesis 6:1-2 says: And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and they took

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them wives of all which they chose.

This indicates that there were contacts between the sons of God, or the demigods, and the daughters of men. This interaction produced humanity as we know it.

The Koran also discusses angels.

The Prophet Muhammad was able to give the knowledge of the Koran because of his contact with Angel Gabriel.

The Koran discusses angels coming to this world and presents their realizations and revelations, which vary according to time, place, and circumstance.

For example the Koran, Chapter 2, Verse 177 says: "It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the last day and the angels..." While belief in angels may not be as universal as a belief in the Divine Being, it is accepted generally in all major religions.

Angels in action There is a difference between angels and other entities such as ghosts. A ghost can be a disembodied entity, a being that didn't quite make the transition to its next physical body.

Even though it doesn't have a physical body, the desires for carnal involvement still persist.

For this reason, it tries to enter and use a physical body. A ghost performs pranks and basically has the same mentality as it did in its last embodiment. The ghost of a highly mischievous and devious person will emanate the same kind of disturbance as the individual did while in the physical body.

A ghost will make you fearful. If a ghost is present in your room, you will feel as though a breeze has just entered. If you are touched by the ghost, you will experience a sensation of coldness.

When you come into contact with an angel, it is not because the angel is lost as is a ghost; the angel is on a specific mission. The angel may give you a

people themselves.”

We have had poor, uneducated, uniformed, visionless, uncommitted leadership by largely selfish and ignorant people who lack proper training and character.

Apart from our covetous, barren and unproductive leadership, another issue is our equally greedy, impoverished and apathetic following.

During fuel subsidy crisis in January 2012, you could hear a lot of people saying “thank God, I didn’t bother to come out and vote.”

That kind of sentiment must change. You must be ready to get involved at whatever level, starting with yourself and your immediate environment and community.

What are our common goals?

Fuel subsidy crisis has shown that it is time for us all as Nigerians to stand up and agree on the basic tenets of our nation.

Some of those basic things we must all agree on as a nation and

pursue vigorously include: 1.

There must be an end to corruption and suppression by an elite ruling class.

2.

There must be provision of suitable infrastructure and basic needs for the ordinary Nigerian.

3.

There must be equal opportunity and a level playing field for all, irrespective of origin, class, religion, ethnicity or political affiliation.

We all must call a referendum to agree on these things and whichever government cannot deliver must stand down.

Every Nigerian must sign to this charter and agree to look for leaders who by history, proven track record and antecedent can deliver.

We will no longer put in power people who have not clearly proven themselves in leadership either in public or private.

Self-discovery Kavikarnapura Das

iskcon.lagos@gmail.com 0706 601 1800, 0812 324 5864

blessing, a benediction, a warning, guidance, and even protection.

An angel is not trying to enter into you and work through your physical form for sense gratification or to engage in pranks at your expense.

The presence of the angel gives you a sense of warmth, security, solace, and comfort. Angels have always been helpers to the material universe.

You may know from biblical studies that an angel appeared to Abraham to stop Abraham from slaying his son. An angel descended to close the mouth of the lion when Daniel was thrown into the pit. An angel appeared to take Peter out of incarceration.

Angels appeared to the Prophet Muhammad. These examples reflect the role of angels as helpers of humankind. The book of Revelations emphasizes the coming of different types of angels. There are many scriptural references to angelic interactions.

Sometimes one may have difficulties distinguishing between a helpful guide such as an angel and an entity that has its own selfish agenda in mind. A simple way to evaluate these beings is to discern whether they are pious or impious.

The efforts of the pious ones are directed towards assistance. The impious ones are literally trying to bring stagnation into your life. If you have contact with an extraordinary pious life force, don't waste time trying to determine the exact type of angel.

There are angels who are like babies or children, others who are feminine or masculine in manifestation, and still others who are of no sex. These specifics are not significant. What is significant is the message and how to use that message.

Also significant is whether the contact is destructive or upgrades your situation.

If you are attracting situations of a destructive nature, you have work to do to eliminate such association.

If you hear voices and are becoming fearful, you must determine how you can upgrade yourself.

An angel is vibrant and full of illuminating colors. Such beings give you a tremendous sense of peace in distressful situations. When someone is about to have a near-death experience or is in a trance or a coma, an angel may intervene to ensure that the person does not leave the body.

The angels commune with the person, telling the individual to return to the body to complete certain tasks. The angels describe what these tasks are.

Events like these have always occurred and will continue to happen.

Angels are appearing in our current day and age, especially to protect children. Sometimes children see them and report them. Other people who are sensitive or psychic also see them.

Some people are aware of angels as constant companions who accompany them for the majority of their lives.

For others, an angel appears to guide them out of specific difficulties.

Some of you have heard of Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and many other angels who become known according to their activities.

They protect and provide loving assistance to the living entities in this universe and other material universes as well. Angels may not necessarily reside in one particular universe, since they have the ability to move into other arenas.

Health

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

43

Rheumatic arthritis can occur at any age

R

heumatoid arthritis is usually associated with people over 40.

However, experts say it can occur at any age and is more common in women than in men.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that typically affects the small joints of the hands and feet.

Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects lining of the joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.

An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks the body tissues.

In addition to causing joint problems, rheumatoid arthritis sometimes can affect other organs of the body, such as the skin, eyes, lungs and blood vessels.

"Many people with arthritis and rheumatic diseases suffer from joint pain and stiffness, which can cause a person to avoid exercise out of the fear of increasing pain or causing injury.

“However, exercise, when properly planned and safely executed, can do just the opposite," explained Dr. Eze Obinna, a general practitioner.

He said though rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, it usually begins after age 40, and the disorder is much more common in women than in men and has been shown to be an increased risk in children if a parent is affected.

Arthritis is usually chronic and it progresses slowly. Specific causes for most forms of arthritis are not yet known.

Obinna said the three most prevalent forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis.

“Osteoarthritis, the most

common type, involves the joints, particularly the weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip, and spine.

“Osteoarthritis is characterised primarily by the destruction of cartilage and narrowing of the joint space. It can also include bone overgrowth, spur formation, and impaired function.

“It occurs in most people as they age, but also may occur in young people as a result of injury or overuse.

“Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread pain in muscles and soft tissues surrounding the joints throughout the body; while rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that involves the lining of the joint.

“The inflammation may affect all of the joints.”

The signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include: • Pain and stiffness in the joints.

• Swelling in one or more joints.

• Continuing or recurring pain or tenderness in a joint.

• Difficulty using or moving a joint in a normal manner.

• Warmth and redness in a joint.

Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect the smaller joints first, particularly the joints that attach fingers to hands, and toes to feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders.

In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of the body.

The symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go, and over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.

In addition to a complete medical history and physical examination, diagnostic procedures for arthritis usually include: • X-rays or other imaging procedures to show the extent of damage to the joint, blood tests and other laboratory tests.

• Rheumatoid factor test, to determine if rheumatoid factor is present in the blood.

• Urinalysis, to determine levels of protein, red blood cells, white blood cells, and casts and white blood cell count, to

determine level of white blood cells in the blood).

“There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Medications and physiotherapy can reduce joint inflammation in order to relieve pain and prevent or slow joint damage. However, severely damaged joints may require surgery,” said Obinna.

“Physiotherapy suggests pain and joint relief management, which may include new ways to do daily tasks, which will be easier on joints. For example, if the fingers are sore, one may want to pick up an object using the forearms.

“Assistive devices can make it easier to avoid stressing painful joints.

For instance, a kitchen knife equipped with a saw

handle helps protect the finger and wrist joints.

“Tools such as buttonhooks can make it easier to get dressed.”

If medications fail to prevent or slow joint damage, Obinna said doctors may consider surgery to repair damaged joints. Surgery may help restore ability to joints, reduce pain and correct deformities.

According to him, certain self-care measures, when used along with medications, can help manage the signs and symptoms. These include: • Regular gentle exercise helps strengthen the muscles around joints, and help fight fatigue.

However, avoid exercising tender, injured or severely inflamed joints.

• Apply heat or cold.

Heat can help ease your pain and relax tense, painful muscles. Cold may dull the sensation of pain. Cold also has a numbing effect and decreases muscle spasms.

• Relaxing techniques such as light naps and deep breathing can be used to control pain.

• Plant oils such as evening primrose, borage and black currant contain a type of fatty acid that may help with rheumatoid arthritis pain and morning stiffness.

• Some studies have found that fish oil supplements may reduce rheumatoid arthritis pain and stiffness.

With time, Obinna said, an arthritis patient would find what strategies work best for him or her.

44

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June 12, 2016

Kiddies

Arena Brain tickler

Temitope Ojo ibilade@gmail.com t.adegboye@thenicheng.com 0708 479 6140

Historical personality

Michael Okpara (1920-1984)

Two children, who were all tangled up in their reckoning of the days of the week, paused on their way to school to straighten matters out.

"When the day after tomorrow is yesterday," said Priscilla, "then 'today' will be as far from Sunday as that day was which was 'today' when the day before yesterday was tomorrow!"

On which day of the week did this puzzling prattle occur?

Solution Forward I am ton, backwards I am not.

Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I? Answer

The two children were so befogged over the calendar that they had started on their way to school on Sunday morning!

Invention Tape recorder

Joseph Begun graduated in 1929 from the Institute of Technology in Berlin, Germany, where he wrote an important research entitled Magnetic Recording.

In 1934/35, he built the world's first tape recorder used for broadcasting. He later created the first consumer tape recorder called the Sound Mirror.

Over the course of his career, Begun continued the development of sound recording media and improved the coating paper and ferromagnetic powders used with magnetic sound tape.

He also developed the Stahltone-Bandmaschine steel tape recorder in 1935 for mobile radio broadcasting.

M

ichael Okpara was born on December 25, 1920 in Umuahia, in present-day Abia State.

Although he was the son of a labourer, he was able to attend mission schools and later went to Uzuakoli Methodist College, where he won a scholarship to study medicine at Yaba Higher College, Lagos.

After completing medical studies at the Nigerian School of Medicine, he worked briefly as a government medical officer before returning to Umuahia to set up a private practice.

He developed an interest in the Zikist Movement (named after Nnamdi Azikiwe), a militant wing of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC).

After rioting workers were shot by police at the Enugu coal mines in 1949, Okpara was arrested for his alleged complicity in inciting the riot, though he was soon released.

He was elected into the Eastern Nigerian House of Assembly on the NCNC platform in 1952, after the granting of internal self rule.

Okpara was political leader and premier of Eastern Nigeria in the First Republic (1959-1966).

Between 1952 and 1959, he held various cabinet positions in Eastern Nigeria, ranging from minister of health to minister of agriculture and production.

In 1953, when NCNC legislators revolted against the party leadership, he remained loyal and joined forces with Azikiwe.

In November 1960, when Azikiwe left active politics to become Nigeria's first African governor general, Okpara was elected leader of the NCNC.

At 39, he was the nation's youngest premier.

He was a strong advocate of what he called "pragmatic socialism" and believed that agricultural reform was crucial to the ultimate success of Nigeria.

He acquired and managed a large farm in his hometown, called Umuegwu Okpuala Mixed Farms, which inspired many Eastern Nigerian leaders to follow suit.

He also championed the educational and infrastructural development of the East.

Okpara never owned a home of his own while he was in government.

He died on December 17, 1984.

TheNiche

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June 12, 2016

Kiddies Arena StarKid Name: Fiyinfoluwa Awoyemi Age: Four years Best colour: Red Best Food: Rice and fish Career goal: Doctor School: Royal Accolades Nursery/Primary School, Magboro

Be our StarKid: Send your child's full-sized photograph and details to ibilade@gmail.com.

A Man's A Man For A' That

45

Poems

By Robert Burns Is there for honesty poverty That hings his head, an' a' that; The coward slave - we pass him by, We dare be poor for a' that!

For a' that, an' a' that, Our toils obscure an' a' that, The rank is but the guinea's stamp, The man's the gowd for a' that.

What though on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin grey, an' a' that?

Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine, A man's a man for a' that.

For a' that, an' a' that, Their tinsel show, an' a' that, The honest man, tho' e'er sae poor, Is king o' men for a' that.

Ye see yon birkie ca'd a lord, Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that; Tho' hundreds worship at his word, He's but a coof for a' that.

For a' that, an' a' that, His ribband, star, an' a' that, The man o' independent mind He looks an' laughs at a' that.

A price can mak a belted knight, A marquise, duke, an' a' that; But an honest man's aboon his might, Gude faith, he maunna fa' that!

For a' that, an' a' that, Their dignities an' a' that, The pith o' sense, an' pride o' worth, Are higher rank than a' that.

Then let us pray that come it may, (As come it will for a' that,) That Sense and Worth, o'er a' the earth, Shall bear the gree, an' a' that.

For a' that, an' a' that, That man to man, the world o'er, Shall brithers be for a' that.

A Man's A Man For A' That

Be our poet: Send your poems to ibilade@gmail.com.

46

Arts TheNiche

with Terh Agbedeh

S

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June 12, 2016

REVIEWS&PREVIEWS

unday, June 5 was a day of reminiscences and projections by culture enthusiasts when the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) marked 25 years of its existence at Freedom Park, Lagos, with an Art Stampede themed: ‘25 Years of Culture Advocacy: What gains?

What prospects?’

Many of the artistes who were at CORA’s very first stampede in 1991 and those who have benefitted from the organisation’s activities over the years were present at the gathering where CORA’s Secretary-General, Toyin Akinosho, recalled the organisation’s origins and what it has so far achieved.

At the inception of the quarterly CORA Art Stampede and for so many years, Akinosho said, the organisation made sure there were three musts: a musical band, kegs of palmwine and groundnuts.

“We would often have an interlude after several hours of talk shop, dance for a full hour, and then return to the conversation, which could be anything from the quality of art criticism, the effectiveness of the Nigerian gallery space, when the Nigerian movie going is to emerge, to ideas around the culture producer in the marketplace,” he said.

He explained that venues were chosen sometimes to show their possibilities as performance spaces, as was the case in 1996 when CORA had a stampede in honour of Ben Enwonwu, at the rooftop gardens of the National Theatre, a venue they were to use several times.

He recalled that there was a huge argument about where to host the second Art Stampede in September 1991 which eventually took place at Jazzville.

From 1991, CORA hosted 110 stampedes, but then started doing Monthly Highlife Party, producing Lagos the City Arts Guide, producing Artists’ Forum, and running the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF).

He, however, said that there had never been a single year that CORA had less than two stampedes.

“Even those years are extremely rare, perhaps two out of our 25 years of being. In the last four years, for example, the March stampede has been part of the i-Rep Film Festival. Yearly, the November Stampede is the last event of the Lagos Book and Art Festival.”

What the stampede has largely achieved, he said, was to sow ‘ideas in the air’, that being one of the reasons CORA sees itself as a landscapist.

“The LABAF, for us, has been the best example of ‘sowing seeds’. Since it started in 1999, at the onset of our return to democracy, there have been several high quality book festivals that have purchased the franchise; in Port Harcourt, Rivers State; in Ake, Ogun State; in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State; in Awka, Anambra State. The only problem is, we haven’t received payment for the franchise,” he stated.

NOLA opens call for papers

Reminiscences as CORA marks 25

L-R: Akinosho (inset), Tunji Azeez, Toni Kan, Molara Wood and Abati For him, CORA has met the expectation of the arts community, as it is not a destination, really, but a work in progress.

“We didn’t set out to fulfil expectations; we wanted to instigate, to advocate for the arts. We should be tempted to claim the credit for a lot of things happening today in the creative industries,” he said.

“It has been all joy: no pain at all. We think that we should do more. Part of the joy is the growth of theatre performance, the evolution of Nigerian movie, the increasing diversity and complexities of exhibition making. One thing we are excited about is the growing number of culture events where ‘panel conversations’ are part of the menu.”

One after the other, visual artists, writers, dramatists, sculptors, movie and TV producers, actors and actresses, as well as critics, paid glowing tributes to the vision of the founders of CORA. In his contribution to the discussion, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reuben Abati, said CORA encouraged and provided a platform for Nigerian artistes to showcase their talents. Calling on the younger generation to emulate the example set by Akinosho and Jahman Anikulapo, he said Nigerians and members of the culture community could not do without the benefits of culture advocacy.

Expressing concern over the poor reading culture in the society, Abati said, “If in 1991 we complained

about the poor reading culture, I am afraid that it is worse now. The danger is that we are not encouraged to think.”

Toni Kan, a writer, said he was not convinced that Nigerians were not reading. For him, the question is not whether they are reading, rather what they are reading.

“I don’t believe that Nigerians do not read. I think it is the biggest fallacy in Nigeria. People read, but we have to ask ourselves: are we writing what they want to read? Those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s had this assumption that to be a writer, you have to write like Wole Soyinka. I think that is not what people want to read.

“Every morning when I am going to work on a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) vehicle, I see almost half of the people in the bus reading. They are reading Franklin Rogers, Jeffrey Archer and other bestsellers.

“I think Nigerian writers haven’t got the stuff that people want to read. They have been too intellectual, too Marxist and whatever. People want to read, but they are hungry for some kind of text. As writers, we should adapt our writing to meet that need.”

The stampede also had in attendance seasoned artists, writers, dramatists and culture activists, such as Prof. Duro Oni, Tolu Ajayi, Olu Amoda, Kayode Aderinokun, Ben Tomoloju, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Tam Fiofori, Muyiwa Majekodunmi, Wole Oguntokun, Tunji Azeez and Victor Nwokocha.

he Nigerian Oral Literature Association (NOLA) has made a call for papers, which will be presented at its bi-annual conference, taking place from October 19 to 22.

A statement from Membership Secretary of NOLA, Peter Omoko, explained that the conference will be hosted by the Centre For Gender Studies, Benue State University (BENSU), Makurdi.

This year’s theme is ‘Orality, New Media and Creative Industries’, with sub-themes that include ‘Oral Traditions, New Media and the Economy of Creative Industries’, ‘Orality, Social Media, Creative/Entertainment Industries’, ‘Oral Literatures, New Media and

Creative Industries’ and ‘Orality, New Media and Popular Culture’.

Others are ‘Orality, Folklore and the Internet’, ‘Orality, New Media and Digital Storytelling/Narration’, ‘Orality, New Media, and Popular Music’, ‘Oral Literatures, New Media, Theatre, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts’, ‘Orality, Oratorical Arts, Stand-up Comedy’ and a host of others.

Prospective participants can get further details from the Director, Centre for Gender Studies, BENSU, Professor Leticia Nyitse (host) or from Professor Godini Darah (president), Department of English and Literary Studies, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka.

T

Arts L

TheNiche

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agos will stand still from June 16 to 19 when it celebrates Benson Idonije at 80 around the theme, ‘The Benjay Phenomenon’.

The four-day line-up of events, the Benson Idonije @ 50 Committee stated, will take place at the Muson Centre, O’jez Restaurant and Freedom Park, all in Lagos, and capture the essence of the Idonije decades of contributing to broadcasting and music promotion.

Born in 1936 in Otuo, Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State, where he also started primary school, Idonije studied Communications Engineering at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, after his Cambridge School Certificate at Holy Trinity Grammar School, Sabongida Ora.

June 12, 2016

47

Celebrating Benson Idonije at 80

He joined the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (later Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, FRCN) in 1957 as Engineering Assistant, but moved to mainstream broadcasting in 1960 when, among other roles, he became a producer and presenter of such famous programmes as ‘The Big Beat ‘and ‘Stereo Jazz Club’, eventually participating in setting up and pioneering Radio Nigeria 2 (now Metro FM) in 1977.

The highpoint of his career in broadcasting was his transfer to FRCN Training School where, for eight years, he became principal lecturer and chief training officer, Programme Production from 1984 to 1992 when he retired.

After retirement, Benjay, as he is fondly called, contributed critiques, opinions and commentaries to many major arts-related journals in Nigeria and abroad. In 1996, he was formally

invited by The Guardian (Nigeria) to write for the newspaper; and he maintained three columns every week – Evergreen (Wednesdays), Sound and Screen (Fridays) and All That Jazz (Sundays).

He is perhaps the only columnist in any Nigerian newspaper with such frequency and resourcefulness. The wellresearched columns are individually widely acclaimed, attracting feedback – mostly commendations – from all over the world. The hundreds of articles have been collated into volumes for publication.

A 2012 recipient of the ‘Life Time Award for Journalism Excellence’ from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Benjay is also a Fellow of Adam Fiberesima School of Music and Conservatory, University of Port Harcourt.

‘Poor reading culture affects patronage of Yoruba literature’

T

he guest writer at the fourth edition of Yoruba Lakotun, Kehinde Adepegba, has said the poor reading culture of the Yoruba, the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and late adoption of technology have negatively impacted on the reading of Yoruba literature, which has largely preserved the culture.

According to the author of Okele Akobu, Ogbon Ologbon, and Eku Eda, “the youth of this generation have unlimited access to materials online and they have deserted reading hard copies of the literature that have been published sometime ago. He tasked publishers to help writers by publishing

the e-book versions of their books on various platforms and making it available to the global audience and increasing profitability.”

Adebayo Adegbembo, who developed ‘Asa’ app, said he and his team have been assiduously working on the preservation of the language through this app and are also working on other Nigerian languages, which are being accessed from other parts of the world.

Adegbembo’s words: “(The) Yoruba in Nigeria should not make the language lose its value because people from other parts of the world, especially those in Jamaica, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and the Caribbean, look up to us at the core areas where the language is spoken and we should not let

them down in speaking, writing, reading and listening in the language.”

The host of the programme, Olutayo Irantiola, mentioned the stride of the Lagos State House of Assembly, under the leadership of Mudashiru Obasa, which advocates that the Yoruba language be spoken compulsorily at both public and private schools in the state.

This gesture will help the language to survive and it will also aid the restoration of the dwindling moral values in the society.

The well-attended event had language and cultural enthusiasts from corporate and social Nigeria in attendance.

Kayode Adewale was on the band stand dishing out music to the delight of those present.

L-R: Olayinka Adeyeri, poet; Adegbembo, Iyabo Aboaba, COO, Lork Enterprise LLP; Irantiola, and Adepegba.

Putting a lie to churches’ ‘Biblical’ doctrines

Book Title: 100 Things Jesus Did Not Say Author: Vincent Chiedu Genre: Christian literature Pagination: 382 Year of Publishing: 2015 Publisher: Not indicated Reviewer: Innocent Anoruo

M

adeleine works in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with a gross annual income of $90,000. Every month end, her company deducts her mortgage, car loan, education loan, utility bills, etc at source, and what gets to her from the monthly $7,500 pay to take care of food, clothing and miscellaneous expenses is a paltry $2,500.

Planning to save 20 per cent of her pay ($1,500), her church demands 10 per cent of her ‘income’ as tithe. If, in order not to “rob God”, according to her pastor, Madeleine decides to tithe $750, will $250 be enough for fuelling her car, food, clothing and miscellaneous expenses?

Vincent Chiedu frowns at Madeleine’s church in 100 Things Jesus Did Not Say. Tithing is one issue that many churches have interpreted differently.

While community churches take it ‘cool’, ‘one man’ or ‘family’ churches get desperate over it.

A Catholic cleric once explained that God is not wicked as some people make him appear. He said some people do not tithe because their earnings are not enough to cater for their basic needs. “However, the Church encourages people to, if they are capable, even tithe more than 10 per cent of their earnings, cheerfully, because God loves a cheerful giver.”

Chiedu agrees with this. He said people who have excess of 90 per cent, after taking care of their needs, are expected to tithe even 50 per cent or more from that increase. For him, some churches over-tax members, whereas what the Bible demands is 10 per cent of the “increase”. In Chapter 19, he says ‘Jesus did not say you should give him

ten per cent of your turn-over revenue as tithe’.

To back up his assertion, he quotes Deuteronomy 14:22, “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year” (p78). His argument is that tithe should be from one’s “increase”, that means “profit”. This raises the question of whether transport, housing and other allowances should be included when tithing from one’s monthly salary.

However, he is not against tithing. Chapter 9 has ‘Jesus did not say we should not pay tithe’.

In this relatively controversial book, Chiedu, the President of Surrender and Triumph Outreach and Revival Ministries (STORM), tries to put a lie to some doctrines which various churches see as Biblical.

The equality of Jesus with God the Father is put to question in Chapter 6. The Trinity (three persons in one God) is one phenomenon that has divided Christianity. The Catholic Church, among others, believe that Jesus is “con-substantial with the Father” (refer to The Apostles’ Creed).

Still hitting on Catholicism among other churches, the book disagrees with the infallibility of the Pope or any other church leader in Chapter 29, where the author notes that ‘Jesus did not say that spiritual authority means that our leaders are infallible’.

Papal infallibility is a dogma of the Catholic Church that states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Peter, the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error “when, in the exercise of his office as shepherd and teacher of all Christians, in virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church.” Statements by a pope that exercise papal infallibility are referred to as solemn papal definitions or ex cathedra teachings. Also considered infallible are the teachings of the whole body of bishops of the Church, especially but not only in an ecumenical council.

The issue of sola scriptura, an invention of 16th century Protestants, comes up in Chapter 15 which has ‘Jesus did not say we could not read or depend

on any other book than the Bible’.

Sola scriptura (Latin: by Scripture alone) is a Christian theological doctrine which holds that the Christian Scriptures are the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice (Wikipedia).

Opponents of this doctrine hold that before the Bible was compiled as a book, Rev. 22:19 was only in the book of Revelation; so if that verse has to be swallowed hook, line and sinker, only the book of Revelation should be believed.

One other teaching that is rampant among ‘born-again’ Christians is alcohol consumption. In fact, while some ‘wiser’ born-agains say they avoid alcohol because it can lead to sin, the extremists say outright that alcohol consumption is sin.

But the book noted that Jesus expected Christians to “be not drunk with wine, wherein in excess; but be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). With this verse, more ‘liberal’ Christians preach moderation in everything, including drinking alcohol, eating, playing and even sleeping.

What did Jesus say about the salvation of those who are not Christians?

From sexual perversion to relationships, habits, leadership, nationhood, discipleship and ambition to science, prayer, commerce, gender, power, death, miracles and entertainment, Chiedu tries to point out teachings of many churches that Jesus did not sanction.

This mechanical engineer by training may have tried, with 100 Things Jesus Did Not Say, to hit on many churches, their leadership and their teachings. Aside those mentioned above, some churches preach against the use of jewellery, some teach that those in Christ are above life’s challenges, among others that brew controversy. All are treated in the book.

In our gullible society, where religion has become more than opium for the poor and illiterate (where pastors ‘extort’ the peasants to purchase private jets), this book is a ready tool for wisdom and general ‘change’ of attitude. It will make the reader

search the Bible more like the Bereans, which will lead to more knowledge of God’s principles.

Suspected to be a vanity publication (self-published book) because the publisher is not indicated, the book is relatively free of grammatical and spelling errors. However, North American and British spellings are used together in the book.

The book is a great intellectual material for church leaders, Bible scholars, Christians and every other person who wants to know what the Bible teaches.

• Anoruo is a Lagos-based journalist

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Fashion June 12, 2016

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Temitope Ojo ibilade@gmail.com t.adegboye@thenicheng.com 0708 479 6140

Drawing drew Adeloye to fashion Experience so far

Teens talk show host, Dedayo Adeloye, a couturier and lifestyle photographer, recounts to TEMITOPE OJO his journey into fashion and muses on future aspirations.

My personal motivations for getting into fashion as a young boy were mainly my love for drawing and the fact that I really love clothes.

I also need to give credit to my mom because she was the one who introduced me to the amazing world of fashion even though I never wanted to go into it in the first place.

I started last year, after I won the Best Creative Fashion Designer of the Year (Powered by the Youth Economic Empowerment Summit YEES2015) of CLAM.

cal shop on the street.

I finally met Ifedayo Oluseye, a friend, who brought me to CLAM Teens of Dominion. Since I joined the church, my life has not remained the same. God answered my prayer when the youths organised an empowerment summit.

After two weeks, I launched my clothing line.

Right now, I’m proud to tell you that am a couturier and I’m beginning to do well with my brand.

However, I’m still working hard on how to get the TV project started. I hope it’s going to be soon.

Before the rain

Brand name

A few months before I won the award, I was working with the late Chaz Bruce Chukuma (popularly known as Chaz B of Sharing Life Issues on Rhythm FM 93.7).

I wasn't thinking of going into the fashion industry at all, because I had a teens television project, which I came up with and Chaz B was working closely with me on the project. Unfortunately, he died.

After his death, what I still had in mind was how to conclude the paperwork of the project. I finally did and looked out for sponsors. Bit I wasn't able to get any.

Then I realised that God must have been looking at me and wondering why I was running from pillar to post when He had other plans for me.

Before then, my mom had insisted I learn tailoring. But I just couldn’t imagine me learning how to sew in a lo-

My brand name is "MyCoutureSpeaks Clothing Apparel".

It's a brand that embodies culture.

Venture and motivation

It's been a great experience since I participated in the summit organised by the youths of Christ Living Apostolic Ministries (CLAM).

I’m talking about YEES2015.

It helped me to think of what kind of designer I wanted to become because I've been taught that most tailors out there, maybe on the roadside, are not sincere with their clients most of the time, and it has caused them to lose valuable clients.

I choose to be different.

I’m a couturier who keeps to time. If there's any delay, I'll surely communicate that to the client and say what the exact problem is.

Of course, I know sometimes it's a challenge to meet deadlines due to unstable power supply but I always try my very best to be that couturier one can trust all the time.

Target clients My target patronage are the youths and teenagers Business constraints As a little boy, my number one constraint for now is getting to buy certain fabrics in bulk so as to save more cash and still have leftover fabrics for clients – so that when the materials are out of stock in the market, I can still have some for clients.

I get a lot of calls to design a waistcoat, using the same fabric they saw me

I realised that God must have been looking at me and wondering why I was running from pillar to post when He had other plans for me.

Before then, my mom had insisted I learn tailoring. But I just couldn’t imagine me learning how to sew in a local shop on the street.

Adeloye

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June 12, 2016

I choose to be different. I’m a couturier who keeps to time.

If there's any delay, I'll surely communicate that to the client and say what the exact problem is ….

Sometimes it's a challenge to meet deadlines due to unstable power supply but I always try my very best to be that couturier one can trust all the time.

use for other clients. Sometimes, it's impossible because it’s either the fabric is out of stock or the price has increased.

Through this, I've lost clients.

Effect of readymade waistcoats on locally produced ones They are affecting us a great deal because a lot of people prefer to just get their wears off the stores without going through the hassle of using a local designer.

This is because in the past, many local designers messed up fabrics by not get-

Teenagers don't have to do shady deals to make money because everybody has their own God-given talent.

All they have to do is take time to discover it.

No one is born without a gift. You just have to identify it, work, and develop it as well.

You also need perseverance.

Someday, your gift will pay your bills.

ting the styles right.

Readymade designers are sometimes more creative in their thinking, too. But things are changing.

We get patronage now. People are beginning to realise that there are exceptional designers out there and once they partronise us, they get stuck.

Five years from now In the next five years, I see myself as the number one teens fashion couturier in Nigeria alongside hosting my own teens daytime talk show.

I hope to use this same platform to touch many lives, reaching out to teens out there who want a better life.

What style means you The word style, to me, means selfexpression and it speaks more of the person.

Your style tells people who you are.

Mentors apart from your mom I love Lanre Da Silva Ajayi’s works.

I can't wait to meet her one-on-one.

What you are most comfortable wearing Well, I’m most comfortable when I create things for myself.

Advice to teenagers who shun hard work for shady deals They don't have to go that way to make money because everybody has their own God-given talent. All they have to do is take time to discover it.

No one is born without a gift. You just have to identify it, work, and develop it as well.

You also need perseverance. Someday, your gift will pay your bills.

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June 12, 2016

FOOD &DRINK Get the best from your fish

F

ISH is a limbless coldblooded vertebrate with gills and fins, living wholly in water.

Fish meal is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, but low in calories, total fat and saturated fat.

The seafood is physically categorised into scaly and nonscaly fishes.

Scaly fishes are the ones with scales. According to research, they have lower fat content compared to their non-scaly counterparts. Examples are tilapia, barracuda, shiny nose, sole and lots more.

Non-scaly fishes are ones without the scales and shells; they are relatively more fattening than the scaly fish.

Examples of this are cat fish, mackerel and tuna.

Though fish is exceptionally nourishing and it substitutes a lot of nutrients, few people have seafood allergies. Some are scaly fish allergic while some are non-scaly fish allergic.

For those with allergies, roasting, drying and grilling are the recommended method of cooking, as they reduce fats, odour and irritation which are the major causes of food allergies.

Experts advise that fish should be eaten at least twice in a week; although there is never an overdose of it.

Health benefits of fish

Eating fish, especially shellfish, often is beneficial to the body in many ways. Here are

some reasons to introduce a little more variety of fish into your diet.

Reduces heart diseases People who eat fish well enough have low levels of cardiovascular diseases. Fish is low in saturated fat and high in omega-3, which can protect the heart from disease and lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Clearing the vessels Eating fish can improve blood circulation, by clearing the blood vessels, and reduce the risk of thrombosis. The omega-3 oils in fish can save your body from having to produce eicosanoids, a hormone-like substance which can make you more likely to suffer from blood clots and inflammation.

Relieves joint problems Eating fish as a regular part of a balanced diet has been shown to ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, a condition which causes the joints to swell. Recent researches have also found a link between omega-3 fats and osteoarthritis, suggesting that eating more seafood could help to prevent the disease.

Longevity of the eyes Eating oil-rich fish regularly can help to keep the eyes bright and healthy. A recent study has suggested that

omega-3 fatty acids can help to shield the eyesight of those suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition which causes the retina to degenerate and the eyesight to become blurred.

Fish and shellfish also contain retinol, a form of vitamin A which boosts night vision.

Provides essential nutrients Fish provides the body

eating out Picolo Mondo

T

his restaurant, serves international meals.

The food is very attractive. A menu that boasts anything Italian, Lebanese and even Japanese meals, no doubt, promises an intercontinental treat.

With a serene environment and a nice reception, Picolo Mondo’s lounge floor is a luxury to behold, what with its ambiguous furniture.

The grill is also a great place for those

who like to have a side gaze. There are great Lebanese grills, suya and delicious sandwiches.

Also, the chocolate fondant, goat cheese salad, chicken taouk and ravioli are a musttaste.

For shawarma lovers, there are different variants, especially if you’re looking for something quick.

Piccolo Mondo is located on Idejo Street, off Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

with many essential nutrients which keep it running smoothly – nutrients like iodine, selenium, zinc and potassium. Iodine is important for the thyroid gland, and selenium makes enzymes which help to protect the body against cancer. Fish is also an excellent source of many vitamins, including vitamins A and D.

Prevents life-threatening diseases

Brightens the skin

A number of studies have indicated that fish and shellfish may help to protect our lungs. Not only does seafood relieve the body from symptoms of asthma in children, eating a lot of fish can also keep the lungs stronger and healthier as you age – in comparison to those who do not eat a lot of fish.

Omega-3 helps to protect the skin from the harmful effect of the sun; therefore, eating lots of fish can also help with the symptoms of skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Collagen, the main structural protein of the various connective tissues in animals, keeps the skin firm and flexible.

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BUSINESS UNUSUAL FINANCIAL NICHE PERSONAL FINANCE MARKETING NICHE

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PRODUCT OF THE WEEK ICT

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June 12, 2016 www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

BUSINESS

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INFLATION RATE Inflation month Inflation rate

MONEY SUPPLY (Trillion)

March 2016 12.8%

Broadmoney (M2) 18,718,193.11 Narrow Money (M1) 7,148,592.67

OIL PRICE WTI INDEX $49.22 PER BARREL

Kelechi Mgboji Assistant Business Editor 0803 469 0996, 0811 181 3047 kckmgboji@yahoo.com

» Gold

PAGE 56 Silver

PER OZ

$16.96

$1,234.18 TROY OZ

Former acting Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Rasheed Adegbenro, tells acting News Editor, ISHAYA IBRAHIM, how budget allocation affects manufacturing and job creation.

production will go.

Manufacturers may be affected because they don’t have monopoly of control over monetary and fiscal policies.

Monetary policy gives you a picture of what the forex (foreign exchange) calculation for the year will be – the benchmark dollar to naira policy.

Manufacturers need that for their own internal planning because most of them import raw materials from overseas.

So the ruling rate of the dollar is a major factor in their forex calculation.

Fiscal policy is also at the full control of the government.

Fiscal policy determines what materials to import and what duties to pay.

So monetary and fiscal policies usually give direction to

Continues on PAGE 52

PER BARREL

Tin

$7.93

Platinum

Copper

$1,011.10 $2.28

PER OZ

Nickel

$4.28

PER LB

Wheat

$467

GRADE A

Lead

» Palladium

Exchange Rates

$0.81

$608.25

Cocoa

$3, 132

PER OZT

N-$

N-£

N-€

RATE

RATE

RATE

198.8

N288.62

Electricity key to manufacturing, job creation, says Adegbenro

The pattern of planning in Nigeria has made the whole economy to rest on government. Simply because the government is the largest single spender and largest single earner.

Because the government is the largest single spender, the rest of the economy wants to wait and see how much it is putting into the economy and in what direction. Since our economic structure is more of trading and services, the larger economy rests on the government to see where spending will go in a year.

Concerning that, the manufacturing sector may not be majorly affected but the buyers of products and the money in their pockets determine how far

$49.30

Abuja ready to assist Lagos on transport system

How TSA costs bankers their jobs

COMMODITIES SUMMARY

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PAGE 55

2016 budget and manufacturing

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Adegbenro

220.02

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June 12, 2016

Cover

Electricity key to manufacturing, job creation, says Adegbenro Continued from PAGE 51 industries, how their planning should go.

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Common External Tariff (CET) seems to have addressed fiscal policy, but because Nigeria still has protests unresolved at the ECOWAS level, a lot of people believe full allocation of the CET by Nigeria is yet to take off.

Because of that people will be hesitant about what ECOWAS has published as a common tariff. But the moment you have the common tariff running smoothly, fiscal control will disappear because you can’t change it until another five or seven years.

That gives you a better room for planning in the short and medium terms.

2016 budget and job creation The spending of the government will show whether there will be expansion in the economy or contraction. If there will be contraction, most contractors working for the government will lay off unneeded labour. Same with those in trading.

If the economy contracts that means there will be less money in the pockets of people and that means consumable purchase may also drop. And this may inform manufacturers to drop down capacity utilisation.

If the contraction is very heavy, a lot of workers might have to go. But if it is marginal, industries can still sustain trained hands by keeping them for longer period.

So the budget implementation will show you whether more jobs will be created in a year or whether jobs will be lost.

In the areas where you expect policy to show direction concerning job expansion, this is where there is a shift from recurrent heavy spending to capital projects. Capital projects will entail new construction of hospitals, roads, and naturally these things bring up new labour.

But if there is contraction in the budget, like in the last few years we’ve been having more recurrent expenditure – just paying salary and maintenance services – it’s never good for any economy; it doesn’t show growth.

When your budget is keyed towards capital projects that means annually you add to the national growth, in terms of new roads, new hospitals, new airports, new schools.

When your budget doesn’t do that, you don’t expect new jobs to come out of it.

Government partnership with MAN to create jobs Creating public sector jobs can never be a solution because they are not productive. They are not in production.

They are only rolling out services to the general public, so expansion in that direction will not add much value to the economy.

What we should do is push manufacturing to expand production. Every expansion entails the creation of new production lines and each new line comes with a specific number of employees.

That is the benefit of giving good health to manufacturing. It creates high quality jobs for people who studied

We’ll just be deluding ourselves believing we can have a thriving manufacturing sector when we’ve left the energy sector untreated.

Take for example sewing for the fashion industry – or barbing salon; clippers today come with electric support – nobody uses his leg to roll the sewing machine, it’s connected to electricity.

food technology, biochemistry, engineering, and so on.

The major job challenge we have in the economy is graduate unemployment – people who study specific courses find no jobs in that line. Only manufacturing can absorb these people.

So the government ought to improve energy to promote manufacturing. No blood no life; if you don’t have blood, your life cannot run. Not just human beings, it concerns animals too, and once the blood is out, the person is gone.

The same thing applies to manufacturing – no electricity, no manufacturing. We’ll just be deluding ourselves believing we can have a thriving manufacturing sector when we’ve left the energy sector untreated.

Even in micro manufacturing. Take for example sewing for the fashion industry – or barbing salon; clippers today come with electric support – nobody uses his leg to roll the sewing machine, it’s connected to electricity.

So if people are still using their legs to roll the sewing machine in this country, you can imagine how many garments they will produce in a day, a week and a month; compared to a seamless operation supported by electricity.

These are challenges. Power must be provided. If it is not, then we will be deluding ourselves that manufacturing health will be restored.

Without power there can be no manufacturing. So any economy that does not have power should forget about manufacturing. There is no shortcut to it. Unless you are telling the industry to establish its own power, which will totally make production uncompetitive.

Another thing is to plough a lot of money into agriculture. If there is a large improvement in farm output, it’s an invitation for people to go into processing. Buy the fruits, the vegetables, and the tubers and preserve them.

Once preservation setups are fully established, the processors will appear on the stage because those who preserve are assured of year round

supply of raw materials.

It’s a natural flow – from farming to preservation companies, and from them to processors.

That’s the direction manufacturing would go because raw materials are available locally and efforts are being made to make farming more attractive to people in terms of access to land and to credit facilities.

The more they produce the more the assurance that preservators would emerge to take the fruits and make juice or it could even be exported.

Same thing with the processors.

They would surely come the moment they get assurance that tubers and fruits have been preserved. Not that you would supply for six months and go to sleep for the next six months.

The moment preservators emerge processors will follow suit. Now they have assurance that they will get all year round supply of raw materials.

So agriculture and manufacturing should be a major focus in what I see as manufacturing as expender to agriculture. It will take our manufacturing through another rout to be ready for challenges in the future.

And that’s where we are now because we’ve got to have money in the bank for all manner of manufacturing companies to emerge with raw materials of almost 90 per cent coming from overseas.

Now that the government is broke and there is no forex (foreign exchange), you can see the effects in the economy. But if we had made agriculture to grow the way manufacturing was moving, these challenges would have been very minimal.

Challenges will come but they will be minimal because no country is an island. You may not get all your raw materials, particularly chemicals, to stabilise your production.

If the value in the total production unit is about 2 to 60 per cent, you can still carry on but when you depend on 80 per cent imported raw materials, you cannot survive.

So agriculture and manufacturing should go hand in hand and the government should raise incentives to encourage people to farm. You can’t

You give a contractor a building construction estate and he imports paint. The government cannot afford to close its eyes on such an error.

The cement, iron rods, paints, and furnishing for the construction must come internally.

When you give such jumbo contracts to people and they import tiles from Spain, it’s another drain on your foreign reserves and it’s adding pressure on your naira-dollar relationship.

Adegbenro do it by law, only by policy.

If the policy is supportive, take a clear case of other economies that have gone through that journey and you see the kind of incentives they put on the ground.

If we get agriculture back on course with a large pool of educated labour, farming output will definitely be better.

Educated people will go back to the farm to manage them properly.

Gap between official and parallel forex markets The gap reflects the poor health of the economy. It shows that the economy is still bleeding.

The normal rule or law of economics analysis is that when demand is greater than supply, price will go up. The economy has been for between 20 and 30 years heavily dependent on imports.

So now that the government is not earning enough money to pay for services and import, demand pressure is heavy and you cannot resolve that pressure by just announcing the rate, it’s a market influence issue.

But the moment internal structures revert, you can look more inward so that there will be less pressure on the dollar and the dollar-naira can stabilise in the future.

You have to do this by deliberate policy and steered over time. It’s not done by a magic wand. You can’t use a magic wand to make an announcement and say it’s now changed to one, or create a Cinderella in the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria). It’s not possible.

So it’s an error of the past that has to

be corrected through gradual implementation of various programmes. If agriculture is boosted there will be less pressure.

If manufacturing looks inward, I’m aware manufacturers and the Raw Materials Research Council and the Ministry of Science and Technology are working together to reverse this thing. If this is done, it will make local manufacturing more competitive and less reliant on import.

But as I said, it’s not something that can evolve through a magic wand to decree. It’s a gradual process. It’ll take a while for that to happen.

The government is the single biggest spender so if it spends money on imports directly or through contact persons in federal contracts, the pressure will remain. The government has to also look inwards, to use what it has to buy what it does not have.

There’s a government policy on local procurement but the rules are not being obeyed. You give a contractor a building construction estate and he imports paint. The government cannot afford to close its eyes on such an error.

The cement, iron rods, paints, and furnishing for the construction must come internally.

When you give such jumbo contracts to people and they import tiles from Spain, it’s another drain on your foreign reserves and it’s adding pressure on your naira-dollar relationship.

So, the government, as the biggest spender in the economy, also has a key to unlock unnecessary overseas purchase.

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June 12, 2016

Financial Niche

53

Investors panic over interest rate exposure • As inflation slips off radar

The latest inflation report indicates worsening economic conditions in the country, where Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was just 2.8 per cent in the last quarter of 2015 (Q1 2005), its lowest rate since 1999, and speculation of a further decline in Q1 and Q2 2016 is popular among economic analysts.

Stories by Kelechi Mgboji

T

Assistant Business Editor

he risk of loss associated with fluctuations in interest rates in relation to higher inflation rate has sent cold waves across financial markets.

Now, more than ever before, investors in equities and fixed income instruments are taking flight to safe havens.

Current benchmark interest rate of 12 per cent is now grossly negative and renders interest rate a disincentive to savings and investment in the financial markets.

In April, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) adjusted the benchmark rate upwards to 12 per cent from 11 per cent after inflation rate exceeded benchmark interest rate.

With the present inflation rate higher than the CBN’s inflation target maximum of 9.6 per cent by a huge gap of 4.1 percentage points, investors in fixed income instruments and others are offloading

their stakeholding, sending the market to fresh a bearish trend.

Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Chief Executive Officer, Oscar Onyema, was reported as lamenting that the Exchange is concerned about the volume of foreign portfolio investors’ exit and the potential for capital flight from the market.

“We are concerned, we are monitoring the situation, we are talking to investors – both domestic and foreign – we have ramped up our efforts in terms of government relations to report what we are seeing and to look for new ways and solutions that would continue to make our market attractive to all investors,” Onyema said.

Sustained rises in the general level of prices hit a six-year high in April as inflation jumped almost 1 per cent to 13.7 per cent, from 12.8 percent in March.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in its latest report, said the April inflation reading, the highest level since August 2010, reflects increases across

Onyema

all sectors, unlike the previous months which had one or two sectoral exceptions.

“Lingering structural constraints continue to manifest spill-overs in April as electricity rates, kerosene prices, the impact of higher PMS (petrol) prices and vehicle spare parts were the largest contributors to the core sub index during the month,” the NBS said.

These items, as well as other imported ones, according to the NBS, continue to have ripple effects across many divisions that contribute to the core consumer price index (CPI).

Food index reflects tighter

supplies across most groups that contribute to the subindex. The sub-index increased 13.2 per cent in April, up by 0.4 percentage point from March, as all major food groups increased at a faster pace driven by higher prices in fish, bread/ cereals and vegetables groups.

Year-on-year, the urban and rural indices recorded marked increases for the third consecutive month.

The urban index rose 15.1 per cent, 1.6 percentage points from 13.5 per cent in March, while upward pressure on prices were relatively less severe in the rural areas as the index increased 12.8 per cent

year-on-year, 0.7 percentage point from 12.0 per cent in March.

Increases in imported and domestically produced foods resulted in a higher increase in the food sub-index in April, and all groups which contribute to the index increased, with the exception of fruit and potatoes, yams, and other tuber groups.

The latest inflation report indicates worsening economic conditions in the country, where Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was just 2.8 per cent in the last quarter of 2015 (Q1 2005), its lowest rate since 1999, and speculation of a further decline in Q1 and Q2 2016 is popular among economic analysts.

Financial Derivatives Company (FDC) predicted a steep rise in year-on-year April inflation to 13.2 per cent, 0.4 per cent higher than the 12.8 per cent recorded in March.

Linking the expected rise in inflation to fuel scarcity, FDC had its debilitating impact on economic activity and pressurised consumer prices.

The firm, based in Lagos, stressed that if its forecast is accurate, it will be head-turning for the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) “which has barely recovered from the spike in March.”

Babajide Solanke, an analyst at FSDH Merchant Bank in Lagos, said in an e-mailed statement before the announcement of the April inflation rate that rise in CPI might make the MPC vote in support of an increase in interest rate.

Capital importation report for Q1 2016 showed that investment inflow into the country had dropped 89.13 per cent since its peak in Q1 2014.

Since 2007, equity had been

NIPOST eyes banking services to boost earnings

B

anking services are to be added to the functions of Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) to tap deeper into its potential and make more earnings.

Communications Minister, Adebayo Shittu, said NIPOST has several buildings in remote parts of the country that could be converted to banks to aid money transfer between rural and urban centres.

“The government can establish NIPOST bank capable of doing e-banking. With the properties we have all over Nigeria, our buildings can

serve as cash depot for people living in the rural communities where banks are not present.

“By doing so, we will improve on the efficiency of the agency and solve cash receipt and transfer problems among people living in those communities,” Shittu explained.

He disclosed in Ibadan that other government properties lying idle across the country would also be activated for optimum use to raise revenue.

“There are many locations (where NIPOST buildings are built). For example, the Ikoyi Post Office is sitting on 10 acres of land, we are planning to build offices and shopping malls on public/private part-

nership arrangement.

“This will bring more money for the government. NIPOST is going to be a 21st century postal agency that will compete with other companies like banks, be it local or foreign.

“To make this work, we plan to acquire helicopters to aid and ensure quick and perfect services.”

Shittu confirmed that the government loses about $287 million revenue to software piracy annually, but his ministry has stepped up intellectual property protection and enforcement to promote creativity.

With the continuous growth

in demand for online workers on international and local markets, he said, Nigeria will train its youths and enhance their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capacity.

“As the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is already a regional hub for West African countries. We must now become the preferred destination for vendors to set up operations that cover the entire West African sub region.

“This will provide opportunity for the country to act as a supply hub for training, skills transfer, technology leadership and investment.”

Shittu

the largest part of portfolio investment in every quarter but the economy attracted only a total investment of $710.97 million (N140.07 billion), a 54.34 per cent decline compared with Q1 2015, the lowest since the series began nine years ago.

“The total value of capital imported into Nigeria in the first quarter of 2016 was $710.97 million, the lowest level since the series began in 2007," the NBS report said.

Investors have withheld capital importation into the country because of difficulty in repatriating earnings from investment, foreign exchange (forex) controls, and low naira value against the dollar.

The largest component of capital importation in Q1 2016 was portfolio investment which accounted for $271.03 million, or 38.12 per cent of all capital imported.

The largest subcomponent of portfolio investment was equity, which accounted for $201.69 million or 74.41 per cent of portfolio investment and 28.37 per cent of total capital imported.

Investors have withheld capital importation into the country because of difficulty in repatriating earnings from investment, foreign exchange (forex) controls, and low naira value against the dollar.

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Business Extra June 12, 2016

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China opens a new university every week •Overtakes U.S., EU nations

I

t is part of a silent revolution that is causing a huge shift in the composition of the world's population of graduates.

For decades, the United States had the highest proportion of people going to university. They dominated the graduate market.

Reflecting this former supremacy, among 55 to 64 year olds almost a third of all graduates in the world's major economies are U.S. citizens.

But that is changing rapidly among younger generations. In terms of producing graduates, China has overtaken the U.S. and the combined university systems of European Union (EU) countries.

The gap is going to become even wider. Even modest predictions see the number of 25 to 34-year-old graduates in China rising by a further 300 per cent by 2030, compared with an increase of around 30 per cent expected in Europe and the U.S. In the U.S., students have been struggling to afford university costs. In Europe, most countries have put a brake on expanding their universities by either not making public investments or not allowing universities to raise money themselves.

But if the West has been sleeping, China and other Asian countries such as India have raced ahead.

It isn't simply about bigger student numbers. Students in China and India are much more likely to study mathematics, sciences, computing and engineering – the subjects most relevant to innovation and technological advance.

In 2013, 40 per cent of Chinese graduates completed their studies in a Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) subject

– more than twice the share of U.S. graduates.

So the graduates who are the cornerstone of economic prosperity in knowledgebased economies are increasingly disproportionately likely to come from China and India.

By 2030, China and India could account for more than 60 per cent of the Stem graduates in major economies, compared with only 8 per cent in Europe and 4 per cent in the U.S. Countries like China and India are betting on the future with this.

With such an increase in people in higher education, conventional wisdom might assume that the value of qualifications would suffer from "inflation".

But this is not happening. In the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with the biggest increases in graduate numbers, most continue to see rising earnings.

This suggests that an increase in "knowledge workers" does not lead to a decline in their pay, unlike the way that technological advancement and globalisation have pushed down the earnings of poorly-educated workers.

In the past, OECD countries competed mostly with countries that offered low-skilled work at low wages.

Today, countries like China and India are starting to deliver high skills at moderate cost.

The West cannot compete by keeping the rest of the world out of their economic systems. There are plenty of examples of European countries that have stagnated over the past century by trying to do just that.

The massive investment in education in Asia suggests competition through

lower production costs may be merely a transitional strategy for countries on their way to meeting the Western world at the top of the product range.

The real challenge for Western countries is to prepare for future competition with Asian economies in the knowledge sector.

Some raise doubts about the quality and relevance of the degrees earned in China.

Indeed, there are still no direct measures that allow for a comparison of the learning outcomes of graduates across countries and universities.

China has outstripped the U.S. and Europe in graduate numbers and the gap is growing But China has shown the wider. Image copyright Thinkstock. world that it is possible to simultaneously raise quantity and quality in schools.

In the latest round of the OECD Pisa tests, the 10 per cent most disadvantaged 15-year-olds in Shanghai scored higher in mathematics than the 10 per cent most privileged 15-year-olds in the U.S. Perhaps tellingly, objections to the OECD's proposal for international comparisons between institutions of higher education did not come from Asia, but from countries like the United Kingdom and the U.S. China is moving from cheap producDid they fear that their tion to an economy of high skills. Image universities might not live up copyright Getty Images. to their past reputations?

China's rapid expansion in higher education shows the scale of the challenge for the West and shows the future might be indifferent to tradition and past reputations.

It might be unforgiving of frailty and largely ignorant of assumptions about custom or practice.

Success will go to those individuals, universities and countries that are swift to adapt, slow to complain and open to change. The task for governments will be to ensure that their countries rise to these challenges.

• Culled from www.bbc.com

Graduate numbers in the U.S.

Students queue to take a college entrance exam in Wuhan. Image copyright AP.

Tsinghua University, founded over a century ago, now has many newly-opened competitors. Image copyright Thinkstock.

TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Personal Finance

ICT education with

Jed Adeyemi 0811 475 8106, 0909 128 6488 jedlafrica@yahoo.com

How TSA costs bankers their jobs

ICT in modern economy (1)

Nigerian universities produce thousands of graduates yearly without jobs for them. Still banks have taken turns to lay off workers, blaming in part the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

Reporter HENRY ODUAH writes…

S

kye Bank rendered no fewer than 175 employees jobless last week when it announced their sack in defiance of government’s directive, piling more pressure on Aso Rock, banks, and the labour market.

In response to economic difficulties, Ecobank Nigeria fired 1,500 workers two weeks ago, making a total 1,700 since late last year.

Diamond Bank has also sacked 200 and First Bank plans to disengage 1,000 in phases.

These numbers join the teeming number of the unemployed across the country.

Analysts attribute the bulk of the crisis in the banking sector to the new TSA which requires all monies paid to the government to immediately pass through banks to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

For and against TSA TSA requires all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to close their revenue accounts in different banks and transfer the proceeds into one account operated by the CBN. Most commercial banks had MDA accounts running into billions of naira. Some of the funds were not withdrawn for many months. Banks traded with them and make profits.

But since TSA became effective, banks have had to fend for themselves.

Social commentator, Achike Chude, in a live chat on radio last week said: “The reality is that sometimes evil comes out of good and this is what we are beginning to see. He (President Muhammadu Buhari) wants to make things difficult for people to steal but at the same time he does not want to shut down an economy.

“At the same time he does not want to create a situation

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I

Ngige that becomes unpleasant for the generality of people and institutions of governance.

“For instance, people have talked about the need for exemption for critical government infrastructure like hospitals.

“You cannot shut down the accounting system of a hospital just because the government has brought you an instrument that should ensure accountability and transparency.

“Patients must be treated.

Things must move. And there are complains everywhere.”

But Stephen Ocheni, professor of public sector accounting, Kogi State University, Lokoja, expressed support for TSA, saying its full implementation will not hurt banks.

“It will only hurt establishments that purport and pretend to be banks but have failed, refused, and neglected to understand banking and do what bankers do elsewhere.

“It is an opportunity for banks to refocus on the original purposes for which they were set up to collect depositors’ funds, keep them safe; engage in intermediation to create wealth and jobs for the economy, and in the process earn profit for themselves,” Ocheni said.

An economist, Peter Ochai, urged banks to return to core banking to survive the current wave blowing them, which means cutting loans to the government and loaning more to the real sector.

His words: “Why we are experiencing this kind of retrenchment is that we do not operate core banking system in Nigeria.

“Our banks do business out of public funds. They rely on government deposits, then they buy bonds and give back to the government as loans with the same money.

“And they don’t share the profits they make with public funds with the government.

Skye Bank Managing Director, Timothy Oguntayo

“Intelligent banks should simply go back to core banking system by loaning to the manufacturing sector which can use the money to grow businesses, pay the loan and interest and in turn generate profit for banks.”

Others argued, however, that the government is the major earner and spender, but with social infrastructure in bad shape, banks run a big risk loaning to manufacturing which does not guarantee growth yet.

They asked the government to fix power supply to encourage banks to loan to manufacturers.

Investigation by TheNiche showed that bank employees resume work daily dreading the sight of envelopes on their desks to mean sack letters.

The fear of job loss flows right from top management to the least employee.

Ngige to the rescue?

Labour and Productivity Minister, Chris Ngige, has directed that all retrenchment be stopped, including those done in the past four months pending a stakeholders’ summit for employers and employees of banking, insurance and financial institutions scheduled for July 2.

He said: “Following the high spate of petitions and complaints from stakeholders in the banking, insurance and financial institutions, I hereby direct the suspension of the ongoing retrenchment in the sector pending the outcome of the conciliatory meetings in the industry.”

Analysts countered that it is wrong for the government to give an order without consulting stakeholders to guarantee compliance.

They said the government has no right to give the private sector an order to restrain it from doing what it perceives would be in its best interest.

Defying Ngige’s order Skye Bank clarified that it did not sack employees because of economic downturn but that the workers failed the 2015 appraisal exercise which considered factors ranging from low productivity to disciplinary issues.

“The staff disengagement exercise is coming a year after the bank’s successful integration with the erstwhile Mainstreet Bank, which it acquired in October 2014.

“The integration exercise, described by analysts as a landmark in Nigeria’s banking industry, has significantly improved Skye Bank’s ICT capacity and helped strengthen [its] service delivery,” the bank said in a statement.

“The bank extended its appreciation to the affected staff for serving the bank, describing them as members of the family who will always be accorded deserving respect in their future dealings with the bank.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is on the trail of Skye Bank for allegedly failing to remit N6.3 billion to TSA. Its Managing Director, Timothy Oduntayo, and chief compliance officer are being quizzed.

“It is an opportunity for banks to refocus on the original purposes for which they were set up to collect depositors’ funds, keep them safe; engage in intermediation to create wealth and jobs for the economy, and in the process earn profit for themselves.”

nformation and Communication Technology (ICT) refers to modern technology powered by software. ICT uses the computer to accomplish tasks that would have been difficult or nearly impossible with physical human effort alone.

With the use of computeraided technology, humans and organisations have become more effective and efficient in carrying out tasks. Technology saves cost and time.

ICT has to do with the development, deployment, and use of highly specialised software or digital hardware.

It is a profession on its own.

Better still, ICT is a multi-faceted profession. By that I mean in ICT, there are sub-professions – each a full scale profession on its own.

An ICT professional could be a web developer, software developer (programmer), business intelligence analyst (BIA), database administrator (DBA), network/telecom engineer, computer engineer, user, et cetera.

A person can be involved in one or more of these specialisations.

In this article, I’ll explain the meaning and application of these specialisations mentioned as they concern modern economy.

The economy in Africa, and Nigeria in particular, is becoming mature for rapid deployment of ICT in various sectors.

Nigeria has a vast and teeming population estimated to be well above 170 million.

Providing services for such a vast population and economy can only be done efficiently through ICT-aided tools and strategies.

ICT professions Web developer: A web developer can design and build websites. He uses technologies such as Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), JavaScript, JQuery to build websites.

Most of the time web developers develop sites that are static in content. When content has to be changed on the site, the developer is called upon again to update the content.

Static means content can’t be made to change dynamically.

When a website is developed, domain and host have to be purchased for the site for it to go live on the web so that people all over the world can view it. The summary is that a web developer develops static content as the web site.

Web sites are important for making an organisation (its services and activities) viewable to a global audience. This is what web developers do.

Software developer: Software development is central to ICT. There is no ICT without software development.

If you are a web developer, software user, network/telecom engineer, BIA or any other profession in ICT, most likely some of the tools you would use are software developed for

that purpose.

Software development is believed to be the most tedious profession in ICT, and therefore the most lucrative. A software developer develops software (an application) for a particular purpose. Often software developers are referred to as programmers.

For the purpose of this article and others in this series, software developer and programmer are used interchangeably and mean the same thing.

Developing a software has five stages: 1. Requirement gathering 2. Analysis and design 3. Implementation 4. Testing 5. Deployment These five stages make up the complete cycle of a software development project.

Requirement gathering: This is gathering detailed information on what the software is supposed to do, and how it is supposed to do it.

Usually, documentation is done on details/requirements being gathered.

Analysis and design: Standard practice in recent times in software development recommends Object-oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD).

In OOAD, classes are identified, variables for those classes are identified, functions (methods, procedures) are identified.

These make up analysis and design.

Analysis and design conventionally result in diagrams/ charts which the coder uses in the implementation phase.

Implementation: This refers to writing the codes for the App. Codes are written in a particular programming language.

Programming languages include Java, PHP, C, C++, C#, Python. Most programmers are proficient in at least one of these languages.

The results (diagrams/ charts) from the analysis and design phase are passed to the coder/programmer to implement with the programming language designated for the project.

If I were to recommend to a starter/beginner, I would recommend Java and PHP for obvious reasons. They have the widest circulation and usership globally.

Testing/deployment: These often happen at the same time. Testing means testing or checking if the App is as functional as it is supposed to be. It involves testing all functionalities of the App. After implementation, testing is done, if testing is successful, deployment is done. Deployment means the App is in a state that the prospective user can use. This is usually followed by an announcement to the user that the App (software) is running and available for use.

The different kinds of Applications (software) include desktop App, web App, and mobile App. These three are the most common.

• Continues in next edition.

• Adeyemi, an expert and trainer in ICT and research, is based in Calabar.

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TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

Maritime June 12, 2016

Abuja ready to assist Lagos on transport system

T

Stories by Foster Obi Motoring/Maritime Editor ransportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, has reiterated the preparedness of the federal government to partner with Lagos State to improve inland water ways for an efficient transport system.

He said it has become necessary for Lagos to employ other modes of mass transportation as the roads alone cannot cope with its influx of human and vehicular traffic.

Amaechi disclosed that the

ministry has forwarded the National Transport Commission and the Nigerian Railway Corporation Bills to the National Assembly (NASS) for consideration.

The plan is to enhance regulation and expland opportunities for private sector investment in critical transport infrastructure.

Amaechi listed the efforts of the ministry to improve transportation to include auditing of the maritime sector, reestablishment of a new national shipping line through a Public Private Partnership (PPP), build-

ing modern rail infrastructure to link most of the country, and establishment of inland ports.

He commended the Lagos State government for its focus on transportation development, and urged it to remain committed to its transport master plan.

He assured stakeholders that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has the capacity and political will to deliver on its promises because of its zero tolerance for corruption and commitment to due diligence.

NIMASA tasks agencies on synergy

N

igerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director General, Dakuku Peterside, has highlighted the importance of synergy and intelligence sharing among relevant agencies, stressing that NIMASA alone cannot guarantee the security of the waterways.

He made the point when the Comptroller, Lagos Seaports and Marine Command of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Modupe Andalucia, visited NIMASA. “Security is not the responsibility of any one government agency, hence the need for synergy and collaboration between relevant government bodies.

“The interest of the country must be placed above individual interest, as such we must be willing to share ideas and information in this partnership," Peterside said.

He described the functions of both NIMASA and the NIS as economic gate keepers towards ensuring safety and security, and underlined the willingness of NIMASA to work closely with the NIS to fulfil its mandate.

He said that the agency is undergoing transformation to engender greater efficiency and effectiveness, in a bid to

become a catalyst to inspire the required growth and development of the maritime sector.

While expressing her delight to embark on the visit, Andalucia, who has just been posted to the Command, assured Peterside of the readiness of the NIS to partner with NIMASA to curb criminality on Nigerian waters.

She acknowledged the existing relationship between the two agencies and pledged the continuous support of her command to assist NIMASA actualise its mandate.

Since his assuming office, Peterside has created platform for collaboration with stakeholders to foist sustainable development of maritime to help boost the economy.

He has called on Nigerians, especially those in the coastal regions, to protect the marine environment as it is critical to human existence.

He also urged all Nigerians to champion the campaign for the protection of the marine environment which has a lot of positive socio-economic impact on human life.

“We join the rest of the world in the efforts to promote the conservation and protection of marine biodiversity and the

Ali

T

he Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) plans aerial surveillance to check smuggling across the country’s 4,700-kilometre land border.

NCS Comptroller General, Hamid Ali,

Maritime University won’t come on stream now

T Peterside

cultural heritage of the ocean.

“The marine environment that covers about 70 per cent of the earth’s surface is essential for food security, health and survival of life and is a critical part of the biosphere,” Peterside said.

He implored Nigerians to help save the ocean by ensuring that waterways are free of debris and every kind of pollution that pose dangers to the sea and its inhabitants.

Customs intensifies battle against smuggling disclosed in Abuja that this will enable the service to identify smuggling activities on the borders.

“We have done everything to make sure we fortify our borders but let’s remember we have 4,700km of borderline and we cannot place individuals at every point.

“So we are trying to develop a process whereby we have an area surveillance and that will help us so that on the spot we can pinpoint where smuggling or movement is happening and we can now deploy our people quickly to forestall that,” Ali said.

He explained that since the responsibilities of soldiers do not include manning the borders, the Customs also serve as gate-keepers at the borders.

He gave an assurance that the government will make the standard of the service world-class to facilitate efficient trade between Nigeria and its partners.

“What people tend to forget is that customs is not only created to collect revenue it is supposed to create trade facilitations and to be part of the security arrange-

Amaechi

ment of the country.

“So, trade facilitation is one of our biggest and most important role.

“We have a platform that every other agency that has anything to do with investment in Nigeria, export-import, is on that platform.

“And therefore we have what we call `one-stop shop’. So you put a document in one place to be shared by everybody.

“In terms of security, since we are the gate-keepers, the soldiers are not allowed to be at the boundary.

“We are the first people you meet at the boundary; our job is to make sure that Nigerians (are) safe.”

Ali said the service is implementing a “3R” strategic vision of Reform, Re-structure and Raise-Revenue to the Customs in a good standing.

He noted that Nigeria is faced with unprecedented challenges as regards unlocking economic potential “as a series of shocks have led to what some experts refer to as the `perfect storm.’”.

he establishment of Maritime University of Nigeria in Okerenkoko, Delta State may take longer than expected as a bill proposing on it brought by Senator James Manager was rejected in the Senate.

Manager had explained that the Maritime University would produce manpower for the maritime industry.

Senator Dino Melaye was the first to shut down the proposal by maintaining that it would have been proper for the existing Nigeria Maritime Academy, Oron in Akwa Ibom to be upgraded instead establishing new one so as to save cost.

Senator Binta Mashi also argued that the terrain of the proposed university is unsuitable, as it is improper to travel in a boat for 30 minutes to get to the place.

However, Senator Nelson Effiong reminded the Senate that the Maritime Academy which is located in his Senatorial District has trained seafarers in the past 30 years of its existence was approved as a university by former President Goodluck Jonathan and the approval is with the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He urged the government to work on the approval in order to upgrade the

Maritime Academy, Oron

academy rather than starting a new Maritime University from scratch.

“The National Maritime Academy in Oron has been operating for 30 years and based on the track record …

Jonathan approved its upgrade to a university status and the approval has been with NUC (National Universities Commission),” Effiong stressed.

Senator Shehu Sani envisaged security challenges because of the isolation of the environment, stressing that Oron should be upgraded.

“A university needs a serene and peaceful environment and this one cannot be situated in Okerenkoko,” Sani argued.

Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, who is former Akwa Ibom State governor, disclosed that his administration relocated land owners with compensation following Abuja’s willingness to upgrade the academy.

He advocated that the academy, which has trained maritime professionals, should be upgraded to a degree awarding institution.

Manager, sensing the amount of opposition, withdrew the bill, promising to present it again at an appropriate time.

M toring www.thenicheng.com

Volkswagen Passat 2016 Stories by Foster Obi

Motoring/Maritime Editor

W

hen you are looking at the 2016 Passat you may not really see spectacular upgrade, yet Volkswagen did some amazing job on the car.

The Passat has mildly revised exterior, updated centre stack and full leather seating on the classy models.

A rearview camera is now standard, and newly available safety features include a lane departure warning system, a blind-spot monitor and frontal collision warning with automatic braking.

A standard USB port replaces Volkswagen's trademarked plug for connecting smartphones and media players.

There have also been a few changes in model, including the addition of a sporty R-Line model.

In the current-generation Passat, which started in 2012, the Audi-lite exterior styling of the outgoing Passat was replaced by more generic sheet metal.

The previously high-quality interior materials were downgraded, and similar cuts were made in the engine bay.

Gone was the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine and automated clutch transmission shared with the GTI. In its place was an anemic 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine that made it difficult for the Passat to get out of its own way.

It's hard to tell, but the 2016 Volkswagen Passat received a minor styling refresh this year.

You'd have to be a sharpeyed Volkswagen fan to notice the differences between the 2015 and 2016 models in terms of body styling.

Several design elements are borrowed from the 2015 Golf, including a revised steering wheel and instrument cluster.

Although there's a lot to like about the Passat, it operates in a competitive segment with numerous solid alternatives.

Body styles The 2016 Volkswagen Passat

Performance The 2016 Volkswagen Passat is front-wheel drive and is available with two engines: a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine or a 3.6-litre V6.

The four-cylinder is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission, while power is routed through a six-speed automated manual (known as DSG) in the V6.

All trim levels except the V6 SEL Premium come standard with a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine rated at 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.

The 3.6-litre V6 is available solely on the SEL Premium trim level, and it produces 280 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque.

The revised technology interface is one of the Passat's new features. It works well, but the screen is still on the small side.

Changing your vehicle oil

Oil-change intervals vary by manufacturer and engines, so consult your owner's manual or maintenance schedule to see how often to change the oil in your vehicle and what type of oil to use. You may be surprised.

For instance you may be surprised to learn that a Camry's 2.5-litre engine requires 0W-20 synthetic oil.

Manufacturers suggest you change oil more often for "severe" driving conditions, such as frequent trailer towing, extensive stop-and-go driving or idling in traffic, driving in extreme heat or cold, or frequent short-distance

driving in which the engine doesn't reach full operating temperature.

How to know when it's time for an oil change?

Time and mileage intervals vary by vehicle manufacturer and whether an engine requires synthetic oil (which is meant to last longer).

Use the guidelines in your owner's manual, including whether most of your driving qualifies as happening in "severe" conditions, such as frequent short trips and stop-and-go driving.

Under those conditions, you should change the oil more

frequently.

How often should one replace vehicle oil?

You should change the oil at least as often as is recommended by the vehicle manufacturer (the information is in your owner's manual). These days, that's every 7,500 to 10,000 miles on many vehicles.

Many car dealers recommend doing it more often, such as every 5,000 to 6,000 miles or every six months, whichever comes first.

If you do mainly short trips and/ or stop-and-go driving, you should change the oil more often.

How about every 3,000 miles?

Though that's overkill, it can't

57

Carmagedeon

By Jonas Agwu 0805 316 6400 jonasagwu65@yahoo.com

Vulcanizer blunders and tyre blowout (1)

Sedan is offered in five main models: S, R-Line, SE, SEL, and SEL Premium.

The base S comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, full power accessories, a rearview camera, dual-zone climate control, height-adjustable front seats (with two-way manual lumbar adjustment for the driver), a 60/40-split folding rear seat, and cloth upholstery.

It also has a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, a five-inch touchscreen and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, a USB port, and an auxiliary audio jack.

There's a new "R-Line" trim that gives the Passat a sportier look. This is a standard TDI model.

The sporty R-Line adds 19-inch alloy wheels, a leatherwrapped steering wheel and shift knob and unique exterior and interior styling elements.

The R-Line is available with a Comfort package, which includes heated side mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat (with four-way power lumbar), heated front seats and leatherette (premium vinyl) upholstery.

Maintenance tips

TheNiche June 12, 2016

hurt, and it might extend the life of your engine.

Why should you change your car oil?

Oil is the lifeblood of an engine; it lubricates and cleans moving parts and performs a vital cooling function as it circulates.

Over time and repeated exposure to cold starts, short trips and engine heat, oil gets dirty, becomes thicker and loses its ability to prevent sludge and deposits from forming.

Car engineers often say that changing the oil is the best preventive medicine for extending engine life.

At 66, Sunday Nze (not his real name) loves his vocation.

The father of three and a devout Christian evokes so much passion about his profession as a vulcanizer that one would almost mistake him for a top executive in an oil company.

“Passion, dedication, and the fear of God have been the cornerstone of my profession since 1981 and I have no regrets doing what provides bread and butter for my family,” he says humbly.

The man, an executive of the Association of Vulcanizers in Port Harcourt, caught my attention during the stakeholders’ platform organised by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in keeping with the nationwide free vehicle tyre check.

The campaign is meant to raise awareness on tyre knowledge and reduce tyre-related road accidents.

It was my maiden function as I resumed in Port Harcourt as FRSC zonal commanding officer in charge of Rivers, Cross Rivers, Bayelsa, and Akwa Ibom States.

Nze, who spoke fluent English as one in a different vocation, stunned me when he told the audience during the campaign in Port Harcourt that motorists have become emergency vulcanizers who ignore manufacturers’ guide for tyre inflation – which has been discussed on this page – to dictate what they presume to be the appropriate inflation for their tyres.

Some, he said, insist on inflating the tyre up to between above 70 and greedy vulcanizers would, in the name of doing business, oblige; not minding the risk or even bother to educate motorists on the dangers of over- or under-inflation.

As one who fears God, he added, “I would rather insist on the right gauge or tell you to kindly go to another vulcanizer because I know that should that customer die through a tyre-induced road traffic crash, the God I serve will hold me responsible.’’

This is the crux of the matter – truth and the fear of God in whatever we do, even though other vulcanizers bluntly said they would gladly do the bidding of the customers and pocket the cash.

I have severally discussed the major causes of tyre blowouts which apparently most people are not aware of, including incorrect tyre inflation, especially underinflation.

Under-inflation causes two things that lead to tyre blowouts: Undue flexing of the tyres as the vehicle speeds along undulating surface on the road. This causes a separation between the tyre’s internal materials and the rubber flesh that holds them.

This separation weakens the tyre.

It also causes an increase in rolling resistance (rr) as the vehicle moves.

Increased rr generates a tremendous amount of heat.

This heat, together with the separation of the internal materials of the tyre, leads to an explosion or blowout.

Incorrect tyre inflation could also cause accidents in other ways.

When a tyre is incorrectly inflated (over-inflation or under-inflation), it makes a partial contact with the road surface and so does not have a firm grip on the surface.

With over-inflation, the edges of the contact patch (the part of the tyre that should be in contact with the road surface) do not touch the ground.

With under-inflation, the crown (the middle portion of the tyre) of the contact patch does not touch the ground.

So, either way, you have an impartial contact of the tyre on the road surface and so less grip.

This impartial contact can cause accidents in various ways: since the tyres don’t have a firm grip on the road surface, it prolongs the stopping distance when the brakes are applied in an emergency and this can make the vehicle crash into the object it wants to avoid.

It can also lead to loss of control of the vehicle when speeding. This is more with over-inflated tyres.

High vehicles like trailers, tankers, et cetera, can lose their balance when they hit a bump, pot hole, or descending a sharp bend.

The situation can be likened to someone with one leg shorter than the other: over-inflation representing the longer leg while under-inflation, the shorter leg. When given a push, such a person can easily loose balance.

No wonder these vehicles fall and loose brakes easily when subjected to abnormal road conditions like bumps, potholes, and bends.

A study conducted by my friend, Ucheagwu Sab, a couple of years ago made a shocking discovery at Orile tanker park in Lagos.

Most of the vehicles had a combination of over-inflated and underinflated tyres.

To our greatest surprise, most of those with under-inflation were deliberate. The drivers said those tyres were weak and if properly inflated, they could burst.

This is another dangerous ignorance at work. Using weak tyres is enough bad news. Under-inflating them makes matters worse.

Under-inflation will actually accelerate the likelihood of tyre burst.

In fact, if you trace the causes of most accidents, you may discover that incorrect tyre inflation is directly or indirectly implicated.

A tyre correctly inflated will handle bad roads, speed, and other road conditions far better than one not correctly inflated. This will result in a drastic reduction in road accidents.

Correct tyre pressure is so vital in the reduction of road accidents that the United States and some other developed countries made it a law that all vehicles manufactured from 2008 must be equipped with automatic tyre pressure monitoring system (atpms).

This device monitors tyre pressure every second and alerts the driver through a monitor on the dashboard about any tyre that has incorrect pressure so that the driver will take action before it is too late.

• Continues in next edition.

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TheNiche

www.thenicheng.com

June 12, 2016

Tourism/Aviation Why does the U.S. Navy need pilots who can fly like this?

A stunning 360-degree video recorded inside a U.S. Navy Blue Angel display aircraft raises a question: why do armed forces pilots need these skills?

learn a large range of tricks to evade threats.

When pilots need to perform challenging moves in combat, such training ensures that they are physically able to handle the intense forces exerted on them.

Angels pilots do, also, have to keep extremely fit and mentally sharp to perform their stunts. Not least because, unlike pilots in combat, the team doesn’t wear G-suits This image, from the film You can see above shows off the technical prowess of the Blue which help prevent blackouts on sharp turns.

This is because the interfere with the highly sensitive the aircraft flown by U.S. Navy that constantly pushes it. inflation and deflation of the control stick positioned between pilots, and were chosen because The pilots must constantly suits (which puts pressure on the their legs. they have several aerodynamic resist that force, but doing so pilots’ legs to prevent blood poolInstead, the Blue Angels pilots features which make them easier means they can make more sensiing in their lower bodies) would train to clench their muscles at to control in the air. tive adjustments and carry out the right moments, before going Example is the "leading edge very precise exercises. into a demanding manoeuvre, in extension" features on the planes' Last but not least, the purpose wings, travelling along the body of any flight display team is to “Pilots train to clench order to prevent blacking out. image, from the film you towards the nose. This helps to showcase military might. It’s seen their muscles at the right canThis see above, shows off the increase lift and stability during as a good way to engage the technical prowess of the Blue high angles of attack. public and inspire young people moments, to prevent Angels display team (Credit: USA The original F/A-18s have also to think about becoming pilots blacking out.”

Today) been modified, however. one day.

For one thing, they’re covered • Culled from www.bbc. in a high-gloss paint which recom The planes they fly, F/A-18 duces drag, and each control stick Hornets, are representative of has been mounted with a spring

Credit: USA

T

hey got their name from a New York nightclub. Their colours, though, are the official hues of the United States Navy.

Death-defying feats have been performed by the Blue Angels at airshows since the 1940s – and you can experience what it’s like to be inside the cockpit in a nail-biting interactive 360-degree video recorded by USA Today (watch it at http://www.bbc.com/ future/story/20151112-why-doesthe-us-navy-need-pilots-whocan-fly-like-this).

Like the British Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows or the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds, these pilots often make daring manoeuvres never used in combat. As you can see in the footage, the Blue Angels’ aircraft may be as close as 45cm (18 inches) to each other – less than an arm’s length. And they’re travelling at hundreds of miles an hour.

So, do armed forces actually benefit militarily from having pilots who can carry out these stunts?

The answer is “no” and “yes”.

Aerobatics generally are a part of military training because it’s important for pilots to be able to manoeuvre their aircraft with great care, hone their skills and

GE takes fight to Pratt as engine giants scrap over small planes •After winning in airliner market, sights shift to turboprops •The strategy: Adapt jet technology from CFM International

T

he world’s largest maker of engines for commercial jetliners is getting bigger by thinking smaller.

General Electric Co. says it plans to develop a family of power plants for turboprops to take on market leader Pratt & Whitney.

By adapting technology from its CFM International jet-engine venture to the general-aviation market – the niche that includes propeller planes – GE sees $1 billion of annual sales by 2020.

“This is like the shot heard around the world,” Brad Mottier, vice president and general manager of GE Aviation’s small-engine operations, said.

“This is for business and general aviation what CFM was when it was introduced.”

Supplying engines for light planes would add balance to a GE Aviation portfolio now weighted toward equipping large aircraft from Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE. It would also accelerate GE’s tilt toward industrial products as Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey Immelt, sheds

consumer-focused and lending operations.

GE signaled its turboprop strategy in September 2015 with plans to invest more than $400 million to expand its engine-development business.

The new offering, which GE calls an “advanced turboprop”, borrows jet innovations such as 3-D printed parts to increase power and improve fuel burn.

Turbine core Engines on jetliners and turboprop planes both are built around turbines.

In a conventional jet, the turbine produces thrust that drives an aircraft forward.

In a turboprop, most of the power goes to turn the propeller.

GE’s latest engine will be used on a previously unannounced plane from Textron Inc., whose brands include Beechcraft and Cessna.

The partnership is the product of a secret competition among engine makers over the past year, Mottier

said.

Textron’s single-engine aircraft probably will have a range of more than 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 kilometres) and fewer than 12 seats, Mottier said.

The first full engine test could come in 2018.

“We won the engine selection from the largest customer in this marketplace that has been purchasing their engines from Pratt & Whitney for the last 50 years,” Mottier said.

“This is the most significant programme win of my 35year career in aviation.”

GE Aviation generated about $24 billion in sales in 2014, while Pratt, a division of United Technologies Corp., had revenue of $15 billion.

Pratt & Whitney Canada, which focuses on smaller engines, accounts for about a quarter of that figure.

Global market Global small-plane deliveries through September 2015 totalled 1,558, including 374 turboprops, according to data from the General Avia-

tion Manufacturers Association.

That marked a 6.5 per cent drop from a year earlier amid uncertainty about financing for overseas sales because of United States Congress’s delays in reauthorising the U.S. ExportImport Bank, the group said.

While Pratt “pretty much owns” the turboprop market, that success has made it vulnerable to rivals with new technology, said Brian Foley, a former marketing director for business-aircraft maker, Dassault Aviation SA, who is now an aerospace consultant.

“There just hasn’t been a lot of innovation in that field,” Foley said.

Reaching the $1 billion sales goal by decade’s end would be a 10-fold gain from

2008, when the company formed a dedicated division and started expanding, Mottier said.

That year, GE bought Walter Engines, a small Czech company that helped GE build power plants for crop-dusters and other small aircraft.

The currently unnamed GE

turbine is designed to serve as the base for a group of small engines, Mottier said.

“This application is billions in revenue,” he said. “This is not an insignificant program for GE Aviation.”

• Culled from www.bloomberg.com

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BASKETBALL TENNIS

SPORTS

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a.bada@thenicheng.com

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Ayo Bada Senior Correspondent 0805 410 3980, 0803 332 2615 ayobad@yahoo.com a.bada@thenicheng.com

FLASHBACK

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PAGE 63

Ibrahimovic opens up on EURO tournament

Ideye expresses joy at Challenge success

NFF’s unfinished tie with Keshi officials of Orlando Pirates on the deal.

NFF officials mounted so much pressure on him on Tuesday, June 7 not to go to South Africa but he insisted on travelling before finally making up his mind on the Super Eagles’ job.

One death too many

NFF President, Amaju Pinnick

Former Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi

“There are no praise words too big to describe Stephen Keshi. I still cannot bring myself to speak about him in the past tense.”

S

An NFF source said: “We regretted the circumstances that led to his sack last July and we were on the verge of concluding a plan to sign him on for a fiveyear contract as the new Super Eagles coach.”

This might be connected with attempts to block Keshi from taking up the job of handling Orlando Pirates of South Africa.

A close aide of Keshi told TheNiche that Keshi was due to travel to South Africa to finalise talks with Orlando Pirates on the day he gave up the ghost.

Though the money offered by the South African team was

better than what Nigeria offered, Keshi’s decision to favourably consider the offer by the NFF was based on his love for the country.

“I will like to continue to coach the Super Eagles because I love the team and my country Nigeria,” he once said.

TheNiche learnt that Orlando Pirates agreed to pay Keshi between $10,000 and $15,000 per month.

Many newspapers had reported that he was billed to travel back to his base in the United States on the day he died in Benin City. But he was actually to travel to South Africa to meet

“History of Nigerian football will never be complete without the name of Keshi. He came, he saw, and he conquered.”

Interim Head Coach of the Super Eagles, Salisu Yusuf, one of Keshi’s assistants when he coached Nigeria between November 2011 and June 2015

NFF General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi

tephen Keshi’s death on Wednesday, June 8 in Benin City ended the unfinished business between him and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Unknown to many, the NFF had concluded plans to sign a five-year contract with Keshi to qualify the Super Eagles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.

NFF officials acknowledged that failure to qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN), the second time in succession, was painful, and decided to re-engage Keshi on a monthly salary of N7 million.

‘Mathematical’ Segun Odegbami

Nigerians from all the nooks and crannies of this vast country are still pouring tributes Keshi.

Family sources said the 54-year-old, who buried his wife, Kate, only six months ago, had complained of irregular heartbeats and pain in his legs and was being taken to a nearby hospital in Benin City when he died.

“This is devastating. We have lost a super hero. The NFF (Nigeria Football Federation) board will meet and decide on the best way to honour Stephen Keshi. We will be fully involved in the arrangements for the final burial rites.”

Keshi

ball. We will surely miss him in our midst.”

Sani Ahmed Toro, who was secretary general of Nigeria’s football governing body in those glorious days of Keshi “This is a big loss to Nigerian football. Please accept my condolences.”

Adegboye Onigbinde, who made Keshi Nigeria’s captain in 1983 “This is too much of a shock.

May his soul rest in peace.”

Former Super Eagles Assistant Coach, Joe Erico, who once coached Keshi “We’ve lost an industrious Nigerian. We’ve lost a dedicated and lover of the game of foot-

“Keshi was a great man. A lover of the game of football. A good companion and accommodating fellow. May his gentle soul rest in peace.”

“That we were victorious and won the Nation’s Cup after 19 years was largely due to the leadership provided to the team

by Keshi. He was passionate and committed to the Super Eagles team as he was to Nigerian football.

“Keshi’s love for Nigeria was never in doubt, whether as a coach, captain of the Super Eagles or footballer.”

Milestones of a ‘Big Boss’ Keshi won CAN as player and coach. The only person to achieve similar feat was Egyptian, Mahmoud el-Gohary, who is also deceased.

Keshi’s death came five days short of a year to his last match with the Super Eagles’ 2-0 defeat of Chad in a CAN qualifier in Kaduna.

Nicknamed ‘Big Boss’, the flambouyant Keshi captained Nigeria between 1983 and 1994, during which he won CAN gold, silver, and bronze; and led the country to qualify for its first FIFA World Cup finals.

He captained the Super Eagles at the FIFA World Cup in the U. S. in 1994, a few months after leading the team to win CAN for the first time on away soil in Tunis, Tunisia.

Keshi was assistant to Dutchman, Johannes Bonfrere as

the Super Eagles finished as runners-up in CAN in 2000, and then became the first Nigerian coach who guided the Super Eagles to CAN glory at the 2013 finals in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In his 44 months in charge, Keshi won CAN (2013), qualified the team for the FIFA World Cup finals (2010), led it at the FIFA Confederations Cup (2010), and steered it to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil (2014).

His contract was not renewed after the World Cup but he later returned in a match-by-match deal following Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2015 CAN finals.

He was then sacked as caretaker coach but reinstated after intervention from then President Goodluck Jonathan.

Keshi was sacked for a final time in July 2015.

Before that, he had received global applause after qualifying tiny Togo for its first FIFA World Cup in 2006.

He also coached Mali’s senior team.

A colourful playing career took Keshi to defunct ACB FC of Lagos and defunct NNB FC of Benin City (Nigeria), Stade Abidjan and Africa Sports (Cote d’Ivoire), Lokeren, Anderlecht and Molenbeek (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Jaguar Bay, San Jose and Sacramento Scorpions (U.S.), and Perlis of Malaysia.

He represented Nigeria at both junior and senior levels, winning 64 senior caps.

His first match for the senior team was against Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) on July 18, 1981 and his last was the FIFA World Cup clash with Greece in the U.S. on June 30, 1994.

Keshi will be remembered for, among other things, giving ample opportunity to home-based players to compete for shirts in the Super Eagles.

He was rewarded for this when homeboy Sunday Mba scored two crucial goals in Nigeria’s campaign at CAN 2010 in South Africa, including the only goal of the final match against Burkina Faso.

Keshi is survived by four children.

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June 12, 2016

Polo

Access Bank reiterates support for UNICEF Charity Shield Polo tourney

A

ccess Bank has reiterated its support for the UNICEF Charity Shield International Polo tournament.

The prestigious tournament came to a flourishing climax last Sunday with the presentation of N10 million donation by the bank to UNICEF. It was presented at the Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club in Kaduna by the bank’s Executive Director (Personal Banking), Victor Etuokwu, to support UNICEF’s campaign against HIV/AIDS among Nigerian children.

Etuokwu, who led other top officials of the bank to the grand finale, expressed delight that the Access Bank UNICEF Charity Shield is achieving its main objective of reaching out to less privileged children.

He said the bank has maintained its yearly donation of N10 mil-

lion to support UNICEF’s projects for orphans and vulnerable children, and continues to seek avenues to pool more resources for them.

“We have been working in Kaduna, in collaboration with UNICEF, to elevate the quality of lives. We need to do a lot more in support of these orphans and vulnerable children to enable them look forward to a better tomorrow,” Etuokwu added.

UNICEF Country Representative, Jean Gough, who received the donation, thanked Access Bank for the assistance, and disclosed that UNICEF would use it to provide care for orphans and vulnerable children in Kaduna State.

The cheque presentation, witnessed by Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Bala Bantex, was the major highlight of the closing ceremony, after the final game in which

Chess

I

nternational Master, Oladapo Adu (2314), and FIDE Master, Bomo Kigigha (2328), are among eight players who will represent Nigeria at the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan later this year.

The Nigeria Chess Federation (NCF) said the other male players are FIDE Master, Daniel Anwuli (2338), Candidate Master, Adeyinka Adesina (2286), and Ochuko Emuakpeje (2272).

The five female players who qualified for the tournament are Omolola Sadiku (1910), Deborah Akintoye (1856), Toritsemuwa Ofowino (1779), Olufunmilayo Akinola (1751), and Mandy Enarevba (1710).

The tournament will hold in Baku, the birth place of former World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov, from September 1 to 15.

Most pundits see the method of selection by NCF as a clear departure from the past when a traditional Olympiad trial held sway.

However, NCF Technical

Director, Bode Durotoye, explained that the qualification was based on the current FIDE rating list released on June 1 and the activeness of players in tournaments in a calendar year.

"In the past, we invited players for either open trial or selected trial based on their ratings but we have realised that it's more like a tournament that only produces winners by any means rather than the genuine form of an individual,” he said.

In the last two years, the NCF board lead by Lekan Adeyemi, in collaboration with the Chess Players Association of Nigeria (CPAN) has organised several rated tournaments, which are unprecedented in the history of the cerebral sport in the country.

Players have been more active in recent times to give way to selectionbased of merit over time rather than producing tournament winners, which is subjective most times.

Adeyemi also explained that the over 30 FIDE rated

From left: Gough; Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai; and Access Bank Head of Corporate Access Bank Fifth Chukker defeated Titan Lintex 8-6 to win its fourth Charity Shield title.

Proceeds and other donations during the international polo event, which is in eighth year of Access

Bank’s sponsorship, are channelled into supporting UNICEF’s campaign against HIV/AIDS among Nigerian children.

Titan Lintex had while seeking its Charity Shield glory, defeated Keffi Ponys 11-9 in an exciting

semifinal game. But its quest for honours in the final was cut short by the defending champions, Access Bank Fifth Chukker.

Earlier, DeeBee Farm MTN outpaced Suplan 7-3 to win the coveted UNICEF Cup. The Kaduna based

team, which defeated nine other oppositions to clinch the event’s most sought after prize, saw its captain, Baba Dawule, driving home a brand new car as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award winner.

Adu, Kigigha, others to represent Nigeria at World Chess Olympiad

Nigerian male team at the World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey in 2012. tournaments in the past one and a half years are enough to get the best players and camp them for training before the Chess Olympiad.

"We need to get the players in camp before the event in Baku, and based on the report from the technical committee all hands must be on deck to

ensure a good outing by the players.

“As a former athlete, I feel for all those who missed out but we can only be fair enough to every-

body.”

Plans are underway to get the team in camp in mid-August but the venue was yet to be decided at press time.

TheNiche

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Football Ideye B expresses joy at Challenge success

June 12, 2016

rown Ideye, sponsor of the Brown Ideye Challenge, says the maiden edition of the competition exceeded his expectations.

He disclosed after the final match that it gave him extreme pleasure watching the determination and happiness on the faces of players and officials as they jostled for the trophy.

His words: “When the idea of the tournament was conceived I never expected such success at the maiden edition.

“Seeing those boys play at the final really touched me a lot because I have been through that road before and I know how it is. It was joy seeing them play and having fun.

“When I had this plan with China Acheru about a year back,

really I didn’t know it could be this successful. I am really happy about it.”

The Super Eagles forward wants more tournaments of this nature organised regularly to help groom talented players and provide them opportunity.

“Today I saw some wonderful players and I would say if we can have these tournaments regularly it would boost the boys’ morale and it would help them grow. So I would say it is important to have a tournament like this every year.”

Ideye said he plans to make the Challenge bi-annual, and he is open to sponsors and partners to help lift football at the grassroots.

A&B Academy emerged champions of the maiden edition, beating Garden City Panthers

Ogunbote still fine tuning 3SC

C

oach Gbenga Ogunbote, who resigned from Giwa FC and rejoined Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan within days, has admitted that a tough challenge lies ahead of the team.

Although he began his reign with a 3-0 win over Akwa United last Sunday, the tactician believes more has to be done to ensure survival.

"To stay out of the relegation zone we have to win all our home games and also pick points on the road. We also have to be very active in the transfer market.

Ideye

2-1 in the final played at the University of Port Harcourt Sports Complex, Port Harcourt.

Garden City Academy of Sports finished third after beating Academy Football SKE 1-0 in the losers’ final.

"At the moment we do not have a team yet but I'm hopeful that we shall be active before the transfer window closes," Ogunbote enthused.

He was full of appreciation after the Oluyole Warriors humbled Akwa United at the Lekan Salami Stadium.

"I thank God for the match and the important win. I'm thankful to the Almighty God for a good start.”

3SC players are yet to find their rhythm and the team has been struggling since the commencement of the season.

Assistant Coach, Friday Christopher, resigned last week claiming he has been left in the dark.

The former coach of Enyimba joined 3SC four days to the start of the second round of the NPFL 2015/16 season.

"I had to leave 3SC because I felt I was left in the dark,” he moaned.

“I expected that after the end of the first round of the NPFL we ought to sit down and evaluate our performance and map out the way forward by either bringing new players or allowing some leave.

"At least after the first round we ought to know what the problems were and then find a proper solution so as to head into the second round refreshed.”

Shooting Stars players before a match

Lagos agog for NNPC/Shell Cup 2016 finals

A

ll roads lead to the main bowl of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos from today, Sunday, 12 for the semifinals and final of this year’s NNPC/ Shell Cup for All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championship.

Championship National Coordinator, Shola Akinwale, said all the four teams that qualified for the semifinals and youth coaches from Feyenord FC, Rotterdam would be hosted to a luncheon today at the media centre of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

“All the teams and youth coaches from Feyenord FC, Rotterdam are expected to

have arrived on Saturday, June 11 while they would be hosted to a luncheon on Sunday, June 12.

“The youth coaches from Feyenord FC would conduct coaching clinic for players and coaches of the four teams on Monday and Wednesday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium,” Akinwale said.

The four teams would compete in the semifinals on Tuesday, June 14 and the grand finale hold on Thursday, June 16.

“All is set for the last stages of the championship. The coaching clinic is the usual practice in the history of the championship and this year will not be an exception.

“The semifinal matches will be tough, based on the

performances of the four qualified teams, and football fans are expected to enjoy the best of football from the grassroots.

“As I said after the quarterfinals, all the semifinalists are as good as winning the trophy this year but definitely a champion must emerge from the four.

“All the qualifiers really lived up to expectation and that shows we should be expecting tough semifinal matches.”

The semifinalists are FOSLA Academy Secondary School, Abuja; Government Senior Secondary School, Darazo, Bauchi State; Excel Education Centre, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; and former champions, Asegun Comprehensive High

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Action during one of the quarterfinal matches

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Tennis June 12, 2016

Djokovic can do more

L

ike Andre Agassi and Roger Federer, and Don Budge and Fred Perry before him, Novak Djokovic's moment of crowning glory came on the Philippe Chatrier court.

The eighth man to have claimed all four of the sport's Grand Slam titles has also done something that has (so far) proved beyond both Federer and Rafael Nadal.

For the first time since man landed on the moon, the same player is the Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, and now French Open champion.

Rod Laver managed to win all four in the same year for the second time in his career in 1969, and Djokovic is now dominating the game like a man who has every intention of emulating him.

"I don't want to sound arrogant, but I really think everything is achievable in life," he said, when asked about his chances of achieving the calendar Grand Slam.

"That's still a possibility.

But I don't think about it right now."

In a BBC interview, Djokovic, who beat Britain's Andy Murray in four sets at Roland Garros, continued: "I'm privileged and honoured to be alongside Rod Laver.

"I have probably experienced one of the most beautiful moments of my professional tennis career. I would say winning Wimbledon in 2011, victory in the [2010] Davis Cup and this moment are quite remarkable and unforgettable."

Winning an Olympic gold medal for Serbia is also very high on Djokovic's list of priorities for the year, and if he can win the title in Rio, as well as at Wimbledon and the US Open, he will emulate Steffi Graf's 'Golden Slam' of 1988.

The schedule, though, is grueling.

Wimbledon starts in three weeks' time, the Olympics follow four weeks later, and then – after just a fortnight's rest – New York hosts the US Open.

But if anyone can, Djokovic can.

He has been in the past six Grand Slam finals, and won five of them. And clay is considered his weakest surface.

Djokovic will now disappear from public view until he opens the defence of his Wimbledon title on Centre Court. There will be no warm-up events on grass for him.

Part of his success has been the ability to know when to rest. A slightly rusty Djokovic is still more than a match over five sets for anyone who has the

Djokovic won the French Open for the first time in his fourth appearance in the final.

misfortune to be asked to play him in the first week of a Grand Slam.

His fitness levels are beyond compare. It seems a very long time ago that Roger Federer was describ-

ing his injury record as a "joke" and Andy Roddick made fun of his long list of illnesses with flippant references to bird flu and SARS. Despite many attempts

to find a solution, breathing problems had undermined the early years of Djokovic's career.

It was only after being sick in the middle of his Australian Open quarterfinal with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2010 that he realised he needed a fresh approach.

Test results showed he had a strong intolerance to wheat and dairy, as well as a mild sensitivity to tomatoes. So out went the wheat and out went the dairy, and his sugar intake was significantly reduced.

Djokovic said he now struggles to catch even a common cold, and given his exceptional consistency, his case for a 'Golden Slam' is a persuasive one.

With 12 Grand Slam titles to his name, Djokovic now sits in equal fourth place on the all-time list.

He turned 29 on the

opening day of the French Open and so appears to have plenty of time to catch Pete Sampras and Rafael Nadal on 14, and even Roger Federer on 17.

Federer will be 35 in August, and has not won a Grand Slam for four years.

His back injury appears to have cleared up in time for his favourite few months of the year, but the evidence of last year suggests that beating Djokovic over five sets is now a bridge too far.

"At the beginning I was not glad to be part of their era," Djokovic admitted after his victory over Murray.

"Later on I realised that in life everything happens for a reason. You're put in this position with a purpose – a purpose to learn and to grow and to evolve."

Men with most Grand Slam titles Roger Federer - Pete Sampras - Rafael Nadal - Novak Djokovic - Roy Emerson - Bjorn Borg - Rod Laver - • Culled from BBC Sport Steffi Graf is the only player to achieve a 'Golden Slam', sealing the achievement at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul

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June 12, 2016

Football

63

Ibrahimovic opens up on EURO

A

t 34, Sweden skipper, Zlatan Ibrahimović, will be well aware that his fourth EURO final tournament will probably be his last.

The forward assessed the strength of his side's Group E opponents and explained to Uefa.com what it means to bring his national team to France.

His words: “It will be really special to lead my country as captain in such a big competition, espe-

Ibrahimovic

cially since it's being held in France where I've played my club football.

“I'll represent Sweden with pride and try to take the country as far as possible.

“It will be great to line up with Sweden at the finals, as it is every time we line up together – with pride, honour and [thinking about] those close to me.

“I always try to do my job and I hope the younger players will do the same or even better.

“Once I'm on the pitch, I try to share happiness, love

Spain prosecutors call for Neymar’s trial

S

panish prosecutors have called for Brazilian and FC Barcelona football star, Neymar, to be tried for fraud.

The prosecutors, from Spain's top criminal court, alleged he and his father hid the true value of his multi-million-euro transfer from Santos to Barcelona.

A Brazilian investment fund that owned 40 per cent of Neymar's sports rights argues it was

deprived of its full share.

In previous interviews, Neymar, 24, denied any wrongdoing.

Barcelona said it paid €57 million (£43 million) for Neymar in 2013, with the player's parents, Neymar da Silva Santos and Nadine Goncalves da Silva Santos, receiving €40 million and his former club, Santos, €17 million.

But investigators say the fee was closer to €83 million and

Barcelona concealed part of the deal. The club also denies any wrongdoing.

The Brazilian third-party investment fund, DIS, alleges it was financially harmed by the transfer when it received €6.8 million of Santos's €17 million fee and argues it was deprived of its full share.

Neymar and his parents, along with Barcelona's former

President, Sandro Rosell, and President Josep Bartomeu, had all given statements at an earlier court hearing in February.

Speaking to O Globo TV in Brazil in February, Neymar said: "Before saying nonsense – that we hid this, or hid that – they should prove it.

"My father is doing everything to ensure that I can just focus on playing football. He handles the

and energy, adrenaline and motivation. I demonstrate all this and want to reach out to others with it.

“Football is a passion for me. It is what I wanted to do and I want to make history doing it. Inspiration came from many places: friends, professional players at big clubs.

“When I saw something good I wanted to do the same or even better. When I realised that I could become a professional and do this full time – something that I love – and represent my country, there's noth-

ing bigger than that.

“Especially when you get to be captain and score for your country. There's nothing greater.

“I think I've got better each year. I've come on, achieved a lot and spread a lot of love and happiness through my football. That is what I want to do: be positive.

Sweden will face Ireland, Belgium and Italy in Group E. Its first match is against Ireland on Monday, June 13.

books. But the moment when you see someone you love suffering, it starts to hurt."

Neymar and his father also face accusations in a separate case of defrauding the Spanish tax office, while the player faces a tax evasion investigation in Brazil. He denies wrongdoing.

His move to Barcelona has been a big success on the pitch.

The striker became part of a goal-

scoring trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

In 2015, Neymar helped the club win five trophies and came third in the FIFA Ballon d'Or competition. He also scored in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) final against Juventus.

He won the Spanish league and cup double with Barcelona in 2016.

and Andre Schurrle and into Joachim Low's squad.

Balotelli a spot in the Italian squad.

The forward was one of the stars of Euro 2012, scoring three goals to help Italy reach the final, but his career has stalled since then.

The 25-year-old now has a summer to reflect on whether he can salvage his club career with Liverpool.

Euro 2016 top missing players

A

s most Europe's top players are gearing up for the year’s final tournament which began on Friday, June 10 in France, BBC Sport has put together players omitted by their country.

While injury has prevented the likes of Belgium's Vincent Kompany, France's Raphael Varane, and Germany's Marco Reus from being involved other top names have been deemed surplus to requirements.

Kevin Trapp (Germany) The 25-year-old goalkeeper has had a superb first season with Paris St-Germain, keeping 25 clean sheets in all competitions to help it win an unprecedented domestic treble (including the Ligue 1 title by 31 points).

However, this was not enough to force his way into the Germany squad, with Joachim Low opting for Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen) and Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona) as his three keepers.

Dejan Lovren (Croatia) After an inconsistent start to his Liverpool career, the 26-year-old has now established himself in Jurgen Klopp's starting XI. Unfortunately for the central defender, his relationship with Croatian Head Coach, Ante Cacic, is not as strong.

The pair fell out during a friendly in March, when

Lovren was an unused substitute, before he reportedly sought guarantees he would start games.

"When it dawns on him that he can't look down on his team-mates, the staff and the coach, he will perhaps find a way to get back in," said Cacic.

Philippe Senderos (Switzerland) The former Arsenal and Fulham defender has 55 international caps but will not be adding to those this summer.

The 31-year-old is now back playing in Switzerland with Grasshoppers Zurich, after leaving Aston Villa in January, but has clearly not impressed sufficiently enough over 14 appearances to warrant a trip to France.

"It's a difficult moment for him," said Coach Vladimir Petkovic. "He has maybe lost a bit of confidence and that positive feeling is not there."

Danny Drinkwater (England) The 26-year-old defensive midfielder's omission prompted some anger from fans on social media.

Drinkwater played a key role in Leicester's Premier League title-winning success this season and was named man of the match on his international debut in the 2-1 friendly defeat against the Netherlands in March.

But with Eric Dier likely to

ances, prompting his return to the international scene for the 2-0 friendly loss to England last November.

"Hatem has had a great season but he's not the only one in that position," said France Coach, Didier Deschamps, who also has Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial, and Dimitri Payet at his disposal.

Karim Bellarabi (Germany) Marco Reus' absence from

Isco (Spain) Such is the abundance of quality available to Spanish Coach Vicente del Bosque, he is able to leave out a player who has just helped Real Madrid win its 11th European title.

The 24-year-old midfielder appeared regularly for his country during qualifying for

Diego Costa (Spain) If the tournament had been played last summer, Costa would surely have made the cut, but the forward's second season with Chelsea has been far more inconsistent than his first.

He actually ended the campaign in decent form, scoring 12 of his 16 goals in his last 20 appearances, but after just one strike for his country in qualifying and doubts over his fitness, Coach Del Bosque clearly feels he has better options.

Javi Martinez (Spain)

Karim Benzema (France)

The defensive midfielder/ defender has had his share of injury problems but he remains a high-profile absentee.

The 27-year-old made 27 appearances for Bayern Munich this season as the German side won a domestic double and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

But this was not enough to give him the chance to add to the World Cup and European Championship winners medals he won in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

The 28-year-old striker has suffered for matters off the pitch rather than on it.

His record of 28 goals in 36 games this season for Real Madrid is enough to warrant inclusion in the French squad.

However, he has been excluded following his implication in an alleged attempt by one of his friends to blackmail international team-mate, Mathieu Valbuena, over a sex tape.

Arsenal's Olivier Giroud is likely to lead the French line in his absence.

From left: Drinkwater, Costa, Benzema, and Lovren among the missing players start and Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere fit again, Roy Hodgson clearly feels he has enough midfield options.

Hatem Ben Arfa (France) Ben Arfa has resurrected his career at Nice this season after it went off the rails at Newcastle and Hull.

The attacking midfielder scored 18 goals in 36 appear-

the Germany squad drew the headlines, but Bellarabi is also a surprising omission.

The 26-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has had a superb season, which he ended in style, scoring seven times in his final 16 appearances to help his club to a third-place Bundesliga finish.

However, this was not enough to force his way past the likes of Julian Draxler

France and made 43 appearances for Real this season but lost out as Del Bosque opted for Atletico Madrid's Koke and Isco's club-mate, Lucas Vazquez, instead.

Mario Balotelli (Italy) Three goals in 23 appearances in his second loan spell at AC Milan was never likely to be enough to earn Mario

Candour's Niche

www.thenicheng.com

12:06:2016

Ikechukwu Amaechi ikechukwuamaechi@yahoo.com i.amaechi@thenicheng.com 0805 506 9065

As impunity reigns at PenCom

T

he Pension Reform Act (PRA), which established the National Pension Commission (PenCom), was enacted by the National Assembly (NASS) in 2004 to create a body that would regulate, supervise and ensure the effective administration of pension matters.

Before then, pension schemes in the country were bedeviled by many problems, including the fact that the public service operated an unfunded Defined Benefits Scheme. Though the payment of retirement benefits was budgeted annually, most times there were no funds to execute the scheme.

The situation was even worse in the private sector where many employees were not covered by the pension schemes put in place by their employers, and even where they were covered, many of the schemes were not funded.

So, the PRA was hailed as pragmatic, just like PenCom, the regulatory body that would formulate, direct and oversee the overall policy on pension matters by establishing standards, rules and regulations for the management of pension funds.

But what the PRA did not envisage in setting up PenCom was the establishment of a regulatory agency that would see itself as being above the law or which would go out of its way to undermine the same organisations it was set up to nurse to good health.

Unfortunately, that seems to be the situation now.

PenCom has become a law unto itself. Its management is contemptuous of court judgments and treats well-meaning advice from constituted authorities with levity.

In PenCom, bias against certain business interests trumps equity and justice. That is a dangerous value proposition for a regulator in such a critical industry.

The story of the regulator-engineered crisis that has engulfed an otherwise frontline Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) is pathetic. It is a classic illustration of the ‘might is right’ philosophy of those who

think they control the levers of power in Nigeria.

The contrived crisis which has hobbled First Guarantee Pensions Limited (FGPL) for over five years is orchestrated by PenCom headed by Chinelo Anohu-Amazu.

I commented on this matter a few weeks ago, hoping that somehow the shenanigans will stop.

But the impunity continues and I am appalled and horrorstruck by the propensity of a government agency to flagrantly disobey court orders.

To recap, FGPL is a Nigerian company incorporated in 2004 and licensed as a PFA in 2006, with a total 37 shareholders.

Despite the teething problems, the management turned around the fortunes of the company in 2010 and subsequently paid dividends, a feat PenCom acknowledged.

So happy was PenCom with the performance of FGPL that on February 23, 2011 it released its annual report on the performance of PFAs. And guess what? FGPL was categorised as the most improved PFA in 2010. Yet, barely one month later, precisely on March 22, 2011, PenCom queried the same management style that had earned FGPL the honour of being adjudged the most improved PFA. Sensing the axiomatic hand of Esau in the very untidy scenario, the shareholders of FGPL went to court to stop PenCom from implementing the target report.

On August 11, 2011, Justice D. U. Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja granted an ex-parte order requesting all parties, including PenCom, to maintain the status quo ante and stop implementing the target report pending the determination of the suit.

However, that was the beginning of the reign of impunity.

Notwithstanding the court order, PenCom on August 15, 2011 dissolved the FGPL board and appointed an interim management.

A very dangerous affront on the courts.

Where did the regulator ac-

quire such powers to treat an order of the court with so much scorn? When did PenCom become an institution that is above the law? What provision of the PRA empowers the regulator to spurn judicial pronouncements?

Not wanting to jump into the puddle of illegality with PenCom, the aggrieved shareholders petitioned the then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, on the disrespect for court order.

The chief law officer of Nigeria wrote two letters dated August 17, 2011 (referenced HAGF/PENCOM/2011/VOL.1/2 and September 8, 2011 (referenced HAGF/ PENCOM/2011/VOL.1/2) requesting all the parties to abide by the court orders.

But like the ex-parte order, the two letters were ignored.

Then, on July 18, 2012, Justice Okorowo unequivocally nullified the “Draft First Guarantee Pension Limited Target Examination” and the “Target Examination Report of First Guarantee Pension” and upbraided PenCom for acting above the law and not obeying court order.

The court not only ordered that the interim management foisted on FGPL by PenCom be removed but also requested the commissioners of police in Lagos and Abuja to enable the board members take over their business.

Almost four years after this verdict, and without a higher court annulling the ruling, the interim management is still calling the shots at FGPL. In utter contempt for the courts, the interim management declared illegal by Justice Okorowo made a filing at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) which restructured the shareholding structure of FGPL. The shares of its foreign partners, Novare, were removed as investors in FGPL and treated as deposit for shares. The shares of the founder and promoter of the business, Nze Chidi Duru, were reduced by 50 per cent from N248 million to under N122 million.

Beyond flying in the face of court order, this action was illegal

through and through because there was neither shareholders’ nor directors’ meeting where the decision was taken and, therefore, there couldn’t have been a resolution to back up the illegality.

Then, on June 13, 2012, one Ibrahim Kashim Imam, a minority shareholder, was purportedly elected chairman of FGPL board against the injunction of Justice Okechukwu Okeke of the Federal High Court, Lagos on July 10, 2012, restraining the CAC as well as Kashim Imam and his minority shareholders from “convening and/or holding any annual general meeting of FGPL.” But even if there was no restraining order, the purported shareholders’ resolution signed by one Funmi Olowo, which claimed that Kashim Imam was now the chairman and went ahead to either remove or replace the legitimate directors of the company would have still been illegal.

Why? The “resolution” claimed that the decision was taken at an annual general meeting (AGM) of FGPL which allegedly held at the Valentia Hotel, Abuja on July 13, 2012.

Meanwhile, in the advertised notice for the meeting, over which a restraining order was obtained, the venue was to be Niger Hall, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.

Now, the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), clearly states that if for any reason the advertised venue of a meeting is moved to another venue, then that meeting will stand adjourned until the next week, and a fresh notice published.

So, it is against the law to have a meeting already advertised to hold at the Niger Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel for June 13 to hold at the Valencia Hotel on the same day.

Yet, all these illegalities are going on under the watch of the interim management committee appointed by PenCom. To ramp up the illegitimacies and build a monument of impunity, there has not been a meeting of the shareholders of FGPL in the last five years.

Within the same period, the company has also not filed its annual returns and accounts with the CAC as required by law, not to talk of paying dividend to the shareholders or taxes to state and federal governments.

Perhaps, the most pernicious impunity is the surreptitious attempt to sell off the company to a South African firm.

On May 27, 2016, a company, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, which claims to be “a specialised financial services group established in 1935 and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange,” impudently summoned FGPL shareholders to a meeting on July 20, 2016.

The group said the meeting will discuss, among other things, its “offer to shareholders” of FGPL and “proposal for the structure of the sale/share transfer.”

The letter was signed by Kelechi Umelo, Head, Investment Banking; and Femi Ogunjimi, chief executive officer of Cardinalstone Partners and titled, “Presentation to shareholders of First Guarantee Pension Limited”.

It reads in part: “Our client, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited (“Alexander Forbes” or the “Group”) hereby invites you as a shareholder of First Guarantee Pension Limited (“First Guarantee” or the “Company”) to a meeting on the 20th of July, 2016.

“The purpose of this meeting is to present our offer to shareholders to acquire an equity stake in First Guarantee as well as our future plan for the business.”

The questions that arise from this are legion. Has PenCom concluded to sell FGPL? On whose authority is it doing so? Can PenCom sell the company without the consent of the shareholders?

But most importantly, has Nigeria become such a Banana Republic where an agency of government can flagrantly disobey court verdicts without any consequences?

For good corporate governance and the rule of law, the impunity going on at PenCom must stop.

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