Sunday 24th April 2016

Kachikwu Recommissions 46km Escravos-Warri Crude Pipeline Says refineries operating at 60% but need $700m to upgrade to 90%

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt, Chineme Okafor in Abuja, Adibe Emenyonu in Warri Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, has said the lingering fuel shortages in major cities across the country would

gradually ease off with coming on stream of refineries, which require about $700 million to upgrade and operate at 90 per cent capacity.

Kachikwu, who noted this when he re-commissioned the 46-km Escravos-Warri

pipeline, however warned that the long-term solutions would take time.

According to him, “It is going to take time because we are addressing a long-term solution.

There is a lot of policy issues coming in to ensure that we

resolve this and we would not need to go back to the pipes over again.

Kachikwu, who also inaugurated the Bonny–Eleme Refinery crude pipeline to formally bring it on stream, added: “When the upgrade

and repairs, led by the foreign investors, with our joint team, are concluded, our capacity will move from about 50 per cent to about 90 per cent, resulting in movement from 12 million litres to slightly in excess of 20 million litres production per

day. The co-located refineries that we have also advertised, which will be private sector-led, by the time they are attained in about two years, there will be excess of 750,000 barrels Continued on page 8

Defence Chiefs Identify 10 Security Threats in N'Delta... Page 11

Sunday 24 April, 2016 Vol 21. No 7669

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PDP Weighs N'West, S'West Option as Opposition Mounts against Sheriff Ex-gov Shekarau may join race

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Ahead of the May 21 national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party’s stakeholders are

considering zoning the national chairmanship seat to either the North West or the South West geo-political zones, THISDAY has learnt.

Before the latest move,

the National Chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, appeared set to achieve his quest for the retention of his position at the convention.

The former Borno governor’s

bid to retain the position was buoyed by the support from some of the party’s governors, particularly Bayelsa Governor Serieke Dickson and his Ondo State counterpart, Dr.

Olusegun Mimiko, who is also the chairman of the PDP Governors Forum.

However, following an avalanche of opposition from party stakeholders who

remained vehemently against the continuation of Sheriff in office beyond May, the party was forced to direct the zoning Continued on page 8

Osinbajo: Public Officeholders Must Account for What They Own Says enough of herdsmen violence

Olawale Olaleye Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said yesterday in Lagos that public officers would now be made to account for their wealth as part of the anticorruption campaign of the administration. He said the change being pursued by the government was an existential desire and not a mere slogan.

Osinbajo spoke during a town hall meeting held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, organised by United Action for Change, a change advocacy group led by National Legal Adviser of All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN).

The vice president, who fielded questions from a wide range of interest groups from different sectors of the polity, talked tough on the violence currently being perpetrated by herdsmen in various parts of the country. He warned that violence of any sort was Continued on page 8

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

PRESIDENTIAL RECOGNITION...

President Barack Obama (2nd left), greets Nigerian-born Ladipo Emeruwa (grandson of Chief Chris Ogunbanjo) on stage after watching him and other actors perform Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Globe Theatre in London at the end of Obama's official visit to the UK ...yesterday

TEARS FOR THE DEAD PRINCE

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SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2016 • T H I S D AY T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

PAGE EIGHT OSINBAJO: PUBLIC OFFICEHOLDERS MUST ACCOUNT FOR WHAT THEY OWN no longer acceptable to the Buhari presidency, stating, “Nobody can enforce any type of right by violence. The use of violence to dispossess others is unacceptable!”

Osinbajo said henceforth both serving and former public office holders must have proper explanation for the sources of their wealth because the era of people becoming emergency billionaires was over.

“Anybody who can’t explain his wealth must be brought to account.

Everyone who has served in public office must account for what they own. This is the change we want Nigerians to support,” he said, adding that the dream of the Buhari government is to have a “country where integrity is our national culture.”

Osinbajo described corruption as a collective conspiracy by the Nigerian people, stressing that the vice is perpetrated by people from different parts of the country.

“Nigerians collaborate well in everything, including

corruption,” he said.

The vice president assured that there were no hidden agenda behind the policies of the government and declared that at the end of their tenure, Buhari and he would be ready to present their bank account balances and assets to prove to Nigerians that they did not abuse their positions.

On the change promised Nigerians, Osinbajo pleaded that the citizens should be patient with the administration, saying change is a necessity they are irrevocably committed to.

He stated, “Nigerians should never lose hope in the face of the present difficulties.

We have the best opportunity to change this nation now because we have a leader, who is honest in all his dealings.

There is a determination by this government to change the nation’s direction. The desire for change is existential and irrevocable.

“You can’t change a nation that is so embroiled in corruption without an honest leader. We are completely

committed to change.

“Many things may not be completely solved, but there is no doubt about the fact that we are working for change everyday. The president and I have no other agenda but change. At the end of our tenure, you should look at our bank account balance and you’d see that we have not corruptly enriched ourselves.

The pain is not going to be the end of the story, but posterity and abundance.”

Osinbajo reiterated the government’s commitment to the social security schemes promised by the All Progressives Congress during the last general election. He said the federal government was committed to a health insurance scheme that would provide coverage for all Nigerians and assured that the administration would soon begin to pay the N5,000 monthly stipend promised poor Nigerians. He explained that a list of one million beneficiaries for a start was already being compiled across the country with the help of the World Bank.

Although, the number of beneficiaries originally envisaged was 25 million, Osinbajo said the present state of the economy could not fund such a huge figure, hence the decision to start with one million people, with focus on the elderly and poor disabled persons who cannot work. He clarified that the extension of the scheme to undergraduates was not promised by the APC during the campaigns. He also hinted that the government had begun to work on employment generation, starting with vocational and technology training for the youth in different fields.

On the scarcity of petrol, the vice president pleaded for the understanding of Nigerians and said government was looking for a lasting solution to the problem. He disclosed that the main cause of the problems in the sector was the fact that the refineries were run by government with all the familiar imperfections. Admitting that private refineries were better run, he said government was seek-

ing private investments in co-managing the refineries.

On entertainment, Osinbajo said the industry had developed organically and government was working on solutions to the menace of piracy. He advocated more collaboration between the entertainment industry and the government.

He, however, observed that majority of those in the industry evaded taxes and advised them to change their attitude towards tax payment.

On the allegations about the removal of the Lagos-Calabar rail line from this year’s budget, Osinbajo restated the presidency’s position, saying, “The Lagos-Calabar and Lagos-Kano rails are in the budget.”

Osinbajo also spoke on the poor state of power. He noted that Nigeria recorded a peak of 5000 MW in February and paid outstanding debts, while curtailing acts of vandalism that often hindered progress in the sector. He observed that the Forcados pipeline damage caused a drop of

about 500MW. “We are currently working on improving the supply of gas to power plants and fixing transmission line problems.

We have removed fixed tariff charges. You only pay for what you use. We are also engaged with labour unions on cost reflective tariffs,” the vice president stated.

He noted that the Nigeria/ China currency deal would ease business between the two countries by eliminating the usual dollar frustration.

Osinbajo concluded, “We will continue with the town hall meetings across the country. You will be notified on the next one.”

Earlier, the UAC Convener, Banire, in his opening remarks, called for continuous support for the change Nigerians voted for during last year’s general election.

He said the body was “conceived as a vehicle to engage and sensitise Nigerians on the philosophical and moral significance of change working through its major platform: Change Nigeria.”

sector of the country's petroleum industry, adding that it was critical to local supply of finished petroleum product as both refineries in Warri and Kaduna are majorly fed from Escravos crude stock.

"The challenge of this country is the challenge of focus and stewardship. For the first time in many years the three refineries are going to be working and it will help in a great deal with the issue

of fuel supply and distribution across the country and it will go a long way to manage the fuel crisis," said Kachikwu.

The minister enjoined Nigerians to be more patient as the NNPC was working hard to end fuel shortage across the country.

On that, he stated: "I appreciate the patience of Nigerians and I am committed and focused to make petrol available to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria."

It is equally understood that the pipeline which has some of its axis underwater especially at challenging terrains to make it quite difficult to vandalise, was built by Ocean Marine Solution.

Its chairman, Captain Hosa Okunbor, told journalists that the completion of the multibillion naira project was made possible by President Muhammadu Buhari, who insisted on bringing total reform in the oil and gas sector.

He noted that this is first time in the last 10 years that crude will be delivered to the Warri refinery through pipelines.

Okunbor who disclosed that his firm was also undertaking similar project between Bonny and Port Hacourt refinery, expressed strong confidence that with three refineries Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna, refining petroleum, the scarcity of the petroleum industry products would soon be a thing of the past.

"Today, we are very glad that for the first time over 10 years we are able to deliver the crude line between Escravos and Warri and crude is now flowing through the pipeline which was impossible over the years...

"For me, am so glad because sometimes there are certain things you achieve that are more than money. We have created serious value for this country using our own resources.

He added: "The community are able to cooperate with us. We used carrot and stick approach and our security surveillance and also the contract of actually

doing the job and replacing the contract. It was very tedious and sometime we almost got killed and threat to our lives which informs why you see all these security around us. We have put our lives on the line to deliver Escravos, we have also delivered Bonny to Port Harcourt and today there is crude in Port Harcourt that is flowing to the refinery and the same thing with Warri refinery.

"As a company it was a big gamble to do this. We spent billions without a penny from NNPC but today we have cured the problem. A lot of people did not understand, some wrote petitions that we were given contract, at a point my name was going to be soiled and I believe in my name. I am a role model to my family and the people on the street and that is what gave the will to deliver this."

Kachikwu, who stated that the daily consumption of premium motor spirit (pms) currently stands at about 45 million litres, pointed out that the refineries now operating at 60 per cent capacity could only produce 12 million litres. He however added that there was need to upgrade the refineries to produce at 90 per cent minimum to produce about 20 million litres.

He said the corporation was already sourcing for foreign investors to raise the necessary funds.

He however said the foreign investors were not coming to run the refineries but only to provide the needed capital and technical assistance.

“We have signed the advertisements for investors to come in. There is no confusion about what they are coming to do; they are not coming to run the refinery. They are coming to provide funds to take our performance on these refineries to 90 per cent and to provide us with technical skills.

So, the areas of intervention will be funding and technical support,” he said.

He explained that, “Port Harcourt is back in production, Warri is back in production.

KACHIKWU RECOMMISSIONS 46KM ESCRAVOS-WARRI CRUDE PIPELINE refined petroleum production capacity per day.

“Our hope is that by 2018, fuel importation will be reduced by at least 60 per cent, because of the upgrade that would have taken place.

By 2019, when the co-located refineries are in place, we will actually be exiting importation and begin to export refined petroleum products. That is the strategic way. That is what we are working on.”

He called on Nigerians to collectively tackle the issue of pipeline vandalism.

Kachikwu at the event, also disclosed both Warri and Kaduna refineries which had been cut out from supply of crude oil due to the vandalised pipeline are now receiving crude simultaneously for the first time in many years.

He said the Warri refinery had already started working while Kaduna will start produc-

tion at the end of the month.

According to him, this means that for the first time in many years, the nation’s three refineries at Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna, as well as major crude pipelines in the country will be working at the same time.

Kachikwu stated in a statement from the spokesman of the NNPC, Mallam Garuba Deen Muhammad, that the Escravos terminal was the heartbeat of the downstream

PDP WEIGHS N'WEST, S'WEST OPTION AS OPPOSITION MOUNTS AGAINST SHERIFF committee to reconsider its earlier proposal to zone the chairmanship seat to North East.

PDP had directed its committee on zoning of party national offices, headed by Akwa Ibom State Governor Emmanuel Udom, to work out an acceptable zoning arrangement.

The committee met last Monday night at Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja and the meeting was attended by most of the party’s governors, though the two northern PDP governors – Ibrahim Dakwambo (Gombe) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba) - were absent.

A sharing arrangement of party offices between the North and the South recently proposed by the Zoning committee had created misgivings within the party as various regional tendencies scramble for key positions. The zoning arrangement which was worked out at a meeting last Tuesday in Uyo gave the national chairmanship to the North, while national deputy chairman slot was zoned to the South. It also gave the national secretary slot to the North, while deputy national secretary position was given to the South.

“It has not be adopted and some people have already faulted it saying that the North cannot have both national chairmanship and secretary slots at the same time,” a source told THISDAY, adding, “the agitation against the arrangement was also heightened by other

permutations.”

The zoning committee of the party has fixed another meeting for next week in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in its attempt to resolve the crisis generated by the zoning arrangement it proposed.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, disclosed in a statement that said no date had been fixed for the meeting.

He said that the governors and National Assembly members were holding consultations to ensure that the committee arrives at a zoning arrangement that will be acceptable and beneficial to all the six geopolitical zones.

The move to zone the party chairmanship to the North West or South West, THISDAY gathered, was part of the strategy to keep Sherriff out of the race.

By this strategy, the anti Sheriff elements within the party believe that they would have succeeded in zoning the position out the reach of the former Borno State governor and give the party the opportunity to pick someone from President Muhammadu Buhari's Northwest geopolitical who will try to whittle down the President’s support base ahead of 2019 general elections.

Sherriff who until recently enjoyed the backing of governors within the party was said have clinched the chairmanship position after the exit of acting national chairman, Chief Uche Secondus, because of his massive wealth and the belief that he would be able fund party activities from

his personal resources. But the image crisis he suffers following the controversy surrounding his tenure as governor during which the deadly Boko Haram sect came to national consciousness and the growing opposition to his chairmanship by other key stakeholders in the party forced the governors to have a rethink about their support for his candidacy.

Ondo and Bayelsa governors are now among those leading the campaign against Sheriff's bid to retain his position, said the party source.

"For now, many party stakeholders do not believe that Sheriff is the right person for the job and once we have these kind of forces uniting against the leadership, they will likely yield to reason.

Governors of Ondo and Bayelsa States as well as most of the PDP members in the National Assembly are presently against Sheriff as an option,” the source said.

The source further said the reason most of the governors kept quiet on the matter for so long was because they did not want a situation where their opposition to Sherriff’s aspiration would threaten their grip on party structures in their respective states.

Sherriff is however not oblivious of this development as he has adjusted the timetable for the party congresses to hold very close to the national convention so as not to provide opportunity for the governors to move against him.

A highly reliable party source told THISDAY that

among those being tipped to take up the chairmanship seat is the former governor of Kano State, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau.

Shekarau, a former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), is believed to possess the right kind of leadership qualities and political experience that could help PDP in future electoral contest.

The source noted that, “plans are on to get the North West to produce the chairman of the party, and Shekarau is being seriously considered because the governors see him as one of their own having served as governor of Kano state.

“He is also perceived as an orator compared to Sheriff who may not be able to electrify a campaign rally or market the party effectively when the time comes.”

Another option being considered by stakeholders, THISDAY gathered, is to zone the chairmanship slot to the South West, which has the second largest population among the zones but has yet to produce a national chairman for the party since its formation.

The consideration of the South West for the chairmanship is also based on the argument by some stakeholders that since the presidential candidate would come from the North, the South West should have the chairmanship slot. The South West which played the role of game-changer in the last two presidential elections is considered a good option.

SEE THE CONCLUDING PART ON www.thisdayive.com

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

SUNDAY COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

NIGERIA’S UNCONTROLLED POPULATION

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There is need to check the population growth as it could mean big trouble for the country

he current population of Nigeria is 186 million based on the latest United Nations estimates documented last March 22. And with that, Nigeria ranks number seven in the world and a population that is equivalent to 2.48 per cent of the global total. Against the background that the population density in Nigeria is 205 per square Kilometre, the authorities should be worried, especially when the median age is 18 years and at a time all other critical indices of development do not look good.

Ordinarily, that the nation’s population growth continues to bulge could be a plus.

But with the way things are in Nigeria today, it is not, essentially because these basically are numbers for which no preparation is made and for that reason, add little value.

Experts have warned of the dire consequences of this uncontrolled population growth that is not backed by development. The prognosis is that there may come a time when it would be difficult for our country to feed the ever increasing number of citizens that we breed.

As we have reiterated in the past, some people may dismiss such predictions as mere Western propaganda aimed at keeping developing countries from having large population. They could point to China and India as countries with huge populations harvesting demographic dividends.

Yet what is often discounted is that for decades, China kept its population in check with its onechild-per-couple policy while Indian encourages some form of family planning. In any case, an idle and largely illiterate population such as we breed in Nigeria today is not likely to be of much benefit for our country in future.

We are not unmindful of cultural and reli-

gious practices and beliefs that frown at any talk of population control and therefore regard any suggestion in that direction as heresy.

However, it is logical that population growth that is not matched with commensurate development in the socio-economic sector and education for the citizenry can only engender the kind of crisis that we are already experiencing in our country today.

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A sustainable society is the one with moderate population growth that enables its members to achieve a high quality of life

Letters to the Editor

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he intractable ethnoreligious crises in Nigeria had its source from the fact that the consent of the multi-ethnic groups was never sought by the colonial masters before the amalgamation of the southern and northern protectorate in 1914. The adoption of federal system of government by the nationalists mollified the ethnic groups who accepted to leave together as one Nigeria. The concept of “unity in diversity” led to the provision of legislative lists in the 1960 and 1963 republican constitutions. Few items were contained in the exclusive list while preponderant issues were in the residual list to give the regional governments sufficient latitude to initiate policies and programmes conducive to the socio-cultural and economic values of the ethnic groups in tandem with the practice of federal

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA DEPUTY EDITORS VINCENT OBIA, FESTUS AKANBI MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

ndeed, it was no surprise that Nigeria ranked prominently among countries that could not meet the 2015 target date of the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDG) programme. Our country failed to achieve the set goals in such critical areas as job creation, food security, universal basic education, provision of shelter for all and poverty eradication. Here then is the underlying fear in the face of the current exponential population growth that cannot be matched with a sustainable infrastructure and social services.

On a positive note, we also understand that at a time when the populations of many countries in Europe and Asia are ageing, Nigeria’s young population could be a demographic advantage.

But that is only if the policy makers can design appropriate policies in that direction. First, we need to invest massively in education which is critical for the future. There is also the need for development in infrastructure so as to ensure sustainable support for such bulging population. For instance, clean water is a finite resource everywhere in the world and more so in our country where access is not guaranteed for the vast majority, especially in the rural areas.

Much as we do not wish to engage some die-hard adherents of the nation’s two major religions in a needless debate on the issue of population and birth control, it is nevertheless appropriate to warn of the danger ahead. There is no doubt that a sustainable society is the one with moderate population growth that enables its members to achieve a high quality of life.

Unless policy makers begin now to focus their attention on how to avert this ticking time bomb, the consequences will most likely be very devastating for our country.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

ARMS AND THE FULANI HERDSMEN

system of government the world over.

Due to the vaulting ambition of northern Moslems to impose their ethno-religious values on the rest of ethnic/religious groups, they instigated measures that violated the principles of federal system of government and the constitution which negated nation-building and national integration. The resultant effects were mutual suspicion and mistrust, segregation and discrimination. These monstrous aberrations ignited the flouting of electoral laws, abuse of electioneering campaigns and rigging of elections, political crises and eventual civil war in 1967.

The military regimes majorly led by the northern Moslems deliberately refused to restore the principles of federal system of government.

Governance was centralised and the legislative lists were tilted in favour of the central government. Prior

to the violation of the principles of federal system, there is resource control which tasks the ingenuity and creativity of the regional governments.

In Nigeria today, the federal government runs many ministries and forces the state governments to abandon their policies on the items in the concurrent legislative list .This is the root of the decay in the country in all sectors, placing it on the brink of a failed state, making it a laughing stock; a phony “giant of Africa.” Dan Amor, writing in The Authority, lamented on the sad situation thus: “The net effect of this has been the sorry spectacle we have cut for Nigeria and Nigerians in the international arena…APC- led federal government is fraught with contradictions and ironies…and one can see the fear of an unknown, the signs are not difficult to see.

They are the signs of internal decay.

Nigerians have mistaken baboon for a monkey”.

The APC-led federal government should stop divisive tendencies by initiating ethno-religious policies that brazenly violate the authority of state governments in the concurrent legislative list. It should not force state governments to abandon their policies which are peculiar to their people. The APC-led federal government should not implement the irrational provision in its manifesto to feed primary school children in the guise of improving education in the country. Since the country is operating a federal system, the federal government has no business in running primary and secondary education. Steps should be taken to handover the so-called unity schools to the state governments.

Education is in the concurrent leg-

islative list but should be restricted to tertiary education. JAMB should be restricted to conducting entrance exams into federal tertiary institutions while state owned ones should make their respective arrangements.

The erstwhile devious practice of compelling state governments to implement federal government policy pronouncements on the issues like education in the concurrent list must stop because the country is not practicing a unitary system.

The gimmick is a hidden agenda to compel state governments to abandon the peculiar needs of their people to achieve weird and ulterior motives of ethno-religious bigots of the feudal caliphate.

––Polycarp Onwubiko, polymbiko@yahoo.com

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

RELIABLESOURCES

Military personnel questioning suspected Boko Haram terrorists

How Intelligence Failure Caused Boko Haram Attack in Kareto Senator IroegbuinAbuja

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he Nigerian military sources have described the fierce battle between Boko Haram terrorists and troops of 113 Battalion in Kareto, northern part of Borno, as a clear case of intelligence failure.

Boko Haram terrorists had launched a surprise attack on the 113 Battalion last week before the deadly attack was repelled following reinforcement from other military formations.

Military sources however said that despite the “minor set back”, the troops had resolved to complete the clearance operations against the terrorists from every inch of the Nigerian territory.

THISDAY reliably gathered that the battle, which lasted more than eight hours, came as a shock to military authorities both at the tactical, operational and strategic levels.

“It was a clear case of intelligence failure and some lapses on the part of the Command but it will soon be corrected’” an officer said.

The surprise attack, which the military said left over 24 officials and soldiers wounded, has called to question the effectiveness of military intelligence.

The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, had said in a statement that two officers and 22 soldiers were wounded in the battle with Boko Haram terrorists in Kareto, Borno State last Monday.

Usman said the wounded were already being treated at the Military Hospital in Maiduguri.

“Please recall that Boko Haram terrorists attacked our troops location at Kareto, northern Borno State this morning. (last Monday) The troops successfully repelled the attack and killed quite a number of the terrorists.

“The situation has since been brought under control and reinforcement sent. So far our troops had two officers and 22 soldiers wounded in action. All of them have been evacuated to Military Hospital Maiduguri where they are receiving treatment,” the statement read.

The Army Spokesman said the attacks were repelled, due to the timely response of the troops including air cover as more reinforcement was deployed. Usman also said the reinforcement sent to support the battalion helped to ensure that normalcy was restored.

However, inside sources revealed that the scope of the attack, coordination and weaponry used by the terrorists took the military by surprise.

Military sources claimed that the sudden attack was devastating and that if not for the arrival of reinforcement from the 157 Battalion, the casualty figures would have been worse.

One of the soldiers close to the theatre of operation said that there were many of his colleagues still missing in action with casualty figure higher than what was reported.

“The terrorists were suspected to have passed through Damboa Road and were armed with AA and grenades.

It was devastating. For most part here, the terrain is dangerous even though the terrorists have lost territories.

They now resort to hide, hit and run. The land is so large and most settlement have been deserted to the extent that we are left alone without much informants, coupled with the facts that these Boko boys know the terrain more than us.

“So for us here, just believe in yourself, pray to God and don’t put mind on any intelligence. But we thank God that the 157 Battalion under 29 Task Force Brigade came for reinforcement that saved our colleagues,” the soldier said.

It was also reported that the residents of the area who were said to have escaped to Maiduguri, claimed that the terrorists arrived some of the villages in the night prior to the attack and urged villagers to flee.

According to them, the terrorists came disguised in military fatigue with many villagers thinking that they

THISDAY reliably gathered that the battle, which lasted more than eight hours, came as a shock to military authorities both at the tactical, operational and strategic levels

were soldiers who came around for normal military operations in the ongoing clearance of Boko Haram.

Also speaking, an intelligence source said it was Boko Haram that broke the news of the attack, adding that many soldiers lost their lives because the distance and expansive nature of the territory made it impossible for reinforcement to arrive on time.

The source further noted that despite the fact that most terrorists have been defeated and driven out from major parts of the state, they still pose serious threat in most of the northern towns bordering Niger and Chad Republic.

The source noted that all these areas fall under the newest 8 Division, which has the difficult task of clearing the terrorist remnants increasingly finding safe haven across Chad, and Niger, while exploring their local knowledge of the vast terrain.

“To be frank , the Kareto attack was announced earlier

by Boko Haram. They killed many soldiers, and it took hours before the reinforcement. So as we speak now, many were missing in action.

“You know that there are still remnants of Boko Haram in Mobbar, Abadam and Guzamala. These areas falls under the responsibility of 8 Task Force Division, which took off since early this year. They have leadership structure on ground and covers Gubio, Monguno, Nganzai, Mobbar and I think Guzamala and Abadam,” the source added.

However, the military, which has been recording various success stories against the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists in parts of Borno State, has vowed to finish up their operation to reclaim all territories.

“What some members of the public should understand is that this is terrorism, an asymmetric warfare that is different from the past conventional ways wars were being fought. However, we are not making excuses because we are on course and when the war ends, those doubting us will finally believe.

“Really, what we had in Kareto was a minor set-back that would be corrected. We are not deterred as efforts are being made in all fronts to ensure we get the job done,” a senior officer assured.

He also noted that the three states of the North East of Yobe, Adamawa and particularly, Borno State, has been liberated from the Boko Haram terrorists, who at the peak of the crisis controlled 22 of the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08023117639 (sms only)

Fresh Labour Unrest Threatens Power Supply as FG Allays Fear Chineme Okafor in Abuja

A WORTHY CAUSE L-R: President, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Chairman Board of Genesis House, a Non-governmental

Organisation (NGO) Vivien Shobo; Chairman, Access Bank Plc, Mosun Belo-Olusoga; Executive Secretary, Genesis House, Sola Adeola, and GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, during a walkathon to raise awareness for vulnerable women and girls, organised by Access Women Network (AWN) and Genesis House, in Lagos...yesterday

Defence Chiefs Identify 10 Security Threats in N’Delta • As JTF warns new militant group Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa

Following a recent pronouncement by President Muhammadu Buhari to treat oil pipelines vandalism in the Niger Delta region like Boko Haram terrorists, Nigeria’s security chiefs yesterday visited the region and vowed to carry out the president’s order to the letter.

The visit also took place on a day the Joint Task Force (JTF) in an operation codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, warned Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group which has claimed responsibility for the destruction of oil platforms in the region, to stay off its track or get crushed.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas, and several top military officials who visited Yenagoa, Bayelsa State on a fact-finding mission, noted that at least ten areas of security breaches which have been identified would be receiving the attention of the security agencies shortly.

The identified threats included pipeline vandalism, oil theft, kidnapping, cultism and other unnamed criminalities.

Olonisakin particularly noted that the Nigerian military forces were battle-ready to deal with the issues in the Niger Delta region, and vowed to strengthen the capacity of the military to carry out the opera-

tion.

“The President and Commander-in-Chief had given a strategic direction, and we must ensure that these directives are carried out to the letter. I have come in company of the Chief of Naval Staff to also address some of these issues”, the defence chief said.

The CDS, who was taken round the JTF headquarters in the state, by the Commander of Operation Pulo Shield, Maj.-Gen Alani Okunlola, said Buhari had directed that all identified security threats in the Niger Delta region must be decisively dealt with.

As a precursor to the operation, Olonisakin noted that the visit was to assess the challenges of the troops with a view to addressing them to ensure operational effectiveness in dealing with the threats.

He added, “I am in Yenagoa on operational visit to Operation Pulo Shield as well as the Boat House vessel we have in Akassa. It is such that we can understand the challenges they are facing here and address these challenges to enhance their operational effectiveness and efficiency.

“In doing that we have listened to all they have said concerning the challenges and we shall go back and address some of these challenges so that they can do their jobs much better than they have done in the past.

“The issue here is that we have a lot of security threats in this area; they are about 10 to be precise, and we have identified all these areas from illegal oil bunkering to oil theft to pipeline vandalism to kidnapping to cultism and all the other oil and gas related criminalities.

“We have looked into that and are ensuring that these issues are properly addressed and we have zero tolerance to militancy and other oil and gas criminalities in the region”, he noted.

Similarly, the JTF, the security outfit responsible for fighting pipelines vandalism and associated crimes in the Niger Delta has vowed to resist any attempt to worsen the security situation in the region, following statements made by the new militants group.

“The Operation Pulo Shield which is saddled with the mandate of protecting Nigerian oil pipelines and preventing other oil related crimes hereby reiterate its resolve to crackdown on vandals and economic saboteurs and also ensure the arrest of perpetrators and accomplices for prosecution.

“Anybody or group masquerading as militants are criminals will be resisted and crushed in line with the mandate of the Joint Force in Niger Delta. The Federal Government of Nigeria granted amnesty to repentant agitators and the grant automatically ends militancy and agitation in the region. Any group or persons by

whatever guise will be treated like common criminals.

“The Forces have carried out aggressive patrols and surveillances within the waterways and the creeks which have led to the arrest of suspects, arms and ammunition, illegal oil bunkering vessels and barges which are at various stages of prosecution in Nigerian courts of competent jurisdiction.

“The Commander, Major General Alani Okunlola wishes to use this medium to call on the so-called Niger Delta Avengers to have a rethink and desist from doing anything that will make them cross the path of Operation Pulo Shield.

“We also warn other criminals operating in the region to be ready to face the consequences of their action, as the Joint Force is ready to flush them out of the region. The Command hereby calls on opinion and community leaders to advise their subjects especially the youths on the dangers of engaging in any act capable of undermining the security and economy of the country.

“Youths should engage themselves meaningfully to help themselves and the society and avoid any act capable of ruining their future. The Command also wishes to assure Niger Delta residents of Operation Pulo Shield’s determination to wipe out all acts of illegalities in the region while calling on them to come up with useful information that will aid the Joint Force in its Operations.

Falae: I am Not Afraid of EFCC Invitation James Sowole in Akure

The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Chief Olu Falae yesterday boasted that he is ready to go to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), should he be invited.

Falae stated his resolve to

honour the anti-graft agency’s invitation in a telephone interview with THISDAY in Akure, Ondo State, while reacting to media reports of his possible invitation by the EFCC on 2015 presidential campaign fund.

“I have not received any invitation from anywhere. If I am invited, I will go there to put the

record straight. There is nothing new about the story. I have said it many times. It is about the same N100 million that Chief Tony Anenih gave to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). So if I am invited I will go there”, Falae said.

The former SGF said he and his party had nothing what-

soever to do with Dasuki or Jonathan Campaign Director.

“It was Tony Anenih as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP that approached the SDP, my party through me that we should support their candidate. I also said that we gave them some conditions”, he said.

Nigeria’s public power supply system may face fresh challenges that could disrupt its stability following the resurgence of disagreements between the federal government and electricity workers union, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE).

THISDAY learnt that the reported lock-out of workers of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) last week from the premises of the corporate headquarters of the company in Abuja by the Ministry of Power, as well as unresolved labour issues in the privatisation of defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) are two of the main issues that may trigger another round of industrial disharmony in the power sector.

The development, the paper however learnt is being followed closely by the federal government whose ministry of labour and employment has intervened to stop NUEE from going on strike after a circular was issued by the General Secretary of the union, Joe Ajaero, instructing all workers of the TCN at their various posts across the country to down tools.

Ajaero had in the circular indicated that the decision of the ministry of power to allegedly bully workers of TCN at the corporate headquarters with military personnel was not acceptable to the union.

He thus asked workers at the various posts of TCN to stay away from their works, then suggesting a possible industrial disharmony that may affect nationwide power

supply.

But the ministry of labour has reportedly held a meeting with both parties where a commitment was extracted from NUEE not to go on strike over the developments.

NUEE said there are extant labour related issues in the privatisation of PHCN which the government has remained reluctant to attend to.

Currently, the country generates just about 3639 megawatts (MW) of electricity owing to recent cuts in gas supply to thermal power plants in the south of Nigeria.

Also, the Ministry of Power has responded to the development, saying nothing of such was in the offing and that the country’s power supply system was not under any threat of labour strike.

It said in a statement that was sent out by its Director of Press, Timothy Oyedeji: “The attention of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has been drawn to reports that the leadership of National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), has issued instructions to its Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) members to stay away from their duty posts. The reports have understandably led to fears of a nation-wide blackout, as has also been reported.”

The statement said: “The ministry, after consulting the management of TCN, wishes to state in clear terms that it is not aware of any declaration of industrial dispute by NUEE, nor any lawful notice of strike action against TCN. Therefore no staff of TCN has any legitimate cause to absent him or herself from duty.”

Ondo LG Poll Records Low Turnout James Sowole in Akure

Non-participation of the major opposition political party, the All Progressives Party (APC), made yesterday’s local government election in Ondo State a Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) affair.

At the polling units visited

by THISDAY, only PDP agents were seen on ground while turnout was generally low. As at 12.00 noon, very few voters had shown up for accreditation at many polling units.

In compliance with restriction of movement order, roads were deserted by motorists while few residents that moved out of their homes only walked to polling units for accreditation.

Specifically on turn-out, only eight voters were accredited as at 10:00am at Unit 002 Ward 11 in Akure South Local Government Area out of 692 that registered in the unit.

The unit, Owode/Imuagun is the unit of the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede.

Also at Unit 7 Ward 4, St Stephen Primary School, Ijomu, about 150 voters were said to have been accredited as at 12 noon out of over 1,000 that registered at the unit. The situation was the same in other towns like Owo, Ondo, Okitipupa, Igbara Oke and other towns.

However, PDP chieftains de-

scribed the election as very impressive because as a grassroots election, it was not expected to be as rowdy as everybody thought. Also, Jegede said he was impressed by the exercise because it was devoid of any form of rancour and tension.

PDP Chairmanship candidate for Akure South Local Government, Mr. Adebayo Alarapon said the initial low turnout was not enough to generalise that the poll was unsuccessful.

The position of party chieftains was buttressed by Governor Olusegun Mimiko, who voted in front of his Momak Hospital in Ondo West Local Government, and said the exercise was a successful one. He said the boycott of any political party cannot invalidate the results of the election.

He said, “It is within the constitutional power of any individual or party to boycott an election they want to boycott.

All I know is that in the last one week, there had been up to three court cases that had been decided at both state and federal courts that everything is in order; that the election should proceed.”

Meanwhile some members of opposition political parties have lauded the Ondo State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC) on the peaceful conduct of the Local Government Areas (LGA) election.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

NEWS

PROMOTING SAFETY L-R: Executive Director Services, Midwestern Oil and Gas, Mr. Chris Omoru receiving a plaque of honour from the

Managing Director/CEO of the company, Mr. Charles Oditah at the celebration of the 9 million LTI accident-free man hours of the company, held in Lagos and Kwale, Delta State...recently

ALL ABOUT HEARTS L-R: General Manager, Marketing, PZ Wilmar, Mrs. Bukola Bandele; Vice Chairman, Nigerian Heart Foundation, Dr. Femi Mobolaji-Lawal; Director General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Prof.

Innocent Ujah; Executive Director, Nigerian Heart Foundation, Lagos, Dr. Kingsley Akinroye; Marketing Director, Food & Nutrition, PZ Wilmar, Mr. Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, and Prof. Tola Atinmo of Department of Human Nutrition, University of Ibadan, during Nigerian Heart Foundation endorsement certificate presentation to Mamador Cooking Oil in Lagos…recently

Amaechi Unfolds Plans to Float New National Shipping Line John Iwori

The Minister of Transport, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, has unfolded the Federal Government’s plan to float a new national shipping line.

Amaechi who spoke at a Maritime Technical Summit in Lagos, explained that the new national carrier of ocean-going vessels would not be funded via the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF).

He disclosed that he would be holding a meeting next week with some experts in maritime industry and ship owners to arrive at decisions on establishing the national carrier.

As a result of government interference and mismanagement, Nigeria’s national shipping carrier, Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) Limited established in the late 1970s was grounded. It was succeeded by

the National Unity Line (NUL) which also lasted only a few years and had since collapsed.

Ameachi stated this while speaking at a maritime technical summit organised by the Association of Marine Engineers and Surveyors (AMES) in Lagos.

At the summit which attracted stakeholders in the maritime industry, he reiterated the federal government’s determination to float a new national shipping line as part of efforts to develop the shipping sector.

Against the insinuations in some quarters that the billions of naira which had accrued into the Fund (CVFF) would be used to acquire the national carrier, Amaechi said the present drive to set up a national shipping carrier would be based on a partnership with private investors.

The minister restated the need for a performance audit of agencies in the sector to ascertain

what the challenges are with a view to addressing them with input from experts.

His words: “I am determined to ensure that we get a new carrier and I will not disburse Cabotage fund for that. By next week, I will be meeting with some experts and ship-owners and make decisions on establishing the national carrier. We will also create a group that will move it forward.

“The performance audit will tell you how to move the industry forward. It makes you know what the problems are and make possible suggestions on how to move forward. Even when the performance audit is over, I will not make those decisions alone, I will try and meet experts in the industry and we will share these views with them.”

Amaechi also spoke on the need to upgrade the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN)

Oron to strengthen its capacity to produce skilled manpower for the sector, and pointed out that the academy would have been well equipped and developed by now if the fund invested to establish the Maritime University, Okerenkoko had been put into it.

“Anybody who has invested in Okerenkoko should have invested the money in MAN Oron. That is why the institution has not developed. We cannot continue to build another institution when we have not equipped existing ones.”

President of AMES, Charles Uwadia had earlier in his remarks called for a holistic review of the maritime sector human capacity development.

Uwadia said the failure of the sector was due to lack of in-depth technical input in maritime policies and their implementation in line with international best practice.

Fire Razes Customs Warehouse, 50 Shanties in Lagos Chiemelie Ezeobi

Exactly 17 days after an inferno gutted two houses at No 2, Ademuyiwa Street in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos, an early morning fire yesterday also gutted 50 shanty structures along Kano Street, at Ebute Metta and destroyed properties worth several millions of naira.

Also, another fire outbreak razed a warehouse located within the premises of the Nigerian Customs Training School, Ikeja, Lagos.

Although the actual cause of the fire, which began at 6.30am

was still unknown as at press time, the fire destroyed items like building materials, used tyres, parts all belonging to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The Commandant in charge of Customs Training College, Lagos, Comptroller Kunle Oyeleke, disclosed that the service would investigate the fire incident which burnt the warehouse containing seized goods.

Oyeleke said: “the raging fire started at 10pm on Friday. The cause of the fire had not been known. The building is used for

storage of impounded goods by the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). We cannot give the cost of properties destroyed by the fire for now.’’

According to eye witness account, the fire at the customs training school razed a warehouse and all the bottles of wine, building materials, used tyres, paints inside.

Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), in the South-west region, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the affected

warehouse contained a building/office.

Farinloye who also confirmed the Ebute Metta incident said most of the houses burnt at Kano street were made of plank and containers.

The fire that gutted the shanties was said to have started around 1am yesterday, while the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Also, so many traders who were affected by the fire, were left to count their losses since the fire destroyed their goods before the fire service men could put it out.

Ngige: Why FG is Yet to Commence Recruitment of 500,000 Teachers Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

TheFederalGovernmentyesterday attributed the delay in signing the 2016 budget into law by President MuhammadauBuhariasthemain reason why recruitment of 500,000 teachers across the country is being delayed.

Speaking as guest of a radio programme in Abuja over the weekend, Minister of Labour and

Productivity, Mr. Chris Ngige, said the process of recruitment would commence immediately the 2016 budgetissignedintolaw.

He said: “The ministry is waiting for the 2016 budget to be passed and when this is done we will then look at what is voted for us under thatheading.”

He dismissed insinuation that the N500 billion earmarked for the project has been tinkered with,

adding: “Nobody has tampered with that N500 billion, part of it is in recurrent and part is in capital expenditure.

“And so we will look at both subheadings that will enable us look at the financial disposition on that and also the recruitment will not be hijacked; and as a matter of fact the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has written us on that as they already have people trained

ineducationthoughnotemployed.

“Also the Federal Civil Service Commission(FCSC)havealsowritten to say that they have recruited over 5,000 teachers out of 30,000 that applied. So the logical thing to do is that we will screen all these and those of them that are qualified will save us money that we would have used to do conversion and so we will take them and save some fund intheconversionprogramme.”

Be Prudent, Buhari Enjoins Nigerian Universities Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on universities in Nigeria to be prudent and transparent in the management of their resources for infrastructural and educational development of the country.

Buhari, speaking at the 32nd convocation ceremony of the Bayero University Kano yesterday, said “The present administration has zero tolerance for corruption. So universities should be prudent and transparent in the management of their resources”.

The President who was represented by at the occasion by the Director, Tertiary Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Hajiya Halima Umar, added that the federal government would continue to accord the universities the necessary support to enable them discharge their duties effectively for development of education sector in the country.

The President said the 2016 budget had made adequate provision to cater for science

and technology as well as for research development.

He also urged universities to explore more opportunities so as to complement the federal government’s effort towards developing the sector.

He noted that no meaningful development could ever be achieved in any country without investing heavily on education, and called on the private sector and nongovernmental organisations to collaborate with the federal government for the realisation of the set objectives.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello expressed concern over the persistent erratic and unstable electricity and water supply in the institution. He said at the moment the University main campus had to rely on boreholes and water tankers as it gets no water from the mains. He appealed to the Kano state Water Board and Kano Electricity Distribution Company to improve water and power supplies to the institution.

Adopt Malaria Eradication Policy, House Urges Health Ministry

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Health to move the National Malaria Plan from the prevention stage to Eradication stage, and to strongly consider the use of DichloroDiphenyl-Trichloethane (DDT) in its bid to rid the country of the disease.

The House noted that at least 300,000 Nigerians die annually from malaria, with 65 per cent of them children under the age of five. It mandated its Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria control to investigate the effect of DDT and report back in three weeks.

The resolution of the House followed a motion sponsored

by Hon. Christopher Ngoro Agibe (Cross River PDP) who bemoaned the lack of eradication policy towards malaria. “...but is more concerned with preventive and curative

measures such as the use of mosquito treated nets, insecticides and pharmaceutical products among others, which have done little room affect the grim statistics surrounding the health scourge,” he said.

He added that several countries including the US, Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Australia and some part of Europe have used the odourless chemical to control the breeding of mosquitoes, while South Africa Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda in recent times have used it to reduce the disease by 90 per cent, while tending towards its eradication.

“It costs about two dollars (or six hundred naira) to spray a house with DDT, whereas the substitutes for DDT which are less efficient are ironically much more expensive and it is also noteworthy that spraying DDT yearly can cut down infection of malaria by close to 90 per cent”, the lawmaker added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

SUNDAYNEWS UNILAG to Re-open May 2, Students’ Union Govt Dissolved • Management lists conditions for re-admission of students Anayo Okolie

The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) yesterday said the institution would resume full academic activities on Monday, May 2.

The management of the institution had ordered an indefinite closure of the institution following the agitation by the student body over poor electricity and water supply.

In preparation for the resumption, the Registrar and Secretary to the Senate of UNILAG, Dr. Taiwo Ipaye, said after an emergency meeting on Friday, April 22, 2016, the management directed each of its returning students to complete an undertaking form and get it notarised as part of condition for students to be re-admitted into the institution from May 2.

The students, Ipaye are expected to adhere strictly to the following guidelines by visiting the university website www.unilag.edu.ng to download the Undertaking and Indemnity Form.

According to her, “Parents and guardians are also expected to complete the Parents Indemnity Form. Completed Undertaking Form which must be notarised and Parent’s Indemnity Form should be submitted at the various Departments and a clearance obtained. The clearance would be required to gain access into examination halls.

“Students accommodated in halls of residence are to obtain a clearance from the Departmental Officer which must be presented at the halls of residence to gain access into their rooms from Monday, May 2, 2016.

“Examinations would commence from May 9, 2016.

Consequently, students are expected to generate their examination dockets and ensure it is duly endorsed by their Course Advisers between Monday April 25 and Monday, May 2, 2016.

No student would be readmitted without completing the above process.

“The University would endeavour to provide electricity in the various halls of residence between the hours of 7.00 pm and 7.00 am daily. The boreholes in the hostels would continue to provide water supply to the hostels until normal supply from the Lagos State Water Corporation resumes”, the statement added.

In view of the violent and disruptive nature of the protest, the management said the University of Lagos Student Union (ULSU) Constitution should be suspended until further notice.

According to the statement, “the ULSU Executive and the Student Legislative Council should be dissolved forthwith. Faculty and Departmental Associations should work with the University Management through the Students’ Affairs Division in the interim.

“ULSU Constitution should be reviewed to include conflict resolution mechanisms such as establishment of Judicial Arm and Financial Guidelines, which shall be the prelude to subsequent elections into ULSU offices,” the statement added.

Ipaye, however, disclosed that the university shall re-open for full academic activities on May 2, and the first semester 2015/2016 session examinations shall commence on May 9, 2016.

Pastor Adeboye Meets Partners in Abuja Yemi Akinsuyi in Abuja

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, will hold a special interactive session with all members of the public partnering the church in Abuja next month. The programme tagged ‘A Day Out with the God of Daddy G.O’ is an annual event held in three major cities of Nigeria: Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

Chairman, Central Working Committee of the 2016 edition of the programme in Abuja, Pastor Dele Babade said this year’s event is unique as it would afford the participants the opportunity to address some challenges facing Nigeria in prayer. He said the current economic situation of the country will become

history if Christians can pray more and offer moral support to the present administration.

Babade said the meeting is being organised by RCCG Region 10, Abuja Family, led by Pastor Emmanuel Ibitayo, Pastor in Charge of Region 10 and added that attendance is open to all old and new partners of the ministry.

He disclosed that top officials of the federal government, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo are expected to attend the programme.

The programme according to him, is organised mid-year to raise adequate awareness and support for the flagship annual Holy Ghost Congress of RCCG, held in December every year at the Redemption Camp, Ogun State, Nigeria.

“Returning students must sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour, which must be properly endorsed by their parents/ guardians. Locking of the university gates or invasion of any facility during any protest is hereby prohibited.

“Students that violate this regulation shall be expelled forthwith from the University. Students are reminded that the award of degree of the University of Lagos is made to persons who are found to be worthy in learning and character,” the statement added.

Awo’s Private Secretary Advocates Political Heads, Civil Servants’ Debate Abimbola Akosile

Former Private Secretary to Chief Obafemi Awolowo, poet and governorship aspirant in Edo State, Odia Ofeimun, has called for a serious intellectual debate between political heads and civil servants, as one of the ways of getting back proper governance in Nigeria.

Ofeimun made the call in Ibadan weekend while on a courtesy call to the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), and cited an example of what transpired between Awolowo, who was former Premier of the Western region, and Federal Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Alhaji Abdul Aziz Attah.

According to the poet,

debates between Awolowo, Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council and Federal Commissioner of Finance under General Yakubu Gowon and Attah were such that gave Awolowo the profound success he recorded in the cabinet.

“Most civil servants of today would not dare have the kind of intense debate that happened between Awolowo and Attah.

Indeed, there were a crop of civil servants who could debate with Awolowo on the running of government and society. He and Attah debated on every stratum of society, from socialism to economy, between state-run economy and private sector-run economy.

“That was why Awolowo told anyone who cared to listen that

Attah was one of the best civil servants he ever came across. Civil servants should be trained and brought to the level where they would believe they won’t get hurt if they criticize political heads.

“There should be civil servants who would stand up to political heads because they get away with so many things.

When you have civil servants that you can’t debate with, the quality of decision is bound to be worse off. That probably was why Chief Philip Asiodu said if political office holders wanted to take stupid decisions, civil servants should help them not to,” the poet said.

He lauded the school for still believing in the knowledge industry and training of leaders in the country.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

SUNDAYNEWS Air Chief: Insurgency in North-east Could Have Been Avoided Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

CELEBRATING OWOYEMI L-R: Barr. Oyefeso Musbau; Alhaji Akeem Kosoko; celebrant’s wife, Alhaja Bola Owoyemi; the celebrant, Alhaji Tajudeen Owoyemi; national legal adviser to APC, Dr. Muiz Banire; Alhaji Fatai Oluwole, and celebrant’s daughter, Mrs. Ifedolapo Salaudeen, during the 60th birthday of Alhaji Owoyemi at his Parkview Estate residence, Ikoyi, Lagos...recently

US Govt to Assist Nigeria in Fight against Insurgency, Says Envoy Daji Sani in Yola

The US Ambassador to United Nations, Samantha Power has disclosed that the American Government has agreed to partner the Nigerian government to clear the remaining insurgency bedeviling Northeast Nigeria, Chad Basin and Cameroon.

She said the reason was because the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has prioritised the fight against insurgency and corruption which is like cancer that has been eating up the country’s economy and denying development.

Power, who was speaking at a press conference convened at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola, Adamawa state yesterday, said the American government has agreed to train and retrain the Nigeria military so as bring it back to how it used to be.

She said President Buhari is working assiduously to bring back the lost glory of the Nigerian military which used to be known for its performance and vibrancy, adding that the American government is trying to help Nigeria not only in the area of training but to increase its humanitarian support, especially to the Internally Displaced Persons

(IDPs).

While answering a question that a lot of supports sent to the IDPs were allegedly diverted by some Nigerians, Power said the US government would monitor any support given so that the right persons get it.

She said the reason for diverting supports given or relief materials was because of corruption, adding that if corruption can be properly dealt with, it would minimise the attitude of diverting supports for the IDP. Power who visited the Malkohi IDP Camps while interacting with IDPs said it was President Barack Obama that sent her with high delegation to come to the areas bedeviled by the Boko Haram insurgency and highlight the growing effects posed by the insurgency.

She promised that very soon the IDPs would return to their native homes, adding the US government has collaborated with Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeastern Nigeria.

“It is President Obama that sent me with this high-powered American delegation to come to you and very soon you will return your homes”, she added.

While sympathising and empathising with the IDPs, she appreciated the generosity of Nigerian who were able to host some of the IDPs in their houses, adding that all hands must be on deck so assist these people displaced.

However while conducting the Ambassador around the Malkohi camp, the state coordinator of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Sa’ad Bello told her that Nigeria was expecting about 70,000 refugees from Cameroon and would require assistance from both local and the international world to prepare the proposed site to host these IDPs. In the same vein, the Ambassador also had a town hall meeting with the students of the AUN shortly before the press conference and encouraged them to be vanguard of peace.

While sharing her experience, she said in Michika town of Adamawa state, there are presently the issues of stereotype and serious problems.

She said Michika used to have one market day before the attack of the insurgents, but presently Michika has two market days, one for the Muslims and another day for the Christians, which, to her, is a serious challenge to the areas.

Air Peace Boss Gets Transparency Award Clement Danhutor

Chairman of Air Peace Limited, Chief Allen Onyema has emerged the winner of Frontline Media International’s Transparency Award.

The lawyer, organisers of the award said, was honoured for “operating the best airline in Nigeria.”

Speaking at the award ceremony in Lagos State, Chairman of Frontline Media, Prof. Peter Ebigbo, said the Air Peace boss was endorsed for the award because of his insistence on transparency in running his organisation.

Despite the huge economic challenges facing the nation, he said, the airline had helped business people in the country save money by cutting the cost of air travel.

Peace Air, he said, had made it possible for Nigerians to travel to Germany, among other countries, without using foreign airlines.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that erratic power supply in Nigeria has weakened industrial growth and made latent the power of development inherent in Nigerians as well as chased away investors to neighbouring

communities,” Ebigbo said.

Air Peace Chief Operating Officer, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olajide, who received the award on behalf of Onyema, said the federal government had given the airline approval to make direct flights from the Enugu International Airport to other parts of the world, including China.

She said: “The airline has recently been designated on the international route by the Ministry of Transport and it is the first airline in Nigeria to be made a flag carrier to Guangzhou, China.”

The Chief of Air Staff (CoAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar has said the Boko Haram insurgency that has torn the North-east part of the country apart could have been averted if people were given what they required in terms of education, saying it is not likely to mobilise educated minds for violence.

The CoAS made this known in Abuja during his investiture as the Grand Patron of the Ex-Junior Airmen/Air women Association- Air Force Military School, Jos Alumni, where he said he was happy that members of the alumni were doing excellently well in their various fields.

According to him, “that is what education is all about, it is about adding value to the society. I am so excited that what the NAF has out in place so many years back is bringing out men and women of integrity, people who are contributing to the society.”

The Air Chief ex-

plained: “Why we are doing so much in education is because we understand the relationship between illiteracy and insecurity. If you are able to give people what they require in terms of education, chances are that they are not likely to be mobilised for violence.

“That is why the focus is in as much as we are developing the capacity, but it is also impacting positively in our constitutional role, because we believe if you have an educated society some of the things that are happening in the North-east I don’t think will happen at all. The best thing is to give the children the opportunity to live their dreams and become good citizens.”

Abubakar noted that the Air Force was trying as much as possible to improve the facilities in its secondary schools, as well as infrastructure, stressing that efforts are in place to ensure that the senior classes would not have more than four people in a room.

“We are looking at bringing back the Air Force Girls military

school. We want to see how we can give the opportunity to our girls who are interested from most likely September next year,” he revealed.

Reacting, the President General of the Alumni, Mr. Joshua Gana said the visit was aimed at interfacing with the NAF to avoid duplication of projects, and to also seek approval as they plan to give back to the school that has given much to them by embarking on some projects in the school.

He added that alumni were also planning to establish a Flying School in Jos, and also establish an ex-Jam Micro-Finance bank project. This, he said, would help Air Force graduating students qualify for micro credit financing from the bank after school.

Gana stated that the alumni would be relocating its headquarters to Abuja, where it would also be embarking on Ex-Jam plaza project to support the funding model of all the projects that it would embark on in the near future.

T H I S D AY, T H e S u n D AY n e w S pA p e r • APRIL 24,2016 16

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SUNDAY APRIL 24, 2016 T H I S D AY

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 24,2016

INTERNATIONAL

Nigeria: A Nation in the Making but Without Nation Builders

N

igeria is currently plagued with many critical problems, ranging from recidivist and elite corruption, infrastructure deficit, bad educational system, unemployment, and terrorism to inability to implement decisions arrived at in various national conferences organised by the Federal Government to address national critical problems.

For instance, should Nigeria continue with the current presidential system of government? Should there be a return to regionalism of the 1960s? The current federal system is said not to be a true one. Should there be a confederal system of government or making the current federal system a true one?

As identified on February 7, 2008 by Professor IbrahimAgboola Gambari, former Under Secretary-General and SpecialAdviser to the United Nations Secretary General, in his lecture delivered at the First YearAnniversary of MustaphaAkanbi Foundation inAbuja, there are five main nation-building challenges: the challenges of history, socio-economic inequalities, appropriate constitutional settlement, building institutions for democracy and development, and the challenge of leadership. In this regard, he asked a fundamental question to which no good answer has been provided even as at today: ‘why has the task of nation-building been so difficult in Nigeria, and the fruits so patchy, despite our enormous human and natural resources?’ In the eyes of Professor Gambari, answers can be found at the level of environmental threats and the challenges posed to nation-building, quality of leadership, and the fragility of political and development institutions.

Professor Gambari cannot be more correct. However, it is important to still ask more questions on the issue of quality of leadership.Are there any nation-builders amongst the present generation of professional politicians? Can we talk about a Tafawa Balewa or an Obafemi Awolowo or an NnamdiAzikiwe or an Herbert Macaulay in terms of ideology, patriotism or integrity in any of the professional politicians of today? Professor Gambari assumed that there is leadership in matters of nation-building in Nigeria. This is why he talked about quality.

This column does not believe that, in the Nigeria of 2008, and, of course, in the Nigeria of today, we can rightly talk about nationbuilders. Those perceived to be nation builders are, at best, purporting to be so. In several seminars and conferences held in Nigeria, most participants always recall that countries like Malaysia took off on the same grade level of development in the 1960s with Nigeria. Reference was always made to cocoa and palm kernels seedlings taken away from Nigeria. While countries which took away the agricultural products are leading in their production, Nigeria, the source of the products, has been relegated to the background, it is argued. Consequently, everyone has been wondering.

In their analysis of the challenges facing Nigeria’s economic development, Lawrence Omorodion and Mary Okpabe (The Nigerian Observer, Friday, 22ndApril, 2010) noted at the level of human development challenges that ‘in Nigeria, most of the problems facing the economy are a reflection of the poor quality of human development and management, because education, which plays a critical role in human development and the economic health of the nation, has been neglected for decades.’ They noted further that ‘part of the problems facing Nigeria is that its educational institutions are not designed for the economy. They lack the tools to produce good quality graduates to manage the affairs of the nation.’ In their view, therefore, ‘no nation would make any meaningful socio-economic and political stride without viable educational institution.’

These observations are partly true but do not explain fully the rationales for the existence of the development setbacks. For instance, how many of the poorly-trained graduates from the Nigerian institutions occupy political positions where they can impact directly on the economy? Most of the political and economic power brokers and policy makers have either been trained abroad or have complemented their acquired education in Nigeria with post-graduate studies abroad. In other words, their experience is no longer limited to that acquired in Nigerian institutions. Therefore, the fundamental question remains how to explain and understand the attitudinal disposition of public officials and politicians to Nigeria. It is also about how to explain or reconcile the hostility of 38 years of military rule and 16 years of continuous democracy, characterized by chronic corruption by elected politicians.

Some Critical anti-Nigeria Manifestations One possible explanation in addition to the foregoing submissions of Professor Gambari and Lawrence Omorodion/Mary Okpape is that, indeed, there are no nation-builders in Nigeria, especially since the end of the 1967-1970 Civil War. There has never been any seriousness of purpose to move beyond the current status of nation-state to that of a sociological nation-building the foundation of which can be built on common culture, common heritage, common language, and, in fact, common patrimony. The lack of seriousness of purpose is traceable to little or no commitment to a Nigerian nation. It also explains why corruption and indiscipline, which began in 1967, became institutionalized in Nigeria. Corruption is a problem but not the main problem militating against national unity, development and nation-building. It is the lackadaisical attitude towards Nigeria as a country of the very people mandated to promote national unity, decency, discipline, patriotism, hard work and honesty of purpose that actually has ensured that these values are destroyed in order to promote self-interest.

In the first instance, many forces are currently militating against a united Nigeria. In the lead of this anti-Nigeria struggle is the Boko Ha-

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Buhari

ram sect, set up in 2002 in Maiduguri by Mallam Mohammed Yusuf.

Many observers run away from the truth by simply describing them as foreigners or as terrorists without seeking deeper understanding of its ultimate objective, which is the destruction of whatever Nigeria stands for. The Boko Haram is against the Constitution of Nigeria, particularly in the area of secularity. It wants to put in place an Islamic State or Caliphate in place by use of force. It is against westernization as a culture, especially in terms of education. This means that Nigeria is actually in a state of war of survival in which the Boko Haramists have unlimited freedom to disregard the provisions of international humanitarian law and the Federal Government of Nigeria is being internationally encouraged to respect the rights of the Boko Haramists. Some of them have reportedly repented and Government is said to be working on their rehabilitation (ThisDay,April 10, 2016, p.71). The issue of whether they should be granted amnesty is also being considered. But what really is the extent of the penitent boko Haramists? Have they repented in order to spy?Are they now truly renouncing Islamic fundamentalism?

There is also the related case of the Shiites (Islamic Movement in Nigeria) in the North who have constituted themselves into a parallel government in Nigeria. In between 12th and 14th December 2015 the Shiites shot dead a soldier, Corporal Yakubu Dankaduna, ‘with a gun when he alighted from the convoy to disperse the Shiite members.

This prompted the Kaduna State Government to ask for maximum penalty in its case against 50 Shiite members before Justice David Wyom. The Zazzau Emirate DevelopmentAssociation has explained how the leader of the Shiites, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his followers have been terrorizing the Emirate in the past 20 years of their existence (The Nation, Tuesday,April 19, 2016, p.43).Again earlier in the year, they blocked the role in order to prevent the Chief ofArmy staff, General Buratai, from passing in the course of his lawful duties.

And true enough again, some powerful countries of the world appear to have interest in the dismantlement of Nigeria, even if it is not openly discussed or shown. The speculation by someAmerican analysts that Nigeria might disintegrate in 2015 raises the question of motivation: was it was anAmerican wish or anAmerican invitation to caution? Besides, many countries gave support to the Biafran secessionist struggle. It is not clear whether, if the opportunity of a new secession struggle arises, such former supporters would renew their support for the dismantlement of Nigeria. In other words, if we consider that Nigeria is a regional influential and that Nigeria has been taking policy decisions that the developed world has not been quite happy with, can it not be expected that many of the traditional partners may not hesitate in supporting the dismantlement of Nigeria.

For example, Nigeria is providing a wider and good platform for the Chinese to consolidate their active presence inAfrica. This development cannot be liked in the western countries. Nigeria led the ECOWAS discussions on the Economic PartnershipAgreements (EPA) with the European Union.All the ECOWAS countries, with the exception of Nigeria and The Gambia have not acceded to the agreement.As a result, the European Union has found it difficult to move forward with the EPAagenda without Nigeria’s involvement.

With this development, Nigeria cannot be in the good books of the European Union which cannot but prefer a weak state to deal with in order to sustain its hegemony.

There is also the hostility of some militants against Nigeria. Notable

in this context are the proponents of biafranisation: The MASSOB (Movement for theActualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra), and the IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra). There is also the MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta), which is favourable to actualization of self-identity. In all these cases, those required to nip in the bud all anti-Nigeria activities actually behave as if there is no problem. In fact, government has come out to say that the militants or the anti-Nigeria proponents would be crushed like the Boko Haram (The Guardian, Thursday,April 14, 2016). This is most unfortunate because some Northern elders asked PMB to crush the new Biafrans and vandals and by coincidence or otherwise, PMB was reported to have declared ‘we’ll treat pipeline vandals like Boko Haram.” This may give a very wrong impression that PMB is guided by a northern agenda. This is how Nigeria is, day after day, being run aground.

The problem of militancy of the Fulani nomadic herdsmen should begin to also raise much concern in light of the manner and intensity of their attacks. The expected objective of the herdsmen is grazing and ensuring the survival of their cattle. If there is destruction of farm lands and produce without destruction of life, there may not be any need to raise eye brows, but when herdsmen consciously carry sophisticated weapons, and not only rape people but also kill those who opposed the destruction of their land, I want to believe that Nigeria is gradually being killed softly.

Already, the intention of Barrister Femi Falana, SAN, to refer the problem of the herdsmen ‘in a case of genocide and ethnic cleansing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague, Netherland, and the ECOWAS Court against the Fulani herdsmen for their alleged massacre of the innocent people and farmers in Jukunland of Southern and Central Taraba State,’ has been reported (ThisDay, Thursday,April 21, 2016). Thus, hostility of the host community of where the Fulani herdsmen may be living and perpetrating their aggression cannot but increase.As the notion of ‘a Nigerian’ only exists on paper and not in practice, inter-community or inter-ethnic hostilities may not be ruled out in the foreseeable future.

From various reported cases of hostilities by the herdsmen, it can be rightly argued that the herdsmen are instruments of boko haramism.

The herdsmen are simply being used to destabilize the country, particularly the southern states, in order to make it ungovernable and disunited. If this observation is not valid, why should the herdsmen carryAK 47 rifles? If they need guns for self-protection while grazing, how do we explain the raping and killing of people who resist their aggression? Sooner than letter, because we consider the attacks by the herdsmen as part and parcel of boko haramism and because the tempo of the Boko Haram attacks appears to be on the decline, the herdsmen cannot but be required to increase their deliberate attacks.

If this happens, it is very likely that hostility against the herdsmen will also rise as the victims of aggression are not likely to fold their hands.

Ultimately, the long term implication can only be to the detriment of national unity.

Perhaps most interesting but disturbing is the attitude of Nigerians put in public positions. They generally behave in a manner that fuels anti-Nigerian sentiments. For instance, last Thursday inAbuja, a female federal legislator overtook a convoy of about 20 prison vehicles inAbuja and the legislator, for daring to overtake the vehicles, was assaulted in the process. The House of Representatives reacted quickly and decided to deal with the Controller of Prisons who led the convoy.

The first issue is the extent of constitutionality of non-overtaking of a convoy. If any ordinary Nigeria is in a coma and is being rushed to hospital for urgent care, why should the right of a Controller of Prison override that of another law abiding citizen? In the same vein, is it not because the legislator is thinking that she has a superior status that she also quickly got her other colleagues to intervene? Without doubt, it is animalistic for any law enforcement agents to assault anyone in the absence of provocation. The best that could be done is to make lawful arrest. The point being made from the foregoing is that the perception of the agents of government is not helpful to nation-building.

Put differently, how do we explain the disagreement between PMB and the NationalAssembly on the issue of the 2016 N6.06 trillion Budget? Who really is protecting the National Interest: is it PMB or the NationalAssembly? Can we talk about nation-builders with the unending cases of reckless corruption charges being unfolded on daily basis by the EFCC? What about the case of the Nigerians allegedly involved in the Panama Papers saga? Civil and public servants are said to be owed several months of salaries but Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are to be given each, a Toyota Land Cruiser Sports Utility Vehicle at a cost of about N35 million per vehicle. How do we explain this contradiction within the context of nation-building?

The Way Foward The future of Nigeria cannot be bright in terms of national unity and nation-building with the current generation of political elite in the country. It has therefore become necessary to engage in selfreappraisal exercises in order to prevent national self-destruction. In this regard, there is the need to breed a generation of nation-builders.

Government should ensure that at each level of government office, the Chief Executive should be made to provide exemplary leadership on the basis of Public Service Regulations, unflinching patriotism and fear of God. The purpose is to lay the foundation for building strong individual leaders and institutions. This should be carried to the secondary and tertiary colleges as well.

In addition, as suggested by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, President Muhammadu Buhari should continue to prioritize anti-unemployment, increased power generation and anticorruption as the enduring solutions to Nigeria’s myriad of problems.

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APRIL 24,2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION Day Chibok Girls Will Be Back Home The courage displayed by people all over the world to the cause of the girls give hope that we are still capable of doing good, writes Paul Okolo

M

y teenage daughter is preparing to return to school this weekend as the second term holidays has ended. Like any other teenager she’s looking forward to being with her friends again to share tales of their escapades while at home. My girl and her classmates have dreams and are living their dreams. Not so for more than 200 young girls in her age group. Theirs was truncated by the merchants of death called Boko Haram on April 14, 2014 in Chibok town in the far north eastern corner of Nigeria.

Two years on, the abduction still gives me jitters as I see my daughter growing up into a young lady before my eyes. As she goes off to boarding school I feel her absence sorely but I know she’ll be back home again at the end of the session. But many families in the territory can’t have the same expectation thanks to the devastation done to them by vicious terrorists who won’t rest until they’ve shed innocent blood.

The girls’ abduction has brought the horror of terrorism closer to Nigerians and to people everywhere. Their ordeal touches every one of us in a way. The thought of these girls being used as sex slaves, suicide bombers, or at best human shield, is unsettling to anybody who like me has a daughter, wife, sister or mother. I often ask myself if I wouldn’t have gone berserk if, heavens forbid, someone close to me were to be one of the victims. Who knows what I’d do in all honesty? I always try to dismiss the idea as quickly as the thought comes. The thought alone is so very unnerving that it’s sparked worldwide anger, prompting global icons to join in calling for the release of the innocent girls. From mother-of-two Michelle Obama to our own Oby Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu, Bukky Shonibare, to Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Laureate who herself nearly got killed in

her native Pakistan, millions marched in solidarity. The hashtags #Bring-back-our-girls, #Never-to-be-forgotten and #BBOG caught worldwide attention.

If this has brought some consolation to families of the girls, still some among them couldn’t bear the psychological trauma for too long and have died as a result of the deep wound inflicted by their daughters’ affliction. And those still alive are perhaps wishing they were dead every day they wake up with no word on the whereabouts of the girls.

While the world awaits news from Sambisa Forest or other Boko Haram hideouts, the abductions have brought out the best in us as humans. The determination, tenacity and courage displayed by people abroad and in Nigeria who are dedicated to the cause of these girls give us all hope that we are still capable of doing good. It shows we still have the capacity to love our neighbour as ourselves.

People from varied social, ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds have risen in unison, and organised marches, meetings, and

The girls’ abduction has brought the horror of terrorism closer to Nigerians and to people everywhere. Their ordeal touches every one of us in a way. The thought of these girls being used as sex slaves, suicide bombers, or at best human shield, is unsettling to anybody who like me has a daughter, wife, sister or mother

prayers with little or no supervision and absolutely gratis.

Yet those who are so deeply involved, despite huge financial, physical and emotional costs, are too decent to want to take credit for their exemplary commitment. It amazes me how the “Bring-back-our-girls” campaigners have managed to gather daily without fail in Abuja together with relations of the girls, members of the Chibok community, activists and religious leaders even under very hostile and harsh human and natural conditions. Others around the world also congregate like that occasionally to keep their story alive.

But there is also a flipside. The worst species of Homo sapiens also manifested in the story. The most irritating are the unfeeling who, despite abundant evidence, deny that the kidnappings of April 14, 2014 took place. I’m amazed at the people who see it as mere propaganda and a staged-managed affair. It’s one reason the government at the time didn’t pursue the brigands and rescue the innocent girls. In the name of politics, people in public office who should demonstrate good manners have shown the worst form insensitivity to the misfortune of fellow human beings, still insisting that nobody was abducted. How can somebody be so stupidly arrogant? When there’s a national emergency, what politicians of all shades do in other places is to unite, deal with the problem and move the nation forward. This country shouldn’t under any circumstances be different.

So as I drop my girl at school this weekend, I’ll be praying for divine intervention on behalf of the Chibok girls that they too would very soon be free to resume their education in a safe environment if at all possible. More importantly, I pray their story will soon have a happy ending, so that there’ll be no third anniversary of this ordeal. And, hopefully, they too can one day live their dreams.

Okolo wrote from Abuja

Solvency of Buhari’s Foreign Policy

Oseloka H. Obaze argues that even if the trips are desirable, the foreign policy solvency the president seeks is better directed from home

O

ne year is a brief a period to assess the value of any leader’s foreign policy, yet sufficient to gain insights on the policy trajectory and if the efforts are gaining traction. A lot has been written on President Muhammadu Buhari’s foreign policy endeavours in his first year. Unsurprisingly, most commentaries relate to his perceived ‘junketing’ while Nigeria’s domestic scene remains in a flux. Much of the criticism rests on the N5.5 billion reportedly spent on foreign travels in eleven months of Buhari’s presidency.

Such criticisms, to the extent they are partisan and sentimental are misplaced. Yet, any hardheaded analysis will point to shortfalls in returns on quid-pro-quos.

I’m hesitant to join in the precipitous criticism of President Buhari’s frequent travels. This does not suggest any acceptance that the trips made so far are all of great value or cost-effective.

I’d rather see the trips better conceptualised and executed. I’ll be keen also in evaluations of Buhari’s foreign policy solvency, and their overall gains, cognisant of the fundamental principle of a wise foreign policy, which should bring “into balance a country’s economic, political, and military commitments with its power, while maintaining a comfortable surplus of power in reserve.”

Since May 29, 2015, President Buhari has undertaken a total of 26 foreign trips, spending some 50 days outside Nigeria.

Some Nigerians deem such peripatetic disposition excessive.

Yet, Buhari’s activist foreign policy role must be considered against his personal convictions, and against the backdrop of his foreign policy engagement as a military leader. Contextually, Reuben Abati’s remark, that “Presidential trips are important, and that by travelling abroad, the President is performing a perfectly normal function” resonates.

Aware of criticisms of Buhari’s frequent travels, presidential aide Femi Adesina said such travels were not frivolous. Buhari personally pleaded the need to engage his interlocutors directly to explain to them Nigeria’s needs and challenges. It’s recognised that as a military head of state from 1984 to 1985, Buhari’s foreign policy was remarkable for his non-direct engagement.

He first sent General Joe Garba, a trusted diplomatic hand to the UN, and thereafter, devolved all foreign policy responsibilities to Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, his foreign policy vicar.

It remains a matter of conjecture, if Buhari’s erstwhile nonengagement in foreign policy was voluntary or foisted on him

by Nigeria’s domestic conundrum. In this his second coming, President Buhari’s foreign policy engagement is unfettered.

Whatever his motives, he has made a definite change and charge into the foreign policy realm, by becoming his own foreign policy vicar, preceptor, articulator and implementer.

Hitherto, Nigeria enjoyed comparative advantage in Africa’s foreign policy realm. Her power position as Africa’s foreign policy bellwether grew from her domestic antecedents and strength. Paradoxically, just as Buhari inherited a parlous economy, dwindling foreign reserves and crashing oil prices, he also inherited a much-diminished foreign policy capacity and credibility, plus the fact that Nigeria’s diplomacy still can’t be operated in a vacuum; but in the “economic, political, and institutional environment both inside and outside the government.” Another critical strand relates to the modus operandi of Nigerian foreign policy practitioners, who having been “caught between what is ideal and actual reality, (they) now resort to ‘adhocracy’, in both the formulation and implementation of policy.”

Some other salient factors obtain. Months before Buhari appointed his ministers, he personally conducted his foreign policy, using career diplomats as advisers. As if to affirm that “the test of foreign–policy principles lies in their application to neighbours and more distant states”, he engaged both categories early and personally. Though he eventually appointed a foreign minister, it’s safe to assume that he reserved for himself, albeit informally, core foreign policy responsibilities.

This supposition, tallies with Abati’s contention about Buhari being Nigeria’s “chief diplomat” and “chief spokesperson” and perhaps so, for good reasons. It’s thus the instructive thinking behind the Buhari’s present disposition that matters most.

First, Nigeria’s present economic circumstances are far from glamorous and mirror closely the situation in the early 1990s, when Gen. Abacha admitted that “Nigeria’s experience of the past year underlies the intimate interrelationship between our domestic strength and our country’s ability to pursue a vigorous foreign policy.” Second, Nigeria which spearheaded the “Africa has come of age” era of assertive foreign policy now spearhead Africa’s ‘economic limping’ era. Thus the assertion that “Nigeria, with help from South Africa, is killing the African story” may not be hyperbole after all. Such policy dissonance is perhaps what President Buhari seeks to change by taking charge. But heady questions persist: Has anything changed in Nigeria’s economic circumstances, including the nexus between her domestic strength and her foreign policy wherewithal? By assuming an activist role, has President Buhari altered the myths, realities and challenges that have long mitigated the robustness and vibrancy of Nigeria’s foreign policy?

Doctrinally, Buhari’s foreign policy trajectory has positively been devoid of labels. But it’s unclear if this is by design, a tacit departure from Nigeria’s erstwhile sloganeering. Whatever is the case, it’s only the level of solvency of a nation’s

foreign policy that matters. And solvency can be defined as return on investment or those tradeoffs that enhance the nation’s economic, political and military wherewithal.

Still several national imperatives serve as variables for measuring the solvency of Buhari’s foreign policy. President Buhari campaigned on the platform of rescuing the Chibok girls, tackling Boko Haram, and waging an anti-corruption campaign. He also pledged to par the naira to the dollar.

These resonating challenges persist.

Despite the presumed gains from Buhari’s travels, Nigeria’s economy is still tanking, and replete with shortage of fuel, electricity, foreign exchange, faith and trust. As the Financial Times noted, “No economy can survive without fuel, electricity or foreign exchange.” Buhari’s foreign policy solvency is further challenged by ‘adhocracy’. Of the 26 trips undertaken so far, the China visit stands alone in yielding clear results. Though not initiated by Nigeria, Chinese authorities in their enlightened self-interest, and to safeguard the lopsided Sino-Nigeria trade imbalance, offered Nigeria a yuan-naira currency swap and a $6 billion loan. The currency swap, which is aimed more at undermining the US dollar as Nigeria’s main foreign exchange reserve, helps Buhari’s foreign policy solvency only in a limited way. As if to confirm the vagaries of such on-the-fly foreign policymaking, after the swap was announced, the naira weakened further.

Three plausible strands may have influenced Buhari’s foreign policy inclinations: the desire to engender a new and robust foreign policy thrust; the desire to revitalise Nigeria’s stalled foreign policy impetus; and the desire to sustain the past and renowned foreign policy glory by hands-on engagement. Buhari conducting his foreign policy evokes power, dedication and priority. But whatever instructed his decision to assume full responsibility for his foreign policy machinery, also bequeaths on the president, total absence of plausible deniability, should his foreign policy performance prove lackluster eventually. The president staying home more in his second year, may help sanitise the domestic environment and operational theatre, now remarkable for being nebulous, disquieting and for its imperviousness. While applauding President Buhari’s constructive engagement thus far, he needs to be advised that the foreign policy solvency he seeks must be orchestrated from home. The problem lies there as does the foundation of his foreign policy solvency.

–– Obaze, managing director of Selonnes Consult Ltd., is the immediate past Secretary to the Anambra State Government

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

LETTERS

T

Yakubu, INEC and Inconclusive Elections

he independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] is, for understandable reasons, an institution of substantial interest to politicians, governments and different individuals, even foreign countries. By its primary function as the agency that oversees the choice of who becomes what in Nigeria’s electoral democracy, it is very understandable why what happens inside INEC and what happens around it should be of great interest to many.

While there is nothing wrong in this attention to INEC affairs, a deep analysis reveals that this engrossing interest in the affairs of the election management body does constitute a major operational distraction and can indeed, be identified as the root of many problems for the agency and Nigeria’s political system in general.

The belief in many quarters, from government and political parties to individuals with political ambition that to make progress in the electoral system you must either suffocatingly court the INEC leadership or overwhelm it, accounts for some of the most damaging distractions and problems INEC has faced. Analysis of the commission in the past years, indeed since it came into existence in the late 1990s, shows clearly that governments and

Yakubu

politicians have always resorted to all manner of strategies to either subdue or drag INEC leaderships to paths they ordinarily will not want to tread.

One debilitating approach by politicians and some powerful elements around the government in trying to influence INEC involves hiring and using personnel of the agency to undermine its leadership.

Often the aim is to force any independent-minded INEC leadership to either cave in to demands made of him, or be made to look bad before the public.

The moles, living up to their assignment are often

paid heavily and promised protection in case anyone moves against them. They have been reported to do all sorts of damage in the agency, from leaking sensitive information and documents to those who hired them, to derailing policies and programmes of the agency.

These insider jobbers resort to all sorts of tactics to ensure that concerted efforts made to elevate the quality of elections in Nigeria do not yield the desired result.

Of course, the leadership of the commission carries the can.

While most INEC leaderships battled these distractions throughout their tenure, with some losing out, the ultimate

IN PRAISE OF THEODORE ORJI

S

enator Theodore Ahamefule Orji is a nobleman; the undisputed father of modern Abia politics and as such, the act of prescribing norms of behaviour to the upcoming Abia State politicians is not just an option, but gargantuan responsibility incumbent upon him even in the face of provocative political contrivances.

I wouldn’t have given heed to the animus of a rabble-rouser which I treated effectively in Authority newspaper, March 2, 2016 and had long consigned to the dustbin, but because a good friend and a supposed people’s trustee, Mr. Ebere Wabara in an overt display of animosity towards Sen. Orji presented the vituperation to readers in Daily Sun newspaper of April 18, 2016 as educative, informative, instructive and entertaining undermining the FOBA – fairness, objectivity, balance and accuracy – of journalism.

In that article titled: B.B Apugo on T.A Orji (1), Mr. Wabara in his futile attempt to cast aspersions on Sen. Orji regurgitated allegations concocted by Chief Benjamin Apugo without considering the implications and adverse consequences such thoughtless action would have on him and profession.

However, for accountability and integrity sake, attributes that characterise Sen. Orji’s leadership style and subsequently earned him the respectable and envious status of the father of modern Abia politics and recently

the Opuru Iche (Unique) 1 of Igbo land, I will rather refute the wicked lies than dignify Wabara’s obvious self-immolation.

Firstly, the allegation that “Sen. Orji while serving as the Executive Governor of Abia State obtained landed properties forcefully from their rightful owners at Nkata Ibeku, Old Umuahia, Ministry of Lands, Umuahia main market (where he is currently building a private housing estate), Ajata Okwuru, Gariki Umuahia (where he is building a shopping mall), Isi-court gravel market, Umuhute, Ihie, Umuoho, Umuana, Mbom, Emede, Urban and several others” was not only false but a calculated attempt to heat-up the Abia polity.

For the records, the Ministry of Lands and Umuahia main market were built

by Trademall Ltd., owned by the Managing Director of Platinum Bank, Mr. Mbaka strictly for commercial purposes for interested buyers.

Old Umuahia Housing Estate was built by Aso Savings also for interested buyers just to ease accommodation problem.

The shopping mall located at former Gariki Umuahia was built by Pro-M and opened for interested persons who want to own shops there, while Isi-court gravel market was built by Umuahia South Local Government and allotted to traders. These are verifiable and I challenge interested Abians to leverage the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), by approaching the appropriate ministry to ascertain the truth.

It is also worthy to mention that Sen. Orji has no property in Ajata Okwuru, Ihie, Umuohu, Umuana, Mbom, Emede and Urban as alleged

by Apugo and rubberstamped

by Mr. Wabara. Orji could not have possibly owned a land in Nkata Ibeku where every land belongs to Chief Apugo.

Yet Wabara also thoughtlessly wrote that “If there is anybody in Abia State who has a pending case with the EFCC, it is no other person than T.A. Orji who is still on bail.” Come to think of it, if Senator Orji is the actual person the EFCC was after, why then is he still walking around free and executing diligently his legislative duties while his former boss who he served under as Chief of Staff has laboured in vain since 1997 to circumvent arrest through court injunctions before the anti-graft agency finally had a breakthrough? EFCC knows who it is looking for and has made it clear to Nigerians; one had therefore expected Mr. Wabara to channel the energy he is dissipating on obnoxious propaganda to building the political image and integrity of his boss than corroborating the ranting of his mentor.

Sen. Orji has forgiven Mr. Wabara. Thank God, he even acknowledged it in one of his columns where he tendered unreserved apology to Sen. Orji for his previous mischievous publications. I therefore advise Mr. Wabara as a friend, colleague and brother not to take the benevolence of Sen. Orji for granted.

–– Don Norman Obinna, Abuja

losers are the Nigerian political system and Nigerians. But those who sponsor such subterranean assault on the system do not care. If they cannot succeed in influencing the leadership and policies at INEC, everything can as well collapse.

When the interest of some manipulating parties outside seeking to control the affairs of INEC combines with the interest or ambition of some INEC officials inside, who are motivated by the quest for power, wealth or some other reasons, the challenge before an INEC leadership can be enormous.

The new leadership of INEC under Professor Mahmood Yakubu seems to be going through a rough patch in the conduct of elections. This much is obvious. What is not clear at the moment is what is going on. As things seems to stand, there seems to be an increasing need to look closely at the conduct of elections by INEC in recent times with a view to understanding what is going on.

To the best of the knowledge of Nigerians, Prof.Yakubu came to office with no political baggage and with a clean record.

Nothing has been said to tie him to any political interest group.

This clean record is presently facing the challenge of a clash of interests, many of which the new chairman may not even comprehend yet. As should be expected the new INEC helmsman and his team are still in the learning curve of their five-

year assignment. It is also true that some of the elections that have held since the advent of the new INEC leadership occurred in environments that were not peaceful at all and could therefore not have had peaceful ends, no matter who conducted them. The still hanging case in Rivers State is only one of them.

Without doubt, the fact that Prof.Yakubu has the fortune or misfortune of coming to INEC at the point when for the first time there are two very strong and keenly matched political parties contesting for power, makes his assignment somewhat more challenging than was the case for his predecessors.

However, in spite of all these factors, there is an increasing hunch that the new INEC chairman may be dealing with forces within his fold that are pursuing an agenda that he may yet not understand. A national newspaper recently published an analysis in which it asked when the Yakubu-led INEC will get it right in the conduct of elections, considering the inconclusiveness of virtually all the elections that have been conducted under his watch.

That is an important question.

The other critical question which is being increasingly raised in some quarters is: are there forces that are working equally hard within INEC to ensure system hitches in recent elections? Is there an attempt to make the new INEC leadership appear

as if it is taking it a long time to have a full grasp of the nuances in the conduct of elections? Are all the relevant departmental heads in the administration of elections at INEC on the same page with the leadership or do they have multiple allegiance?

What is happening in recent elections conducted by INEC appears strange and suspicious.

2015 general election saddled the new INEC under Prof.

Yakubu with over 80 re-run elections, something that no other INEC leadership was confronted with. As Prof.Yakubu and his team weave through the intricacies of the re-run elections and other elections, more attention needs to be paid now to the interplay of factors inside INEC which determine the success of elections. Operational problems and other factors that result in huge cancellation of results leading to inconclusive elections must now be fully interrogated to know what is happening at INEC. The nation is paying heavily for the conduct of elections and must therefore be interested in knowing why many more elections are ending up inconclusive these days.

What is going on? Prof.Yakubu himself must be taking the lead in asking this question. Can it be the game plan of some interest groups either within or outside INEC to see many elections inconclusive? What will be the purpose?

Osaro Franks, Lagos

WHO WILL SAVE US FROM EXCESSES OF MIKANO?

N

o thanks to the epileptic power supply, most Nigerians have now resorted to the use of generators to provide alternative power supply. My generators at home and office were purchased from Mikano. I am their long standing customer. To ensure the generators continue to run smoothly, they have been serviced and maintained solely by Mikano International Ltd. Mikano generators do not come cheap, so we do not want them to blame external interference for any fault with the generator.

My recent experience with Mikano International Ltd has been quite disturbing. Sometimes in March 2016, I called Mr Fadi (Sales Manager at Mikano office Abuja) for routine service. The generator was running smoothly, all that was needed was routine service. We paid for service. Mr Fadi sent his boys to conduct the service. Later that same day, we noticed that the generator was shutting down itself. It will run for a while and shut down, and the fault indicator will show oil pressure. I promptly put a call through to Mr Fadi (whom we usually have to call severally before one gets a response). He sent his staff but they could not rectify the fault. Throughout the week, Mr Fadi sent different staff all to no avail. He later sent one Mr Charles who recommended that we change the Comap.

Comap was bought N85,000 from Mikano. The problem persisted after the change of Comap, the alarm list also continued to show oil pressure. Yet another set of Mikano staff sent by Mr Fadi

came and asked us to change the oil switch.

We paid N25,000 for the oil switch and we were later asked

by Mr Fadi to pay additional N18,000 for what he termed the second part of the oil switch.

When I objected over the phone, Mr Fadi in his usual rude and arrogant manner, recalled his boys. When I reminded him over the phone that I was the one that called him and should be allowed to speak he said, “Mrs Bob Osamor you will not speak” and hung up.

What options do I really have.

The thought of engaging another company midstream to solve a problem created by Mikano team after routine service was not viable. The weather was unbearably hot and the children were home on vacation. We paid the additional N18,000. Mr Fadi later sent his staff to change the oil switch.

Just when I thought the situation cannot get any worse, it did. Two days after the change of the oil switch by Mikano, the generator started shutting down again, fault indicator still showing oil pressure.

The letter of complaint I wrote to Mikano was received by Mr Fadi. Though the reply to my letter was signed by one Peter Imoekor, the Admin Manager, the tone was typically Fadi’s, it was the same condescending, patronizing, and I’m doing you a favour tone. The same “take it or leave it” manner.

I have always paid for all services rendered and all material used. In this case, Mikano was just bent on selling me service parts which were unnecessary.

None of them could solve the problem.

In their letter they threatened that if I require them to remove the items and return the faulty ones “we will be obligated to charge you for labour accordingly”. This is a complete rip off, if the items were faulty, why has the generator continued to shut down after their replacement.

We invited Mikano to send their engineers to confirm that after their latest replacement of oil switch, the generator has continued to shut down, they refused to come.

We had no other option than to call another engineer outside Mikano. The engineer came, ran some checks and blamed the whole problem on the quality of oil used to service the generator on 18/3/2016 by Mikano personnel. He had to empty the oil, do the service all over and change the oil switch. Our generator has been running smoothly after that.

Such is the utter disregard and contempt with which some of these foreign multinationals treat Nigerians. The kind of treatment, they cannot mete out to people in other clime because this is a country where best practices are not observed.

They therefore jettison consumer rights in their pursuit for profit. I was reliably informed that once any item leaves Mikano office, the technicians cannot return them even when they discover on the field that the items were not really needed.

Who will save us from the excesses of Mikano International Ltd.?

Chinelo Bob-Osamor wrote from Abuja

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SUNDAY APRIL 24, 2016 T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24 2016

BUSINESS

Editor Festus Akanbi Email festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

QUICK TAKES AfDB

The Country Director of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Ousmane Dore, said that the bank plans to invest $300 million to support the youth in agriculture in Nigeria. His commitment came as the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Heineken Lokpobiri, also said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will not resort to policy somersault but “keep reforming it” to get the best for Nigerians.

Both the minister and Dore spoke in Abuja at the opening of a two-day EmpoweringNovelAgri-BusinessLed Employment (ENABLE)Youth Design Workshopwhichisbeingchampioned by the AfDB in collaboration with the International Institute ofTropical Agriculture (IITA).The programme aims to develop the next generation of African entrepreneurs in agriculture.

Lokpobiri’s assurance came against the backdrop of suggestions that the present administration may abandon the agricultural policy framework of the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Nevertheless, he said a new road map for agriculture covering 2018 and 2019, will be launched a few weeks from now.

AFC Launch

A textile market at Idumota,Lagos... Hoping for increased activities in the foreseeable future

Evaluating FG’s Multi-Pronged Strategy to Reset Economy James Emejo

T

here’s no gainsaying the fact that the present administration came at a time of global economic crisis which worsened the fiscal conditions of the Nigerian economy.

Given that revenue from oil accounts for more than 80 percent of funds to the government, the crash in oil price from $112 per barrel to $39 per barrel, fiscal leakages as well as the endemic corruption in the system presented a rather difficult situation for the new administration to manage.

The situation had prompted President Buhari on several occasions to admit that the economy was truly in bad shape, needing drastic measures to address it.

At the recent edition of the Nigerian Economic Summit (NES), the first to be hosted by the present administration, it was unanimously concluded that drastic actions needed to be taken to fix critical sectors of the economy, particularly power as well as reforms in the civil service to restore orderliness.

Perhaps one of the most visible of government’s determined moves to rescue the economy had been the stance to ensure there are consequences for impunity as well as drastic efforts to recover illicitly acquired wealth for redistribution

BANKING in the economy for the well being of Nigerians.

In trying to plug fiscal leakages, the present administration had at inception implemented the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which had been kept in the shelf by the previous administration.

The TSA today makes it difficult for government agencies to spend money at will without justification and impact assessment report.

On the fiscal front, the establishment of the Efficiency Unit in the Federal Ministry of Finance appears to be yielding fruits in government’s bid to cut wasteful spending and entrench transparency in public finance.

The unit recently unveiled strategies to manage procurement costs in public institutions which altogether spent N825 billion on travel allowances, stationery among others in three years.

Follow up to the measures to save cost, a recent directive further banned serving ministers and other public officials from flying the business class at the expense of public funds.

Other strategies being adopted to address the challenges brought by the falling price of oil include the diversification of the economic base from oil. Government has disclosed its commitment to achieve self-sufficiency and become the net exporter of specific

agricultural products such as rice by 2018 and wheat by 2019.

It further plans to implement the national industrial revolution scheme and launch the ‘Made in Nigeria’ campaign to enforce local patronage in order to boost domestic demand for local items, thereby simulating economic activities and empowering Nigerians.

Another areas of interest in the current drive to reset the economy is the resolve to give priority attention to critical infrastructure with a focus to invest in power, However, experts believe the proper articulation and implementation of government policy decisions are key to achieving the overall objective of moving the economy forward

rail and roads.

Government’s determination to optimise the 7,000MW installed capacity and complete the privatisation of the National Independent Power Projects (NIPP) plants and develop a concessioning plan for Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has been commended for addressing challenges in the power sector, which is considered critical to offsetting the country’s myriad industrial and manufacturing woes.

The determination to revitalise social investments including health and education projects as a way of addressing some of the root

causes of social disorder has also been commended.

Under the initiative, the Buhari administration intends to give the sum of N5,000 monthly to the most vulnerable persons in the society including the aged and poverty stricken individual to enable them cope with reality.

Only recently, the federal government further secured a $6 billion investment deal from China for development of critical infrastructure, a development which has been welcomed by analysts as a way of helping to bridge the deficit in the 2016 budget.

There are several other initiatives and those others in the pipeline.

However, experts believe the proper articulation and implementation of government policy decisions are key to achieving the overall objective of moving the economy forward.

Observers argue that not much had been achieved in the areas of providing a clear-cut vision for the economy.

Furthermore, the lack of a clear-cut blueprint on the direction of the economy by the administration is seen in bad light by foreign investors who have stayed away for now.

And unless these shortcomings are addressed, the lofty aims of government to redirect the economy on the path of prosperity could be elusive.

The Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) alongside its development partners has announced the launch of the Africa Project Developers Initiative (APDI). APDI is a think tank that promotes and enables project development in Africa. It creates a platform that fosters continuous dialogue among members, standardises project development documentation, develops market benchmarks, enables knowledge transfer, leads and facilitates independent research, and serves as a policy advocacy forum for the industry. A significant bottleneck in unlocking Africa’s infrastructure is the development of viable projects that meet the viability and bankability tests of financiers.

African project development itself is a proven asset class, with an increasing number of projects successfully reaching financial closure including Azura in Nigeria; Cenpower in Ghana; Cabeolica in Cape Verde; and Henry Konan Bedie Bridge, Cote D Ivoire.

MTN Subscribers

MTN Group Limited’s subscriber numbers fell during the first quarter as disconnections ordered by the government in Nigeria, its biggest market, curbed the growth of Africa’s largest wireless operator.

MTN’s customer base decreased by 1.4 per cent to about 229 million across 22 countries in the three months through March, compared with the previous quarter, the Johannesburg-based company said in a statement late last week.

The company cut its guidance for the full year to 11.95 million net additions from 12.5 million. “In order to mitigate any future regulatory challenges, the group took an exceptionally conservative stance by disconnecting all subscribers who could possibly be deemed to benon-compliant,”Bloombergquoted its Executive Chairman, Phuthuma Nhleko to have said in the statement.

MTN Nigeria subscribers decreased by 6.9 percent after 4.5 million customers were disconnected in February. In South Africa, the company’s second-largest market, customer numbers fell by 1.7 percent.

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2016 IMF-WORLD BANK SPRING MEETINGS

Nigeria: Taking Economic Challenges in its Stride

Resolving issues currently bedeviling the Nigerian economy may be a daunting task, but the country has decided to be in control of its own destiny writes Kunle Aderinokun, who covered the just-concluded Spring Meetings of IMF and the World Bank

R-L: Adeosun and Rwandan Minister of Finance, Claver Gatete, at a panel discussion on “Sub-saharan Africa: Just a Rough Patch?” at the IMF-World Bank spring meetings PHOTOS: Abiodun Ajala

T

he recently held 2016 spring meetings of the IMF-World Bank was an opportunity for Nigeria to show the world that she could solve her problems by herself without necessarily leaving herself to the whims and caprices of foreign and multilateral development institutions like the IMF. Even though the IMF told the federal government that Nigeria must put in place an integrated economic policy, the current administration led

by President Muhammadu Buhari has said it had its own homegrown programme. And so it has taken up the gauntlet to move the economy forward in a sustainable way without a bailout from the IMF because “Nigeria is not sick.”, it is only experiencing some challenges. The economy is facing challenges occasioned by the volatility of oil prices which had plummeted to as low as $20 per barrel whereas the oil price-based budget benchmark is at $38 per barrel. The resultant effect of which has retarded the accretion to the foreign exchange reserves. Realising the debilitating effect the scenario could have on the fiscal buffer, the CBN had banned importation of some 41 items that could be produced locally.

But it did not stop at that, it swung into action by boosting the local production of some of those items, apparently walking the talk in the diversification of the economy.

For instance, the CBN, as part of its Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP) established in 2015, has committed N40 billion. The ABP in Kebbi State is a pilot programme launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015. It has benefitted close to 80,000 rice farmers

which covers over 90,000 hectares of farmland.

About N5billion has so far been disbursed.

The programme has the capacity to absorb over N15billion in the next few years to come.

According to the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, the economy is going through a structural reform, part of which is the diversification and it is attracting a series of investments that would translate to a major recovery in about two years.

He pointed out that agriculture was a major component of the government’s diversification effort.

“Basically, the issue is how the country would respond to the challenges that we are facing right now. Other than the area of investment in infrastructure, one other area has to do with structural reforms which have been suggested.

These reforms had worked in the South Eastern Asian countries like Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and that is why growth from these areas have remained fairly very strong.

“Diversification of the economy is an issue here that have been proposed as part of the structural reforms, particularly oil export producing countries should be looking at. I must say here that I am glad that Nigeria is taking the issues of diversification from oil very seriously,” he explained at a closing press briefing with Nigerian journalists.

He added: “Recently, we have seen people coming to talk about investing in agriculture in Nigeria. About two weeks ago I inspected a 16,000 hectares sugar cane farm as well as a milling and refining facilities in Niger State. We have Nigerian investors looking at investing in fertiliser. So the biggest fertiliser plant in the world will be in Nigeria. We believe that over

time and hopefully around the middle of early 2018 or the end of 2018, that with the demand for some from these final products, the pressure that on reserve and CBN will be substantially reduced and I think with that we can see the green light at the end of the tunnel.”

Speaking on the effect of rising inflation on interest rate, Emefiele noted that it would be difficult not to have a high interest rate when inflation is rising, adding however that, the CBN would intervene to ensure the effect of the high interest rate does not affect productivity and ultimately prices.

Diversification of the economy is an issue here that have been proposed as part of the structural reforms, particularly oil export producing countries should be looking at. I must say here that I am glad that Nigeria is taking the issues of diversification from oil very seriously

According to him, “the inflation rate is at 12.8 per cent in the month of March and if the policy rate is at 12per cent, it is not in our economic model to pursue if the policy rate is lower than the inflation rate, that is negative real interest rate, we can do that. Inferentially, what I’m trying to say is that, it would be difficult for you to run away from a fairly high interest rate in an environment of rising inflation.

He, however, added that, “in any case, I had also underscored that the Central Bank of Nigeria in line with the development finance objective will continue to provide intervention to some of the target sector of the country, like agriculture, mining and some of the real sector of the economy that will help engender growth and improve productivity and when productivity improves, naturally, what you will find out is that prices would come down and that will positively impact on inflation, that is exactly what we are talking about. I’m optimistic that will work and eventually Nigeria will have a cause to smile.”

Similarly, the CBN governor shed more light on the currency swap with China and took time to highlight the benefits derivable from the deal.

“On the Swap, we have been holding discussions with the People’s Bank of China about the Swap arrangements which entails using of Yuan transaction between Nigeria and China. At the meeting what we did was to sign a mandate agreement between the Central Bank of Nigeria and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which is the biggest in the world to act as our agent in concluding the consummation of the transaction,” he explained.

“The benefits are two-fold: It affords Nigerian

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24 2016

23

2016 IMF-WORLD BANK SPRING MEETINGS Nigeria: Taking Economic Challenges in Its Strides importers the opportunity to open letters of credit using Renminbi as a currency rather than using the Dollar. As you know, in 2015, Nigeria net import between Nigeria and China is about $15 billion. The benefit with the arrangement makes it easier for you to make your transaction in Chinese currency which put less pressure on you looking for dollars to carry out your trade transactions in China.

“Also, China has appointed South Africa as its trading hub for Southern Africa countries, while Kenya will represent East African Countries and the mandate we signed is for Nigeria to be appointed as the trading hub in the West African Sub-region. In all, it put less pressure and we expect it is going to be mutually beneficial and eventually, we will be talking to China about importing some of its own items from Nigeria so that the trading balance can be reduced. Will Nigeria benefit from this? I want to say Nigeria will benefit from it and put less pressure on the dollar and reserve,” he explained.

Besides, to ensure constant revenue flow into the economy, the government is broadening the tax base by ensuring it pulls all tax payers into the tax net and ensure strict compliance.

Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, clarified that in broadening the tax base, the federal government would ensure very high compliance before it considers, next year, an increase in value added tax (VAT), which is now at 5 per cent.

She also clarified her statement that “Nigerian economy is not sick.” According to her, “We are not saying that as a country we don’t have challenges. We recognise those challenges and we are facing them, what we do is to take responsibility for providing solutions to our problems. That comment was made in respect of a non-Nigerian guy who said ‘Nigeria is in a mess’, I take an exception to anybody saying that. Fine we have our challenges and we are not the only country in the global economy that has economic challenges. But we have the diagnosis of our problems, the country is adjusting and people are going through very tough adjustment in their personal finances and government is going through technical adjustment on how it spends her money and trying to be more efficient in spending, how revenues are coming, trying to plug leakages.

“So we are fixing the problems ourselves that is what I mean and we say that as a country we have the capacity, we have the will, most importantly both political and will of the people to solve our problems our own way. We are not denying the fact that we have challenges but we have everything that it takes to solve the problems. We have the local knowledge to solve the problems. Our priority is to position the economy properly for growth, recovery and creation of jobs for Nigerians.”

Adeosun had earlier at the meeting during a panel discussion on “Sub-Saharan Africa: Just a Rough Patch?” boldly told the world that Nigeria did not need a policy reform programme or a bailout loan from the IMF and any other multilateral development financial institutions, since the country was not sick, assuring that if at all the country was sick, the government had local remedy to cure the sickness.

She noted that Nigeria had a home-grown solution to the challenges it is currently experiencing and would not need any foreign assistance to solve its domestic problem, ruling out the possibility of approaching IMF for loans She noted that the kind of support it sought and received was a budget support in form of loans from the World Bank and African Development Bank and not a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

“Nigeria is not sick and even if we are, we have our own local remedy,” she said with a wave of assurance.

Responding to a specific question posed to her by the moderator of the discussion, Nancy Birdsall, President, Center for Global Development, about a lot of borrowings coming from outside to buoy Nigeria’s economy in this challenging times, Adeosun said: “We are speaking to the World Bank and AfDB for budget support loans.

We see the Nigerian opportunity as a policy opportunity and we feel the bank is the place to go to support our policy reforms. There is a lot of stigma and a lot of institutional memories in Nigeria around IMF that is not positive and we believe that this type would not be the right message for Nigeria at the moment.”

The statement of the finance minister aligns with the position of the IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde. Lagarde had during her visit

Cont’d from Pg. 22

R-L: Emefiele and Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Sarah Alade, at the closing press briefing by Nigerian delegation at the spring meetings

L-R: AfDB President, Akinwunmi Adesina; and Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Colombia, Mauricio Cardenas, at the Global Infrastructure Forum 2016 at the IMF-World Bank spring meetings

to Nigeria in January said given the determination and resilience of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Nigeria had no reason to seek IMF loan.

Lagarde, who responded to a question on whether the IMF was also out to attach conditions to loans Nigeria might seek from the organisation, stressed that she was not in the country to negotiate a loan with conditionality.

Adeosun at the panel discussion, noted that the Nigerian economy was vulnerable to shocks because of its over-dependence on crude oil, the single source of revenue but quickly added that, “We have resolved to build resilience into the country’s economy to hedge against future oil shocks.”

“This is because dependence on oil brings about vulnerability and laziness. So we are doing a combination of things to diversify our economy, with revenue mobilisation to enable sufficient investment in developing the non-oil sectors.

“We have great opportunities to reset the Nigerian economy and ensure that as we go forward, growth will be in a sustainable manner so that we won’t be vulnerable to oil price fluctuations,

and with a truly diversified economy we would have enabled opportunities for wealth creation that would trickle down to every Nigerian.

“The compelling business case in Nigeria is that the fundamentals remain very strong, a teeming, young growing population, rich in resources and with a government determined to finally get it right.

“The great thing is that long term investors recognise this and understand the difference between short term and long term issues and the case for Nigeria persuades one to plan for the longer term opportunities,” she explained.

Meanwhile, rays of hope seem to be coming in the direction of Nigeria and other African countries in the power sector as African Development Bank (AfDB) has earmarked $62 billion for energy infrastructure in Africa in the next five years This became known at a panel discussion on Global Infrastructure Forum 2016 on the side lines of the 2016 spring meetings.

He explained that the bank would provide $12 billion while it would leverage $50 billion from the private sector.

“For us at the bank, we are going to put in

$12billion over the next five years into energy sector and we also looking to leverage foreign buy back $50billion from the private sector. For this to happen, we have to pay attention; so many ministers have a host of infrastructure we are talking about,” he said.

Adesina advised that the energy ministers should optimise the opportunities around them.

“I mean for us, partial risk guarantees and also partial credit gurantees can help to leverage a lot of money. Now we have done something at the AfDB, I’m speaking on behalf of my collegues here, which AfDB Exposure Exchange, just to allow us to free up a lot of backlog for ourselves.

For the bank itself, we have been able to free up about $10billion that allows us to lend a lot more for infrastructure.

“Our core financial arrangement, we work with China, we work with Japan in terms of core financing arrangement and all of here, we do blended financing both in terms of concessionary and non concessionary finacing, but at the end of the day, the monies that are out there in the Capital Market, far exceed all the things we get put together,” he added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

2016 IMF-WORLD BANK SPRING MEETINGS/INTERVIEW

‘Nigeria will Overcome its Economic Challenges’ The just-concluded 2016 Spring Meetings of the IMF-World Bank in Washington DC, United States of America got the feel of how Nigeria is responding to its challenges as the economic team were at their best churning out the measures being adopted by the President Buhari-led administration. At the end of the meetings, Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, and Governor of Central Bank, Dr. Godwin Emefiele, jointly fielded questions from journalists. Kunle Aderinokun, Chika Amanze-Nwachuku and Funke Olaode were there

We are not saying that as a country we don’t have challenges. We recognise those challenges and we are facing them. What we want is the opportunity to take responsibility for providing our solutions to our problems… Fine, we have our challenges and we are not the only country in the global economy that have economic challenges. But we have the diagnosis of our problems... So we are fixing the problems ourselves that is what I mean and we say that as a country we have the capacity, we have the will; most importantly both political and will of the people to solve our problems our own way

Adeosun

C

an you please explain how Nigeria fared in the justconcluded spring meetings?

Adeosun: We have been here in the last few days leading the delegations representing Nigeria’s and also in some meetings, Angola, and South Africa constituency. The meetings of course deliberated on the global challenges in the economy and how we would like to help our sub-region as it relates to our nation: how individual economy responds. There are common things: that is recognition for need for investment in quality infrastructure as a driver for economic growth. And that is what government is focusing on right now. The other issue discussed was illicit capital flows and what could be done to track and prevent it especially around security and counter terrorism.

The issue of tax evasion and base shifting

was also addressed in both local and global terms. We had a meeting with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Ms. Largarde. All the meetings have been very positive, and the outlook for Nigeria in the medium term. Generally, there is a positive side of the current economic reform agenda of the President Buhari-led administration.

What were Nigeria’s gains from these spring meetings?

Adeosun: I would say that the gains are for us and would be long-term positive for the Nigerian economy. Of course, we were able to network with our colleagues and other ministers of finance of other G7 countries, and G24 countries. We compared notes and experiences. I think the takeaway from the meetings is that the course we have tried to chat for Nigeria seems to be the right one. We

got very much of endorsement for our policies and the direction in which we want to direct the Nigerian economy. Specifically we had bilateral meetings with a number of financial institutions including The Islamic Development Bank where we have agreed to work together on micro finance scheme for women, a Japanese Investment agency where we have agreed to work on power project and they have agreed to make a very significant investment in the area of power, which I believe will be very beneficial for Nigeria. Similarly, we also had a meeting with the IFC this morning (last Sunday) and again they were talking about investment in power and in some of our banks to spur up their positions. Similarly, we had a meeting with AfDB, which has also agreed on investment in agriculture and collaborations on a range of initiatives that will help the project that would help drive the economy. Also, we had discussions

with the World Bank around our budget support requests and we have been able to have very productive meetings to understand what the next step would be in that process. We are very positive about good outcome on that.

The other issues is more representation of African countries in the IMF. I mean the lack of adequate representation of African countries at the senior level was raised. This is the body that makes decisions that affect the entire economy and if Africans are inadequately represented you may not get the best decision.

How would this meeting help boost the continent’s economic growth that has been on the slow side?

Emefiele: You probably know that this is a spring meeting where ministers and governors of Central Bank from about 189 countries meet in a year to deliberate on global policy agenda.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

2016 IMF-WORLD BANK SPRING MEETINGS/INTERVIEW ‘Nigeria will Overcome its Economic Challenges’

Cont’d from Pg. 24

But in any case, I had also underscored that the Central Bank of Nigeria in line with the development finance objective will continue to provide intervention to some of the target sector of the country, like agriculture, mining and some of the real sector of the economy that will help engender growth and improve productivity and when productivity improves, naturally, what you will find out is that prices would come down and that will positively impact on inflation, that is exactly what we are talking about. I’m optimistic that will work and eventually Nigeria will have a cause to smile

Emefiele

And for this meeting basically, the objective was to look at the world economic outlook and the conclusions are that the global growth is not looking positive and indeed last year it was forecast at 3.1 per cent but at this meeting, global growth has been forecast at 3.2 per cent.

Sub-Saharan African growth had been forecast at 3 per cent which means we are not expecting some positive results from Africa. This is basically because other than the issues bordering on drop in commodity prices and for Nigeria purely oil, there are also geo-political tensions; the migration problems in the Middle-East, the potential of British exit from European Union are issues on the table that is causing panic in the world. And of course, there are also financial markets vulnerability that have also been identified as one of the issues. Basically, the issue is how countries should respond to these challenges. For the oil exporting countries, it has been identified that they have been badly hit, no doubt, and Nigeria happens to be one of them. Basically, the issue is how would the countries respond to what they are facing right now? Other than the area of investment in infrastructure, one other area has to do with structural reforms which have been suggested.

These reforms had worked in the South Eastern Asian countries like Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and that is why growth from these areas have remained fairly very strong.

Diversification of economy is an issue that has been proposed as part of the structural reforms particularly oil export producing countries should be looking at. I must say here that I am glad that Nigeria is taking the issues of diversification from oil very seriously. Recently, we have seen people coming to talk about investing in agriculture in Nigeria. About two weeks ago, I inspected a 16,000 hectares sugar cane farm as well as a milling and refining facilities in Niger State. We have Nigerian investors looking at investing in fertilizer. So the biggest fertilizer plant in the world will be in Nigeria. We believe that over time and hopefully around the middle of early 2018 or the end of 2018, the pressure that the demand for some of these final products and the pressure they place on reserve and CBN will be substantially reduced and I think with that, we can see the green light at the end of the tunnel.

On the issue of whether Nigeria is not sick or doesn’t need IMF Loan?

Adeosun: We are not saying that as a country we don’t have challenges. We recognise those challenges and we are facing them. What we want is the opportunity to take responsibility for providing our solutions to our problems.

That comment was made in respect of a non-Nigerian guy who said ‘Nigeria is in a mess’; I take an exception to anybody saying that. Fine, we have our challenges and we are not the only country in the global economy that have economic challenges. But we have the diagnosis of our problems, the country is adjusting and people are going through very tough adjustment’ in their personal finances and government is going through technical adjustment on how it spends her money and trying to be more efficient in spending, how revenues are coming, trying to plug leakages.

So we are fixing the problems ourselves that is what I mean and we say that as a country we have the capacity, we have the will; most importantly both political and will of the people to solve our problems our own way. We are not denying the fact that we have challenges but we have everything and what it takes to solve the problems. We have the local knowledge to solve the problems. Our priority is to position the economy properly for growth, recovery and creation of jobs for Nigerian.

What are the benefits and gains of the economic swap with China?

Emefiele: Let me say that, in 2015, practically all the countries in the world had challenges.

In the third quarter of 2015, China’s growth was one of the strongest in the world. All the countries have challenges but China is coming out very faster. On the swap, we have been holding discussions with the People’s Bank of China about the swap arrangement, which entails using Yuan (Chinese currency) for transactions between Nigeria and China. At the meeting what we did was to sign a mandate agreement between the Central Bank of Nigeria and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which is the biggest in the world to act as our agent in concluding the consummation of the transactions. The issues are in two folds: it affords Nigeria important opportunity to open letters of credit using Chinese Yuan as a currency

rather than using the dollar. As you know, in 2015, Nigeria net import between Nigeria and China was about $15 billion. The benefit with the arrangement is that it makes it easier for you to make your transaction in Chinese currency which put less pressure on you looking for dollars to carry out your trade transactions in China.

Also, China has appointed South Africa as its trading hub for Southern Africa countries, while Kenya will represent East African Countries and the mandate we signed is for Nigeria to be appointed as the trading hub in the West African Sub-Region. In all, it put less pressure and we expect it is going to be mutually beneficial and eventually, we will be talking to China about importing some of its own items from Nigeria so that the trading balance can be reduced. Will Nigeria benefit from this? I want to say Nigeria will benefit from it and put less pressure on the dollar and reserves.

Do you foresee any risk?

Emefiele: In everything you do in life there is risk but the important thing is you identify the risk. We would look at the issues and whoever your business partner you are dealing with in any part of the world, you must look for a way to take care of the risk.

On the budget support, are you planning to borrow and if yes, how much?

Adeosun: Based on our budget we are expected to borrow about ***1.8 trillion, which would be split between domestic and international. And the budget support we are talking with the World Bank is a request for a total of $2.5 billion in budget support and the AfDB. That is part of budget financing. Why are we talking to the World Bank and AfDB? It is because they have concessional financing of a low interest rate as low as two per cent. With about 20-year repayment plan. This is very easy because the project we intend to fund with this borrowed money are for capital projects: The rail project, the road which need long term concessional money and so it makes sense to us. We recognise that we need to invest to get the Nigerian economy moving.

You have consistently said that we needed

to broaden the tax base. How would you do this?

Taxes are collected by the state governments and indeed anybody who lives in Lagos State would disagree with me that Nigeria doesn’t have property taxes but have a land use charge and many states are now implementing it as a source of funding. It is a valid point and I think more states will look at it but it is under the constitution under the state government tax. On increasing our tax base, if you look at it, we have five per cent, which is one of the lowest in the world. Our strategy is to get more people to pay and to comply and when the economy is a little bit more robust we can look at increasing the rate. If only a few people are paying and you double the rate you are penalising those who are complying. The solution is to get those who should be paying to pay.

The chairman of FIRS has started a very aggressive campaign and programme of pulling those who should be paying into the tax net.

That is the right way to go. The most important is to spread the culture of people complying with the tax law and pay as and when due because tax is the most sustainable way for any government.

On the issue of inflation and interest rates

Emefiele: The inflation rate is at 12.8 per cent in the month of March and if the policy rate is at 12per cent, it is not in our economic model to pursue if the policy rate is lower than the inflation rate, that is negative real interest rate, we can’t do that. Inferentially, what I’m trying to say is that, it would be difficult for you to run away from a fairly high interest rate in an environment of rising inflation.

But in any case, I had also underscored that the Central Bank of Nigeria in line with the development finance objective will continue to provide intervention to some of the target sector of the country, like agriculture, mining and some of the real sector of the economy that will help engender growth and improve productivity and when productivity improves, naturally, what you will find out is that prices would come down and that will positively impact on inflation, that is exactly what we are talking about. I’m optimistic that will work and eventually Nigeria will have a cause to smile.

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INTERVIEW

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

Adekoya: In Digital Age, e-Commerce Drives Trade

In this interview with Olaseni Durojaiye, the Managing Director of Konga.com (a leading online shopping platform), Shola Adekoya, discusses the rising profile of e-commerce and how technology can drive trade and increase human productivity. Excerpts:

I

s online shopping a passing fad or a tradition that has come to stay?

Kongapay you are also protected. We’ve come up with these solutions to give the customers comfort around the platform.

We will continue to witness the trend and it will increase. The internal indices are there; we are in a digital age. As a continent, Africa is also beginning to see the change, this may be the early stages but we will gradually see more and more online transaction as against traditional method of shopping than we see today. It is not a passing fad; it is here for the long haul.

How much is Konga worth?

Konga is a private business so I wouldn’t want to put that information in the public domain.

In talking diversification of the economy, some ICT player claim that ICT sector has the potential to earn Nigeria more revenue than oil and gas sector, what is your take on this?

Who are your target markets?

At Konga we target everybody; it is for all Nigerians. There isn’t any who cannot shop online because we’ve made it super convenient wherever they are; even those in remote villages. For those in remote villages, all they need to do is internet access. The beauty of Nigeria is that we are one of those places where in terms of internet penetration we surpass a lot of African countries, even some western countries with regards to mobile internet penetration. Konga covers every part of Nigeria; even into the creeks and island settlements in the Niger Delta.

At what cost?

We’ve actually made it very affordable.

For Lagos and every other state capital it costs only N1,000 and for the very far places it actually costs less than N3,000.

And we can only achieve this because we spent time building our network ourselves; we used some courier companies in the past but compared to when we do our delivery by ourselves the performance was a lot better; we’ve seen about 60 per cent improvement in our delivery services and we are also able to achieve cheaper shipping to our customers.

Interestingly, we have only recently introduced a new service whereby people can now receive purchases same day in Lagos, and this is because we’ve built a network that allows us to deliver goods anywhere in the country.

The big challenge for many businesses operating in Nigeria right now is sourcing forex. How is this affecting your operations?

For us, most of our operations are based in Nigeria. We also have a small team in Cape Town that helps us with developing software but you’ll find out that most of our costs are in naira so the impacts are minimal. However, when you go into products you’ll find that there have been slight increases in prices generally because those people that bring in the products also have to pay for the items. So it affects prices but it doesn’t affect our operations; that’s as far as it gets; it also affects our merchants, even at that we ensure at all times that we give customers the best value available in Nigeria.

Your operations depended heavily on the internet, how is internet penetration impacting your business?

Internet penetration in Nigeria is very high if you look at the number of handsets available. I’ll say when you have almost 100 million consumers using data in Nigeria; the question is what are they using data for? As a data customer, are you using it socially or for business? I think there is need for people to understand that the internet of today is beyond just social. You can actually use it to do business online.

I’ll say majority of people who use data in Nigeria still use it for social reasons rather

Adekoya

than business.

But then, the interesting part of it is that the online market is available market. For Konga, it is huge and over time we can only convince those customers by giving them excellent services and they’ll begin to see that online is beyond social reasons and that they can do e-commerce with it as well.

A major complaint around online shopping borders on customer dissatisfaction. A customer shop online and when it is delivered, the item falls short of expectations at other times it is defective.Is there anything that Konga can do to have a safeguard against issues like that?

I think we need to break it down to the issue of manufacturer defects which happens in any production worldwide, whether in electronics or whatever the goods are. But the beauty of Konga is that we give our customers protection against this, our customers have seven days to return a defective item, and we take it back and replace it.

We also have the issue of expectation versus reality. Apart from Konga also being a retailer on the platform, we also have about 40,000 merchants that list out goods on the website today; it is to bridge that gap so that even as our merchants list items on the website, the description of those items are well documented and it sets the right notification for the customers.

In addition to that, what we also do is that we have a whole floor dedicated to trust and safety and what they do is to ensure that whatever you buy on Konga. com you never lose out. It is either you get a replacement or you get your money back,

and you can reach us by phone, Facebook Twitter etc.

Again, we also have a payment solution called Kongapay. It is automated, you make a purchase then you have an issue and you want your money back, Kongapay ensures that you get your refund; but with Kongapay, your money is held in an escrow it doesn’t go to Konga or the merchant until you are satisfied. Even if you don’t pay with

Internet penetration in Nigeria is very high if you look at the number of handsets available. I’ll say when you have almost 100 million consumers using data in Nigeria; the question is what are they using data for? As a data customer, are you using it socially or for business?

I think there is need for people to understand that the internet of today is beyond just social.You can actually use it to do business online

When you say ICT, and I am talking technology here, that covers very wide area; in essence you are talking technology in terms of students studying robotics, software development, and automation etc. Basically things that’ll make life easy for Nigerians; I do agree.

Two things are involved. First is that you begin to develop a new set of skills and we will end up with solutions that you can export to the rest of the world. When we started Konga, we used to pay a lot to software developers to enable us operate our business but today we have over 150 technology engineers building solutions for Nigerians and Africans and these solutions are built for the environment and they work perfectly well.

There is a need for more of these, more so when you think of the industrial revolutions coming, Nigeria belongs to a global community, everybody is going digital, everybody is using technology to improve the way they work. You have robots now assisting human beings with work, in Agricultural technology is doing harvesting and achieve more out there every one hour.

In Nigeria, we need to give technology a bigger role in whatever we do such that the productivity that we get from our people increases; we have a huge population. The moment we are able to bring technology to bear on our population we will see that we can actually move away from our dependency on oil and gas. And, now is the time to catch that train rather than later when things have moved on.

What new strategy are you bringing to bear on your office to ensure that your brand continue to be a category leader in your business space?

The strategy is that we will continue to address the issue of customer experience and satisfaction with technology. We will be driving more of our initiatives with technology and continue to give Nigerians tools that show us as being more efficient than competition. Efficiency as a business, yes, but more importantly that we are able to deliver fantastic customer experience.

We will continue to demonstrate that we understand the customer better, we know what they want and we are actually ready to give them what they want. An example is that when we used to import technology it takes us a couple of days to ship items out of our warehouse, now it takes us four hours and that is possible because we’ve built a localised technology that has allowed us to do that.

Where do you see Konga in the next 10 years?

Ultimately, it is to find us as an enabler that give the tools that make e-commerce happens, to merchants, customers and courier companies as well as all across Africa and not just Nigeria is where you’ll see us; we’ll like to bring technology into trade and commerce.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24 2016

BUSINESS/LABOUR

Labour’s Many Battlefronts

Since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has been battling government over several pressing issues, writes Paul Obi

F

or more than six months now, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has been battling the federal government on several fronts. This battle, according to the NLC, revolves around poor economic policies of the government, flagrant hike in electricity tariff, perennial fuel scarcity, privatisation, deregulation of the downstream oil sector, corruption and recent job losses across various industries. Added to that is the excruciating pains and suffering faced

by Nigerians under President Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) led government. But the face-off between NLC and the government has been more of threats from labour without much action to back up the threats.

Within Nigeria’s public sphere and the court of public opinion, the view is that NLC has done little to ensure anti-masses policies are reversed. In the eyes of the public, the last few months have seen a plethora of NLC’s threats without action. An x-ray of NLC’s demands thus far leaves no one in doubt about such views.

Economy At its Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting, NLC raised growing concern about the Buhari’s APC government poor handling of the economy. The union cited the free-fall of naira against the dollar, high prices of commodities, goods and services, job losses and non-payment of workers’ salaries, arguing then that, “we need no telling that the situation is serious.” But beyond the rhetoric of a change mantra, government policies on forex and the fuel scarcityhave precipitated high cost of living especially in the area of transportation thereby having multiplier effect on other sectors. NLC’s threat to government to address these issues has yielded no noticeable result.

Electricity Tariff Hike Of all the contentious issues that have created a gulf between labour and government, electricity tariff increase remains the most contentious.

Besides, the NLC believes that the decision of the government to go ahead with the tariff increment was an abuse of a subsisting court order calling on the two parties to maintain the status quo. According to the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, “there is a subsisting Court Order dated 28th May, 2015 by Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, in the case of Toluwani YemiAdebiyi versus NERC & Orders, that there shall be no further increment until the determination of the substantive suit.”

Furthermore, part of the agreement during the privatisation of the DISCOs, was that electricity meters would be made available before any increment will be put on the table. Till date, nearly 65 per cent of Nigeria’s electricity consumers have no meters; the power companies rely on estimated billing system, which NLC termed ‘outrageous and exploitative.’ To worsen the matter, electricity available is still porous. Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Bobboi Kaigama deplored the continued darkness amid outrageous electricity tariff hike, stating that, “today, we are here witnessing the change that we voted for and the change is bringing darkness for us. We didn’t vote a change that we will see darkness at the end of the tunnel. We voted for change to see light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. Additionally, three months after the nationwide protest, electricity supply in the country is yet to improve.

Persistent Fuel Scarcity Petrol supply, which fuels economic activities, is regularly hampered by various factors. But since last September, frequent fuel scarcity has been the daily nightmare of Nigerians, disrupting economic activities, including forcing price hike of goods and services. Even at press time, fuel queues linger across the country

R-L: Mr. Femi Falana SAN; NLC President, Ayuba Wabba; and an NLC official with no remedy in sight. Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachukwu’s explanation of a possible solution has rather created disaffection for the government, as fuel scarcity persists. Wabba explained that the NLC was “disturbed by the recurring scarcity of petroleum products, especially the Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol, which has caused long queues at some fuel stations that are selling while many more closed their gates with claims of non-availability of the product.” While threatening that labour may be compelled to ask workers to sit at home if the scarcity continues. Wabba added that “it is regrettable that bad governance, misplaced priorities and corruption has almost killed the petroleum industry, we believe a serious government can revamp the industry within one year.” Even with this call to action, fuel scarcity has not ceased.

Job Losses and Non-Payment of Salaries It is in the area of jobs and payment of salary that NLC has achieved some successes.

Attempts by oil majors to downsize on the excuse of global oil price fall have been halted after several negotiations with NLC, Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), oil majors and government. The NLC through protests and rallies were able to compel Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, to reverse workers’ sack and pay some workers who were being owed. But in states like Benue, the situation remains dicey; workers continue to protest over non-payment of salaries for 14 months. In many states across the country, workers are still being owed, notwithstanding the billions collected from the federal government as bailouts to offset workers’ salaries.

Senate’s Expenditure on Vehicles In confronting the Senate for reportedly purchasing 109 Toyota SUVs, close watchers of event said labour didn’t get its figures right before venturing into trouble waters. The Senate itself has denied the allegation, arguing that, it only bought 36 SUVs. Some are also questioning NLC’s interests in raising alarm over Senate’s

expenditures without beaming its searchlight on the other arms of government. Those who spoke with THISDAY also demanded that labour officials should likewise cease to use SUVs before pointing accusing fingers.

NLC and Public Opinion So far, NLC president has made it clear that labour remain on course in tasking government to do the needful – in meeting the yearnings of the masses. But how the NLC has fared is a subject of divergent opinions. Observers opined that the doggedness with which NLC pursues its agenda in time past has not been rekindled in the present dispensation. Others stressed that NLC shot itself on the foot with its wrong-headed opposition to petroleum subsidy removal during the last regime, as it has now lost it voice in the current no subsidy payment regime. Speaking to THISDAY, Human Rights Activists and legal luminary, Femi

Within Nigeria’s public sphere and the court of public opinion, the view is that NLC has done little to ensure anti-masses policies are reversed. In the eyes of the public, the last few months have seen a plethora of NLC’s threats without action. An x-ray of NLC’s demands thus far leaves no one in doubt about such views

Falana, SAN disagreed. According to him, “at that time the economy was in a good shape, there was necessity to resist petroleum subsidy removal. Between now and then, the economy has collapsed completely; international oil prices have fallen, the atmosphere is not the same.

Fuel subsidy has been stopped. That does not excuse the inefficiency that has led to the crisis we are going through, which is largely due to incompetence on the part of NNPC.” Falana informed THISDAY that the prevailing circumstances then left labour with no choice.

“The looting of the treasury, criminal diversion of public treasury and the general mismanagement of the country by the PDP for 16 years, these were serious issues you can’t compare,” he said. The Lagos lawyer further stressed that the various flops of the past notwithstanding, “this regime has to go to the drawing board.”

Asked about the abuse of court order by DISCOs and NLC’s non-committal posturing, Falana maintained that “there is a disobedience of court order, it is not to fight the government, you have to file a case against the government on abuse of court order. This government has 11 senior lawyers in the cabinet; some of them have been in the forefront of fighting against arbitrariness, so there is no need to engage in abuse of court orders.”

Also, Chairman, Partners for Electoral Reforms, Ezenwa Nwagwu, while appraising NLC in the last one year said: “My quick take is that there is tolerance, tolerance in the sense that the administration is pretty new. The budget they inherited was what they were using before now. By and large, labour has tried to deal with the issues. What is needed is a more organised confrontation against the big interest in the power sector, in the next coming weeks; we will start seeing that, in collaboration with the Civil Society. I don’t agree with anyone who says NLC has been silent.” Comparing labour’s struggles in the past and now, Nwagwu explained that “what was in contention then was the opaqueness, the corruption in the system; the state has the role to plug leakages and corruption. It is a blackmail to say labour didn’t allow Jonathan’s government to breathe,” he said.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

BUSINESS/PERSPECTIVE

How Young Female Entrepreneurs are Changing Nigeria’s Business Landscape Adeshola Komolafe

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n encouraging trend in the Nigerian business sector is the influx of young female entrepreneurs; defying all odds, these women are making a living and a name for themselves in the business world. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, women own 30 percent of registered entrepreneurial businesses in Nigeria, and according to a survey by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 41 percent of business start-ups are run by women.

A graduate of Economics, Joycee Awojoodu is one of such women. From a young age, Joycee acquired the nickname of Ms. CEO because of her many business ideas, start-ups and ability to monetize opportunities. Despite her zeal and interest to start up her own business, Joycee was savvy enough to know the importance of experience.

She took up jobs, sometimes as a volunteer, in the private and public sectors to gain experience before starting her own business. Having acquired the necessary experience, Joycee Awojoodu launched her own enterprise, the ORÍKÌ Group, in January 2015.

ORÍKÌ cuts across different sectors – manufacturing, retail and personal grooming/beauty. “ORÍKÌ Group is a leading luxury all-natural personal grooming brand that fuses botanical ingredients with scientific research to create innovative, extraordinary products for women and men.” The company’s nature based products is its selling point.

Ms. CEO Joycee is aware of the changing times and of the increasing care consumers have about the ingredients in what they eat or drink, and products they use on their skin. Her target clients are consumers who are conscious and interested in natural methods of skin care. Many people are not very informed on natural skin care and its advantages; part of the appeal of the ORÍKÌ Group is the education and information it offers to the consumers on the best natural skincare products. “We believe that our consumers deserve the best,” says CEO Joycee, “and most importantly, we believe they deserve natural skincare that works.”

The ORÍKÌ Group even has a spa, the ORÍKÌ spa. There is also a Men’s Grooming Parlour and Hallo Hair Clinic, all housed at the ORÍKÌ headquarters.

The success of the company lies in its founder’s hands-on approach. To run her business, Joycee Awojoodu has to wear many hats. She is the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Information Officer and more.

She supervises all the competent hands she employed

Awojoodu

as department heads for critical facets of the business.

It is not all rosy testimony for CEO Joycee Awojoodu and ORÍKÌ Group. Despite its success, the company is still weathering its own storms. Being an entrepreneur and running a business, especially in Nigeria has its difficulties and challenges. Nigeria currently stands 170 out of 189 in the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking. Power supply is one of the greatest factors entrepreneurs like CEO Joycee have to combat. To run a company—especially one with a manufacturing division— mainly on electricity powered by generators is highly capital intensive.

From the onset, Joycee’s intention was to manufacture all 32 products in the ORÍKÌ range in Nigeria, but the power supply problem and absence of an existing operational factory specific for the company’s needs forced the company to manufacture a portion of the products outside of Nigeria. Another challenge is the

promotion of proudly African products. “We have a long way to come in consumers accepting products that are not spearheaded abroad.” Says Joycee. “This challenge has also been a great opportunity for us as the team works daily to promote the ORÍKÌ brand.”

Another problem facing female entrepreneurs is the issue of gender inequality, which places women in business at a disadvantage. It seems however, that the biggest problem facing female entrepreneurs in Nigeria is the difficulty of doing business in the country, a problem which behoves the government to tackle.

Awojoodu rightly believes that the Nigerian government should enact policies that will assist would-be entrepreneurs to acquire the capital they need to get started. A pool of federally guaranteed loans should be established as well as increase of grant schemes. She asserts that a country’s tax code is one of the best tools it has for promoting small-business growth, and as such, the government should create the proper tax and regulatory environment.

She also says that the government needs to protect Intellectual Property. According to her, any government that wants to encourage small businesses would have to produce laws that protect the innovations of entrepreneurs.

“Innovation is at the very heart of small-business growth,” she says, “but if innovations are not legally protected, entrepreneurs will be unlikely to engage in the risks necessary to invent new solutions to societal problems.”

Accordingly, policies that protect patents, copyrights, and trademarks are critical if small businesses are to flourish.

Because support and mentoring is critical for start-ups and young entrepreneurs, CEO Joycee advices that government and other stakeholders should initiate platforms that will tutor people on entrepreneurship. This can be achieved through business incubators, workshops and creating linkages between successful business leaders and budding entrepreneurs. She encourages young entrepreneurs to take advantage of these platforms. “It is critical for the young entrepreneur to engage in personal development programs, attend career seminars and conferences and also try to acquire skills. It is beneficial for one to volunteer in an environment they would love to work in, thereby gaining experience.”

The ORÍKÌ Group is a success and it’s bound to be more so because of its understanding of customer retention.

“In today’s tough economic climate, says the CEO, the businesses that survive will be those that can create and retain a loyal customer base.”

–Komolafe is a young female entrepreneur. She is the CEO of Media Insight.

24-Hour Power from Integrated Produce City

A

Memorandum of Understanding for the generation and distribution of electricity at Integrated Produce City and other areas covered by Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) has just been signed in Lagos.

The parties involved include: Paras Energy Limited that serves as the embedded power generator for Integrated Produce City and BEDC via embedded generation; Integrated Produce City, the Landlord, power captive market provider, and initiator of the project; BEDC: The power distribution company covering Delta, Edo and Ondo that will distribute power in Integrated Produce City and evacuate the rest of the power for distribution in their network; and Vigeo Power: a power holding company that will provide power services outside the BEDC mandate or as requested by BEDC. The Integrated Produce City (IPC) undertakes: Regional Wholesale Produce Market (hub for farmers in 5 states +more); Agro-Allied Industrial Park (50 local and International Processing Companies); Preservation Park (Silos and other Preservation systems); Export Hub; Implement, Agric Equipments, Seeds and Fertilizer Hub; Support Infrastructure such as: 24 Hours Electricity via Our gas Turbine (embedded Generation10mw), 24 Hours Water (International Industrial Standard), treatment and conversion plants (effluent, waste water and other wastes) etc.

L-R: Prof. Pat Utomi, Mr. Alok Gupta and Mr. Abu Ismail Ejoor

The IPC objective stands as a value chain solution center for agri-business, offering the farmer the following opportunities: Full

disposal opportunity for all his produce with the patronage of wholesalers, processors from the industrial park, sun-driers at the preserva-

tion park and exporters at the exporters’ hub; profit opportunity; opportunity to access credit; and increased production.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

BUSINESS/ MEDIA

First Bank: Approaching Youth Market through Financial Literacy

Stories by Raheem Akingbolu

I

n the local and international markets, many brand minders see market segmentation as a strategy for survival but in few cases, some strong brands target the entire market and succeed.

This explains the variations in the market place where some brands appeal to either the middle class or the upper class while few damn the consequence by combining all the segments. In the nation’s financial sector, only First Bank and one other bank are arguably fit into this category. For over a century, the bank has been steadfast and committed to all sectors of the market.

Promoters of the First Bank brand have over the years designed specific platforms to connect with consumers. Among other tools, the brand has used sponsorship, Corporate Social Responsibility and events to maintain its grip on the market. In line with the financial literacy project, backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bankers’ Committee, First Bank recently joined the rest of the world in celebrating the Global Money Week to engage children in the rudiments of financial literacy.

The bank under its Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability scheme initiated the Future First Programme to impart financial independence into young people through the acquisition of the right financial knowledge.

The programme was designed to empower secondary school students between 12 to 17 years to build fulfilling careers and be better equipped with tools and knowledge for long term financial independence.

According to a statement issued in Lagos, the bank has to date covered over 40 secondary schools across the country, impacting over 20,000 students. In commemoration of the annual event and in continuation

L – R: Head, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, FirstBank, Ismail Omamegbe; Group Head, Retail Banking North, FirstBank, Idris Ado; Group Executive, Retail Banking North, FirstBank, Abdullahi Ibrahim, with students of Harmony Secondary School, Lokoja and the school principal, Mr. Johnson Oladejo, at the FirstBank Financial Literacy Day in Lokoja in commemoration of the Global Money Week...recently

of the bank’s drive for financial literacy, First Bank adopted Tinuola International School, Ado Ekiti and taught the students the basics of money and empower them with the financial knowledge they needed to be relevant in the world global economy.

The Executive Director, Lagos and West, Gbenga Shobo led the bank’s delegation to Ado Ekiti.

Speaking on the project, Shobo said the bank was firmly committed to the achievement

of financial inclusion in Nigeria and would continue to work towards this aspiration by extending banking services to under-banked businesses, communities and individuals across the country with our extensive network of over 850 branches.

“Beyond this, we recognize that Financial Literacy is a key enabler in our quest for Financial Inclusion and that we must begin by ensuring that our children are properly empowered with a sound financial educa-

tion. First Bank would continue to assist the Nigerian child and young adult to build a prosperous future by extending financial education and services to them early in life”, he said.

As part of the CBN Adopt A School program of the financial literacy day, Shobo was said to have taken over 200 students in Ado Ekiti through the basic concepts of making money, savings and investments while letting them know that their capacity to make informed.

provide training on investment readiness.

The Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which provides technology, networks and access to financial services to women in developing and emerging economies, co-sponsored the programme alongside the Exxon Mobil Foundation, Enterprise Development Centre (Pan Atlantic University) and Emerging360, a boutique consultancy promoting sustainable development through blended web and mobile e-learning initiatives.

The wife of the former Prime Minister set the tone for the day while delivering the keynote address, where she pointed out the need for the graduates to utilise their new skills and knowledge in becoming even

more successful and growing business owners, so that they can contribute to the economy and have a stronger voice in their societies, resulting in a brighter future for women themselves and their communities as a whole.

The programme involved training 500 successful applicants in three centres, Lagos, Abuja and Uyo for over a 6 week period, through a blended series of classroom workshops and e-learning. Meanwhile, the organisers have further stated that 100 of the 500 business women will be chosen to receive further support in the form of tailored business training and services and ongoing mentoring for over six months.

Blair

When Cherie Blair Came Calling

C

herie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has described SME as a strong tool for economic growth. Blair, who was briefly in Nigeria recently to lend a support to the Nigerian SME, attended the graduation ceremony of the Lagos chapter of women entrepreneurs selected from various parts of the federation. The programme which was tagged ‘Road to Women’s Business Growth’ was run by the Enterprise Development Council at Pan Atlantic University, Ajah.

The 6 weeks programme was an innovative initiative designed to increase women’s access to financial services and markets as well as

Police Endorses Binggo Dog Food

T

he Nigerian Police has officially adopted Binggo dog food to further avoid spending huge sum of money on importation of dogs and its food.

The Marketing Manager Grand Cereal, Tope Banjo, disclosed that Binggo dog food provides quality nutrition for dogs making them smart, healthy and active, stating that Binggo dog food is also fresh because it is locally produced as against foreign dog food brands which spend weeks on the sea before reaching Nigeria, thereby, losing its freshness and taste.

He said, “Binggo Dog Food comes in Chicken flavour and packed in

15kg adult and 5kg puppy bags.

Binggo Dog Food is produced by Grand Cereals Ltd., leading producer of animal and edible feeds brand like Vital Fish Feed, Vital Poultry Feed and Grand Pure Soya Oil. Grand Cereals Ltd., a subsidiary of UAC of Nigeria Plc., began production of Binggo Dog Food in 2015.”

The Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, said the Binggo dog food would be the official food for the Nigerian breed Police dogs.

The Inspector General of Police disclosed this s the commissioning of Nigeria Police Dog breeding center commissioning ceremony at Dei-dei, FCT Abuja.

He said the immeasurable anti-crime opportunities which abound in the force animal branch have remained underutilized, while the force continued to rely on importation of dogs and other animals to advance the attainment of its mandate.

“Huge funds were being expended on importation of dogs from foreign countries, yet some of these dogs rarely adapt to our policing climes. In fact, records show that the Nigeria Police force has spent over six hundred million naira in the last few years just on the procurement and maintenance of these foreign dogs. This is certainly not sustainable especially in the face of current dwindling resources.

“The construction of the dog breeding centre was therefore conceptualized to aid the Nigeria Police acquire capacity to locally breed police dogs and self-reliant in dog breeding and maintenance in a cost effective manner, while saving the nation some foreign exchange that would otherwise have gone into the sourcing of such operational dogs from foreign countries.

The IG said with the commissioning, procurement of dogs for policing activities from foreign countries would become a thing of the past, and the Nigeria Police will in no distant future take its place of pride among nations with professional K-9 ability.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

Continental Re Plc: Profitability indicators surge despite increased claims and operational expenses

C

ontinental Reinsurance Plc (Continental Re) has reinsurance operations that span Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya. The company operates Life Assurance and Non-Life Reinsurance businesses, and offers reinsurance structuring and risk management advisory services, technical support services, product development support services, and training and development programs. The reinsurer underwrites accident, energy, household, fire and engineering, marine and aviation, motor and liability, and oil and gas risks, among others.

The company recently released its full year results for the year ended December 31st 2015, showing an impressive performance, as the company’s management was able to grow key financial metrics despite some operational bumps during the financial year.

Consequently, the Insurance giant has kept up with its regular dividend payment, and has recommended a total dividend payment of N1.24 billion (on the basis of N0.12 per share) for every 50 kobo share, payable on the 29th of July 2016.

THERE ARE ALSO PLANS TO ENTER THE SOUTH AFRICAN AND ANGOLAN MARKETS WITHIN A FEW YEARS. WE CONTEND THAT AN EVEN MORE PANAFRICAN BUSINESS STRUCTURE WILL ALLOW THE REINSURER GROW PREMIUMS MORE APPRECIABLY AND AT THE SAME TIME ENABLE IT REDUCE RISK THROUGH GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSIFICATION

SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN INSURANCE PREMIUM REVENUE

For the full year ended December 2015, Continental Re grew insurance premium by 28.02% to N20.68 billion from N16.15 billion in the corresponding period of 2014. The company’s strict adherence to prudent underwriting guidelines, which successfully bolstered relationships with existing and new clients, drove the growth in premium income over the period. The insurance company continues to leverage on its trusted brand, responsive service to clients, and development of mutually beneficial partnerships to deliver quality insurance services to clients.

The company’s insurance premiums ceded to retrocession increased by 26.80% to N2.48 billion in December 2015 from N1.96 billion in December 2014. However this increase did little to affect the company’s net insurance premium revenue as it increased to N18.20 billion from N14.19 billion over the period, reflecting a 28.19% change.

With respect to insurance benefits and claims paid out, the reinsurer’s insurance claims and loss adjustment expenses for the period increased by 22.72% to N9.04 billion from N7.40 billion in the corresponding period of 2014.

However, insurance claims and loss adjustment expenses recovered from retrocession declined significantly by 40.90% to N289.96m in December 2015 from N489.31m in December 2014.

Accordingly, net insurance benefits and

claims increased by 27.22% to N8.75 billion from N6.88 billion over the period.

Underwriting expenses also grew by 24.20% to N7.39 billion in December 2015 from N5.95 billion in December 2014, and thus contributed to the increase in insurance benefits and underwriting expenses over the period.

Nevertheless the significant increase in underwriting expenses, underwriting profit grew by 50.33% to N2.06 billion in December 2015 from N1.37 billion in December 2014.

PROFITABILITY MARKERS SURGE DESPITE RISE IN EXPENSES

Pre-tax profits for the period ended December 2015 increased by 83.68% to N2.92 billion from N1.59 billion in the 12-months through December 2014.

The significant increase in profitability was bolstered by a 69.41% rise in other income to N598.89m from N353.46m and a positive foreign exchange gains to N467.98m from a negative N391.50m,

a 19.15% rise in interest income to N1.12 billion from N940.44m and a 77.12% gain on investment properties during the financial year. Net income for the period also followed suit with a momentous 150.53% increase to N2.14 billion from N855.64m billion in December 2014; ultimately translating to an increase of 150.43% in earnings per share from 8 kobo in December 2014 to 21 kobo in December 2015.

Moreover, the aforementioned profit figures would have been more, but for a significant 73.60% rise in administrative expenses to N993.90m in the year under examination from N572.39m in the corresponding period of 2014 and 104.15% rise in impairment of financial assets to N492.06m from N241.11m in 2014.

MODEST INCREASE IN RETURNS TO SHAREHOLDERS

The company’s balance sheet shows slight positive changes in total assets, net assets and total liabilities, as at December 2015, when compared to year ended December 2014. Total assets grew by 5.18% to N29.67 billion from N28.21 billion in December 2014.

The key drivers of the company’s total assets were a 55.23% increase in fix assets to N1.13 billion from N726.72m, 7.64% increase in insurance receivables to N7.26 billion from N6.74 billion and a 52.33% rise in retrocession assets to N727.58m from N477.63m in December 2014.

In terms of obligations, the company’s total liabilities shows a growth of 5.21% (more than total assets) to N14.13 billion in the year ended December 2015 from N13.43 billion as at December 2014. The key drivers of the increase in liabilities were an increase of 2.75% in insurance contract liabilities to N11.08 billion from N10.78 billion, 104.11% rise in other liabilities to N1.09 billion from N535.10m and 13.72% rise in deferred taxes to N72.91m from N64.11m in December 2014. Expectedly, the company’s net assets grew by a modest 4.47% to N15.44 billion from N14.78 billion year on year.

Moreover, with respect to returns, the company’s return on equity (ROE) improved to 13.88% from 5.78% while return on assets (ROA) followed suit accordingly to 7.22% from 3.03% in December 2014.

BUY RECOMMENDATION MAINTAINED

Continental Re currently has branches in Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Tunisia, and just recently setup a joint venture in Gaborone, Botswana. There are also plans to enter the South African and Angolan markets within a few years. We contend that an even more pan-African business structure

Valuation Metrics 22-Apr-16 RATING

BUY

Target Price (N)

1.38

Current Price (N)

1.03

Market Cap (N'm)

10,684

Outstanding Shares (m)

10,372

EPS (N)

0.21

PE

4.90

Forward EPS (N)

0.23

Forward PE

4.39 Source: BGL Research

FYE December 2015 Audited Results Insurance Premium (N'm)

19,738

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

2,915

Profit After Tax (N'm)

2,142

Pre-tax Margin (%)

10.85 Source: BGL Research

FYE December 2014 Audited Results Insurance Premium (N'm) Profit Before Tax (N'm)

16,153 1,587

Profit After Tax (N'm)

856

Pre-tax Margin (%)

9.83 Source: BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

% Holding

Cre Holdings Ltd Stanbic Nom. Nig. Ltd Public Float Public Float

50.62 5.76 43.62 44.67%

Source: Company’s Annual Report, BGL Research

will allow the reinsurer grow premiums more appreciably and at the same time enable it reduce risk through geographical diversification.

Taking into consideration the company’s trend of consistent growth in gross premium revenue and expansion initiatives, we project gross premium and net income figures of N21.94 billion and N2.39 billion respectively for the full-year period ended December 2015.

Accordingly, we arrive at a forward earnings per share (EPS) of N0.23, and a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 4.39x.

Using a combination of the Net Assets Valuation (NAV) and the relative P/E valuation model, we forecast a weighted 12-month target price of N1.38, which represents a 34.23% upside on the current stock price. We maintain our BUY recommendation on Continental Re-insurance Plc shares.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

AHCO AVIANCE PLC- Profitability declines despite reduction in operational expenses and finance cost

N

igerian Aviation Handling Company PLC (Nahco Aviance) recently released its audited financial statement for full year 2015 showing a not so impressive performance. Though revenue grew modestly, profitability markers and other key financial indicators depreciated due to some operational challenges emanating from regulatory tension and macro-economic headwind.

The macro-economic headwind is the resultant effect of continuous instability in low Brent crude oil prices have caused financial strain and pressure leading to foreign exchange difficulty and various fuel scarcities during the financial period.

Nevertheless, the company has maintained its regular dividend payment, and has recommended a total dividend payment of N324.84m (on the basis of N0.20 per share) for every 50 kobo share Nigerian Aviation Handling Company PLC is a product of the Nigerian Enterprise Promotion Decree, starting operations in April 1979 with the commissioning of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The Company has over 25 years of experience in crew/passenger transportation service delivery and continues to enjoy unhindered access to all areas of the airport which offers them the opportunity to serve airlines better, whilst providing comprehensive insurance for the vehicles as well as Passenger Liability Policy for the crew/ passengers.

Increased cost of operation erodes top-line earnings For the twelve-month period ended, December 2015, Nahco Aviance grew turnover by 4.49% to N8.499 billion from N8.13 billion recorded in December 2014. The Company’s performance shows steady growth of 12.90% and 13.28% in business activity of passenger handling and equipment rental & maintenance respectively, with exception to cargo handling which declined to N4.68 billion indicating a drop of 1.53% when compared to December 2014 figure of N4.75 billion . Further insight reveals that the Company’s core business of Air craft handling, Cargo Handling, Passenger handling and Crew transportation continues to account for a large percentage of earnings.

However, cost of operation grew notably to N5.27 billion from N4.71 billion over the period; representing a growth of 11.83%. The increment

IN THE LONG-TERM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO INCREASED GROWTH IN PROFITABILITY FOR NAHCO AVIANCE WHICH WOULD DEPEND LARGELY ON THE RESULTANT IMPACTS OF FACILITIES UPGRADE, EXPANSION AND INCREASED EFFICIENCY IN HANDLING BUSINESS ACTIVITIES, AS ITS MANAGEMENT ENSURES CONTINUOUS EFFICIENCY IN OPERATING COST REDUCTION

rose from the combined effect of rises in various components of operational expenditures especially: staff salaries and wages, lubricating expenses, lease rental fees, depreciation and other operating expenses which increased by 6.95%, 30.05%, 425.15%, 8.48% and 186.88% respectively, which we believe shows partly the inflation changes caused by prevailing macro-economic headwind in the economy.

Expectedly, due to the higher growth in cost of operation over generated revenue, gross profit dropped by 5.62% to N3.23 billion in the full year 2015 from N3.42 billion reported for the full year 2014.

Reduction in administrative expenses positively impact profitability The Company’s management increased activities towards management of expenditures yielded positive result as it was able to reduce administrative and distribution expenses notably by 6.53% and 5.95% to N2.26 billion and N138m in December 2015 compared to December 2014 figures of N2.42 billion and N146m respectively. This was in spite of an

increase in staff strength and purchase of utility vehicles to distribute cargoes within the airports and around the Federation.

Also, net financial cost followed suit with an impressive decline by 10.42% to N251m from N279.8m over the period under review.

Furthermore, other income grew considerably by 12.56% to N215m in December 2015 from N191m in December 2014 as the Company derived income from rental income and reduced impairment loss during the period.

As a result of the reduced operating expenses and higher earnings from other income, the Company recorded a modest growth of 3.55% in profit before tax to N797m in the full year ended, December 2015 over N769m reported in the corresponding period of 2014. However, due to increased income tax expense which grew by a significant 28.92% to N259m from 2014 figure of N200m, profit after tax declined modestly by 5.41% to N538m in December 2015 from N568m reported in December 2014.

Setting safety standards with recent EU validation recognition After meeting the entire requirement for safety and security validation, the company became the first ground handling company in Nigeria to be IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) certified, first to operate an IATA approved Authorized Training Centre (ATC) and the only ground handling company member of Association of African Training Organization (AATO).

The Company stands to gain a drastic reduction in the cost of acquiring their ACC3 validation which is a requirement for EU bound flights.

These achievements have made Nahco Aviance the ground handler of choice for major airlines operating from Nigeria to the European Union by reducing significantly the cost of conducting air cargo or mail carrier operating into the Union from a third Country Airport (ACC3).

The certifications have also further proven that the Company can compete with its international counterpart through the delivery of global best practices with security and safety standards comparable with developed countries.

We upgrade our recommendation to a BUY In the long-term, we look forward to increased growth in profitability for Nahco Aviance which would depend largely on the resultant impacts of facilities upgrade, expansion and increased efficiency in handling business activities, as its management ensures continuous efficiency in operating cost reduction.

We expect the potential of increased economic activities in the coming years

Valuation Metrics 22-Apr-16 Recommendation

BUY

Target Price (N)

4.32

Current Price (N)

4.10

Market Cap (N'm)

6,481

Outstanding Shares (m)

1,624

EPS (N)

0.33

PE Ratio

12.05x

Forward EPS (N)

0.34

Forward PE

11.63x Source: BGL Research

Audited Year End 2015 Results Turnover (N'm)

8,499

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

797

Profit After Tax (N'm)

538

Pre-tax Margin (%)

9.38 Source: Company Data 2015, BGL Research

Audited Year End 2014 Results Turnover (N'm)

8,133

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

769

Profit After Tax (N'm)

568

Pre-tax Margin (%)

9.46 Source: Company Data 2014, BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

Holding %

Rosehill Group Limited Sycor Private Investment Limited AWHUA Resources Limited Lufthansa Commercial Holding GmBH Air France

9.52% 8.93% 7.11% 6.00% 5.81%

Others

62.63%

Outstanding Shares (m)

1,624

Source: Company Data 2015, BGL Research

to result in growth of its core business activities, revenue and profitability.

Considering the above, we therefore make our projections for gross earnings of N8.87 billion for the 12-months financial year end, December 2016 and a net income of N557m for December 2016, leading to a forward EPS of N0.34 and we assume a steady dividend per share of N0.20. With an Industry Price to Earnings (PE) multiple of 8.41x, we arrived at a 6-month target price of N4.32 for Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc which leads to a potential upside of 28.63%. We therefore maintain a BUY recommendation on the shares of Nahco Aviance.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

TRAVEL

Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

The Aquatic Radisson Anchorage Demola Ojo

F

or a coastal city with so many inland waterways, Lagos does not have as many waterfront hospitality establishments as you would expect.

The Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel in Victoria Island is one of the few that offer views, as well as access to the aquatic lifestyle of West Africa’s premier business destination.

Sitting on the edge of the Five Cowrie Creek that runs between Victoria Island and Ikoyi, the hotel draws inspiration from its marine setting.

This is evident from its name (Anchorage) to its linear design, which evokes images of ship.

Horizontal length trumps vertical height, so despite having only three floors, the hotel has 170 rooms with up to eight different configurations.

They include standard rooms, business class rooms, superior rooms and five classes of suites. In an interesting twist, the elevators don’t need key card access. However, each floor has a door that needs one; keys are programmed to only allow access to the floor where your room is.

Rooms are either lagoon view or city view. The lagoon view rooms ae non-smoking. All rooms come with tea and coffee making facilities as well as free wifi internet.

In the case of the lagoon view rooms, there is a divan with pillows right by the window overlooking the creek. It is demarcated from the rest of the room with white curtains and is a unique touch you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else in Lagos. It’s a relaxing spot and the next best thing to a balcony. From this spot, you can see the hotel’s jetty and the boats anchored there.

During the day, different types of boats come into view, while at night you can see the guests at the Surface Bar bathed in blue, as music from the live band (or DJ depending on the day) floats upwards. I found myself spending most of my layback time on the divan, rather than the large king size bed.

The bathrooms at the Radisson are spacious and include both bathtubs and walk-in showers.

The seagoing-theme of the hotel extends to the restaurant name (Voyage Restaurant) as well as the bar and lounges; there’s the View Bar indoors and the Surface Bar and Grill on the terrace. All of them offer ample views of the busy creek.

It doesn’t take long to notice the Radisson’s artistic bent. While the lounge umbrellas at the Surface Bar are predictably blue and white (aquatic colours), the décor within the hotel is anything but predictable. It has a wide array of colours; some complementary, others contrasting, all tasteful.

The Radisson is big on design, and if you’re an art lover, you can’t help but be transfixed by the metal sculptures in different poses, some of them climbing the walls.

Cuisine at the Radisson is a blend of

Radisson Blu Anchorage international and local cuisine. Everything from Caesars Salad to the local beef or chicken suya is available at the different restaurants. You should try the peppered snails. For the uninitiated, make sure you have the stomach for it. It is very hot!

It’s also an opportunity for Westerners to tell the difference between giant African snails and escargot.

The Radisson Anchorage has a fitness area for those who need to stay in shape while on the move. There’s the gym, the massage and steam rooms and an infinity edge swimming pool. The pool is beautiful and apart from those who get in to burn calories, there are the others who organise themed parties here, just to take advantage of the ambience.

It is one extra reason the Radisson plays host to revellers who come to soak in the atmosphere and knock back drinks at the tastefully designed and furnished bars. Add to this the possibility of having drinks in your boat or on your Jetski (there’s a floating jetty by the Surface bar) and you understand why the hotel is rated highly by the Lagos“in”crowd.

Divan in room

National Summit on Culture, Tourism in Abuja this Week

A

National Summit on Culture and Tourism will be convened by the ministry of Information and Culture in Abuja this week. According to minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Wednesday, April 27 till Friday, April 29 will be set aside to chart a course for Nigeria’s creative industry and tourism sector.

He said,“We are aware that similar efforts have been made in the past, without an appreciable result. The difference this time is

our commitment and the different milieu provided by the national imperative to diversify the economy, amidst the crash in the price of oil.”

The minister disclosed plans to work with various local and international partners, including the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council in mapping Nigeria’s creative arts. This would include pottery, weaving, dyeing and sculpturing. This will help in creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, become money spinners for the economy and stem the rural-urban migration, he explained.

“We are not re-inventing the

wheel, since the creative industry has always been with us. What we are doing is to breathe life into the industry and allow it to become a major player in national development,” Mohammed said.

The Information and Culture minister also revealed plans to train festival managers and also involve local communities as critical stakeholders in the culture and tourism sectors.

“We are aware that culture drives tourism, hence we intend to leverage heavily on our numerous cultural festivals in our efforts to boost tourist arrivals.”

Ethiopian Airlines Commences New York Flights in July

E

thiopian Airlines, the fastest growing airline in Africa, is pleased to announce that it will commence scheduled thrice weekly flights to New YorkNewark from Addis Ababa on July 3, via Lomé, Togo.

Ethiopian will be deploying the modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner on this route.

The plane doesn’t only offer unparalleled onboard comfort to passengers, but is also the world’s most environmentally friendly aircraft with its lower carbon and noise emissions.

Ethiopian’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner is configured with 24 business class and 246 economy seats, all of which are equipped with Ethiopian’s renowned audio-visual inflight entertainment consoles.

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

TEARS FOR THE DEAD PRINCE

24.04.2016

34

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

coveR

TEARS FOR THE Prince, a celebrated musical prodigy who famously wrote, arranged, produced and played almost all of his hit records, died mysteriously last Thursday, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes with agency reports

F

irst came the bombshell.

They had found Prince’s body in a lift at his Paisley Park recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota on Thursday morning. For several weeks, the celebrated musician Prince – full names Prince Rogers Nelson – had reportedly been battling a “bad bout of flu”. This was enough to keep him away from the glare of publicity.

He had indeed done the expected: visited a local hospital. Three hours later, he walked out of the hospital, which must have thought it was safe to let him go. He was spotted the following night at a dance party close to his home. He did not perform for the audience, but was quoted to have told them: “Wait a few days before you waste any prayers.”

So Prince is dead! Really, could it be said that his death came without warning? At least, a week before, there were concerns about the musician’s health. This was when his jet made an emergency landing in Illinois on the way back to Minnesota from a concert in Atlanta, early one Friday morning.

With the news of his death confirmed as “devastatingly true” by the entertainment website TMZ, the social media buzzed and mourned. Already for tweets from devastated fans poured in via the hash tags – #PrinceRIP, #PrinceGoneTooSoon, #musiclivesforever and #TheColorPurple. The outpouring of tributes was not disappointing. US President Barack Obama said of the departed musician in a statement: “As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all. Funk. R&B. Rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer. ‘A strong spirit transcends rules,’ Prince once said – and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative.”

Yet, even the general knowledge that Prince had a bout of flu did not clear up the fog of mystery surrounding his death. This, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office assured in a statement it was trying to do when it said it was

Prince probing the circumstances.

TMZ reported that Prince was given a ‘save shot’ typically administered to counter the effects of an opiate. He was also said to have been treated for overdose of Percocet days before his death.

Percocet is a painkiller which contains a combination of Cetaminoplan and Oxyclode, an opioid. It is highlgly addictive. Prince was rumoured to be taking the painkillers to kill pain arising from a corrective surgery to his hips in 2010.

Although, the Coroner has completed initial examination and released the corpse of the singer to his family, an official cause of death may take weeks to release, according to officials

A quick flashback. Back in the late 1980s, Prince’s “Purple Rain” musical video became a virtual anthem of one of Nigeria’s state-owned television stations. Remarkably, this was happening when Michael Jackson’s hit songs ruled the airwaves.

In some very informed quarters, Prince was either rated as Michael Jackson’s greatest rival, his equal or in the opinion of a tiny but influential minority, a few rungs higher than Michael on the artistic ladder.

Well, Prince was a creative songwriter, who was known to have penned chart-busters for other musicians. And of these happens to be Sinead O’Connor famous hit “Nothing

Compares 2 U”. Though “Purple Rain” launched him into prominence, it was an LP featuring multiple hits (including “When Doves Cry”) that earned him his first brace at the Grammy’s.

Indeed, Prince became one of the bestselling artists of all time after he sold over 100 million records worldwide. Besides the Grammy Awards (of which he won seven), he had also won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award. Hence his induction in 2004 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 did not come as a surprise. He also made it into the Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and was ranked at number 27 on this list.

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DEAD PRINCE

COVER

Prince

The man who was widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound was in addition a record producer and an actor. That perhaps explained his showy stage presence, which put him in the class of the late King of Pop Michael Jackson. Then, there was his kind of music, which embraces a myriad of styles that include funk, rock, R&B, soul, psychedelic and pop.

Born on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a jazz singer Mattie Della (Shaw) and a pianist and songwriter John Lewis Nelson, both African-Americans, Prince was known to have started playing the piano at the tender age of seven and later at 14, played guitar and drums without ever receiving lessons for any of them.

Prince got his name from his father, whose stage name was Prince Rogers while he performed with a jazz group called the Prince Rogers Trio. The elder Prince was quoted in a 1991 interview to have said, “I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do”. Yet, Prince as a child bore the nickname Skipper.

The little Skipper, who in his own words was “born epileptic” had frequent seizures during his childhood years. “My mother told me one day I walked in to her and said, ‘Mom, I’m not going to be sick anymore,’ and she said, ‘Why?’ and I said, ‘Because an angel told me so’,” he had disclosed in an interview.

Fast-forward to the future. The boy who penned his first song at seven was recording songs with his cousin’s band 94 East. At 19, he tried his hands at recording several demo tapes, which

all turned out unsuccessful. He would later release his debut album For You in 1978, with the help of his manager manager Owen Husney.

The following year, his album Prince went platinum riding on the success of his singles “Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover.” Having tasted success, he became unstoppable with his three consecutive albums Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982).

This was when what would become his trademark sexual lyrics and his incorporation of elements of funk, dance, and rock music became noticeable.

He released his wave-making Purple Rain in 1984, the year he began referring his backup band as The Revolution. This would serve as the soundtrack of his debut film with the same name. The Revolution would disband after the release of his subsequent albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986). That explains why Prince had released his double album Sign o’ the Times (1987) as a solo artist.

He would soon form another band he called The New Power Generation in 1991 and changed his stage name two years later to an unpronounceable symbol , also known as the “Love Symbol”. This instead earned him the moniker, “the artist formerly known as Prince” . As though in a feverish frenzy, he released five records between 1994 and 1996. This was apparently to free himself from his contractual obligations with Warner Bros.

He would later begin referring

Prince

himself once again as “Prince” and released 15 albums after that. HITnRUN Phase Two was his final album, which was first exclusively released on the Tidal streaming service on December 11, 2015.

The news of his death on April 21, at his Paisley Park recording studio and home sent shockwaves into the

music world. Virtually everyone was mourning the man, who bent all the rules shattering the barriers between gender, race and sexuality. Among the mourners were Madonna, who once dated Prince (albeit briefly), guitarist Nile Rogers, Justin Timberlake, Boy George, guitarist Slash, Wyclef Jean , Mick Jagger and Aretha Franklin.

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

EVENT

Comedian Tee-A and D’banj

WHEN ENTERTAINERS CONVERGED… Yinka Olatunbosun and Vanessa Obioha capture the fun that closed the curtain at the fourth edition of the Nigeria Entertainment Conference (NEC), but more importantly also bring home the pool of views during the stimulating sessions

T

he organisers had deliberately set the programme to have Daniel Oladapo Oyebanjo present the last paper. As soon as the last word was said by the panelists who discussed his paper, the suits and ties were discarded and the ladies climbed down from their high-heels, the moment the Master of Ceremony, Tunde Adewale (Tee-A), announced the close of the talk session and invited DJ Jimmy Jatt to fire the party.

It had been a long day and even though the speeches had been inspiring, it was time to indulge in the frenzy of relaxation.

After the talk, came the party! Not a few members of the audience abandoned their seats to move closer to the stage. They wanted to touch Oladapo whose jacket too like that of many in the audience had been sent flying to another planet in anticipation of entertaining the crowd.

After introducing himself with the phrase, ‘I’m D’banj’, he launched into a medley of his hits.

Each song played on cue by the DJ was greeted with loud cheer. The males in an attempt to imitate the popular dance by the artiste, parted their legs, lowered their body, one arm outstretched working in an up and down motion before the parted legs. The females on the other hand moved to the rhythm of the song. It was an ecstatic crowd. Hands raised and swaying in motion, voices raised in varying pitches, belting out the lyrics of the song back to the entertainer on stage.

An overly moved D’banj kept telling the fans how much he loved them. Each time he tried to perform one last song, the

shout got louder. They wanted more. Who could blame them? It had been a long day at the Nigerian Entertainment Conference and what better way to end it than with a D’banj performance.

After taking them down memory lane with popular hits like ‘Mr. Endowed’, ‘Suddenly’, ‘Oliver Twist’, and new hits like ‘Emergency’, ‘Feeling the Nigga’, D’banj finally bowed out with ‘Knocking on my Door’ to the disappointment of the crowd.

As if on cue, the crowd dispersed immediately even with DJ Jimmy Jatt still willing to play good music. Instead they besieged the VIP bar, with the thought that the party would continue there. But it turned out that the bar- an open terrace facing the ocean- was more of a networking ground. With bouncers wading off unwanted guests, the youngsters had no choice than to call it a night.

Those who had the privilege to be at the bar couldn’t resist chatting up the convener of the conference and CEO of BlackHouse Media and Nigeria Entertainment Today, Ayeni Adekunle. Some shook hands, patted his back in admiration for his tenacity through the years, while others either solicited for some kind of support for their projects or exchanged ideas with him.

Credence indeed must be given to Adekunle for his consistency in hosting the show despite the prevailing harsh economic environment. Since inception four years ago, NEC has become a platform where entertainers and stakeholders in the entertainment industry meet to deliberate on issues bordering the growth and development of the industry.

But more importantly is the venue of networking it provides for aspiring entertainers. Cutting across media, music, movies, fashion and lifestyle, the patronage so far has not dwindled. Thus, the lack of adequate space to accommodate the teeming crowd has been a major lapse in the conference.

However, NEC returned this year with a new package evident at the venue. For want of bigger space, the organisers opted for Landmark Event Centre. Previous editions of NEC were held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The sprawling edifice masking the beautiful waterfront along Water Corporation Drive, Oniru in Lagos was the choice destination last Wednesday.

Scores of entertainers, thousands of fans, several budding artists and representatives of corporate brands with vested interest in Nigeria’s economy, namely entertainment, swarmed the Landmark Village.

On the long queue that wounded up the curvy walkway near the entrance were young people who anticipated and much later witnessed the much trumpeted Nigerian Entertainment Conference 2016.

Radio jingles and social media messages had heightened the suspense for a forum that featured giants in the entertainment sphere.

These young folks stood in the rising morning sun to either register or get accreditation for the conference - a process that was conducted at a steady pace. Inside the hall, sound system boomed. Nigerian stand-up comedian, Tee-A, the compere for this remarkable conference, delivered a “welcome address” to set the tone for the day. Well, he was sometimes a bummer

during some interesting panel discussions as he also doubled as the time-keeper for the sessions.

The new location allowed the organisers effective use of space. For instance, one was serenaded by the huge white block letters of different arms of the entertainment industry neatly designed on the lawn.

Inside, exhibitors had more space to display their products and services to attendees. The hall was not overly designed but classy enough to befit such an occasion with a simple designed stage and good lighting.

Known for their quest to raise the entertainment industry to international frontiers, the organisers this year employed an innovative way for speakers to deliver their key notes. Using big screens as projectors, each speaker delivered his topic through a power-point presentation.

This helped to ensure brevity and easy understanding of the messages. There were also two big screens at the back of the hall which displayed feedback from the audience on social media.

All these added to the new and revamped look of NEC. But that was not all. During Adekunle’s speech, he announced that the NET Honours which had been a special feature of the conference would no longer hold in the conference.

Rather, it will become a part of another award, The Entertainer Award which will launch next year. The award seeks to reward entertainment journalists whose works have effectively and professionally reported and analysed the happenings in the industry. He also unveiled the NET Shop, an online platform where

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

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EVENT

2Baba and John Ogbe

entertainers can sell their content.

Regardless of its fluctuating size, the gathering has since lived up to the billing as the authentic mouthpiece of entertainers in gathering stakeholders for a worthy cause. With seven presentations and panelists’ sessions, this non-stop, back-toback entertainment talk shop graduated from a “town hall meeting’’ at Oceanview Restaurant, Victoria Island, last year into an enormous congregation of creatives this year.

Undoubtedly, the entertainment industry is under construction. Some would even argue that there is no industry at all. But where you have such artistic vibrancy, billions of naira revenue, international collaborations and global appeal, what do you call that?

Themed ‘Entertainment Industry as Last Hope for Africa’s Largest Economy’, this year was not devoid of heated arguments. As Adekunle noted in his speech, the country is in a critical stage and “new issues are added to the older issues, young people are searching for new identities”, therefore the need to position the entertainment industry as a major player in keeping the economy afloat.

As a non-oil revenue generator, entertainment in Nigeria has increased worth with the global fall in price of crude oil. In the convener’s opening address, he observed that taxation and agriculture constitute the preferred options after oil but with available statistics, there are indications that the government surely requires a better dimmer board set to redirect the spotlight and change our collective focus from oil revenue to entertainment. That was object of Ayeni’s submission.

“It is time to look at the non-oil sector.

We want to diversify our economy if we want to tap into the opportunities that other sectors have and rethink our approach to development. It will be a disaster if we miss this last opportunity. We have seen the role of agriculture in the preoil boom era,” he remarked.

From Hollywood to Bollywood statistics, Ayeni laid the precedence for the argument that a lucrative industry can serve as a nation’s live wire if it contributes largely to the gross domestic product (GDP).

“We will continue to provide the platform for entertainers and corporate brands to meet. I pray that God spare our lives to see the day when Nigerian music will no longer be available for free download on the internet,” he declared.

Against this background, the first session of the conference which discussed ‘Restructuring the Entertainment Industry as Last Hope for Africa’s Largest Economy’ had panelists arguing on the right structure for the industry.

Olubunmi Oke, the COO of 141 Worldwide Nigeria, argued that there was

Gabriel Okoye, D’banj and Emem

need for more collaboration in the industry particularly between the channels of mass communication and entertainment.

While Sonnie Ayere, the CEO Dunn Loren Merrifield Company emphasised on the need to standardise the industry.

Also the Director, Public Affairs, Nigeria Communication Commission, Tony Ojobo gave a statistical breakdown of data analytics in the country and how it affects the entertainment industry. He also revealed that in May, there will be more broadband service providers to cement the relationship between ICT and entertainment industry.

Veteran artistic director of Renegade Theatre, Wole Oguntokun, however would not be convinced that the industry has a structure. “We shouldn’t ignore the fact that we are backward in entertainment.

There is no democracy without culture...

We can’t talk about restructuring when there is no structure in the first place.

What are we restructuring? We should be building. Entertainers are still orphans.”

The voices rose higher in the fifth session where the founder TV360, Deji Badamosi, led a strong panel to deliberate on the ‘Economy of Talents: Using the Entertainment Industry to Rebuild Nigeria’. Comedian, Folarin Falana who is a trained lawyer, popularly known as Falz the Bahd guy, viewed the proposed bill for the entertainment industry, MOPICON Bill as worrisome.

He rejected what seems like government’s multiple taxation plans on the industry which lacks state grants and generous support. He thought the bill, when passed into law, will strain free uploads of content by artistes especially the aspiring ones.

His view was matched by a Canadiantrained Nigerian lawyer, Isioma Idigbe, in the audience who insisted that bill has the potential to stifle the fundamental right to freedom of press, association and expression. However, she described the code of ethics in the bill as good. Falana posited that the bill’s regulations were too stringent for an average entertainer to succeed in the industry. To which comedian Bovi Ugbomah emphasised the need to get the government to propagate entertainment into the rural areas.

Prominent comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, while lending his voice to the issue made a good suggestion to Folarin whose brand name ‘Falz the Bahd Guy’ is on a meteoric rise. He spoke on the need for known brands in the industry to protect their works as well as create a lasting brand that will stand the test of time.

During the final session titled, ‘Intervention Strategies: An Open Conversation and Case Studies’, which was moderated by THISDAY Glitterati Editor, Nseobong Okon-Ekong, the CEO, G-Media, Chief Gab Okoye, also known as Gabosky, was optimistic that

the partnership between him and the CEO, DKM, Dapo Oyebanjo, in relation to building a distribution channel at SLOT and other online platforms will bring goodwill to many entertainers.

He questioned the motive of many artists in the industry and how that had impacted on the money allocated to the sector by the past government.

The whole conference revolved round content, structure and digital media, which were well represented by the various speakers. A very crucial insight was brought to the discourse when the MD/CEO, Braincraft, Tunde Falase, spoke on the inherent paradox in seeing entertainment as a global enterprise. The depth of research showed in his delivery which could have been expanded in length.

In his paper titled, ‘The Era of Global Business and Disruptive Models’, he was of the view that artists should create content with global perspective; be outstanding and never settle for mediocrity. He looked at evolving brands such as Snoop Doggy Dog and King Sunny Ade with music content that remained relevant over time.

For him, music should have a message that could be fun, reflective, provoke or shock. Citing the example of Justin Bieber, he demonstrated to the audience how ICT had boost Bieber’s career in the area of self-editing and self-marketing. He found a parallel in Frank Odega’s YouTube hit, “Gerrara Here”.

The CEO, EME Entertainment, Bankole Wellington, otherwise known as Banky W, didn’t disappoint the audience with his ‘bankable statements’. In his presentation titled, ‘Power of Content and How to Market it’, he aligned with the notion that talent is overrated but that hard work beats talent when it is not put to work. Creating unique content was the bane of his speech.

Using himself as an example, he illustrated how music videos can be creatively executed. Storytelling is his technique in music videos while for his performance, a signature 3-piece suit and a bowler hat is the final word.

For D’banj, his delivery was a reflection of his mantra, ‘no long thing.’ His concise and animated presentation on “Content is the New Crude’’ served as a pointer to the dividends of publishing rights across generations of artists. Learning from the infamous break-up with his former business partner and music producer, Micheal Collins, also known as Don Jazzy, D’banj initiated the collaboration with G-Media and Nigeria’s largest mobile phone shop, SLOT, which boasted of a million customers in 2015 only.

In the panelists’ session moderated by Kemi Adetiba, Nigeria’s pop diva, Tiwa Savage, voiced her personal concern on the welfare of On-Air personalities in radio stations who are affected by the “pay-to-

play syndrome”.

She also reflected on the quality of the content from many entertainers today who are fixated on selling whatever the people want.

Savage bemoaned the lack of music pluggers in the industry. Their absence, she said, had left her to the mercy of OAPs who constantly want her to send birthday wishes to them on social media. Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi on her part talked about how she leveraged on the social media to promote her Gbemisoke shoes.

The actress and content producer, Funke Akindele, in her presentation titled, ‘Economy of Talent: Using Entertainment to rebuild Nigeria’ emphasised on the power of collective effort, devoid of jealousy and rancour, in driving the industry to the next level.

For the Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, Mr. John Ugbe, who delivered a very informed presentation on ‘Intervention Strategies’, prior to the panelists’ session, entertainers need to think of the long term benefits of putting the right structures in place to check piracy, build capacity and ultimately, create jobs.

As much as the conference tried to position the entertainment industry as the last hope for the economy, the discordant voices of the stakeholders and lack of a feasible structure makes this dream a tall one. Like the speakers at the conference articulated, a collective effort must be made to achieve it.

While the organisers keep raising the ante in each edition, there are still some visible lapses in the organisation; for instance, the lack of lunch break and entertainment interlude. Simi billed to perform was absent at the gathering. As a full-day event, a music break will keep the audience glued to their seats instead of being restive.

There is yet to be a seamless transition from the conference to the break-out sessions. The organisers must keep in mind that youths make a high percentage of their audience and attend the conference to learn and also network.

Therefore, the break-out sessions must be strategically timed so that they can benefit from it.

The issue of space is also yet to be fully resolved. In subsequent editions, they should endeavour to provide seats that can take the number of attendees.

To weigh the content of the justconcluded conference, the subject matters were timely but the discussions left certain gaps to be filled by other entertainers in other parts of the world where entertainment plays a significant part in a country’s economy.

While logistics may bring additional expenses to the budget for the conference, the organisers may organise Skype sessions to facilitate discussions from international participants as the core issues in the industry are not just local.

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enteRtAInment

wIth nseobong okon-ekong 08114495324, nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Road to Lagos International Jazz Festival

T

he month of April has become increasingly popular for being advertised as the Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. This type of music, the musicians and museums, libraries, schools and all stakeholders are in focus throughout the month. It culminates on the last day of the month with a United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) initiative-International Jazz Day. In Nigeria, Inspiro Productions, organisers of the Lagos International Jazz Festival which is in its 10th edition, have sustained a campaign for greater public attention to Nigeria’s jazz heritage through a series of motivational activities on the existing jazz scene, particularly with concerts, radio programmes and other forms of collaborations.

The Ayoola Sadare-led Inspiro Productions has already set the pace for the jazz month, which is also known as JazzApril with a series of JAM sessions tagged ‘Road to Lagos International Jazz Festival 2016’ at venues across Lagos. The events were to publicise the festival happening between April 29 and May 1. Jazz

DENRELE, EBUKA IN LIP SYNC BATTLE FACE-OFF

In its first edition in Nigeria, flamboyant music TV personality Denrele and Ebony Life TV presenter, Ebuka Obi-Echendu are set for a face-off in the premiere episode of the hotly anticipated reality contest Lip Sync Battle Africa premiering on Saturday, April 30 on MTV Base.

The dynamic duo will clash in an on-screen confrontation in front of millions of TV viewers across Africa.

After lip syncing (or miming) to two songs of their choice, one of them will lift the Lip Sync Battle trophy and earn the biggest bragging rights on the planet as the inaugural Lip Sync Battle champion.

The eagerly-awaited African version of the global TV hit, Lip Sync Battle Africa is hosted by South African actress and TV presenter Pearl Thusi alongside Nigerian superstar and ‘Koko Master’ D’Banj.

Dapo Fasuyi and Dera interacting at the JAM session at Ayo Bankole Centre For Arts Surulere

Roundtable Specials on Metro 97.7FM were also held every Sunday in April to support same.

The JAM sessions kicked off on April 1 at Hotel 1960 - Prince of Anthony - Culture Café, Anthony Village Lagos, and it was followed on Friday April 8 at The Pop Up Jazz Lounge Lekki I, Lagos and then the Ayo Bankole Centre For Arts Surulere, Lagos on Saturday, April 15.

The highlights of the event were performances by leading Jazz performers and attendance by enthusiasts and lovers of

the genre. Present to perform at the events were Director of SPAN Academy of Jazz and Contemporary music and foremost Jazz musician Bright Gain, Europe based NAIJAZZ guitarist Adedeji Adetayo, classical pianist Ubong Utiah (UB4TY), Sam and the Jazz Apostles featuring Dera, the group Wired, Jazz vocalist Dapo Fasuyi, konkovibrations proponent Niyi Ige, rising Jazz saxophonist Peter Adedeji, tradosoul and jazz singer Empress and a host of others.

Various personalities attended

QUARTER FINALISTS EMERGE IN LAGOS GOD’S CHILDREN GREAT TALENT

the competition.

In each of these cities, leading gospel performing and non-performing artistes judged performances in order to pass them to the next level. Dayo Benjamin-Laniyun, Wale Rubber, Enitan Adaba, Zuriel Oduwole, and many others guided the competition to its next stage. Freke, the dynamic gospel artiste and Ayo Thompson Cool TV presenter both anchored the auditions Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, Head of Apapa Family, explained that the vision of the initiative is to engage children/ teens in a positive way, using their talents to glorify God in his words; “God’s Children’s Great Talent was born out of a desire to identify and nurture the diverse talents available in children.

“We are delighted a multinational brand such as Cadbury Bournvita and other brands such as Digital Jewels, The Riverbank School, and many other media partners supported the project over the years.”

This year’s competition will be produced and televised in Nigeria and the UK with viewers being able to follow the journey of the contestants from audition to the grand finale at the Eko Hotel and Suites on May 30, where the winner will walk away with N5million. Other prizes include a production contract, talent development packages and other attractive prizes.

Port-Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos recently played hosts to the sixth edition of Africa’s leading gospel talent hunt programme - God’s Children Great Talent (GCGT).

GCGT is a social development project of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Apapa Family which has distinguished itself this year by extending to other cities in Nigeria. The gospel talent hunt is focused on discovering, grooming and producing young talents and stars in various fields of artistic expressions across Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States of America.

This year, Season 6 opened its doors beyond the Apapa family to children and young people aged between five and 20 years with auditions recently held in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. Over 2,000 contestants registered online free for a chance to participate in

THE HISS ON MAY DAY

Yahaya Maikori (middle) with bosses of the National Lottery Commission and the Lagos State Lottery Regulatory Agency

The Hiss, a hilarious comedy set in Lagos, featuring the encounter between an Okada man and his passenger as they travel through the streets will play to audiences on the May Day weekend at two venues.

The Ayo Bankole Centre on Yesufu Sanusi Street off Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere will host it on April 30,

the events and these included top promoter Wale Oluwaleyimu, Emmanuel Odole of Blackdrum TV, Yinka Oni, former chairman National Bank, Demola Ogunfolu, Kunle Ogunneye - Country Director - Mall of Africa, Sean B, Chairman of the Hotel 1960 Group, Akin Adeoya and his lovely wife, Mr. Yemi Akinbode, Jazz Pioneer in Nigeria, Tunde Kuboye of the Jazz 38 and Extended Family Jazz Band fame, Muyiwa Majekodunmi of The Jazzville fame, Austin Aimankhu of Luzol and a host of others. The last JAM session for April took place on Saturday, April 23 at the Shuga Lounge, Hotel 1960 Eagles Park, Ikeja, Lagos.

The Lagos State government led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is marking the International Jazz Day 2016 this year at the Lagos State House, Alausa.

The Lagos International Jazz Festival is Nigeria’s Premier Jazz festival happening over three days. The event has a standard edition happening at the Freedom Park on April 29 and 30 and a Luxury edition at the Bay Lounge Waterfront Lekki on May 1. The lineup of acts for the event include Mike Aremu, Sharp Band, Orliam, Herbert Kunle Ajayi, Skata Vibrations, Seun Olota, Adeh, Akeem Lasisi and a host of others. while the performance will be taken to the Lagos Country Club, GRA Ikeja on May 1 and 2. This satirical play lampoons the state of affairs in our society with each episode concluded with a hiss.

The play is a multimedia show incorporating video, stage, music and expansive humour. However, the story ends with an unusual twist. The production is a collaboration between Lagos Country Club, Live Theatre on Sunday and the Ayo Bankole Centre for Arts and Cultural Expression

TOWARDS A STRONG GAMING INDUSTRY

President of the Nigerian Gaming Association, Mr. Yahaya Maikori has opined that the perception that regulatory framework in the Nigerian lottery and gaming environment is weak or non-existent is subjective.

Maikori made the observation at the World Regulatory Briefing (WRB) in Lagos. He warned that there was no perfect framework anywhere in the world, adding that the sufficiency of the framework of any jurisdiction can only be judged by its policy direction.

According to Maikori, there is no policy consideration in Nigeria. The gaming industry is simply perceived as source of revenue. He said, “Our legal framework is a work-in-progress.

Technology has outpaced regulation and regulators are only trying to play catch-up. But regardless of the perception our framework has so far been able to sustain the aspirations of genuine operators.”

The Lagos meeting was the first of its kind in Africa for the WRB, a platform created to track legislative developments in emerging markets and to plug operators into the market opportunities. However, it was the second gam-

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

WELCOME SATCHMO’S JAZZ AND CULTURE FESTIVAL

W

orking with a team of skilled personnel including the coordinator, Folake Oyetunji, the curator of the Satchmo’s Jazz and Culture Festival, Lagos (SJL), Mr. Dolapo Ajayi has announced an exciting programme of events holding between commence from Wednesday, April 27 and Sunday, May 1.

Ajayi, who is a renowned lawyer and jazz aficionado, enthused that he has created a platform which has become more than a jazz music festival by creating an exciting tapestry of entertaining events including festive threads of jazz (and nu-jazz) music, as well as jazz-inspired visual and literary artistes.

The SJL 2016 promises a thrilling time with a line-up featuring top domestic and ing event in Nigeria within one year.

INTRODUCING AFRICA IN 10 MINUTES

Today, news travels fast across regions in a split of seconds. There is so much to learn within a limited time. For this reason, a leading business and financial news resource company, Footprint to Africa, is set to launch two new services, namely Africa in 10 Minutes and The Marketsquare Africa.

Africa in 10 Minutes is essentially an online television that features top business stories in Africa to keep the audience informed about the latest developments in the continent in terms of investment and related businesses. This information on this news platform can be accessed through mobile devices as well as laptops that are internet-enabled.

At a recent press briefing held in Victoria Island Lagos, the Footprint to Africa team stressed the importance of relevant information on-the-go. It was observed that the poor process of disseminating financial information had contributed to lack of basic market data. In addition, the non-availability of concise business reports can clog the wheel of foreign direct investment.

Meanwhile, The Marketsquare Africa is a virtual town hall for individuals and organisations who are interested in start-ups. It has been designed to foster business relationships through joint ventures and partnerships to reduce dependency on loans.

The Managing Director, Footprint to Africa, Osita Oparaugo said the Marketsquare is an online community where ideas can be transformed into businesses inspite of the lingering challenges in various parts of Africa.

Right now, collation and verification of companies and businesses in Africa is in full swing and the details will be published on the online platform which is expected to be viewed by millions of people around the globe beginning from July 1.

The Project Developer, Chiamaka Uwadoka also remarked that the media and investors services rendered by Footprint to Africa are intertwined in the team’s strategic goals.

Footprint to Africa is a private limited liability company with operational bases in Nigeria, Mozambique, London and

international artistes like Norman Brown, Rick Braun, Carlo Rossi & the Organic Jam, Femi Leye and Phebean.

The opening night features a collaboration tagged, Jazz Rendezvous with the popular entertainment platform, Industry Nite at Lagos Oriental Hotel. There will be live music at the poolside of the Blowfish Hotel at Victoria Island, the next day.

The show returns to Lagos Oriental Hotel on April 29 for more live and electrifying Jazz, dance and cultural performances.

Saturday, April 30 will be extremely busy with simultaneous day and night events. There will be a jazz party at the Park in Banana Island and Banana Island Patisserie, at the same time that Prest Cruise will with the Satchmo’s Jazz organisers for a Yacht New York and over 34 correspondents.

The special launch of the two services will take place at the Oriental Hotel on April 30.

TASTE THE FEELING SEASON’S HERE

With a launch party that has set a new benchmark for the audaciously innovative world of event activation, CocaCola introduced a method to engage old consumers and win new admirers.

The world renowned beverage has come up with a new campaign that invites everyone to relive the experience of savouring the taste. The drive is tagged, ‘Taste the Feeling’. The party was attended by the crème de la crème of social influencers from the media, music and movie worlds as well as Coca-Cola consumers, customers and employees.

The campaign was unveiled in Nigeria at a well-attended stylish party on Coke Island, a brand new ‘floating island’ that emerged suddenly on the Lagos Lagoon purposely for the event.

Coca-Cola’s new ‘Taste the Feeling’ campaign explores storytelling and everyday moments to connect with consumers and celebrate the simple pleasure and experience that makes every moment of drinking Coca-Cola, any Coca-Cola, special.

Marketing Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Patricia Jemibewon explained that ‘Taste the Feeling’ campaign will bring to life the idea that drinking a Coca-Cola – whether classic or Coke Zero – is a simple pleasure that makes everyday moments more special.

Speaking on the campaign, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, Clem Ugorji explained that the ‘Taste the Feeling’ campaign is an offshoot of Coca-Cola’s new ‘One Brand Strategy’ which marks a significant shift in its marketing approach and for the first time unites all Coke Trademark brands in one global creative campaign. The campaign will be live from April to August on traditional and digital media channels and will include opportunities for consumers to sing their own version of the anthem and win prizes

CHOSEN STEPPERS WIN

For those who attended the talent hunt competition, ‘Christians Got Talent’s

Norman Brown

cruise. At night, there will be a closeout performance at the Vellvet Lounge. The same venue is designated for an after party.

Other activities include jazz inspired films, food, drinks, fun and an incredible experience at participating venues.

powered by Flaming Sword Ministry, there was a common agreement that talents indeed abound in Christendom.

The event which held in the auditorium of the Flaming Sword Ministries was attended by talented youngsters who showcased their talent in music, comedy and dance.

The highpoint of the event was when a dance group, Chosen Steppers, emerged as the winner of competition. Chosen Steppers comprises teenagers who are gifted dancers. They gave a theatrical performance of a song titled ‘Break Every Chain.’ An extremely talented singer, Emex, attained the second position, while a teenage comedian, Super D, took the third position.

The initiator of the event, a female doctor, Jackson, said the event was borne out of the fact that Christians need a platform to showcase their talent.

According to her, “Christians should hold on to their qualities and talents and also be proud of who they are. These young people don’t even have the self esteem to appear on television. Christians Got Talent is a platform to help groom these young talents.”

One of the judges at the event, popular music act, John Agoha practically stole the show with his performance and inspirational message to the contestants.

He revealed to them what they should expect in the entertainment industry, and how to prepare for the best in their career.

Other judges in attendance were Funmi Jehoshaphet, CEO of Gbengsman Music, Gbenga Adebajo and Gospel Reggae artiste, Hillary Ogbuaju aka El-Levite.

PARTNERS FILMONE

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

Twentieth Century Fox has entered into an agreement to distribute its film slate in a major distribution deal with Nigeria and West Africa’s fastest growing theatrical film distribution company, FilmOne Distribution, under which FilmOne will distribute all Fox titles directly to cinemas in Nigeria and Ghana. This is the first deal of its kind in West Africa for Twentieth Century Fox. As part of the agreement, FilmOne Distribution will release in 2016 such titles as ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, ‘Ice Age: Collision Course’, as well as ‘The Birth of a Nation’ from the Studio’s Fox Searchlight Pictures division and Dreamworks Animation’s ‘Trolls’.

Group Chief Executive Officer and President of Filmhouse Cinemas and FilmOne Distribution Kene Mkparu, said the move is a bold statement from Twentieth Century Fox. Chief Operations Officer and EVP of FilmOne Distribution, Moses Babatope, added, ‘We are absolutely delighted to be partnering with such a dynamic and successful Hollywood Studio”.

Fox’s Executive Vice President International Distribution (EMEA), Paul Higginson, also remarked, ‘We are delighted to be working with Kene, Moses and the entire FilmOne team on expanding our reach in Africa particularly in the increasingly important market of Nigeria.”

FilmOne will commence this deal with the release of ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ in West Africa on July 1.

A weeping contestant (m) with comperes , Freke (l) and Ayo Thompson...at the God’s Children Got Talent contest

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Pink to Open Billboard Music Award 2016 Vanessa Obioha

P

ink would have the privilege to have her first TV live performance of her latest single ‘Just l i k e F i re ’ a t t h e B i l l b o a rd M u s i c Aw a rd o n M a y 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 i n L a s Ve g a s .

An enthusiastic singer s h a re d t h e n e w s o n Tw i t t e r and Instagram. The song is f ro m h e r u n re l e a s e d a l b u m ‘ A l i c e T h ro u g h t h e L o o k i n g Glass’. The album is set to re l e a s e f i v e d a y s a f t e r t h e a w a rd c e re m o n y.

T h e a w a rd w i l l b e c o - h o s t e d

by Ludacris and Ciara.

WWE LOSES PRO WRESTLER CHYNA

J o a n i e L a u re r p o p u l a r l y known as Chyna and 9th wonder of the world was found dead in her apartment Redond o B e a c h , C . A o n We d n e s d a y m o r n i n g . T h e w re s t l e r w h o w a s n o t s e e n o r h e a rd f o r d a y s w a s f o u n d u n re s p o n s i v e i n h e r ro o m w i t h p re s c r i p t i o n b o t t l e s s c a t t e re d a ro u n d t h e house.

Investigations suggest likely d r u g o v e rd o s e s i n c e t h e w re s t l e r h a d a d r u g a b u s e h i s t o r y.

Chyna made history in 1999 when she became the first woman to participate in the WWF’s Royal Rumble. She a l s o w o n t h e W W F I n t e rc o n tinental Championship title t w i c e a n d t h e Wo m e n ’ s C h a m pionship once.

Her death came just a week after she posted a video on Yo u Tu b e l o o k i n g a l i v e a n d well. She was aged 45.

Pink

Late Chyna with Triple-H

PRETTY WOMAN STAR, JULIA ROBERTS SET TO BE A MOM

S t a r M a g a z i n e re p o r t e d l y a l l e g e d t h a t t h e ‘ P re t t y Wo m a n ’ s t a r J u l i a R o b e r t s , i s p re g n a n t . T h e 4 8 y e a r- o l d a c t re s s w h o s e m a r r i a g e t o Danny Moder has been specul a t e d t o h i t t h e ro c k s s e e s t h e p re g n a n c y a s s i g n o f s a v i n g their marriage. Although her re p s a re y e t t o c o n f i r m t h e p re g n a n c y, a s o u rc e t o l d t h e m a g a z i n e t h a t t h e p re g n a n c y n e w s h a s b ro u g h t t h e c o u p l e c l o s e r.

WARNER BROS MOVES ‘BLADE RUNNER’ SEQUEL UPFRONT

The earlier scheduled date, J a n u a r y 1 2 , 2 0 1 8 a c c o rd i n g t o Wa r n e r B ro s c o l l i d e d w i t h t h e Martin Luther King Jr ’s weekend. Its new date October 6, 2017 is however unfavourable.

T h e u n t i t l e d p ro j e c t i s a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 f i l m a n d f e a t u re s H a r r i s o n F o rd , Ry a n G o s l i n g a m o n g o t h e r s . T h e s c i - f i p ro d u c t i o n is in conjunction with Alcon entertainment.

SELENA GOMEZ GETS BUSY ON

Julia Roberts

TV

The young Disney alum, Selena Gomez, is getting her hands filled with scripts.

She collaborated with Kevin S p a c e y t o p ro d u c e a n a u t o biographic TV series that will m i r ro r h e r l i f e a s a y o u n g H o l l y w o o d s t a r.

She is also working on Netflix’s new mini-series ‘13 Reasons Why’ which is based on Jay Asher ’s 2007 novel of the s a m e t i t l e . T h e s t o r y re v o l v e s a ro u n d a s t u d e n t w h o c o m mits suicides and left a series o f t a p e b e h i n d t h a t re v e a l e d 1 3 re a s o n s w h y s h e t o o k h e r life.

A p a r t f ro m p re p a r i n g f o r h e r w o r l d t o u r, t h e m u s i c i a n i s a l s o p ro d u c i n g a d r a m a a b o u t a L a t i n t e e n l i v i n g i n a p o v e r-

Matt Damon

t y - s t r i c k e n n e i g h b o u rh o o d .

MATT DAMON RETURNS AS JASON BOURNE A DECADE AFTER

It’s been ten years Matt Dam o n p l a y e d t h e i c o n i c ro l e o f Jason Bourne in the Bourne series, the movie that launched h i m t o s t a rd o m . Wi t h a n o f ficial tease at the super bowl t w o m o n t h s a g o , t h e o ff i c i a l t r a i l e r w a s re l e a s e d l a s t w e e k .

I n t h e m o v i e d i re c t e d b y P a u l G re e n g r a s s , D a m o n re t u r n s w i t h h i s m e m o r y re s t o re d a n d i n a h o t c h a s e o f b r u t a l b r a w l s a n d g u n f i re . T h e movie is set to hit the cinemas on July 29.

WALT DISNEY ENDS JOINT VENTURE WITH UNIVISION

O n A p r i l 2 1 , Wa l t D i s n e y

sold its 50 per cent stake to Univision, ending a nearly t h re e y e a r- o l d F u s i o n N e t w o r k j o i n t v e n t u re . T h e d e c i s i o n w a s re a c h e d d u e t o F u s i o n ’ s f a i l u re t o a c h i e v e t h e t a rg e t e d g o a l s w i t h i n i t s s h o r t period, leading to a monum e n t a l l o s s o f m o n e y.

A d d i n g t o t h i s i s t h e a p p a rent boycott by Univision to a t t r a c t m o re v i e w e r s i n t h e L a t i n c o m m u n i t y. I t a l s o t o o k on a political stance that did not augur well with Disney executives.

Univision which plans to use Fusion as a multi-platform destination for the new rising American mainstream will now take over ABC’s distribution and advert sales role while maintaining editorial control.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

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Strictly Exclusive Soiree

wIth LANRE ALFRED

08076885752

Pageantry and Charm at Gbenga Daniel’s 60th Anniversary Former governor reestablishes mettle as man of the people His stunning gift of an expensive Rolls Royce for himself

enga Daniel Otunba and Yeye Gb

Gbenga Daniel’s family Yes, the colour theme for the party was wine and gold. All the withered bouquet crowns fell on trodden ground. They sank into the rug among the expensive garbage of empty wine bottles and champagne corks.

Memories of tipsy and appreciative folks with tired eyes, hoarse tenors and weary legs evoke random echoes of Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s classy 60th birthday bash and book launch. The high society reverberates even as you read, with rapturous tidings of Daniel’s anniversary, particularly his stunning gift of a N70 million Rolls Royce Phantom to himself.

Few people will forget in a hurry the beautiful daylight of April 10, 2016. On that day, friends, family, business and political associates trooped to the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Dignitaries at the event forgot their worries and ditched the family challenges of the mundane to rejoice with the former governor of Ogun State as he celebrated his 60th anniversary. The sound of the bass reverberated in their chests as they cheered and celebrated the man widely and fondly referred to as OGD. Daniel is indeed a true man of his people. Many years after he exited the corridors of power, the former governor of Ogun State occupies a soft spot in the hearts of his most trusted business and political associates. His 60th birthday and book launch held at the Oriental Hotel, is a worthy testament to his enduring popularity and acclaim.

As the party kicked off, the five-star hotel shook from the base to the rafters as the deluge of encomiums and applause caused its hallowed chambers to tilt in honour of the man fondly referred to as OGD.

Yeye Funke Daniel dazzled like a diamond

Many a man or woman who had won and tasted power or had it imposed upon him or her, with much understatement, find it extremely difficult to adjust to life without power. Stripped of the accoutrements and delightful frills of office, they wander about donning masks of moral fiber and nurturing behind their masks, an appalling and impregnable conceit of themselves. They find it even more cumbersome to relate with ordinary folks they had known before they came by power.

Ultimately, they choose to live lives of quiet displeasure if they no longer have access to the corridors of power. Caught amid ordinariness, if they do not blow their own trumpets, it is because they feel you are not fit to listen to the performance.

However, Yeye Olufunke Daniel, former First lady of Ogun State and the wife of the celebrant, is remarkably different from such characters.

Since she left office with her husband, she has been very quiet. A very nice and decent woman, she maintained a life of pleasant decorum and sociability while in office and even outside the corridors of power.

Beneficiaries of her friendliness testify that when she was the first lady, she honored all invitations to events and high-octane parties.

Funke was as usual, in her element as she radiated faultless beauty and delight that has kept her husband persistently head over heels in love with her through the years.

amu Buruji Awujale and Kash

A festival of life and spectacular rhythm

While OGD played host to a stream of family, friends, business and political associates, the Oriental Hotel pulsated with pomp and glamour.

The elaborate event, which paraded top politicians, respected monarchs, society big wigs and captains of industry, saw King of World Beat, Sunday Adegeye, famously addressed as KSA, perform to the delight of the guests.

As KSA thrilled the audience to delightful music, their hair stood on end and they tipped over in merriment - their joy spilling from their souls into the air and sky high into the blue firmament.

The stage exploded inwards and outwards in colorful bursts, the bass and treble guitars black strumming and buzzing to mesh with the cymbals and drums in a thunder clap. Enthralled, the guests moved in gaiety, tap dancing and swaying to the beat; as if they meant to enact a madhouse jamboree.

The melody reverberated through the halls and passageways of the Oriental Hotel and climbed straight up into the atmosphere, drawing excited and muted sighs of pleasure from staff members and guests at the hotel involved in separate occasions at the time of OGD’s festivity.

The venue was a convergence zone for the high and mighty from different parts of the country. The carnival-like birthday which kicked off in Sagamu, Ogun State on April 6, was rounded off amid pomp and pageantry, parading influential politicians, powerful traditional rulers, society big wigs and captains of industry. The celebrant and his delectable wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel, danced to KSA’s spectacular beats. KSA thrilled the guests till they departed. Ibidun Ighodalo was the event planner and the decor was characteristically out of this world.

An enviable roll call

Guests at the occasion include former Head of State, Ernest Shonekan; Awujale of Ijebu, Oba Sikiru Adetona; Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State; Chief Rasaq Okoya and wife, Shade; former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; former Oyo governor, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Dr. Olorogun Sunny Kuku, Yeye Oge Opral Benson, Jimi Agbaje, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, Oba Dokun Abolarin, Dapo Abiodun, Akarigbo of Remo, Hon. Titi Oseni, Dele Momodu, Kemi Otegbade, Barr. Shade Balogun, Ogun Deputy Governor, Yetunde Onanuga, Oba Otudeko, Dele Alake, Senator Buruji Kashamu, and Pastor Ituah Ighodalo among others.

That curious snag...

The only snag that almost dampened the celebration was the absence of frantically displayed adverts by political jobbers and favour seekers craving the support of the celebrant. Back when he was in power, the major newspapers would have been awash with random advertorials celebrating the worth and essence of the celebrant.

Ojora Otunba and Erelu

Chief Alao Akala Dele Momodu and

Import of OGD’s anniversary

Otunba Daniel’s 60th anniversary marks something of a comeback for the Ijebu political titan, whose political exploits appeared irretrievably tainted by the internal wrangling and power tussle that afflicted his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), en route the last general elections. Things looked as if they couldn’t get worse, but they did, as the PDP lost the elections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

For Daniel, however, the reality of his comeback had always been part of public political discourse. The most extraordinary characteristic of Daniel is his ability to endure and renew.

No politician has faced down greater existential challenges or perfected the technique of quiet adjustment to shifting realities with greater skill than OGD. The throngs that packed the Oriental Hotel to celebrate with him may have been caught up in the romance of a story sprinkled with the residual stardust of the celebrant’s iconic politics and the fairy-tale plot line of a nice but ordinary politician and statesman snaring the hearts and loyalty of the grassroots and his most formidable associates and rivals. But they would not have turned up at all if not for Daniel’s achievement in navigating more than his share of tumult.

Born April 6, 1956, Daniel was a two-time governor of Ogun State from May 29, 2003 to May 29, 2011 thus making him the longest serving governor of the state. As governor, he attracted heavy criticisms and commendations as well. He constructed the new government secretariat at Oke Mosan which brought all the state ministries together in one administrative complex. His programme on Public Private Partnership attracted several businesses into the state during his tenure. He is well commended by majority of the people of Ogun State who believe his government was people friendly.

Daniel went back to his company, Krestal Laurel, and has since continued funding youth development initiatives within Ogun State.

He founded The Political Academy; an Academy he has used to train thousands of youth teaching them about the history of the country and political process. As a result, many youths in Ogun State have become highly politically aware and interested in politics. He has been enjoying massive support from the youths of the state.

In a recent development, some youths came together and formed a network of young historians of Nigeria to set the right records about important historical happenings in Nigeria. The project was given the name Project Correct. They clamoured for the right stories to be told about Gbenga Daniel claiming that he is a good political leader who deserves to be honoured for national and grassroots politics in the country.

Although many more people would contest that the massive turnout for his 60th birthday and book launch established his mettle as a prominent politician and grassroots leader.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

Onoshe

airtimeplus98@gmail.com

Nwabuikwu

Let’s hear it for The Voice Nigeria

2Baba and Waje

T

he much promoted musical talent show-The Voice Nigeria- made its debut on Sunday April 10, 2016 on the Africa Magic Showcase platform (dstv channel 151). It was altogether a very enjoyable experience.

And I have to confess that I was pleasantly surprised. I mean things could’ve gone badly.

When it comes to musical talent shows, or any show for that matter, there are quite a few things I expect.

They would conveniently fit into the ‘inform, educate and entertain’ basket.

I, as a viewer, expect to be treated as someone with a brain, even half a brain.

I don’t like thinking my intelligence is being insulted. You can teach me a thing or two but please do not kill me with boredom while doing that. This doesn’t also mean you should serve all hype, glitz and no substance. In cases of franchises which is what The Voice Nigeria is, it also helps to be able to recreate/maintain the known identity of the franchise. And there the issue of CSR and how winners of talent shows fare after the show ends. Over and above all that the show must make for good TV viewing.

It’s been just two episodes of the show. Clearly, we have to wait till very much later to see how it delivers on

some of these expectations. Be that as it may, The Voice Nigeria has already delivered on many fronts. First, it has managed to recreate the internationally known format of The Voice, especially The Voice US which I’m most familiar with. The show began in 2010 originally as The Voice Of Holland. The US version made its debut sometime in 2011.There are now other franchises around the world including The Voice UK. There’s even a version for kids called The Voice Kids.

Back to The Voice Nigeria, its coaches: 2baba, Waje, Pato Ranking and Timi are proving to be real entertainers and a real draw. They get that they are on TV and have to keep the viewers’ interest. I wasn’t so sure they would be able to keep the viewers attention when they were unveiled as coaches. 2baba is not known for his oratorial skills. Timi can sing his way into the hearts of any audience but I couldn’t be so sure of TV presenting skills. And there was Pato Ranking…

Mind you, it wasn’t their coaching skills I had doubts about. It’s just that quite a few judges/coaches/mentors on TV shows don’t get that ‘it isn’t just about what they know but how they tell the viewer what they know and how they look while telling the viewer what they know.’ Phew. That was a mouthful.

Anyhow, I’m happy to report that as far as that is concerned, The Voice Nigeria’s coaches do get ‘it’. And I have to single out Pato Ranking as my favourite. He is the coach who is telling contestants he’ll take them to ‘the Atlantic and the Pacific’, while asking his fellow coaches to allow him ‘sell my market’.

The musical talents themselves haven’t disappointed. One of the strong points of The Voice is the blind auditions where coaches sit backing the stage and only turn if they like what they hear (or hear what they like). Presumably, a lot of the wannabes or ‘shouldnotbes’ have been weeded out so (almost) everyone who’s auditioning blindly can pass.

We’ll know who the top contenders are by the time the live shows begin.

There’s still a few stages to go. After the blind auditions come the battle stage. Each coach will fine tune his/ her team by pitching one contestant against another to end up with the final selection that will go into the live shows against every other contestant. At least, that’s how it works in the other versions of The Voice. So far, The Voice Nigeria has proved capable of keeping up with The Voice’s traditions.

Join host IK Osakioduwa and cohost Stephanie Coker later this evening at 7 pm on Africa Magic Showcase, dstv channel 151.

REEL REVIEW

Wives On Strike Director; Omoni Oboli Starring: Omoni Oboli, Chioma Akpotha, Uche Jombo, Ufuoma McDermott, Kehinde Bankole, Kalu Ikeagwu, Kenneth Okonkwo, Julius Agwu A group of unsophisticated market women are angry about the upcoming underage marriage of a neighbour’s daughter Amina to a much older man.

They plead with their husbands to speak to the girl’s father but the men do nothing. The women decide to deny their husbands sex until the situation is resolved. They manage on their own to

chase away Amina’s husband to be on the day of the marriage (oh, if only it were that easy). In spite of this success or perhaps because of that success, the women do not relent as they now want far reaching solution from government.

Greater visibility comes when Vera, a bored senator’s wife provides them a bigger platform on a TV show.

Wives On Strike balances several thorny and tricky issues: Underage marriages, complacency of the political class, women’s lack of financial independence, etc. Not so that you miss out on the humour. It’s the

humour that helps brings the story together. In any case, in the cinema hall I saw the Wives On Strike, the massive audience came prepared to laugh, regardless of the seriousness of the issues.

Julius Agwu as Calistus, Kenneth Okonkwo as Papa Ngozi and the other husbands of the striking wives are hilarious. Kalu Ikeagwu gives a powerful performance as Senator Anietie, Vera’s husband. Especially because there is a build up. Luckily, his character is given a bit more depth.

You should go see Wives On Strike.

COME AGAIN?

President Muhammadu Buhari receives former Burundian president Pierre Buyoya; appeals for dialogue in resolving political crisis in Burundi.”

NTA news headlines, Wednesday April 6, 2016.

If it takes visiting ex-presidents for our own president to preach dialogue as a way of resolving political crises, we need to get more presidents and ex-presidents to visit more often.

When I remember the violence visited on Rivers and Bayelsa States, I wonder if President Buhari had these same words of ‘dialogue’ for his representatives like Rotimi Amaechi and Timipre Sylva? The do-or-die in these Niger Delta states may not be unconnected with the lamentations of APC national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, who was reported as saying: “We have lost very important resource-rich states to the PDP. No matter how crude oil prices have fallen, it is still the most important revenue earner for the country.”

President Buhari has been called many wonderful things. But I doubt that even his staunchest- hailer would have described him as a man of ‘dialogue.’

So, we welcome this new side of our president as preacher of dialogue.

“Speaker Dogara calls for attitudinal changes from Nigerians in tandem with changing times.”

NTA headlines, Tuesday April 19, 11.58 am.

Is someone trying to become the new Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon a.k.a Igodomigodo? I doubt that the good speaker spoke all this ‘grammar’: ‘attitudinal changes in tandem with changing times’? Perhaps if it could only be broken down into simple English. Then we would know which changing times and exactly what attitude we Nigerians need to change (unlike the speaker who doesn’t appear to be talking like he’s also a Nigerian). And doesn’t the word change appear too many times? We have yet to recover from the earlier change sold by Speaker Dogara and his party of change agents.

“Most people avoid tough jobs.

We are different. We are not here to complain that things are broken, we are here to fix them. You need someone that’ll take tough decisions and stand by their word. To do that, you need the best of the best. Physically, mentally. So it doesn’t matter if we’re creating opportunities or supporting economies, we know it’s a tough job.

But hey, somebody’s got to do it.

We are Fidelity, we keep our word.’

-Fidelity Bank TV commercial voice over.

This Fidelity Bank TVC is not exactly very new. But it was only the other day the irony dawned on me. What comes to your mind when you hear: “We are not here to complain that things are broken, we are here to fix them?” Reminds you of anyone you know? Everywhere one turns now, one is reminded just how broken things are in Nigeria. And this by those who fought and swore to fix these broken things in the first instance. We are constantly being reminded how bad our lives were before this Eldorado. Aside from the fact that we famously have very short memories, why do we need to be constantly reminded, we were there, weren’t we?

Here’s hoping everyone concerned would take another listen to this Fidelity Bank commercial. At the very least, let them ‘stand by their word.’

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

67

ON THE COUCH

OTUNBA GBENGA DANIEL (ENGINEER)

I Have Not Missed Anything Outside Power Interviewed by Funke Olaode Can we have an insight into who you are?

I am an engineer by profession and a politician. I was born in Ibadan on April 6, 1956 into the family of Pa Abraham Adebola Daniel and Madam Olaitan Daniel. I grew up under loving parents whose influence has helped me to become who I am.

My father was a disciplinarian. I attended one of the best schools in my time, the Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta from 1969 to 1973. I had a brief stint at The Polytechnic, Ibadan before proceeding to the School of Engineering of the University of Lagos.

What influenced your decision to go into engineering?

I was and still am a successful engineer before dabbling into politics. The decision to toe that career path was by God’s guidance. That grace has helped me in my endeavours even before I embraced politics. The decision to study engineering was influenced by the brilliant engineer and teacher, Ayodele Awojobi. I spent much time with Awojobi, and was a winner and champion several times over, on his television quiz show ‘Mastermind’. After my training, I taught briefly as a in the School of Engineering of Lagos State Polytechnic. In 1983, I got a job with Schroeder (W.A.) Limited, Lagos, rising to Deputy Managing Director. With modesty, I became the first African to hold that position in the history of the company. I left Schroeder to become my own boss. In 1990, I established Kresta Laurel, an engineering firm specialising in elevators, overhead travelling cranes and hoists.

You turned 60 recently, why

How would you describe your experience calling the shots in both public and private sectors?

I worked in a private sector for close to two decades where I recorded a feat before I quit to start my own firm. I also felt it was time to give back to the society and humanity; I dabbled into politics and served my people between 2003 and 2011 in Ogun State as governor.

When you look at the two, they are not comparable because in private sector you get immediate result based on targets. It is not always like that in the public sector where so many things are involved.

was there no loud noise like when you were in power?

Turning 60 was a good feeling.

I feel excited and I thank God for His grace that I am alive and still around to witness my day of joy.

And for the parties? There would always be parties. People have been organising parties for me.

My birthday was April 6 but we shifted it to April 10. My wife, Yeye Funke Daniel, my children and well-wishers celebrated me.

If you could turn back the hand of time, are there things you would have done differently?

Nothing really, I am very happy that I did everything that I set out to do. I thank God for blessing me and people around me. I am successful in my career life; I went into the public sector and made a mark. I have gone back to engineering and we are not doing badly. I have no regrets about myself and life.

What lesson has life taught you?

You cannot be an island.

Whatever we are doing is not meaningful if the people around us are not happy.

You were in the limelight for eight years with a retinue of aides, do you miss anything outside power?

I have missed nothing. Service to my state was a clarion call. All the routine of aides, followership and hangers on you saw around me were a burden on me. As a human being, I like to relate with people. I am a very accommodating person.

All those things that people saw then were part of a call to duty and not that I enjoyed it at all. I may not have a retinue of aides now, but I am still a man of the people.

How do you relax?

I was governor for eight years in my state where I immersed myself into public service. Now that I am out of power, I have time for my family. I relax in the company of my family. I enjoy talking and interacting with people. I like to attend public functions.

Has politics seen the last of you?

I have no comment.

EVENT

Entertainment Returns to Abuja with The Train King Akan

M

any people believe in the entitlement circle that Abuja has little or nothing to offer in terms of showbiz. And that Lagos; the nation’s commercial headquarters, is the go to place. But unfolding events have shown that The Train is fast moving to change that idea.

The weekly talent and creative arts show organised recently by Shyne Entertainment Company, an Abujabased entertainment company, is definitely blazing the trail in bringing together music lovers of all ages in an atmosphere of creativity and love.

And with a minimum gathering of 150 persons per show, fun lovers won’t

be out of place if they chose to call it Abuja’s Industry Nite.

Although still in its pilot phase, but key monitors of showbiz are already excited, because it has hosted several exciting entertainment acts like Classiq (remember King Kong remix?), Morell, Chuk E, Terry Da Rapman, Pherowshuz, CEF and others. Are you in Abuja every Wednesday? Then, visit Silverbird Galleria – Abuja to witness this unique event from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.

Every edition of The Train is recorded in audio and visuals, and packaged as a weekly 30-minute-TV series to be aired on both terrestrial and satellite TV channels. For those familiar with content, The Train brand provides an opportunity for companies, individuals and

businesses to share information on their products and services on the platform via a short session within the event referred to as “lifestyle session”.

At the present, the only setback the event has is funding and getting sponsors who can take this exciting project to an ace level.

The Train is simply an effort of Shyne Entertainment Company to showcase and promote creativity by providing a steady supply of entertainment. The fact that it features locally based up-coming artists as well as renowned artists specialised in various music genres, dance, comedy, poetry and spoken word speaks well for entertainment in Abuja.

This is definitely a show to encourage. If you’re in Abuja, make sure you catch the next train.

assistant editor nseobong okon-ekong senior correspondent funke olaode correspondent vanessa obioha designer ibirogba ibidapo CONTRIBUTORS onoshe nwabuikwu, temilolu okeowo, kelechi nduka THISDAY ON SUNDAY editor adetokunbo adedoja deputy editor vincent obia STUDIO art director ochi ogbuaku jnr THISDAY NEWSPAPERS editor-in-chief & chairman nduka obaigbena managing director eniola bello deputy managing director kayode komolafe

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

PERSPECTIVE

Farewell

The Management and Staff of EDIC CHEMICALS & ALLIED DISTRIBUTIONS LTD. condole with our Managing Director/CEO, Sir Edwin Mmuoemenam, and the entire Mmuoemenam family of Obiuno, Igbo-Ukwu, Aguata L.G.A of Anambra on the transition of their beloved mother and matriarch.

We pray that God Almighty will comfort you and grant Mama a well-deserved eternal repose.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS AS ANNOUNCED BY THE FAMILY Service of Songs @ Sir Edwin Mmuoemenam's Country Home, Edwin Mmuoemenam Street, Obiuno, Igbo-Ukwu, Aguata L. G. A. Anambra State. Time: 6.30pm Lying-in-State @ Sir Edwin Mmuoemenam's Country Home Time: 7.30 – 9.30am

Condolence Visits to the bereaved family Thanksgiving Service @ St Peter's Anglican Church (Millennium House of Prayer), Igbo-Ukwu.

Time: 8.30am

Funeral Service: @ St. Peter's Anglican Church (Millennium House of Prayer), Igbo-Ukwu.

Time: 10.00am

& ALLIED DISTRIBUTIONS LTD.

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

HUSH IS THE ANSWER! PAGE 75

24.04.2016

FACE-TO-FACE WITH T HE MINISTER Mohammed

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\TRIBUTE

FACE-TO-FACE WIT Yinka Olatunbosun recounts those cheering moments of a rare meeting of select journalists with the Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Alh. Lai Mohammed in Lagos where he declared, amongst other things, that art, tourism and culture form the nation’s next pot of gold.

I

f there’s any public figure who qualifies to be called punctuality symbol, then the first name to mention will likely be Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Before he took up the mantle as the Minister of Information, he was the National Publicity Secretary for the political party, All Progressives Party (APC). This reporter ’s first close encounter with the Minister was when he was one of the invited speakers at the National Conference and Elections of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) held in Badagry in May, 2014. About an hour before the commencement of the conference, Alh. Mohammed was waiting outside the hall with his colleagues when this reporter approached the twin-hall building, unsure of which of the halls was the venue. Since his face looked familiar, this reporter decidedly asked him to direct her.

His colleagues in his company laughed at the thought of making a public figure one’s Google map but he saved what would have been a very embarrassing moment

Mohammed

with, yet, a teasing remark, “Well, young lady, I am not a woman. I don’t know anything about the conference.”

He must have noticed this reporter ’s frustration so he introduced himself and directed this reporter to the venue. Now, he made quite an impression that day. Apart from his bewildering sense of humour, he arrives early for events. Last Sunday, at a restaurant in Ikeja, the Minister

played host to scores of journalists who work as correspondents and editors in the art, culture and tourism sectors. It’s quite an irony for he was the visitor from the nation’s capital, Abuja. Before his speech, the sumptuous cuisine was relished by all. Perhaps, the Minister believes in the notion that “a hungry person resists sermon”.

Though his speech was not a ser-

mon, it seemed similar to the usual promises that those in government make to placate the disenchanted citizenry. But how did the Minister command these journalists’ collective attention?

Asides the call to congregate at the said venue, the Minister ’s body language had always signalled to the arts, culture and tourism community that there is a responsive

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TH THE MINISTER government in action. He has honoured most invitations to special gatherings in the sector and his presence had propelled many organisers of art and cultural productions to start events on time and let the shows be worthy of everyone’s time. Last Sunday, the early arrival of his security details was a sure indicator that he is an unapologetic stickler for punctuality.

Set before Alhaji Mohammed was a table decorated by microphones from various media houses. To his right sat some arts and culture journalists while their travel and tourism counterparts populated his left wing. As he was about to deliver his speech, the television set beside the arts and culture correspondents had a channel that was broadcasting a live match. What a major distraction when the speech began and a much-anticipated goal was scored. “IT’S A GOAL!’’ Fortunately, the Minister bore some good news that was in itself a goal. After the sad crash of global oil prices, the optimism expressed by the Minister was that when Nigeria’s economy is diversified to embrace the untapped potentials in the creative economy, Nigeria would be strong again. He informed his guests of the new strategic plans made by the government to develop the creative industry.

“Working with various local and international partners, including the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the British Council, we are mapping our creative arts, by which we mean pottery, weaving, dyeing, sculpturing, amongst others, with a view to reviving them massively through capacity building for those involved and the provision of loans,” he disclosed. “We believe this will not only create hundreds of thousands of jobs, thus keeping our people meaningfully engaged, it will also become money-spinners for the economy and stem the rural-urban migration. We are not re-inventing the wheel, since the creative industry has always been with us. What we are doing is to breathe life into the industry and allow it to become a major player in national development.”

It’s quite a simple logic. Our airports and culture hubs can be the entrance points to diversify our economy. If creative pieces made by Nigerians are displayed at such places, tourists may be attracted and will patronise the products made by Nigeria’s creative entrepreneurs. And that will increase the demand for naira.

Furthermore, the Minister disclosed to all that trainings would be instituted for building capacity in festival management. No doubt, festivals are huge by nature and intimidating by conditions. Some of these conditions come in form of poor infrastructure and lack of technical know-how. To tackle the latter condition, the Minister revealed the framework that his ministry had designed to build capacity.

“We are aware that culture drives tourism, hence we intend to leverage heavily on our numerous cultural festivals in our

Mohammed

It’s quite a simple logic. Our airports and culture hubs can be the entrance points to diversify our economy. If creative pieces made

by Nigerians are displayed at such places, tourists may be attracted and will patronise the products made by Nigeria’s creative entrepreneurs. And that will increase the demand for naira

efforts to boost tourist arrivals,” he said. “That is why we are currently compiling a list of the top 10 creative arts and cultural festivals in each state of the federation, with a view to creating a year-round calendar of such events. This way, those willing to attend such events can plan ahead.”

As regards the infrastructure deficit, the Minister pointed out that developing tourism is multisectoral, requiring the attention of all stakeholders in the related sectors to chart a course forward.

What the Minister said mirrored our private fears. No tourist would want to return to a country that is perceived as corrupt, lacks adequate power supply and good roads.

“This is why we have decided to call a National Summit on Culture and Tourism, which is scheduled for April 27 to 29 in Abuja, with a view to charting the path forward. We are aware that similar efforts have been made in the past, without an appreciable result. The difference this time is our commitment and the different milieu provided by the national imperative to diversify the economy,

amidst the crash in the price of oil.”

Speaking on behalf of arts and culture journalists, Mr. Ozolua Uhakheme urged the Minister to take steps towards resuscitating existing framework that financially supports artists and art writers.

This comment was made against the backdrop of the stringent work conditions at many media houses.

Uhakheme’s comment articulated the views of most of his colleagues.

He drew the attention of the Minister to the comatose condition of the National Theatre, which had been reduced to mere historical edifice as against its projected image of a cultural reference point.

The Minister was frank to tell the journalists that the government will not do it all for the sector. He cited examples in other climes where taxes deducted from gambling are poured into the creative sector.

However, the assurance the Minister left with his audience was that the federal government is aware of the state of affairs in the sector and will make constructive efforts to deal with the hydra-headed challenges with the support of all stakeholders, including journalists.

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ARTS & REVIEW\\LITERARY CAFÉ

THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF MODERN SLAVERY Uzor Maxim Uzoatu

Eight Evils Of Human Traffficking by Steve Osuji & Boniface Opute,inCollaborationwiththeNigerianGuildofEditors;AnNGE HumanDignityProject(NGEHDP)BookPublishedbyArrangement with White Suite Nigeria; 2016

T

he scourge of human trafficking is a horrifying clear and present danger of the modern world.

It is a crying shame that the abolition of slavery is today only observed in the breach. December 2 every year marks the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery but the human trafficking going on across the globe represents a disavowal of the observance. Respected journalist Steve Osuji and chartered marketer Boniface Opute have served mankind well by digging deep into the woe of the evil trade by writing the very timely book Eight Evils of Human Trafficking. The authors deserve immense plaudits for literally wading into a fortress where angels fear to tread.

In his Foreword to Eight Evils of Human Trafficking, Femi Adesina, former President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and currently Special Adviser (SA) of Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, delves into the heart of the matter thusly: “It is noteworthy that more than 90 percent of trafficked persons are female especially preteens and teenagers. While a few are deployed as maids and domestic help, majority are articles of trade in the multibillion dollars world flesh trade.” Adesina’s lament is indeed heartfelt, to wit: “Nigeria appears to be practically alone in the fight against human trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa. That makes the campaign more difficult.” It is therefore of crucial essence that Eight Evils of Human Trafficking should serve as the theoretical bulwark for the governmental praxis needed for the tackling of the vile trade.

Steve Osuji and Boniface Opute employ the best modes of New Journalism as enunciated by Tom Wolfe in digging deep into the minds of the case studies of the victims of human trafficking presented in the book. The short story of the brilliant teenage girl Kate from Benin City rends the heart. A senior secondary school student who had set her thoughts to going to the university and making a success of her life, Kate had the course of her history changed when her greedy mother Elekhia arranged through a friend for her passage to Italian prostitution in a very convoluted manner thus: “It was Mummy Idiat, her mother’s friend whom she knew quite well, who had made the connection through a friend of her friend and of her friend again. The connection was so long it could have been ten times removed.” In the dead of a heavily rain-soaked night Kate is spirited away in a manner that no forwarding address could be traced. Kate’s father Odion who knew nothing of his wife’s plans for their daughter Kate ends up a destroyed man even as the wife withdraws to the outskirts of lived life. Kate is taken to Lagos under the charge of the ruthless Big Mummy before being taken to Ghana alongside the other captured girl, Omo, before the flight in the base company of the escort, Uncle Osas, to Italy. The tragic fate of the unfortunate Omo somewhat turns Kate into a willing jelly. The HIV-positive Kate gets eventually cast away “under a flyover bridge along an Italian highway” where she is eventually discovered by the Italian police, thus helping in the arrest of the Nigerian traffickers.

Human trafficking recognizes no bonds of maternity, paternity or consanguinity. Nothing is sacred in the satanic trade. Even the so-called “men of God” are active participants, not the least of which can be Catholic Reverend Fathers. Osuji and Opute cite the instance of columnist Azuka Jebose Molokwu who reported that Dubai is now the new haven of the Nigerian prostitution ring, with mothers happily sponsoring their graduate daughters to indulge in the lucrative trade.

The making-babies-for-sale in the baby factories dotting the terrains of the Southeast and South-South states of Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Enugu, Rivers, Anambra and Akwa Ibom could be seen to be stretching to the Southwestern states of Ogun and Ondo. The flesh of the matter happens to be prostitution, “the world’s oldest profession”, in the words of novelist Rudyard Kipling. The more ignoble dimension is of course child prostitution that is inherently non-consensual. Baby slavery of the sort that led to the death of the Orile-Iganmu hawker Kayode (Boy Kayus) is a slap on the conscience of the human race. The role of the Universal Church in the global response to human trafficking is critically underscored. Osuji and Opute deploy the story of Kim Kubal of Holy Name

College, Oakland in USA as the absolute poverty of the soul and spirit in the tableau of human trafficking.

Diseases and death are all the rage in the lust for fast cash.

It is estimated that “30,000 victims of sex trafficking die each year from abuse, disease, torture and neglect.” Human trafficking serves as the ready boost for the spread of HIV and AIDS. Sterility, forced abortions, miscarriages, organ harvesting, vaginal and anal trauma come in for bad measure. The sad story of Maria, the beautiful Catholic girl from Abbi town in Delta State, who makes the ill-fated journey to Holland illustrates a life of wreck. On the positive side, the young Chinelo from Anambra State escapes from an arranged marriage in Lagos to make a success of her life through the help of Reverend Father Dennis. Knowing that education is key, she becomes the overall Best Graduating Student in Computer Science and caps it all up with a Masters degree and a job with one of the GSM operators.

Hope thrives eternal in Eight Evils of Human Trafficking

by Steve Osuji and Boniface Opute as exemplified by Shalewa who is duped into a dubious American marriage by his crooked childhood sweetheart Tayo. The survival of Shalewa is the ultimate measure of human triumph. She has since her return from America been running a school for seven years where most of the students score distinctions in the requisite subjects.

Osuji and Opute have offered mankind a treasure-trove of a book in Eight Evils of Human Trafficking. It comes complete with the profiles of national and global organizations combating human trafficking such as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Amina Titi Atiku Abubakar’s Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication (WOTCLEF), Mrs. Eki Igbinedion’s Idia Renaissance, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) etc.

- Uzoatu writes from Lagos

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A HANDBOOK FOR JOURNALISTS Yinka Olatunbosun

I

t’s no news that Kolawole Oredipe’s latest expose on his 15-year career in journalism titled, “Cross-Over Journalist: Reporting the NigerDelta’’ is the latest addition to the existing literary efforts of journalists in Nigeria to document moving stories of the career lives. The book which was launched a few weeks ago is a painstaking effort of a very busy professional to crystallize some remarkable details of his experience in the field of journalism in the Niger-Delta region. His narrative began from the point of making the career choice, to toying with the idea of returning to his initial dream job at an oil-servicing company while ending with the determination to make the most of his time in journalism.

His story is an insider’s account that shows how a lot of professionals in the media or perhaps elsewhere embark on a career without much interest at the initial stage but later make discoveries that give them the staying power. He recalled how he had worked the ropes to the present position as the Principal Editor, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) with the view to inspire young journalists to embrace the spirit of hard work and a receptive heart to acquire knowledge from superiors in the newsroom.

The book is one that is very necessary for our period in history in Nigeria wherein what drives the average journalist is the ambition to make good money and in good time. While it is not a bad desire to wish for the good things in life, the spirit of materialism has a destructive influence on the practice of true journalism.

Oredipe’s story in the book showed clearly that as a young journalist, he paid close attention to how his copies were proof-read and edited rather than his bank statements. It is perceivable from his story that he maintained a good relationship with his superiors which helped him to develop strong multi-tasking skills.

Her persona evolved through the pages as a witness to historical development in the controversial region. It’s quite

interesting too that the author leveraged on his Applied Geology background to interrogate the issues in the oil-rich region and the industry as a whole. His career journey which began with the print media moved on to the electronic media where he seemed to have found a comfort zone after gaining the mastery of writing for the ear as against writing for the eyes.

His ambition for promotion, which he got, was founded on merit and the self-realisation of the wealth of experience earned from investing his sweat and sleepless nights in the job.

In the book, he portrayed his life as a journalist in a “sleeves rolled-up’’ manner not attempting to glamourise the narration with accounts of international escapes with public officials or so. The author does his personal archiving task by including in the piece news stories as well as an inaugural speech by the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.

In chapter nine, he captured the experience of many journalists in the story titled, “Unfriendly Security Men at the Creek Haven Gate.’’ In reality, unfriendly security men are in many places today and journalists have reasons to encounter them, perhaps, more regularly than other professionals. They receive journalists with apprehension, increased suspicion and sometimes the identity card they carry is not enough to prove that they deserve to be at a particular place at that given time. What is even grim is the fact that despite a journalist’s frequent visit to a particular venue, the security men often feign ignorance and are prepared to bar you from entering into the venue. While some journalists had cultivated the habit of tipping the security men and others who may attempt to slow down their work, it is very disheartening to read reports such as documented in this chapter by the author of how journalists are continually and deliberately harassed by security men, many of whom read newspapers or listen to the radio out of

sheer boredom at work.

Oredipe’s book also underscores the importance of training for journalists as he captured his JCI experience. Junior Chambers International (JCI) is regarded as the largest network of young professionals and entrepreneurs across the globe. The author participated in the “Training the Trainer” course in 2013 and subsequently

trained in Cameroon, Cote d’ Ivoire and Tunisia. While this reviewer may not score the writer high on the creative use of language in the work, it is instructive to know that the literary effort is an easyread, concise with verifiable truths about his personal account of his well-rounded practice in journalism.

A Book for Drug’s Sake Yinka Olatunbosun

A

non-for-profit book titled, “Youth and Substance Abuse’’ written

by Pastor Keji Hamilton has been launched in Lagos last weekend for the benefit of young people, parents, guardian, teachers and counselors to learn about the dangers of substance abuse and how to avoid them. The author is a former band member of the legendary Afrobeat musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and a dreaded street boy whose life had been transformed positively since he disabused his mind and took a career in drug rehabilitation using the spiritual healing process. Pastor Hamilton is the co-ordinator of The House of Joy, a drug rehabilitation centre under the auspices of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. The book is supported by voluntary donations and the proceeds go to the Global Centre for Drug Eradication. The decision to write a book on this global menace was reached when Hamilton embarked on his ministry in places where drug addicts are largely populated. As he moved to the well-heeled areas in Lagos, he made a shocking discovery. Most of the children from rich homes are abusing drugs.

As a matter of fact, a good number of them have pastors as parents. He also discovered that many of these children hide the drugs from their parents for years while their academic performance and general well-being

plummet.

He recalled how a young girl was caught with some drugs at a university owned by a church. The private universities run by churches have stringent rules on morals.

Hence, students are restricted from making phone calls on mobile phones, wild parties and unwholesome associations. Still, some students have punctured the school system for selfish gain. Speaking at the book launched held at Raddisson Blu, Victoria Island, Dr. Tunde Eletu commended Hamilton’s effort in taking the huge step against drug abuse. Eletu recounted in brief his personal experience as a young post-graduate who practiced psychiatry for a short period. He said it was a difficult experience dealing with drug addicts and so he left for pediatrics The Co-ordinator, Wellspring, Julie Park also added that many people got involved in drugs right from their secondary schools as teenagers. She said Hamilton’s personal life story had touched many and compelled them to change for good.

Hamilton’s friend from the days of Afrikan Shrine, Vitalis Mbanigo who is also a pastor recalled the dark days of drug dependence.

“The devil took us captive. Back then, Keji and I were the shrine. During yabis night, we were there. We had access to drugs. I made money. I sold drugs. Sometimes I would give Keji some drugs to sell and he would smoke it.

But then, I became born again before him.

“Right now, my ministry is under the

Hamilton bridges where many cannot go. I talk to ‘boys’.

We pray this ministry will be a household name because 80% of children from rich homes are into drugs,’’ he claimed.

Hamilton, who dropped out of University of Ibadan to pursue a career in music got involved in drugs, of all kinds. He told the audience that even prescription drugs can be abused and called on the government to strengthen capacity in the fight against drug abuse. He noted that drug dependency is so powerful that the addict himself cannot rid himself of the habit. Apart from the influence of friends and associates, Hamilton observed that the failure to admit that the one’s dependence on drug is a problem will lead to further complications such as mental dysfunction and sudden death.

“Every mallam sells Tramadol and Tramadol is so cheap,’’ he remarked. He also noted that drug abuse is the bane of other social vices as well as crimes against humanity. Armed robbery, kidnapping, assassinations and suicide bombings are fuelled by drugs. He observed that some countries have robust economy that thrives on drug trafficking. He also said that in Nigeria, some lawmakers and other highly placed government officials are also actively involved in drugs. For him, to tackle the problem of drug abuse, it has to start from the family unit which is the bedrock of the society. The book launch was preceded by a short expository video screening on drugs and substance abuse

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A SHOWFOR EARTH AND ETHOS

Yinka Olatunbosun

W

alking through the corridor at the Wheatbaker Hotel, Ikoyi, a guest is likely to be enthralled by the captivating metal works and paintings along the aisle that separates the buffet hall from the conference room. These foods-for -the -eyes that are currently showing are the works of two artists, namely, Raqib Bashorun and Chika Idu. Bashorun needs no introduction; he is a contemporary artist or better yet, an environmentalist artist whose works are powerful mechanism for the campaign for preserving the earth, recycling and other environmental issues. Yes, he belongs to the old generation of artists in Nigeria, still, his themes resonate across the generations.

As for Chika Idu, he is regarded as an accomplished portraitist, strong in the use of water colour and like Bashorun, is involved in environmental campaign, which is a recent addition to his portfolio. What is quite interesting about this show titled, “Evolving Currents’’ is the bridging of their perspectives on the theme. While Bashorun articulates his thoughts in these 14 pieces using found materials, metal and wood, Idu’s paintings are platforms for African narratives to be told.

Bashorun created jobs for scavengers when he began to collect soda cans which made an impactful yet aesthetically appealing piece in “Ebb and Flow’’ through the artist’s meticulous arrangement of these found items. At the press preview of the exhibition, the artist stressed the need for recycling at domestic and state levels. He urged women to refine soda cans and make them into wearable art rather than dumping them into sewage tanks or open drainages. His pattern of arrangement of the metal in soda cans on canvas also has the semblance of embroidery on fabrics. Meanwhile, his work “Eastern Dragon’’ illustrates the Nigeria-China bi-lateral relations to foster economic growth.

In his works, Idu interrogates Yinka Olatunbosun

I

t was a good dose of nolstagia for this writer to be part of the audience that watched the Niger Delta ensemble in performance at Eko Hotel and Suite, recently. It was exactly eight years ago since this writer had seen the lead actors, Francis Omoh and Nelson Alexander-Akari, way back in Bayelsa State. With a lot of strained effort, it was tempting to bolt for the backstage at the end of each scene. Omoh and Akari had been members of the Bayelsa State Council for Arts and Culture and are good

traditional Nigerian ceremonies, musicians and landscapes. What seems to be very intriguing in his latest body of works is his veering into issues of women’s rights. That was actually inspired by a personal encounter with a victim of sexual harassment. Prior to the exhibition, he started creating paintings that reflected the varying temperament of a woman. His subject is a serving youth corp member whose employer had threatened to dismiss if she would not concede to having sexual relations with him. That story is not unique. It is indeed a global narrative for most women with statistics showing that

1 in every 4 women must have been sexually harassed or abused once in a lifetime. Sadly, the figures soar on a daily basis. His monochrome series also speak for women in countries where they are voiceless. For instance in Saudi Arabia, women are prohibited from driving automobiles, mandated to wear head coverings and restricted from public speaking. According to the artist, the use of red lipstick in the monochrome painting, built up with palette knife, is a symbol of the powerful nature of speech.

Idu began reconstructing this story using acrylic on canvas. The works

were spotted in his studio at Ikorodu by the curator for the exhibition, Sandra Mbanefo-Obiago who demanded that he should show those statement works at the joint-exhibition. His 24 pieces also include the children playing in murky waters around the National Theatre, Iganmu after school. Other pieces show the children praying, reading and swimming. The morale of his visual narratives is to raise awareness about the dangers for children living in coastal slums.

The exhibition which is supported by Wheatbaker and Veuve Clicquot runs till June 16, 2016.

Koko. Sponsored by Heritage Bank, it is an assemblage of traditional dances from the Okrika people in Rivers State. Seki, an official entry to the 10th anniversary of the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta Georgia is made up of five different masquerade groups set to recreate the indigenous response to the struggle in resistance against foreign culture and the promotion of indigenous culture. The director is a graduate of Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt who, in the past decade, had served on different boards, committees in the Creative and Tourism industry and as a creative consultant as well as set and production designer.

But against what many in the audience must have anticipated, it is not a conventional drama piece. No doubt, Seki had all the elements in drama namely setting, characters, symbolism, language, audience, theme but it seemed to lack a well-developed plot in its deliberate use of few distinct characterizations to tell the story.

Every drama should have a conflict. For Seki, the conflict came with the infiltration of Western culture in the lives of the Africans who are represented by the Okrika people in the Niger Delta region in the performance. Yes, there was a narrator (Yibo Koko) who interrupted the rhythmic flow of dances in the performance just as it is in literature with authorial intrusion. Yet, a logical storyline didn’t run through the series of dances such as Owembe, Owu-ama, Ojongoowu and iria dances. However, the morale of the dance ensemble is to evoke interest in the tradition dance rituals of the Okrika people

while reminding the audience of the roots of drama itself, namely, rituals.

It took about three weeks to stage the performance. Being a production that highly demanded aesthetic details, a large chunk of the budget was vested in building costumes and stage props for the dancers. In a private chat with this reporter, the director disclosed that the opening scene was an impromptu performance as no one anticipated the early arrival of the Minister of Information, Alh. Lai Mohammed at the evening show who described Nigeria as African entertainment powerhouse.

“Seki showcases the rich culture, dances, language and costumes of the Okrika people in Niger Delta. Our country Nigeria is indeed blessed and we are unique as a people of different ethnicities and cultures who are united by the common collective art of creative resources. This is why we must celebrate the best of our culture. It’s our history, identity, collective humanity, creative diversity and cultural creativity. Also, we must always seek to emphasise our nation’s determination to rise above our perceived challenges by reinforcing the common things that bind us as a people.

Beyond entertainment, this event is a veritable source of information education and cultural integration with one of the objectives to promote cultural antecedents and the development of community cultural awareness,’’ said the Minister. He also called on the public not to overlook any opportunity for showcasing and celebrating the various rich aspects of the national cultural heritage.

Seki’s Cultural Aesthetics

mentors to young performers. Both natural actors, all eyes were on them as they paddled their make-believe canoe back and fro the stage in one of the opening scenes. They encountered foreign culture but remained resolute in sticking to their indigenous life. They demonstrated this by teaching their own people some traditional dance steps and that formed the plot of the piece.

Seki, a play with exquisite set design and beautiful props, was created and directed by Yibi

L-R: Dr. Muiz Banire, Former Lagos State Commissioner for Environment; Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Honourable Minister of Information and Culture; and Mr. Ifie Sekibo, Managing Director, Heritage Bank Limited at the staging of Seki, a dance drama fused with the rich culture of the Okirika people at Eko Hotel Convention Center

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • APRIL 24, 2016

ARTS & REVIEW\\TElEVISIon

HUSH IS THE ANSWER!

T Ugo Aliogo

he evening was filled with much glitz and glamour.

The lighting and the white sofas gave the venue, one of the Victoria Island-based Four-Point Sheraton Hotel’s halls, a wonderful ambience. At the left hand corner was a fair-complexioned young man, who had a beautifully drawn 3D tattoo on the right side of his face. You can almost guess who that was. DJ Sose, as he is called, had been the man on the wheels of steel rolling out party tracks to set the tone for the evening.

The event had in attendance the entertainment industry such heavyweights as Rita Dominic, Uti Nwachukwu, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Thelma Okoduwa, Meg Otanwa, Rotimi Adelegan and others.

Mofe-Damijo’s persona shone brightly, competing with his all-white attire. He is a selfie delight.

And to the reason everyone was gathered, one can say it’s quite special for lovers of telenovelas. For many years, foreign telenovelas have flooded our television space with Wild Rose, Maria De Los Angeles, The Rich also Cry, Lady of the Rose, Secrets of the Sand, and the most recently, Telemundo. Nigerians have yearned for something more organic and completely indigenous.

The answer is Hush. A tele-novella which focuses on the political and fashion industry in Nigeria, Hush is set in Lagos using all Nigerian cast. The producer, Rogers Ofime, who had just completed airing a telenovela, Hotel Majestic, remarked that there was a need to present another telenovela, “because of the success of Hotel Majestic. We intend to tell a good story with Hush.”

The telenovela is aired on DSTV Africa Magic showcase Channel 151 on every weekday. There was also a short viewing session, after which the cast and crew members discussed their experiences with Hush and what the viewers should expect.

The Regional Director, M-Net West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu noted that the new telenovela promises a lot of excitement, intrigue, suspense and romance. She was glad that the telenovela features a blend of Nollywood veterans and exciting new talents, “which promises to be an exciting watch for our viewers across Africa.”

“Many of our viewers remember our last telenovela, Hotel Majestic, and all the excitement that show brought to their screens,” she added. “Hush promises to exceed that level of excitement and we urge viewers to tune in on every weekday.”

“We are happy to be doing this project.

We do hope that you love this telenovela as much as possible. Enough passion and energy has gone into the telenovela from behind the scene. It is a one hour blockbuster which offers a wonderful opportunity for people to watch. We are really excited and we want to thank everyone for watching Africa Magic. It is proudly Nigerian with hundred percent production from the idea generation to the scripting.”

The lead male character in the telenovela, Richard Mofe Damijo relished the moment of seeing the fruitage of his hard work.

“It was a lot of work putting it together. People are constantly looking for escapism, something to hold unto.

Telenovelas provides something for you to hold unto with hush. It is a combination of the upper class, middle class, and lower class. Hush is bringing in diversity into the entertainment industry. They are combining fashion, money, politics and lifestyle. The excitement will make your head spin.”

Tope Oshin and a member of the production crew

Richard Mofe Damijo (the lead male character) and the Direct M-NWet West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu

Another male character in the telenovela, Akeem Rahman who interpreted the character of Chief Lasisi described the production as a welcome development.

“I feel Nigerian viewers deserve this type of thing. It is going to be a sure threat to soap operas, due to the standard of production, its coming to terrestrial television, and with the weight behind the production, it is going to displace foreign soap operas.’’

“There is no reason for comparison of Nigeria and America telenovelas. But we

should watch and see what they have done over the years before doing any comparison. We can only do comparison when we see the product side by side. Then say we have attained such height. In the hush, I acted as Chief Lasisi. I have done a lot of soaps. But this one is totally different, because the approach and standard, is unique.

“Hush is a political story mixed with family life, and fashion. But it is more of power play. It is expected that it is will shake not only the Nigeria audience,

but the world. The telenovela will be greatly received by the Nigerian market.

We want something of this nature to challenge the soap operas on local television.

We need something to drive away those foreign soaps such as Telemundo.

“We want our Nigeria soap to dominate the market and stop these foreign soaps from taking money from the economy. Hush is a continuous story which will be shot till November. The telenovela had three directors, and two continuity managers,” he revealed.

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APRIL 24, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\TRIBUTE

THE MAGIC OF THE PURPLE ONE

Prince

Vanessa Obioha

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ords and tears of grief have overwhelmed the social media and Paisley Park, since the shocking demise of one of history’s finest virtuoso musicians, multi-instrumentalist, actor, director, Prince, last Thursday morning. His death came barely a week after his plane made an emergency landing at Illinois to attend to the singer’s health. He was reportedly fighting flu.

Prince, widely known for his feisty and energetic performances still had a mini concert in his home where he urged his fans to wait a little longer so as not to waste their prayers. If only he knew the mind of the Grim Reaper. Prince was found unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park home and studio in Minnesota. After attempts to save him through CPR failed, he was pronounced dead 24 minutes later. The internet was flooded with tributes from celebrities who admired and were inspired by the iconic musician.

The President of the United States of America defined him as a creative icon whose works have influenced the sound and trajectory of popular music more distinctly and touched quite so many people with his talent.

“As one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time, Prince did it all; Funk, R&B, and Rock and Roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant band-leader, and an electrifying performer. “A strong spirit transcends rules,” Prince once said and nobody’s spirit was stronger, bolder, or more creative. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his band, and all who loved him,” he wrote on his Facebook wall.

Madonna who once dated the eccentric musician described him as a visionary who changed the world. Wyclef Jean thanked him for inspiring him to be “a musician first and using this tool to heal.”

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones described him as one of the most unique and talented artists of the last 30 years.

He wrote on Twitter that “Prince was a revolutionary artist, a great musician, composer, a wonderful lyricist, a startling guitar player, but most importantly,

authentic in every way.”

Jazz queen Aretha Franklin told MSNBC that “It’s such a blow. It’s really surreal. It’s just kind of unbelievable. He was definitely an original and a one of a kind. Truly there was only one Prince.”

Indeed there was only one Prince in the entertainment industry that personified music in all its forms. In a New York Times article ‘The Once and Future Prince’, dated 2007, the writer Jon Parales described Prince as an evolutionary musician who made himself a multiplatform by incorporating different sounds of music and business models to maintain his brand. The prolific singersongwriter, producer, actor, director was one-man band studio whose love for music transcended rules.

The fascination around Prince started long before his 1984 widely acclaimed fame with the song ‘Purple Rain’ which has a film with similar name.

Born Prince Rogers Nelson, to music parents, Prince’s transfixation on music began at an early age. He clearly followed his father’s footsteps and adopted his father’s stage name Prince. He wrote his first song at an early age of seven. He joined bands and created bands including ‘The Revolution’ and his later ‘3rdeyegirl’ band. He wrote and produced and played all musical instruments in his own music, making him one of the most hardworking artistes of time.

Once he attained international acclaim, Prince made it a habit to release an album every year and most of them were successful. His ‘3121’ album (2005) was among the four albums that peaked number one at the billboard 200.

In 1994, Prince’s ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the World’ was a major national anthem in Nigeria and other countries.

Although the album ‘Golden Experience’ wasn’t as successful as previous albums, the singer was No 3 at the Billboard 100 and top most charts in other countries.

Throughout his nearly four decades career, Prince’s music was greatly influenced by a blend of pop, hip-hop, funk, jazz, R&B, soul, disco. He was called the pioneer of Minneapolis sound.

Besides his success in music, Prince was known for his eccentricities. His flamboyant taste in fashion was always a fascination to his fans. He rocked every

outlandish outfit ferociously and still exudes sexuality. With his lyrics mostly tilting to love and seduction, enhanced by his flirtatious looks and voice earned him the nickname ‘The Royal Badness’.

He was obsessed with the colour purple which earned him the moniker ‘The Purple One’ and he invented the abbreviation of You with the letter ‘U’ and equating the image of an eye for the letter ‘I’.

Most of his songs were not airplayed but yet they became multi-platinum. At the 2013 Billboard Award where he was awarded an Icon award, Prince dazzled his audience with his guitar, rocking, ‘Let’s go Crazy’ and ‘FIXURLIFEU’ instead of an acceptance speech.

He was also known not to grant much interviews and when he did, he refused to be recorded. According to the artiste, most people sold his voice.

A major controversial side of Prince was the change of names. During a fallout with his record label Warner Bros, he changed his name to an unpronounceable glyph which represented the Love Symbol. He would later return

to his stage name Prince.

In the music scene, Prince’s fame rose as the late pop legend Michael Jackson’s fame rose. Thus, the two music icons were considered rivals. They both use James Brown model to promote their music.

While Michael Jackson had his inner demons to fight with, Prince on the other hand unleashed his inner demons through his music. Although most of his songs are ballads, there are some of his songs which addressed both social and political issues.

Prince sold about 100 million copies of his songs during his lifetime and the figures have accelerated since his death, as fans rushed to get his songs as memorabilia.

He also won awards including an Oscar for ‘Purple Rain’, seven Grammy Awards and a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his “visionary” use of the Internet. He was the first major artist to release an entire album, 1997’s ‘Crystal Ball’, exclusively on the internet. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The 57 year-old music icon was married and divorced twice in his lifetime.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

CICERO

Editor Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

President Buhari: Standing Rooted to the Spot with Grazing Reserve Disaster The idea of mapping out grazing reserves across the states, which the Buhari government seems to be pushing fiercely, is doom-laden and portends greater danger for the relationship between itinerant pastoralists and crop farming communities, as experience has shown.The government must note the telltale signs of disaster and steer the country away from calamity by embracing the modern idea of ranching. Vincent Obia writes

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requent bloody clashes between crop farmers and cattle herders in Nigeria are living proof that crop production and herding of cows cannot be conducted peacefully on the same space without strict demarcations. The reasons always given for the clashes are a loud confirmation of this fact from both groups.

While the farmers accuse the herdsmen of destroying farmlands, the herders allege that their cattle are being rustled. These accounts recur any time there is a conflict between farmers and cattle rearers as a clear testimony to the futility of the attempts to force-foot the two groups onto the same free space. Unfortunately, this effort that has proved calamitous is exactly what the President Muhammadu Buhari government is seeking to experiment yet again with the grazing reserve proposal being pushed through the National Council of State.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Garba Shehu, said on Monday that the federal government planned to carve out grazing reserves as part of measures to end the clashes between farmers and cattle rearers.

These clashes have resulted in the killing of hundreds of people. Shehu said troops had been deployed to some communities that had recently witnessed such bloody conflicts to try to maintain security.

“The president took the matter to the National Council of State where the governors sit with the vice president to solve problems of security,” Shehu stated. “Their decision was that they will go back to all the ideas that had been there before, which is to carve out grazing reserves for cattle rearers.”

He said, “With that, there will be a clear difference between farmlands and grazing land, because it is when cattle are driven into farmlands” that the trouble arises.

“As a long-term policy, ranching will be there. But do not forget that ranching also has its challenges in so many ways.”

The idea of herding cattle from one part of the country to another to graze on some reserved land has proved to be a recipe for conflict, rather than a formula for harmony or solution to the hostility between farmers and cattle rearers. All too often the animals stray into farmlands and cause untold destruction to crops and the livelihoods of the crop owners. Very often, too, the cattle wander onto highways and cause accidents. The result has been deaths, hostilities, and strained relations between the farmers and the pastoralists.

It has been impossible to restrict nomadic herdsmen to any portion of land, and the proposal being pushed by the Buhari government would surely not make any difference.

Returning to the same idea of grazing reserves that has proved unworkable and calamitous would amount to running dangerously on the spot. This is what Nigeria cannot afford at this time.

Popular opposition to the creation of grazing reserves from within the communities where the government plans to carve out such lands has been loud and clear. Communities and organisations in many parts of the country have rejected the grazing reserve idea. The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, and Ondo farmers, as well as the governments of Ondo, Benue, and Plateau states, among others, have voiced

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

ezeibe.aguwa@thisdaylive.com 08093842953 their opposition to the creation of grazing reserves.

In the past few weeks, there has been widespread resentment to a rumoured attempt by the National Assembly to resurrect the controversial National Grazing Reserve Commission bill, which died in the seventh session of the legislature. The senate came out on Tuesday with a denial of such attempt, obviously, to try to calm frayed nerves.

Add these to the constant hostilities between farmers and herdsmen in many parts of the country due to alleged atrocities, such as rape and murder, by the cattle herders, and the strain in the relationship between host communities and the pastoralists.

What you get is an enormous picture of danger in the plan to establish grazing reserves.

There is no doubt that both the government and the people of Nigeria are agreed on the fact that a permanent solution to the menace of farmers/herders conflict lies in the establishment of ranches where animals will be kept and fed with hay and other modern feeds.

Buhari told a delegation of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in January that the issue of grazing areas will be a temporary solution to the frequent conflicts until cattle owners were persuaded to adopt other means of rearing their cattle.

Last month, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, was quoted as saying, “We are also sending a bill to the National Assembly to legislate that cattle

Senate’s U-turn on CCB/CCT Amendment

T

Saraki

should no longer roam in our cities and villages.

“We will equally raise the issue at the level of the African Union, to compel member-countries to take steps to prevent their herdsmen from grazing into neighbouring countries. It will be a major international crisis if we do not stop it now.”

With the general agreement that grazing reserves cannot be a lasting solution, adopting it, as the president is proposing, would amount to deliberately returning to an archaic and hazardous idea when there is a chance to make progress. Nigeria has lost too much already to afford such experiment.

Hundreds of people have been killed in farmers/herders hostilities across the country. Many more have been maimed and displaced, while countless property has been destroyed.

Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian group funded by the British Department for International Development, said in a report launched on April 14 in Abuja that Nigeria was losing at least $14 billion annually in potential revenues due to the perennial conflict between farmers and herdsmen in the Northcentral alone. Country director of Mercy Corps, Iveta Ouvry, said the finding was based on a research it carried out between 2013 and 2016 on the causes and effects of the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Nigeria.

Buhari must halt the horrific human and material loss by stopping the grazing experiment that has doomed farmers and herdsmen to precarious cohabitation for too long.

he Senate on Wednesday suspended work on the amendment of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Code of Conduct Tribunal as well as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in deference to public opinion. The upper chamber had intended to, among other things, achieve through the amendments the removal of the CCB from the Presidency to the judiciary, prescription of a time limit for the trial of accused public officers after their tenures, and removal of the CCT from the list of courts statutorily empowered to initiate criminal proceedings

against accused persons.

The amendments initiated in the thick of Senate President Bukola Saraki’s trial by the CCT actually sent the wrong signals about the Senate. It was manifestly ill-timed. So the Senate was quite right to put off deliberations on the amendments.

But that does not detract from the lofty ideals in some of the issues proposed for amendment. The Senate should, thus, think of an auspicious time to continue the amendment process on the CCB, CCT, and ACJA. – Vincent Obia

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

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CICERO/REPORT

Chairman of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Justice Muhammad Lawal Garba (third left), and other members of the commission during proceedings

A Kaduna State Government Panel Tries to Unravel the Shiite/Army Clash John Shiklam, in Kaduna, writes on the revelations from the Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the December 12, 2015 clashes between the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria

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acts about the clashes between the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, also known as Shiite, are beginning to emerge at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government to investigate the causes of the incident. The clashes occurred in Zaria from December 12 to 14 last year and led to the death of many people.

Cause

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, was on his way to the Passing Out Parade of the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, when the IMN, said to have gathered to observe a religious rite, allegedly blocked the road and refused the army chief passage, despite pleas by some army officers. This led to alterations between the two groups, with the army alleging that the Shiite group attempted to assassinate the COAS.

Death Toll

The incident lasted two days following alleged invasion of the Hussainiya headquarters of the IMN and the Gyelesu resident of the leader of the movement, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky.

Many people were killed while others were injured during the fracas, which led to the arrest of the Shiite leader and several of his followers. Official figures about the number of those killed during the incident emerged last Monday. That was when officials of the Kaduna State government, led by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Balarabe Lawal, who appeared before the 12-man panel headed by Justice Muhammad Garba Lawal, disclosed that 347 people were killed during the clash.

Lawal, who led six government witnesses before the panel, revealed that 191 corpses were taken from the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, while another 156 corpses were also conveyed from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, and were buried in a single mass grave in Mando area of Kaduna. He added that the mass burial was jointly supervised by officials of the state government and some men of the Nigerian Army, led by a Major.

He added that 189 suspects were being prosecuted for alleged involvement in the Zaria crisis while one suspect died in custody.

Lawal further disclosed that the state government had received several security reports from the Directorate of State Services on the activities of the movement, adding that several measures had been taken to address the situation before it finally escalated into the clash with the Nigerian Army.

Also testifying before the commission, one of the government officials, Alhaji Namadi Musa, who is the director-general of Kaduna State Interfaith Agency, said he personally supervised the mass burial. He explained that the corpses comprised 191 from the Army depot in Zaria and another 156 from ABUTH. According to him, one Major Ogundare from the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, led three military trucks loaded with corpses from the army depot while five Mercedes Benz trucks loaded the trucks from ABUTH which were taken to a mass grave in Mando area of Kaduna. He said Ogundare was accompanied by 60 soldiers who offloaded the bodies into the mass grave, adding that it took five and a half hours – from 12:30am on December 14 to about 5:30am – to bury all the corpses in one mass grave.

Musa said he used the opportunity of the mass burial to meticulously count the corpses as they were being dropped into the grave, adding that the mass burial was authorised through a warrant of burial obtained from a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Kaduna.

The Kaduna State government blamed the excesses of the Islamic movement on the inability of the previous administrations in the state to take serious actions to curtail their activities.

Invasion

In his testimony, the Head of Surgery of ABUTH, Professor Adamu Ahmed, narrated how soldiers, along with some policemen in a convoy of trucks, invaded the hospital premises and headed for the mortuary, where they drove all the mortuary workers away on December 13 last year. He said they prevented access to the mortuary and remained there until the following day when they left.

Ahmed said the hospital authorities had no idea what the army and the police came to do at the mortuary, adding that the authorities of the hospital did not see what the soldiers came with and what they left with. But he said there was nothing unusual in the mortuary after they left.

Army

The Nigerian Army, in its submission before the commission, maintained that the situation would have been avoidable if the Shiite members had cooperated and obeyed the army. Testifying before the commission, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, said the Shiite members rejected all entreaties and efforts by the army to handle the situation in a peaceful manner. He explained that it took three days and many casualties for the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheik Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, to be arrested and taken into custody, stressing that after the COAS had passed, there were reports that members of the movement were mobilising to launch an attack.

Oyebade said based on that report, he moved round Zaria town in the evening and discovered that the Shiite members had started gathering around the Gyallesu area and at their Hussainiya headquarters, armed with all sorts of weapons, adding that he quickly ordered his men to go to the locations, which they searched and retrieved deadly weapons from the Shiite members so as to avoid violence.

The GOC further told the commission that his men, including some officers, came under attack from the Shi’ites. He said from the night of December 12, his men had to use public address systems to inform the Shi’ites members of the mission of the army and urged the sect members to submit themselves for the search. He said the effort was not effective, as the Shiites attacked soldiers who came for the search and threw petrol bombs at them.

Oyebade said in the course of explaining to the group why they should submit themselves for the search, the leader of the troop, Col Babayo, was stabbed by a lady member of the group.

The GOC said it was at that point that the soldiers took measures

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Oyebade said on the third day of the incident, having seen the futility of their action, one of the leaders of the sect came out from El-Zakzaky’s residence and said the army could now go in and take the sect leader.

“All these would not have happened if they had allowed us to carry out our search,” he said, explaining that El-Zakzaky injured in the course of the efforts to arrest him and after his arrest, he was taken to a health facility given the best medical attention available there. He was later transferred to other health facilities within and outside Zaria, Oyebade stated.

He added that following the sect’s leader’s arrest, the army withdrew to the outskirts, bringing the cordon and search operation to an end on December 14.

“What we saw were very violent extremist group willing to take on the state and they did that so strongly. I’ve been involved in operations in Sierra Leone and Liberia but I have not seen anything as bloody as what as I saw in Zaria, I have never been involved in anything as bloody as what I saw in Zaria,” he said.

Also testifying, the Director of Administration, Nigerian Army, Maj. General A.B Abubakar, said he had every good reason to believe there was a plan by the Shiite group to eliminate the COAS. He said while others were allowed to pass, immediately it became obvious that the army chief was about to pass, some youths blocked the road. He added that while his men tried to persuade the Shiite members to clear the road, gunshots were heard coming from their Hussainiya headquarters and the soldiers had to act to save the COAS in line with Army Act. According to him, people died as a result of fire outbreak and the stampede that resulted from trying to avoid the fire.

Testifying also, the Acting Provost Marshal of the Nigeria Army, Brigadier Ayuba Ted Hamman, said it was the Shiites that first attacked the Army after blocking the roads to prevent the COAS from passing through the route.

Nigeria Police

The Nigeria Police and the State Security Services, in their separate testimonies before the commission, alleged that the Islamic movement had no regard for constituted authority. They alleged that the group was being funded by Iran and Iraq was operating a state within a state with outright disregard for constituted authority.

Testifying on behalf of the Nigerian Police, Kenneth Dika, a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a lawyer, said the IMN did not recognise the police. Responding to questions under cross examination, Dika maintained that the Shiite had become a formidable organisation with arms and had refused to submit themselves to the authorities, adding, “Like the Boko Haram, if you trace the history of the Shiite, you will find that they have become difficult.”

He admitted that the police were aware of the activities of the Islamic group over the years, including complains by some residents of Sabon Gari, Zaria, but said there was nothing much the police could do to check their excesses. He alleged that members of the Islamic group did not honour police invitations and were always in the habit of resisting arrest.

“The usual altercation between the Shiite and police are: Non-recognition of police as a constituted authority, dishonouring of police invitations for whatever reason whenever invited, and resistance of arrest whenever any of them is reported to have committed an offence,” the police alleged in its memorandum to the commission.

It alleged further that the group was being funded by Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and the Lebanese community in Nigeria.

The police urged the federal government to “control the source of external funds for the sect, especially from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Lebanese community in Nigeria.”

Asked whether the Nigerian Army informed the Police of the COAS’s visit to Zaria, Dika said the army did not inform the police of Buratai’s visit to Zaria on December 12, 2015, until during the face-off that erupted with the Shiites. He said it was during the confrontation with the Shiites that the Army contacted the Inspector General of Police and the IGP contacted the Kaduna State Commissioner of

Ibrahim Taiwo Road, Kaduna adding that 14 of them were brought with serious injuries.

He said one of the suspects died as a result of the injuries while nine others were granted bail, adding that currently, 182 of the suspects are in prison.

Confirming that the suspects were being tried in prison under cross examination, Garba said the trial had to take place in prison because of logistic challenges and the security implication of trying such a large number of suspects in the open court. He said efforts were being made for the trial to continue in an opened court in the next appearance.

SSS

El-zaky zaky Police who gave directives to the police Area Commander in Zaria.

He stated that the police was not aware of a mass burial given to victims of the incident, adding that investigations were still going on to determine the casualty figure.

Dika disclosed that on December 13, 2015, a total of 270 suspects were handed over to the police by the military out of which 189 were arraigned before Chief Magistrate’s Court 1, Kaduna, for criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, rioting, unlawful possession of fire arms, etc., while 81 others, mostly women and juveniles, were released on bail.

The police said that investigations conducted so far revealed that casualties were recorded on both sides.

“Investigations conducted so far revealed the following: that the clash was caused by the Shiite religious sect in Zaria, headed by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who blocked the road when the Chief of Army Staff was going to attend the Passing Out Parade of the 73 Regular Recruit Intake (of the Nigerian Army)and also to visit the Emir of Zairia and all appeals made by the military and the police to the Shiite group to allow the military safe passage were not heeded. “That during the blockade, the Shiite religious group threw stones and fired catapult at the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff and some of them were alleged to have fired some explosives at the military.

“That the military in the bid to have safe passage for the Chief of Army Staff, fired some shots to disperse the members of the sect who refused to allow the Chief of Army Staff safe passage.”

Also chronicling various activities of the Shiite, the police said on May 16, 2014, the former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Ramalan Yero, was made to disembark from his vehicle and walk to an associate’s residence because he was stopped by followers of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky who unlawfully blocked the entry gate the former governor was to use.

The police said on May 7 and 8, 2015, violence broke out in Gyellesu community in Zaria when residents of the area insisted on dismantling illegal road blocks that were mounted by Shiite members, adding that in the ensuing fracas, one Mallam Ibrahim Dogo was stabbed to death.

The police disclosed that some of the items recovered from the Shiite members and handed over to the police by the army included one locally made gun, two pieces of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), 70 swords, 21 pieces of arrow, 17 pieces of bows, seven locally made revolver pistols, 40 pieces of catapult, 40 cell phones, 1,200 assorted SIM cards, three pairs of ceremonial uniforms, 57 pieces of white GD belts, 18 pieces of communication handsets, among others.

Prisons

In his submission before the commission, the Kaduna State Comptroller of Prisons, Alhaji Abubakar Garba, said a total of 191 suspects were brought to the Kaduna prisons for remand from the Chief Magistrate’s Court,

On its part, the SSS officer in charge of Sabon Gari, Zaria, Mohammed Usman, who presented the service’s memo before the commission alleged that the Shiites had no respect for the sovereignty of Nigeria.

“They don’t believe in the sovereignty of Nigeria, they have their flags. IMN is a state within a state. They have strong affiliation with Iraq and Iran due to the fact that these countries have a large population of Shiite members.

“I am aware of complaints of residents of Sabon Gari about them. When people come to complain to me about them, I persuade them to bear the situation because when the IMN officials are invited for a chat, they don’t come,” Gari said.

Boycott

IMN had declared during the inauguration of the commission that it would not appear before the panel unless certain conditions were met. The group alleged that some members of the panel were clearly anti-Shiite, saying they will not get justice with some people who are known to be against the movement on the panel.

In one of their statements on January 17, they demanded the unconditional release of their leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, as a condition for appearing before the commission.

The statement signed by its spokesman, Ibrahim Musa, said, “The movement believes in the justness of its cause and the fact that the events that led to the setting up of the judicial commission are premeditated, and will appear before the judicial commission of inquiry only on the following conditions: “That the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria should be released unconditionally.

The Nigerian government is holding the leader of the movement incommunicado knowing that he is the custodian of the documents of the movement and has to give direction to the movement in the preparation of its memorandum and the assembling of its witnesses.

“The Nigerian military and the Nigeria Police must make a full disclosure of the number of persons in their various detention centres and grant lawyers of the movement access to most of them. This is because the movement has credible evidence that a large number of its members are still in detention in military facilities and detention centres.

“The Nigerian military and the Nigeria Police must also make full disclosure of the number of persons they took to the various hospitals and the locations of the hospitals to enable the lawyers of the movement have access to them and interview them preparatory to the inauguration of the commission.

“The commission of inquiry must also give full assurance that the members of the movement that will give evidence will be fully protected.”

Other conditions include that the Kaduna State government and the Kaduna State Police Command must disclose the number of persons they have charged to court and the number of persons in prison custody.

Panel Members

Members of the panel, which is headed by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, the presiding Justice of the Port Harcourt Division of the Court of Appeal, include Professor Salihu Shehu, a lecturer at the Bayero University, Kano; Prof. Umar Labdo, a lecturer at the Northwest University, Kano; Mallam Salihu Abubakar, a former director of the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; and Prof. Auwalu Yadudu, a professor of Law and former special adviser on legal matters to the government of the late Head

of State, Gen. Sani Abacha; and Mr. Afakirya Gadzama, a commissioner.

Others are Mr. Gadzama, a former directorgeneral of the Department of State Services; Brig-Gen. Aminun-Kano Maude (rtd); Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim; Mrs. Khadijah Hawaja Gambo; Mr. Bilya Bala, Editor-in-Chief of the People’s Daily newspapers; Maj-Gen Alexander Anjili Mshelbwala ( rtd); and Mrs. Desire Deseye Nsirim, a retired Commissioner of Police.

The Director of the Centre for Islamic Legal Studies, Institute of Administration, Zaria, Dr. Bala Babaji, is the secretary to the commission.

Although at the commencement proceedings at the commission, efforts were made by the commission to ensure that counsels to the IMN met with the leader of the movement.

But the lawyers eventually withdrew from appearing before the commission when such efforts did not yield any positive results.

Reaction

But reacting to the insinuations that the panel may not be fair to the Shiites, the chairman,Justice Muhammad Garba Lawal, said the Islamic group could not be compelled to appear before the commission.

In an interview with journalists in Kaduna, Justice Lawal said the commission had been fair to all the parties involved in the clashes by asking them to come and present their stories, stressing that the commission cannot compel anyone who chooses not appear before it.

According to him, the commission is only required to provide the opportunity for the parties to come and present their side of the story, adding that it does not have the power to compel anyone to come.

He said it was the commission that facilitated IMN members’ access to their leader.

Detention

On Wednesday, counsels to the IMN announced that the Shiite leader was detained at the headquarters of the DSS in Abuja. At a news conference in Kaduna, the lead counsel, Mr. Festus Okoye, disclosed that they met with El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat, in detention, adding that he had lost his left eye while his left hand was partially paralysed following alleged brutality by the army.

Okoye revealed further Zakzaky and his wife were shot by soldiers who raided their Gyallesu residence during the December 12 to 14, 2015 bloody clash, which led to the death of several members of the movement..

He said during the meeting with the Shiite leader, the legal team discussed the on-going panel set up by the Kaduna State government on the Zaria clash with him, saying that Zakzaky was not aware of the commission.

He disclosed that the Shiite leader instructed them to institute a case against the Army, the federal government, and the Kaduna State government as well as against his continued detention at the DSS at the regular court.

Okoye said the IMN leader expressed his reservation about the Shiites putting up appearance before the commission of inquiry considering the composition of members of the commission and the fact that the Nigerian Army is a federal institution not subject to the control of the Kaduna government and its agencies.

“He instructed us to challenge the composition of the commission and its impartiality in the court and also instructed that we file an application to enforce his fundamental rights, which we agreed has been and are being infringed upon by his continued detention without trial and without been informed of the basis upon which he was being detained,” Okoye said.

Okoye said based on the instructions, the IMN has instituted N2 billion suit against the federal government and its institutions for the abuse of the rights of the leader of the sect and the destruction of his residents.

With the doubts by IMN about the commission of inquiry, many believe the Kaduna State and federal governments would need additional strategies to achieve lasting solution to the conflict between the Shiites, on the one hand, and the military and civil authorities, on the other.

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When Stakeholders Converged to Strengthen Migration Management Recently, the Nigeria Immigration Service held its 2016 Comptroller General Annual Conference and Stakeholders Interactive Forum in Lafia, Nasarawa State. Yemi Akinsuyi writes on the event which delved into the management of migration in Nigeria.

T

he Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, saddled with the responsibility of the management of migration in the country, is believed to be lagging in this crucial service to the nation.

This onerous responsibility affects all areas and aspects of Nigeria. The economy, safety and security, national planning, growth and development, food, to mention but few, are impacted by migration.

Bearing in mind this all-important aspect of the country, stakeholders, led by the Comptroller General of Immigration, Martin Kure Abeshi, the Minister for Interior, retired Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau, who also represented President Muhammadu Buhari, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Bassey Okon Ekpanyung, Amb. Maitama Sule, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, Head EU Delegation to Nigeria, Amb. Michael Arrion, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, and a host of others, gathered in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital to brainstorm on how to strengthen migration services.

The event had as its objectives to share knowledge and experience on global best practices in modern migration management, and create a platform for the NIS management to brainstorm and compare notes on the role of the NIS in the security matrix of the country with a view to intensifying efforts towards containing the challenges of trans-border crimes, including terrorism.

It was also to review the activities and operations of the service in view of the recent operational reforms with a view to fashioning out more pragmatic approaches in discharging the NIS mandate, in line with international best practices and sensitize senior officers and strategic stakeholders on the major innovations brought about by the Immigration Act, 2015 as well as mapping out strategies for seamless implementation of the provisions of the new enabling legislation.

The theme of the three-day conference- Migration Management: Prospects and Challenges - and the reactions generated from papers presented among participants attested to the aptness of the subject matter, especially at this particular point in time.

Declaring the conference open, Minister of Interior and representative of the President, Lt. Gen Dambazau, congratulated the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) for the new legislation, the Immigration Act, 2015 which has effectively positioned the NIS to respond to the increasing challenges of modern Migration Management. He maintained that the achievements so far recorded by the NIS in the areas of Border Management and Control, Passport issuance and Administration, Internal Monitoring and Control of migrants are great attestations of the continuous relevance of the NIS in the security matrix of the country.

He, however, called on the NIS to upgrade its fight against irregular migration, considering its attendant challenges as expressed in transnational organized crimes such as cross border arms smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking, cross border banditry and indeed, terrorism.

Abeshi, in his welcome address, said effective and efficient management of migration has become a key and potent tool nations use to remain relevant in a fast changing global arena.

He stressed that Migration Management must be seen as a cooperative venture which demands consistent dialogue and partnership among all interested stakeholders to enhance the development of comprehensive and balanced Migration Management policies.

The CG further remarked that the Nigeria Immigration Service under his leadership had continued to ensure that no irregular migrant is allowed to remain in the country a day longer than necessary. He however, regretted that the numerous illegal border crossing points, un-demarcated/poorly marked borders, inadequate funding and inadequate personnel have continued to pose some challenges to effective and efficient Migration Management.

In his goodwill message, Governor of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Umaru Tanko Almakura, who hosted the conference, and was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Silas Agarrah, commended the Nigeria Immigration Service for creating a platform such as the 2016 Annual Conference to enable critical Stakeholders in Migration Management to harmonise positions on better approaches to manage global migration.

He observed that one aspect of a state’s responsibility to protect its own population and territory is the authority to determine who may enter and remain. In exercising this sovereign responsibility, most states have pursued a primarily unilateral approach to migration, with the general tendency

Dambazzau

Comptroller General of Immigration, Abeshi

to develop ad-hoc strategies on migration issues to respond to domestic needs and interests.

The governor further remarked that states have come to realize that nearly all states are simultaneously countries of origin, transit and destination and in order to manage Migration for the benefit of all, they need to shift from isolated and uni-sectoral focus to more comprehensive approaches.

Almakura enjoined Federal Government to evolve more collaborative policies that will guarantee improved operational performance of the Nigeria Immigration Service and position it as a veritable vehicle for attracting more Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

He therefore, called for enhanced funding for the NIS, more thoroughness in Passport issuance and administration as well as greater synergy between the NIS, foreign embassies and other stakeholders in Migration Management.

IOM Chief of Mission in Nigeria, Ms. Enira Krdzalic, hailed the Nigeria Immigration Service for the aptness of the theme of the conference considering the fact that Migration has assumed a huge phenomenon in many global discourses. She stressed that the partnership between the NIS and IOM has been very rewarding, especially within the framework of the European Union funded project - Promoting Better Management of Migration in Nigeria (PBMMN). She pledged IOM’s commitment for more constructive engagement with the NIS for better Migration Management approaches.

Speaking on the topic ‘Identifying the ‘Nexus between the Working Conditions of Security Personnel and Patriotism at our Borders’: Amb. Maitama Sule, thrilled participants with his ever fresh oratory prowess calling on participants to make conscious efforts to return Nigeria back to its glorious days of unity, progress and uncommon patriotism.

He maintained that the current vices of arm banditry, kidnappings, looting of treasury and political impunity are serious departure from the path the founding fathers of the country envisioned for our general good. He therefore, called on all to support the present government in its efforts at restoring hope, peace and progress to our country.

In her presentation entitled ‘Migration Management through Legislation’, Senator Monsurat Sumonu, who was represented by her Senior Legislative Aide, Hon. Ashamu Temi, talked about the need for the NIS to embrace modern technological capabilities to be able to effectively man the country’s expansive and extensive borderlines. She pledged the commitment of the National Assembly to assist the NIS in pushing for enabling legislations and adequate funding for enhanced performance so as to deliver on its statutory functions.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, who spoke on “Immigration Practices and Visa Reforms: Migration between the UK and Nigeria, a Well Travelled Path”, said Migration had remained a huge challenge to many nations, stressing that a significant issue facing all our nations is the ongoing tragedy of those crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.

“The number of persons engaged in this irregular movement for various migratory aspirations, including those seeking asylum is estimated by IOM to be 1,103,496 in 2015 alone,”

Arkwright, who was represented by Ms. Janki Miles, Head of Migration, said.

She noted that amongst the large number of Nigerians who travel back and forth to the UK, there is a very small proportion who had overstayed their visas, thereby breaking British Immigration Laws. She also reiterated that the UK Government was determined to tackle irregular immigration because of its multiplier effect on the domestic labour market, wages as well as negative impact on housing and public services.

In his paper, “IOM Cooperation with Nigeria Immigration Service Through International Partnerships, Charles Harns, IOM – Nigeria’s Consultant on Immigration and Border Management, submitted that the purposes of Migration Management are for national and regional development, security, promotion and protection of rights of migrants, and enhancing cooperation in other spheres of international relations.

He also listed the processes of Migration Management to include proceeding always with an abiding respect for human rights, proceeding in partnership with other states and key actors and proceeding under the guidance of common international standards and practices.

Harns noted that the partnership between the NIS and IOM had grown in bounds and had led to some capacity building projects for the NIS, establishment of Border Data Systems at Land Borders, Improvement to Migrant Screening Centre Facilities for the NIS, among others.

Delivering his paper entitled “Examining Templates for a Uniform Process in the Inspection of Companies, Investigation and Status Report Writing”, DCG J.O Olaitan (Rtd) thrilled participants with a robust intellectual excursion into all it takes to evolve a standardized companies inspection exercises, investigation and report writing processes and procedures.

The Presentation was not only very scholarly but the richness of the content and interest generated was simply amazing.

Differentiating between investigation and companies’ inspection, Olaitan, submitted that “while investigation can be specific and targeted at unraveling the veracity of an allegation against just an expatriate for instance, inspection of companies will require an all encompassing information about their general operations and examination of the Immigration Status of all serving foreign employees in that organization”.

Another major feature of the conference was the constitution of three syndicates which among others, deliberated extensively on major areas of the statutory functions of the NIS and made far reaching recommendations. Each of the groups had specific topic which centred on the theme of the conference assigned to them for a much more interactive sessions.

Syndicate One dwelt on the UK/EU Migration Management Experiences and Lessons to be Learned, Syndicate Two deliberated on Strategies for Modern Border Management: Possibilities for Private Public Partnerships. Syndicate Three had their discussions on the topic How to Effectively Implement the Immigration Act, 2015. At the end of discussions and deliberations, a number of resolutions were reached.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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Enugu: Gladiators Set for Showdown Ahead of PDP Congress Political gladiators in Enugu State have commenced underground moves to try to outwit each other ahead of the ward, local government, and state congresses of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party in the state. Christopher Isiguzo writes

A

head of the state congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party, the political temperature in Enugu, the Coal City State, which had been low in recent times, is gradually rising.

Major political actors within the party have commenced underground moves to try to outsmart one another in the forthcoming political outing.

The congresses are where state executives and delegates to the national convention of the now opposition party at the national level are expected to be elected.

With eyes on the 2019 general election, most stakeholders are already packaging their political godsons and goddaughters with a view to ensuring that they secured important positions in the state executive. This is in order not to lose out in the next general election and to avoid the political struggle and squabbles that rocked the state in the build-up to the last general election.

Gladiators

A critical look at the political activities across the 17 local government areas of the state shows that all eyes are on the major political gladiators, including the national leader of the party and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is PDP’s highest ranking political office holder at the moment, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the party leader in the state, as well as members of the National Assembly and other notable party chieftains.

Though none of the political leaders is yet to give a signal as to the direction of the pendulum, those eager to secure positions are not leaving anything to chance. At the moment, both Ekweremadu and Ugwuanyi are keeping their cards close to their chests. The governor was recently quoted as saying the “time is not yet ripe for endorsements.”

Ordinarily, most political watchers had almost concluded that since the PDP had lost out at the federal level, there may not be much to clamour for any more, more so with the array of leaders that had dumped the party and embraced a ruling All Progressives Congress. But the reverse is the case.

Since the timelines for the 2016 chapter congresses and national convention of the party was released, the now opposition party that had led Nigeria for 16 years has been full of activities and trepidation.

Some have wondered what is still relevant or interesting in a political party that was recently defeated in a national election, negatively branded by the ruling APC, and torn by internal crisis. But beneath the façade of weakness lies a great potential for revival.

Household Name

PDP is presently witnessing an upsurge of interest in the leadership of the party both at the national and state levels. In Enugu State, PDP is a household name, a bold brand with a towering image of the best appreciated political party. There are many reasons why the PDP is prominent in the state. One is that since the return to democracy in 1999, the PDP has won about 90 per cent of all elections in the state.

Secondly, the people appear to be at home with the party in the state due to what some have described as effective delivery of the dividends of democracy in terms of physical infrastructure and human empowerment. The party has produced the three governors that have governed the state since 1999, namely, Senator Chimaraoke Nnamani, Mr. Sullivan Chime, and now Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who assumed office about 11 months ago.

It has been difficult for any other political party to make inroads into the state. PDP in Enugu State has produced the president and deputy president of the senate in the Fourth Republic. They include former Senate President Ken Nnamani and incumbent Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.

There is no doubt that the question of who leads the PDP in Enugu State is bound to generate tension. Stakeholders hope that the tensions would lead to the emergence of the best candidates as leaders of PDP in the state.

With the advent of APC in Nigerian politics, the PDP as an opposition party is becoming more aware of its challenges and the possible consequence of any mistakes in the choice of its party leaders. Though, APC does not seem to be major threat to the PDP-dominated Enugu State, the PDP is being careful in its choices.

Zoning

At the moment, no fewer than 10 politicians have shown

Sheriff

interest in the chairmanship of PDP in the state. They include, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, a former commissioner in the state, Dons Ude, Frank Anioma, Steve Oruruo, Chijioke Ugwueze, Jerry Eneh and Enoch Agbo.

However, while the main gladiators are yet to show direction, some issues that might ultimately decide where the pendulum would swing have started playing out. For instance, there appears to be an unwritten understanding that the next chairman must come from Enugu East senatorial zone since the other two zones, Enugu North and Enugu West, have already produced the governor and deputy governor, respectively. While the present state chairman, Ikeje Asogwa hails from Igboeze South in Enugu North senatorial zone, his predecessor and now Igwe Onyioha Nwanjoku, hails from Aninri in Enugu West senatorial zone. Many feel it is natural for the position to go to the remaining zone.

Enugu East with six local government areas. But is also been discussed in most circles that Enugu South local government stands out of the rest in view of the absence of notable political office holders from the area. For instance, while Nkanu East and Nkanu West federal constituency already shared the position of Secretary to the State Government and a member of the House of Representatives among themselves, Enugu-East/Isiuzo federal constituency also produced the senator representing the zone as well as the speaker for (Enugu East) and a member of the House of Representatives (Isiuzo). Coming to the remaining federal constituency, Enugu South/Enugu North, aside the House of Representatives seat presently occupied by Hon. Chime Oji from Enugu North council, no other meaningful position has come to the area in the present administration, making Enugu South council appear more like an orphan.

Many expect that when the leaders and stakeholders finally take their decision on where the next chairman should come from, Enugu South would stand out. This is more so with the understanding that the position should be for a core Nkanu man.

With the array of contenders, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, stands out. Those who know him say he is a man of uncommon humility who believes that power belongs to God. He is a man of many political parts, who has withered political storms in the state and is widely believed to possess the qualities for a good leader of PDP. Ogbodo was not just a founding member of the PDP by 1998, but he was visited with a baptism of fire while trying to guard against derailing the philosophy of the party at the implementation stages of the administration of the party in the state. That was shortly after it emerged victorious from the 1999 elections. He was later to be depended upon when the party experienced turbulence in the state before the 2003 elections.

Sagacity as a product of experience is what goes for Ogbodo. His prowess in both executive and political party administrations are selling points for a man many believe is

Ogbodo

needed to unite various shades of political opinion in the state.

Ogbodo was a unionist as a banker before his resignation and entry into politics. By 1998 he joined the founding members of PDP in Enugu State to consummate the structure of the then emerging party. He became the governorship campaign anchor for Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani who was became governor of Enugu State in 1999 on the platform of PDP. He was made Commissioner for Finance in the state, but he later left the position on principle. He later became Commissioner for Lands in that administration and played a vital role in stabilising PDP within the period.

Ogbodo has tested opposition politics within the PDP when he was a state chairman of the PDP during the time the then National Secretary of the Party, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Senator Jim Nwobodo, then Minister of State for foreign Affairs Dubem Onyia, among others in the PDP decided to check the excesses of the then Governor Chimaroke Nnamani by forming a parallel faction of the party in the state.

Ogbodo’s choice as chairman of the faction was because of his spread of contacts in the three senatorial districts of the state, which he has continued to maintain till date. He will be relying on that experience and structure to make the state a truly PDP stronghold if he eventually becomes the state chairman of the party.

Other factors going for Ogbodo is the issue of zoning, which PDP has maintained as guiding principle. Ogbodo is from the core Enugu East senatorial zone where the party’s chairmanship has been zoned to. He is from Enugu South local government, the hotbed of Enugu politics and a local government currently yearning for equity in the distribution of positions in the state.

Ogbodo is said to be Ugwuanyi’s former schoolmate at Saint Theresa’s College (STC) Nsukka, an advantage that may work in his favour when it comes to the governor choosing whom he had known over the years and could trust.

One thing that may however work against Ogbodo is his independent-minded posture. Many believe it is difficult to convince him on issues contradictory to his Christian faith.

Ordinarily, that should be an advantage but in the political terrain a lot of flexibility is required.

Another politician that is also set to take active part in the process is the party’s state secretary, Steve Oruruo, who is also seen as possessing the necessary credentials to clinch the position. Though, he may not be favoured by some of the main variables that may eventually decide where the pendulum would swing in view of the fact that he is from Nkanu West considered to have already gotten their fair share.

However, the fact remains that the PDP is set to up the ante by ensuring that any form of imposition is totally banished from their system considering the report of the Ekweremadu reform committee, which stated that one of the core reasons for the party’s loss at the centre was imposition of candidates in the elections.

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CICERO/INTERVIEW

Dziggau: Kidnappers, Other Criminals Have Taken over Highways, While Govt is in Cities Rev. Emmanuel Dziggau, 63, is President of the United Church of Christ in Nigeria (UCCN). He was among the clergymen recently abducted by alleged Fulani herdsmen in Kaduna State and held for nine days before they were released. In this interview with John Shiklam, in Kaduna, Dziggau speaks on his traumatic experience at the hands of the kidnappers and the need for government to secure the highways and bushes.

Excerpts:

H

ow were you abducted?

It happened when we went to work on a piece of land we have along the Abuja expressway. We bought the place for the church about 15 years ago and we wanted to clear it. The church plans to build a seminary there, so as a leader of the church, I wanted to start the project before my tenure expires.

So we arranged for a bulldozer and we went there and started clearing the place on Saturday (March 12, 2016). We went back again on Monday (March 14) to continue with the work.

Everything went on smoothly again until when we were on our way back home around 4pm. Myself, my vice president, Rev. Iliya Anto (who died after he was abandoned by the kidnappers), and Rev. Yakubu Dzarma were driving out of the place. We wanted to see the community leader of a village around the area before attending a wake keep in Television area (of Kaduna city) of one of our members who died.

We were just driving out when these people came out from a nearby mango tree. They immediately surrounded us. We wanted to escape, but there was no way we could escape, because they had already rounded us up. They ordered us out of our cars. They were many and they started beating us and ordered us to follow one bush path.

They were about 16 and were armed with guns. About 12 of them were carrying AK47 riffles while others were carrying cutlasses.

We started trekking into the bush with them. After sometime, they asked us to pull up our clothes. They were beating us. Rev. Iliya Anto was resisting because he was not feeling fine. He told them that he will not follow them because he is not well, but they were beating him, insisting that he must follow them. We got to a point that he could not move and they wanted to kill him. But I begged them and pleaded with them not to kill him.

Later we left and they gave him N500 and dropped his clothes for him.

When they met us far ahead, they told us that the man refused to walk and they killed him. But they later told us that they didn’t kill, they said if they had killed him, we would have heard gun shots, so I believe they abandoned him there. From there, there was no information related to him.

We kept on trekking towards west and east, we spent 24 hours night and day trekking. I was not having shoes; I left my shoes in the car so my legs became swollen. We got to their camp and we stayed there with them.

How does the place look like?

Was it just a forest or some kind of shelter?

The Fulani kind of shelter, a hut thatched with leaves. The leaves were even dried and had fallen so we had to get fresh leaves to cover the hut. It rained one day and they had to bring something to cover the place.

Do you think they were they

of Indian hemp and they take a lot of hard drugs to make them charge. We are praying for them.

Did they threaten to kill you if the ransom was not paid?

Yes, they threatened to kill us on three occasions but some of them kicked against it, saying we are elderly people and they are sympathising with us. That gave us some hope that one day they will release us.

There was a time we almost gave up. We were hopeless and wondered whether we were going to survive.

My colleague (Rev. Dzarma) refused to eat the food they gave us, saying that it was a waste eating the food since we were going to die. But God in his infinite mercy changed the direction of everything. We are grateful to God for sparing our lives.

Dziggau

Fulani?

No doubt, they were Fulani. They were speaking Fulani language. We understand their language.

Was it only two of you that they abducted or were there other people you met at their hideout?

I will not know because there were different huts across the bush. So if they were holding anybody in any of the huts, I would not know. They told us that people don’t stay with them for long. They said normally people pay ransom between two and three days and they are released. Later on, they abducted four girls who met us there.

We stayed with the girls for some days then we left.

Do you know if the bush was within or outside Kaduna State?

Unless you know the geography of the area, you wouldn’t say. But I think it is a part of Kaduna, Abuja and Niger State. You cannot precisely say it is located in one state. It very, very far from the Kaduna- Abuja expressway.

How did they treat you?

They were nice. I left my shoes in the car when we were abducted and my legs were swollen as we were trekking. They went and bought drugs for me to ease the pain. There was water that was not good and we were not bathing. They gave us food: rice and beans. They were the ones doing the cooking. That food was just to sustain our lives. We drank the water in the river where cows also drink from.

When we were about to depart, they begged us to forgive them. While they were driving us on a bike, they gave

us their guns to hold for them. They were smoking Indian hemp as they rode on the bikes. When we came to the point where they dropped us, they said, “Baba, please, forgive us if we treated you badly.” We thank them for releasing us and even embraced ourselves, they were crying and we also broke down in tears. They gave us N2, 000 each to go by the main road and transport ourselves home. They even advised us to buy water and drink to regain our strength.

Have you forgiven them?

Of course, I have forgiven them.

So if you see them you will not call for their arrest?

How can I see them and identify them when they covered their faces throughout. They were wearing masks the day they kidnapped us. Throughout the period they held us captive, they made sure that we don’t see their faces. If they wanted to speak to us they will never allow us to have eye contact with them. They will turn their backs half way to speak with us. Some of them wore the masks throughout because they don’t want to be identified.

When we were chatting with them in the bush, they asked us to pray for them so that they will come out of this mess. They know that what they are doing is not good. But they said the economic condition pushed them into it. They said they didn’t have money and they didn’t have any means of livelihood. They said their cows had all gone, so they had to look for means of survival. The main issue is that they are looking for food. They smoke a lot

How were you released, was the ransom paid?

We don’t know what they decided with our brethren that they were communicating with. So they came on the morning of that fateful day and told us that they were going to release us. We didn’t take their word seriously, but the following day, they released us. They took us out of their den to the main road. They took us on motorbike to the main road; the trip lasted for four hours. They dropped us about three kilometres away from the Kaduna –Abuja expressway.

We couldn’t walk properly because throughout the period they held us, we didn’t move anywhere, we were just kept in one place except when we wanted to ease ourselves, they will escort us. We had to cut sticks to support us as we moved.

Based on your experience at the hands of the kidnappers, what would you advise the government?

The responsibility of the state is to protect the citizens. We need an efficient and proactive security system.

Government should pay serious attention to security. If we had an efficient security system, the kidnappers would not have succeeded because the security agencies would have located them in the bush before they took us too far. We were trekking in the bush for 24 hours; the police would have used a helicopter to locate us. Things are going to be very difficult if government does not address this issue of kidnapping and other violent crimes.

Unless they do something about this, a time will come when nobody will drive on the highways because of the activities of kidnappers and armed bandits.

As it is now, criminals seem to be in control of the highways and bushes while governors are in control of the cities. Many people are being kidnapped frequently. Look at where we were abducted! It is very close to the city, we spent hours trekking in the bush. The police in Kaduna have a helicopter, they could have used the helicopter to locate and free us. So I want to appeal to governments at all levels to take the issue of security very seriously or else it will consume all of us.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

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The Emerging Twists in Saraki’s Trial The trial of the Senate President continued last week with daily sittings of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Tobi Soniyi, who has been covering the trial, highlights the major issues of the week at the tribunal

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hat dominated the media last week were the testimonies of the prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas, in the Senate President Saraki’s trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the reports alleging that the Tribunal chairman, Justice Danladi Umar, had been cleared by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over bribery allegation.

When the defence team cross examined Wetkas, his testimonies showed glaringly that the Code of Conduct Bureau appeared ill-equipped to investigate the complexities involved in tracing assets of public officers and that the time had come for the investigation unit of the bureau to be strengthened otherwise the it will have to rely on outsourcing to trace public servants’ hidden assets.

One of the revelations was the non-investigation of the petitions alleging false assets declaration against Saraki as well as his assets declaration forms. The investigators also neither met Saraki for interrogation nor obtained statement from him, according to, Wetkas, the key prosecution witness, who led the investigation of the case before it went to trial.

Wetkas is an official of the EFCC. The Senate President, the investigator said, was only investigated through his bank accounts on money laundering and not assets declaration before bringing him to trial. Even then, the EFCC never had the opening package and the financial statement of his alleged foreign account. Specifically, Wetkas was cross examined by Saraki’s counsel, Paul Usoro, SAN based on count 11 of the charge which borders on foreign accounts operation when Saraki was the governor of Kwara State. He admitted the count did not border on assets declaration, but money laundering, whereas the Senate President is standing trial for alleged false declaration of assets. Wetkas told the Danladi Umar tribunal that his team did not investigate the petitions listed as Exhibits 11, 12 and 13 which form the basis for prosecuting the Senate President for false assets declaration. The defence had shown the exhibits to him and consequently cross-examined him about them.

Wetkas said that the petitions pertaining to the three exhibits were not investigated.

Exhibit 11, which was dated May 22, 2012, contained a petition written by the Kwara Freedom Network inviting the EFCC to investigate the Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board.

The witness had, while giving evidence in chief, told the tribunal that the petition by the Kwara Freedom Network triggered the investigation.

He, however, turned around during cross-examination to say that his team did not investigate the petition.

Exhibit 12, which was dated May 7, 2011, was addressed to the Chairman of the EFCC asking the anti-graft agency to investigate the Kwara State Government on borrowings for projects described as phoney.

Exhibit 13 was a petition, dated June 7, 2012, which dwelt on the mismanagement of local government revenue in Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.When asked whether in the course of investigation, he had sought audience to speak with the Accountant General of Kwara State, the witness said he did not as that was not part of his assignment.

Also asked whether he invited any official of the Kwara State Government in the course of the investigation, the witness said he did not. Asked whether he got another written document to buttress the petition written by the Kwara Freedom Network, the witness said he did not.

When further asked why he tendered documents he did not investigate, the witness said he did not tender the exhibits on his own but that they were tendered through him by the prosecution.

Also under cross-examination, the witness admitted that investigating the assets declared by the defendant did not form part of his schedule of duty. He also admitted that Exhibits 3, 4 and 5, being the asset declaration forms of the defendant, were duly examined and stamped by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and not the EFCC, his employer.

He added that there was nowhere in the petition he investigated where Saraki’s assets declaration was in contention. He added that the investigation of the defendant was based on an intelligence report obtained by a former Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, and not the three petitions tendered as exhibits.

The witness stated that the six assets declaration forms submitted by Saraki to the CCB were never investigated by his team, explaining that his team was directed to investigate the intelligence report alone. The two missteps, premising a trial of assets declaration on a testimony that is basically money laundering, and failing to investigate the key evidence – the petitions and Saraki’s assets declaration forms – by the prosecution, have led to questions being asked about the propriety of the high profile trial.

Saraki

There was also another drama during the trial last week following an exchange of words between one of Saraki’s lawyers and Justice Umar, who threatened to commit one of Saraki’s lawyers to contempt.

Oluyede had refused to sit down when Umar asked him to and even confronted the chairman over his powers to get him arrested.

“Sit down, I say sit down, sit down”, Umar shouted at him but Oluyede refused to yield to the order. Umar got angrier: “I will commit you for contempt”. An unyielding Oluyede responded, “No, you cannot “.

“Ok where are the police, arrest him, and take him out”, Umar ordered.

But for the timely intervention of the Prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs SAN, Oluyede would have been taken away.

Although the impression was initially created that Oluyede was not part of the defence team, Agabi later confirmed that he was and that the application he sought to move was approved by the defence. It was clear that the appearance of Oluyede was not quite tidy. Moreso since there was a lead counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN - one of Nigeria’s thorough bred lawyers - all processes must be filed through the lead counsel.

Saraki had after a Federal High Court in Abuja refused to disqualify Umar from his trial, applied directly to the tribunal to have its chairman disqualified.

In the application filed at the CCT’s Registry on April 19, Saraki, through his lawyer, Ajibola Oluyede, is raising the same issue of rights violation, which he canvassed in the fundamental rights enforcement suit that Justice Adamu Abadu Kafarati of the Federal High Court, Abuja dismissed in a judgment on April 15.

Saraki said he would likely not get fair trial because Umar was being investigated on allegation of corruption by the EFCC, the same agency which is conducting his (Saraki’s) prosecution before the CCT. The Senate President alleged that since the CCT Chairman was being investigated, he was likely to be manipulated by the Executive to give a judgment that would favour the prosecution. He argued that the current composition of the tribunal would not guarantee its fairness and impartiality.

Justice Kafarati, had while resolving this issue in his April 15 judgment on the suit by Saraki, marked FHC/ ABJ/CS/905/2015, noted that the anxiety being expressed

by Saraki was unfounded. And that the fear expressed by Saraki, to the effect that he would not get justice at the CCT, was speculative, misplaced and has no place in law.

Also, the report in the media last Wednesday that EFCC had said it had no evidence linking the CCT to an alleged N10 million bribe, to many, was ill-advised, ill-timed and at best a confirmation of the suspicion raised by the Senate President that some forces were behind his ordeal at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Many believe that the commission should have kept quiet

and allowed the prosecutor do his work. First, for those who have read the numerous correspondences on the issue, the report credited to the commission last week did a big damage to its credibility.

Did EFCC forget that in one of the investigative reports the former Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Larmode, sent to the then Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, Lamorde said that the CCT chairman admitted meeting with the man who accused him of collecting bribes from him at his (Danladi’s) chamber after the man had been arraigned before him and pleaded not guilty?

It was on the basis of that report that Adoke reportedly wrote to the then President Goodluck Jonathan to initiate proceedings at the National Assembly for Umar’s removal in line with the constitution.

In that same report, Lamorde said that more forensic investigation needed to be done to determine the culpability of Umar in the bribery allegation because Umar claimed to have lost his phone with which the petitioner alleged he was communicating with. Has the commission conducted the forensic investigation? In its report dated 24th June, 2014, signed by its former Executive Chairman, Lamorde, the EFCC said: “Available circumstantial evidence suggests that the Tribunal Chairman might have indeed demanded and collected money from the complainant through his Personal Assistant. “Efforts made to recover the telephone handset used by Justice Umar proved abortive, as he claimed that he had lost the telephone in 2012. Justice Umar also admitted that he met privately with the complainant in his chamber at the tribunal. This is a most unethical and highly suspicious conduct on his part.”

The commission also said that there was overwhelming evidence to prosecute Umar’s PA because he, “could offer no coherent excuse for receiving N1.8million into his salary account from Taiwo, who is an accused person standing trial at the tribunal.”

Saraki’s efforts to stop the trial have seen him fighting up to the apex court in the country. The efforts also saw the CCT Chair making the faux pas that he freed Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on false assets declaration charges in error after the Senate President’s lawyers drew a similarity between the case against their client and that of Tinubu who was discharged because the Code of Conduct Bureau failed to ask for his own side of the story on the alleged false declaration of assets made against him. There is no doubt that the drama in the Saraki case will continue to the end of the trial as the prosecution and the defence try to outsmart each other. Meanwhile, what close watchers of the case are angling for is whether justice would be seen to have been done by the Umar tribunal at the end of the day based on the evidence before it. No doubt Saraki deserves his day in court. The allegations against him are weighty. Nevertheless , he also deserves to be tried by an impartial arbiter in line with the constitution.

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CICERO/REPORT

Elechi

Umahi

Elechi, Umahi: Reopening Old Mines Benjamin Nworie, in Abakaliki, writes on the unremitting faceoff between the immediate past governor of Ebonyi State and his successor

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he feud between the former governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Martin Elechi, and his successor, Mr. David Umahi, is not yet over. Elechi continues to talk angrily about the circumstances and developments that shaped the 2015 general elections.

Reawakening Old Grouses

At Elechi’s thanksgiving service on April 3, he resurrected his grudge, saying he has “no regret” opposing Umahi’s candidature. The former governor said if a similar situation was repeated, he would still toe his line of stiff resistance to Umahi’s governorship ambition. Elechi’s argument was that Umahi was not accommodating enough to govern the state.

Since after the results of the elections were declared in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidates in the state, especially the governorship candidate, Elechi has maintained that the election was stage-managed and skewed against the Labour Party candidate.

The former governor does not seem to believe the verdicts of the tribunal, appeal court and Supreme Court that upheld Umahi’s victory. In spite of the judgements and rulings, Elechi still maintains that no such election was conducted in the state and even if conducted, it was won by his Labour Party candidate, Edward Nkwegu.

At the peak of the election, Elechi had decried that the PDP governorship primary was stage-managed and skewed against his preferred candidate, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, who was health minister, using federal might.

Continuous disgust at the emergence of Umahi at the last general election was a highpoint of Elechi’s thanksgiving service in his Ikwo council area. It was a kind of stock taking, which focused on his travails with his former deputy, Umahi. Elechi had been angered that despite his opposition, Umahi went

ahead with his governorship ambition.

Geopolitics

Elechi had wanted Senator Chris Nwankwo to return to the senate instead of Dr Sam Egwu, the former governor’s predecessor. This was where the battle line was drawn.

Elechi’s persistence seemed understandable. If Egwu had wanted to contest with his minority one local government, he could not defeat Nwankwo, Elechi’s in-law, who has three local government areas in his populous Izzi clan.

But with the alleged politics of division and clannish interest in Izzi clan at the perceived instance of Elechi’s wife, Josephine, the people of Izzi were displeased with Elechi. He lost grip on all the major nationalities in the state, especially the most populous Ezza clan.

Elechi became politically vulnerable in the state politics.

However, he was able to hold tight his 13 council caretaker committee chairmen.

Before the general election, the Federal High Court sitting in Abakaliki had sacked all the chairmen because of the illegality of the Option A4 method used by the state electoral umpire.

As the supremacy battle intensified, Elechi ran to the Presidency to seek the help of the then President Goodluck Jonathan for the PDP primaries in Ebonyi to be cancelled. First, he alleged that the delegates in the primaries were all fake.

Endorsement

In 2014, preparatory to the general election, Elechi was said to have gathered “charlatans and thugs” in his Government House lodge in a meeting the purpose of which was unknown to the people. After sometime, Elechi addressed the people, saying after due consultation and assessment of who should succeed him, he had come to the choice of Chukwu for the sake equity, fairness and justice in line with his resolve to shift power to the southern

senatorial zone.

This pronouncement did not go down well with many stakeholders, who lamented that Elechi did not consult them and the nationalities in the state.

Particularly piqued by Elechi’s pronouncement was a frontline politician, elder statesman and Second Republic senator, Dr Offia Nwali, who described the endorsement as “fruitless and political misadventure”.

Nwali said the anointment of Chukwu was not acceptable and could not stand.

Before Chukwu’s controversial endorsement, speculations were high that Umahi was the preferred candidate of Elechi. However, stakeholders and Umahi saw Elechi’s pronouncement as a betrayal of thrust and their gentlemanly agreement, they had in 2011, when Elechi was said to have begged Umahi to deputise him and also use his popularity to win the hotly contested election.

The idea, according to feelers, was that Elechi would support Umahi to succeed him.

Having been disappointed by his former boss, Umahi took charge of his own destiny and persevered to exercise his fundamental rights. Elechi saw Umahi’s determination as an affront.

When Elechi noticed that he had lost the battle during the primaries, the former governor ran to the Presidency to ask that the concluded governorship primary for Ebonyi State should be cancelled. That did not succeed.

Defection

After failing to alter the congress results, Elechi defected to the Labour Party, where he supported Edward Nkwegu from the North zone to contest against Umahi, using the numerical strength of the Izzi clan, where Nkwegu hails from. Elechi justified his defection, using his “Taxi- Driver theory” that when a car grounds on a journey, the passengers will come down and board another taxi while the driver stays to fix his taxi.

Nkwegu’s candidature further consoli-

dated Umahi’s camp when people saw that there was no sincerity in Elechi’s charter of equity. At that time, most of the stakeholders from Umuenkumenyi, made up of Ebonyi North and Central zones, teamed up against Elechi to support Umahi, having seen no light in Elechi’s political adventure to the Labour Party.

Elechi’s Thanksgiving

The timing of Elechi’s thanksgiving service, which was fixed at a time when the country was mourning the demise of the governor’s mother, late Deaconess Margaret Umahi, has been condemned in some quarters. It was held on a day the whole country was at Uburu for the thanksgiving service following the burial of the late matriarch, which was also attended by Vice President Yemi Osibanjo.

The personalities that graced the former governor’s thanksgiving were mainly his former colleagues in the old East Central State in 1970. Elechi said at the occasion, “I am awe over the presence of Professor Ukwu I. Ukwu, who was my colleague in the first set of appointees in the East Central State in 1970, and is still alive.”

The former governor further stated, “I have no apologies to anybody or to any group of people for what happened. I still stick to my conscience and to my belief that what I did in that circumstance is what I should do. Yes I made my point clear to him (Umahi) as early as September 2014 that I wouldn’t support him because my observation showed me that he lacked certain qualities that we hold very high and very dear in governance, the spirit of accommodation.”

Elechi has, however, been criticised for his comments at the thanksgiving service.

The Ebonyi State president of National Youth Council of Nigeria and former state chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, Elder Sam Igwe, said the statements were uncalled for.

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CICERO/REPORT

Excitements as Ondo State PDP Holds Congress of Unity With the peaceful Congress of the Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party held recently, Governor Olusegun Mimiko has predicted victory for the party in future elections, writes James Sowole

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he atmosphere was unusual for the type of event. The venue was conducive and participants were excited and orderly even with relaxed security arrangement contrary to the nature of the event. The joy of the Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, and other leaders of the party hold no bound as songs flow freely and banters exchanged freely.

This was the situation at the new Ondo State multibillion naira event centre ,christened ‘The Dome” located on Igbatoro Road, which hosted the Quadrennial State Congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ondo State.

Interestingly, this is the first State Congress of the party after the governor defected from the Labour Party (LP) prior to the last year general election.

The event, where officers that would run the affairs of the ruling party in the Sunshine State were elected became interesting as it was devoid of the usual political mudslinging, pronounced accusations and counter accusations that usually characterised political event of that nature.

The orderly and friendly manner in which the programme was executed indicated that a lot of homework had been done while what took place was just in fulfillment of the provisions of the constitution of the PDP. However, despite the seemingly simple process of the event, it was described as totally in compliance with the requirements of the laid down rules. The event was supervised by officers selected by the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ondo State, Mr Segun Agbaje, led the team from the commission to the event and expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the congress.

While the leader of the PDP in the state, Governor Mimiko, described the peaceful and friendly atmosphere at the event as the product of sacrifices and the visible demonstration of the principle of give and take, some people who belong to the opposing All Progressives Congress (APC) described the event as a manifestation of the “one man show” that characterised the PDP in recent time.

To Mimiko, the cooperation of relevant stakeholders, particularly, members of the party, to the success of the event was a demonstration of the resolution of members to put all that happened in the past behind them and their determination to work as a team and win future elections in the state irrespective of insinuations in the state.

Though, the congress, which was the climax of the process of electing officers of the party, was scheduled for 12.00pm, delegates from the 18 local government areas started arriving as early as 9.00am.

As expected, there were minor complaints of substitution of names during the accreditation of delegates

R-L: Ondo State chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Clement Faboyede; Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko; Hon. Muhammed Iman; Yeye Hon. Adenike Shobajo, Aminu Bala, Abubakar Isa, at the PDP State Congress, in Akure...recently

of some local governments but the matters were subsequently resolved by stakeholders.

The programme proper started with the arrival of Mimiko at 1:45pm with delegate congress officials from National Secretariat led by Hon Mohammed Imam from Borno State while Hon Yusuf Modibo was the secretary.

Other officials were Senator Abubakar Ahmed from Adamawas State, Mrs Adenike Soboyejo from Lagos State and Hon Aminu Adama.

Directing the processes, the leader of the PDP National Delegation read the procedure and the positions to be contested for in line with the party’s constitution.

Though, election of all officers were painstakingly done by voice vote as there were no counter nominations that would have led to real voting, the umpire provided opportunities for delegates to make counter nomination if there was any.

In all the filled positions, there were no counter nominations which made the process less cumbersome.

At the end of the exercise, there were two ex-officio members for each of the three senatorial districts, with Mrs Iyabo Olumowo and Mrs Orungbemi Foluke for the South, Mr A.O Odobe and Mrs Ojo CF for the North while Hon Olufemi Ofakunrin and Mrs Iyaboo Akinkuotu were returned for Ondo Central.

Other officers are Abayomi Adebayo (Youth Leader), Mrs Esther Ebiwonjuni (Women Leader), Smart Aribigbola (Assistant Auditor), Yusuf Hamzat (Auditor), Moses Awofade (Asst Legal Adviser) and Abayomi Akinfemiwa (Legal Adviser).

Also elected were Banji Okunomo (Publicity Secretary), Patrick Sekoni (Asst Publicity Secretary), Kehinde Asunmo (Asst Financial Secretary),

Ganiyu Ogbeha (Financial Secretary), Kunle Akintan (Organising Secretary), Sunday Adeniyi (Treasurer).

The party also elected one assistant secretary and vice chairman for each of the three senatorial districts.

The Vice chairmen are Adebowale Ajimuda (South), Adeduro Charles (Central) and Lanre Adeleye (North) while the State Deputy Chairman is Fatai Adams.

In the concluding part of the election, Chief Oyedele Ibine was returned as the State Secretary while Chief Clement Faboyede was returned as the State Chairman.

Impressed by the process and the comportment of the delegates, the chairman of the PDP delegation from the National Secretariat, Hon Ibrahim Imam, expressed excitement on the success of the conference, which he said would remain memorable in the history of his political assignments.

He said the conduct of the delegates demonstrate the resolution of all to work with the leader of the party in the state to ensure that the party wins future elections in the state.

The INEC REC for Ondo State, Mr Segun Agbaje, commended the organisers and members of the party for the peaceful manner in which the conference was conducted.

Agbaje in an interview described the conference as very successful and well organised.

In his remark, Mimiko, who expressed delight in the way and manner the conference was conducted tasked the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government on the need to put in place process for free and transparent election in the country saying “the greatest thing the current

administration can give to Nigeria is credible election”.

The governor said once democracy is entrenched in the country through credible, free and transparent electoral processes, Nigeria would be great.

Noting that one of the greatest legacies bequeathed to Nigeria by the immediate past Federal Government was credible electoral processes and which was appreciated by everybody in the country and outside world.

“Credible election is the key to Nigeria’s greatness irrespective of the various challenges confronting the country. Once democracy can be entrenched through the principle of one man one vote, all the problems confronting Nigeria shall be a thing of the past”, he said.

He therefore tasked President Mohammadu Buhari to do all within his power to create enabling environment for credible election.

Mimiko said the outcome of the conference conducted without any rancour showed that members had put all that happened in the past behind them and that PDP in Ondo State was now a united family. He said with the success the conference achieved through sacrifices, give and take principle, victory is sure for the party during future elections in the state.

“It is only PDP that can defeat PDP in Ondo State. Once the PDP is united and remain one, no party can defeat it in any election.

Mimiko, who highlighted some of the major achievements of his administration and which he said shall be laid on the table when the time comes, said he would do all that were necessary to ensure that elections are violent- free and credible in Ondo State.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

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CICERO/INTERVIEW

Nana Akufo-Addo: I Will Turn Dwindling Fortunes of Ghana Around As the November 7 general election draws closer, Ghana’s former Attorney General and minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – one of the West African country’s main opposition parties - speaks to Adedayo Adejobi on his third attempt at the Presidency, why President John Mahama should not get another term, and why his country needs peaceful elections to ensure positive change that would make life better for Ghanaians. Excerpts.

H

machinery could boldly show on Television and tell Ghanaians after the death of our late President that he has joined the angels in heaven and he has taken the place of Jesus Christ and he sits at the right hand side of God but they cannot tell Ghanaians what killed him. I leave it for Ghanaians to judge.

The scripture says that your good works will follow you, and in the same way bad works will also follow you. The so-called better Ghana agenda which has turned to be a bitter Ghana pill for Ghanaians to the extent that their own party members who are truthful and sincere enough when they meet me, say things are really getting worse under the stewardship of His Excellency John Dramani Mahama the President of the Republic of Ghana. Today, even lunatics on our streets when you ask them, are you enjoying the better Ghana? They will tell you, tweaaa, which better Ghana!

I boldly say that I am a credible Politician by all standards, a true democrat with respect for the rule of law. Although I was cheated in the 2012 general elections, but I did not take guns to fight to become the President of the Republic. I rather, petitioned the Supreme Court and accepted the Supreme Court verdict in good faith and that is why Ghana enjoys the peace and stability it enjoys today.

is take on President John Mahama Sometimes, I wonder if President John Mahama has any idea about the unprecedented levels of economic difficulties and hardships the Ghanaian people have been plunged into under the two-term government of the National Democratic Congress. President Mahama’s assertion in the State of the Nation Address delivered late last month, that the country’s healthcare delivery system had seen massive levels of improvement under his tenure proves that the President has lost touch with the concerns of the ordinary Ghanaian, and the realities on the ground. I can’t but ask: Is Mahama living in Ghana with us? Or, perhaps, he is living in a different country. We all know the difficulties and hardships that confront us in this country. He has no idea what Ghanaians are going through!

On the importance of this election year, and the future of the Ghana The importance of this election year is all about the future of Ghana, and I cry for my country as they seem swayed by handouts aimed at influencing their choice on Election Day. This is a special year for Ghanaians.

This election is not about GH¢10 or GH¢20 (handouts). It is about our future as a country.

At this moment, access to education for all school-age children has become a headache for parents, because they cannot afford to pay fees for their children. When someone is sick, it becomes a heart-wrenching moment because our healthcare system is in a mess.

This is not the Ghana we want. We have done it before. In order to tackle the difficult economy the NPP inherited in 2001, President John Kufuor put up an able team together and, before very long, Ghana had become the success story of the continent. I will turn the dwindling fortunes of Ghana around, so the country could be returned onto the path of progress and prosperity.

That my party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), would disrupt an attempt at peaceful elections Ghana needs peaceful elections to ensure positive change that would make life better for Ghanaians. The NPP would therefore never do anything bad that could spark off political violence or plunge the nation into war. All through my campaigns, I have always, and will continually urge party members, supporters, chiefs, religious bodies, civil society groups and other relevant organisations to make sure that no negative things are done to cheat or create room for rigging. Ghanaians are expecting to see change in the 2016 elections for resuscitation of the fragile economy. When Ghanaians vote for me and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), good governance coupled with massive infrastructure in the areas of education, health, better conditions of service for workers, and others would be seen. Ghanaians will benefit from good roads, quality health and other development interventions when the party is voted into power.

Despite the difficulties she currently faces, under the right management, there is hope in the future of Ghana Ghanaians need not despair in the face of

Akufo-Addo

hardships and difficulties, because there is hope for a brighter Ghana. What we need is that, with the help of the Almighty, our nation remains stable, united and at peace. 2016 is a difficult year for us in Ghana, which will lead to the choosing of a new government for the people. This difficult year, is summed up by insecurity, fear, inexplicable deaths, joblessness, and economic hardships for our people. I am hopeful that the election, itself, will be conducted in a satisfactory manner whose outcome will bring us together, and not tear us apart. I am praying for Ghana, for the NPP, and for myself because Ghana deserves good governance, a leader with strength of character, courage, wisdom and the good heart of a servant-leader.

I never accused Kufuor of being a thief...

It is rather unfortunate the way and manner the opposition have swung at me such an untrue and uncoordinated media blitz, all in a bid to score cheap points. My clear vision for Ghana and my character will not be soiled or marred by the evil etched to de-stabilise me, through a terribly negative opposition party. I have never drawn ex-President into the fray nor accused Kufuor of being a thief, neither am I going to steal Ghana’s money when I become President of the Republic of Ghana.

I am unashamedly anti-corrupt, and have no ties with drug dealers. If I had funding from drug dealers, my campaigns for the presidency since 2008 would have seen a rather dramatic twist. I have so far been self-funded till date from proceeds from my business ad a few associates who have supported through their widows might.

Those who throw baseless accusations at me are very desperate to hold onto the reins of power by hook, crook and weird means.

They are so desperate that they would say anything just to get re-elected. In any case, any serious-minded Ghanaian or voter should not take them seriously John Mahama has

nothing good to offer Ghanaians.

My quest to probe the death of exPresident Atta Mills...

Even when our pet dies mysteriously we try to find out what could have been the cause of death. How much more the first gentleman of the nation, and no one can tell the cause of his death. It is worrisome not because we want to remember the pain and agony his family went through when they lost their brother. But to us as Ghanaians, we lost a precious jewel. That is why it is imperative for any leader in the opposition party who will emerge the winner in the 2016 general election to thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. People die through accident and their families can’t just go to the mortuary to take their corpses for burial. If I may ask them, what is the essence of the pathology test conducted in such situations?

Many Ghanaians would love to see what killed our late President so that in the near future, our sitting President will not die in such a horrible state. Unarguably death is inevitable, but the circumstances surrounding the death of the Commander -In- Chief of the Armed forces who had all the resources such as helicopter, ambulance with paramedic died mysteriously and these self -styled Politicians think it is weird to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of our late President who once called for an investigation into the death of an NDC member of Parliament’s wife who lost her life during child delivery at the hospital.

It is only a bad child who will run away from seeing his father coming from afar and if these self- styled politicians think circumstances surrounding the late Presidents death is normal why are they scared of a presidency who feels it could happen to him when he is given the mandate and would want to do a thorough investigations to know what led to the death of his best friend, playmate and classmate. The NDC with all their propaganda

My kind of Politics….

My track records speak for itself. As a Member of Parliament, Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs, I refused to stay in government bungalow, neither did I accept free fuel and other allowances enjoyed by my political colleagues in the NDC. I believe politics is a noble vocation aimed at raising leadership for human development and like the good shepherd, I believe a leader must be ready to make sacrifices for his followers and also solve problems and not to amass wealth for himself and people around me. I do not want to eat fat while my followers continue to grow lean.

I have never been found wanting in the area of corruption and foul play, rather I have maintained an impeccable and transparent character in leadership. I believe Ghana will work again in my government; I am more than ever prepared to effect a positive change that will bring hope and prosperity to the suffering masses.

My strategic I governance when elected…..

My heart desire is to offer free SHS education to every Ghanaian, to reduce the burden of parents and strengthening Vocational and Technical education, removal of all schools under trees, building two hundred schools across the nation ,build infrastructure, enact policies that will positively affect the common man.

I never killed my first wife, these is a wicked allegation…..

When the Bible says the heart of man is desperately wicked, now I reckon that passage in the light of this wicked allegation.

The wild allegation leveled against me is “nothing but a vile, repugnant and tasteless fabrication.”

It is tragic that our politics should sink to such levels that there appears to be nothing sacred, nor any respect for our cultural values, human dignity in our society, and people find it easy to use death of a loved one to defame a political opponent. It is shameful!

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

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Nwoke: Bill on Freedom from Hunger Vital to Nigeria’s Poverty Eradication Effort Hon. Chidiebere Nwoke, a former deputy speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, is senior legislative aide to the senator for Abia Central Senatorial District, Senator Theodore Orji. In this interview with Charles Ajunwa, Nwoke speaks on some of the important bills and other legislative efforts of the Senator in the last 10 months. Excerpts:

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bio-diversity. This one is a little bit complex, and it will require a careful and contextual appraisal. It involves the protection of species and ecosystem that warrants national protection, the sustainable use of indigenous biological resources, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from bio-prospecting involving indigenous biological resources, the establishment and functions of a national bio-diversity institute, and for matters connected therewith.

So, by the time you go through the lead debate, you will understand the bill better. The lead debate is a kind of briefing by the sponsor of the bill to the Senate.

Everybody will just listen, and those who want to oppose will do that, those who support will also do that, after hearing what you have to say in the lead debate.

In the past, people thought climate change was only for Western countries, but it is already here.

There is no bill that we have that is not good, and there is no motion that we have moved that has not generated diverse interests. And that is my happiness.

n how would you describe his experience in the last 10 months at the National Assembly, especially, in terms of the performance of his principal?

Senator Theodore Orji has so far sponsored two motions, which resulted in resolutions of the Senate. The first motion was on the need to publish air accident investigation reports, which was moved by him, and that was in October 2015. The commission that is supposed to be publishing such reports went on air and was unhappy that such motion could be done on the floor. They said they had been publishing the reports. So, we kept quiet.

We only asked them to go to the Senate Committee on Aviation, to which the motion had been reported, and make themselves clear.

Eventually, when the Senate Committee on Aviation submitted its report, it was discovered that, contrary to what they were saying, no such reports were published.

And the Senate lambasted them and made it mandatory for them to go back and publish those reports. Senate President Bukola Saraki also took time to commend the sponsor of the motion, Orji, for the research he did to bring such motion to the fore, since it was a motion that would help the nation save lives and property.

The second motion is on the urgent need to empanel the national council on public procurement. This motion was referred to a committee, which submitted its report to the Senate, before a resolution was passed on it on January 13. The reference number is S/Resolution/080/01/16.

On bills sponsored by Orji.

Also, the senator has sponsored up to six bills. These bills were gazetted; they all passé through first reading.

One of them is SB199. This bill is an act to amend the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Sharing Contract CAP G3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and for other matters connected therewith. If you come to the Senate, you will find out that several senators will be claiming that they have sponsored several bills, but those bills never pass through second reading, only first reading.

They die a natural death. But, in this case, one bill (SB199) has gone through second reading already.

The SB199 is a very complicated bill. This CAP G3 was passed since 1993, and in this principle Act, Section 16 provides as follows: that the provisions of this Act shall be subject to a review, to ensure that if the price of crude oil at any time exceeds $20 per barrel, in real terms, that the share of the government of the federation in the additional revenue shall be adjusted under the production sharing contract, to such extent that the production sharing contract shall be economically beneficial to the government of the federation.

On the significance of the bills.

So, the import of this Section 16 (1) is that, in respect of deep offshore exploration of oil, if at any time the price of crude exceeds $20, the contract concerning that exploration shall be adjusted, so that the amount of royalty payable by these oil exploration companies to the federal government shall be increased. This was since 1993. And you remember that there was a time that crude was selling at $150 per barrel. Even under former President Goodluck Jonathan, it was at $120 per barrel, before we began to see the free fall of oil prices. But, for a long time, it has not gone below $20 per barrel.

There have been publications on this. Femi Falana, on the THISDAY of July 15, 2015, said Nigeria had lost up to $7billion due to the inability of the National Assembly to amend this law.

Now, sub-section 2 of the same section 16, says that notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section 1, the provisions of this Act shall be liable to review, after a period of 15 years, from the day of commencement, and every five years thereafter.

From 1993 till date, it is well over 20 years, and no such amendment has been done. There was even a provision that made it possible not to pay anything at all. That is Section 5, and it is the very section that we are seeking to amend. It is headlined: Royalty Payable in Respect of Deep Offshore Production Sharing Contract. Its subsection 1 says: “the payment of royalties, in respect of deep offshore production sharing contract shall be graduated as follows, i.e, in areas of 201 to 500 metres water depth, 12 per cent; from 501 to 800 metres depth, 8 per

Nwoke cent; from 801 to 1,000 metres depth, 4 per cent; in areas in excess of 1,000 metres depth, 0 per cent. That’s what these people have been paying as royalties since 1993, yet we have lawyers, senators, and nobody ever saw the need to amend the Act. This is a priority bill.

On the other bills.

We also have HB71, a bill for an Act to make provisions for freedom from hunger and the rights to adequate food of acceptable quality, the right of every child to basic nutrition, and for connected purposes.

We have HB72, a bill for an Act to repeal the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Act, CAP no. 117, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, and re-enact the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, to provide for the creation of an attractive incentive framework, and a transparent, predictable, and facilitating environment for investment in Nigerian and related matters.

We have HB73. It is a bill for an Act to provide for national planning process and for other matters connected therewith. If you go to the states, you have Ministry of State Planning. At the national level, we have the same thing. But you will discover that there is no synergy. We want to have a national planning process.

For example, if you want to know the economic policy of the present administration, you will be baffled to realise that they don’t have any policy direction. Everybody is still groping in the dark.

We also have HB77, a bill for an Act to ensure that diverse energy resources are available in sustainable quantities and at affordable prices in support of economic growth and poverty alleviation, taking into account environmental management requirements and the interaction among economic sectors to provide for energy planning, increased generation, and consumption of renewable energy, contingency energy, supply, and to provide for other matters.

In Nigeria, we don’t appear to have any control, pertaining to energy supply. To what extent was the generation and supply tackled by the last administration?

We do not know. We were in Turkey, and we observed that they do not have any natural resources, but they have outgrown Nigeria by far, through their agriculture and manufacturing. What about Nigeria? We have abandoned agriculture. We cannot do anything now, because you have to depend on power. These are the things the bill is addressing.

Now, you have HB79, a bill for an act to provide for the management and conservation of Nigeria’s

On the committees Orji belongs to.

He is the vice chairman of Senate Committee on Agriculture. Recently, we were in Turkey, and the chairman of the committee was to travel with us, but unfortunately he was too occupied. So, His Excellency led the delegation, where we attended a kind of seminar on agriculture, organised by the Turkish government. We came back home with a lot of benefits.

He is also a member of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs; Senate Committee on Health; Senate Committee on Marine Affairs; and Senate Committee on Aviation.

Apart from his membership of these committees, the Senate President nominated him to be among the Senate delegation to the European Parliament. And we went to Brussels, Belgium, and attended the EU parliamentary meeting. In this case, also, the leader of the delegation, Senator Danjuma Goje, opted out, and the mantle fell on His Excellency, and he led the delegation. He also addressed members of the EU parliament and answered their questions about the kind of democracy we have in Nigeria. He was highly applauded for that speech.

His Excellency is not a senator that anybody can overlook. Having been an executive governor of a state for eight years, he is quite experienced and very outspoken.

And he is quick to learn. There are no senators whose bill got to second reading faster than Orji’s. Ordinarily, the motion that got to second reading was one that would have terrified a new senator, because it was calling on the Federal Executive Council to set up the procurement counsel. Immediately the motion was put up, the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, quickly asked that he be included as a co-sponsor. That shows you how apt and good the motion was. A new senator would have chickened out. It was quite commendable that he was able to do this.

On what Nigerians should expect from Orji by the time he clocks one year in the upper chamber in June.

The job of a legislator does not end in legislation. I think it is three-pronged: law making, representation, and oversight. We have only been talking about law-making. In terms of representation, you are aware that His Excellency is at home with his people, and he is already sponsoring a scholarship programme that involves more than 60 students from his constituency. He has spent millions on that programme. Also, during the Christmas, you must have heard what he did to touch the lives of the indigent people in his constituency. Just recently, he gave out different empowerment tools to his constituents. He was governor and he knows the needs of his people.

In terms of oversight, it’s the same thing.

So, his constituency should expect a continuation of his large-heartedness. Our office here is the busiest in this Senate wing of the National Assembly. People come here with their various needs and we do our best to accommodate and help them in every way we can. His Excellency has also been able to employ some persons.

We do our best to give recommendation letters, make phone calls, and connect them to the people who can give them employment. The constituency should expect more dividends of democracy by the time he clocks one year on the seat.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24,2016

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Umeh: An Honour Well Deserved Clement Danhutor highlights Chief Victor Umeh’s achievements and political credentials

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ecently, Tansian University at Umumya, Anambra State, conferred an honorary doctorate degree in Political Science on former national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh. The honour is coming at a time Umeh, who is a Board of Trustees member of APGA, is on a ride to the Senate, despite some legal distractions. It is one of the several honours received so far by Umeh, a real estate surveyor, politician, philanthropist, and a cultural force.

Umeh was honoured alongside business mogul, Chief ABC Orjiakor, whose contributions to the socio-economic development of Anambrarians, Ndi Igbo and Nigerians, at large, in the last three decades has never been in doubt.

For the APGA chieftain, too, it was an honour well deserved for associating himself with the masses as well as eggheads.

Umeh, a devout Catholic and Knight of Saint John, was born on July 19, 1962 to the late Sir Innocent Ofojekwu Umeh (KSM) and Lady Elizabeth Umeh (LSM) of Ifite village, Aguluzigbo in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State. He had primary education at St. Bridget’s Primary School, Aguluzigbo, from where he proceeded to Bubendorff Memorial Grammar School, Adazi-Nnukwu, coming on top of his class in 1980.

The 1984 graduate of Estate Management from the University of Nigeria (with Second Class Honours, Upper Division), is a registered estate surveyor and valuer by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria. Today, he is the Principal Consultant, V. C. Umeh & Co, a firm of estate surveyors and valuers, and a fellow of many national and international professional institutes.

He is a fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. He is also an associate member of the Rating and Valuation Association of Great Britain as well as a Senior Certified Valuer of the International Real Estate Institute, Scottsdale, Arizona USA, among others.

A director of so many companies, Umeh was a director of

the federal government-owned Nigerian Film Corporation in Jos between 2001 and 2003. He began his career as a university teacher, which explains his penchant for precision and enunciation of facts. In 1985, during his National Youth Service Corps, he served as Graduate Assistant at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt. Subsequently, Umeh engaged in the practice of his profession, and has been named as pivotal to the sale of UTC properties in several parts of the country, especially in Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt.

Umeh’s scholarly nature was manifest when he coordinated Peter Obi’s legal cases, recovering Obi’s mandate as governor of Anambra State through the courts, vitiating a subsequent unlawful impeachment of Obi and ensuring that Obi served his full tenure. Is it not paradoxical that the same Obi has made it a priority to stop Umeh from getting to the Senate?

APGA won at the election petition tribunal in August 2005 and at the Court of Appeal in March 2006, against the then Governor Chris Ngige and the Peoples Democratic Party, which paved the way for the swearing in of Obi as the party’s first governor on March 17, 2006. Shortly after Obi assumed duty, he was impeached by the PDP-dominated House of Assembly on November 2, 2006.

Then Deputy Governor Virgy Etiaba assumed duty as governor, while Obi and Umeh approached the court to nullify the purported impeachment. The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, reversed the impeachment on February 9, 2007. Obi returned as governor.

As the 2007 general elections approached, Obi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-> Ojukwu and Umeh considered it appropriate to seek constitutional interpretation of Obi’s tenure, having been sworn in on March 17, 2006, while Ngige governed from May 26, 2003 to March 16, 2006.

Thus, began the famous tenure interpretation suit, which Obi won at the Supreme Court on June 14, 2007, in a judgement delivered by Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu that led to staggered elections in Nigeria.

Dr. Andy Uba, who was sworn in on May 29, 2007, was also removed from office after governing for 17 days. Again, Obi returned to office the third time. Obi was overwhelmed with joy and called Umeh “a worthy chairman.”

Umeh marched on in APGA’s electoral conquest and garnered landmark judgements that enriched Nigeria’s jurisprudence, despite over 20 lawsuits instituted by the former party leader, Chief Chekwas Okorie, which Umeh won up to Supreme Court, that upheld Okorie’s expulsion from the party on March 25, 2011. It was in a judgement delivered by Justice Dahiru Musdapher.

Okorie returned the APGA certificate of registration in his custody to the Independent National Electoral Commission on March 7, 2012, and he formed his own party. Thus, Umeh made sure that the will of APGA leaders prevailed.

In time, Umeh’s leadership of APGA scaled another hurdle, when Obi was re-elected for a second term in office, the first in Anambra State politics. A jubilant Odumegwu-Ojukwu hailed Umeh as the best chairman in the federation. In a congratulatory message in the Daily Sun, Wednesday, March 17, 2010 Odumegwu-Ojukwu praised Umeh’s dynamic leadership, stating: “The might of a warrior is tested only in battle. On this historic occasion of the inauguration of Governor Peter Obi for a record second term of office, I salute your tenacity, your courage and resilience, APGA has always known what has now become widely acknowledged… kudos.”

If there is anyone who learnt on Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s feet, especially when the sage was at the zenith of partisan politics – contesting twice as APGA presidential flag bearer – and is likely to step into Odumegwu-Ojukwu’s large shoes in national politics, he is Umeh. The man has gone through the APGA ranks. He has been national assistant secretary, national treasurer, national chairman, and now a BoT member, all within APGA’s 15 years of existence.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

Cliff “Little Joe” Ogiugo at 75 Banji Ojewale The pen is mightier than the sword -Edward Bulwer-Lytton, English playwright.

Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than 1,000 bayonetes –Napoleon Bonaparte, French military leader.

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ou don’t need to time-travel far back to the 18th or 19th century to grasp the truth in these sentiments of a writer and a soldier. You get it right here in Nigeria with the story of Pa Cliff Ogiugo, the creator of the famous Little Joe cartoon strips in 1964 in the defunct Sunday Post Newspaper on Malu Road, Apapa, Lagos.

We may also refer to the Charlie Hebdo affair in France to support Napoleon Bonaparte and Bulwer Lytton.

As a resident consultant with Daily Independent a decade ago, Ogiugo initiated a living history cartoon series he called Once Upon A Time, meant to feature artistic portrayal of such Nigerian heroes as Nnamdi Azikwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello and M.K.O Abiola.

The project told the story of those great men in colourful strokes to rhyme with their charismatic lives. He got generous space and cooperation for the work from the management of the newspaper headed by Doyin Mahmoud.

The reading public also embraced this radical mode of writing history in cartoons (cartoonography?) as it related the lives and times of our nationalists. It had never been done before.

Ogiugo successfully concluded work on Zik, earning him acclaim nationwide and a personal appreciation from the son of the great Zik. But when he started the illustrations on Ahmadu Bello, he began to receive phone calls warning him to stay off the late premier of the North. He did not. Afterall, he had done it with Zik. And by the way, why would something as innocuous as sheer artwork by the pen scare anybody? Ogiugo underestimated the power of the pen. He ignored the threat until two men wielding pistols attacked him as he made to drive into the offices of Daily Independent one

morning.

He was lucky. He escaped as the security men at the gate and passers-by raised an alarm that stopped the gun men. Later, Ogiugo received a text message: “You have been treading on people’s toes, now you’ll tread on hot coals.”

Next he got a letter from a lawyer who told him to stop the Ahmadu Bello sketches because Islam forbids cartoons on Muslim leaders.

Ogiugo immediately ceased work on the late premier. He was also forced to abort a similar plan on M.K.O Abiola, another leading Muslim politician whose victory in the 1993 presidential poll in Nigeria had been nullified.

Much earlier, in the 60s when Cliff Ogiugo was sketching the strips, Bunmi in the Seventh Commandment, which dealt with extra-marital life, the artist’s again had a brush with death.

A couple with the same names as the chief characters in the drawings invited Ogiugo to their home ostensibly to celebrate him on his skill. The night turned sour as the man of the house suspected that Ogiugo had been writing about him and his wife in the cartoon strip. He went to fetch a weapon to use on the artist. While he was away, the hostess saved the cartoonist from attack: she created a way of escape for him.

Cliff Ogiugo narrated his experience to Babatunde Jose, then Chairman of Daily Times Group, who advised him to change the title of his illustration to Things That Women Do. That was when Ogiugo began work on a full time basis at Daily Times. He had also run Little Joe on a freelance basis at Sunday Times under the editorship of Sam Amuka, now publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, and his assistant, Tony Momoh, who later became the editor of Daily Times.

The trail blazer in cartoon strips was born on April 5, 1941 in Benin, Edo State. His father, an officer in the colonial police force, was a disciplinarian who discouraged Cliff from making his left hand the active limb. The wet ground after rainfall was where little Cliff learnt to draw. The early doodling has spiralled over the generations to transform into a passion and profession. This skill got the necessary academic honing cloak when Cliff Ogiugo was admitted into Yaba Technical Institute, now Yaba College of Technology, Akoka, Lagos, where he gradu-

ated in 1962. He was weak in Mathematics and that nearly knocked him out in the entrance examination. But the invigilator, a white man, saw Cliff struggling to make out a bicycle wheel during the geometrical drawing test. Instead, Cliff produced the visual of a man riding a bicycle. The bearded white man was impressed with the drawing and right there he gave Cliff admission forms to fill.

Cliff Ogiugo worked at the Niger Pools Company following inspiring cartoons on lottery coupons. Pool stakers flocked his home for tips in his illustrations to aid them in their stakes.

The artist has plied his trade at the Morning Post, NBC-TV (now NTA), Daily Times, The Observer, The Guardian, This Day, Daily Independent,, etc.

Recently, he produced a landmark book illustrating the life history of Professor Wole

Soyinka.

When I met Cliff Ogiugo recently, he spoke of plans to embark on projects that would see him dedicate the rest of his life to “executing only spiritual books to honour Jesus Christ.”

Cliff Ogiugo’s characters exude life, etching unforgettable emotions that linger in the memory almost for life. This has stood him out from the crowd.

Living modestly with his family at Denro in Ogun State, Cliff Ogiugo still recalls the harmless exploits of his creature, Little Joe, along with those other characters that led him into a close shave with death a couple of times in the past.

We must all wonder, though, how his harmless pen(cil) came to be so dreaded as to whip up murderous intentions!.

––Ojewale is a writer and journalist in Ota, Ogun State.

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APRIL 24,2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE

AsidetheIntrigues,SenateFocusesonEconomicReform Abu Quassim

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o doubt, the major news that dominate the airspace about the upper chamber of our nation’s federal legislature, the Senate, is the politicized trial of its President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), the scheme by some mischievous elements to get him off the seat by all means, the disagreement with the Presidency over the passage into law of the 2016 Appropriation Act and the power tussle between the Like Minds and the Unity Forum groups in the party with the majority, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, a more important trend which has the possibility of revolutionising the national economy and creating prosperity for majority of Nigerians is going on in the red chamber of the federal legislature.

In one instance of the vigour being displayed by the Senate to trigger economic reforms as part of the current Change Agenda being pursued by the Federal Government, penultimate Tuesday, it commenced the process for the amendment of the Public Procurement Law of 2007. The amendment bill co-sponsored by Senators Sam Egwu and Enyinanya Abaribe is specifically aimed at making Section 34 of the law more effective in compelling government and its agencies to patronise locally made goods where they are available.

The key elements of the proposed amendments are contained in Section 34, sub-sections 1 to 4. The new provisions are as follows : Section 34 (1) states that “ A procuring entity SHALL (emphasis mine) grant a margin of preference in the evaluation of tenders, when comparing tenders from domestic bidders with those from foreign bidders or when comparing tenders from domestic suppliers offering goods manufactured locally with those offering goods manufactured abroad.” The existing law gives the discretion to the procuring authority as it used the word May. Furthermore, sub-section 2 states that “ where a procuring entity has allowed domestic preferences, the bidding documents SHALL clearly indicate any preference to be granted to domestic suppliers and contractors and the information required to establish the eligibility of a bid for such preference” while sub-section 3 adds that “ margins of preference SHALL apply only to tenders under

international competitive bidding”. Sub-section 4 says that “the bureau SHALL by regulating from time to time, set the limits and the formulae for computation of margin of preference and determine the contents of goods manufactured locally”.

The proposed amendment of the Procurement Law is aimed at promoting local entrepreneurship and encouraging the growth of small and medium scale enterprises. That it is coming at a time when the 2016 Appropriation Act is about to be passed into law also means that the lawmakers are seeking to ensure that a significant percentage of the N6.06 trillion estimated to be spent by government during the current fiscal year is put in the hands of Nigerians.

The plan is to ensure that the huge funds budgeted for are not just freighted abroad through importation of goods and services, thereby depriving Nigerians the opportunity of benefitting from the budget. Before now, government expenditure hardly impacted on the domestic economy because of the tendency of contractors to import most basic items that can be easily procured locally. That has not only resulted in mass unemployment and poverty, it has further deepened the trade imbalance between Nigeria and many other countries of the world. Thus, the national budget helps the growth of other countries and leave Nigerians depraved.

The need to reverse this ugly trend led to the new thinking in the Senate in which from the leadership down to the members, the focus is on how to reform the economy such that many more Nigerians will live above poverty line. With the new amendment, Nigerians will start taking control of the national economy while the creative energy of the people are unleashed, inspired and empowered.

The first hint about amending the Procurement Law immediately after the passage of the budget was first given by Senate President Saraki when he participated in the opening of the Made in Aba Goods Trade Fair in Abuja. The Senate President has also at various fora articulated the viewpoint that the right response to the falling value of the Naira against the dollar (N340 to $1) is for the country to increase its productive capacity and change from an importing, foreign goods-crazy and oil dependent country to a nation which is self-reliant, with many buoyant local industries and millions of youths gainfully employed.

The Senate President envisaged that the employed youths will become tax payers. Thus, domestic taxes will become a veritable source of revenue for funding infrastructural development and social services. These

Saraki positions have been espoused by the Senate President in many prepared and off-the-cuff speeches he made at different fora, particularly while receiving many of the numerous groups, organisations, foreign missions and individuals that have paid courtesy call on him in his office. To further demonstrate leadership, Saraki alongside Senators Ben Murray-Bruce, Egwu and Abaribe became ambassadors of Made in Nigeria goods. The promotion of patronage for locally made goods has now become a fad catching on in the upper chamber of our federal legislature.

With the plan to amend the Procurement Act of 2007, the Senate is seeking to reenact the Buy American Act signed into law on March 3, 1933 by President Herbert Hoover which compels US government and its agencies to prefer US made products in their purchases. Also, Section 217 (3) of the South African constitution provides a framework for the policy of preferential procurement for government agencies just as the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act 5 of 2000 and the regulations published under it in 2001 prescribed requirements regarding Black economic empowerment considerations in the former apartheid enclave.

In China, Article 10 of the Government Procurement Law provides that domestic goods, projects and services must be used for government procurement except when the required goods are not available in China, the objects of procurement are for use outside China or it is specified otherwise in other laws and administrative regulations. Thus, what the Senate seeks to do with the Procurement Act is putting the law on the same pedestal with what obtains in some

developed economies.

The proposed amendment of the Procurement Law, however, has to be viewed alongside other efforts of the present Senate to reform the economy and make it work for ordinary Nigerians. For example, the Senate’s positive intervention led to the review of the foreign exchange policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) such that business people can now save and withdraw foreign exchange from their bank accounts. Even some window of access to procuring forex by genuine importers and those who need it for essential services have now been opened.

Also, the Senate sponsored an initiative in partnership with the private sector, international financial institutions, development agencies, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and the academia to review all business related laws and identified institutional, regulatory and legal instruments currently constraining and impeding business activity in Nigeria.

The efforts led to the preparation of the 168-page Business Environment Legislation Review Report submitted by experts on February 29. In the report, certain laws were identified as priority for amendment or repeal to jump-start the economy.

The bills recommended by the expert as requiring urgent attention are Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2015, Federal Roads Authority Bill 2015, National Inland Waterways Authority Bill 2015, National Roads Funds Bill 2015, National Transport Commission 2015, Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Bill 2015, Nigeria Postal Commission Bill 2015 and Nigeria Railway Authority Bill 2015.

The report of the experts was later subjected to re-examination by stakeholders during the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable platform which is a good example of fruitful engagement between the private sector, legislature and executive to promote relevant and sound policy.

As at today, the Senate is already working on the Petroleum Industry Bill so as to resolve the lingering problems that have obstructed the proposed reforms of the sector which today still provides the largest chunk of the nation’s foreign earning. What all these efforts by the Senate amount to is that despite the cacophony of the trial of its President at the CCT and other political issues, the institution is silently making great efforts which will help revive the national economy and eliminate poverty in the polity.

Quassim writes from Abuja

Lifting the Spirits of the Less-privileged in Rivers

Simeon Nwakaudu

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or eight years, the immediate past administration in Rivers State tended to shun the less-privileged, as well as small and medium scale businesses that sought government’s intervention to grow.

Little wonder traders, small and medium scale entrepreneurs and business owners decided to support the then Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, during the last governorship election.

Wike was at the markets, the street shops and with the lessprivileged, assuring them that once voted he would implement programmes that would lift them from poverty. In his New Rivers Vision Development Blueprint, which he presented to the small and medium scale enterprise owners, Wike promised on page 15 that when elected his administration would strengthen the Rivers State Micro Finance Agency to provide loans and funding for cooperatives and small businesses.

The blueprint indicated: “The New Vision will bring about economic growth, wealth creation and prosperity by leveraging opportunities from small and medium enterprises.”

On February 6, Governor Nyesom Wike gave life to his campaign promise of using RIMA to empower the vast majority of the less-privileged as well as small and medium scale business owners across the 23 local government areas of the state.

The project is non-discriminatory. It favours all enterprising inhabitants of the state, indigenes and non-indigenes alike.

Wike assured the less-privileged that his administration would take concrete steps to empower them through micro-credit schemes that will grow small and medium scale businesses across the state.

Launching the N2 billion Rivers State Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Fund in Port Harcourt, Wike said the programme, which would be funded through a facility from the Central Bank of Nigeria, will assist small businesses have access to capital so that they can develop faster. The governor noted that the state government will serve as collateral for the small business owners so that they can play a more positive role in the economic recovery of the state.

He said his administration would ensure that the conditions for issuing out the loans by RIMA are friendly enough for small and medium sized businesses to have access to funds.

Wike The governor stated, “The aim of this empowerment programme is to reach the mama-put operator, the onion seller, the barber, the table water manufacturer, and owners of medium-sized businesses for them to expand, employ more people and grow the state’s economy. “With the present reality, it is no longer feasible to rely solely on oil revenue. Therefore, my administration will ensure that these businesses have access to funds without stringent conditions. This is the first batch. Those not accommodated in this batch will be accommodated in the second batch.”

The governor added that his administration would extend credit facility to farmers in the state to enable them expand for the purpose of the state’s food security and the empowerment of a greater percentage of the people.

Wike said the N2 billion will be administered judiciously, pointing out that it will not be like similar facilities in the past that were mismanaged.

In his remarks during the inauguration, chairman of RIMA, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, said the fund will be disbursed through three micro-finance banks. He appealed to beneficiaries to repay their loans so that the revolving scheme could be sustained.

Representative of the CBN, Mr Chinedu Zephaniah, assured the Rivers State government of the support and cooperation of

the apex bank to ensure the success of the scheme.

Months after the inauguration of the fund, the processes, training and relevant due diligence have been carried out in the 23 local government areas of the state. The beneficiaries of the first phase of the programme have been identified, with their business grants and loans released to them.

Under the first phase, Wike has approved a list of 35,000 beneficiaries from the 23 local government areas. Among the beneficiaries are non-indigenes resident in Rivers State.

The list of beneficiary small and medium scale business owners includes barbers, plantain sellers, restaurant owners, painters, tailors, hairdressers, traders, market women, mechanics, fishermen, farmers, etc. These are the ordinary folks committed to developing themselves with the support of the government. RIMA under the leadership of Ipalibo Sogules, the managing director, has distributed business loans to the businesses at designated micro-finance banks in the state.

The beneficiaries got their loans in this order: 1. Cosmopolitan Microfinance Bank: 9 Agudama street, D/line Port Harcourt, for the people of Opobo/Nkoro, Oyigbo , Andoni, Asari Toru, Bonny, Degema, Eleme , Gokana, all traders , market women and all nonindigenes. 2. RIMA Growth Pathway Microfinance Bank, located at Rivers State Secretariat Complex, Podium Block, Port Harcourt, for the people of Obio Akpor, Port Harcourt Local Government, Khana, Okirika, and Omuma. 3. PREMIUM Microfinance Bank, plot 202 Olu Obasanjo Road, Port Harcourt, for the people of Abua/Odual, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Emohua, Ogu/ Bolo,Etche, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni , Akuku Toru,Tai, and Ikwere .

The injection of the N2 billion into the businesses of the less-privileged in the state has kick-started abundant economic expansion. The multiplier effect is already being felt by the people in the lower rungs of the economic ladder. The empowerment programme has led to employment opportunities, as several beneficiaries have expanded their businesses.

The comprehensive training organised for the beneficiaries of the N2 billion loan has been helpful. Majority of them have judiciously applied the funds because they know they will repay the loans so that others can benefit.

The empowerment programme of the Wike administration would have the long term effect of improving the security of the state, as more youths will be gainfully engaged.

–– Nwakaudu, special assistant to the Rivers State governor on electronic media, writes from Port Harcourt.

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PERSPECTIVE

Kachikwu and His Quest for Good Testament Michael Onunwa

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hen Dr Ibe Kachikwu, the Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Minister of State for Petroleum reportedly admitted that “One of the trainings I did not receive is that of a magician, but I am working very hard to ensure some of these issues go away.

So, over the next two months, we should see quite frankly a complete elimination of this”, one can bet that his motive was far from triggering a wave of panic-buying and the avalanche of reactions that followed. But the further elongation of the already long queues at fuel stations across the country and the total abandonment of the recommended pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), in most fuel stations, reflect the policy weight of every word that proceeded from Kachikwu.

Consequently, the seemingly innocuous statement has elicited various reactions, including calls for his resignation from different quarters, including the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the public bashing by Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress. In his press release, Tinubu had observed that “Perhaps the statement by Kachikwu was made in a moment of unguarded frustration or was an awkward attempt at a joke.”

Although the Presidency, through Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s media and publicity adviser, came out in stout defence of Kachikwu, not many Nigerians were swayed. However, Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan, drew more public attention when he noted that Kachikwu “is completely in the dark when it comes to politics or information management” but equally stated that “the Hon Minister for Petroleum appears to me to be strictly a professional CEO. I believe, from my little research of what he has silently done to restructure and refocus the company that definitely he knows what he is doing.”

Analysts agree that, coming from a high profile opposition figure of Okupe’s stature, Dr Kachikwu must be scoring some major positive points in his daunting assignment.

Indeed, Kachikwu has demonstrated a high sense of professionalism as the GMD of the NNPC as well as the Junior Minister for Petroleum Resources. On assumption of office, he had reiterated the determination of the new NNPC management to implement the spirit and letter of President MuhammaduBuhari’s reform agenda in the petroleum industry. According to him, the new NNPC would be driven by a deep sense of com-

mitment to service delivery anchored on the principle of transparency, efficiency, people, purpose and profit. “My mission is to redirect and re-energize the work force for greater value addition and I believe that the NNPC, given the right leadership has what it takes to achieve this objective.”

In fulfilment of his pledge to ensure transparency and to open the books of the NNPC for public scrutiny, Kachikwu promptly initiated a monthly publication of its provisional financial and operational reports.

The reports include overview of NNPC’s operations across the oil and gas value chain (Upstream, Midstream & Downstream) as well as NNPC’s agency functions on behalf of the Federal Government for the period between January and August 2015. It also provides detailed and unprecedented statistical insight into crucial aspects of the Corporation’s activities ranging from National Crude Oil & Natural Gas Production, Lifting and Utilization; Refineries Plants Operations, Kachikwu and Petroleum Product Supply & Distribution Leases (OMLs) 49, 90 and 95. Provided by a to NNPC Budget Performance Report and consortium of local and international lenders, Federation Crude Oil & Gas Revenue. Tables, the funds will be used to develop the wells in graphs and charts on all aspects of NNPC’s two phases over a period from 2015 to 2018. operations which were considered opaque illustrate issues like the status of the JP Morgan The funding deal is considered innovative Foreign account, management and custody of in that it is intended to finance a conventional work programme rather than a specific revenue from crude oil sales, actual producproject. In recognition of this feat, Reuters, the tion capacity of the refineries, dollar accruals to NNPC/FGN from export crude oil and gas, international newswire service, named NNPC as winner of the Thomson Reuters/PFI as well as receipts & payments.

Magazine “Africa and Middle East Deal of the Kachikwu has equally demonstrated Year Award for 2015.” Other IOCs like Shell, tremendous capacity for prudence and good Total, and Agip are also said to be working on corporate governance in the management similar funding models for some of their JVs of NNPC’s finances. In 2015, the financial/ with NNPC. operations report of the NNPC recorded Again, in a determined bid to encourage operational loss of N120 billion in August and more indigenous participation in the oil and September and also suffered another N336.83 gas sector, the corporation is also exploring billion deficit in September in its domestic opthe Funding and Technical Services Agreeerations. The corporation however, recorded ment (FTSA) which, similar to the existing drastic reductions in operating deficits of N11.86 billion and N3.55 billion for the months Production Sharing Contract (PSC) confers 100 percent ownership of oil assets on the of December 2015 and January 2016 respecgovernment. The investor is obligated to tively as against monthly budgeted surplus of source for funds and farm the fields, bearing N44.23 billion. both Capital and Operating expenditure.

NNPC’s intractable challenge of financing Instructively, such indigenous operators its share of Joint Venture operations has also are to be subjected to the same tax regime become a source of national embarrassment.

While the International Oil Companies (OICs) as the giant IOCs. Not only does this model relieve the Government of the burden of cash claim they are owed about $5 billion, NNPC insists it owes only $3.5 billion. The dwindling call obligations, freeing more resources for infrastructural and human capacity developprice of crude oil and corruption have equally ment, it also presents a more transparent and conspired to exacerbate an already bad accountable alternative funding model. situation, subjecting the corporation to a state And to clear the accrued cash call arrears, of perpetual indebtedness. But undeterred, Kachikwu has taken up the gauntlet, develop- Kachikwu has developed an interest bearing ing alternative funding models that promise to Loan Conversion model with 10year tenure.

Industry stakeholders are already rating this get the corporation out of the woods. model a “win-win situation” as it is believed Already, Chevron has signed a $1.2 billion that when finalised, the agreement will help alternative funding arrangement with the to redeem the image of the NNPC as a more NNPC, under the Accelerated Upstream credible company while clearing its indebtedFinancing Programme (AUFP), for the development of 36 infill wells located on Oil Mining ness to its Joint Venture partners.

Time to Sheathe Swords

Hilda Ifegwu

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his appeal is borne out of genuine concern for the peace, decorum and safety of the Abia polity, which has been under a series of attacks and desolation from former Governor Orji Kalu. He pulled out of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2006 and formed the Progressive Peoples Alliance. That PPA was well intentioned at emergence reflected in its early achievements.

PPA hit the ground running, electing the likes of Theodore Orji, Ikedi Ohakim, etc.

Soon after the beautiful landing like the mayflower ship, Kalu edged out the people-oriented and democratically minded PPA members. Is it not a surprise that a party which had two vibrant South-east states in the Igbo heartland is now struggling to stay afloat under the regulations of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

It is unfortunate that since Kalu left PDP, he has made frantic efforts to re-join PDP for some intentions hard to know. If Kalu’s efforts are genuine, there is nothing wrong

Kalu

in one retracing his steps. But Kalu’s moves, from all indications, seem to be geared towards destroying PDP. Kalu served for two consecutive terms as governor. He made some controversial claims to a return to PDP. But after all the claims of membership, he went to PPA to contest for the senate the second time in 2015. It

In the senatorial election of 2015, Kalu placed a distant third after Ohuabunwa and David Ogba. All said and done, he got a judgement from the appeal court for a rerun.

The rerun went freely and fairly on March 5 with negligible hitches in few areas. This can be affirmed by many groups, especially, independent observers. He lost the rerun poll.

This is a clear indication that his electoral strength and value can only give him a third position, which was what he recorded in the first election. The PDP did not bother with the spurious votes since he lost by the rule of electoral laws which states that winning is by simple majority and that reruns should hardly be subjected to inconclusive categories. We can recall the cases of Ngige and Dora Akunyili in Anambra State and others.

Since after the election, Kalu has invested heavily in name calling and blackmail. He does not have to insult fellow citizens who are entitled to basic freedoms as contained in our laws. He got judegment from the court previously and can still go back there. That he lost is his problem, as politics is a game of numbers and votes. Votes were cast in Abia North and counted. Almost on daily basis, our man was

Kachikwu’s courageous confrontation of the NNPC behemoth, perhaps, represents his most audacious move, yet. While many agree that the restructuring of the NNPC was long overdue, successive administrations lacked the mettle to embark on the exercise. But not Kachikwu, who successfully restructured the corporation into what many believe is its natural components – Upstream; Downstream; Refineries; Gas and Power; and Ventures, with two service units identified as Finance and Accounts; and Corporate Services. Although the move was greeted by initial opposition from labour unions and the National Assembly, which later saw the wisdom in the exercise, the common knowledge that the corporation is riddled with endless scandals and sleaze of epic proportions supports the inevitability of the much needed reorganisation for improved efficiency.

No doubt, it requires unflinching patriotism and an unwavering sense of purpose to embark on a journey with such transformational implications as Kachikwu has willingly undertaken. We must however, not forget that he is human, with limitations just like everyone else. Nonetheless, though he clearly and admittedly lacks the politician’s talent for glib, there is no shred of doubt about his competence and capacity to deliver.

According to the US envoy to Nigeria, Ambassador James Entwistle, though the job of the GMD of NNPC is about the most challenging job in Nigeria, the US is convinced that Kachikwu has the skills, training and requisite experience to lead the oil and gas industry in Nigeria towards the path of growth and sustainable development.

Kachikwu himself is well aware of the ever judging scales of posterity and is determined to leave a positive mark upon his exit from office. In his own words, “At the end of the day, the reality is that nobody stays in public office forever, and so whatever combination you call it, at some point, Dr. Kachikwu will exit and life would have to continue but I hope that when I exit, I would be leaving a good testament in terms of what a national oil company should look like - in terms of efficiency, in terms of profit and loss (P&L) delivery and in terms of the beautiful brains that are trained up to be able to do that job. I think that is more important.”

Now that he has taken the path of honour and apologised for what he referred to as “the comment that I made jocularly with my friends in the press about not being a magician and it offended Nigerians; it was not meant to be, it was a side jocular issue,” Kachikwu must be allowed to continue with his transformational strides, in pursuit of his legacy of good testament.

––Michael Onunwa, a Communications Consultant, wrote from Lagos.

endorsed by highly placed Nigerians. Despite these media hypes, he failed woefully.

Let him leave Abia PDP and Mao Ohuabunwa alone as membership is still open, he can now join PDP. Come to think of it, does Kalu intend to win? He is in the habit of contesting all contestables, like senate and FIFA. The other positions are still open like, Oha neze Ndi Igbo, chairman of Bende Local Government and chairman of Igbere Union.

On a serious note, good leadership comes from consistency of purpose and honesty in words and deeds. Good followership will always lead to good leadership. In Nigeria today, Bola Tinubu has emerged a modern Nigerian leader. He led a party from opposition to majority. It is no surprise because he has been consistent; dragging along men he has mentored many years ago. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Information Lai Mohamed, Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and others have migrated from Lagos State to national status. Kalu should learn from this. The world is moving fast along truth and realism.

–– Ifegwu wrote from Umuahia.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

GAVEL TO GAVEL

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Edited by Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

Buhari, addressing a joint session of the National Assembly during the presentation of the 2016 budget

2016 Budget: In Search of Truce

For more than three months, the Presidency and the National Assembly have engaged in a running battle over the 2016 budget. Will there be an end to the face-off soon?

Ask Omololu Ogunmade and Damilola Oyedele

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he face-off between the Presidency and the National Assembly gives no sign of abating. The bone of contention has been the 2016 budget which has generated suspicion between the two arms of government.

Whereas Nigerians have continued to endure a range of hardships with the hope that the passage of 2016 budget would alleviate their plights, the budget has been mired in controversy and every sigh of relief heaved by the people after a semblance of resolution has always been ephemeral as such a relief quickly gives way to a fresh wave of controversies.

Thus, the budget impasse has seen a progression from the allegation of missing budget to swapping of the document; budget padding to budget of errors and duplication of figures as well as disowning of allocation by ministers. The passage by the National Assembly while work was still ongoing on the document was also parts of the controversies which have made the document a subject of embarrassment.

That the entire world is aware of the controversy surrounding the budget became obvious on Thursday when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in far away United States advised the executive and the legislature to end the budget row in the interest of the country.

The most recent controversy began with the rejection of highlights of 2016 budget transmitted to President Muhammadu Buhari after its passage on March 23 by the National Assembly. Buhari had insisted that he would not endorse the Appropriation Bill which contained only highlights of the budget and demanded for details of the budget before he could give his assent.

The rejection exposed that the National Assembly was yet to conclude work on the budget despite claim that it had passed it.

However, after about two weeks, the National Assembly eventually concluded legislation on the budget and transmitted it. For many Nigerians who had followed the controversies trailing the budget from inception, its transmission was victory at last and light at the end of the tunnel.

But the euphoria of that perceived victory was short-lived as 48 hours later, the presidency came up with an allegation

that N60 billion Calabar-Lagos rail project in the budget had been removed by lawmakers and part of the funds diverted to Lagos-Kano Rail project. The presidency also alleged the diversion of some allocations to some projects in the North as well as the removal of N18 billion Kaduna-Idu rail project.

Media reports immediately put the blame at the doorstep of Chairmen of the Appropriation Committees in the Senate and the House, Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumim (Kano), respectively, both of whom are from the North.

Abdulmumim in a series of tweets had explained that the N39.7 billion alloted to the Lagos-Kano rail project was from a N54billion which was discovered to be floating in the budget of the Ministry of Transport.

Abdulmumim himself is however under fire for allegedly unilaterally allocating unplanned constituency projects worth N4 billion to his constituency, a move which has reportedly led many of his colleagues to demand for his removal.

Attempts to also justify the exclusion was the Lagos-Calabar rail project on the ground that it was not in the budget submitted by the President was faulted by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Transport, Senator Gbenga Ashafa. Ashafa (Lagos West) in a statement said the project was brought before the Committee by the Minister of Transport, Mr. RotimiAmaechi, and was defended.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Namdas Abdulrazak agreed that was the case, but noted that there was no way the Committee would have included a document brought before it by a minister into the budget, without the authority of the President.

“We know some Presidents send Ministers to present the budget, but this President brought it himself, so we cannot accept any other document through the backdoor.”

“If we allow it (Calabar-Lagos rail project) be smuggled in at the Committee level, next year others too will wait for their budget to be at the Committee level, and smuggle in all kinds of things.

Then the N’Assembly will be accused of padding,” he added.

But this allegation of budget distortion put the National Assembly on the spot and portrayed it as an army of unpatriotic citizens who discarded important projects which could add value

to the lives of Nigerians.

This provoked anger in the Senate and prompted it to warn the Presidency to henceforth stop its alleged hide and seek game on 2016 budget. A statement issued by Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, also warned the Presidency to stop engaging in what it described as surreptitious campaigns of calumny against the National Assembly in order to cover up its shortcomings.

It also said the executive lacked the effrontery to sustain its persistent attacks against the National Assembly in view of alleged flaws which characterised the 2016 budget, alleging that the National Assembly had to bend backwards to produce a meaningful document out of the excessively flawed and chaotic versions of the budget proposal submitted to it by Buhari.

The Senate also accused the presidency of gross incompetence in the preparation of the budget adding that the document was highly embarrassing and characterised by a mess which it said the National Assembly helped to clean.

The parliament took exception to what it described as an unwarranted attitude of the presidency to set the public against the National Assembly and also took a swipe at the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, whom it accused of orchestrating the allegation. It described the minister’s “antics” of evolving the allegation as reckless, uncalled for and dangerously divisive. Consequently, it asked him to tender an unreserved apology for the allegation or resign.

But notwithstanding the insistence of the presidency that the projects should be included in the budget, the Senate resumed from its Easter break and ruled out the possibility of reconsidering the inclusion of N60 billion Lagos-Calabar rail project in the 2016 budget.

Instead, the parliament resolved to consider it only if a supplementary budget was sent to it by the executive. According to Abdullahi, the Senate stood by its position on Monday that enough was enough of blackmail from the executive over the budget.

Abdullahi insisted that having passed the Appropriation Bill, it was impossible for the National Assembly to revisit 2016 budget, explaining that the only option left is for Buhari to sign the budget and thereafter send a supplementary budget on the

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Cont’d from Pg. 91

rail projects as provided for in the constitution.

He argued that the Senate had resolved to be guided by provisions of the constitution in handling the crisis emanating from passage of the 2016 budget.

“Now, one thing that is obvious is that yes we have passed the budget. Nigerians are asking what next for us. What is important now is for the budget to be signed. The constitution has taken note of this kind of scenario where you may have omissions or shortfalls of allocations and Section 81 of the constitution is very clear on what you need to do which is to sign the budget and then submit a supplementary appropriation. I want to assure you that the Senate is not unmindful of the cries of Nigerians that we said, for example, that that the Lagos-Calabar rail project was not in the budget does not in any way undermine the fact it is a very, very important project for this nation to embark on and so the National Assembly, the Senate, is open if the executive brings a supplementary appropriation with respect to this issue and any other issue that they feel very strongly about.

“We are ready and willing to consider such but the most important point to note is that we want to remain guided by the provisions of the constitution. I think if we do that, all these raging controversies will be up our back and we can all concentrate and put our energies to begin the process of implementating the 2016 budget so that those dividends of democracy, the youth unemployment issue, the empowerment of women, the social intervention programme, the infrastructural programmes, the agricultural programmes can be addressed. The rains are already here and all other projects that we know will kick-start,” he said.

But indications that it will take a long time for the budget impasse to be resolved arose penultimate Wednesday when the House of Representatives rose from its three-hour executive session with a resolution to re-examine the budget. This position was in contrast with that of the Senate which had ruled out the possibility of re-visiting it., unless by way of supplementary budget. This therefore implies that both chambers of the National Assembly are working at cross-purposes which will only prolong the budget crisis. This is moreso that no bill can be passed into law by the National Assembly unless both the Senate and House of Representatives work on such a bill and pass it.

But the current discordant tunes in the NationalAssembly only shows that even if the president vetoes the Appropriation Bill within the 30 days that he constitutionally has to either assent to it or veto it, the National Assembly will lack the required common grounds to override the president’s veto. The adverse effect of this dangerous trend therefore is that government business will shut down as the federal government will be unable to draw money from the federation account after six months into the fiscal year.

However, the House of Representatives has found an ally in the Southern senators who penultimate week met at various caucuses of their regions and resolved that the Calabar-rail line project must be included in the project.

The Southern senators ended their various caucuses’ meeting with the conclusion that the project considered to be vital for the region was deliberately removed from the budget by Appropriation Committees of the National Assembly headed by Northern lawmakers. They therefore threw their weight behind the decision by Buhari to withhold his assent from the bill until the project is restored.

This decision by Southern senators also shows that not only is the National Assembly divided by the budget, it has also polarised the Senate and House of Representatives into NorthSouth divide.

Interestingly, whereas the Senate insisted that it was done with the 2016 budget and would only work on a supplementary budget, the House in a surprise move said it was ready to re-examine the budget which was passed by both chambers on March 23, to resolve knotty issues with the Executive.

Speaker Yakubu Dogara said the re-examination would be done in the interest of Nigerians to ensure a budget that is implementable, but did not clarify if the bill that had already been passed would be recalled, or what form the re-examination would take.

The budget is a bill that needs concurrence of both chambers, and changes would need harmonization with the Senate which announced that it had already finished work as far as the 2016 budget was concerned.

Namdas took a safe approach in explaining the new development.

“If we look at it, and we are convinced 60 percent is okay, we would urge the President to sign it and let’s start implementing the 60 percent. Then let’s accommodate others in supplementary budget,” he said.

Three options may be available to the President as the current impasse continues, according to a legislative source conversant with budget matters.

“He has a time frame of 30 days, if he does not sign it, and the National Assembly is in a confrontational mood, they would override him. But he also has the option of signing and sending a supplementary budget, or signing it into law, and quickly seek an amendment,” the source said.

“Overriding his veto would however begin another round of crises which may set the tone of what to expect between the legislature and parliament for the rest of President Buhari‘s tenure,” the source added.

Several lawmakers have however harped on the need to resolve the impasse as soon as possible in the interest of the country.

Conscious of the implication of a protracted crisis over the budget, the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives were scheduled to hold a meeting with the President last Friday night, although feelers from the Senate indicate that the upper chamber prefer a supplementary bill to be sent to the legislature.

Leaders of both chambers met last Wednesday night to discuss the matter, because of the need for concurrence of the Senate to

Buhari; Osinbajo and Udoma, going through the budget

Saraki and Dogara, at the joint session during the presentation of 2016 budget

Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari receives budget from SSA to President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Eta Enang and Hon. Kawu Ismaila at the State House, Abuja

the decision of the House to re-examine the budget.

The House, last week, confirmed that it had identified the ‘grey areas’ in the 2016 budget which set the National Assembly against the Executive resulting in President Buhari delaying his assent to the budget.

The House spokesperson, Hon. Namdas, briefing newsmen last Thursday disclosed that a letter from the presidency listing the areas of contention had been received.

Namdas however declined to reveal the grey areas listed by the President, as he parried questions on whether the Calabar-Lagos rail line project was included in the letter.

He also refused to explain why the letter was not read on the

floor of the House at plenary, as is normal tradition with formal communication between the President and both chambers.

“The Speaker met with the President as mandated by the House...I can confirm that we are in possession of the grey areas,” he said, and also declined to disclosed when the letter was received by the House.

Even though Speaker Dogara met with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and there were reports that Budget Minister Udoma met with the leadership of the Senate penultimate week, the lingering controversy means succour may not be close for an economy that urgently requires stimulation through the release of appropriated funds.

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GAVEL TO GAVEL/ BILLS, MOTIONS ET AL

Daniel: National Assembly Should Act Boldly, Promptly on PIB Hon. Reyenieju Daniel represents Warri South/Warri West Federal Constituency of Delta State in the House of Representatives. In this interview with Damilola Oyedele, Daniel explains why the National Assembly should pass the Petroleum Industry Bill without further delay. Excerpts:

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hat is your view on the recent restructuring at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation?

Reorganising or restructuring depends on what they want to achieve with NNPC, as long as it is done within what the law permits. They know those that are capable of delivering based on their policy thrust and what they want to achieve with the corporation. That leads to a crucial question, what is the policy thrust of the new GMD, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu? He says he wants to drive NNPC to perform with the best practices all over the world.

He has said sub-sectors of the NNPC need to be restructured to meet the policy thrust of the government and what is this policy thrust; it has to do with modalities for how the NNPC can be profit-oriented business wise. He even disclosed that in the past refineries took crude free of charge, the PPMC takes the refined products and sells to the public without accounting. But he wants to restructure in a way that the PPMC pays for the crude it lifts, so when it sells to the public, it makes money to keep the sector running. Of course, we cannot continue with the business as usual attitude. If we do, this country will never grow.

My opinion is that the GMD has to ensure the sustainability of the process where each of the restructured units can be independent, to the extent of not breaching the law, but making profit. For example, the NNPC has over 200 doctors and some of the best hospital structures.

But how many people are they treating, and how many people from the public go there to receive treatment? What is wrong with giving the medical unit to a profit-oriented CEO or GED who knows his responsibility is to make the hospital work and even allow the public access medical services and pay for it? That way, we can reduce medical tourism where we spend billions of dollars all over the world.

But the NationalAssembly initially opposed the restructuring.

These are things we really need to look at as a parliament to analyse the bottom-line of what the man is trying to achieve. We were voted into office to support government policies, not to always criticise government policies. This we can do by making laws to back the policies. This is not about the interest of the legislature or executive alone. This is also why we canvass building strong institutions, not strong individuals. In Nigeria today, what we have are weak institutions with very powerful individuals at the helms of those institutions.

So when they leave it is as if everything is going to crumble. So I completely support the restructuring of the NNPC.

The Petroleum Industry Bill is expected to resolve many of the challenges in the sector. What factors are responsible for the continuous delay in its passage?

We are talking about a sector on which the economy of the country survives, with very heavy foreign investments. So apart from restructuring the PIB, which was introduced in the sixth assembly, in a way to suit Nigeria, there is economics of it, which cannot go so smoothly without some intervening forces, whether negatively or positively.

This is the challenge. But the legislature has to take the bull by the horns, pass it the way it has been done, and then expect at some point amendments when necessary.

The local content bill was passed in 2010. I was one of the sponsors then, and in 2015 there was an amendment. There is no law that is absolutely perfect. But in the course of implementation, those areas with limitations would be clear, and then amendments are introduced.

Virtually all of our laws right now are being amended, that is the way it should be. But we cannot talk of amending a law that has not even been passed.

The PIB can be amended in as little as three months after its passage.

So what are we waiting for? How can we be waiting for a new PIB when we already have a PIB that has witnessed all the storms for the past 12 years? Are we saying the one that would be brought now would not face the same challenges as the past ones?

Just before the expiration of the last assembly, the House passed the PIB, but the Senate could not concur before its expiration. Some have said that the House seems to be more committed to the passage of the PIB. Do you agree?

I cannot speak for the Senate, but I know that we do not have to depend on the Senate to do what we think is right for Nigeria and the Senate does not have to completely depend on the House to do what is right. At the end of the day, if the House does what is right, it just needs to seek the gavel of the Senate for concurrence.

We do not actually need to be on the same page at the same time; both the Senate and the House, whichever comes first, is to seek the concurrence of the other.

I just want to play my own role by way of reintroducing the bill and in doing that I was very careful. I brought the minority leader, the majority leader, major and minor stakeholders, and made sure it went through first reading. There were 20 of us, but I was the lead sponsor. I did not want to do it alone because it is a bill that is in the interest of the country.

Daniel

One of the major challenges the bill faced in the seventh Senate was that some northern senators insisted they would support it only if oil was explored in the North. But the amount of expenditure on such a project became an issue. Don’t you think that would again affect the PIB? That was one of the major challenges we had in the sixth assembly and it also reared its head in the seventh assembly. But like I always say, it is not personal or regional or about religion, but about a law for the good governance of the people of Nigeria.

That issue was adequately addressed and that is where you have in the PIB, the frontier agency. It was actually created in unbundling.

It was something that we needed to do, we need to have it, we cannot run away from it. How are we sure that we do not have oil in the North, especially as they have in Niger Republic? I have been to their oil farms. Between the Niger Republic and the Sokoto end of it, we do not know the demarcation between Sokoto and Niger Republic.

Are you saying there is oil in Sokoto?

There is oil, we just have not done enough or we have not been committed to exploring it. That is why the northerners came up with the argument, that yes, we need a frontier. I said why not? We will do

The PIB can be amended in as little as three months after its passage. So what are we waiting for? How can we be waiting for a new PIB when we already have a PIB that has witnessed all the storms for the past 12 years?

Are we saying the one that would be brought now would not face the same challenges as the past ones?

it and it is going to be in the public glare and everybody will know that we are doing it. If we discover oil it is for the interest of this country, but if we do not, then everybody knows that there is no oil.

There is nothing wrong in creating a frontier. That is not too much in the interest of the unity of the country because you cannot say, set up a specific frontier to explore oil in the North when you have a one Nigeria. It would have been the same process. But if that is what is going to stall the passage of a nice bill, why throw out the baby and the bath water? Just allow it to go and then fund it, there is nothing wrong with that, the money belongs to the entire country.

Some have also argued that the oil workers union, some of who oppose the PIB, seem more protective for the oil majors than the national interest. Do you subscribe to this view?

I have said earlier that unionism in the oil industry is becoming too overbearing on the progress of the industry in this country. Let me give a practicable example. The NNPC sometimes in Warri shuts down for more than a year without any work, sometimes due to a fault. But what happens, salaries are still being paid, the workers get everything they need to get.

Take Ajaokuta Steel, take Delta Steel in Warri, workers are still there but for many years now, there has been no production. They are not generating anything, not even one naira for the country but the Nigerian government is paying them because there is a union. Can they do that in MTN or in Globacom? They cannot, because while there are unions in these companies, they are privately owned and perfectly controlled. So if we now say whether it is 10 years that the facility is not working, the worker should be paid, who bears the brunt? It is the government. What I am trying to say is that if an agency or an institution is not working, why should people be paid for it, even if it is not their fault? The unions are just after their welfare and that is why they are into unionism. But they don’t think about the effect of it.

I recall that before Obasanjo left office, he privatised Kaduna refinery and Warri refinery, Dangote got one and Otedola got one. But the unions fought it, the legislature supported them and it was reversed.

But let’s be fair, assuming the privatisation scaled through, maybe we would not be having this shortage of fuel that keeps reoccurring, because it would be properly managed.

The telecom sector was privatised, MTN came on board, GLO came on board, and ECONET came on board. Now you have ETISALAT, SMILE and others. The single one that was left for government to manage, which is MOBITEL, where is it? It is dead now and they are still paying salaries; they are not working and they will also pay gratuity to them too.

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lamide Steven Aiyedogbon, lastweekend, took his hearthrob, former Miss Peace Celestine Jacob, to the altar for Solemnization of Holy Matrimony at the Realm of Glory International Church Okota, Lagos. The reception was held at the same venue. Here are some of the personalities that graced the occasion.

Photos: Etop Ukutt

The Couple Olamide and Peace Aiyedogbon

Groom’s Parents, Pastor Sam and Grace Aiyedogbon

Bride’s Parents, Chief and Mrs. Celestine Jacob

Tunde and Dunni Stephen

Tayo and Toni Akintara

Capt. and Mrs. Haruna Manasseh

Nath Ayo and Faith Aiyedogbon

Pastor and Pastor (Mrs) Kenny Adeleke with Family

Apostle and Pastor (Mrs) Stephen Agbana

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Pastor Theo and Rose Oluwaseeki and Family

Tola and Joy Hamson Abiola

Alfred and Flora Eyimife

Henry and Edith Oise

Henry and Ayo Fjisun

Obiora and Jane Ochokwu

Charles and Isioma Mbanugo

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Chika

Kayode and Wunmi Ajala

Elder and Mrs. Emmanuel John

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Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

FA Cup: Ighalo’s Watford Battle Crystal Palace for Place in Final

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ondon rivals Crystal Palace and Watford know that a win in today’s Wembley showdown will leave them just one game away from FA Cup glory. Watford would be looking up to Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo to provide the goals that will fire his side closer to a final with Manchester United who defeate Everton 2-1 in the other Wembley semi final yesterday.

Neither Crystal Palace nor Watford has had a standout season in the Premier League, but both Alan Pardew and Quique Sanchez Flores will know just how important today’s match is in terms of a rare shot at silverware for their clubs.

The FA Cup represents a bright end to Palace’s campaign after a disastrous slide in form has seen the Eagles slip from potential Champions League contenders into relegation battlers. Watford are all but safe from the drop despite also hitting a mid-season slump, and Flores could do with a win given the mounting specula-

tion regarding his future at Vicarage Road.

For Palace, Scott Dann has been passed fit after missing the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on Wednesday.

Connor Wickham is in contention having returned for the Eagles off the bench against Arsenal and United, while goalkeeper Julian Speroni could also start having impressed against Louis van Gaal’s side. James McArthur returned from an ankle problem at Old Trafford, but may not start at Wembley.

For Watford, Flores has no injury concerns ahead of today’s game, though Nordin Amrabat will miss out through suspension having been dismissed late on in the 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Wednesday night. The Watford boss rested a number of key players at the Boleyn Ground, and is likely to restore Ighalo, Troy Deeney, Ben Watson, Etienne Capoue and Allan Nyom to his starting XI. Costel Pantilimon is set to continue as the Hornets’ cup goalkeeper despite being back-up to Heurelho Gomes.

Martial Winner Sends United into Cup Final at Everton’s Expense

Ighalo

Iheanacho Stars as City Hammer Stoke Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho was Manchester City’s best player in the 4-0 win over Stoke City in the Barclays English Premier League yesterday.

The 19-year-old Nigerian won a penalty and scored twice as the Citizens thumped the Potters in comprehensive style at the Etihad Stadium.

He won the penalty in the 42nd minute as his turn of pace following a give and go with Yaya Toure hoodwinked the Stoke captain, Ryan Shawcross who was left with the option of wrestling the exciting starlet to the ground.

Sergio Aguero converted the spot kick to give City a 2-0 lead after Fernando had given the hosts the lead in the 35th minute. Iheanacho then

truly sparked into life after the interval with two intelligently-taken goals to put the game to bed.

His first in the 64th minute was a wellcontrolled finish from eight yards following a brilliant low cross by Pablo Zabaletta from the right.

He was then played in by strike partner, Wilfried Bony in the 74th minute before he proceeded to do the hard work, rounding the Stoke goalkeeper, Jakob Haugaard and planting emphatically into an unguarded net.

Yesterday was Iheanacho’s fourth senior career start in the league for City but he has weighed in with five goals. He has scored 13 goals in all competitions for City this season.

Iheanacho scoring his second and City’s fourth in yesterday’s win against Stoke

Anthony Martial snatched a last-gasp winner to send Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United into a potentially season-redeeming FA Cup final as the favourites following a 2-1 victory over Everton at Wembley yesterday.

With the semifinal headed for extra-time after a 75th-minute Chris Smalling own goal had cancelled out Marouane Fellaini’s first-half strike for United against his former club, Martial was on target in injury time.

Everton, with manager Roberto Martinez under fire and out of favour with the fans, could have levelled in the 57th minute when Timothy Fosu-Mensah felled Ross Barkley but David de Gea’s superb diving save denied Romelu Lukaku from the penalty

spot.

United, who will face Watford or Crystal Palace in the final, had their own penalty appeal turned down nine minutes later when Fellaini’s shot was blocked by Phil Jagielka’s arm.

Dutchman Van Gaal has faced endless debate about his United future, with media speculation that Jose Mourinho is waiting in the wings, after crashing out of Europe and poor performances in the Premier League. The final, with United on course to lift the trophy for the first time since 2004, would be a silver lining even if there are no guarantees he will still be in the job next season.

Nigerian Lady Golfers Finish Ninth at All Africa Challenge Trophy From Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja Nigeria’s lady golfers placed ninth at the 16-nation All Africa Challenge Trophy held in Tunisia. South Africa won the 54 holes event played at Citrus Golf Club, Hamammet, while Morocco finished in second place ahead of Tunisia.

It was Nigeria’s best outing since they placed 13th in 2010 when the event was held in Abuja. The team made up of Evelyn Oyome from Ibadan Golf Club, Amina Wilfred from IBB International Golf and Country Club, Abuja and youth prodigy, Anita Uwadia, shot the combined score of 524 in difficult conditions with prevailing temperature as low as 0 degree Celsius and wind at 35-40 km per hour.

Uwadia contributed 246 while Wilfred played 278. Though Oyome returned 301, it never tallied as only the best two scores per team counted.

The team which was managed by Mrs Ekanem Ekwueme, the 1st Vice President Northern Zone, Ladies Golfers Association of Nigeria (LGAN) was accompanied by six travelling supporters, including the treasurer, Mrs. Funke Majekodunmi and PRO, Queen Asanobi.

Ekwueme said that apart from unfavourable weather, the morale of the team was dampened by the demise of LGAN President, Mrs Tima Animashaun, before the team left for Tunisia. Eight-handicapper, Wilfred,

who played at the AACT in Abuja in 2010 and Botswana two years later, said the team could have fared better if they had enough time to prepare or get used to the course.

“We trained for only one day which obviously wasn’t enough . The course is very challenging and has water as its feature. We struggled against rain and wind. Also on hole 2, a par 5, I played 10 down, though I birdied the same hole on the first two days. It was that bad,” Wilfred said.

RESULTS & FIXTURES

PREMIERSHIP Man City Bournemouth Aston Villa Liverpool Sunderland Leicester

4–0 1–4 2–4 2–2 vs vs

Stoke Chelsea Southampton Newcastle Arsenal 2:05pm Swansea4:15pm

FA CUP Man United Crystal Palace

2-1 vs

Everton Watford 4pm

LA LIGA Rayo Vallecano Atletico Madrid Barcelona

2-3 1-0 6-0

Real Madrid Malaga Gijon

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Kanu Nwankwo

The Greatest Trophy I’ve Won is Saving a Life

Startimes Nigeria, a leading paid television content provider in Africa, recently organised a tour of three African countries namely Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda, to help position the brand among competitors. The company’s brand ambassador, Kanu Nwankwo, spoke with Ugo Aliogo about the tour and other issues

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ince you came into the country and took over the management of this place, what were the initial issues that confronted you?

to build a hospital, but it did not work out. This will not discourage us, we have to keep doing what we are doing. If I have allowed some of the challenges we have faced to discourage us, we would not have carried out 500 operations. The more we raise funds, the more lives we touch. Therefore, if more companies and corporate bodies partner us we will be able to change lives.

First of all, before I come to the issues, I think it’s important to restate the positions that this bank has in the country. Ecobank Nigeria by several dimensions is seen as the sixth largest bank in Nigeria, and is also systemically involved in banking.

And therefore it has very critical role to play when it comes to not only providing financial services but also supporting the economic development of Nigeria. As an institution, we see our role not just as providing financial services but we also think that we have a role to play when it comes to supporting and participating into the development of each of the countries where we operate.

After a long phase of growth where the bank has seen several acquisitions in this marke

What progress has been made in your charity initiative?

The foundation has been able to treat 500 privileged cases and this means a great deal of progress. The foundation stands to help the less-privileged ones and our work is to raise funds in one or the other.

My work is to use my name and fame to support those individuals in need of help.

Therefore, for any individual with heart problem, the first point of call is the Kanu heart foundation. We are highly committed to supporting individuals with heart issues.

In terms of support, how much have you achieved so far?

Why did you embark on the Africa Tour?

We want corporate organisations and the media to support us in order to save more lives. The media should be at the forefront spreading the message of what we are doing through publicity. The journey has not been easy for us, but if we have enough support from corporate organisations and individuals, we would have finished those ones on the waiting list, and built hospitals, but we have not done that.

We need funds in order to go to states in Nigeria so that we can clear those on the waiting lists (we have almost 100). If nothing is done, some of them will die.

When I went to Uganda, the first point of call was the hospital. The business of changing lives is something is very special for us at the foundation and we do not take it for granted.

As the brand ambassador of Startimes, we are trying to position it to be the leading football company content provider in Nigeria. As you are aware, the brand is for everyone just like Kanu is for everybody.

The brand is cheap and it is affordable. If you can have as much as 70 channels and you pay just little to have that, it shows that the brand is for everyone. This is why Kanu is part of the company.

The good thing about the tour is we are not promoting Startimes, we are promoting Nigeria’s image because we are the giants of Africa in terms of sports. In every country we visited, they were happy to see me and this is a positive side for Nigeria.

What were you able to achieve during the tour?

The tour was about Startimes, and my presence as the brand ambassador of the brand gave the brand so much publicity, therefore it is good image promotion for the brand. Also, I conducted coaching clinics with the younger ones in the grassroots areas we visited. We visited rural areas to teach them football, educate them and make sure that I impact their lives.

Most of the kids were happy seeing me train with them. In Uganda, the area I was taken to was a very muddy place where people cannot even play football, but I saw kids playing football in the rain, and I also joined them playing the game. They enjoyed the game and they also learnt from it. When I visited Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, it was the same as being in Nigeria; they showed me a lot of love.

What is your assessment of Startimes as a brand in the midst of other competing brands?

Startimes is a very good brand which is trying to distinguish itself in the midst of competing brands. Presently, they are showing the German Bundesliga, and the Italian Serie A on their channels. These two football leagues are also part of the football powerhouse in Europe. In football, we don’t have to depend one league, it is a universal game; therefore, there is need for flexibility on the part of viewers. Startimes

Kanu is trying to ensure that every football league is given coverage.

How do you think Startimes can help improve Nigerian football?

In Uganda, Startimes is sponsoring the two biggest clubs, while in Kenya and Tanzania, they are part of the football development process. I have sat with the management and we are planning on developing the game of football in Nigeria and in the continent. Also an ambassador of Startimes, I have to discuss with them on how to promote football leagues, to help the Nigeria youths and ensure that football develops in Nigeria. If we have the League Management Committee (LMC), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and others involved in what we are doing, we will attain greater heights.

Since you began the tour, what are the things you have noticed about Africa?

Personally, I see Africa as one. When I entered some of the countries, they gave me warm reception and showed me love.

I was not seen as a Nigerian; rather I was seen as one of them, which for me is very good. The other thing is the followership which the English Premier League (EPL) is enjoying across Africa. This is not healthy for us; there is need for the continent to diversify to other football leagues in

Europe.

The third issue is health; with the Kanu Heart Foundation, I have been visiting other countries and partnering them in one way or the other.

The number of people with heart conditions on the waiting list on the continent is much compared to those in Nigeria.

Every country is struggling in that aspect.

One unique factor about them is that even if they do not have four good hospitals to carry out the operation, they have one unique one which is very good. I do not think they are concerned about taking their patients to abroad for treatment.

The Kanu Heart Foundation is renowned in Nigeria. How have you created a relationship between the existing hospitals and your foundation?

One good thing about Startimes is that when they heard of the Kanu Heart Foundation, they keyed into what the foundation was doing and for it this is a very important step which motivated me to be part of the brand.

They have the same idea which the foundation has, which is giving back to the society and they have also tried in one way or the other to help with what the foundation is doing.

We have done launching to raise funds

Apart from charity works, what are other things that you are doing?

Charity is something I love doing. For instance when I visited Kenya, I went to one of the hospital’s surgery rooms to see what they were using for surgery, kids that they have operated upon and other things that was helping them to make progress in heart surgery. I also asked questions and we interacted. Startimes and Kanu heart foundation are two bodies working together to help change lives. Whatever you do to help is something unique. I have other businesses which I do, I’m also the ambassador of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) therefore football is still part of me. I do not have to leave it behind; I still have to be part of it. In 2013, I was in South Africa, from the start of the tournament to the end, in each of the matches the Super Eagles played, during half time, I was at the dressing room to speak with the players on what to do.

When you see these kids with heart problems, what comes to your mind?

As a footballer, I have won a lot of trophies. But the greatest trophy I have won is saving a life. When I saw one of the kids after surgery, I understood that people go through a lot when they are ill.

But after the surgery, the child was very happy.

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NEWSXTRA

BRAND NEW DOCTOR BIDDING SISI FAREWELL L-R: Vice Chancellor, Abia State University, Prof. Uche Ikonne; former Executive Vice Chairman of the NiL-R: Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu; Iyalode of Lagos, Mrs. Fatima Tinubu,

and Mrs. Ibidun Oshodi, at the final burial of Alhaja Sisi Abeni Ojikutu in Lagos...recently PHOTO: Akinwunmi Ibrahim

gerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, and the Registrar, Dr. Evelyn Iheukwumere, as Ndukwe receives a certificate of conferment, Doctor of Science degree Honoris Causa from the VC at the 24th convocation ceremony of Abia State University, Uturu, Abia State...recently

Nigeria Targets Satellite Resources for Economic Growth Nseobong Okon-Ekong

Contrary to fears being expressed in some quarters, the management of Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT) has said Nigeria’s satellite resources are primed to help the nation in accelerating robust ICT infrastructure to boost economic development.

“As an organisation, we are committed to using the country’s satellite resources towards developing the needed infrastructure platform for engendering overall economic development,” Head, Public Affairs of NIGCOMSAT, Mr. Adamu Idris, said.

Already, the Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, had said that in the current Communications Sector Roadmap for 2016-2019, satellite

resources owned by Nigeria would play a critical role in catalysing broadband growth, as it would be put into full usage to the benefits of the country’s economic growth.

With just 10 per cent broadband penetration in the country, Nigeria’s satellites resources both existing and soon-to-beacquired satellites would be put into playing even greater role in the country.

He particularly noted that the company would explore new investment towards ensuring that the potentiality of the country’s satellite resources being managed by the NIGCOMSAT is unleashed to drive economic development.

While some have called for privatisation of NIGCOMSAT, which they believe has been

taking more from rather than adding to the Nigerians coffer, Shittu has said that the West African country won’t privatise the NIGCOMSAT. Speaking on the activities of NIGCOMSAT, its Managing Director, Mrs. Abimbola Alale, has said her company was established to champion broadband growth.

According to her, if well supported by the government and patronised by local and foreign organisations, the satellite technology would provide broadband links to people who could not be reached with fibre cables.

Alale, however, noted that though NigComSat-1, which was reported to have been lost in space in 2007 after 18 months of operation was only de-orbited

because of technical challenges especially power supply, the new NigComSat-1R is a direct replica of it with similar functions.

According to her, NigComSat-1R launched in 2011 was built from the proceeds of the fully insured NigComSat-1 without any additional cost to the federal government.

She maintained that NigComSat -1R, which has being in space in the past four years would support the activities of China Great Wall Industries Corporation (CGWIC), by providing necessary facilities to test communication payload of the Belintersat-1 Satellite, recently launched in China, over Africa using its ground station infrastructures located in Abuja.

She further stated that be-

SON DG Unveils Strategy to Curtail Substandard Products Influx into Nigeria John Iwori

The Director General, Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mr. Paul Angya has attributed the increased availability and circulation of substandard products in the country to what he described as the criminal manipulation of the system (EPCC) by some unscrupulous importers in the country.

Angya noted that the EPCC system which was a temporary window introduced by SON to enable importers who had placed their order for importation of some goods before the

introduction of the electronic SONCAP certification in September 2015 to enable them bring in their goods was to last for three months.

Speaking at a maritime stakeholders awareness forum tagged ‘Seamless Import: Fostering Trade without Compromising Standards’ in Lagos recently, Angya said the issue of substandard products has assumed a worrisome dimension and promised to cleanse the system in three months.

He stressed in spite of different challenges facing the country, the issue of substandard

and fake products has become unacceptable by the government, and maintained that the situation has propelled the Minister of Industry and Commerce to direct the government agency to reverse the trend.

He lamented the attendant risk and loss the country and her citizens are exposed to and he pointed out that valuable properties, including houses, have been destroyed due to the use of sub-standard cables.

Stressing that 99 per cent of the fake and substandard goods are imported, he said the essence of the sensitisa-

tion programme was for the regulatory body to meet with key stakeholders involved in importation and make them realise the danger inferior goods pose to lives and property, the economy, among others.

Angya who noted that though the problem was not new, however said the dimension it has taken in recent times was rather new and that government had in 2005 responded to the ugly situation with the introduction of SONCAP to curb the illicit trade activities in the country.

Enugu Govt, Labour Defend Ugwuanyi on Management of Bailout Fund Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

Enugu State Government and the Organised Labour yesterday dismissed as false, mischievous and a calculated attempt to deceive the people media reports that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi misapplied the Federal Government bailout fund meant for the payment of outstanding salaries, subventions and pensions for

public servants of the state. In a report credited to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the commission wrongly stated that Enugu State collected the sum of ten billion, one hundred and seventy four million, two hundred and thirty eight thousand, six hundred and eighty one naira (N10,174,238,681.00) as bailout fund.

The commission further

stated that the state government disbursed the sum of five billion, nine hundred and sixty seven million, two hundred and thirty eight thousand, six hundred and eighty one naira, nineteen kobo (N5,967,238,681.19) from the fund to “settle domestic debt and claimed that the funds for the payment of state salaries and emoluments was not yet accessed”. But in a statement signed by the Secretary

to the State Government, Elder G.O.C. Ajah and made available to newsmen, the state government explained that it received the sum of four billion, two hundred and seven million naira only (N4,207,000,000.00) from the federal government as bailout fund for the settlement of outstanding salaries, subventions and pensions for public servants in the state.

Osun Government Suspends Animal-slaughtering Activities Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo The State Government of Osun has approved the suspension of slaughtering activities in all slabs and meat shops across the state as from Monday, April 25.

The information was contained in a press statement issued by the Coordinating Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Youth Engagement, Dr. Oluwabukola Aluko.

According to the statement, the suspension of slaughtering activities was in a bid to sanitise animal slaughtering and other activities in the meat industry,

and also to meet up with the requisite standards of providing wholesome meat fit for human consumption.

He then enjoined all butchers willing to continue in the trade to apply to the Veterinary Office nearest to them for renewal of their Working Permit to slaughter animals.

Aluko then warned that no butcher should henceforth slaughter without recourse to this government suspension order. He also pointed out that government would deal appropriately with any butcher that fails to comply with the suspension order.

Africa Today to Hold China-Africa Trade, Investment Summit Jaiyeola Andrews in Abuja Eminent British economist and politician, Sir Vince Cable who was United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2010 to 2015, will be arriving in Nigeria today (Sunday) for the 2016 Africa Today Summit.

The summit, is organised by Africa Today magazine in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BoI), will take place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Two other distinguished international figures and experts who will join Sir Cable at the Abuja summit are Prof. Howard W. French, from Columbia University in New York, who is the author of the new world-acclaimed book, China’s Second Continent: How a Million Migrants are Building a

New Empire in Africa, and Yun Sun, also a world-renowned expert on China’s relations with Africa, who is a senior researcher with the prestigious Washington DCbased Think-tank, The Brookings Institution.

They will be joined by senior Nigerian government officials and leading business people who have been invited to speak at the summit, including Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelama, and Minister for Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma.

Others are President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Frank Jacobs; President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers and Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (NACCIMA),

In Brief

Ooni’s Grandmother Laid to Rest Late Queen Ayeyemi Ogunwusi, the grandmother of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) was laid to rest yesterday at St Paul’s AnglicanChurch,Ayegbaju,Ile-Ife,OsunState;inaceremonypresidedoverby the Lord Bishop of Diocese of Ife Anglican Communion, Rt. Revd Olubunmi Akinlade. The late Queen Ogunwusi died on Feb 8, 2016 at the age of 104.

Different eminent Nigerians from all walks of life converged on the ancient city of Ile-Ife for the burial of the late Queen, to pay their last respect to the deceased. These include the Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Prof. Bamitale Omole and the Registrar of OAU, Mr. Dotun Awoyemi; Asiwaju of Ife, Chief Alex Duduyemi; representative of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rasheed Ladoja, and the in-laws of the Ooni of Ife, Dr. Williams Obanor.

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High Life

wIth LANRE ALFRED 08076885752

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

The General is Ill... Baby of the House, Halima, is Worst Hit

C

louds splinter across the sky, mist cuts down the woods and the wiry frame eventually yields to the cold, vitiating strokes of time. As you read, former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), is battling a severe but undisclosed ailment. The current state of the ex-military president is reportedly giving his children and close relatives sleepless nights. The illness is so far gone that his children are reportedly living under a haze of fear - they are allegedly worried because of the toll that the ailment takes on their beloved father every day. Gen. Babangida’s ailment is responsible for his inability to attend social functions in recent times. A very close source to the family confirmed the gravity of the ailment, claiming that it is one of the effects of ageing.

HIGHLIFE could not ascertain the real cause of his illness, but the source apart from saying that it was age-related, added that the former military president might be suffering from a relapse of the radiculopathy disease which has troubled

Ibrahim Babangida

him since he was Head of State. According to the source, Babangida most times, is unable to walk unaided without a walking stick or the assistance of his security personnel. The illness of the former military president became public last week when he attended the valedictory

dinner for the former Niger State Chief Judge, Justice Fati Lami Abubakar and was aided out of the venue before the end of the event. It was said that Babangida now travels to Abuja frequently where he receives medical attention and has cut down on receiving visitors at his progress. They accuse Sujimoto’s rivals in the real estate industry as the masterminds of the malicious rumour. That it not only beggars belief but a well-choreographed bunch of lies.

Siji Ogundele

NOT AGAIN! SUJIMOTO STEWS IN THE HEAT OF ANOTHER MALICIOUS RUMOUR •How detractors are trying to rubbisH tHe luxury estate entrepreneur

For the umpteenth time, mischiefmakers are at their devious best. Like emissaries of mayhem and eternal doom, they have gone to town once again, spreading malicious news about Siji Ogundele aka Sujimoto.

They are alleging that the young, upwardly mobile entrepreneur and philanthropist is a scammer.

According to them, the dashing young dude and brain behind LorenzoBySujimoto real estate project, nurses a conscious knack for being duplicitous and economical with the truth. And the reason is

not far-fetched: rumour has it that, his much-hyped tallest residential luxury apartment in Lagos tagged Lorenzo By Sujimoto, which he allegedly conceptualised in the upscale Bourdillon area of Ikoyi is a mirage. According to emissaries of malice and dark humour, Lagos government did not approve such a gigantic building in that zone.

They further alleged that Sujimoto has not paid in full for the purchase of the land. The land, which he allegedly planned to contain up to 70 apartments, will need an expansive car park that can accommodate about 210 cars - which is impossible to achieve. But friends of Sujimoto have dismissed the rumour as the figment of imagination of his detractors and enemies of

Akinwole Omoboriowo

ON THE TRAIL OF KOLA ALUKO’S PARTNER WOLE OMOBORIOWO Nobody knows the whereabouts of Wole Omoboriowo, the son of late Akin Omoboriowo, lawyer and politician, who was Deputy Governor of Ondo State during the Second Republic. Nobody has seen the man who loomed within the Lagos and Abuja socio-economic milieu like a medieval gladiator having the arena sip from his palms.

home. The source also said he has emaciated a lot. Worst hit by his ailment is his last daughter, Halima, who was born when he was in power.

Halima is reportedly unhappy about her father’s failing health. Even Mohammed and others have been praying for their dad.

Back then, when he was running Besse Oil with Kola Aluko, Wole’s words and actions were law and like the fabled Caesar, he held court with astounding elegance and grandeur.

Friends and associates worshipped him and he had the ears of the rich and famous. That’s Wole for you. To say that he found favour in the oil sector then would be tantamount to stating the obvious. During his boom time, Wole was one of the foremost big boys in Lagos whose cash reservoir seems to always brim over at every point in time. Wellheeled and sociable, the dark-hued dude had many ladies skulking for his attention. And he never denied them anything from the abundance of his material and more importantly, physical endowments.

Not a few times did ladies lunge for each other’s jugular just because of him. But that did not stop him from enjoying his life to the hilt. It was one of the side attractions of life he must have contended back then. But many years down the line, Wole’s name seems to have been expunged from the social list. He no longer appears at fun spots. Neither does he hang out with his former crowd at hip hangouts. To lend credence to popular assumption, we learnt Omoboriowo has moved out of Nigeria even before the advent of the global economic crisis, making many to wonder in which part of the globe he’s orchestrating a comeback. We heard he is in Ghana.

WHY TUNDE AYENI HATES NUHU

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R •APRIL 24, 2016

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HIGHLIFE

Love Possibly? Estranged Lovers, Nike Oshinowo and Dr. Tunde Soleye, Reunite

•Ex-beauty queen and socialite physician get intimate at public event

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angled webs of a shared bond subtly entranced their minds.

Silvery strands of passion quietly entangled their hearts, like searing flames of lust enticing estranged lovers for the umpteenth time. And by the time Nike Osinowo and Dr. Tunde Soleye were done mingling with each other, high society gossip projected the possibility of their reunion as lovers.

The ex-beauty queen and Lagos medical doctor respectively, reunited recently at a fundraiser for Endometriosis. The event which held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, offered a rare opportunity for Osinowo and Soleye to bond since their separation in 2012. The couple bonded openly with

RIBADU’S GUTS...

Friendship should bring gratuitous joy, like the bliss afforded by art or life and the best of guilty pleasures. But in many a friendship subsists great fault. That is because the eyes of a friend often tell lies.

Ask Dr. Tunde Ayeni; his inability to discern the depth or shallowness of former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu’s professed love for him has become his Achilles heel. Despite their friendship, Ribadu affected no scruples sending Ayeni to gaol. The duo, who were erstwhile bosom friends of sort, became estranged to each other in the wake of Diepreye Alamieyesiegha, former Bayelsa governor’s sordid brush with the EFCC. It would be recalled that Ayeni was the former Bayelsa State governor’s lawyer while he was in office. In the wake of EFCC’s crack down on Alamieyesiegha, Ayeni was arrested by Ribadu. Predictably, Ayeni felt betrayed by Ribadu for putting him behind bars despite their long-standing friendship.

each other at the event where Osinowo spoke on how she had lived with the disease since the age of 13. Dr. Soleye on his part, revealed how he managed Osinowo’s health problems while they were together. He said he was used to the sight and smell of blood and that many times, while they were at functions, an elegantly dressed Osinowo would get up and ask him to check the back of her dress to see if there was a blood stain.

Many people at the event wondered if the estranged lovebirds were at the verge of reuniting given the affectionate way in which they related with each other. Will the duo get back together? Or did they simply put up a show for the public? Time will tell.

Abisola Clark

AFTER DEATH’S VISIT, ABISOLA CLARK ENCOUNTERS HER ANGEL OF PEACE •Years after her sons were murdered, Ijaw leader, edwIn Clark’s wIfe fInds joY In survIvIng daughter

Nuhu Ribadu

Like a practiced pugilist, impervious to death’s dreary sting, Dr. Abisola Sodipo-Clark has shrugged off the hurt of losing her two sons to the grim reaper. After all the cobwebs and dreariness of pain lifted from her shoulders, she encountered peace in the reality of joy and abiding love in her beautiful daughter, Salewa. Yes, Abisola has a surviving daughter but very few people are aware of this fact. A lot of people thought Abisola had been rendered childless after she lost her two sons, Adeife and Akintola, to the cold hands of death. In 2003, her sons were brutally murdered by gunmen in a car belonging to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s

Tunde Soleye and Nike Oshinowo

daughter, Iyabo Obasanjo, in Ogun State. Abisola mourned her loss to the extent that many thought they were her only children.

However, the Iyalaje of Oke-Ona and daughter of late Chief Joshua Sodipo has so many reasons to be thankful as her daughter, Salewa, a chartered accountant and overseer of the Adeife Akintola Foundation established in memory of her late brothers, remains her source of joy.

Salewa also runs a beauty centre in the heart of Victoria Island. She has grown into a beautiful woman that any man would love to behold. It would be recalled that when her mother, Abisola, decided to marry Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark, a lot of people jeered at the popular medical doctor. They wondered what she wanted in a second marriage with an 86-year-old man. Regardless of what people said or thought, the couple got married in March 2013. Unknown to the naysayers, Abisola saw what they couldn’t see in the aged politician.

SAD! KUFORIJI OLUBI, TOYIN OLAKUNRIN’S UNENDING RIVALRY A lot of people might not know, but two of Nigeria’s most accomplished female professionals have a no-love-lost relationship that dates back to many years. Indeed, many, many years is a lifetime to be enemies, but these women - Ayora Bolajoko Kuforiji-Olubi and Otunba Oluwatoyin Olakunrin - might have inwardly sworn to remain so for the remainder of their delightful and sensational existences.

Incidentally, they both enjoy many firsts. Olakunrin is Africa’s first female chartered accountant.

Blessed with a razor-sharp intellect, she is a past president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and former president of the Society of Women Accountants in

Nigeria (SWAN). Olakunrin was also Chairman of Education Trust Fund.

Elected the first female ICAN President in 1989, Kuforiji-Olubi, on the other hand, is a former Minister of Commerce and Industry, and was the first Nigerian woman to become the Managing Director of an international company in Nigeria, VYB (Nigeria) Ltd. in 1977. Kuforiji-Olubi is also the first female Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA). With so much accomplishments and areas of convergence between them, one wonders why they have maintained a cat and mouse relationship. A source that has an idea of their relationship said their rivalry had been evident since the 60s when their professional odysseys started.

As the years went by and as they advanced in age and successes, they felt that they really didn’t need each other. But they always meet at high profile gatherings and when they do, they try as much as possible to be diplomatic. These two matriarchs are

Bolajoko Kuforiji-Olubi

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 24, 2016

103

HIGHLIFE

Tinubu’s Son, Seyi, Hooked by Lebanese Bride

“A

man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he’s finished,” claimed Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarianborn U.S actor; but with this, Seyi Tinubu passionately differs. He has found the love of his life and contrary to Gabor’s assertion, he won’t be finished now that he is planing married, he will be complete.

Of the many torments that lie in the small circle of the wedding ring, none could scare Seyi and Layal from solemnising their love in holy matrimony. Seyi Tinubu will marry Layal Holm because he saw forever in her eyes. Until their union, they were like jagged pieces of two glass hearts yearning for their missing parts. Then they found each other and fit perfectly in place. The first moulded with the second and in the heat of the moment, held from head to toe.

A perfect masterpiece, a love so high it despises going low. Little wonder the son of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, two-time Governor of Lagos State and All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, is determined to wed Layal, the woman of his dreams.

The journey up the boulevard

of matrimony began on Friday, November 6, 2015 in faraway Ghana.

Seyi, in the Aburi town of Akuapim South Municipal District, in the Eastern region of South Ghana and about 45 minutes from Accra the nation’s capital, proposed to Layal over a candlelit dinner at Lansdown Resort. Seyi allegedly went on one knee and asked the very surprised but highly elated Layal to marry him. The latter agreed and thus began the flurry of plans and activities that would herald their wondrous wedding ceremony. Seyi is a Law graduate. He acquired his LLB degree from the prestigious University of Buckingham, United Kingdom. He acquired his Masters in Corporate & Commercial Law at the same university where he came out on merit. Layal on the other hand, is of Lebanese and Nigerian descent. She is said to be a brilliant consultant at foremost auditing firm, PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC). The 25-year-old is a graduate of Political Science and African Studies at the SOAS (School of Oriental Studies) University of London. She also has a Masters in Entrepreneurship & Business Management from the University of Surrey.

now in their 70’s.

who was aboard the ill-fated plane, not only survived the crash, he is now nearing full recovery. So is her son-in-law who also survived the crash. So, there’s so much for the Agagu matriarch to live for. Not surprisingly, at Gbenga Daniel’s 60th birthday recently, Funke was telling everyone now that for the rest of her life, she would serve the Lord Almighty.

THE AGELESS WISDOM OF CHIEF FAJEMIROKUN

Funke Agagu

THREE YEARS AFTER, FUNKE AGAGU LEARNING TO SMILE AGAIN The misfortune that befell the former First Lady of Ondo State, Olufunke Agagu, is the type that assumes folkloric proportions eons after. Her husband, the brilliant geologist, former deputy governor, former minister of Aviation, and later, Power and Steel, and ex-governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, died after a brief illness in September 2013. But that is not the real tragedy.

On October 3rd, the Associated Aviation Flight 361 conveying his corpse to Akure, the Ondo State capital, for state burial with 13 passengers and 7 crew members, crashed on take-off from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, killing among other passengers Ebony Caskets boss Tunji Okunsanya and his son as well as Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Ondo State, Deji Falae.

Three years after, everybody is bracing up to the reality of the tragedy, whatever seemed like a scene from a movie then must now have dawned on everyone involved.

For Olufunke too, life must go on. The bespectacled, soft-spoken woman is gradually learning to smile again. And she has so much to smile for indeed. Her son, Feyi,

•As Age creeps in, mAgnAte puts dAughter in chArge of business empire

Since he fell a thousand depths into her arms and fell out of love again with Priscilla Soyemi, Chief Dele Fajemirokun, Chairman of Chicken Republic and Xerox Company, has rediscovered joy and contentment in family. Like a forlorn knight craving filial warmth and eager for love to move beyond her throne and encroach on his bed, Fajemirokun has reestablished a bond with his beautiful daughter, Bisola. The Xerox boss enjoyed a rare opportunity to achieve his dream as he celebrated his birthday recently. Chief Fajemirokun used to be married to Priscilla Soyemi,

Dele Fajemirokun

Seyi Tinubu and Layal

the mother of his daughter, Bisola Fajemirokun-Folawiyo but when love turned awry and wedlock became intolerable by both parties, the Xerox boss left his estranged wife and she took custody of their baby girl, Bisola. According to an insider, Pricilla single-handedly raised the child. Now Bisola who is properly groomed by her mother is married to one of Folawiyo’s sons and like it is always the case with the female child, regardless of all acerbic information the mother fed her with about her father, Bisola was led by filial love to reunite with her loving and doting father. As you read, Bisola is now a director in her father’s company, Xerox.

Chief Fajemirokun is a veteran socialite and loves expensive cars.

He clocked 66 last week. And he has cause to be thankful to God on clocking the wisdom years, hence his unparalleled joy. But contrary to expectations that he would celebrate with pomp and ceremony, Fajemirokun opted for a low-key celebration.

MKO ABIOLA’S EX-SON-IN-LAW’S MARRIAGE IN TROUBLE Women falling in love with Atama Attah probably know by now that there is a risk. His two divorces reveal among other things, that every word he said to each wife, was merely a step closer towards the door and every passion he burnt reinforced his measured strides towards divorce. The touch of divorce is the weariness they felt whenever he kissed them. The taste of divorce is the lonely meals they endure months after separating from Attah. The look of divorce is the forced, tight-lipped smile they affect in the presence of empathetic friends and new couples. It doesn’t curve. It’s just straight. But nothing is straight in the lives of Attah’s estranged wives. Before Attah got married to Tundun Abiola, one of the daughters of late politician and business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, he was engaged to a nurse in London

and Tundun didn’t know before they got married. He didn’t tell her about his past. A few months after his divorce from Tundun was finalised, Attah remarried. Yes, again. He married Josephine Washima, former President Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Job Creation. Tundun, who is one of the most prominent Abiola daughters married Benue State-born Attah at an opulent ceremony that held in London in May 2009. They however, separated after only three years of marriage and two children.

Few months later, he got involved in a wild romance with Josephine and in a fit of love, he took her as his wife.

Their marriage seemed promising on paper but really, nothing seemed to work for the couple. Few months into their union, Attah’s marriage with Josephine is on the brink of collapse. Since it became public knowledge that his second widely publicised marriage is in trouble, Attah has ditched his lust for the limelight and retreated into a dark shell. Although he flaunts admirable talent for selecting women of enviable pedigree as his better half, he has not yet mastered the art of keeping them as life partners.

Atama Attah

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Sunday April 24, 2016

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Price: N400

MISSILE

Saraki to APC

“I do not expect to be shielded from prosecution because of my contribution to APC, if there was genuine basis for such action to be taken against me.

But I have every reason to expect not to be persecuted by the party that I contributed so much to build.”

– Senate President Bukola Saraki insinuating that his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal is as a result of his opposition to a Muslim-Muslim Presidential Ticket in the All Progressives Congress (APC)

GUESTCOLUMNIST OLAOKUN SOYINKA

The Road to Universal Health Coverage

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he sight of an old lady wailing and rolling in the harmattan dust at my feet, was one of the more unusual hospital welcomes I experienced as a commissioner. This was in 2011, and I was visiting one of the busiest government maternity hospitals in Abeokuta.

The lady concerned, it transpired, should have been celebrating as she had just become a grandmother (again). The cause of her distress was that her daughter, who had just had a Caesarian operation could not pay her bill and was thus ‘detained’ in hospital. She would be discharged when her bill was paid or, as in this case, until she could attract the attention of the visiting commissioner and hope for a reprieve. I helped her to her feet and enquired about the case from the discomfited Medical Director beside me. Naturally, I directed that the new mother be released.

The Solution to Health Inequity It gave me little satisfaction because it was a gesture which may have solved one family’s immediate problem but would make no difference to the thousands who would suffer similar or worse indignity across my state and across the nation. Most detained relatives do pay eventually - the technique is cruelly effective. I also have no doubt that most relatives who disappear for a day or two, and then turn up to hand over the amount owed, have spent days and nights begging, selling possessions, or taking loans, raiding their savings, desperately doing whatever it takes to raise the money. This is the sad reality of the level of health inequity in our country today.

Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is how we stop this kind of thing happening.

A basic definition of the term is ‘all people having access to the health services they need, of appropriate quality, without suffering financial hardship’. Since it is estimated that about two thirds of health expenditure in this country is ‘out-of-pocket’ we can only imagine the scale of financial hardship that is being caused by ill health.

Achieving UHC will also ameliorate a host of secondary problems that thrive where there are poor and desperate customers: quacks, greedy for profit, who harm or even kill. Makers and purveyors of cheap fake, drugs, traditional and not so traditional practitioners who wreck livers and kidneys. There is also a high level of dangerous self medication going on. And do not forget that there are many people who just suffer or die at home, who never become visible to the health system.

Getting to ‘U’ Getting affordable health services universally available to Nigerians will be a massive task.

We don’t just have to scale up, we have to redesign our health system at the same time.

Our current structure is dysfunctional and its design is too flawed to do the job. Simply pumping money into it in the hope of expanding coverage will be like buying a bigger basket to carry more water. To succeed, we have to change our system from ‘basket’ to ‘bucket’.

The characterisation of our health system as ‘mere consulting clinics’ appeared in 1984 as the military took over. We know that since then we have had numerous ideas, plans and strategies to improve healthcare and plenty

Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole of smart and dedicated people to put them into practice. We have to ask why they have failed. The answer is simple – there has been no money to back up the plans.

If we are to implement a plan to achieve UHC, it makes sense for us to embrace an idea which focuses on providing a predictable stream of finance. This is why many people like myself are excited about the potential of State Supported Health Insurance (SSHIS) as a means to finally break the cycle of decline in primary health care, with knock-on effects that will ripple through all tiers of the health system.

What is Exciting about Insurance?

When we were in the planning stages of such a scheme in Ogun State (called the Araya scheme) and I was doing my bit to whip up support for the idea, I was disturbed that people did not understand why I was getting so excited. To the lay person, the idea sounded so ‘dry’ and boring and anyway, insurance was certainly not new. How could this be the long awaited key to bringing healthcare to the masses?

I changed my tactics and instead emphasised the ‘free’ and ‘affordable’ aspect and its benefits for those on low incomes, I explained how our massive informal sector would also be able to access the benefits currently only available to the formally employed. I enthused about how powerful the idea was, of communities joining hands with government to take ownership of the primary healthcare problem, contributing financially and helping to revolutionise the system from the ground up. I think this way I managed to get a few more converts.

How State Supported Health Insurance Works State-supported Health Insurance works by individuals (via payment of an insurance premium) and other stakeholders (Federal and State Government, donors, philanthropists, charities etc) contributing regularly to a large health fund that is devoted exclusively to funding basic healthcare for participants in the scheme – this is the ‘bucket’ I referred to and it can be designed not to leak. As long as you have done your calculations right, the few (relatively) who access healthcare will be easily

covered by the fund created by the many. The state contribution, or subsidy, is key to keeping the scheme affordable and the participants only need to pay a modest premium – say N4,000 per year. Specific categories of people, pregnant women or the very poor, for example, can be exempt from premium payments. The ailments covered or ‘benefit package’ is also limited to the basic common medical problems.

Furthermore, unlike other schemes, in SSHIS, scaling up creates strength rather than being a challenge because the more people participating the bigger the pool of funds becomes – this is called risk-pooling. Insurance schemes turn all participants, who access healthcare into paying customers and that is what enables the participating facilities to thrive.

Providing basic health care services relies more on the steadiness of the flow of funds than the absolute amount. Predictable finance even if modest, brings facilities, the ability to plan and to invest, which encourages the private sector into the game as well. Regular insurance funds flow can enable our previously cash starved centres to operate as small businesses, investing in assets that improve the quality of service which in turn brings more income. This is a key part of well-designed schemes – a built in engine for quality improvement. The wave of free healthcare will be accompanied by a steady improvement in levels of infrastructure, staffing, training, equipment and supplies: the mere consulting clinics will evolve into proper PHCs. Learning from the Early Movers In Ogun State, the Araya scheme was planned as a holistic financing scheme that would give the communities a say in how money was used at the facility level and encourage them to help in marketing the scheme, getting families to sign up and discouraging fraudsters. The state provided the investment to develop an IT system to facilitate the administration of the entire scheme and government embarked on development of legislation and the institutional structures to protect and distribute the funds appropriately.

The Araya scheme, since its launch in 2013, has unearthed enormous latent community resources, showing how important it is for government to decentralise and make use of our widespread human capacity. Araya has proved to be an effective umbrella framework that can synergise with other programmes and it provides transparent operations that encourage philanthropic largesse.

Kwara State, however, is the pioneer in Nigeria and has been running a scheme for rural communities since 2007. Pharmaccess, a Dutch NGO (which is also assisting operations in Ogun State) and the Dutch Government, joined forces with Hygeia an indigenous Health Maintenance Organisation, to implement the scheme, which eventually expanded to over 120,000 participants. It has demonstrated the potential for great impact on health and is popular with the communities. Particularly impressive is the way in which the steady flow of money has enabled facilities to continuously upgrade the quality of services. It has shown that the smallest, most far-flung facility can operate to modern standards.

I am not ignoring the many difficulties that lie along the path to implementation of these

schemes – I have seen them first hand. What I have learned is that we have little choice but to get moving and to optimise the operations by systematic evaluation over time. The facilitating role of the Federal Government particularly for resource mobilisation will be critical for these schemes.

Federal Government as a Catalyst Worryingly, with the economic downturn, the Kwara and Ogun schemes have slowed their progress because of the knock-on effect of the economy on the ability of the state government to pay for take-off operations and premium subsidies. In an earlier article I explained how the Federal Government could trigger a cascade of funds that do not rely on the treasury, but takes advantage of an existing World Bank facility for the Saving One Million Lives initiative added to money set aside by the NHIS. This would do the pump-priming to help states take-off with their State-supported Health Insurance Schemes – in effect getting everyone to gather at the starting line for the race to UHC. In addition, I believe that since the Ogun and Kwara programmes can yield up valuable lessons for the rest of the country, some funds should also be set aside for operational research on what works best in these pilot programmes. They have gone far up the learning curve and can shorten our journey to UHC as other states leverage the gained experience.

Protecting the Gains – the National Health Act If the Federal Government embraces its role as catalyst and releases funds to stimulate the re-engineering of Primary Healthcare across the nation, the states will heave a sigh of relief as stagnated, crumbling PHCs across Nigeria splutter back to life. But with that will come the need for money to sustain the new, expanded system. Even with billions of naira being raised via the health insurance premiums, the surge in people with access to healthcare will require a sustained and additional increase in funding. This is where the National Health Act comes in.

The act had suffered a tortuous 10-year gestation. Expectation had escalated until the bill took on a magical aura, as if when enacted it would cure the health system just by existing.

If not magical, the impact if implemented will surely be significant because, at last, all states in Nigeria will have a protected flow of funds for healthcare. One of its clauses established a Basic Healthcare Provision Fund which is to be financed from a Federal Government annual grant of not less than one per cent of its Consolidated Revenue Fund. The Act should offer a reassurance to State Governments that having embarked upon SSHIS, they will have a major portion of the necessary funding dealt with.

With SSHIS providing a transparent and effective framework for the money to flow through, to the grassroots, and with the addition of state and community contributions via premiums, we can at last dare to believe that we are at the end of the era of plans without finance.

•Dr Soyinka was Commissioner for Health in Ogun State from 2011-2015 See the concluding part on www.thisdayive.com

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