Thursday 21st July 2016

KPMG Names Zenith Bank Most Customer-focused Bank Nume Ekeghe Zenith Bank Plc has again been rated Nigeria’s most customerfocused bank by the leading advisory and consultancy firm, KPMG.

T H I S D AY S P E C I A L R E L E A S E In the 2016 edition of the annual banking industry Customer Satisfaction Survey recently released by KPMG, Zenith topped other Nigerian

banks in the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) with a total of 74.6 points to clinch the prime position in the retail banking category, thereby re-

enacting the feat it achieved in 2013 and 2014.

Guaranty Trust Bank came second with 74.1 points, closely followed by Diamond Bank and Stanbic IBTC with 73.5 and 73.1 points respectively.

The survey, launched in 2007, draws responses from customers across the retail, SME and corporate banking segments on customer preferences, levels of satisfaction and expectations from their banks.

Zenith Bank has featured prominently in the survey since it was launched 10 years ago, according to organisers, “to heighten the consciousness of Continued on page 6

Ribadu: EFCC Must Go After Senior Lawyers Who Profited from Halliburton Scandal… Page 10 Thursday 21 July, 2016 Vol 21. No 7756. Price: N250

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Cash Crunch Hits Ministries, Agencies as Revenue Nosedives Saraki: $6bn JV cash call debt threatens economy Adeosun to appear before Senate today Naira sustains slide on parallel market Ndubuisi Francis, Omololu Ogunmade, Chineme Okafor in AbujaandObinna Chima inLagos The grim reality of a depressed economy appears to be staring many ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government in the face, as they are hamstrung by paucity of funds to meet their obligations, including recurrent expenditure.

The cash crunch may not be unconnected to the disclosure by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, to the Senate recently that there has been a 40 per cent drop in revenue in the last five months largely due to the activities of militants in the Niger Delta.

Continued on page 6

Buhari Nominates Ndoma-Egba, Ekere, Chairman, MD of NDDC

Iyobosa Uwugiaren

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Mr. Nsima Ekere as the Chairman and Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), respectively.

Their names were contained in a letter sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki by

the president yesterday, seeking their confirmation by the Senate.

Should the Senate confirm them, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, who is currently acting as the managing director of the commission, would step down.

Semenitari was appointed to takeover from Dan Abia when he was removed from Continued on page 6

BUT STEADILY, BORNO TOWNS ARE BEING REBUILT Rivers Goes Tough on Ground SLOWLY Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima (right), welcoming former Minister of Defence, General T.Y. Danjuma, at the International Airport yesterday ahead of the commissioning of 40 public buildings rebuilt in Dikwa, Borno State, Rent Defaulters… Pages 34 – 56 Maiduguri through a partnership between the Borno State Government and the Victims Support Fund chaired by Danjuma

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Police Commission Approves Promotion of 22 AIGs, 29 CPs Moshood now Deputy FPRO Dele Ogbodo and Maryann Abii in Abuja The Police Service Commission (PSC) yesterday approved the promotion of 22 Commissioners of Police (CPs) to the next rank of Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs).

The commission also endorsed the promotion of 29 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) to the rank of CPs.

A statement signed by the commission’s Head of Public Relations, Mr. Ikechukwu Ani, said the promoted senior officers were subjected to rigorous screening in Abuja.

The statement added: “The screening panel was headed by the chairman of the commission, Mr. Mike Mbama Okiro, a retired Inspector General of Police, and other members of the commission.

“The promotions were based

on the recommendation of availability of vacancies in the AIG and CP cadres of the force and the need to fill the anticipated vacuums occasioned by the recent reorganisation.”

Okiro said the elevation of the officers was also based on the need to put structures in place in the various zonal commands, adding that the issue of seniority and diligence to duty of the officers was a fundamental criteria in the exercise.

“Majority of the new AIGs had already been posted to zonal commands and other police formations while nine of the CPs had been posted as command CPs," he said.

Also, the acting Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, appointed CSP Jimoh Olohundare Moshood as the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer.

A statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer,

DCP Donald Awunah, said Moshood takes over from CSP Sogbeba West who has since been posted to Rivers State command.

Moshood, who hails from Ilorin South, Kwara State, holds a B.Sc in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

He was once a Police Public Relations Officer in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja command.”

According to the statement, the officer has also served in various capacities in the Nigeria Police Force as DPO Central Area, Abuja, until his recent appointment as Chief Superintendent of Police in charge of Department of Finance and Administration, FCT Abuja.

He assumed duty as the Deputy Force Public Relations Officer for the Nigeria Police immediately.

was organised by the Senate Committee on Gas. Saraki, in his remarks, recalled that the 2013 Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) report submitted to the Senate in June revealed that about $12.9 billion was not remitted to the federation account by the NNPC, adding that debt of that magnitude at a time Nigeria’s oil and gas installations are being blown up by militants was a time bomb requiring critical attention.

Saraki expressed concern that whereas most oil producing countries which commenced oil exploration alongside Nigeria had succeeded in paving their streets with durable infrastructure, Nigeria’s situation was a tragic one.

He tasked the committee to unravel NNPC’s joint venture cash call arrears, submitting that part of the agenda of the Eighth Senate was to block leakages and expose corruption and waste in government operations.

“While most oil producing countries that started exploration at about the same period as we did like Norway, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia and the UAE have efficient and reliable infrastructure with sustainable industrial growth, Nigeria's case reflects a paradox of these ideals.

“It is my delight to declare this public hearing open by the Senate joint Committees on Gas, Finance, Appropriation and Petroleum Resources Upstream which has the onerous task of unravelling the operations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Joint Venture Cash Call obligations.

“As part of our legislative agenda in the Eighth Senate, we set amongst others, a mandate to block economic leakages, and improve on our constitutional powers of investigating ministries, departments and agencies of government with

a view to exposing corruption, inefficiency and waste in the conduct of government business.

“As a responsible arm of government with the hopes of millions of Nigerians resting on our shoulders, we are disturbed by the frequent distortions that keep coming out of the oil and gas industry.

“Despite the fact that NNPC has a larger amount of the proceeds from the joint ventures, it worries the parliament to know that it has consistently been defaulting on payments of its own counterpart funding of projects.

“There is no doubt also that there is still lack of clarity in the current financial regimes, royalties and taxes in the oil and gas industry. The NNPC is expected to lead in public disclosure of its financial dealings, earnings and expenditure.

“This is vivid with the confusing and conflicting figures reeled out during the reconciliation process among

the agencies responsible for the receipts of funds meant for the Federation Account,” Saraki said.

Also yesterday, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Adeosun, failed to appear before the Senate as scheduled to brief the senators on the state of the nation’s economy.

Adeosun instead, sent a message to the Senate that she would be unable to appear at yesterday’s plenary because she had to attend the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

But her media aide, Mr. Festus Akanbi, disclosed yesterday evening that the minister later rushed to the Senate immediately after the FEC meeting but plenary had been adjourned.

“She, however, met with the Senate leadership and pleaded with them to allow her to brief the senators today on the economy,” Akanbi said.

CASH CRUNCH HITS MINISTRIES, AGENCIES AS REVENUE NOSEDIVES At the 2016 budget breakdown on May 12, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, and his finance ministry counterpart, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, had assured Nigerians that the release of N350 billion slated for capital projects would commence the next day.

When the promise was not kept, Udoma had explained that the delay was informed by the resolve of the incumbent administration to religiously embrace due process.

But the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, a few weeks ago disclosed that of the N350 billion, N280 billion had been released to six ministries and about 50 or 60 agencies.

She named the beneficiaries as the Ministries of Power, Works and Housing, Agriculture, Interior, Education, Information, and Environment, but the name of the agencies were not disclosed.

THISDAY investigations revealed that outside the N350 billion earmarked for capital projects in order to reflate the economy, many MDAs are currently unable to meet their recurrent obligations.

A top official of one of the ministries told THISDAY that for over two months, his ministry had not received any funds for recurrent expenditure, thereby making it near impossible to meet crucial overheads.

He expressed concern that the situation was grim, adding that if the release of funds for recurrent expenditure was posing a problem, that of capital votes was almost hopeless.

Echoing the same sentiment, the chief executive of one of the top agencies disclosed that his agency actually received some funds to meet pressing recurrent obligations, which fell short of the agency’s needs.

According to him, the agency was still expecting some funds

for about a month, which had not been forthcoming. The situation appears to be the same in many MDAs. While the cash crunch bites, the military is not left out as the Nigerian Navy, Army, and Air Force are also reeling from the absence of funding for capital expenditure.

It was also unclear how much the six ministries that benefitted from the N280 billion got, as officials of the Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing, for instance, were evasive as to whether or not they actually got funds for capital projects.

However, a terse statement made available to THISDAY after much prodding, said the federal government had released funds to finance ongoing capital projects across the country.

The statement quoted the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to have said this, as well as speaking on the resumption of work by contractors at various federal highways.

It was signed by Olusegun Ogunkayode, a senior information officer in the ministry, and explained that Fashola made this known while delivering a keynote address at an insurance conference organised by the Insurance Industry Consultative Council in Abuja to mark the 2016 annual National Insurance Conference.

Fashola, according to the statement, said that with the information available to him, the contractors handling various types of road projects left the construction sites about three years ago because they were being owed by the government.

He stated that they had now been paid and work resumed fully in those affected locations like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, which was stalled by lack of payment and legal issues.

On the government’s pledge

to pay the backlog of debt owed road contractors, THISDAY learnt that some of the contractors, mainly big players like Julius Berger, RCC, Dantata and Sawoe had been paid part of what is owed them, while others were yet to get paid.

When contacted, Mr. Solomon Ogunbusola, President of the Federation of the Construction Industry, an umbrella body for construction companies in the country, refused to take his calls or respond to a text message.

The Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) on its part said it was relying on the ministry to undertake its job of repairing dilapidated federal roads across the country.

The agency said the ministry was comprehensively in charge of everything related to roads in the country and that it would align with whatever plans the ministry has.

But information available to THISDAY indicated that some of the federal roads that are in a terrible state of disrepair were yet to get funds for their repairs.

They include the LokojaOkene-Okpella, Lagos-Ore, Enugu-Umuahia, Enugu-Onitsha and Enugu-Port Harcourt roads, among others.

Unpaid Cash Calls Even as the MDAs reel from the absence of funding for the recurrent and capital projects, Senate President Bukola Saraki warned yesterday that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) joint venture cash call debt, which stands at $6 billion, was a threat to Nigeria’s worsening economy.

Saraki made the remark while declaring open a one-day public hearing on the urgent need for effective implementation of the joint venture cash call obligations by the NNPC in accordance with the Appropriation Act of the National Assembly. The hearing

BUHARI NOMINATES NDOMA-EGBA, EKERE, CHAIRMAN, MD OF NDCC the post by Buhari last year.

However, since her appointment, stakeholders and indigenes of Akwa Ibom have cried out that her appointment was in violation of the NDDC Act which provides that the position of chairman and MD of the commission must be rotated among the nine oil producing states in the country for tenures of four years.

Even when a chairman or MD was removed mid-term by past administrations, their replacements were always selected from the same state of origin.

A presidency source told THISDAY that the letter with the names of the new nominees might be read on the floor of the Senate today.

Born on March 8, 1956, Senator Udoma-Egba, a former Senate Leader from Cross River State, has an LL.B from the University of Lagos and an LLM from the University of Calabar.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978 and later elevated to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2004.

He has been Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association,

Calabar branch, and President of the Calabar Chamber of Commerce. He was also a Director of the Cross River Basin and Rural Development Authority, and Commissioner for Works and Transport in the state.

Running as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ndoma-Egba was elected senator in 2003, representing Cross River Central Senatorial District, and was re-elected in 2007 for a further four-year term.

Mr. Ekere entered history books in Akwa Ibom State

when he served for only 17 months and two days as the deputy governor of the state in 2012.

He hurriedly resigned from office on October 31, 2012 to avoid his planned impeachment by the state House of Assembly after a political disagreement with the then governor of the state, Godswill Akpabio.

He was one of the governorship aspirants on the platform of the PDP during the 2015 general election, but later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Continued on page 8

KPMG NAMES ZENITH BANK MOST CUSTOMER-FOCUSED BANK service delivery among Nigerian Banks”.

In 2014, the bank cleared all three categories: Retail, SME and Corporate Banking, having similarly won two of the three categories but the SME segment the previous year.

The CSI measures customer satisfaction with banks, and are ranked based on the perceived level of satisfaction derived by customers surveyed from the different categories.

The key factors considered by the CSI include convenience, product/service offering, executional excellence, value for money and customer care.

Zenith Bank is one of Nigeria’s strongest financial institutions with a shareholders’ base of over one million and the largest bank in the country by market capitalisation and tier-1 capital.

The Zenith brand has also maintained a consistent track record of performance in several parameters including profitability and liquidity managerial competence.

The bank’s impressive growth and performance over the years have earned it excellent ratings, recognitions and endorsements from local and international agencies and institutions, some of which include: Best Customer Service Bank Nigeria 2015 by Global Banking and Finance, Best Corporate Governance Bank Nigeria 2015 by Global Banking and Finance and Best

Bank in Corporate Governance 2012, 2014 and 2015 by World Finance.

Others include Best Commercial Bank in Nigeria 2013 by World Finance, third biggest company in West Africa

by Forbes & CNBC Africa, and Best Commercial Bank in Africa

by Capital Finance International (CFI).

The bank is certified in three key International Standards Organisation’s (ISO) standards, namely: ISO 22301 (Business Continuity Management), ISO 20000 (IT Service Management), and ISO 27001 (Information Security Management).

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN SKYEBANK 0.06 0.78 PREMBREW 0.14 2.95 TRANEXPRESS 0.05 1.06 DANGSUGAR 0.15 6.80 NPFMFB 0.01 0.95 TOP LOSERS NGN NGN OANDO 0.57 5.39 LAWUNION 0.04 0.51 TRANSCORP 0.11 1.41 STANBIC 0.72 14.20 FIDSON 0.10 2.02 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦850.00 Volume: 303.719 million shares Value: N2.083 billion Deals: 3,934 As at yesterday 22/07/16

% 8.3 4.9 4.9 2.2 1.0 % 9.7 7.2 7.2 4.8 4.7

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Sad Story of Rahma, Kano Teenager Who Lives in a Bowl Like any other teenager, she is a bright, happy girl who one day dreams of opening her own shop.

But after being born with a mysterious condition, Rahma Haruna has no limbs and suffers constant pain, as she lives most of her life in a plastic bowl.

The 19-year-old from Kano was born a healthy baby but when she turned six months old her growth came to a sudden halt and she stopped hitting key development milestones.

Her mother, Fadi, said: “From six months when she learnt how to sit that was when it began. She didn’t learn how to crawl.

“She started with a fever and that was it. Then stomach pains. Then her body parts like hands and legs. She cannot use any if the ache strikes.”

Rahma’s family members do their best to provide her with a fulfilling life and transport her around the village in a plastic bowl.

Rahma said: “They help me a lot.

How do they? They give me anything I need.”

She is particularly close to her 10-year-old brother Fahad, who dotes on his older sister.

Fahad said: “I help her in many ways. Bathing her is another thing I do. And taking her out everyday.

“I feel happy whenever I see people helping her. I like taking her to our relatives. She feels happy when we visit them.”

The cause of Rahma’s condition is unknown, despite her family working hard to secure a diagnosis.

Rahma’s father, Hussaini, explained: “I’ve spent 15 years searching for the cure. I farm, go to the market and lots more looking for money to pay for her bills.

“I sold almost everything in my possession. I have spent more than one million naira (£2,600) so far. Only God knows the real amount of what I had spent.”

Doctors have been baffled by Rahma’s condition and some have even put it down to the teenager being struck down by a jinn - a supernatural being in Islam mythology.

Yet, her family refuses to give up

The latest poll released by NOIPolls has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval rating for the month of June has nosedived to 39 per cent from 48 per cent in May. The poll, which was made available to the media in Abuja yesterday, showed that June had lowest approval rating for the president started 13 months ago. His rating was highest

But as the Senate president opened the public hearing, there was more cause for concern over the economy as the naira sustained its slide against the US dollar on the parallel market, where it shed N7 in one day to close at N375 to a dollar yesterday, lower than N368

Farmers May Have to Pay for Security at Farms Farmers may have to pay for the federalgovernmenttoprovidethem with security against kidnappers and other intruders who may want to invade their farms.

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Nigeria An independent judiciary is a basic prerequisite for the consolidation of democracy. It is therefore no surprise that the capacity to deliver accessible and qualitative justice continues to receive the attention of critical…

Page 15

POLITICS Lamido: APC Was Not Prepared for Power Former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, was last week atTHISDAY’s Corporate Head Office in Apapa, Lagos, where he fielded questions from the Board of Editors.

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FEATURES Passing on Skills Set

Necessary for Leading Pushed by the need to develop people’s communication and leadership skills, a non-profit educational organisation, Eagle Toastmasters Club, recently ended its year with an election and induction of new members into the club.

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Rahma… forced to live in a bowl and hopes to get the attention of a charity or medical specialist who can help with the teen’s daily pain.

She recently received some generous gifts after being featured in the local press such as a donation of a wheelchair - and they have already made a big difference.

Her mother added: “We once went to a supermarket and we met someone who bought her wheels.

“He snapped our photo and it was

published in the local papers. Since then we have been getting help from people.”

And despite the daily challenges Rahma faces, the brave teenager is full of hope for her future and dreams of opening her own shop.

She said: “I thank God in everything I do. I want to start a business. A grocery store and anything people buy, that is what I want.”

• Culled from The Daily Mail

in October, peaking at 80 per cent.

NOIPolls in their findings said: “This latest score represents a 9-point decline when compared to the rating in May which stood at 48 per cent.”

In February, the president’s approval rating, according to the pollster, stood at 57 per cent.

According to the poll, the survey also revealed a general decline in the approval of the president across five geopolitical zones, when compared to the month of May.

It said: “The North-east zone with 59 per cent was the highest. On the other hand, the South-east and South-south zones had the least approval rating of 8 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.”

The president’s approval rating on sectoral analyses also showed that Nigerians were dissatisfied in the areas of conflict resolution, agriculture and food security with scores of 28 and 21 per cent, respectively.

CASH CRUNCH HITS MINISTRIES, AGENCIES AS REVENUE NOSEDIVES Naira Falls to N375/$1

NEWS FEC Approves New Agric Policy,

EDITORIAL Access To Quality Justice in

Buhari’s Approval Rating Nosedives to 39% Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

Two-Minute Briefing

from the previous day.

With yesterday’s drop, the nation’s currency has lost N10 on the parallel market since Monday.

However, the naira appreciated slightly on the interbank FX market, where it closed at N294.24 to a dollar yesterday, up from the N294.57 on Tuesday.

Dealers attributed the pressure on

the naira on the informal market to the scarcity of FX brought on by the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to intervene in the interbank market.

The central bank last Friday decided to allow the exchange rate of naira to be market-determined without its intervention to peg the currency.

BUSINESS ICT Experts Proffer Far-reaching Solutions to Growing Wave of Cybercrimes ICTexperts have raised the alarm over the rise in cybercrime activities, which have continued to threaten the safety and security of the Nigeria, resulting in the loss of huge amount of money yearly.

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HEALTH Tackling Low Life Expectancy in Nigeria Nigeria has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world despite concerted efforts to improve the standard of living. Martins Ifijeh writes on the need to tackle the top health causes of deaths…

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CRIME & PUNISHMENT EFCC Quizzes Former Bauchi

Deputy Speaker, Two Others over N500m Campaign Funds EFCC has quizzed Sace Dumba and Mohammed Suleiman Rabo.

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SPORTS Technical Adviser for Eagles NFF Begins Fresh Scout for Foreign Smartingfromtheembarrassment causedthecountrybyFrenchman,Paul LeGuen, theExecutiveCommittee of theNFFyesterday ordered its TechnicalCommitteeto…

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NEWS

News Editor Davidson Iriekpen Email davidson.iriekpen@thisdaylive.com, 08111813081

FEC Approves New Agric Policy, Farmers May Have to Pay for Security at Farms FG appeals to states to take over its roads

Farmers may have to pay for the federal government to provide them with security against kidnappers and other intruders who may want to invade their farms.

This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, while briefing journalists at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in Abuja where President Muhammadu Buhari presided.

Ogbeh, who was answering questions from journalists said he had already held a meeting with the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, adding that government was considering various measures to protect farmers.

The minister said kidnapping would not stop but that government was determined to protect investors.

He said: “I had a meeting with the Minister of Interior, we were looking at security situation in agriculture. Sometime last year, some gunmen went to Olu Falae’s farm, a Nigerian in status, in age and ranking, and took him away and marched him around, forced him to trek ten kilometres, even carried him on their backs.

“Many more farmers are coming in, including foreign investors, and they stand the risk of being subjected to this kind of humiliation.

“So, we are talking with Ministry of Interior that we have to put measures in place.

These things are happening in other countries too, where the civil defence corps may have to train a special department to protect huge investors and investment in their farms for a fee, because kidnapping will not stop.

“From the security point of view, we have to take measures to make sure that people who invest are protected.

“In other countries of the world, you may have noticed that people live in their farms, you hardly see a farmer who lives in the city, he lives in the farm with his family, you cannot do that here. They will come and take you, your wife and children in the name of kidnapping, we have to stop it and we have to use the legitimate instrument of state to do it because the farmer has no right to buy a gun to protect himself.” *He also announced that government has taken a bold step to achieve its plan to reduce Nigeria dependency on oil as the Federal Executive Council approves the Agriculture Promotion Policy (2016-2009).

Ogbeh said the policy outlined all that needed to be done to achieve self sufficency in agriculture.

He said: “The document is titled ‘The Green Alternative’ and it outlines virtually everything we need to do, every policy we need to undertake to achieve self sufficiency in agriculture and also to become major exporter of agricultural products.

One is the roadmap for

Zamfara Assembly: Why We Want to Impeach Yari

DSS arrests speaker, others

The Zamfara State House of Assembly yesterday listed five offences allegedly committed by Governor Abdulaziz Yari, which prompted it to mull impeachment proceedings against him.

A statement issued in Gusau by the Chairman of the assembly’s Committee on Information, Alhaji Mannir Gidan-Jaja, accused the governor of misappropriating billions of naira from the state coffers.

It listed the money allegedly misappropriated to include N11 billion bailout funds, N1 billion agricultural loan released to the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and “corrupt abuse of local government funds.”

The assembly, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), also accused the governor of failing to remit funds deducted for pensions and gratuities to pension fund administrators as provided by law.

According to the statement, the governor had also ignored a resolution of the assembly not to appoint Alhaji Murtala Jangebe as Chairman of the state Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).

It said the assembly had passed a vote of no confidence in Jangebe, after he was allegedly found to have misappropriated over N1 billion belonging to the board

in 2014.

The statement accused the governor of frequent foreign trips which have had negative impact on the day-to-day running of government, apart from imposing financial burden on the state.

Meanwhile, operatives of the DSS have arrested Sanusi Rikiji, speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, over an alleged plot to impeach Abdulaziz Yari, governor of the state.

Rikiji and some members of the assembly are currently being detained in Abuja.

Those said to be detained along with him are Muhammad Gumi, Deputy Speaker; Isah Abdulmumini, Majority Leader; and Abdullahi Dansadau, the Chief Whip.

Reacting, other lawmakers condemned the arrest of their colleagues, and urged the President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the agency against further interference in the matter.

“We are also demanding the unconditional release of our principal officers who are currently under detention with the DSS in Abuja,” the statement read.

Yari is the current chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

Won’t force them to give up land for grazing

agricultural operations in the next three years, which we presented to the council today, a detailed document, it outlines our policies and our objectives in trying to see agriculture as the next biggest alternative in our drive to diversify the economy of this country.

“We are working hard on the staples to satisfy local production and we are fully aware that there is a major concern in the country for food self-sufficiency in the country and that there is crisis in many families as aa result of serious shortage of food.

“But we are working hard and thank God that ours has not become as bad as one South American country, which was also a major oil producing country, by that, I mean Venezuela which situation is definitely a 100 times worst

than ours.

“But the point is that where we are going we believe that in a short while another year and half in the maximum, we should be reasonably self sufficient in grains like rice, maize, beans, we may not achieve everything in wheat but we will be very close to our targets. Other things are also there in the roadmap.

That is what council endorsed this afternoon.”

Also speaking, the Minister of Women Affairs, Aisha Al Hassan, said the federal government would like states to take over federal roads in their states and maintain them.

She said FEC had approved a memo presented by the Minister of the Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, for the re-designation of two roads in Kaduna State from federal

roads to state roads based on the request by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir, el-Rufai, to the president to have the two roads mentioned, the Nnamdi Azkiwe Express Way that is the Kaduna bye-pass road as is popularly called and the popular Ahmadu Bello Way which runs across almost inside Kaduna town.

She explained that the roads are presently federal roads but that Fashola requested that they be re-designated as state roads so that Kaduna State would have the power without any inhibition to work on the roads to make them better for Kaduna indigenes.

Speaking further on the the crisis between herdsmen and farmers, the agric minister said a pilot programme was being planned in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to stop cows

being moved around.

He said: “We have got very good seeds of grass which we are going to start planting.

Eventually and in the next one year, I hope we shall move most of our cows into ranches and reserves depending on different terminologies people want to hear.

“Some people don’t want to hear about grazing reserves and government has no intension of forcing anyone to surrender one inch of land. Some states are willing, we shall develop these things in their domain, cows will move in there, they will be given best grass for cattle. Most of these grasses contain 18 per cent protein and amino acid, so the cows can feed well, have the good water to drink and give us the best milk and beef.”

NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENT

A cross-section of women protesting against verbal attack by Senator Dino Melaye on Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja...yesterday

Sex Scandal: Minister, Ambassador Again Absent at Hearing Accused lawmakers reiterate innocence Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, were yesterday absent from the hearing being conducted by the House of Representatives into the allegations of sexual misconduct against three lawmakers.

Onyeama and Entwistle were absent from the hearing last week, resulting in the postponement to yesterday, as the minister was away attending the 29th Ordinary Session of the African Union in Kigali.

Entwistle, in a June 9, 2016 petition to the Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, accused Hon. Mark Gbillah, Hon. Samuel Ikon and Hon. Mohammed Garba Gololo of sexual solicitation,

while on a trip to the US for the International Visitors Leadership Programme.

The three men denied the accusations, and threatened legal actions to clear their names. The House however set up a joint committee comprising its Committees on Ethics and Privileges, and Foreign Relations to investigate the allegations.

At the sitting last week, the co-Chair of the Committee, Hon. Nnenna Ukeje, disclosed that the Minister already interfaced with the ambassador over the matter, and is therefore being expected to brief the committee on the outcome of the conversation.

Outgoing Entwistle, due to diplomatic immunity, is expected to appear in company of the Minister. The House, through its spokesman, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, has however expressed readiness to visit him, and take his

testimony, if he is unwilling to appear before the committee.

Onyeama, in a letter to the committee which was read by the Chairman, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, requested that his appearance be rescheduled as the timing clashes with the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

His letter last week to the Committee had requested that his appearance be scheduled for any day after July 19, when he was expected back in the country.

The fresh letter however drew the ire of several members of the committee.

Hon. Toby Okechukwu urged that ‘strong words’ conveying the displeasure of the committee be sent to the minister, particularly as the letter was received just at the commencement of the hearing.

Ukeje however appealed to

her colleagues explaining that the minister’s excuse was a plausible one, since “this is the first FEC meeting after he returned from Kigali.

“The president and other FEC members will expect to hear from him the outcome of the summit he went to attend, particularly considering that fact it was to elect a new AU Chairperson”, she added.

The committee rescheduled his appearance to Thursday., and also summoned the US Ambassador to appear and present his evidence.

“It is the ruling of this committee that the American Ambassador will appear here on tomorrow. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will bring him here, as was earlier resolved by the committee,“ Ossai said.

In their testimonies, the accused lawmakers denied the allegations against them.

THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

APC, Saraki Wade into Melaye, Tinubu Fracas Lagos lawmakers, women take protest to N’Assembly

Omololu Ogunmade and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja As the crisis of confidence between Senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and Dino Melaye (Kogi West) festers, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, have begun moves to reconcile the feuding senators.

Melaye and Tinubu have been at loggerheads since July 12 when both of them engaged each other in verbal and counter-attacks during the Senate’s executive session.

While Melaye alleged that Tinubu addressed him as a dog and thug, the female senator on the other hand, alleged that Melaye threatened to rape and assault her.

THISDAY learnt yesterday that Saraki in his bid to reconcile the combatant senators met separately with them in his office last Tuesday imploring them to sheathe their swords in the spirit of reconciliation.

Tinubu was said to have spent over an hour in Saraki’s office in his bid to placate her to put the matter behind her and let the sleeping dog lie.

It was also learnt that Tinubu had hardly gone out of Saraki’s office when Melaye also walked in as the Senate President continued with his fence mending crusade.

But as this reconciliation move by the Senate leadership was ongoing, members of Lagos State House of Assembly shocked the National Assembly yesterday when they stormed the federal legislature to protest against the alleged attack of Melaye on the wife of their benefactor, Senator Bola Tinubu.

They were accompanied by some stalwarts of the APC from Lagos State including a former senator, Munirudeen Muse. The politicians had stormed Abuja in expression of their solidarity with Tinubu.

Speaking at the meeting, Muse condemned Melaye’s utterances and encouraged Tinubu not to be discouraged by the trend in her pursuit of “qualitative legislation for the development of the country.”

In her response, Tinubu vowed to sustain the tempo of criticisms of events and activities of the Senate which she considers to be unhealthy for the country.

In the same vein, a group of protesters led by former Commissioner for Women Affairs in Lagos State, Mrs. Kemi Nelson, stormed the gate of the National Assembly yesterday to protest against alleged harassment of Tinubu by Melaye.

Nelson had been alleged to have collected N75 million from Tinubu to lead the protest in solidarity with the senator, an allegation which she denied.

The protesters wore white T-shirts with varying inscriptions such as: ‘No to impunity for gender based violence’; ‘Stop violence against women’; ‘Support Gender Equality Opportunity Bill’; ‘A senator is a senator, women are not threat objects’; Senate leadership silence in the face of violence against women is conspiracy’; ‘Say no to impunity,’ among others.

Speaking during the protest, Nelson who is also APC’s women leader in Lagos State, said enough is enough of harassing Tinubu, insisting that the Senate must take a disciplinary action against Melaye. “This is impunity and it has to be stopped, we must be accorded our right,” Nelson said.

Mrs. Tinubu had on Monday and Tuesday respectively petitioned the acting Inspector General of Police, (IG), Ibrahim Idris; Saraki and the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, alleging that her life was threatened by Melaye.

Before going to the National Assembly to register their anger over Melaye’s verbal attack on Tinubu, the members of the

Lagos State House of Assembly had taken their protest to the leadership of the APC at the party’s national secretariat over the issue.

Addressing journalists shortly after they met with Oyegun, the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Wasiu Sani, said they came to register their displeasure over the altercation between the two senators.

On whether the party would do anything about the matter, Sani said: “There were assurances from the national chairman and national leadership of the party that they would look into the matter and get it resolved.”

The Deputy Speaker said there was need to discourage such uncultured attacks on female legislators so as not to

send the wrong signals that the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly is no longer safe for them.

The Lagos legislators accused the upper legislative chamber of conspiracy of silence, adding that such silence is not good enough.

“We are in Abuja to show our displeasure at the ugly incident that occurred at the National Assembly, between two senators of the APC, specifically, Mrs. Tinubu and Melaye. We are not unaware that there could be issues at the Senate, we could have divergent opinions.

“But when derogatory remarks, when F-words are used, when reprehensible, irrational, uncouth, unguided, unculture and irresponsible statements from a senator to fellow senator are

used, it is not acceptable. We agree that there could be quarrel, there could be disagreement but there should be decorum.

“And we also felt, the leadership of the Senate did not act on time. Time is of the essence please, they allow the issue to fester, the recalcitrant attitude to fester is unbecoming of leadership. It should have been nipped in the bud.

“We are here to pay solidarity visit to Tinubu, as well as condemn the act, she should not be cowed, intimidated and she should not yield to verbal assault. The Deputy Speaker, Yinka, Hon. Desmond Elliot, and I are buoyant enough to sponsor ourselves and we all represent Lagos Central senatorial district where Tinubu is representing, is a course that

we are convinced that we must fight.”

On the other hand, the Lagos legislators said the Senate is at liberty to also look at any acts of misconduct on the part of Senator Tinubu if there was any.

“But let me say that Mrs. Tinubu that we know, who incidentally was the First Lady of Lagos State between 1999 to 2007, some of us are like sons or brothers to her husband, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And in Yoruba land, if you are a son to a woman’s husband you are supposed to be her son. She respects us and always address us as sirs. So she is a woman that is cautious but she does not take nonsense, she does not take cheating.”

POLICY MAKERS

L-R: Minister of Interior, Lt-General Abdulrahman Danbazau (rtd); Minister of Transport, Chibuike Amaechi; Minister of Solid Menerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja...yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

Ribadu: EFCC Must Go after Senior Lawyers Who Profited from Halliburton Scandal Tobi Soniyi and Tosin Komolafe in Abuja

The pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday in Abuja urged the commission to go after senior lawyers who made money from the Halliburton scandal.

Ribadu, who spoke in Abuja, at a National Stakeholders Workshop on the Recovery and Management of Recovered Assets Workshop organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption and the Commonwealth Secretariat, said the commission under him worked assiduously to investigate the Halliburton scandal and uravelled a lot of things.

He passionately appealed to the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, not to allow those who profited from the investigation to go scot-free.

Ribadu, who said he had paid dearly for fighting corruption

said he had no regret and was ready to lose his life fighting the scourge.

“I am paying dearly for fighting corruption. But I am not bothered. I am ready to pay with my blood,” he added.

He said: “Halliburton later became cash crow that was milked by senior lawyers to make money. We worked hard and suffered so much to investigate Halliburton. Magu must go after them. Don’t leave it to God. Go after them.”

He said Nigeria was blessed to have a leader who was committed to fighting corruption and appealed to all citizens to support President Muhammadu Buhari and stop politicising the fight against corruption.

Ribadu said the time has come for the country to call a national conference on corruption involving all arms of government, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary as well as state governments.

He said: “Every arm of government should know and

agree to its role and will know what is expected of each arm of government and the states.

This will enable the fight against corruption to be driven and owned by all of us. ”Buhari provides us with a good opportunity to deal with corruption. We must develop a national strategy to fight corruption. It will specify the areas for each arms of government. What is expected of each arm. Bring executive, legislature and judiciary together. Develop new laws and amend existing laws.

We must bring all federating states into it.”

Ribadu said experience had taught him that the fight against corruption would be better fought if all anti-corruption agencies were put under one room.

He said sometimes, anticorruption agencies sometimes worked at cross purposes and engaged in a blame game because they were not under one controlling body.

He also said his removal as the Chairman of EFCC in 2007 truncated the well laid out plan and agenda to tame corruption in the country.

The ex-EFCC boss who compared his removal to turning back the clock said the decision to sack him was a tragedy.

The former EFCC boss said: “It was a tragedy that we were kicked out of the EFCC in 2007. We had a plan that was working. It was a tragedy.”

According to him, assets recovery requires professional and dedicated personnel.

He also denied the allegations that he and other leaders of the commission sold recovered assets to themselves and cronies.

Ribadu, who repeatedly made reference to Almighty Allah to substantiate his claim that he did not convert seized assets to personal use, said the allegations were ridiculously and aimed at fighting back at those who waged war against corruption.

“I want to appeal to Nigerians to give the current government’s

fight against corruption a chance and shun the undue politicisation of issues. There is no other way to prosecute anticorruption than what we are witnessing presently. The effort has yielded appreciable result going by the unprecedented recoveries and the high profile cases being handled. The government and those in charge of the process deserve commendation and our collective support.

“This war is about the survival of our country and the right environment has to be created for the malfeasance to be cleaned and the right foundations and tools set for greater Nigeria. Unfortunately, emotions are often put forward before national interest thereby rubbishing what is otherwise noble and patriotic undertaking. Some of us that have done this work and those presently doing it have been unduly vilified for nothing other than daring to confront the corruption monster. We need to change our attitude, if we are to make enduring headway in this all-important battle.

“For me, this period is an important episode for this work, being a time that we have the most vital tool needed in this war, namely political will. I see in the present leadership, specifically the president, the will to allow the war to be fought without interference and the eagerness to support it in whatever way possible. These two points are important prerequisite in winning the anti-corruption war.

“We are also lucky to have a set of people that are very passionate and committed to be in charge of the process. Added to this, we have a plethora of practitioners, intellectuals, activists and the media that are keen and supportive of the campaign. We have to seize this opportunity by setting a very serious, strategic and focused direction to secure the future of this work and address the major impediments once and for all. The situation today is almost similar to the condition that existed when I chaired the EFCC which enabled us to modestly.”

THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

Security Forces Arrest Tompolo’s Aides, Logistics Supplier Senator Iroegbu in Abuja and Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Soldiers from the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Effurun, Delta State, on Monday apprehended two suspects believed to be associates arrested ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, in Warri, Delta State This came as the Nigerian Navy (NN) said it has also arrested a suspected member of the Niger Delta Avengers believed to be their major logistics supplier.

The group which had claimed responsibility for the attacks on Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Chevron pipelines in the region.

Sources told THISDAY yesterday that the Tompolo’s associates were arrested at about 11a.m in an operation that was executed without firing a shot.

It was gathered that the soldiers stormed the hide out of the suspects identified as Simon Bebenimibo and Bomboy Oluwa in three trucks.

“We stormed the hideout after intelligence revealed their abode.

We have been on their trail for

a while now but executed their arrests on Monday,” the source disclosed.

Although, he did not reveal reason for their arrest, the two suspects were known associates of Tompolo believed in security circles to be behind the spate of bombings of oil facilities in the renewed agitations in the region.

Tompolo had however denied severally that he had linkage with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the group claiming responsibilities for the attacks on oil facilities.

Since the arrest, THISDAY gathered that many of the aides of the ex-militant leader had gone underground for fear of being apprehended by security agents.

The Commanding Officer of 3 Battalion, Major Monday Anzaku, did not pick or respond to text message for confirmation of the arrest.

However, the spokesperson of the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative (IPDI), Mr. Daniel Ezekiel, confirmed the arrest and castigated the military for allegedly breaking into the residence of the DWLSC member through the roof and arresting him without a court warrant.

“We condemn the military

action of breaking through the roof of Simeon Bebenimibo to gain unauthorised access into his privacy without a court warrant to arrest him, as such amount to kidnapping and abduction.

“This is barbaric, obnoxious, unlawful and incivility. The military has no such powers except empowered by a valid court warrant. It is so sad and we are disappointed,” he said in a terse statement.

Also, while briefing journalists in Abuja yesterday, the Director of Naval Information, Commodore Christian Ezekobe, said the Avengers suspected logistics supplier was picked up on July 11 at about 11a.m., “The arrest was made following a confessional statement

obtained from an earlier arrested suspect who gave details of the involvement of other collaborators in the attacks.

“Preliminary investigations also revealed that the suspect recently supplied 10 batteries, five large coils of wire and other materials purportedly used for the attacks,’’ the director said.

The NN according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said it would continue to partner with sister security agencies and members of the public to eliminate all forms of economic sabotage such as vandalisation of pipelines and piracy.

Meanwhile, the police have concluded plans to deploy more personnel, especially the marine police, to help in the ‘Operation

Delta Safe’ against militants and other criminals in the region in collaboration with other security agencies.

The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, disclosed this yesterday when he made a familiarisation visit to the Naval Headquarters in Abuja.

Idris said he realised the need to deploy more policemen to maintain security and help in the operation, after making a working visit to the Niger Delta region including the troubled communities of Gbaramatu in Delta State.

He however noted that his men are short of the required expertise and logistics to thrive in the terrain.

The IG therefore solicited for

support and specialised training from the Nigerian navy for the marine police, which are the only arm of the Nigerian police designated for maritime security.

According to him, “Our synergy and collaboration are of great necessity because we serve our nation. We know the job you do requires some level of expertise and I know you are engaged in the Niger Delta area.

While responding, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas, noted that the navy has been working closely with the police force.

Ibas disclosed that in the past one year, Nigerian navy has trained about 40 policemen on maritime operations.

NHRC to Release Names of Politicians, INEC Officials, Others Involved in Electoral Offences Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday in Abuja said it would soon publish the names of electoral official, security personnel and others who committed various electoral offences during the 2007 and 2011 general election.

NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday while inaugurating a panel of inquiry to investigate allegations of genocide in Tarok community, Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Angwe said the NHRC would also make public the report of its investigation of the last clash between some soldiers and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN).

Last year, the commission sent an interim report containing the names of people indicted by electoral tribunals for election-related offences to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

NHRC had recommended the prosecution of those indicted to the AGF in the interim report with names of some prominent Nigerians.

However, the office of the AGF has yet to act on the report.

Angwe said the commission had since compiled a final report on the issue of election offences and has identified culprits

for prosecution.

“In the next two weeks, we are going to release the report of our investigation of the clash between men of the Nigerian Army and the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.

“We have also concluded works on our final report on those indicted for electoral offences by the election tribunals in relation to the 2007 and 2011 general elections.

“We will proceed to hand the list containing names of those so indicted to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution.

“We will also send the names of policemen indicted to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and names of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the necessary actions,” Angwe said.

Members of the Tarok community had petitioned the commission alleging attacks by some officials of the Nigerian Army on their community on May 2 last year.

Angwe said the inauguration of the panel of inquiry followed an earlier preliminary investigation and visit to the community by some officials of the NHRC. The four-man panel, led by Mrs Emily Herbert is to among others, determine whether or not there have been acts of genocide, crime against humanity and wanton destruction of property or violation of the rights of the people of Tarok community by men of the Nigerian Army.

TOW

L-R: Shehu of Borno, Shehu Umar Garbai; former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; and Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, during Atiku’s visit to the state to condole with the families of late Alhaji Shettima Ali Mogunu, and late Alhaji Garba Satomi...Tuesday

Budget Fiasco: Speaker Bows to Pressure, Removes Appropriation C’ttee Chairman I resigned, insists Abdulmumim Damilola Oyedele in Abuja After several months of holding out, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, finally bowed to pressure yesterday, when he announced the removal of Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumim as Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, a committee considered top grade in the National Assembly.

Dogara has been under pressure to remove Abdulmumim due to the impasse that followed the passage of the 2016 budget by the National Assembly last April.

Abdulmumim and his counterpart in the Senate, Danjuma Goje, were alleged to have diverted billions of naira to projects in their constituencies in Kano and Gombe States, respectively, among other projects.

Their action was said to have irked President Muhammadu Buhari who refused to assent to the budget passed by the National Assembly on the grounds that most of the projects that the funds were rechannelled to by the Appropriation Committees, were not even

viable, as feasibility studies had not been carried out on them.

Besides, most members of the National Assembly were unaware of the alterations by the Appropriation Committees and were surprised when THISDAY, which broke the story in April, spoke to them on the diversion of the budget votes.

Abdulmumim, however, told THISDAY yesterday after his ouster that he had approached the Speaker and expressed his desire to step down as chairman of the committee.

He insisted that all the allegations against him were baseless, as the budget could not have been worked on unilaterally.

Abdulmumim is considered one of the closest allies of Dogara due to the role he played during the leadership tussle in the House, when he was the spokesman of the Loyalists Group that backed Dogara for the post of speaker.

Following his removal, he was replaced with Hon. Mustapha Bala Dawaki who represents Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency also in Kano State.

Sources told THISDAY that the Speaker had been inundated with protests by other committee chairmen, their deputies and other

members of the Appropriation Committee who demanded his removal, even after the dust raised by the budget controversy had settled.

“It was bound to happen because of the alleged distortions in the budget which was done without the knowledge of other chairmen of committees. But it was necessary to first sort out the budget and pass it first, and other issues on ground.

“Even some people from the executive branch were not happy with him and Senator Danjuma Goje,” a lawmaker, who preferred not to be named, told THISDAY yesterday.

But Abdulmumim, addressing a press conference after plenary yesterday, said despite the circumstances, his relationship with Dogara and the leadership of the House remained cordial.

He said he enjoyed being the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee, but had to approach the Speaker to tender his resignation after consultations with his family.

Abdulmumim accepted responsibility for the issues with the 2016 budget, even though maintained that he was not at fault for the controversies that

had followed the passage.

“There is no way an individual can write the whole budget of the country. It was collective work and a circle. The records are there. Internally, I have tried to explain this, but we are in a political atmosphere and people can say what they want to say.

“But the records are there and members can go through them for themselves,” he said.

He noted that it was practically impossible for somebody to accuse the Appropriation Committee of writing the budget for the National Assembly.

“I said I have taken responsibility for everything that happened even though I know that I was not at fault. I am happy that I am leaving without any blemish,” he said, adding that he had no regrets serving as the committee’s chairman.

He also expressed appreciation to the speaker for the opportunity given him to head one of the most coveted committees in the National Assembly.

“I would not shy away from the fact that there are a lot of issues in the House, and some of them I will share in due course… I was not forced to resign. I resigned of my own volition.

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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

Judicial Panel Indicts Army, Police, DSS over Shiite Massacre A colossal failure of intelligence is to blame for last December’s massacre of at least 347 members of a Shi’a Muslim group in Zaria, a judicial commission of inquiry into the killings in its report has said.

The commission, set up by the Kaduna State Government, said the Nigerian Army, police and the Department of State Service (DSS), failed in their responsibilities, thereby allowing the killings by the army to occur.

The Shi’a Islamic Movement said it lost more than a thousand members in the attack that took place between December 12 and 14 at its headquarters.

The judicial panel, according to an online news portal, Premium Times, said it could confirm 349 deaths – including a soldier. It said that military officials refused to cooperate with investigators, hindering the panel’s ability to know the exact number of deaths.

The army claimed that it killed only seven Shiites for blocking a public road and attempting to assassinate its chief, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai.

The report did not blame Buratai for the deaths. It indicted the General Officer

Commanding the Nigerian Army 1st Division in Kaduna, Adeniyi Oyebade, a major general, and A.K. Ibraheem, a colonel, who led the operation.

It also recommended the trial of officers who partook in the killings and criticised the security agencies for choosing brute force over basic intelligence in responding to civil unrest.

The report was submitted to Governor Nasir el-Rufai last Friday, but its details were yet to be made public.

The 13-man panel, led

by Mohammed Garba, a judge at the Federal Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt, said the Nigerian Army and security agencies have intelligence capabilities but failed to put them to use.

“The clash between the Nigerian Army and the IMN from 12-14 December, 2015, reveals a glaring failure of intelligence. The SSS, the NPF as well as the Nigerian Army all have intelligence functions in their mandates.

“The Nigerian Army failed to by all indications gather sufficient intelligence that could have been used to follow another route for example, thereby avoiding the clash,” the panel said.

The commission condemned the sloppy attitude of security

agencies towards their job, saying they might have allowed themselves to be infiltrated by the IMN when the reverse should have been the case.

“This inadequacy and the reluctance of these agencies to provide vital information requested raise concern on how well they are doing their work.

“There is also an allegation that has made the rounds that it is the IMN members that have infiltrated the security agencies of the country rather than the order way round. This is indeed a very worrying situation,” the commission said.

The commission lambasted Nigeria Police for their role in the bloodbath.

“While the NPF was present at the beginning of the clash, they explained to the commission that they took the decision to withdraw from the scene and go and defend their police stations, suggesting thereby that they had no responsibility for law enforcement at the scene of the clash.

“The 1999 Constitution tasks the police in detection and prevention of crime and apprehension of offenders.”

While the report did not blame the federal government for any role in the killing, or

its response after, it criticised the government for failing to take “proactive measures” against “seemingly dangerous groups and organisations” by failing to implement previous reports.

“Testimonies of witnesses and stakeholders who appeared before the commission point to reasonable conclusions that there was a lack of political will on the part of the federal government to take proactive action against seemingly dangerous groups and organisations.

“Many witnesses pointed to the non-implementation of recommendations of reports of previous commissions

of inquiry relating to this group and others who have posed grave threats to peace and harmonious living. Of particular relevance have been the reports of Galtimari and Sheikh Lemu Presidential Commissions pertaining to Boko Haram insurgency.

Among its 33 recommendations, the commission advised the Kaduna State Government and the federal government to take intelligence gathering serious, facilitate training and equipment for security agencies and ensure that Islamic groups like the IMN are placed under regular surveillance.

PDP Releases Timetable for Ondo Guber Primary James Sowole in Akure The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday released the guidelines for the conduct of the primary of the party for the November 2016 governorship election in Ondo State.

In the guidelines

signed by a member of the National Caretaker Committee, Senator Abdul Ningi, the PDP primary election was fixed for August 22.

According to the timetable for the primary, sale of nomination forms would hold from Friday, July 22 to Monday, August 8 at No.13, Thaba-Tseka

Street, British Village, Wuse II, Abuja while the last day for submission of completed the forms is fixed for August 9, 2016 at the same venue.

The statement said the screening of aspirants would take place at the state party secretariat, Akure, on August 11, 2016 It added that screening

appeals would take place at the same party secretariat, Akure on August 13, 2016 According to the timetable, the gubernatorial primary election would hold on Monday, August 22, 2016 while appeals from primary election shall hold on 25 August 25, 2016

T H I S D AY THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016

COMMENT

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

THE FAILED COUP IN TURKEY

T

The attempted coup in Turkey holds lessons for Nigeria, argues Kennedy K. Halams

he failure of the military coup in Turkey is a good reminder of the power of the people to keep democracy at all costs. Watching the unfolding events and the failure of the coup plotters to usurp power, one wonders what the implication and lesson will be for Turkey and the world in general. Today, military coups have been seen as a misnomer and an abrasion to the much respected democratic process. Since our world has become a global village, it is important to note that events in Turkey are not restricted to Turkey alone. They impact the nooks and crannies of the world.

Turkey has experienced a lot of friction and tension in the administration of President Recep Erdogan. For a long time President Erdogan has been criticised as being dictatorial, authoritarian and undermining the rule of law. He has also been accused of circumventing the military. This must have led to the dissatisfaction of some factions of the military to his government. If this coup had succeeded, there is no doubt it would have given credence to the military in other developing countries (particularly in Nigeria) that the era of disrupting the democratic process is back again.

With the exception of the coup in Egypt about two years ago, there has not been any major military coup reported in Africa. This shows that countries of Africa are either learning the intricacies of democratic process or many of the sit-tight authoritarian leaders have mastered the act of staying put in governance under the guess of democracy.

Interesting to learn that the incidence of coups is slowing down in Africa. This must have been from the realisation on the part of military officers that military coups are anachronistic and unacceptable to the democratic system.

For the Nigerian population and military, the failure of this coup in Turkey should be a good lesson. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari should put in place effective mechanism of addressing the fears of many sections of the Nigerian polity. His administration has

THE PEOPLE OF TURKEY SHOWED THAT ORDINARY PEOPLE ARE MIGHTIER THAN THE GUN-WIELDING SOLDIERS

so far been observed as favouring only one section of the Nigerian population (the north) in all federal appointments.

It leaves one wondering what happens to the constitutionally enshrined provision of federal character in all appointments. The sacking and retirement of many southern military officers calls for concern. His inability to address the allegation that the Nigerian Chief of Army staff General Tukur Buratai massively enriched himself by purchasing plush homes in the United Arab Emirates is scary. The list goes on and on and President Buhari has remained numb on these issues. These are the issues that bring the dreaded division in any society and any military.

We hope that the era of military takeover is over in Nigeria. However, effective good leadership (that listens to the populace) is the panacea to repelling any disruption in the democratic process through military coups.

The Nigerian military should be aware that the era of military coup is over. The military should be made aware that there is no reason to forcefully remove a democratically elected government irrespective of the level of dislike they have on that elected government. The due process of democratic governance must be made to run its course.

Governments are removed by elections and that is the due process of change in a democracy.

The Nigerian people must also learn that power belongs to the people. It is exhilarating to watch the people of Turkey (listen to the call of their president) by going out on the streets to demonstrate and put an end to the military coup. The people showed that ordinary people are mightier than the gun- wielding soldiers. Nigeria cannot relapse to the last three decades when military coup and instability was the norm. Remember, General Buhari was part of that old norm. The young democracy must be given room to thrive and grow.

Professor Halams is a faculty of International Business at City University in Seattle, Washington

COME ONE, COME ALL Rotimi Akeredolu, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, has a good chance of emerging as the APC candidate in the forthcoming governorship election, reckons Francis Olagbuji

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head of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, there is a seemingly wild and clustered projection among pundits on its probable outcome with all eyes fixated on who becomes the party’s candidate for the November 16 election. As expected, the political field is littered with aspirants who numbered about 52 as at the last count. This is quite a number but good for democracy and the APC. Irrespective of evaluation as we have so far seen in the strategic positioning of the aspirants, one thing that is obvious is the vibrancy engendered by the process and of course the respective proposals for renewal. Intrinsic in all their propositions is the consensus on the need for change in the basic parameters of running a modern and functional government which can better deliver the goods to the people of Ondo State. Therefore, the quality of the eventual candidate who flies the party’s flag in the election has also been an issue, a candidate who should not only win the election but more importantly change the fortunes of the state in such a dramatic manner that puts to shame the whining Mimiko administration.

After almost eight years in the saddle, it is obvious that the current government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost steam, only managing to float until the handover date. That’s the truth otherwise Governor Olusegun Mimiko wouldn’t have been whining rather helplessly that “I don’t have money to pay salary”, a failure in leadership that created a six-month salary arrears, a record of pension arrears and sundry debts even as an oil producing state and no matter the state of the national economy. It all boiled down to poor planning and inept leadership.

This is the scenario which could provide a leeway for the APC to take over power from the PDP in Ondo State. Arguably, APC is

now the beautiful bride in the state, amassing an incredible following as new members are joining the party and many in the ruling party also decamping to join its fold. Essentially, the realities on the ground advance unassailable grounds for an imminent change in power baton in Ondo State. A major victory for APC seems looming but no one should rest on such oars.

The above narrative clearly underscores the very high number of aspirants in the APC with the understanding that whoever picks the party’s ticket will most likely win the election and becomes the governor of the state. I want to believe in this thesis also but as much as I do, I also want to point out the inherent danger in such an unwieldy process that could be the party’s undoing. The more the merrier, it said, but this calls for a clear headed approach that evolves out of a discerning evaluation and screening which gives the party a candidate who will deliver on the mandate so given eventually and do the party proud as a promise keeper. The candidate must have an unblemished record of integrity with such a penetrating insight to policy and programmes that can effectively bring about the change mantra of the APC beyond sloganeering. This is the issue.

Leadership counts and ideas matter, too.

It is in this consciousness that we can conveniently situate the candidacy of Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), who was also the candidate of the APC in the last election in the state. Interestingly, the dynamics shaping the politics in the state argue strongly in his favour having regard to his senatorial zone in the northern part of the state and where the preponderance of aspirants are located. Again, this is an issue requiring deft and tact on the part of the APC leadership to resolve by evolving a mechanism which places emphasis on leadership and ability rather than the peculiar political jesting all over as we have seen

in the unconscionable infighting and open warfare between the political groups and their members on campaigns in the region.

This must stop as a necessity otherwise the impression could be created that those involved are power mongers who are only interested in power rather than the party’s burning quest for redemption and consolidation of democracy which consciously put the people first in the scheme of things. As much as we should support open primary as a democratic imperative, I think also that it should be done in a way that protects the basic interest of the party as a robust entity post-primary, one that should be able to go into the election as one whole without division. Thus an effective management of the process is key. This does not mean disenfranchising the spirants or vitiating the sanctity of the democratic process. It is a call for a sane and orderly conduct that can guarantee internal democracy without jeopardising the goal of victory at the election proper in November.

From here, I think the argument above also speaks to the high number of aspirants struggling for relevance from Akeredolu’s home town in Owo. It is a good thing that we have about 10 aspirants from Owo but it is not in their collective political interest which recommends logically that they need to coalesce into one political family by supporting Rotimi Akeredolu who obviously has a far greater reach and clout in the governorship race? I think arriving at a consensus among the disparate political circles in Owo is in their best interest which can also provide a formidable front during the primary. Considering the lackluster of Owo in political reckoning in this 4th Republic, it is imposing on all the aspirants as a tribute to the proud legacy of their political forebears to at least reignite the fervour of progressive politics and pick one of them who they should also rally round to emerge as the APC candidate in the primary election. The

recourse to unbridled political animosity and jealousy is uncalled for. While competition is good in any social formation, it becomes a matter of rationality in some specific exigent circumstances as we now have in Ondo State.

Thus reason should prevail.

Even as a party, the APC should benefit handsomely from Akeredolu’s leadership if he eventually wins the primary and becomes the candidate. On most counts, analysts are convinced that his aspiration is clearly premised on the public good and the conviction on such position is his antecedents as a democrat of a rare hue and legal titan with activist orientation which have largely been deployed to the service of the poor over the years. His widespread contacts locally and abroad will certainly prove handy in lifting the state to a new level of possibilities.

Things are hard, we now need a thinker who can mitigate the dicey situation and lift the people out of hopelessness. Akeredolu comes out as a relentless advocate of change who strongly believes in the philosophy of politics of substance. Arguably, APC really needs Akeredolu’s intellectual enterprise and adroit leadership pragmatism in navigating through the myriad of socio-economic challenges facing the state, working with others in popularising his beautiful ideas for regeneration in Ondo State. Consummating the change mantra in the state goes beyond political jingoism but a commitment to rare leadership with such a creative and strategic thinking and ingenious contributions to an organised society where beyond the crucial economic diversification can also be open and accountable. This is the paradigm shift which Chief Rotimi Akeredolu represents in this election, a strategic hand that can turn around the socio-economic fortunes of the state and by extension engender political stability for the greater good of the people as the essence of government.

Olagbuji is of the Ondo Concerned Professionals

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016

EDITORIAL ACCESS TO QUALITY JUSTICE IN NIGERIA Access to justice will make a difference to all

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n independent judiciary is a basic prerequisite for the consolidation of democracy. It is therefore no surprise that the capacity to deliver accessible and qualitative justice continues to receive the attention of critical stakeholders in Project Nigeria. Various ideas are also being generated through public discourses that are targeted at how the judiciary could be repositioned as the “last hope” not just for the common man, but indeed for all Nigerian citizens.

One of such notable interventions on “Access to Quality Justice” was held last Thursday in Lagos.

Organised by the United Action for Change (UAC), a private initiative established to promote the culture of civic engagements, there were frank discussions on how to nurture and sustain a justice administration system that is founded on equity within the Nigerian public space. The convener, Dr. Muiz Banire, SAN, made that point clear when, in his opening remark, said the idea arose basically to raise new thoughts on remedies to the IT IS INSTRUCTIVE THE contemporary chalJUSTICE SECTOR REFORM lenges confronting PLAN, CURRENTLY the Nigerian judiciary UNDER REVIEW, SEEKS in a period of demoTO PROVIDE TIMELY AND cratic consolidation.

ACCESSIBLE JUSTICE At the session, TO ALL NIGERIANS IN critical stakeholdAN EFFICIENT MANNER, ers all agreed that REGARDLESS OF THEIR beyond the popular ETHNIC GROUP, GENDER, chorus of “judicial ECONOMIC STATUS OR independence” seen RELIGION as vital to accessing qualitative justice in Nigeria, there are other challenges which were often glossed over. They include inefficient and ineffective court or judicial administration and management; low institutional and technical capacity; the cost and/or affordability of justice. These and other issues must be substantially dealt with for the Nigerian judiciary to deliver in accordance with international best practices.

Letters to the Editor

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Instructively, the federal government Justice Sector reform plan, currently under review, seeks to provide timely and accessible justice to all Nigerians in an efficient manner, regardless of their ethnic group, gender, marital status, age, economic status, disability, religion, belief, culture, language, etc. The objective is to restore public confidence in the administration of justice in Nigeria.

H T H I S DAY

EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITORS BOLAJI ADEBIYI, JOSEPH USHIGIALE 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 DIRECTOR 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

owever, while the efforts of the federal government are duly recognised, most stakeholders in the justice sector recommend that the process of recruiting, remunerating, training and promoting judicial officers should be more inclusive and in line with best ethical practices.

They also canvass the establishment of necessary legal and institutional frameworks to eradicate all forms of administrative and professional corruption within the judiciary as well as ensure that all factors which cause delays in the administration of justice (especially with regard to conduct of judges, lawyers, prosecutors, court administrators, etc.) are eliminated.

Professor Fidelis Oditah, QC, SAN, questioned the bona fides of a legal system which seemed to have “outsourced its criminal justice to foreign courts” by analysing the failure of the Nigerian judicial system from whose net a former governor escaped justice only to be convicted abroad on the basis of the same evidence. This was a blot on the image of the Nigerian judiciary.

In all, the centrality of a judiciary to the development of a socio-economic and political development of a society did not slip out of consideration. Former Solicitor General of Lagos State, Mr. Fola ArthurWorrey and Dr. Abiola Sanni of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos aligned positions on the impossibility of progress where a justice system is prostrate.

But the point made at the session by the Chief Justice of Nigeria on the need for all stakeholders in the administration of justice to come together deserves to be written in bold relief. That, at the end of the day, is the only enduring path to access to quality justice in Nigeria.

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 (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

IF OKONJO-IWEALA SAID IT, SO BE IT!

e have all, at one time or another, had cause to hear or maybe even use this age-old saying, “A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country.” These words, spoken by the Lord Jesus, aptly summarised the story of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s sojourn in the corridors of power in Nigeria.

Our prophet (for so she must be called), blessed with the dual gifts of foresight and economic prowess, saw the need for a country as endowed in natural resources as Nigeria to set aside reasonable savings. When you earn more, regardless of how tempted you are to spend and spend, there is a little vice whispering in your ear to set some of it aside.

This sounds sensible enough, until you realise that some people do not even have a modicum of sense left in them. Or how else does one explain the obsession some of our public office holders have with spending? Should we get common sense a megaphone, so it’s voice can be louder than the sound of their hearts beating excitedly at the very thought of how they intend to rape our commonwealth? Can some noble scientists come up with a new vaccine to help us once and for all rid this nation of professional politicians whose goal is to steal, kill and

destroy?

But, I digress. A few days ago I read a report on Premium Times reviewing the opinion of Nigerians on President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration so far. While it was somewhat interesting to read what people thought about his efforts, my thoughts kept taking me back to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

You see, things may or may not have become so bad for us in this country if we had listened to this intelligent and very detailed woman when we really needed a voice of reason.

As Finance Minister, she set up an Excess Crude Account that was supposed to help keep us afloat regardless of what the dynamics of the economy would present, and it did help indeed during the first economic recession. One would think that seeing how beneficial the ECA was, her work would be applauded.

But she became the Number One enemy of lecherous governors who, with their salivating mouths, could not keep their hands off the ECA. The constituted Governors’ Forum suddenly had nothing better to talk about than how to sue the federal government over their unwillingness to share the money saved in the Excess Crude Account. The Wise King whose proverbs are renowned certainly knew no such men, else he would have added Amaechi, Fashola, and Oshiomhole to his list of

the grave, the barren womb, the thirsty desert, the blazing fire; making them eight things that never cry “Enough!”.

They drained our commonwealth, leaving those who ought to have been generous lenders become the most pitiful of borrowers. Even with her smart setting up of the Sovereign Wealth Funds, something, I might add that other oil-rich nations were doing, our beloved leaders were more obsessed with lining their robust foreign accounts than in investing for the future.

When recession was in sight, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala began to talk of belt-tightening measures and the fight started again. Our thumb-sucking leaders didn’t want their ‘toys’ taken from them.

No more holidays in Europe? No more study trips abroad? You mean we have to use local hospitals now? Our mummy is a bad mummy!

Shame on them, I say! And double shame on us! She saw it, predicted it, warned us about it, and we let these uncircumcised Philistines steal our heritage. Double shame on us! While it may sound glib simply to say, “If Okonjo-Iweala said it, so it will be”, it is sadly our reality today. We heard the prophet and did nothing about it. Despite her best efforts to keep us from experiencing the calamity she foresaw, here we are today.

Dan Osofisan, University of Jos

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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

POLITICS

Group Politics Editor Olawale Olaleye Email wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com 08116759819 SMS ONLY

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

Lamido: APC Was Not Prepared for Power Former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, was last week at THISDAY’s Corporate Head Office in Apapa, Lagos, where he fielded questions from the Board of Editors. Segun James presents the excerpts:

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ou have been out of power for over one year now. Give us your view of the last one year and what happened to the PDP after 16 years in government?

You tell me. The PDP governed Nigeria for 16 years, and as you said; why was it defeated? It is you that should tell us.

Maybe you failed the country that is why you were defeated?

Then why are you asking me?

Tell us why you failed We thought we were doing the right thing in government for 16 years, but the people thought otherwise. What do you think we have done wrong? You tell me. I was there as a governor. You have judged me. I was striving for you, but you think otherwise, so what do you think has gone wrong?

The people believed you didn’t perform as expected and they needed a change, so they voted you out?

Now that you have gotten the change, can now compare and contrast? Compare what you were then and what you are now.

In the last one year, another government has been in power what is your opinion of the government?

It wasn’t for me to. I was in government. It is not for me to assess the government now in

What I think is that a formation called the APC, which I call a formation of hate, envy and frustration should not be in government, but today they are now in government.

From all indications, the APC was not prepared. Without the five governors that joined the APC from PDP, they couldn’t have won.

The five governors joined the APC after it has been formed.

They cross-fertilised and produced a PDP child. If Chief Oyegun said PDP is a part of sinners, then, the APC is a creation of sinners

Lamido...Nigerians can see the difference now

power. It is you the people that must make that assessment. Tell me, how do I assess somebody, who removed me? How? It is not my duty to assess my successor. It is the duty of Nigerians.

But you are also a Nigerian?

I am a Nigerian, who was given the opportunity to run the country for 16 years.

Now, I am out of power. That is my position for now.

You have participated in politics for many years, what is your opinion of the state of the political parties in Nigeria.

Well, this is a very important question. I belong to the traditional old school of politics.

Politics that is anchored on tradition and culture, that started from the time of Tafawa Balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo and Zik. However, over the years, there has been some truncation in the process, especially in the process of political party formation and management.

Our founding fathers had visions for this country but since the 1966 coup, we have moved from one crisis to crisis including a civil war. The coming of the military created some disconnect between the old school of political thinking and the new system. Today, in Nigeria, politics is a bit different. It is more like an industry. There is difficulty in really saying what has gone wrong. My thinking maybe a little bit different, I may not be in sync with the modern generation. I am old vision and analogue. I am just trying to see if I can fit in.

In the run up to the presidential election, you did describe the APC as a fraud and you pointedly said the party was going nowhere.

Do you still mean it?

Is it going anywhere now? I am asking you, is it?

But now, the party that was going nowhere and an amalgamation of strange bedfellows is able to get you out of power, and it appears to be very popular right now?

Well, it is the change, isn’t it? But, and I’m being very honest with you, APC is not a political party. It’s a party that does not have a history and was formed only for specific history. The key APC players today had no role in this democracy. In 1999, they were nowhere in Nigeria. They could not even speak. Anybody in APC today is harvesting on what the PDP has been able to produce in the last 17 years.

When the PDP was formed in 1998, we assessed the situation. We asked ourselves and asked the question: what do we do to give Nigerians a sense of belonging and heal the wound of the past? We said our president must come from the South-west because the Yoruba people have been aggrieved since the annulment of the June 12 election. Even the APP and the AD did the same thing. It was meant to heal our wounds. So, those who are now in the APC, where were they at the beginning? We have made our mistakes and realised it.

What I think is that a formation called the APC, which I call a formation of hate, envy and frustration should not be in government, but today they are now in government. From all indications, the APC was not prepared.

Without the five governors that joined the APC from PDP, they couldn’t have won. The five governors joined the APC after it has been formed. They cross-fertilised and produced

a PDP child. If Chief Oyegun said PDP is a part of sinners, then, the APC is a creation of sinners.

Minus the PDP members in the APC, they couldn’t have won the last election. Since 1999, no other party could remove the PDP. It was after the APC had been formed and they realised that they could not remove the PDP that they came to cross-fertilise with the PDP. But today, the APC is more divided than even the PDP. They are divided along religion and ethnic lines.

So, I don’t the APC which is a child of the PDP can function properly. Because its formation was has no root. It is a formation which has no particular political philosophy. It has no appeal beyond assuaging the Nigerian anger.

By the time you use the anger in blackmail and then it is over, what next?

You were part of the new PDP… There was no new PDP my friend.

Okay, you were part of the governors that left the PDP. Also, at that time, you had problems with President Jonathan towards the end of his government, is the level of corruption in that government as great as it is being portrayed now by the new government and what led to the crisis in the PDP? The seven governors were worried that the PDP was being run as a personal estate

by Bamanga Tukur. The national executive committee of the party was supposed to hold quarterly, but under Tukur, it was never held for a whole year. That was the beginning of the problems. What we were saying was that the PDP has a constitution and that it should be run based on that. But if someone is trying to manipulate it and he emerges wrongly, the PDP will have problems. So, we went to our leaders including Obasanjo and Gen. Gowon to come and save us because the way the party was going, the government was going to crash.

And if it crashes, the alternative is going to be different for Nigerians. We had been on this before the APC was formed and after they were formed, they came to meet us and said they wanted us to join them. Then I called on my fellow governors and said look, why are we fighting? What are the issues that we cannot solve that we must join the APC? So, I said I was not going. I don’t think it was right for us to join the APC. Tell me, how do we move to a party that has been accusing and vilifying you? They moved. To me, they were pursuing something ephemeral. It is not based on principle. So, I stayed back in the PDP despite the persecution.

I was a member of the G-9 and later the G-34 that formed the PDP. So, where do I go? How do I renounce myself? How do I crawl out of my skin for you to confer your skin on me?

How do I renounce my history? Why would I go to a party that is vilifying me, abusing me, and calling me a thief? This party and country has dignified me. It has given me a chance to grow, how do I denounce my history to move to a party that has vilified me and calling me a thief?

You have only answered one leg of the question. Were you aware of the monumental corruption that typified the Jonathan government, including the atrocities that were perpetrated with subsidy?

On the issue of corruption, have you heard my name called? It automatically means that I am not aware. But the truth is this: there was this money they called excess fund, which they claimed for subsidy. We said no to subsidy because by Nigerian constitution, all monies made by the country must be shared monthly.

The word excess was a misnomer.

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INTERVIEW

Oguntuase: Saraki’s Ordeal is a Lesson for All Gboyega Oguntuase, a former Commissioner for Information, is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State. In this interview with Olakiitan Victor, he said Governor Ayodele Fayose’s opposition role was in order and that the regrets of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and others in the APC were enough lessons to PDP defectors. Excerpts: Ekiti PDP appears factionalised under your watch. How are you resolving the internal crisis?

Well, you call it faction but there is no faction in the real sense of it because the Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti had explicitly stated that the congress held in March, 2016, which produced the state executive which I chair remains the authentic. So, whoever parades himself as the chairman is just deceiving himself and acting as impostor. Though we are not unaware of a splinter group being propelled

by Mr. Williams Ajayi and Senator Clement Awoyelu, as a party that believes strongly in the ministry of reconciliation, we will continue to reach out to them.

To let you know that we are not leaving anything to chance, the council of Elders of the party headed by Chief Paul Alabi, a former deputy governor has started that process of reaching out to these people. But as much as we will continue to allow reconciliation and constructive engagements of all aggrieved members, my executive won’t tolerate rebellious actions from members, so, I urge those belonging to the faction to retrace their steps.

What do you think the crisis at the national level of the party portends for the PDP? Internal crisis is not new in democracy, but how you handle it as a political party will go a long way in affecting your future positively or negatively. This crisis you are talking about is not limited to PDP alone, the APC which happens to be the ruling party is battling series of internal crises, so what is happening to us should not be seen as a big deal. You can even attest to the fact that the party has been responding swiftly to the situation and has been ingenious in its approach.

We thank God that the two factions have been so civil by going to courts, they have not resorted to self-help and the outcomes have been helping in settling the internal dispute coupled with our internal crisis resolution mechanism, which we have been deploying. But let me say here loud and clear that the Ekiti State chapter of the party is solidly behind the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee.

The court had ruled that Ali Modu Sheriff faction is not in existence, so I expect him to toe the line of reason and join the mainstream.

joyous period and when we were all crying and up to when we stood by the prison side to the time we were in the trenches knew him to be a man that believes in other people’s opinions.

He was never a dictator. He listens to the people and respects their opinions. To say that he is tele-guiding us is out of place. The government and the party structures are different, but we are working together towards making Ekiti great.

The party is taking decisions and communicating same to the governor as a member of the party. PDP remains the only party, where both the rich and the poor, the low and the high can claim the same rights. So, our party is highly independent and we enjoy such to the fullest under Governor Fayose. The government of Ekiti and PDP are partners in progress and one is not overreaching the other.

Apart from that, all the governors under the banner of our great party, about 90 per cent of the senators, members of the House of Representatives are solidly behind Makarfi.

Even, the 36 state chairmen have gone to Abuja to endorse him, so it is clear that Sheriff is alone in this battle and I am confident that the party will get out of this stronger. Even in the case of Edo primaries, INEC recognised Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as candidate and he was presented by Makarfi and rejected the one presented by Sheriff. So, we still remain one big family.

Recently, some members of the party defected to APC in Ekiti and this is also happening at the federal level. Is this not a bad signal for your party?

The present trial of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki by the All Progressives Congressled federal government suffices to teach a lesson that defecting to the ruling party has become a great regret. Let me remind those planning to leave the party in Ekiti to be aware of the regrets being suffered by party bigwigs that had defected to APC, because this shall be their lots if such dream is realisable. Saraki is presently being tried by the federal government for alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rules through which he was elected into office and for alleged false assets declaration at the Code of Conduct Bureau while serving as the governor of Kwara State.

So, it is no longer profitable or fashionable or something you can celebrate, when you leave a democratic party like the PDP and defect to the APC, a party everybody knows to be too sectional and discriminatory to accommodate defectors. Senator Bukola Saraki and others, who left the PDP thinking that they had seen the light and a better place to advance their political careers sacrificed everything, invested heavily after dumping the PDP to join APC to advance the course of the party, but all the APC wanted for him now is that he should go to jail. This is enough lesson to our members…

Their future is not protected in APC. But as far as we are concerned, we are not shaken by these defections, because they will soon come back.

We shall salvage them. We shall continue to engage them because we now have a ministry

Oguntuase

of reconciliation, which preaches the gospel of peace all the times. It is not a sin for anyone to hold a dissenting opinion, but it should be within the ambit of the constitution of the party.

Our party is passing through a process of restructuring deeply rooted in discipline, I mean party discipline. The party is no longer what it used to be where undisciplined people were doing what they wanted.

We have realised that we are the opposition party and old ways must give way for new life, so that we can reclaim power at the centre and that we are doing with all zeal and resoluteness.

Recently, the Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko warned that indiscipline may kill the PDP, should we now fold our arms and allow such to continue? Governor Mimiko is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and he must have seen something before saying such. The governor in his wisdom called it an act of indiscipline, but here in Ekiti we call it rebellion.

How do you react to the insinuation that Ekiti PDP EXCO has been subsumed by Governor Fayose?

This is also one of those rumours being spread by some people to create the impression that Governor Fayose is not democratic.

Those of us who had stood by him during the

Governor Fayose has been having a running battle with the EFCC over allegation of corruption. Don’t you think this may affect your party in 2018?

I don’t believe the governor is having a running battle with the EFCC. You can only say he is having a running battle with the federal government and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari because of his consistent criticism of the government just for the good of all Nigerians. What Governor Fayose stands for is advocating equitable distribution of Nigeria’s wealth and good democratic values. And it is very wrong for EFCC to start running after people just because they are holding dissenting opinions to whatever the federal government is doing. This is wrong.

This is not democracy but something else.

Governor Fayose says it as he sees it and that is why he has been having these attacks from the FG. Do you think all these would have come if Governor Fayose had kept quiet? No! By criticising the FG, Governor Fayose has not done anything criminal or repugnant to the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and even to the sensibilities of all Nigerians to warrant condemnation from anybody. What the federal government is doing to him is a normal reaction from a big man or the ruling class anytime they are challenged. So, Governor Fayose’s opposition role is in order and Ekiti is pleased with him.

‘We’ll Run an Efficient Council Area’

Achairmanship aspirant in Ijede Local Council DevelopmentArea of Lagos State on theAll Progressives Congress party, Mr. Kazeem Olasunkanmi Obayemi, says he ready to uphold the idea of practical change if given the opportunity. He spoke to Shola Oyeyipo. Excerpts: that, my target is for Ijede LCDA to be the cleanest LCDA in the state. Another aspect of it is beautification. I will bring in a firm to partner the council on that.

On tourism, our water ways is another way of making money if well managed. We will invite the company that is handling Lekki water ways to come manage ours too. And that will be another source of income for the council and also, 50% of the staff that will work with the company will be provided by the CDAs.

What’s your vision for the local government?

My vision is to go into projects and establish structure that will outlive my administration.

I know what my people want. They need water, electricity, qualitative education, good roads and they want improvement in their livelihood. They also want employment and good health facilities.

How do you intend to realise these?

First is security. I will bring in a firm that will partner the council on security. Each CDA will provide two able and trusted young people, and their job is to secure their community from morning till evening before the security firm will take over at night. And I believe everybody will pay their dues because we have created jobs for their children and at the same time, secured their lives and properties.

Second is on environmental, which is my area of specialization. We are going to implement a law on refuse dump, and each CDA will also provide two young people that

Obayemi

will work with the company provided by the council to handle environmental issues.

Which I know all the CDA will comply. On

What other areas are you looking at?

I’m going to set up a committee on the eradication of weeds. They will employ staff that will clear the bushes on behalf of the owners and their bills will be sent. I believe that’s another way of generating fund for the council, creating employment for the youths and also securing the environment.

On electricity, I will approach a solar power company to help us on a solar powered street

light. I know with all these, within a year, Ijede is going to be one of the most beautiful and cleanest LCDA in Lagos State. I shall also create and promote a standard and modern market in the community, which is one of the things we lack. I will construct new roads across the various communities and I will also ensure a periodic grading of all the inner roads around the various communities.

Have you plans on scholarship and the aged?

There will be free scholarship scheme for the less-privileged children all around the communities. I want my government to be their new hope. There will be jobs for the abled ones among the aged, and others will be placed on salaries or allowances. I will provide a permanent solution to our people’s water problem. I will reactivate all the moribund boreholes in all communities. I will also construct new boreholes in each ward.

In fact, I intend to construct five boreholes in each ward.

20

TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2016 • T H I S D AY

FEATURES

Acting Features Editor Charles Ajunwa Email charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

Passing on Skills Set Necessary for Leading Pushed by the need to develop people’s communication and leadership skills, a non-profit educational organisation, Eagle Toastmasters Club, recently ended its year with an election and induction of new members into the club. Funmi Ogundare writes

E

agle Toastmasters Club, Lagos, an offshoot of Toastmasters International offers programme of communication and leadership projects, is designed to help people learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking. The immediate past president of the club, Ms Oyindamola Egbeyemi said “It is an open door to anyone, in as much as we are an NGO, we do it in a professional way.”

Egbeyemi who disclosed this during a recent programme organised by the club, she said that table topic sessions were also held for impromptu speeches for members who were called at random to talk on different topics.

She said members do shy away from this session because they may not be prepared for it.

“We noticed that most of our guests shy away from this session, so it is a matter of just articulating your thoughts and giving your listeners something. That is what we get people to do. A few people just join the club, so we will be doing an induction ceremony for the new members and make them feel appreciated for making the commitment to join.”

She said this year, the club would establish clubs at cooperate organisations which will help people build their confidence at work, boost employees’ personal growth, improve the morale of the company and employees as well as boost communication between customers and clients, reinforce the skills within the employee, and knowing where to improve yourself, among others.

“It helps with leadership growth, team work, more productive teams and essentially producing better leaders. We have a few corporate clubs and there is one at GTE and Delta Afrique, and members continue to see the benefits of Eagle Toastmasters Club,” Egbeyemi said.

She noted that since she joined the club, five years ago, it has added value to her and even people within and outside it, saying, “I saw myself becoming a better leader and contributing towards something that will benefit others.”

Asked about the project she embarked on while she was president in the last one year, Egbeyemi said, “my tenure started

In a way, as much as it helps you build the technical capacity, it also allows you to think and develop content for your speech as well. We found out that many of our members eventually become public speakers and writers.

It helps in career progression, benefit of Toastmasters are endless because it really depends on how you leverage on the club

L-R Aisha Sara, Yousuf Apennines, Florence Olumodimu, Oyinda Egbeyemi, Chibuzor Nwaezeapu and Oladele Olunike, outgoing executive committee of the club at a programme in Lagos... recently

Egbeyemi presenting gift to her Vice, Mr. Oladele Olunike, during a programme in Lagos

in July last year, I wanted to make a more impactful difference to the club. Each position requires the length of one year, a new exco just came into power and they will serve for another year. For every year, you have to run a campaign and make a presentation and convince the members to vote for you, it’s not an automatic position, you have to earn it.

“Whenever I go out, people will talk about us and say! Oh that place that people give speeches? I wanted to make it more impactful not just about giving speeches but about building an all round leader. Communication is part of it, leadership is another integral part of it, so I started out last year with a president dinner, that was a large event which held at TLS, Ikoyi. It was well attended by a lot of corporate organisations as well as members; it was our way of launching the year.

“I wanted us to start the year with a bang so that we can create more awareness about

the club, following that, I really wanted the excos to have a well put together inspiration programme and different activities that will keep our members excited. The reason is that members got bored from the same old meeting in the past so to spice up, we had a field meeting like family days, president night bazaar where we invited all our past presidents to give a speech and inspire members.”

On how the club monitors members’ development, Egbeyemi said it has two tracks; leadership and communication tract, each with its own specific project.

According to her, “on communication tract, for instance, you get the manual that has 10 projects with specific objectives that you are supposed to meet for instance, you introduce yourself to the club and say what you do, there are other projects that require you to use visual aid to present a speech.

“In a way, as much as it helps you build

the technical capacity, it also allows you to think and develop content for your speech as well. We found out that many of our members eventually become public speakers and writers. It helps in career progression, benefit of Toastmasters are endless because it really depends on how you leverage on the club.”

Asked on what happens after her tenure, the immediate past president said, “once the president is out, though she is not completely out, the president becomes the immediate past president with an oversight role. I will be overseeing the new exco since I have the experience as the president for one year. For any decision that will be made, I will be part of it and continue to provide my support during meetings, get involved in the exco meeting and look for ways to improve the brand of the club. It’s not an abrupt end but a continuous process. I have enjoyed my tenure as president.”

19

• T H I S D AY TUESDAY, JULY 21, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Obiano, Reliving Zik's Legacy Oliver Okpara

T

he recent award of Zik’s leadership prize for good governance on the Executive Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, is another testimony to his superlative performance in government.

The governor of Anambra State had hitherto been a beneficiary of such awards and honours from various institutions, organisations and bodies.

These recognitions reflect so much on the way and manner Governor Obiano has taken the arduous task of governance and leadership to another level in Anambra State.

Before his election, Governor Obiano had stood out and distinguished himself as a frontline banker, a world-class management and financial expert, and a distinguished First-class economist. His intimidating pedigree in financial management and banking was a ready asset to be applied in tackling the plethora of economic and management issues in Anambra State.

Hitherto, Anambra State had never had it so good in vacuum dearth of committed leaders and patriots in government. Most of the past leaders in the state lacked vision, focus and commitment. Some of them were neck-deep in vain glory and unnecessary ego trips which did virtually nothing to move the state forward. White elephant projects dotted round the state. Some of the leaders were only interested in playing politics of survival. In the result, real governance took a back seat.

This was the scenario before Governor Obiano came on board. He came with a vision, a mission and the wisdom to transform Anambra State, to effect service delivery, to reflect the economy, to move the state forward in every sense of the word and to create dividends of democracy.

It is no longer news today that in Nigeria most states are literary failed states.

Some of them cannot meet the needs of the people. They cannot pay salaries or fulfill other obligations constitutionally imposed upon them. Notwithstanding the fact that revenue coming to the state has noose-dived considerably, Governor Obiano has maximised the use of available resources.

His husbandry of scarce resources is particularly excellent. It can safely be said that Governor Obiano was the man who saw tomorrow. With the eagle eyes of an economic expert, he foresaw the impending drop in the price of crude oil and the danger it would portend for the whole economy in Nigeria.

In line with this vision, he prepared for tomorrow. He had a ready plan on how to cushion the harsh effect of dwindling revenue. Today, the result is there for all to see. Whilst his counterparts are unable to pay workers’ salaries, Obiano is increasing salaries in Anambra State and embarking on gigantic projects which impact the lives of the people.

The thrust of the Obiano administration is founded on the four pillars of development including agriculture, industrialisation, trade and commerce, and oil and gas. These pillars are supported by twelve enablers. The enablers give vent to the pillars or else the pillars would crumble like a pack of cards.

These enablers include critical aspects of governance such as security, education, healthcare, power generation, finance, social and civil infrastructure, water, sanitation, environment, hospitality and tourism, transportation, water and sanitation and of course, youth and sports.

It is not an overstatement to say that the identification of these critical ingredients or bullets of governance by Governor Obiano is highly cerebral and his in-depth conversion of these ideals to reality is the reason why Obiano is being honoured, celebrated and recognised within and outside Nigeria.

Drawing from his wealth of experience in banking, auditing, Governor Obiano desired to completely industrialise Anambra State. In this wise, he created an enabling environment for Nigerians and foreigners

Obiano

to come to the state to site industries, create jobs and by extension, create wealth.

The governments’ blue-print for creation of jobs in Anambra State is analysing. In agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, real estate and hospitality and the like, direct and indirect jobs being created. The job-creation plan also applies to other sectors of the economy.

On the whole, forty-two thousand, five hundred direct jobs and two hundred thousand indirect jobs are on the pipeline.

About five hundred youths have been trained in various skills and crafts at the technology incubation centre in Nnewi. In the agricultural training centre Mgbakwu, hundreds of youths have received training.

Governor Obiano’s investment in agriculture is matchless. He has attracted

These recognitions reflect so much on the way and manner Governor Obiano has taken the arduous task of governance and leadership to another level in Anambra State

$150 million from Coaschans farm project situated at Anaku. The sum of $50m was attracted from Novtec Farms Limited in Ndikeli Onwu, $160m from Joseph Agro Limited Rice Project in Omoru and $220m from Ekcel Farms, Tomato Production Farm in Omasi. There is also the $50m from Soughai/Delfarms Integrated Organic Farm project in Igbariam.

Other sort of investments include grains and silos with $40 million in storage facilities, Iynden farms with the $61m poultry farm in Igbariam, and Tricity Integrated farms with $11.4m ultra modern abattoir in Awka.

In the management sector, there is total success to report. Over $140 million investment has been attracted to the manufacturing sector. The Obiano administration also plans to have a fully developed oil and gas sector by 2018. Other sectors such as education, health and environmental have been given priority.

In transportation, government has put in place the modern mass transit scheme which takes charge of the three major cities in the state: two hundred brand new taxi and fifty luxury buses were purchased. Modern bus stops and terminals have been put in place in many parts of the state. In marine transportation, government has purchased twenty-four speed boats, water ambulance and a gun brat for the Nigerian Navy.

The Obiano administration compassed forty-seven solar-powered bore holes which will serve twenty-seven communities in Aguata and Anambra East Local Government Areas. Transformers are being installed in various locations in the state. Workers’ welfare is of utmost importance in the reckoning of government. Hence, in 2015, government increased workers salaries by fifteen per cent. Arrears of salaries over some category of workers and arrears of

pension owed retired local government staff were cleared by the Obiano government.

It will be impossible to capture all that Governor Obiano has done in Anambra State in this short space. How be it, the governor’s achievements speak for themselves and they are there for everybody to see.

As the lawyers would put it, it is res ipsa loquitur.

No wonder, the government has been mandated with series of awards bordering on good governance, good conduct and excellent performance.

Governor Obiano is, no doubt, a divine gift to the people of Anambra who had thirsted and lingered for good and charismatic leadership for long. In a short period of two years, Governor Obiano has surpassed all expectations. In just two years, Akpokuodike has done what some of his detractors could not do in eight years.

Surely, there is a silver lining in the cloud in Anambra State under Governor Obiano. All hands should, therefore, be on deck and all and sundry should give their unalloyed support to his wonderful performance so that he can transform Anambra and make it the dream state it has always yearned to be.

Furthermore, as 2017 beckons in Anambra State, there is no vacancy. All the pretenders to the office of governor and their principals should save their breadth. Anambrarians are rooting for Obiano because of what he has done and will continue to do. This winning governor will win again. You do not change a winning team.

To the wonderful governor of Anambra State, congratulations on this award. More grease to your elbows. The work has just started. It has been done for two years with six more years to go. Obiano is the man of the moment.

22

IMAGES

L-R: Guest Speaker, Prof Akin Odebunmi; Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO), Logistic Command Lagos, Air Commander Yab Iliyasu; Commandant/host, Commander Gabriel Oyekale; and chairman of the occasion, Mr Ufia Sunn, at the 27th Air Force Secondary School prize giving day and passing out parade of cadets at the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos...recently

L-R: Permanent Secretary, Education/representative of Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titilayo Solarin; President/Chairman of Council, ICSAN, Dr. Nat Ofo; Managing Director/CEO, STL Trustees Ltd. Mrs. Funnmi Ekundayo; Registrar/CEO, ICSAN, Mrs. Nkechi Onyeno; and the institute’s Vice-President, Mr. Samuel Kolawole, at the ICSAN maiden Health Walk for Life Programme as part of the activities to mark the institute’s 50th celebration, in Lagos...recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: National President, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Mr. John Adaji; chairman of the occasion and a former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; and the Secretary General, NUTGTWN, Mr. Issa Aremu, at the 2016 Nelson Mandela Day Lecture organised by NUTGTWN in Kaduna...recently IDRIS EGAJI

L: R: Mr. Leo Maduabum; Pfizer representative, Ejiro Onokpasa; Dr. Aji Marcus; Head of Department, Guinness Eye Centre, Dr. (Mrs) Apakama Akunne; and Aliozor Joy, during the donation of Tonometers to Guinness Eye Centre by Pfizer Nigeria in Lagos...recently

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Photo Editor Abiodun Ajala Email abiodun.ajala@thisdaylive.com

L-R: Regional Manager, Mid-Belt-West Candel, Mr Jacob Olobayo; one of the winners of Candel Cleanfarm project, Mr Gambo Ajako; and Managing Director Candel, Mr. Emmanuel Kattie, during the presentation of gifts to the winners in Lagos...recently

L-R: Sales Manager, AFP Furniture, a Production Business Division of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mr. Uche Uzoewulu; a guest, Mrs. Timipre Wolo; Managing Director, Miele Gallery, Mr. Mustapha Olorunnibe; and a Public Relations Officer, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mr. Martins Affah, during the 10th Abuja Housing Show in Abuja...recently Kingsley Adeboye

L-R: Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma; Commissioner for Health, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Dominic Ukpong; Country Director, International Centre for Prevention of Deafness and Rehabilitation of Hearing Impaired Persons (ICPDRHIP), Dr. Eneche Audu; Director, MTN Foundation, Hon. Reginald Okeya; and the Company Secretary, MTN Nigeria, Ms. Uto Ukpanah, presenting a hearing aid to Anietie Udok, a beneficiary of the MTN Foundation Hearing Aid Support Project, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State...recently

L-R: Minister, Trinity House, Bayo Rotimi; Senior Pastor, Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo; and the Editor, Timeless, Mr. Ayodeji Jeremiah, at the Trinity House 6th anniversary press conference, in Lagos... recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

23

BUSINESSWORLD NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

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Group Business Editor ChikaAmanze-Nwachuku Email: chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08033294157, 08057161321

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Quick Takes CNN to Establish Multi-Platform Bureau

COURTESY VISIT

L-R: A former Council Member, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Barr. S. O. Q. Giwa; Executive Director Corporate Services, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Hon. Lola Abiola-Edewor; MD/CE, NDIC, Alh. Umaru Ibrahim; Chairman, Governing Council of the CIBN, Prof. Segun Ajibola, and Executive Director Operations, NDIC, Prince Aghatise Erediauwa, during a courtesy visit by a management team from CIBN led by Ajibola to the NDIC Senior Management in Abuja …recently

ICT Experts Proffer Far-reaching Solutions to Growing Wave of Cybercrimes Stories by Emma Okonji Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts have raised the alarm over the rise in cybercrime activities, which have continued to threaten the safety and security of the Nigeria, resulting in the loss of huge amount of money yearly.

The experts, who raised the concern at the ongoing 26th National Conference of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), said some Nigerians were taking undue advantage of digital

ECONOMY infrastructure, to pose grave threats to national security.

Specifically, the Minister of Communications Technology, Adebayo Shittu, who frowned on the situation, stated the need to address the issue, by using technology tools to avert further loss of money. He said it was reported earlier that Nigeria loses about N127billion to cybercrime yearly, but insisted that such huge losses can be curbed using relevant technology tools.

“It is quite shocking that Nigeria loses about N127 billion, which is 0.08 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP), yearly to cybercrime,” Adebayo said.

According to him, more Nigerians now have access to internet facilities, and they use the enormous opportunities this digital infrastructure brings to work, transact business, campaign, communicate, learn, interact and relax.

“Today, banking, commercial and other critical services are being provided online.

Evidence however abounds of growing electronic fraud and threats to digital databases both private and government, Adebayo added. He however explained that in view of the critical nature of the economy and government activities, it is obvious that protection from different types of cyber and terrorist attacks is required.

Software piracy, identity theft, electronic fraud, online spam, intellectual property theft and malware attacks can all Continued on page 24

FG Urged to Adopt eGovernance Strategies to Curb Corruption The federal government has been advised to adopt e-governance strategies in tackling corruption, which has been identified as the bane of good governance and Nigeria’s development.

The acting Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, who gave the advice during the 12th edition of the Nigerian Telecom Awards in Lagos recently, said one major thing that has brought the reputation of Nigeria low before international communities, is corruption. He acknowledged the efforts of the federal government in fighting corruption, but advised the presidency to adopt e-governance strategies,

ICT which he said would help reduce financial corruption in the government circle and the private sector to a greater extent.

Olatunji who listed some e-governance strategies to include investment in technology, awareness creation and change of mindset, advised the federal government to invest heavily in technology, especially in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure. “We need strong investment in ICT infrastructure to curb corruption in the country. “Government need to encourage and support the development of software solutions that are capable of

blocking financial leakages in the government circle. Apart from the technology, government must also invest in the people and processes of governance in the country,” Olatunji said.

He added that government must access the quality of people in governance and the technology skills they possess, which he said, remained key to the adoption and sustainability of e-government strategies in the country.

He spoke on the need for capacity building among government officials and to redirect their thinking towards effective governance.

Olatunji who is a strong advocate of technology development, and has been at

the forefront of supporting the development of technology startups in the country, said there was need for government to develop ICT infrastructure in the country that would speed up development at the federal, state and local government areas. He equally challenged technology solution developers to come up with solutions that will address key areas of e-governance.

Speaking about change of mindset as one of the e-government strategies that will tame corruption in the country, Olatunji called on Nigerians, especially those in government, to have a change of heart and to develop Continued on page 24

CNN is launching a new multi-platform operation in Lagos, designed to give the network a quick broad-based, digital-first presence in Africa’s most populous country.

Leading the operation will be Stephanie Busari, who takes on the role of Supervising Producer, Africa. Busari will work across CNN’s newsgathering and digital operations, and will be the network’s first responder for all platforms.

Senior Vice President, Newsgathering at CNN International, Deborah Rayner, said: “This is a truly integrated role, and one that underlines CNN’s commitment to both Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Stephanie will work across our platforms on both news and feature content. In particular, she will head CNN’s Africa content across digital – responding to breaking news and managing our Africa features projects. She will also be central to CNN International’s coverage of the continent on television.”

Speaking on her new role, Busari said: “To return to Nigeria at such an important time in the country’s history is a proud and exciting moment for me. This is such a vibrant country, full of possibilities, and as well as my broader remit looking at Africa as a whole this role will be about putting the many sides of Nigeria itself into sharper relief for the world.”

Since joining CNN in 2008, Busari has worked across some of the network’s most important African stories. In particular she was central to CNN’s coverage of the Missing Chibok girls, working alongside Senior International Correspondent, Nima Elbagir.

A multi-award winning journalist, Busari began her career at the now-defunct London-based newspaper New Nation, which was aimed at the UK’s black and ethnic minority communities.

Mastercard Extends Digital Payment

Mastercard said an upgrade to its Masterpass service means it is the first payments network to support a combination of in-app, online and now in-store contactless payments.

Banks will be able to integrate the service into their mobile banking apps, said the card giant. The upgraded Masterpass has been launched in the US, and will be available in the UK next year. Tens of millions of cardholders in the United States will be the first to use the service later this month, the company said.

Europe and the Middle East/Africa will be the next markets where the new Masterpass service will be live, by the end of 2016. It will continue to rollout in North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific throughout 2017.

The card giant is also introducing a new brand identity, designed to be “simpler, more modern and relevant for the digital world.”

BlackBerry Attempts Clarity on BB10

BlackBerry has provided update on its BlackBerry 10 platform, yet it is still not addressing the key question – its plans for new BB10 hardware.

In a blog post, the company’s chief operating officer, Marty Beard, said following news that the BlackBerry Classic is nearing the end of the line, this was “misinterpreted by many.” But he said that the company was committed to not just maintaining BB10 software, but advancing it to be even more secure and provide even greater productivity. It was noted that “future BB10 software updates for 2017 are already in the works”, and that devices such as Passport and Leap are “still available to loyal customers.”

Leap has been on the market since April 2015, while Passport dates back to late 2014. Last week, Beard told Bloomberg that the company never said that we would not build another BB10 device. In response to a question, the company tweeted that the new BB10 hardware is ‘not out of the question.’

While BlackBerry clearly has a large enterprise customer base for which stability is an important consideration, the easiest way for the company to avoid misinterpretation would be a clear and unequivocal statement with regard to new BlackBerry 10 hardware.

The contribution of ICT to the nation’s economy has created a new profile for the country Minister of Communication, Mr. Adebayo Shittu

24

T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD ICT EXPERTS PROFFER FARREACHING SOLUTIONS TO GROWING WAVE OF CYBERCRIMES lead to devastating and far reaching consequences. “In addition to the activities of hackers and cyber bandits, we know cyber space is also being exploited to aid violent extremism, especially among the youth,” the minister said.

Proffering solution to the challenge, Shittu said government has set up computer emergency response teams through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). To further improve the nation’s preparedness to secure cyberspace, the Cybercrime Advisory Council has also been inaugurated. The council is expected to facilitate the implementation of the Cybercrime Act, 2015, as well as the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, the minister said. President of NCS, Professor Adesola Aderounmu, who spoke in the same vein, said protection of lives and property remained the major function and responsibility of any government. He said: “All over the world, no nation is excluded from the challenges of insecurity. Murder, armed robbery, terrorism, cultism and other crimes abound, despite the best efforts of security and law enforcement agencies.”

While calling for a more proactive Information Technology approach to combating the menace of insecurity, he noted the NCS has diligently over the past few months, canvassed the use of IT towards resolving of national safety and security in Nigeria.

FG URGED TO ADOPT EGOVERNANCE STRATEGIES TO TAME CORRUPTION a culture that would make them shun corrupt practices.

There is need for Nigerians to embrace the change mantra of the Buhari’s led government, which he said would go a long way in addressing the ills of the society.

He also called for awareness creation and sensitisation of the Nigerian populace, which he said, would go a long way in addressing the ills of corruption, especially financial corruption.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

Chinedu Eze (Aviation) Linda Eroke (Labour) Eromosele Abiodun (Cap Mkt) Ejiofor Alike (Energy) James Emejo (Nation’s Capital) Obinna Chima (Money Mkt) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Maritme)

NEWS

Danbatta Lists Importance of Broadband to National Devt Stories by Emma Okonji The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta has reiterated the importance of broadband to national development, just as he urged Nigerians to support the national broadband policy of the federal government.

The policy seeks to grow broadband penetration from its present 10per cent penetration level, to 30per cent penetration level by 2018. Danbatta, who spoke at the 12th Nigerian Telecom Lecture and Awards in Lagos recently, said ubiquitous availability of broadband, would not only improve access to broadband deployment, but would also create speedy development, through online transactions, supported by broadband.

According to the NCC boss, “Broadband is an enabler of other economic and human activities. The World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), have made recommendations about broadband that cannot be ignored by any progressive telecom regulator. The commission, while emphasising the importance of broadband for future economic development of every nation, cited to the World Bank research that indicates that, “for high-income countries, a 10-percentage-point rise in broadband penetration adds a 1.21-percentage point rise in economic growth – or an added 1.38 percentage points for low- and middle-income countries, and this is more than any other type of communica-

tion service.”

This is one of the reasons why broadband is on the top of the 8-Point Agenda of the Nigerian Communications Commission under my leadership.

I believe that many African countries are giving serious thoughts and actions towards the provision of broadband to make it available, accessible and affordable for the citizens of the continent, and in the process, impact positively to their national economies, Danbatta said. In Nigeria, our target is

to boost broadband, because it enhances safety and security.

Broadband has become a key priority in promoting online businesses, and we have great plans to utilise broadband in providing license for fibre infrastructure providers in the remaining five geopolitical zones of South West, South East, South South, North West, and North East, Danbatta said. He explained that two companies were already licensed for North Central and Lagos, which is considered a zone on its own

right as the commercial capital of this country with huge demands for telecom services.

We have successfully sold some slots of frequencies in the 2.6GHz Spectrum Band, and will continue to commit efforts towards efficient management of resources to achieve the various targets expanding the frontiers of broadband and improving the telecom sector.

Africa is still very promising for investments. Telecom investors have huge opportunities to explore the African continent,

which still has huge potentials for returns on investment. The developed parts of the world are almost saturated with different types of telecom services.

Therefore, Africa stands a chance to make desirable impact in the next few years if we get our plans right, Danbatta said.

He called on telecoms regulators in African countries to see broadband deployment as another opportunity that must be tapped into, for the benefit of the continent’s faster development.

ANOTHER MILESTONE

L-R: Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Dr. Jide Idris; Managing Director, Ocean Basket Nigeria, Mrs. Bimbo Olu-Martins; ConsulateGeneral, South Africa to Lagos, Mr. Darkey Ephraim Africa; CEO, MainOne Cable Nigeria, Ms. Funke Opeke and CEO, Ocean Basket Nigeria, Mr. Kayode Olu-Martins, during a recent official launch of Ocean Basket Nigeria at the Ikeja City Mall in Lagos...recently

Britain Pledges Effective Business Group Wants FG to Increase Awareness Campaign Collaboration with Nigeria on Cybersecurity The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright, has assured Nigerians of better business collaboration with Britain.

Arkwright who made the remark in Lagos when he paid a courtesy visit to Rack Centre, also promised to encourage British companies to do more business with their Nigerian counterparts.

Rack Centre is West Africa’s premium Data Centre, located in Lagos, offering Tier 111 colocation data centre services in Nigeria.

Arkwright, who was accompanied by a team from the Trade and Development section of the High Commission, said the visit was a boost to the continued growing trade and investment relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom as Rack Centre has been a beneficiary of British technology.

The data centre technology at Rack Centre is largely based on British patent technology

by Bladeroom, a data centre technology provider based in the United Kingdom.

The Director of Operations, Rack Centre, Mr. Ezekiel Egboye, who conducted the British High Commissioner and his team on a facility tour of Rack Centre, said the relationship with BladeRoom has contributed immensely towards the quality and

efficiency of Rack Centre modular and scalable data centre, providing real-time 1.5 average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rack Centre was the first West African data centre to attain Tier lll design certification by the Uptown Institute, according to Egboye, who explained that Rack Centre won the 2015 award from the renowned Data Centre Dynamics in EMEA, making Rack Centre the first African company to achieve that accolade. Rack Centre has been recently and successfully recertified Tier III by the Uptime Institute.

Arkwright expressed his satisfaction with what Rack Centre has achieved in just three years, especially in the situation where it had not had a single downtime since its inception even in the midst of various upgrades.

Rack Centre is wholly owned by Jagal, a Nigerian conglomerate holding, that operates leading energy businesses and manages a diverse portfolio of investments. Rack Centre, is a state-of-the-art, Tier III Design Certified data centre offering carrier-neutral colocation services. The data centre provides over 6,000 square metre of energy efficient and secure data centre space.

A media stakeholder group under the aegis of the Centre for Cyber Awareness and Development (CECAD) has called on the federal government, through the office of the National Security Adviser to adopt October as the Nigerian National Cybersecurity Awareness month as being done globally. The non-governmental organisation (NGO) justified its position on the increasing threats of cyber-attacks to national security, economic crimes, political instability and social insecurity as a result of the vulnerability of national, corporate and private databases via identity theft.

In a statement issued in Lagos, the group said it is set to work and collaborate with the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari in order to raise the bar on the multi-stakeholders awareness across government, corporate institutions and private citizens through the principles of the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

The month-long series of activities would be structured to accommodate sectorial weekly emphasises on every facets of the lives of the nation and its people. And this, among others, will include weekly awareness focus on government and its agencies, banks and financial institutions, education, health, tourism, transport, military/

security communities. The central theme would be on how to enhance safer connections to the Internet without compromising corporate and individual safety. Families will also enjoy primary attention in the course of the awareness programme in order to ensure the safety of all and sundry, particularly children from dangers inherent in the uncontrolled access.

According to the media stakeholders, criminals, terrorists, and countries with the intent to harm have found the information superhighway a veritable platform to execute their attacks. To this effect, attacks online are often easier to execute because across the world, corporate and national and individualised information are being digitalised in conformity with transformation of the global community into information society (digital economy); which encompasses e-government, e-commerce, e-health, cashless society, elearning, digital entertainment, and e-agriculture among other electronic engagements in all spheres of life.

As more and more sensitive data is stored online, the consequences of those attacks grow more significant each year. And by this implication, the group stated that E-fraud is now the fastest growing crime in Nigeria.

As a consequent of this, the Nigerian nation and its citizens have been under increasing threat from cyber-attacks following the proliferation of digital platforms in the rapid integration of its social, political and economic facets into the digital economy, the group said.

The reality of the threats in the Nigerian nation have been underscored by the reported unauthorised access to the database of the Directorate of State Security (DSS) resulting in the leak of the personal profile of the undercover personnel of the State Security Service.

Similarly, the database of the National Assembly was recently hacked and the result was the unauthorised publication of the names and contact information of the elected officials in the legislative arm of government. More profound is the unreported humongous losses being daily recorded by the banks and other financial institutions through identity theft by cyber goons.

With this alarming threat to the corporate and financial health of the nation and its citizens, the media stakeholders have expressed the strong need for the Nigerian government to play in the global league of awareness community by adopting October as the cyber security awareness month as is the practice in the United States of America.

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Curbing the Menace of Unsolicited Texts The newly introduced ‘Do Not Disturb’ service code by the Nigerian Communications Commission to address subscribers’ complaints about unsolicited text messages is expected to bring relief to subscribers across networks, writes Emma Okonji At the inception of telecommunications operations in Nigeria in 2001, subscribers were treated as kings. At the time, subscribers received Short Message Service (SMS), otherwise known as text messages from telecoms operators, only when the operators wanted to pass vital information such as information on network failures in some parts of the country and when they would be fixed. Subscribers were also sent SMS on new coverage areas, especially when operators expanded services to new areas.

Information on systems maintenance/upgrade and the period of maintenance, which were usually sent to subscribers at midnights, were also communicated via SMS. These SMS were received without complaints because they were informative. But over the years, operators took undue advantage of the situation to broadcast bulk SMS to millions of subscribers on their networks for their personal gains. Most of the SMS these nowadays, are no longer informative as all manner of unsolicited promotional SMS are being broadcast across networks. At some points, a single subscriber may receive more than 12 SMS in a day, causing overload on the storage capacity of their mobile phones.

The more subscribers delete the unsolicited SMS, the more they receive them, thus causing embarrassment to subscribers.

A subscriber may be expecting SMS from a financial transaction carried out on the mobile phone or credit alert SMS on his/her mobile phone, and would be embarrassed to receive unsolicited SMS that are just promotional to the operators. Some could be busy doing something else and would be distracted by the SMS alert notification sound, only to discover that such message is a promo text message from the operators, which has nothing meaningful to do with the subscribers.

Some of the SMS read: “Data Overload Deal!

Yes! Enjoy data overload. Get 6GB data for just N2000, valid for 30 days. You can share data with your friends and family. Hurry! Dial *777# Now.” “Your History service will be renewed in two days and you will be charged N20 per day.” “Thanks for choosing news wire at N50 per month.” “Y’ello your MTN Backup subscription has been renewed at N50. Your subscription will be renewed on August 21.

Enjoy!” The annoying aspect of it all is that subscribers are charged and their accounts debited each time they receive unsolicited SMS. Worried about the disturbing development and the barrage of complaints from subscribers, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which regulates the telecom industry, invited the telecoms operators to a meeting, where parties agreed that all telecoms operators must put an end to unsolicited SMS, with effect from June 30, 2016. The NCC also directed them to introduce the uniform ‘Do Not Disturb’ code, if they must broadcast unsolicited SMS. The uniform code will provide opportunity for subscribers to decline unsolicited SMS, as well as create options for subscribers to opt out at will from an earlier agreement he/she may have had with the operator on SMS. Although the code has been in existence before now, but NCC had not deemed it necessary to enforce its implementation, until subscribers threatened to seek redress in court. Again, the old existing DND code was not uniform and each operator had to introduce different codes on their networks for DND the facility, a situation that made it difficult for NCC to supervise.

Based on the challenges of supervision and enforcement faced by NCC with the different DND codes on individual networks, the industry regulator had to introduce a uniform DND service code and directed all telecoms operators to implement it, using the new uniform code, which is 2442. Now that operators are beginning to implement the uniform DND code, and the NCC is all out to enforce its implementation, a big relief from extortion, has no doubt come the way of subscribers.

Enforcement directive Following the directive from NCC that all

Telecoms mast

telecoms operators must put an end to unsolicited SMS by June 30th 2016, the commission on July 1, 2016, issued reminder letter to the operators on the subject matter. The letter warned all telecommunications service providers in the country, to activate the uniform DND code, which gives subscribers the freedom to choose what messages to receive from the various networks.

With the directive, the operators were mandated to dedicate a common Short Code (2442) which will enable subscribers take informed decisions.

Director of Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, who signed the reminder letter, said the action was taken in order to protect subscribers from the nuisance of unsolicited texts, and therefore a direct regulatory response to the yearnings of the subscribers.

“By this action, the commission has invoked a regulatory provision which had hitherto been overlooked by the operators,” Ojobo said.

Taking cognisance of the broad range of services, which include: Banking/Insurance/ Financial Products, Real Estate, Education, Health, Consumer Goods and Automobiles, Communication/ Broadcasting/ Entertainment/ IT, Tourism and leisure, Sports, Religion(Christianity, Islam, others), the commission directed the operators to give the necessary instructions and clarifications that will enable subscribers subscribe to a particular service/services /none at all.

“In fact, a full DND which is SMS “STOP” to 2442 does not allow the subscriber to receive any unsolicited message from the operators at all,” Ojobo said. Some of the various options available on the common short code include: “SMS 1” for receiving SMS relating to Banking, Insurance/ Financial products to 2442; “SMS 2” for receiving SMS relating to real Estate to 2442; “SMS 3” for receiving SMS relating to Education to 2442; “SMS 4” for receiving SMS relating to Health to 2442; “SMS 5” for receiving SMS relating to Consumer goods and Automobiles to 2442”; “SMS 6” for receiving SMS relating to Communication/ Broadcasting Entertainment/IT to 2442; “SMS 7” for receiving SMS relating to Tourism and leisure to 2442; “SMS 8” for receiving SMS relating to Sports to 2442; “SMS 9” for receiving SMS relating to Religion to 2442.

Ojobo pointed out, however, that the decision of the commission does not affect personal messages or person to person messages which are private communication by individuals.

He urged the operators to comply with effect

from July 1, 2016, with the direction issued by the commission and never again harass subscribers with unwanted messages.

Operators’ compliance In an effort to comply with the NCC directives on the introduction of a uniform DND code, all most all the operators have started introducing the code, to avoid sanction from NCC. Airtel, which was the first operator to commence its implementation among other telecoms operators, started its implementation since July 1, 2016, and since then it has been effective.

The Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Ahmad Mokhles, while commenting on the ‘Do Not Disturb’ short code, noted that the company introduced the short code in compliance with the directive of the telecoms industry regulatory body, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and in response to complaints of unsolicited SMS or promotional voice calls by some customers.

“Airtel is committed to offering excellent customer service and we are pleased to introduce the DND self-service to empower our esteemed customers to decide what messages or calls they receive from the network,” Mokhles said.

“While there are customers that demand promotional services to keep abreast with various innovative products and services, there are others who do not want to be disturbed - that is why NCC has mandated telecoms companies in Nigeria to create this service, providing options for customers to either opt-in or out,” he said.

MTN is another operator that has also introduced the uniform short code on its network. An MTN source said the company started sensitising subscribers on the common DND short code, even before the July 1, 2016 commencement date stipulated by the NCC. The MTN source said since it was introduced, subscribers have been very happy and complaints have reduced to a large extent.

Etisalat, in keeping with its tradition of providing exceptional customer experience, has also introduced the common ‘DND facility, even though it started two weeks after the July 1 commencement date.

Speaking about the new service, Director, Regulatory and Corporate Social Responsibility, Etisalat Nigeria, Ikenna Ikeme, said: “Having identified improperly managed unsolicited marketing messages and calls as a major source

of customer dissatisfaction within the Nigerian telecommunications industry, the industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), engaged network operators to develop effective solutions to address the issue.

As a direct result of this regulator-operator engagement, Etisalat has implemented the DND service which is designed to offer subscribers greater choice in determining the type and frequency of messages they receive.”

“The DND service is now available on the Etisalat network, using a uniform short code, 2442, across all networks for ease of access,” Ikeme said. “Subscribers on the Etisalat network, can therefore access the DND service by sending ‘STOP’ to 2442; customers can also request for a partial DND service, which will allow them to receive only a specified class of messages that are of interest to them such as Sports, Religion, Health, among others,” Ikeme added.

As for Globacom, the operator had since introduced the DND facility on its network, but on a different short code that was not uniform.

This was long before NCC’s intervention to enforce the DND facility using a uniform code of 2442, beginning from July 1, 2016.

The DND code, which was being used by Globacom, may have some variance with the new directive of NCC concerning the uniform DND code. Three weeks to the July 1 2016, commencement date for the implementation of the uniform DND code, it could not be ascertained whether Globacom has commenced implementation of the new directive on the uniform DND service code.

However, a source from Globacom told THISDAY that all arrangements have been concluded to begin implementation of the common DND service code adding that the service would be rolled out this week.

Subscribers’ position Telecoms subscribers have hailed the NCC for introducing the unified DND service code and urged the commission to ensure that its implementation and enforcement take effect as planned. An MTN subscriber who identified himself as Mr. Julius Okafor, commended NCC for the initiative, said such initiative, though laudable, would not be fully implemented by the operators if thorough enforcement is not applied. He said the operators would want to continue ripping off subscribers with unsolicited SMS, if NCC did not enforce it to the letter.

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Ogunbanjo: Reduction in MTN Fine, Good for Business Growth

The President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, spoke to Emma Okonji on the controversies surrounding the recent reduction in the fine imposed on MTN by the NCC, insisting that it was in the best interest of the Nigerian economy. Excerpts: NCC announced recently that it had further reduced MTN fine from N780 billion to N33 billion, having initially reduced the fine from N1.04 trillion to N78 billon. What is your view on the reductions?

It is a better decision and a welcomed development to finally reduce the MTN fine to N33 billion. The issue of the fine lingered for too long, and within that period, it impacted negatively on business, both in South Africa and in Nigeria. In South Africa, the shares of MTN dropped, because traders were cautious to trade on the MTN shares and it created a lot of panic among shareholders. In Nigeria, the ripple effect of the fine played up in the auction of the nation’s 2.6GH spectrum licence, which the NCC had slated for auction. Operators were skeptical to indicate their interest to bid, because they were not too sure of the safety of the business environment in the country, where the regulator could slam as much as N1.04 trillion on a single operator and still expects the operator to survive. So in my view, I think the reduction of the fine was in the best interest of the Nigerian economy, because it will not only raise operators’ confidence in their regulator, but will also boost business growth in the country.

Members of the House Committee on Communications are not happy that the fine was reduced and had summoned NCC and the Minister of Communications to explain their roles in the reductions. What do you have to say concerning the agitation?

Their agitation is not necessary because MTN has made it clear during its negotiations, that it will not be able to pay such whopping amount as fine, and I believe the telecoms company spoke the truth. I think the law makers should consider the effect of the fine on the Nigerian economy, should MTN be compelled to pay the fine. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, last week, drew the attention of the House of Reps, on the need for them to cooperate with NCC on matters of telecoms regulation. He stressed the need for striking a balance in satisfying diverse stakeholders in the industry, and I hope they listen to NCC and play cool.

It took NCC and the federal government eight months to finally end the issue of the fine.

How will you assess the federal government’s involvement in handling the matter?

It is really sad that the issue of the MTN N1.04 trillion fine dragged on for eight months, despite the intervention of the presidency in the matter.

For me, I think I am not satisfied with the way the federal government handled the matter, making it to prolong unnecessarily. The federal government failed in the proper handling of the matter. The NCC reported the matter to the presidency to take action, because NCC had no governing board to take final decision on the matter. But instead of the presidency handling the matter in a more profitable way, they shut out the NCC from the negotiating table and was insisting on MTN paying the full fine, even after NCC had reduced it by 25 per cent to N780 billion. The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma was in Nigeria to negotiate on the same matter because MTN is a South African company, yet the federal government could not conclude on the matter. In the process of dragging the matter, the National Assembly members came up to compound issues, insisting they need to legislate on the matter, which ordinarily the federal government would have taking decision on it a long time ago.

It would have been a simple matter, if the federal government had given NCC the veto power to decide on the matter, because I know the NCC would have weighed the implications of the fine and would have long reduced it.

Ogunbanjo

Do you think that NCC’s action of slamming N1.04trn on MTN was justified?

Yes, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) acted in accordance with its position as the regulator of the telecoms industry by keeping operators in check, especially when there is a rule and agreements have been reached and signed. But be that as it may, Nigerians felt that the fine was rather outrageous for a single company like MTN to pay and still remain in business, more so that the company is the key to the growth of the Nigerian economy, creating millions of direct and indirect jobs for Nigeria.

The penalty is the highest anywhere in the world and that was the reason it generated several reactions and comments from the Nigerian

‘It is a better decision and a welcomed development to finally reduce the MTN fine to N33 billion. The issue of the fine lingered for too long, and within that period, it impacted negatively on business, both in South Africa and in Nigeria’

community and the international communities.

Like I said, earlier, the action of NCC was justified but minimal fine should have been given to MTN, since fines are supposed to be corrective measures and not punitive measures.

It is obvious that MTN erred by having up to 5.2 million infractions of invalid SIM cards on its network, amounting to N1.04 trillion, since the agreed penalty for a single infraction is N200,000, but my argument is that N1.04 trillion fine is unimaginable and could force MTN out of business if compelled to pay. So I expected NCC to have made it clear to MTN what the fine amounted to, and then use its regulatory power to cut down on the fine to a reasonable amount that MTN can pay knowing the company’s annual turnover.

How did the fine impact negatively on MTN business and the Nigerian economy?

First of all, it led to job loss of the former Chief Executive Officer of MTN Group, Mr. Sifiso Dabengwa. Here in Nigeria, it also led to the loss of jobs of the former Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr. Mike Ikpoki and the former Corporate Services Executive Officer, Mr. Wale Goodluck. The three of them were asked to resign on account of the fine because the management of MTN accused them of not handling the matter properly, hence MTN Nigeria incurred as much as N1.04.trillion fine in a single swoop.

Millions of Nigerians who are directly and indirectly employed by MTN, would have lost out, if MTN Nigeria was forced to pay the fine and fold up.

MTN has the largest number of subscribers in the telecoms space, contributing the highest to Nigerian GDP, compared to other operators that have lesser subscriber number. What this means is that MTN contribution to GDP will no longer be forthcoming if the company was forced to pay the amount and eventually go out of business.

NCC had told Nigerians that telecoms contribution to GDP rose by 0.5 per cent in

the first quarter of the year, amounting to over N1.4 trillion, and I am very sure that MTN’s contribution in the N1.4 trillion, is the highest among the operator and such company should not be allowed to go down in business, because it will negatively impact on the country’s economy.

What lessons did you expect MTN to have learnt from all of these?

MTN should know that the pen is mightier than the sword and must learn to obey constituted authority. MTN should put aside impunity, even if it is the biggest network in the country and obey rules and regulations of the telecoms industry regulator. I am sure they must have learnt their lessons, hence it continued to seek amicable negotiations with the NCC and the federal government, until the matter was resolved penultimate week.

At the early part when NCC slammed the N1.04 trillion fine on MTN, NATCOMS went to court to challenge the powers of NCC for slamming such a huge sum as fine, but later withdrew the case. Why did NATCOMS withdrew the case?

We as NATCOMS had to go to court to challenge the the powers of NCC to slam a fine as much as N1.04 trillion on a single operator, became we felt the fine was unrealistic, if actually NCC wanted the operator, which is MTN to remain in business. We looked at the impact that such huge fine could cause on the over 62 million subscribers that are on the MTN network, and we felt that all the over 62 million subscribers, which included my humble self, would lose a great deal, if we allow NCC to implement its decision concerning the fine. The fine was actually three times the annual turnover of MTN and we knew that MTN cannot release its annual turnover for three years yo pay just fine and still remain in business, hence we went to court to stop NCC from implementing it. However, after we had filed the case at the Federal High Continued on page 27

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OGUNBANJO: REDUCTION IN MTN FINE, GOOD FOR BUSINESS GROWTH for the subscriber since the subscriber did not exhaust the data in the previous month. For example if a subscriber had two gigabyte of data bundle unused before the end of the one month validity period, the operator will wipe it out completely when the subscriber is paying for another one month subscription, instated of rolling it over for the subscriber. We have complained about this, and I am happy about the minister’s recent intervention, when he said henceforth, all data that were not completely used by the subscriber, should be rolled over to the next month subscription and allow the user to have accumulated data on his/her subscription, which could be used by the subscriber anytime the subscriber wishes to do so.

I also feel that the NCC should monitor some of the excesses of the operators and bring them to book.

NATCOMS, insisting that we had no authority as a community of subscribers to challenge NCC in court, and I guess that MTN had to do that because they were at that time, strongly negotiating and appealing to NCC to reduce the fine and they did not want anything that could aggravate the fine matter between the operator and the regulator. For that reason, we quietly withdrew our case.

But the same MTN that accused NATCOMS of not having the authority to challenge NCC in court over MTN’s case, also went to the same Federal High Court in December 2015 to challenge the powers of NCC to slam MTN with such huge amount. So why the contradiction?

We were baffled at MTN’s double positions in the matter, because it was after we had withdrew the case from court in November 2015, that MTN filed its own case in December 2015, on the same matter, but again, I also guess that MTN had to go to court because it discovered that its negotiations with NCC were not working out and that there was need to beat the December 31, 2015 date, which NCC gave them as deadline to pay the fine. Again, after NATCOMS withdrew the case from court, radio stations and print media in South Africa started attacking MTN in their broadcast and print reports, questioning the rationale for forcing NATCOMS to withdraw its case. I guess that all these, put together, may have promoted MTN to go to court themselves to challenge NCC on the fine issue.

What is the view of NATCOMS concerning the Communications Tax Bill that is before the National Assembly, seeking nine per cent additional task on all telecoms equipment and services?

What the communications tax bill means is that telecoms operators will pay as much as nine per cent for all telecommunications services rendered to subscribers and we are kicking against it because it will impact negatively on the telecoms industry in several ways. Before now, there were deductions on all phone calls made by subscribers by about 2 per cent. Again, the cybercrime act that was signed into law last year by former President Jonathan Goodluck also stipulates that 0.25 per cent tax must be paid by the operators. We still have the value added tax (VAT) that telecoms operators also pay such tax. By the time the planned Communications Tax Bill is passed, it will become a huge burden for telecoms operators to pay and at the end of the day, the telecoms subscribers bear the brunt, because all the taxes will be shifted to the subscribers, through increase in tariff, and we are saying no to the bill.

What is NATCOMS doing to sensitise its members and the general public concerning the bill?

We are doing a lot to address the issue and to also sensitise our members who are the telecoms subscribers in the country. When we first heard of the bill, we approached telecoms operators, and asked them if they were likely going to increase tariff, should the bill be passed and implemented, and they all answered in he affirmative. So we quickly told them we would fight against it. So what NATCOMS has done do far is to get the consent of all telecoms bodies in the country, including the international telecoms body called the GSMA, to collectively sign a letter, which we had since presented to the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of Communications and we sent copies of the letter to the Speaker, House of Representatives, the Senate President, the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications, Chairman, House Committee on Finance. The letters were sent on April 30, 2016. After that I went on air in some radio and television stations to sensitise Nigerians on the danger that the bill will cause for telecoms subscribers, if passed into law. The print media has also been supportive by publishing our stories on this issue. We have also gone online to open a link known as ‘Change.Org’ and we are calling on all Nigerians to connect to the link and append their signatures on the petition, which is directed to the ministry of communications and the National Assembly, in support of our common cause.

Last month, NCC planned to auction the 2.6GHz spectrum, but at the end of the day, only one operator indicated interest to participate in the auction exercise, even when the other

Ogunbanjo

operators needed the spectrum. What is your view on this?

In my view, the refusal of telecoms operators to participate in the planned 2.6GHz spectrum, even when they needed the spectrum to drive broadband penetration in the country, was partly as a result of the ripple effect of the MTN N1.04 trillion fine. Operators are scared to invest in a county where the regulatory policy is harsh on operators. Operators are not certain of their investments because the regulatory environment is harsh and this also could be the reason why foreign investors are scared to come to Nigeria to invest their money. I want to advise that the regulator should carry out its independent findings on the actual cause of the refusal of operators to show interest in the 2.6GHz spectrum sale and the regulator will be baffled at its findings.

Nigeria is preparing for another digital switchover by June 2017, having failed twice in the process in the past. With the current level of preparation, do see Nigeria getting it right by June 2017?

Nigeria can achieve this feat of moving from analogue broadcasting to digital broadcasting, otherwise known as digital switchover, only by commitment and hardworking. If our neighbouring country like Ghana could achieve it, I see no reason why Nigeria cannot get it right, come next year. I want to believe that with the present government, we will definitely achieve it. Nigeria is the most populous nation on the African continent and we should lead for others to follow.

Nigeria has projected 30 per cent broadband penetration by 2018, above its current level of 10 per cent penetration. Do you see the country achieving this feat within the next few months?

What government needs do is to first put the right infrastructure in place to assist broadband penetration. We need more base transceiver stations, otherwise known as base stations.

The 16,000 base stations currently controlled

by IHS for all telecoms operators in the country where we have over 170 million subscriptions, is not enough to achieve ubiquitous broadband penetration for the country. Britain for instance, has over 20,000 base stations and they are building more. Again, we need a national backbone infrastructure that will transmit the huge capacities of broadband that are not utilised at the shores of the country. These capacities, running into several terabytes of broadband from the submarine cables, berthed by MainOne, Glo 1, MTN WACS, among others, are underutilised.

In fact sources had it that Nigeria is utilising less than 10 per cent of the total capacities of the broadband cables currently seated at the shores of the country, yet there is insufficient supply of broadband in cities and hinterlands, leading the high cost of bandwidth and internet service in the country. So we need national backbone infrastructure that will transmit the broadband capacities from the shores of the country to

the hinterlands where they are most needed.

Nigerian telecoms operators depend so much on service delivery, through mobile, which is the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), at the detriment of fixed line service, which is cheaper for subscribers. How do you want to address this imbalance?

This issue of neglect of fixed line service, otherwise known as landline service, started long ago and I blame the former Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Ernest Ndukwe for the issue. In 2006, he introduced the interconnect rates for fixed lines and mobile lines, in the telecoms sector, and made the rates almost equal.

In other countries of the world, interconnect rates between fixed lines and mobile lines are never equal or close to equal and this is the reason why the cost of fixed line services are always cheaper than the mobile line services everywhere in the world. So that singular act of Ndukwe, contributed in the stifling of fixed line operations in the country. Fixed line services, as I speak, are dying because the operators prefer to offer mobile GSM services which results to quicker returns on investment for the operators at the detriment of fixed line that is supposed to be cheaper for telecoms consumers.

Recently, the performance of ministers in Buhari’s government, were assessed in the last six months and the Minister of Communications was rated low. What could be responsible for this?

I read the assessment in the papers and our minister, which is the minister of communications, Adebayo Shittu, was rated low, but he was not the only one rated low. All others were rated low except for about two ministers who were rated high. Now the reason why the Minister of Communications was rated low could be attributed to the poor telecoms infrastructure level in the country. Again, the challenges of the MTN fine which the minister met on ground on assumption of office, diverted his time and energy to a large extent, in trying to address the issue alongside with the NCC and the federal government. Now that he has been able to resolve the issue of the fine by heavily reducing it to an applicable amount that MTN could pay conveniently in three years, I am very sure that in the next six months, Nigerians will see a remarkable improvement in the telecoms sector.

Subscribers are complaining of the recent position of operators not to roll-rollover data subscriptions after validity period. How has this been addressed?

Yes there have been complaints from telecoms subscribers over the refusal of telecoms operators who offer data services, to rollover the balance of data subscription to the next month for usage by the subscriber. What most operators do is to cut off whatever amount of data that is left after the validity period of the data subscription, instead of rolling it over

The issue of unsolicited text messages has been lingering for too long, and operators still broadcast the text messages and force them down the throats of subscribers, even when they do not need them. What is NATCOMS doing to save this act of deliberately embarrassing the subscribers with unsolicited text messages?

We have complained severally about unsolicited text messages and the operators kept pushing them because they deduct money from the subscribers for each message pushed to the their mobile devices. But we are happy that NCC has come up with a definite statement that by July 1, 2016, unsolicited text messages must stop and there are fines awaiting any operator or licensed Value Added Service (VAS) operator, who may still want to bombard subscribers with unsolicited text messages.

As a leader of telecoms subscribers in Nigeria, what is your assessment of service quality in the telecoms industry?

Honestly, telecoms service offering is still poor at present, though there is a remarkable improvement from what it used to be in the past.

When the operators started in 2001, telecoms service delivery was superb and the reason then was that the number of telecoms subscriptions were still low, and within one to two million subscriptions. But as the subscriber base grew to tens and hundreds of millions, the network started getting congested and service offerings became poor. At that time, NCC made it mandatory for operators to pay each subscriber, the sum of N175, through airtime, as compensation for poor service quality, but Globacom was exempted then, because its service was still good at that time, which was around 2007.

Although there is improvement in poor service quality but it is not yet perfect. We want a standing order from NCC to compel operators to pay soft fine for poor telecoms service, and the fine must be paid directly to subscribers who suffer the brunt of poor service quality, rather than asking the operators to pay the money to government account. If operators pay each subscriber as much as N10,000 via airtime as fine for poor service quality, then subscribers will be well compensated and the operators will sit-up.

In 2003, your association took a stand to boycott telecoms calls for one day, in protest of high cost of telecoms services, and you succeeded.

Now that you are kicking against the proposed telecoms tax bill, will you take such decision again, should the National Assembly go ahead to pass the bill?

Yes, on Friday September 19, 2003, NATCOMS ordered all its members who were telecoms subscribers to switch off their mobile phones for one day and boycott making calls on that day. We did that to press home our demand for a reduction in the cost of telecoms services, and the action was successful. On the issue of the proposed telecoms tax bill, we are applying various measures to ensure that we stop them from passing it into law. For instance all the various industry associations in the country have entered into agreement and we have all signed that the bill should not be passed because it will be detrimental to telecoms growth in the county and it will also force telecoms subscribers to pay more for telecoms services rendered by the operators. We have since sent copies of our agreement to the Ministry of Communications and the National Assembly and we followed it up with visits, but if they ignore our pleas and still go ahead to pass the bill into law, then we will go to court to challenge their action.

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BUSINESSWORLD

E-BUSINESS

Avaya, 21st Century to Drive Digital Transformation Stories by Emma Okonji Avaya, one of global leaders in business communications software, systems and services, has announced a strategic alliance with 21st Century Technologies to help midmarket companies in Nigeria and West Africa, achieve their digital transformation objectives.

The agreement will see 21st Century Technologies provide unified communications and contact centre hybrid cloud solutions powered by Avaya IP

Office to its extensive customer base across the region.

Established in 1997, 21st Century Technologies is the leading commercial data centre service provider in Nigeria, offering a range of ICT services. The company will deliver Avaya Midmarket Cloud solutions to its extensive customer base, and allowing organisations to benefit from 21st Century Technologies’ state-of-the-art infrastructure and expertise, while minimising upfront investment and

benefiting from an operating expenditure (opex) business model.

Based on the world-class Avaya IP Office platform, Avaya Midmarket Cloud Solutions are the only UC and CC cloud offers for midsize businesses in the market that utilize the same code base as on-premises deployments, allowing clients to protect their existing investment as they move to cloud.

Together with 21st Century Technologies’ pre and postsales support, training and education, Avaya clients and partners will get the maximum value from their cloud investment.

Executive Chairman of 21st Century Technologies, Wale Ajisebutu, said: “This offering will enable us to change the provisioning and utilization of ICT solutions for companies in the Nigerian and West African

market.

As companies in the region grapple with economic instability, and look to do more with less, we can provide an opex rather than capital expenditure (capex) business model, minimising their upfront investment, while delivering a 24/7, 365-day service with minimal downtime, allowing them to communicate effectively and in a cost-efficient structure.”

Managing Director, Avaya Africa, Hatem Hariri, said: “We are delighted to partner with 21st Century Technologies to help boost Nigeria and West Africa’s economy through supporting the midmarket sector – the engine room of any economy. This agreement will bring Avaya’s innovative solutions to a wider audience in the region, allowing us to grow our client footprint in the cloud market.”

West Africa’s Top 50 Tech Titans Documentary Set for Unveiling The Titans of Tech Gala Nite, scheduled to hold next weekend in Lagos, will provide a platform for the launch of the definitive documentary on West Africa Top 50 Tech Titans, the organisers have said.

The Executive Secretary of the Titans of Tech Awards Board, Don Pedro Aganbi, who made the disclosure in Lagos recently, revealed that the organisers are working in conjunction with Technology Africa and Nigeria ICT broadcast network to produce a pioneering documentary that provides an annotated timeline of the Nigerian telecommunication sector and its accomplishments.

According to him, “This documentary, “one of its kind” will use rare archival materials and pictures to provide a unique glimpse into the history of telecommunication in Nigeria, from the first computer in Nigeria to the first installation, in 1923, of the first computer in Nigeria to the first commercial trunk telephone service between Itu and Calabar to the first GSM call and today’s multimedia and online driven business environment.”

The documentary, he explained, is a bold attempt to capture the essential history of telecommunications in Nigeria.

It will also x-ray the Nigeria

Telecommunications history using stories; snapshots, stories of people; stories of institutions.

The ICT enthusiast noted that “The project, which includes the production of a coffee table style book, will feature the key players in the liberalization and subsequent mobile revolution with a special pride of place for “West Africa Top 50” innovators and connectors.”

He remarked that the premise for the mobile revolution is the transformation of the telecommunications space precipitated by the convergence of technology. So there is a need to recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations directly involved in helping Nigeria leap-frog.

Aganbi also revealed that prominent players in Nigeria ICT space both in the public and private domain were already indicating their interests to participate in this first of its kind project.

The Titans of Tech Gala Nite is designed to celebrate hi-tech most important movers and shakers, the pioneers, innovators, men, women, organisations and institutions that are at the forefront of ICT adoption and usage. It is also an avenue to influence policy and networking.

Spectranet 4G LTE Service Excites Ibadan Customers As part of its goal to improve internet penetration in the country, Spectranet 4G LTE has assured Ibadan subscribers of faster and affordable internet service to redefine life style of individuals, homes and business owners in the state. The 4G LTE service from Spectranet has improved over time in Ibadan, a situation that has brought excitement to Ibadan customers.

Giving the assurance during the re-launch of the 4G LTE service in Ibadan, the CEO of Spectranet Limited, David Venn said, with the launch of the 4G LTE in the ancient city of Ibadan, a standard that defines wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals, Spectranet has provided Ibadan business owners and residents faster, reliable and affordable internet service that could lift them above current challenges caused by infrastructure deficits.

While speaking at the Ibadan

re-launch, Venn said: “Today marks another milestone in our service delivery, as we reinstate our commitment to Ibadan customers through our reliable and affordable internet service for a seamless browsing experience. At Spectranet, we don’t just expand for the sake of expansion, but with the sole purpose of delighting our customers with unique internet experiences that is second-to- none.”

He added, “Our principle is to connect our subscribers to what matters most to them by providing a faster and more reliable broadband experience at unparalleled value for money.

As market leader, Spectranet is committed to providing its teeming customers with a world class internet experience that is provided using a network of 4G LTE base stations (towers) and coverage, which currently include Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan and Port Harcourt.”

CAPACITY BUILDING

L-R: National President, NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), Mrs. Modupe Oyekunle; Head, SME Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr. Obinna Ukachukwu and Vice Chairperson, NNEW Abuja, Mrs. Kenny Omojola, during the NECA Network of Entrepreneurial Women Conference 2016 in Abuja … recently

eTranzact Introduces Software Yudala Celebrates Customers Application for Banks with Zero Gravity eTranzact, an online payment platform, has develop another software application that will ease financial transactions in banks.

Called BankIT, the solution allows bank customers to make paying directly from their bank accounts, using their mobile devices.

According the Chief Executive Officer of eTranzact, Valentine Obi, BankIT was introduced by a desire to build payments product that everyone would truly love and easily use, whether as a bank, a trader in Alaba setting up a website, a web hosting company selling to domain registrants, payments gateway already deployed on merchant websites, an e-commerce website or as a direct consumer.

“BankIT was launched by eTranzact quietly last year, enabling airtime purchase directly from bank accounts on USSD, *444# , *805# and *695# on Airtel , Glo and Etisalat respectively, with over 500,000 customers using it to date,” Obi said.

The essence of developing BankIT, is to eliminate the need to use cards, hardware tokens or visit any bank branches by securely integrating with banks and allowing customers access their bank accounts via USSD or BankIT-powered platforms.

According to Obi, “BankIT has been developed with the philosophy of making payments simple and accessible for Banks,

the merchant and the customer.

The solution is customized for ease of use and comes with a strong and reliable security mechanism that protects customers against fraud. We have launched the product to great success with a few partners, and we are ready to open it up for more people to enjoy.”

Speaking on the usage of the financial solution, Obi said with BankIT, customers can now pay your DSTV subscription directly from their bank account on USSD via *389*9*Smartcard Number#, buy airtime directly via *444#, *805# and *695# on Airtel, Glo and Etisalat respectively or via the JustTopUp mobile app on the Google Play store, buy any mobile device online on Slot. ng and many other partner platforms.

He said developers, website or app owners, could start using BankIT to accept payments by filling a form on BankIT.com.ng to talk to an eTranzact Payments consultant, or emailing info@ bankit.com.ng with the exact product needs, and getting all the information needed about the product.

Specifically designed for ease of use and with utmost security in mind, the payment mechanism is for anyone with a bank account. BankIT is the cardless future of transactions.

It opens the opportunity for everyone to pay everywhere.

With the first anniversary of its record-breaking entry into Nigeria’s e-commerce sector around the corner, Africa’s first pioneer composite outfit Yudala is putting finishing touches to plans aimed at celebrating its numerous customers with a multi-city digital entertainment concert tagged Zero Gravity.

Billed to feature as an annual event, Zero Gravity is an initiative of Yudala targeted at rewarding customers in major cities with world-class entertainment like never seen.

According to the company, the management of Yudala is expected to make an official content announcement on the event at press conference scheduled for Wednesday July 27th 2016.

The company said Zero Gravity would take place in three of Yudala’s most patronised cities across Nigeria every year, with each city witnessing two concerts – a Rock Gospel concert and contemporary music blast – featuring headline acts and the best of artistes in both music genres from Nigeria and other parts of the world. The company disclosed that New Concept Media Group will expectedly power the concerts with their best-in-class digital concert equipment.

Yudala will kick off the Zero Gravity storm with an Independence edition

scheduled to take place in October this year.

Within a year of its entry into the keenly-competitive e-commerce sector, Yudala has successfully raised the standards with a series of pioneering feats including the launch of same day delivery and the first recorded drone delivery in the e-commerce world. This is in addition to a slew of innovative and exciting promotions through which it has expanded the offerings and given the consumer more value-added options.

Aligned to this is the company’s pioneer status as the first company to combine an e-commerce platform with offline experience stores located in major cities across the country, a strategy which has lent a futuristic outlook to the business and handed it a competitive advantage by allowing it leverage the benefits of both platforms in its quest for increased market share.

It is in line with the foregoing that the company has put together Zero Gravity as an initiative to reward the customers who have partnered and kept faith with the Yudala brand from day one. Furthermore, host cities for subsequent editions will be selected on the basis of returns posted by Yudala Experience Stores in various locations across the country.

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Buhari’s Aide, NITDA DG, Others Commend StartUP Friday President Muhammadu Buhari’s special adviser on digital media, Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi and the acting Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Vincent Olatunji, have commended the organiser of StartUP Friday, saying the monthly event has become the vehicle for discovering and nurturing technology startups in the country.

Olatunji was impressed with the rich content at the event.

He therefore asked the participating startups to imbibe the spirit of entrepreneurship.

“Coming up with an idea is not enough. You need to learn the rudiment of business from established business. That is the only Nigeria can march the foreign countries in terms of development,” Olatunji said.

Ogunlesi commended the organiser, saying, “I think it is a good thing to witness such a large gathering of startups in the ICT ecosystem in Abuja.

This is a revolution.”

Organised by the Office for ICT Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIIE), a subsidiary under NITDA, StartUP Friday is an event where nascent companies, irrespective of the sector and solution offering, gather to learn from selected CEOs of some of the established companies.

National Coordinator of OIIE, Bunmi Okunowo, said StartUP Friday has grown over the months from 89 participants in February to 2,210 in July, thus creating more funding opportunities, new ventures, new products and more markets for startups.

“This is all about community building, creating a networking opportunity that brings resourceful people within the reach of the ecosystem. They are part of the ecosystem, and we are tapping from their experience. Another dimension to this edition of StartUP Friday is the introduction of our new program we called FutureHACK, which is a geared towards solving tomorrow’s problem today,” he said.

Other speakers were Andy Madaki who advised the startups to leverage on the power of “barter and partnerships”. Manager at Google Nigeria, Jola Makinde, said the startups “need to be at this type of event in order to learn how to grow their businesses.”

The startups that attended the event last week, were ArtNigeria, ChowHub, Jebitum Techxion, Edves Suite and College Mobile.

Others are Huvid Connect, Poles, Persona, PiggyBank and Solar Backpack Cedarseed Foundation.

Representative of Solar Backpack Cedarseed Foundation, Lois Auta expressed her expectations from the programme, while noting that she had learnt new ways to innovate.

According to her, “I have met new startups executives. I have met friends whom I have not seen for over ten years.

I have made new friends.

The audience was inspired by my pitch presentation and I have got business connection.

I like this big platform. I look forward to more opportunities and collaborations with OIIE.”

‘OLX is Promoting Fast Online Transactions’ A firm believer of the efficacy of online business as it relates to the sale of used products and items, Mr. Akashi Wosu, has commended the management of OLX for its platform that promotes quick online transactions from any part of the country.

According to him, due to a turbulent economy, people are more willing than ever to get rid of items they no longer need by selling them to earn extra income, and the transaction process has been made a lot easier on the OLX platform.

To make selling more convenient, quicker and safer than ever , OLX.com.ng recently launched a premium product, Do it for Me(D.I.F.M) where OLX Champs who are sales experts manage the entire selling process on the site from posting the item to closing the deal. The service is addressing the needs of users who have no time to post and meet with potential buyers.

Wosu, a staff of Federal Inland Revenue Service, Lagos, who recently sold his car on the platform using the OLX D.I.F.M service, said the platform provides safe and faster online transactions. He

explained that he had successfully used the platform for the past two years to buy items, but it never occurred to him to sell his car on the site until he had made several unsuccessful attempts trying to sell it through personal contacts and his mechanic.

“I had decided to take it off the market before my wife insisted that we book an OLX Champ for assistance,” he said.

Wosu added that he was a bit skeptical, but contacted the Champ who assisted him in not only posting the car on the site, but also suggested the best price to sell his vehicle.

“Within 24 hours after the ad went live, the Champ informed me that he had a serious buyer and the deal was completed in a matter of hours,” he said.

Wosu said his experience with the Champ was seamless, and commended OLX on being innovative and meeting the needs of busy executives like himself who are concerned about their safety and don’t have time to take calls from buyers. He also encouraged people to use OLX, especially the D.I.F.M service because it is very convenient, quick and hassle-free.

E-BUSINESS

Accenture Launches Mapathon to Address Unmapped Locations Stories by Emma Okonji In order to create digital maps for unmapped places around the world, Accenture has launched a Global Mapathon, an initiative carried out to map roads, buildings, cities and villages globally.

The Accenture Global Mapathon is in partnership with reputable organisations such as the American and British Red Cross, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders/MSF), Humanitarian Open Street Map Team and Missing Maps.

Part of the ongoing project was carried out this year across 42 cities to map 40,000 buildings, 8,125 villages and 13,400 roads across the world.

According to Accenture, the Global Mapathon initiative would bring recognition not only to Nigeria but also the

world at large, while it also enhances the operations of NGOs and aid agencies in crisis and disasters management.

The recent Accenture Digital Mapathon involved 850 volunteers who came together to digitally map remote and unmapped places in the world.

The mappers made use of online tools to trace buildings and roads over satellite images.

Speaking about the Accenture Global Mapathon, Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP) Global Programs Lead for Nigeria and West Africa, Osato Noah, noted that despite having large populations and active economy, thousands of communities are still unmapped, thus mapping has become a necessity in today’s world.

He said: “We live in a world that is vulnerable to various crises, natural disasters, disease

outbreaks, epidemics or conflict. Sadly for most developing countries such as Nigeria, these places are not mapped and people have no idea of the situation on the ground.

However with the Accenture Global Mapathon, places prone to conflicts and disasters will be easily identified while timely rescue efforts are made.”

“In Lagos, 12 Accenture volunteers mapped 240 buildings, 16 villages and 329 roads across the country,” Noah said.

He added that these maps which would be available and useful to everyone including NGOs and aid agencies working in these settlements.

Noah explained that rescue efforts become a challenge without digital maps, as it is difficult to locate risk populations, map the spread of disease, or measure improvements. He however noted that

digital maps will make these areas less vulnerable to disaster and disease, and enable more effective aid.

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, which offers a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations.

The company has promised to continually play key roles in the development in Nigeria and in the global landscape.

It said mappings from the Accenture Global Mapathon exercise would be validated by mapping experts to ensure accuracy.

The 2016 Accenture Global Mapathon focuses on two key areas: Hadjer Lamis in Chad and Niger state in Nigeria.

This is as a result of the vast number of refugees living in these areas as a result of conflict.

WE REJOICE WITH YOU

L-R: Head, Environmental Compliance and Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Oluseyi Osunsedo; receiving Etisalat’s award as the market friendly operator of the year from Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta with them is Manager, Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Chineze Amanfo at the 2016 edition of the Nigerian Telecom Awards held in Lagos...recently

Glo Excites New Prepaid NgEX Business Directory Customers with Recharge Bonus Introduces New Features for Globacom has introduced ‘Glo Jollific8,’ (‘Jollificate’) specially designed to thrill new prepaid customers with eight times more value on every recharge made on its platform.

“Glo Jollific8” gives the subscriber eight times more value on every recharge from N100 and above, with additional benefits which include access to call all local networks, browse, upload, download and stream content freely and get free data that can be gifted to other subscribers. In a statement issued by the network in Lagos recently, it explained that the prepaid plan is the best offer designed to exceed the expectations and communication experience of Nigerians. According to the company,“Glo Jollific8” has increased the capacity to call and send sms to their loved ones as well as browse the internet to keep abreast of latest information on the communication super highway .

With “Glo Jollific8,” every recharge gives free data and

voice benefits. For example, N100 recharge gives N800 value for voice and 50MB in addition to free 10MB which is worth N50. This will bring the total package accruable to N100 recharge to N850; while N200 recharge gives value worth N1,600 with embedded 100MB data and additional free 25MB of super-fast data to bring the overall value offered to N1,700.

Similarly, N500 recharge attracts N4,000 which comes with 250MB of data and another 50MB data worth N200 for gifting, bringing the value to N4,200; while N1,000 recharge attracts N8,000 octuple bonus that has 500MB and additional 100MB of data worth N400 which can be gifted to bring the total bonus to N8,400.

Customers who recharge with N5,000 will get benefits worth N40,000 as eight times bonus which comes with 2,500MB and an added 500MB data worth N2,000 for gifting to push the overall value to a staggering N42,000 .

Businesses

NGEX, a provider of marketing solutions that drive business products and services awareness among consumers, has enhanced its business directory offerings for businesses.

The number of packages has been reduced from five to two, making selecting of a choice, a lot easier while new features have been introduced to improve communication between businesses and their customers even as businesses can still add their information for free or pay for increased visibility.

The NgEX Global Business Directory is said to be the largest Global Directory of Nigerian Businesses worldwide.

It is an NGEX product and it lists contact and descriptive information of businesses in Nigeria and the Nigerian Diaspora.

By listing in the NgEX Business Directory, businesses in Nigeria and Nigeria related

businesses in United States, United Kingdom and Canada can increase awareness of their products and services to a worldwide audience and enable users easily find their business and services by searching for company names, keywords, brand names and other search terms. The NgEX Business Directory is visited by over 500,000 unique visitors monthly while users conduct over 3.5 million searches monthly.

The high level of traffic and usage make the Business Directory a very attractive platform for businesses to use in reaching prospective buyers where and when they are searching for information related to the business.

Previously, the NgEX Business Directory offered five paid packages with different levels of visibility and tools for businesses to use in reaching and communicating directly with customers.

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DEVELOPMENT

Alatise: Taking Women Empowerment to the Global Stage President of International Inner Wheel (IIW), an international non-governmental organisation, Mrs. Oluyemisi Alatise, in a chat with select journalists in Lagos, spoke on various issues including gender inequality, women empowerment, financial independence and value of hard work, among others. Abimbola Akosile captures some of her views of Inner Wheel as unsung and uncelebrated heroines of the society, said any authentic NGO should be modeled the Inner Wheel, especially in strengthening the moral fabrics of the society and in the provision of selfless service.

The Minister said the present administration shares the vision of the Inner Wheel, particularly in operating an all-inclusive government, which is committed to uplifting the less-privileged in the society.

“This government is a government that also believes in the same thing as Inner Wheel, which is broadening and mainstreaming an inclusive government and this is why if you noticed this year for the first time in the history of this country, we have put in our budget what we call social intervention.

“Before now, the budget of the government will talk about capital projects, recurrent expenditure and overhead.

Sometimes they tried to talk about poverty alleviation but the way and manner they implemented it, they always scratched the issue on the surface. But this time around, we decided that we are going to lift millions of people out of abject poverty,” he said.

The Minister therefore appealed to Nigerians to be patient and not to lose hope as the change they voted for will surely materialise through creative policies as well as prudent and judicious management of the economy, which has been crippled by the crash in oil price and unbridled corruption and mismanagement for the past 16 years.

Setting the Tone Sitting quietly in a room in her house located in Ikeja, Lagos, it was humbling to picture Mrs. Oluyemisi Alatise, the current international president of the International Inner Wheel (IIW), an international non-governmental organisation, as the leader of around 120,000 women members located in over 103 countries in all the continents of the world.

Her scholarly mien and regal bearing portrayed a lady with finesse and breeding, and her proudly grey hair provided a nice contrast to her bright and piercing eyes, which were remarkably alert for a 65-year old woman, who once served as a juvenile Magistrate on a five-year contract with Lagos State.

Alatise, who was elected the president of the global non-profit organisation on July 1 this year on a wave of popular appeal (garnering over 1079 votes out of the total 2,300 votes cast), has been championing the cause of women around the world since she joined the IIW in 1978, and she is still an ardent advocate of empowerment and financial independence for the average woman, to enable her lend a helping hand in the home and also cater for her children.

The educationist, who can number 4,000 women spread across three districts in Nigeria among her numerous members and followers, spoke at length on different issues, with main focus on lending a helping hand and an improved livelihood for the average woman around the world.

Family Values Alatise, who described herself as a reticent but vocal woman, is a firm disciple of strict discipline and upbringing in the family and the home, and she is proud of the fact that all her six children (four daughters and two sons) were brought up in a simultaneous atmosphere of love and discipline to become the capable and successful adults they are today.

Although she grew up in a polygamous family (third child among 10 kids), she was brought up by a disciplinarian father and taught humility at a young age, and the values she instilled in her children resulted in one of them becoming a professor at the age of 28 years, while another, an architect, went on to become a renowned visual artist.

True Pedigree An advocate of gender equality, Alatise, who was born on December 25, 1951, obtained her primary, secondary and tertiary education in Lagos. She went back to school at the age of 40 years to get a Diploma in Law from the university and she was a contract Magistrate with Lagos State Judiciary for five years.

Currently the Executive Director of Tuntise Investments Ltd, she joined the Inner Wheel Club in 1978 and created the Children’s Transit Centre for Lost and Found Children, which houses over 60 children up till date, with an average turnover of 10 children every month.

Alatise, a widely-travelled woman became the National Representative of the IIW in 2008/2009 and a Board Director in 2010/2011. She initiated the Women for Africa Programme that started the micro- credit programme which is growing the international organisation’s capital base.

Worthy Theme The 2016 theme of the IIW, which incidentally falls under Alatise’s tenure, is ‘Touch a Heart’, which is taken from the organisation’s second objective, which is to encourage the ideals of personal service.

According to her, “Touch a Heart’ gives birth to kindness, being generous with your time, money, resources and willingness to help. Your true wealth is the good you do in the world.

Be kind to earth, honour the idea of a global

Alatise

community, that we are each other’s keepers, ensuring safety, security, comfort, wellness, beauty and peace. Be kind to yourself; be kind with your words. Words are like a broken egg; you cannot pack it back”.

Official Recognition The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has hailed the untiring effort of the IIW towards improving the social well-being of the most vulnerable groups in the society.

The Minister made the commendation in Abuja at a recent dinner in honour of Alatise, who was elected to serve as the organisation’s International President for the period of between

2016 and 2017.

According to Mohammed, “The activities of Inner Wheel since I know them have always included preventing child mortality and preventing the spread of communicable diseases. They have been very much involved in providing infrastructure like boreholes, especially in rural areas.

“Without the contributions of Inner Wheel and organisations like Inner Wheel, there could have been more stress on government. Therefore, I will use this opportunity to congratulate the Inner Wheel and what they have done over the years,” the minister said.

Mohammed, who described the members

Women Empowerment Alatise, who was married for 42 years before her husband, Alhaji Alatise passed on in 2014, believes economic independence is crucial for a woman to take care of herself and her children.

According to her, “An empowered woman will believe in herself and her financial independence will help her to build up her home and to bring happiness to her home”.

She described herself as “an individual. I don’t cling to anything. I believe very much in myself and I can keep company with myself. I was revered and respected so much by my husband before he passed on. Respect is reciprocal and I was brought up to respect others”.

These are the very same qualities which have propelled her to the very top of her chosen calling, as a leader of women of like minds around the world. That is the calling she has now dedicated her life to.

RANDOM THOTS Persistent Threat

Although it is still no longer news in Nigeria, kidnapping has refused to go out of fashion. And even though anyone found kidnapping another person risks a lifetime in jail - in some places a death sentence - the evil practice has continued unabated and even increased in rapidity of occurrence; to the dismay of the security forces and families of victims of kidnapping.

The reasons for this trend are not far-fetched: poverty, rising unemployment, warped values and lure of easy money from ransoms.

Unlike militancy, insurgency, or

agitation for secession which are largely confined to specific regions, kidnapping knows no ethnic, geographical, educational or religious boundaries.

From school girls to monarchs; from top military brass to a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation; from high-level diplomats to journalists; and from Reverend Sisters to the average farmer, no one is free from kidnappers or immune to kidnapping.

To top it all, the Lagos State Government recently issued an alert to the more than 15 million-

strong populace in the state on the real threat of kidnapping in the metropolis. Even with the brandnew police patrol cars, motorbike squads, high-tech gadgets and intelligence available to the security agencies in the state, the government recognised the danger posed by kidnappers to the development and progress of the citizens and the state and issued the warning.

One can only imagine how the lessdeveloped sections of the country would fare in the face of this menace. A real threat to development...

Abimbola Akosile

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEvELOpmENT/ISSUESINBOx

EFCC officials in operation

Can the Anti-corruption War Be Improved?

Although the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) has made the fight against corruption a cornerstone of this administration, opinions differ on how the war has been prosecuted so far; with allegations of bias, too much leniency, too little sanctions, slow tempo, absence of notable convictions and sentencing, among others. However, it is not in doubt that Nigeria must fight official corruption to a standstill to be able to develop. But, to you, how can the war be better prosecuted, to improve Nigeria’s development process?

Abimbola Akosile * Yes, it can, by President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) remaining focused, un-intimidated and speedy in administering justice. PMB must emphasise need for patience and cooperation from the judiciary and Nigerians.

- Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * This is certainly a biased fight against corruption, but what is really sickening is the impunity and lack of consideration with which disproportionate appointments, employments and recruitments are currently being made.

This is in contravention of the federal character provision in our constitution. This is the worst kind of corruption there is because it lays the foundation for the other forms.

- Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * Buhari (PMB) is corrupt and most of his men are corrupt; and many others are fantastically corrupt.

- Mr. Reuben Sam, Toro, Bauchi State * Anti-corruption war can be improved by formalising inter-agency working group on Nigerian kleptocracy. Internal discussion forum would be useful - sharing information, improving coordination between countries e.g. U.S Embassy in Nigeria, as well as policy makers, law enforcement. Better communication at the working level could facilitate stronger vetting of potentially corrupt Nigerians and discourage insulated decision-making.

- Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna State * Yes, the war against corruption can be improved with the EFCC and ICPC going for the sacred cows across board, even in the current administration. When the people see objective and conclusive prosecutions, convictions and sentencing, more whistle-blowers will volunteer information. PMB can do better than what currently obtains in this war, especially as regards the prosecution of his cronies and associates.

- Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State * Yes, it can by the government seeing to it that the campaign is taken to the grassroots.

- Mr. Feyisetan Akeeb Kareem, President, Change Makers Forum and Coordinator CDHR, Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State

THE FEEDBACK Yes, it can:

7

No, it cannot:

1

Others:

9

Radical tip:

Revamp the Judiciary!

Total no of respondents:

17

Male:

14

Female:

3

Highest location:

Lagos (8)

* No! Never!, until hypocrisy is banished from our system. I now realise that Buhari is just wearing anti-corruption mask to get at his enemies, opposition and those who speak for the voiceless. God will judge this government if it is truly sincere...it will be soon!

- Mr. Sonny Okobi, Lagos State * I’m totally in support of the President’s move to sanitise the system. After all, somebody’s got to do it. However, I cannot say with all sense of responsibility that the president has been sincere concerning the individuals ‘targeted’. We should know, however, that the APC will not be in government forever and the opposition party that eventually takes over can probe the current president’s friends and allies that appear to be presently enjoying a sort of immunity.

- Mr. John Ogunsemore, Lagos

will take Nigeria to the next level. God bless Nigeria.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos * The anti-corruption war of the present administration must be commended by every well-meaning Nigerian, sentiments apart. In a heterogeneous country like Nigeria, it is not easy to fight corruption as corruption itself must fight back. For now, the anti-corruption war can improve if the lawyers who are making their services available for the corrupt politicians under the guise of human rights protection to escape justice refuse to do so. Judges must be seen to dispense justice fast regardless of who is involved.

- Mr. Mamudu Monday Dickson, EMS Nigeria, Ikeja, Lagos * I think the anti-corruption war should not be seen as war but rather a cleansing. When you decide to thoroughly clean up your shelter, is it welfare? Appointments into the EFCC, ICPC e.t.c should be de-politicised and their bosses should publicly declare their assets before resuming duties.

- Mr. E. Iheanyi Chukwudi, B.A.R. Associates, Apo, Abuja * Yes, the anti-corruption war can best be improved for our nation’s development by sanitising the judicial system and speeding up justice as delays can thwart the process.

- Ms. Saiki Ometere Tina, Gboko, Benue State

* It can indeed be improved if it is done with sincerity. There is no gain-saying as many who people believe are the worst culprits are being shielded away. PMB has a good mission for the nation but for his appointees. I can’t condemn them all and for the improvement of the war and to feel it he needs to stand the person we all know and brought to power.

- Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna

* Those saying Buhari is selective in his anticorruption fight are rogues, with their family and friends looking for cheap blackmail to stop the fight. Nigerians should tell those accusing the President of being selective to shut up. The open impunity of sharing Nigeria common patrimony meant for defence is a clear case of wickedness. Enough is enough PDP should face the mess they put Nigeria into in 16 years.

Leave Buhari alone to clean his own shop and let all the 36 state governments also probe how their finances were looted between 1999 and 2015 period!.

- Mr. Gbenga Akinmoladun, Retiree, from Lagos

* Yes, the anti-corruption war can be improved by punishing culprits promptly, irrespective of whose ox is gored. People believe in jailing those high-profile rogues and nothing less. It

* The intention of PMB-led administration to fight corruption is good. But in my opinion, the approach has been lopsided and it is looking like a witch-hunt of perceived enemies of PMB.

* Start by revamping the judiciary and the media and the fight for corruption will be successful.

- Mr. Daji Sani, Yola, Adamawa State

I would love to see a more holistic approach for instance the probing of the 2015 PDP Presidential campaign fund should be extended the APC fund for fairness and justice. PMB should also understand that nepotistic appointments and employments is also corruption; he should look inward. Charity begins at home.

- Mr. Adejoh Abraham, FCT, Abuja * Despite what people are saying that corruption fighting is one-sided, PMB has done well to recover some looted funds meant for development of Nigeria. Whatever someone is doing there must be criticism of your action.

PMB should be focused to deliver the mandate given by Nigerians.

- Mrs. Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos State

Next Week: How Best Can Inflation be Reduced in Nigeria?

In the latest report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), inflation rose from 15.6 per cent in may 2016 to 16.5 per cent in June 2016, its highest point since October 2005. According to the report, energy and food prices weighed heavily on the inflation level, and the biggest impact is on the average citizens, who have no corresponding increase in their incomes. Although there are various suggestions on greater dependence on local products, improved agriculture, more jobs, and better security, among others, to you, how best can inflation be reduced to a single digit level in Nigeria? please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location. Responses should be sent between today (July 21 & monday, July 25) to abimbolayi@yahoo.com, greatbimbo@gmail.com, AND abimbola. akosile@thisdaylive.com. Respondents can also send a short text message to 08023117639 and/or 08188361766 and/ or 08114495306. Collated responses will be published on Thursday, July 28

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

Acting Features Editor Charles Ajunwa Email: charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

Tackling Low Life Expectancy in Nigeria Nigeria has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world despite concerted efforts to improve the standard of living. Martins Ifijeh writes on the need to tackle the top health causes of deaths for life expectancy to improve in the country

D

espite Nigeria priding itself as the largest economy in Africa with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about $500 billion, and one of the world’s fastest growing economies in the world, the life expectancy ratio of its citizens has continued to be at variance and an embarrassment to the status which the country professes.

The May 2016 life expectancy data published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has shown that Nigeria, again, has one of the lowest life expectancy ratio in Africa and in the world; with 55 years for females and 54 years for males, standing at the 177th position, just above eight other countries of the world. On the average, the life expectancy ratio is 54.5 for the country.

Surprisingly, even disaster and war-torn countries like South Sudan, Rwanda, Haiti, Yemen, Afghanistan, and poorer nations like Mozambique and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) all have a higher life expectancy rate than Africa’s giant, Nigeria. Meaning citizens of these countries will, on the average, live longer than Nigerians.

For instance, in Yemen, an average person will live for 65 years, DRC citizens will, on the average, live up to 59 years, while those in Mozambique have a life expectancy of 57 years.

In Japan, an average person will live to as high as 83.7 years, those in United Kingdom will live up to 81 years, others in United States will live up to 79 years, while in Algeria, which is an African country, the life expectancy rate is 75 years. Also, global life expectancy is at 71.4 years, which has therefore made Nigeria’s indices a far cry compared to the human and natural resources at the country’s disposal that could tackle factors collaborating againstpositive life expectancy rate.

According to the health body, the report shows that newborns in 29 countries – all of them high income — have an average life expectancy of 80 years or more,while newborns in 22 others – all of them in sub-Saharan Africa — have life expectancy of less than 60 years. It also shows that Japanese women have the longest life span and are expected to live to 86.8 years, while Switzerland men would live the longest at 81.3years.

The report therefore attributed the abysmally poor life expectancy indices on various health related issues, including heart diseases, diabetes, pneumonia, kidney problems, cancers, malaria, among others. Majority of these factors, according to the body, could be prevented, managed or treated effectively with the right policies, facilities and expertise.

According to experts, life expectancy refers to the average measurement of time a human is expected to live, based on their birth, current age, level of physical condition, sex, place of residence, among others.

The WHO report also provides a guide on the various factors responsible for the high death incidents and the lowered life expectancy ratio in various countries, adding that each country has its peculiar factors, which they noted can be tackled, such that humans will on the average live longer.

In Nigeria for instance, available information suggests that health related issues represent the major factor involved in the low life expectancy, while road accidents, economic hardship, terrorism, among others also play some roles.

Influenza and Pneumonia According to the WHO, pneumonia infection and the various forms of influenza play a major role in shortening the lifespan of Nigerians.

The body revealed that 290,238 deaths occur in the country annually due to influenza and pneumonia, representing annually, 15.22 per cent of all deaths recorded in the country.

In an earlier report, a Doctor of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Dr. Dorothy Esangbebo

Nigeria has one of the lowest life expectancy rate in the world

explained that a 2008 estimate showed that every hour, 20 children across Nigeria die due to pneumonia, adding that this figure was the highest in Africa and the second highest in the world. She therefore called for pneumonia vaccines to be available, as this would save many lives in the country.

Experts have suggested that with exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life, children can be protected from pneumonia and many other diseases. Also, they believe with pneumococcal vaccines available to all Nigerians, the prevalence of death rates from the scourge will greatly reduce.

Malaria According to Malaria Consortium Nigeria, nearly 250,000 people die every year due to malaria, adding that this amounts to more than 11 per cent of the entire deaths recorded in the country every year, making it a major public health problem in the country if the life expectancy of Nigerians must go up.

To put it aptly, the Lagos State Ministry of Health, in its website, said malaria accounts for over 60 per cent outpatient visits and 30 per cent hospital admissions in Nigeria, and it therefore unfortunately kills hundreds of thousands of Nigerians yearly.

The ministry also stated that the disease has impacted negatively on the economy with about 132 billion Naira lost to the disease as cost of treatment and loss in man-hours. Inasmuch as scientists are studying malaria vaccines to see whether they are effectively preventing malaria infection with non yet to be approved to prevent malaria, the disease can be prevented through any approach that prevents mosquito bite, such as use of long lasting insecticide treated nets, clearing of water logs in the environment, use of insecticide chemicals, among others.

HIV/AIDS According to the United Nations AIDS Gap 2014, approximately 210,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in Nigeria in 2013, which is 14 per cent of the global total. Since 2005,

there has been no reduction in the number of annual deaths, indicative of the fact that only 20 per cent of people living with HIV in Nigeria are accessing antiretroviral treatment (ART), according to the report, which added that, “unprotected heterosexual sex accounts for about 80 per cent of new HIV infections in Nigeria, with the majority of remaining HIV infections among key affected populations.”

The WHO also reports that over 11 per cent of deaths in the country are due to HIV/AIDS. Earlier in the week, an official of the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Anthony Lake, disclosed that half of the new HIV/AIDs infections among under-14s in the world occurred in only six countries: India, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania and Nigeria, adding that this was becoming the leading cause of death among Africans, aged between 10 and 19 years of age.

“AIDS is still the number two cause of death for those aged 10-19 years globally — and number one in Africa,” added the head of the UN children’s agency. According to UNICEF, AIDS-related deaths among people aged between 15 and 19 have more than doubled since 2000, with 29 new infections within this age group taking place across the world every hour.

“Girls are particularly vulnerable, making up about 65 per cent of new adolescent infections worldwide,” the UN official explained.

Experts believed if the high mortality rate occasioned by HIV/AIDS is stopped, it will resultantly increase the life expectancy rate in the country.

Non communicable diseases Recently, the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, noted that non communicable diseases were responsible for about 67 per cent of deaths globally, out of which Nigeria accounts for 27 per cent.

Records show that the most prevalent NCDs in Nigeria are cardiovascular diseases, which account for 12-15 per cent of total deaths across all age groups. Cancers, non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes

contribute significantly to total mortality in the country every year.

Experts believed unhealthy lifestyle, unbalanced diet, tobacco use, harmful alcohol intake, and physical inactivity are the major clustering risk factors for the development of cardiovascular and other NCDs, hence the need to live a healthy life as it would greatly reduce the prevalence of the diseases, which in turn will reduce deaths in the country.

Malnutrition Just recently, UNICEF raised the alarm that Nigeria stands to lose a total number of 300,000 children within the ages of 0-5 years to acute malnutrition in 2016 if drastic measures were not swiftly put in place to tackle the menace.

World Health Ranking (WHR) also showed that Nigeria rates high among countries with malnutrition issue in the world.

In a survey conducted in 2013, almost 30 per cent of Nigerian children are underweight, while the ratio of those who are wasted or too thin for their height has risen from 11 per cent in 2003 to 18 per cent in 2013.

The survey also showed that up to one million Nigerian children under age five suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), while four out of five do not meet the WHO’s recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life.

Maternal and child deaths The high maternal and child deaths in Nigeria have in no small measure added to the low life expectancy in the country. According to UNICEF, every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 children under five and 145 women of childbearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world.

However, due to the fundamental role a mother plays in the life of a child, Nigeria’s current statistics of very high deaths per year during childbirth is indicative of inherent lapses in the critical aspects of the healthcare delivery system of the country.

33

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

NEWS

Pilot Registration for Contributory Health Scheme Begins in 25 Delta LGAs Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba Five months after the signing of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission into law

by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the state contributory health insurance scheme has finally begun with commencement of the pilot registration exercise in the 25 local government areas of the state.

This followed the successful training of state officials by personnel from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Abuja, under the supervision of the Delta State Coordinator of NHIS, Dr. Chigozie Eguonu, and NHIS Deputy General Manager (ICT), Dr. Kenneth Okoroafor.

A total of 75 trainees drawn from the state primary healthcare coordinators and medical record officers from the local government areas are attending the ICT-based training organised by the Delta State Contributory Health Commission.

The 75 state health officials for the health insurance scheme pilot registration include five persons each draw from the 25 local government areas of the state.

However, officials from the NHIS are assisting the newly trained state primary healthcare officials in the different local government areas to ensure smooth take off of the pilot registration exercise in all 25 local government areas.

It would be recalled that

Okowa said during the signing of the contributory health commission bill into law on February 4, 2016 that “Globally, health insurance is certainly the way to go, because the benefits are immeasurable and inclusive, but there has been resistance from the states in Nigeria. The NHIS will not succeed until all the states really key in; but I have no doubt that signing this bill into law is the best for us going forward.”

The chairman of the Delta State Contributory Health Commission, Dr. Isaac Akpoveta, said “the scheme is a concept that protects the individual from financial disaster” as

anyone could fall ill when they least expected and when they might not have the means of paying their medical bills.

He therefore appealed to the people to embrace the scheme by registering at their respective local government areas as soon as the pilot registration programme commenced.

Nevertheless, Dr. Akpoveta, who noted that “today actually begins the foundation of the scheme”, urged the trainees to “please pay serious attention to the instructors who are handling this training, because the entire process is computer based and it’s about scientific precision.”

He pointed out that the establishment of the scheme in Delta State would help reduce the burden faced by the national agency, the NHIS, in coordinating the activities of its different health insurance units in each state of the federation.

Explaining the process of the commencement of the pilot registration exercise across the 25 local government areas, the Delta State NHIS Coordinator, Dr. Chigozie Eguonu, said that NHIS officials would accompany the trained state primary healthcare officials to the different local government areas for the commencement of the pilot registration exercise.

Eguonu also disclosed that the pilot registration would be preceded by an enlightenment campaign to arouse the interest of the people across the state.

“The idea is to ensure that every resident will have access to quality healthcare service at affordable cost and they don’t have to travel far for that,” he said.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Festus Ovie Agas, declared the training session open last week in Asaba on behalf of Governor Okowa, harping numerous benefits of the state contributory health insurance scheme to the citizens.

NAFDAC Intercepts Smuggled Dangerous Chemicals Martins Ifijeh The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has intercepted and seized two 20feet containers of imported Urea Formaldehyde Resin from a syndicate specialised in smuggling the substance into Nigeria through the sea port.

Speaking during the parade of the syndicates, the Director General, NAFDAC, Dr. Yetunde Oni, said the substances which were smuggled to an unknown location outside Lagos State have been recovered, with its perpetrators arrested.

Urea Formaldehyde Resin, according to her, “is a highly regulated chemical that can be used as fertiliser, adhesives and gloss in woods, but if in the wrong hands, could be a grave security threat to Nigeria, hence the federal government strictly controls its importation and use.”

She said the Managing Director of Six Six Manufacturing Global Service Ltd, Mr. Zhao Shou Chum, involved in the smuggling, as well as his clear-

ing agent, Mr. Christian Ohia of Actus Fidel Nigeria Ltd were giving useful statements which is currently assisting NAFDAC to unravel their supply chain.

“The discovery of the warehouse of the company located at Omu-Ijebu in Ogun State were made possible through the effective intelligence work of the combined efforts of NAFDAC officers at the Ports Inspection Directorate as well as Investigation & Enforcement Directorate.

“But for the timely intervention of NAFDAC, the consignment smuggled out of the port may have found its way to unscrupulous individuals for use in nefarious activities,” she added.

The DG reassured Nigerians that the agency’s resolve to sustain the fight against counterfeiters and smugglers of NAFDAC regulated products was unwavering, adding that, members of the public should report suspicious activities relating to the Agency’s regulated products around their environments to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Organisation holds Pain Free Day Initiative in Kaduna Rebecca Ejifoma Aimed at improving consumers’ health and creating awareness of the risks associated with not taking adequate care of oneself, major pain killer company, Dexa Medica, makers of Boska had conducted ‘Pain Free Day’ initiative in Kawo Sabon Birni, Kaduna State.

The company, during the event recently said the Pain Free Day programme was aimed at improving consumers’ health and raising awareness of the risks associated with not taking adequate care of oneself.

The Brand Executive, Mr. Joseph Christopher, explained that from qualitative findings, they observed that consumers need to be aware of how to take care of themselves, and to know what was available to help them look after their health in the rainy season.

He said given that this season comes with lots of flu-like illnesses, sore throats, runny noses, ear ache, colds and flu-like illness, Boska could be used for management.

“Boska team provided the opportunity for consumers to see health experts who provided full range of health services for free. This included prescribing drugs to treat eye, ear and nose defects, “he said.

Christopher pointed out that besides rendering free health services, Boska team also leveraged the opportunity to educate consumers on how to live stress-free while at their various duties.

According to him, “we remain firm in our commitment to improving consumer’s health because health is an important part of one’s life and should be taken seriously. Dexa Medica (Boska) will continue to improve consumers lives’.

The Minister for Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole (right), conducting screening exercise on the Director, Public Communication Department, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr. Emmanuel Agbegir, during the flagging off of the Rapid Result Initiative (RRI) by the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja ...recently

FG Launches Rapid Result Initiative for Better Health Martins Ifijeh The Federal Ministry of Health has launched Rapid Result Initiative programme tagged “Better Health for all” designed to produce quick and visible impact that would affect the lives of every Nigerian especially the most vulnerable and poor in the society.

The Launch of the programme portrayed preparedness and determination of the Federal Ministry of Health to kickstart the operationalization of the programme to achieve result within 100 days.

Briefing the press, on Monday 18th July, 2016 in Abuja, the Hon. Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole said that the set targeted goals are ambitious, but certainly doable and would keep the top management of the federal ministry of health on their toes in the next 100 days of implementation.

He said that the Rapid Result Initiative would be deployed in seven major areas that would conform with both local and international health priorities which are as follows: I Revitalization of Primary Healthcare Centres: under

this project Prof. Adewole said that the federal ministry of health would work to revamp 110 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) within the next 100 days, one in each senatorial district including a facility in Fuka Local Government in Niger State.

The Minister said that Fuka community suffered high case fatality from Lassa Fever due to cultural interpretation of the cause of the disease.

“During my unscheduled visit to FUKA I noticed that there was no functional PHC to offer basic health care and I promised that Federal Government will provide a functional facility, today as we speak the Fuka PHC is ready for commissioning”.

The minister said.

II Mutual Health Assurance: The Minister said that the Ministry would inaugurate Mutual Health Associations at community level to improve access to affordable and qualitative health care.

The Mutual Health Associations are either privately or publicly incorporated body registered by the National Health Insurance Scheme solely to access health care service through health care facilities accredited by the scheme, he explained.

Japan Foundation, Group Step up Campaign to End Leprosy Discrimination Labake Fashogbon A Japan based foundation, Nippon, in collaboration with Junior Chambers International, Nigeria, JCI, a non profit organisation, is set to put an end to the discrimination and stigmatisation suffered by people who are affected and living with leprosy in Nigeria.

This was revealed at a press conference put together by the partnering body in Nigeria, JCI when its National President, Olatunji Oyeyemi, announced that plans have been concluded to kick off a nationwide campaign geared at sensitising Nigerians and persons affected by the disease.

According to the President of the non profit organisation, the level at which those affected were being stigmatised in this part of the country reveals that not too many people were well informed about the ailment.

He said: “Today, leprosy is a highly treatable disease.

With prompt diagnosis and a regimen of effective drugs, it is no longer the disabling malady it once was. Yet, despite advances on the medical front, discrimination against those affected by the disease, even those who have made

a full recovery has persisted around the world.

“This reflects the long history of social isolation forced upon patients affected by the disease and their family members. Before the disease became curable, those infected by leprosy were often scarred and disfigured, and these people were treated contemptuously around the world. This discrimination stemmed from misconceptions about the disease, which is not highly infectious.

Explaining further, Oyeyemi who reiterated the fact that leprosy was curable, noted that the exercise will be executed under the JCI active citizen platform, JCI Effort to Eradicate Leprosy Stigma (JEELS), and would carry along major players and partners including Integration Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA),Nigerian Medical Association ( NMA), Nigerian Bar Association(NBA),The Leprosy Mission Nigeria(TLM), The Federal Ministry of Health, among others .

“We shall take action to fight stigma and discrimination faced by people living or who have been affected by leprosy across all sectors.

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BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Retail Banking: Experts Harp on Alternative Delivery Channels Chinazor Megbolu In order to redefine retail banking offering in the country, experts have stressed the need to promote alternative digital delivery channels.

They made this remark recently during the 2nd Africa Retail Banking Roundtable Conference organised by Jeff & O’Brien Conferences and Events in Lagos, with the theme: “Rethinking Retail Banking Architecture & Infrastructure.”

An International Retail Banking Consultant, Faculty Lead and Advisor, Jeff & O’Brien, Mr. John Berry in his keynote address said that banks needed to rethink some areas they do business and the processes they demand of their customers internally.

He noted that customers were meant to be protected and not

the other way round.

“If we don’t change our regulations, we won’t have banking in the future, “he said.

Meanwhile, the special guest and Managing Director, Heritage Bank Plc, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, who was represented by the Executive Director of the bank, Mr. Ola Olabinjo, said his bank had been positioned to drive retail banking with business transformation strategy for its customers.

He pointed out there is a fundamental transition in digital and mobile technology that would reshape how product and services are purchased by customers.

Sekibo further posited that change had already taken place with the adoption of internet, mobile technology amongst other platforms to boosts retail banking services.

On his part, the Head, Financial Inclusion Services, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Usoro Usoro, noted the fast changing and disruptive world driven by technology was changing consumer behaviour leading to increased competition. ‘’Diverse industries are being transformed leading to grand convergence as at 2015 in the areas of banking, credit, Insurance, travel...and lot of others, “he said.

Also, the Group Country Director, Jeff & O’Brien, Mr. Pascal Odibo in his opening remarks averred that so far, there has been remarkable progress towards financial inclusion in Africa in the last decade.

“This has been driven by a combination of policy reforms, increased competition, financial and technological innovation, “he said.

Wema Bank Posts Positive Half-year Results Obinna Chima Wema Bank Plc’s unaudited results for the six-month ended June 30th, 2016 have shown that the bank recorded a 10 per cent improvement in profitability on the back of 42 per cent growth in fee income.

Specifically, the bank’s profit after tax also rose by 11.11 per cent to N1.1 billion at the end of the first half of the year. Its profit before tax also advanced to N1.29 billion in the period under review, from N1.17 billion, representing an increase by 10.62 per cent. Similarly, the bank’s gross earnings increased by 16.4 per cent year-on-year to N24.3 billion at the end of June, from N20.9 billion in the corresponding

period of 2015.

Its total deposit improved by 11 per cent year-on-year from N237.43 billion in the previous period to N277.87 billion as at half year 2016. However, there was a decline of 2.49 per cent in comparison to N284.98 billion recorded in December 2015. But Wema’s operating expense increased by 27 per cent in the period under review.

Commenting on the results, its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi said: “The 2016 financial year has been a rather eventful one for the Nigerian economy. The year has been characterised by deceleration on a number of economic indicators coupled with increasing energy costs, intensified by rising inflation, all

within a tough operating environment. The banking industry has also not been exempted from these challenges.

In spite of these challenges, Wema Bank has been able to deliver a modest improvement in the first half of the year. Interest income grew by 15.2 per cent from N17.5 billion in first half 2015 to N20.2 billion in the current period, while fee and commission income improved significantly by 42.3 per cent from N2.2 billion in first half 2015 to N3.1 billion in first half 2016.”

According to him, the growth in non-interest revenues was driven by our on-going initiative to enlarge our footprint in the retail space while keeping customers at the heart of our operations.

Broad street

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS Broad Money (M2)

20,470,436.00

-- Narrow Money (M1)

9,040,817.68

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,441,365.03

---- Demand Deposits

7,599,452.65

-- Quasi Money

11,429,618.32

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

5,551,714.27

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

14,918,721.73 22,664,815.74

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC) ---- Credit to Government (Net)

3,782,578.01

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

4,991,246.39

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

Union Bank Launches Banking Technology in Anambra As part of efforts to deliver quality financial solutions to its customers across Nigeria, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc has launched two newly upgraded branches and a ‘smarter banking centre’ in Anambra State.

The bank, according to a statement yesterday, launched the banking centre at the Federal Polytechnic, Oko as well as two upgraded branches at Bright Street and Uga Street both in Onitsha.

The ‘smarter banking centre’ is designed to offer innovative services to Union Bank’s mobile customers. With its all-in-one standalone 24 hour boutique for self-service banking, customers can open their accounts, deposit and withdraw cash via the

ATMs. The centre also has interactive projector screens which enable 24 hour live video chat with a customer care representative.

The user friendliness of the centre, the bank stated, ensures that the staff, students and all customers within and around the Federal Polytechnic Oko can enjoy quick, convenient and hassle free banking service.

According to the statement, while addressing the students and guests during the launch, the Transformation Director of Union Bank, Joe Mbulu, said: “At Union Bank, quality is our watchword, from our customer experience to our state-of-the-art banking platforms. We want to ensure that banking is indeed

seamless for our customers.

“Previously, each branch operated as a standalone but now we have installed a core centralised banking platform that ensures our customers can carry out their transactions conveniently in real time from any location.”

Expressing the Polytechnics’ gratitude towards Union Bank, lecturer in the Department of Architectural Technology, of the Polytechnic, Chika Eni said: “We are grateful to Union Bank for putting Federal Polytechnic Oko on the banking map with this innovative branch. They could have come to just put an ATM system here, instead they decided to equip our campus with the best of banking technologies.”

BrandEye Media, a strategic media planning & buying Agency has won the media buying business of SABMiller in Nigeria.

The Agency founded by the suave and vastly experienced Femi Adelusi, was recently appointed by PricewaterhouseCoopers to manage the media campaign of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Invest-

ment. Prior to completing this treble, the agency had celebrated winning the John Hopkin’s University sponsored HC3 malaria free campaign pan Nigeria as well.

Similarly, the close affiliate of the Agency, BrandEye Limited, also emerged Lead Consultant among a consortium of marketing communication agencies appointed to manage the

-1,208,668.38

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

18,882,237.7

--Other Assets Net

-7,746,094.02

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,758,634.07

--Currency in Circulation

1,811,090.48

--Banks Reserves

3,383,756.72 • Source - CBN

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Price (N) Stanbic Balanced Fund

Buying Price(N)

Selling Price

1,660.29

1,685.29

Stanbic IBTC NEF

1,000.00

11,002.32

11,326.67.11

Stanbic SIBond

20

120.47

120.47

Stanbic IBTC Ethical

1

1.10

1.13

Stanbic IBTC GIF

142.90

143.38

UBA Balanced Fund

1.2563

1.2493

UBA Bond Fund

1.3443

1.3443

UBA Equity Fund

0.8205

0.8074

UBA Money Market Fund

1.1510

1.1510

ARM Aggressive Growth Fund

N13.0544

N13.4480

ARM Discovery Fund

N288.2515

N296.9425

ARM Ethical Fund

N22.5268

N23.2060

ARM Money Market Fund

BrandEye Wins New Businesses

(MILLION NAIRA)

MARCH 2016

13.1030 (Yield % ) • Monetary Policy Rate - 13%

Delta State 25th Anniversary celebrations.

Worthy of note is the fact that, the media agency, led

by Mr. Olufemi Adelusi has hauled these new businesses in quick successions despite the harsh economic situation in the country by pushing the boundaries in innovative media and resourcing quality talents in its core capability functions.

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY 19, JULY 2016 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $42.66 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $43.36 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Rabi Light (Gabon), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

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MARKET NEWS

Lafarge Africa Posts N30bn Drop in Half-year Profit

Goddy Egene

Lafarge Africa Plc, a leading cement and building solutions provider, yesterday announced a loss of N30.1 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2016, compared with a profit after tax of N27.3billion in the corresponding period of 2014.

Lafarge Africa had early this month sent a profit warning, saying the impact of the Naira

devaluation is expected to be a N28billion unrealised exchange loss arising from United States dollar borrowings.

When the company released its unaudited results yesterday, it showed sales of N107 billion in 2016, down from N1152.2 billion in 2015.

The company said industrial operations were significantly impacted by gas supply shortages in the South West

& East Nigeria operations with occasional plant repair works.

Cost of sales was reduced from N98billion to N92.2billion, while operating expenses declined from N14billion to N12.2billion.

Other income soared by 278 per cent from N7.6billion to N28.5billion. However, net finance cost rose by 158 per cent to N4.6billion, from N1.8billion. Coupled with the

exchange loss, the company ended the H1 with a loss of N30.1billion, compared with a profit of N27.3billion in 2015.

Commenting on the results, the Chief Executive Officer, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Michel Puchercos said: “In spite of the macroeconomic challenges and market uncertainties, our company will continue to deliver good performance with significant upsides to

come as we conclude on the integration journey to form Lafarge Africa Plc. The new organisation is much stronger and better positioned to deliver operational excellence and improve value to our shareholders.”

The company explained that during the first half of 2016, Lafarge Africa successfully acquired the balance of 50 per cent ownership stake in

United Cement Company Limited (Unicem)and this takes shareholding to 100 per cent.

“A N60 billion bond was raised successfully from the debt market, to refinance the Unicem’s Naira denominated debt at a lower interest rate.

Given the current exchange rate environment, actions are being implemented to restructure and refinance the USD denominated debt.

DAILY STOCK MARKET REPORT T H E

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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 T H I S D AY

ADVERTORIAL

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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSEXTRA

House C’tee Recommends Non-renewal of Manitoba Contract

Indicts NERC for lax regulation in power sector

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The House of Representatives Committee on Power has urged the federal government not to renew the management contract it has with Manitoba Hydro International (MHI), which currently manages the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

This, it said, is because the contract with MHI, which expires at the end of this month, is not yielding the desired result.

The committee also indicted the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for failing to enforce its authority in the power sector, as a regulator by applying appropriate penalties and sanctions to defaults by market participants, resulting in laxity in compliance with the rules, regulations and orders instituted by the agency.

It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately nominate the Commissioners of NERC in line with Section 34 of the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act so as to reinstate the regulatory function of the sector. It also called for the funding of the Rural Electrification Agency in line with Sections 89 and 90 of the Act. These were part of the recommendations contained in the report of the House Committee on Power’s investigation, on a planned payment of N2.7 billion by the Board of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to its members, whose’s tenures recently expired.

The committee, chaired by Hon. Daniel Asuquo, also called for the payment of the renumeration packages of the immediate past NERC Commissioners.

“However, the statutory position of the remuneration of future Commissioners must be determined with respect to the standards set for such Agencies by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and Pension Commission of Nigeria (PENCON), to avoid the ambiguities of the past,’ the report read.

It also recommended that NERC be compelled to monitor the activities of the Distribution and Generation Companies, for proper enforcement of regulations and performance agreements.

“They should establish fullproof internal control systems in order to optimize business processes with transparent reporting standards and enforcement of compliance to NERC regulatory operational procedures and guidelines.

Internally, NERC should automate the tariff computation platform and ensure that all the parameters are appropriately dimensioned according to the rules of tariff computation,” it said.

It added that NERC regulation of market participants must be on real-time basis rather than periodic request for information while responsible supervisory officers must be assigned and charged with the task of ensuring compliance.

The report further reads in part: “That the tariff platform must be automated immediately in order to correct the anomalies

in the parameters and assumptions in deriving the tariff. Electricity tariff reviews must be in accordance with statutory provisions and consultations with all stakeholders. Consumer protection is very important, both on pricing and service delivery.

The Electricity tariff framework must be automated and made full-proof of human manipulation;” “…That the House should mandate NERC to conduct a retroactive forensic audit and investigation of electricity delivered, invoiced, revenue collected and settlements made to the market participants from October 1, 2013 to date. This exercise would unveil the leakages and the culprits would be required to refund misappropriated funds” “…That the System Operator and Market Operator roles must be merged and licensed immediately to become the Independent System Operator (ISO) as

provided by Section 25(b) of the EPSR Act. The ISO is the “engine room” of the Power Committee Report on NERC N2.7B Severance Package & Regulatory Activities electricity market and must be well constituted and equipped to perform its core functions as stated in the Act;” “…Adequate succession planning must be put in place with the effective establishment of the System Operator (SO) and the Transmission Service Provider (TSP) as provided by Section 25 of the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act. The Act does not provide for the existence of a Transmission Company of Nigeria after the dis-integration of the SO and the TSP.” It should be recalled that the House recently mandated its Committees on Power and Privatisation to investigate allegations of fraud against Manitoba.

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THURSDAY JULY 21, 2016 • T H I S D AY

CRIME&PUNISHMENT EFCC Quizzes Former Bauchi Deputy Speaker, Two Others over N500m Campaign Funds

Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Gombe zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has quizzed the former Deputy Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Sace Dumba, the former Caretaker Chairman of Dass Local Government Area, Mohammed Suleiman Rabo and former Chairman of the Peoples

Democratic Party (PDP) in Dass local government.

A source at the EFCC said yesterday the trio were invited for questioning for sharing about N500 million to 20 local government areas in the state for the re-election of the former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 general election.

According to the source, the money was reportedly lavished

on the PDP stakeholders in all the local governments of the state by the Commissioner for Finance, Garba Dahiru, during the administration of Isa Yuguda, the former governor of the state.

The trio were also said to have admitted to the operatives of the EFCC during interrogation that they signed and collected the said amount

from Garba so as to deliver PDP in all the local government areas of the state.

“They also told the EFCC that the sharing formula was based on the population of each of the local governments in which Bauchi Local Government Area collected N48, 020,000, Toro got N32,490,000 while Ningi Local Government Area collected N28, 250,000,” the source said.

In Brief

Lagos Police Track Abductors of Iba Monarch Five days after the traditional ruler of Iba Community, Oba of Iba land, Oba Yushau Goriola Oseni, was kidnapped from his palace and his wife shot, the Lagos State Police Command, yesterday said they are already tracking down the suspects.

Oseni was kidnapped from his palace by some armed gunmen, suspected to be either vandals or militants, and they made away with him in their speed boats. THISDAY gathered that the police have been able to narrow down the location of the suspects and would pick them up once they get their actual location. Confirming the incident, the state police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, said rescue operation is in progress. She said: “Rescue is in progress. We are tracking down the suspects. I can’t divulge operational strategy and you can’t expect us to reveal that to you. This is because of the safety of the monarch is paramount to us.”

Air Force Arrests Two Impersonators

The 107 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) camp, Lagos yesterday paraded two suspects, Abiodun Akinsanya and Moses Johnson, for impersonation and being in possession of military camouflage and accoutrements. The duo were arrested at the Langbasa area of Ajah, Lagos, when they were accosted by NAF Provost Air Station operatives on patrol and they produced their fake identity cards after identifying themselves as NAF personnel.

Although they identified themselves as aircraftmen, what gave them away was the identity card, which is the old one used by the NAF before it was changed to the new one with chip.

After preliminary interrogation, the NAF personnel stormed their residence and unearthed several military uniforms, especially desert camouflages and accoutrements including boots and customised NAF belts. Confirming the arrest, the Commander 107 NAF Camp, Air Commodore Abubakar Yusuf, said once the suspect was picked up during a raid at their apartment where they uncovered several military uniforms and accoutrements. He also said the harmonisation of the camouflage for the military has helped in curbing cases of impersonation by fraudsters, who adorn the uniform to con unsuspecting members of the public.

CONFERENCE TO CHANGE LIVES

L-R: Artist, Pat Uwaje King; Founder, Revival Assembly, Apostle Anselm Madubuko; Rev. Sam Tukura; and Associate Pastor of the church, Pastor Sope Ilori, at the Revival Assembly press briefing on Azusa 14 conference in Lagos, yesterday...

SUNDAY ADIGUN

Treat Monarch’s Killers as Criminals, Says Sultan Seriki Adinoyi in Jos The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ád Abubakar III, has commiserated with the traditional council, the government and people of Plateau State on the murder of the Saf Ron Kulere, Lazarus Agai, describing the perpetrators as criminals who must be treated as such.

He has however criticised the way journalists reported the murder of the monarch in which they attributed his murder to herdsmen who people always believe to be Fulani men, noting that “whoever carried out the dastardly killing should be treated as criminals.”

The Sultan, who condemned the violent killing of Agai, whom he repeatedly referred to as “our brother,” was in Jos with some members of Northern traditional rulers committee on primary healthcare for a meeting.

Abubakar, who described Agai’s death as shocking, lamented that “the press just jumped into conclusion that he was killed by herdsmen without waiting for the police to investigate. Whoever did that is a criminal and he must be fished out and dealt with. That is why we should all resolve to come together, whenever a crime is committed by anybody, whoever that person is, let us

call him a criminal and we all come together and bring that person out and deal with him, no matter how big he thinks he is, no matter which tribe he belongs to, no matter which religion he professes.”

He said when people belt themselves up with explosives going to a crowd to kill people in the name of a religion, “we always condemn them that no, they are not representing that religion and these people are a very minute number or percentage Muslims or Christians or whatever it is anywhere.

The majority of us are peace – loving. Let us come together against those few elements that are very bad, whether they are herdsmen, whether they are miners, whether they are farmers, whether they are whatever, they should not take laws into their hands.

“We should come together and fish them out because they are within us and we know them. So, if you know somebody, let us bring him out.

Don’t hind him. That is where traditional institution comes in. That is why we have to sit down as traditional leaders, find ways and means and go back to those year’s where there was peace in our domains, when if any visitor came to town, no matter how late, by early hours of the morning, the traditional leader of the town

would know that there was a new face in town.”

Responding to Sultan’s address in his palace, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jocob Gyang Buba, also condoled with the people and government of the state and the deceased family.

On security, which he said should be everybody’s business,

he urged all to accept that “in one way or another, we have contributed to the present criminal decadence and the solution lies in our collective responsibility and engage in collaboration not only with the traditional leaders all over the country but with the security agencies and government accordingly.”

Man Arrested for Impregnating Teenage Daughter Chiemelie Ezeobi The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one suspected rapist, Kennedy Michael, for defiling and impregnating his 13-year-old daughter at the Maryland area of the state.

The suspect was said to have since 2013 consistently defiled his daughter at will, unknown to the family members, until she became pregnant.

THISDAY gathered that the victim was a loved child who had gone to live with his father and his new wife at No. 5 Kobe Street, Maryland, when her mother died.

When he discovered she was pregnant, he was forced to let his wife into his secret and they both conspired to take her for an abortion, an act that uncovered their secret

and brought in the police.

Confirming the incident, the state police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmos, said investigations by the police had revealed that Kennedy started having sexual intercourse with his daughter since 2013, until she got pregnant.

She said, “At the discovery of the pregnancy, the suspect and his wife, who happens to be the step mother of the victim quickly took her for abortion.

“The case is under investigation and all the accomplices including the nurse and the stepmother are undergoing interrogation while the victim is under protective custody.

“At the conclusion of investigation, the suspects will be charged to court and the victim rehabilitated.”

IG Visits DSS, Seeks Collaboration

In continuation of his visit to security agencies, the acting Inspector-General of Police (IG), Ibrahim Idris, has paid a working visit to the Director General, Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja. Speaking in the office of the Director General of DSS, Idris said the aim of the visit was to seek the cooperation and collaboration of the agency in tackling the security challenges facing the country. A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Don Awunah, said Idris also told the DSS boss that it was only through synergy with relevant security agencies that the country can overcome the current security challenges. The police boss therefore said it was necessary for the Nigeria Police under his watch to initiate this partnership drive, since the constitution of the country vests the security of lives and property in the Nigeria Police Force. Responding the Director General, DSS, Mr. Lawal Musa Daura, said he was grateful with the visit, assuring the IG that the DSS would give maximum support and cooperation to the drive of the IG in ensuring that the country overcomes the security challenges in the country. ack record in policing that span within Nigeria and abroad.

Police Smash Five-man Terror Gang in Anambra

The Anambra Special Anti-Robbery (SARS) yesterday paraded the corpses of a five-man robbery gang killed in a gun duel in Asaba, Delta State. The gang, including of a woman and four men is said to be notorious in armed robbery and car snatching in Anambra and parts of Delta State. According to Ali Okechukwu, the a spokesperson for the state police command, the robbers were gunned down along Nnebisi road in Asaba following a tip-off by the Delta State Police Command. Okechukwu, said the Delta State Police Command had arrested and handed over one of the suspects to the Anambra Special Anti-Robbery Squad earlier for interrogation. He said the kingpin, whom he described as the most wanted robber popularly called Obisma, on interrogation, confessed to a series of armed robbery and car snatching within and outside the state. Ali said the operatives were attacked by the gang members during which one of them identified as Chuma Anyichie and an unidentified female, were arrested with severe bullet injuries but died few minutes later at the scene. According to the spokesperson, three vehicles and several ammunition including AK47 raffle and magazines, 24 rounds of live ammunition, two locally made guns, five cartridges and charms were recovered from the gang.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

NFF Begins Fresh Scout for Foreign Technical Adviser for Eagles Gives Technical Committee one week to recommend a new coach for Nigeria Duro Ikhazuagbe Smarting from the embarrassment caused the country by Frenchman, Paul Le Guen, the Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday ordered its Technical Committee to recommend another top foreign coach to step into the vacant Super Eagles job within the next one week.

Le Guen snubbed the Eagles job because he was not willing to accept NFF’s conditions that include his coming to stay in Nigeria, accept back-up staff made up of indigenous coaches in addition to being given a target.

Rising from its meeting in Abuja yesterday, the executive committee of the NFF approved the appointment of Salisu Yusuf as Super Eagles chief coach, Bitrus Bewarang as technical director and Nduka Ugbade as Goden Eaglets assistant coach as recommended by the Chris Green led technical committee.

According to the communiqué of the meeting signed by Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, the search for a new technical adviser for the senior national team needs prompt action given the matches ahead for the Super Eagles in the road to the 2018 World Cup in Russia whose qualifiers begin in October.

“Executive Committee instructed the Technical and Development Sub–Committee to, within the next seven (7) days, recommend a candidate for the post of Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles,” read the communiqué in part.

“It noted that the refusal of Mr. Paul Le Guen, earlier recommended by the SubCommittee, to accept to be given targets as well as unwillingness to live in Nigeria, made his candidature unacceptable to the Board.

“Committee also disapproved of Mr. Le Guen’s desire to come to the job with two assistants, which would make Nigerian coaches redundant.

“The Committee noted that it was the desire to show transparency that made the Technical and Development Sub-Committee to make public its recommendation in the first place.”

The statement added: “The Committee further resolved that any candidate that would be so recommended by the Technical and Development Sub-Committee must have accepted to be handed targets and must also be willing to live in Nigeria.

“In addition, such a candidate must agree to undergo other internal evaluation.”

The Executive Committee also approved that henceforth, only the Head Coaches of the various national teams will be on monthly salary, while assistant coaches will receive only bonuses and allowances.

“The assistant coaches presently in the NFF’s employ have been given till the end of this year to secure substantive employment elsewhere, as the federation deals squarely with its financial constraints,” concludes the communiqué.

2016 NNPC Jnr Tennis: Osewa, Mcleod Are Star Performers National junior stars, Michael Osewa, Angel Mcleod and Fortune Aniso headlined some of the star performers at the ongoing 2016 NNPC Junior Tennis Championship at the National Stadium Lagos.

Osewa, who was scheduled to be in the ITF European Tour but could not attend due to the French Embassy’s refusal to issue him visa won three of his group matches.

He defeated Ezekiel Ekong of Lagos 9-2 in the boy’s 16&under while he also defeated Kazeem Fadipe 9-1 in the 18&under.

McLeod also showed class as she won all her preliminary matches to advance to the next round. She defeated Toyin Asogba 9-8 on Centre Court on yesterday in the girl’s 16&under.

There were also wins for Rivers State duo of Fortune Aniso and Timipre Maxwell. Aniso defeated Omolade Aderemi and Esther Olamide both from Ondo State 9-0, 9-0 to advance to the next stage in the girl’s U16 and Maxwell was equally ruthless with 9-0

bashings of Esther Marshall of Cross River and Ebere Igbokwe in the girl’s 14&under.

Marylove Edward was also impressive winning two of her three games in the preliminary round. Emmanuel Jebutu also looks good to progress by beating his Lagos teammate Wilson Igbinovia 9-4 and Fabian Joseph of Kaduna 9-6.

Christopher Bulus of Kaduna defeated Ahmed Adefilaka 9-2 but lost to Stephen Augustine 9-4 and needs to beat Promise Ekong to progress in the boy’s 18&under.

Daniel Adeleye of Ekiti also glowed brightly, winning all his four group matches in the boy’s 12&under.

The tournament which is featuring over 130 players from all states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory is organised by the International Tennis Academy run by Godwin Kienka and sponsored by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

MFM FC players at training at the Agege Stadium yesterday ahead of Saturday’s NPFL Match-day 28 clash with Kano Pillars

Burial Programme for Keshi Released Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba The remains of late former Super Eagles Captain and Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, are to be laid to rest in his hometown, Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State on July 29, 2016.

A member of the Keshi Burial Committee who is also Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Patrick Ukah, who revealed yesterday in Asaba that details of the burial arrangements had been made public, said the ceremonies shall hold between Thursday, July 28, and Sunday, July 31.

Ukah, said that the funeral for the late soccer icon would

kick off in Edo State on Thursday, July 28, 2016 with a Requiem Mass at Saint Paul’s Catholic Church, Airport Road, Benin-City, from 9:00 am. It is to be followed by Lying-in-State at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, also in Benin-City, at 11:00am.

“There will also be a novelty match by All Stars as well as a session of tributes in honour of the late soccer star at the stadium.

“The same day, his remains will depart Benin-City for Asaba, Delta State, from 1:15pm”, Ukah noted. On arrival, there will be lying in state ceremony at Stephen Keshi International Stadium, Indoor Hall, Asaba, from 3:15pm, followed by a novelty match by All Stars

and Tributes at Stephen Keshi International Stadium, Asaba, from 3:30pm,” Ukah stressed.

According to the obsequies released by the burial committee the Service of Songs/Vigil Mass will the same day hold at St John the Evangelist Catholic Church Illah at 6:00pm, On Friday, July 29, 2016 the body leaves Asaba for Illah by 7am, with a brief stopover at the Ogbelani Palace for traditional rites at 8:00am. The late Keshi was a traditional chief of Illah.

It is to be followed shortly afterwards by lying-in-state at his family home, Ukpologwu Quarters, Illah, from 8:30am.

Also on Friday, a Requiem Mass will take place at St John the Evangelist Catholic

Church, Illah, at 10:00am; followed by interment at his family compound, Ukpologwu Quarters, Illah, from 12:30pm while entertainment of guests is to follow at Omorka Primary School Playground from 12:30pm.

The burial ceremonies are expected to be rounded off at 10:00am on Sunday, July 31, with a Thanksgiving Mass at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Illah.

Meanwhile, activities towards a befitting funeral for the late Nigerian football hero have reached advanced stage with renovation work intensified at Keshi’s country-home at Illah.

Keshi died suddenly in BeninCity, Edo State, on June 8, 2016 aged 54 years.

La Liga President, Tebas, to Inaugurate Nigeria Office on Friday The Spanish League, La Liga will tomorrow, July 22, open an office in Nigeria as part of the implementation of the technical and commercial partnership recently signed with the League Management Company (LMC).

Chairman of LM, Shehu Dikko, disclosed yesterday in Abuja that the La Liga office in Nigeria is situated inside the LMC office in Maitama District and that the La Liga President, Javier Tebas,will be in Nigeria to personally inaugurate the office.

Dikko described the coming event as another major milestone in the partnership between the Nigeria Professional Football

League (NPFL) and LaLiga, coming on the heels of the NPFL All-Star LaLiga tour coming up in August.

“We are delighted that very early in the tenor of this partnership, a lot of positives are being yielded. This opening of the La Liga Office represents another landmark in the partnership and will facilitate effective collaboration between the two leagues,” remarked Dikko after inspecting the installation of equipment in the office.

Ahead the event, Antonio Baradas, the La Liga Africa Representative based in South

Africa is already in Nigeria working with the LMC for finer details of the event plan.

Baradas expressed satisfaction with the location of the office and also said, “I am impressed by the quality of materials used in equipping the office. It is a very conducive place for us to work on making the NPFLLaLiga partnership a success”.

LaLiga Foundation, a charity arm of the LaLiga recently announced a grant of 56,000 Euros and equipment to El-Kanemi FC to support the club in response to the insurgency that forced the club to play home league

fixtures in other cities for almost three seasons.

A squad of the NPFL best players selected into an AllStar team is already in camp preparatory to a tour of Spain where they will participate in the prestigious Carranza LaLiga World Club tourney and also in a friendly match against Valencia CF. Nigeria is the second African country after South Africa to have an office of a major European League and LaLiga President, Tebas was in India recently where he announced that a LaLiga office will be opened in that Asian country.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

TR

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Price: N250

MISSILE Oluremi Tinubu to Dino Melaye “I am both a ranking Senator and a woman. But Senator Melaye took neither into consideration as he issued threats of rape and assault, while boasting that he would face no consequence even if he fulfilled these criminal threats” – Senator Tinubu, in her letter to the ruling APC leadership, on the verbal and physical threats she received from Senator Dino Melaye on the Senate floor last week.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

Buhari and the Troubled Economy Please put me in your prayers…

I will soon be going for eye surgery…

The situation is getting out of hand…

For more than two months now…

Anytime I look inside my wallet…

I hardly see anything again.

— A distressed Nigerian

I

t was a business lunch by a group of investors who had eagerly been waiting for information about the business climate in Nigeria. But their guest, top official of a multinational banking and financial services company, who had spent a week in Lagos and Abuja before returning to the United Kingdom, was evidently in no hurry as she sipped her drink. After a while, she looked in the direction of one of the four men at the table and said, “If I say 1 and 2 is equal to 12 what will 2 and 3 be?” The man did not need to think twice before he responded: “The answer of course is 23.”

Shaking her head, the lady replied: “You are wrong, the answer is 5”. Before the obviously confused men in the room could react to such algebraic manipulation, the lady posed another question. “What if I join 3 and 7, what would that give me?”

This time, the man decided to hedge his bet: “The answer will either be 10 or 37”.

Smiling, the lady responded: “You are wrong again. The answer is 21.” And then she added the clincher: “That is the best way to describe what is going on within the Nigerian economy today where all the variables are up in the air. The only thing that is predictable now is the unpredictability.”

The foregoing conversation, which I learnt on good authority, took place about two weeks ago in a high-class London restaurant, tells a compelling story. But we need no foreigner to tell us how tough the season is since we live it every day; even though Nigerians may have learnt to laugh at their problems, as can be glimpsed from the “poem” with which I opened the page.

To be sure, President Muhammadu Buhari is not the cause of our woes, as most of the problems predated his administration.

However, some of the choices he has made (or refused to make) have compounded the situation while there are no visible signs in the horizon that things would get better any time soon. If anything, there are fears that things could actually get worse, unless he makes a course correction in his approach to serious issues of governance.

President Buhari was in Qatar in February this year, seeking investible funds. I understand the Qatari authorities requested that he quickly appoint the Nigerian ambassador to Qatar, someone with sufficient clout and authority to represent our country so that a productive conversation could begin. Five months after, such a simple task is yet to be accomplished. In fact, as at today, Nigeria has no ambassador to any country, not even to traditional allies like the United Kingdom or the United States.

Buhari More than a year after dissolving the statutory boards of regulatory institutions that are critical to the economy, they are yet to be reconstituted. From the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to the Bank of Industry (BOI) to the Nigeria Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) to the Nigerian Export promotion Council (NEPC) to the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Commission (NDIC) to the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) to the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) etc. there are no boards. Some of these institutions do not even have substantive Chief Executives. Against the background that barely 24 hours after she became the British Prime Minister last week, Mrs. Theresa May named her entire cabinet, you wonder why our leaders find it so difficult to do the little things that matter.

The office of the Chief Economic Adviser (which has a full complement of staff, including some with doctorate degrees) is still vacant apparently because Aso Rock does not need advice on economic matters. Meanwhile, the president makes pronouncements which suggest he dictates both monetary and fiscal policies from the Villa, leaving investors wondering about the independence of critical institutions like the CBN. If political considerations (including nostalgia about some imaginary past) rather than sound economic judgments determine policy direction, which rational investor would want to risk his/her money in such an economy?

Speaking at the Ramadan breaking of fast with members of the business community last month, the president condemned what he described as “the ruthless devaluation of naira,’’ saying that he was yet to be convinced about the justification for it. “I don’t like the returns I get from the CBN...In August 1985, the naira was N1.3k to a dollar, now you need N300 or N350 to a dollar. I’m neither an economist nor a businessman (but) I fail to appreciate the economic explanation” said the president who incidentally provided the answer to a question he claimed not to understand: “What has happened to us now

is that we have maneuvered ourselves into a mono-economy which led to the collapse we are seeing now.”

That, Mr. President, is precisely the point.

The wrong choices we have made over the years landed us in this position but what we need right now are solutions to problems that are already getting out of hand. On Monday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) categorised the North-eastern part of our country as severely food insecure. “This is about as bad as it gets. There’s only one step worse and I’ve not come across that situation in 20 years of doing this work and that’s a famine. We have to step in and quickly or we are going to have hundreds of thousands at risk of dying in the north-east of Nigeria” said Toby Lanzer, UN assistant secretary general and OCHA’s regional humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel.

Unfortunately, this challenge is not restricted to the North-east since hunger has become a national staple across the country s confirmed yesterday by the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Chief Audu Ogbeh. And while the Buhari administration should be commended for its social intervention initiative, it is also obvious that we need a more robust agenda to reposition the economy away from oil. For instance, in the ranking of states by the 2015 Internally Generated Revenues compared to the total receivables from the Federation Account Allocation between June 2015 and May 2016 done by the Economic Confidential, only three states (Lagos, Rivers and Ogun) internally generated above 50 percent of what they received from Abuja.

This is an emergency situation that will take more than some occasional financial bail-outs to manage. It is a situation that requires the president providing a national platform for discussing the way out in a more sustainable manner at a period inflation is soaring while businesses are either closing down or sacking workers. So bleak is the outlook that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which in April, just three months ago, predicted a 2.3 per cent expansion in the Nigerian economy, on Tuesday slashed its growth forecast, saying the combination of plunging oil revenue and weakened investor confidence would most likely push it into recession. The IMF now expects the economy to contract by 1.8 per cent this year. But what is the response from the administration?

At a most delicate period when there is an overflow of issues that require legislative input, the presidency and the National Assembly are merely tolerating one another. More depressing is the news that our lawmakers have just voted for themselves a two-month holiday at a time of national economic crisis. But what do you expect when the only notable contribution of some of our “distinguished” Senators is that a female colleague has reached “menopause”?

Perhaps we should not be too hard on the lawmakers since the executive has not come

up with any legislative initiative that requires their urgent attention. “I have, at least on three different occasions publicly requested the executive to, as a matter of urgency, send an executive bill on its intended reforms in the petroleum sector. We had hoped to avoid the situation in the past two assemblies (6th and 7th) where the PIB was sent to the National Assembly very late thereby guaranteeing failure to pass the bill” said the House of Representatives’ Speaker, Hon Yakubu Dogara, on Monday as he lamented a lack of urgency by the presidency in reforming the oil and gas sector.

While no objective person will blame President Buhari alone for the economic challenge we face today as a nation, many Nigerians nonetheless believe things do not have to remain the way they are. According to Dr. Aminu Usman, a lecturer in the Department of Economics, Kaduna State University, “the government can do better by coming up with clearly defined policies for each sector of the economy and move from wish list to the actual work of getting things done.” On a lighter mood, a friend suggested yesterday that, against the background of the current controversy in the Senate, the economy may also be going through the difficulty of being “impregnated” with fresh ideas!

With high incidence of unemployment, aging public infrastructure and a near-useless power sector that generates (for officials) only megawatts of excuses at a period the Niger Delta Avengers are daily wreaking havoc on oil and gas installations, there are three major issues begging for attention: Significant revenue shortfall from practically all sources; potential credit crisis because AMCON is already over leveraged and a seemingly intractable foreign exchange crisis that has shaken market confidence. To address these fundamental problems, it stands to reason that we need a serious economic management team but President Buhari still does not see any need for that.

Sadly, after a year spent blaming others, we are yet to see the economic direction of the Buhari administration or the policies and ideas that can possibly justify the endless aspersions on the past. Yet, whether his handlers realize it or not, this presidency will be judged not by how bad a leader Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was but by how much of a better leader he (Buhari) ends up to be.

In a four year presidential term, the first year is perhaps the maximum time allowed an incumbent to heap all blames on his predecessors. After that, he must take responsibility. Therefore, President Buhari can only imprint his legacy either in terms of his firm handling of the contemporary economic challenges or through the efficiency of the machinery of government he puts in place. As things stand today, a president who came to office with overwhelming public support may have worsened the problems he inherited, leaving the economy on the brink of recession.

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