Friday 22nd July 2016

Buhari Confirms FG in Talks with N’Delta Militants

Leave now, Avengers warns oil workers 2016 budget impacted by renewed attacks, warns NNPC

Tobi Soniyi, Senator Iroegbu, Chineme Okafor in Abuja and Sylvester Idowu in Warri

President Muhammadu Buhari

has finally confirmed that his administration is in talks with Niger Delta militants with the help of oil companies and law-enforcement agencies to find a lasting solution to

the insecurity in the region.

But as he said this, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group that has claimed responsibility for the recent wave of attacks on oil assets

in the region, issued another threat to oil workers, asking all of them to vacate the oil fields and terminals because it was ready to wage a dirty war.

A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the president’s media aide, Mr Garba Shehu, said Buhari spoke of the government’s engagement with the militants in the oil-

rich region when he met with the outgoing Ambassador to Germany, Mr. Michael Zinner, at the State House.

Shehu also quoted the

Continued on page 8

Sex Scandal: No Concrete Evidence Against Lawmakers, Says Foreign Minister... Page 10 Friday 22 July, 2016 Vol 21. No 7756. Price: N250

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CBN to Fund $697m Forward Contracts Today, Naira Pressure to Ease Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will today fund the onemonth forward contracts of $697 million on the interbank FX market, effectively improving dollar liquidity in

the market, as the accounts of customers that hedged against the dollar through their banks last month will get their accounts credited.

Sources in the CBN confirmed that there would be improved availability of dollars

today, thus easing pressure on the naira which fell to its lowest level yesterday since the guidelines were revised last month for trading on the interbank FX market. The naira closed at N310.43 to a dollar yesterday, compared to

N294.24 to a dollar from the day before.

Financial market dealers attributed the development to scarcity of FX since the CBN decided to stop its intervention and all the currency to be truly market-determined.

But on the parallel market, the naira did not budge, as it remained unchanged at N375 to a dollar yesterday.

Bank customers who bought the forward contracts will be expected to make a gain of more than N20 to the dollar,

given that at the time the bids for the forwards were made a month ago, the naira exchanged for about 282 to the dollar.

On the first day of trading Continued on page 9

FG: Economy is in Recession, Will Turn the Corner by Sept Calls IMF’s forecast a ruse, to start foreign borrowings this quarter Savings in ECA rise to $3.93bn as FG, states share N559.032bn

Tobi Soniyi, Omololu and Ogunmade in Abuja It is now official, the Nigerian economy, which overtook South Africa to emerge as the largest in Africa in 2014, is now in recession, the federal government finally declared yesterday.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who made this disclosure while briefing the Senate yesterday on the state of the nation’s economy, was however emphatic that the recession was technical and would be

short-lived.

Buttressing the point, her counterpart in the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who briefed State House correspondents after the 69th meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), said the economy was “technically in recession”, adding however that it would start to grow by the end of the third quarter of 2016.

The recession, notwithstanding, Adeosun was Continued on page 8

Saraki Reshuffles C'ttees, Abdulmumim Calls for Dogara's ‘NO MORE FRIVOLOUS SPENDING, WE’RE IN RECESSION,’ VEEPEE TELLS GOVERNORS R-L: Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Ogun State Governor, Mr. Ibikunle Amosun; and Anambra State Governor, Mr. Willy Obiano, Resignation... Page 11 & Page 47 during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja... yesterday state house

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FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

PAGE EIGHT BUHARI CONFIRMS FG IN TALKS WITH N’DELTA MILITANTS president as saying that government was studying the instruments of the Amnesty Programme inherited from the previous administration with a view to implementing the commitments made, but remained undelivered.

Buhari assured his guest: “We understand their feelings. We are studying the instruments. We have to secure the environment, otherwise investment will not come.

We will do our best for the country.”

The president used the opportunity to thank the government of Germany for its continuing support to Nigeria in the efforts to tackle insecurity and the on-going rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced citizens in crisis areas in the North-eastern parts of the country.

The president also thanked Nigeria’s neighbours for their firm and unflinching support in the war against terror.

The German ambassador said that bilateral relations between Nigeria and Germany had improved considerably in the last 12 months of this administration.

He expressed the readiness of Germany to assist Nigeria in the rehabilitation process in the North-east to help displaced persons return to their villages.

He also expressed the eagerness of German businesses to invest in the country, now that “conditions for investment have been put in place”.

The German ambassador reiterated the standing invitation of Chancellor Angela Merkel to President Buhari to visit Germany.

‘Leave the Niger Delta’ But as Buhari assured the ambassador of peace talks in the oil region, the Avengers issued another threat to oil workers, asking all of them to vacate the oil fields and terminals because it was ready to “fight dirty”.

The militant group, in a statement by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, yesterday morning, specifically warned the two major oil workers’ unions in the country – the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum

and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) – and foreign oil company workers to leave the oil fields and terminals because “it will soon be very dirty”.

“We are warning NUPENG and PENGASSAN to leave all the oil field and terminals in the Niger Delta because it will be dirty very soon. Foreigners are to leave too,” it warned.

The Avengers, which reacted angrily to the claim by the Nigerian Navy that its logisitics supplier had been arrested, described it as the biggest joker of the 21st century, boasting that all its members were intact.

It upbraided the navy as having lost all sense of professionalism by claiming that every suspect arrested is a member of the NDA. “As it is now any Tom, Dick and Harry is a suspect of the Niger Delta Avengers.

Nigerian Navy has lost all sense of professionalism.

“The Nigeria military arrested school students in Oporoza and called them the Niger Delta Avengers, any criminal caught is NDA, even their business partners (illegal oil bunkerers) with whom things went sour, are NDA, sea pirates are now NDA,” it said.

The group also lambasted the military for always denying any of its successful attacks on oil pipelines, only for it to go after criminals and parade them as its members that breached such facilities.

“When Niger Delta Avengers carries out any major attack they (Nigeria military) will deny it.

“First was the NNPC pipeline that was blown, second the 48-inch ExxonMobil pipeline that was blown by NDA. Mobil and the government denied it, only for ExxonMobil to declare force majeure a few days after the attack,” it stated.

The militant group maintained that the Qua Iboe export pipeline operated by ExxonMobil which was blasted two weeks ago remained nonoperational.

“Let me give a little brief about the Qua Iboe Export terminal. This is a subsidiary of Mobil and it is the biggest export stream in Nigeria. They export one million barrel every two days.

“I Brig. Gen Agbinibo personally led this operation.

Unlike the Nigerian Chief of

Naval Staff that sits in the comfort of his office to pass orders,” the statement added.

The Avengers advised the military to stop deceiving the public and its commander-inchief and be truthful over the Akwa Ibom blast instead of claiming that its operatives did not blow up the pipeline, “but called it a system anomaly”.

“Shame on the Nigeria military. Reports from our intelligence agent, the only way funds can be allocated to various department of the military is only when they arrest the Niger Delta Avengers operatives.

“But soonest, the Nigerian public and their commander-inchief will know that the military is not capable of handling the Niger Delta Avengers.

“How do you explain a military officer having a house in choice areas in Nigeria and outside the country?

“Nigeria’s serving and retired top officers are the richest people in Nigeria. How do they get such wealth? Right now, they are using Niger Delta Avengers to defraud the Nigerina government and tax payers of their money.

“We want to make this clear, all Niger Delta Avengers operatives are intact, our intelligence agencies are all intact and our operative teams are in high spirit because we are winning the war.

“The Nigeria Navy can’t arrest any of our operatives until we bring down the economy of this country,” it boasted.

Tompolo’s Aide Confesses But as the Avengers boasted about its invincibility, a startling revelation was made yesterday, when one of the suspected members of the notorious group admitted that he had been ferrying explosives for ex-militant leader and fugitive of the law, Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.

The suspect, Felix Ebiaedor, said to be an Avengers’ supplier, was paraded yesterday in Warri, Delta State, along with five others apprehended for pipeline vandalism by the Nigerian Navy after their arrest recently. One of the suspects was alleged to have killed a naval personnel and a Nigerian

Navy impersonator.

Ebiaedor said he was merely transporting the explosives-making materials to Tompolo’s guest house in Oporoza, Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta State for some persons when he was arrested.

Ebiaedor was arrested along with Prince David Oyafogha, said to be an Avengers’ mechanic while another suspected kidnapper was identified as Ebiye Ozano.

Ebiaedor, who was reportedly arrested with materials used for making explosives such as batteries and cables, said he had been doing this since January.

“The cables and the batteries are usually brought down to the waterside by Akpos, Rowland and Godbless, and whenever they bring them like that they charter the boat and Stanley is the name of the driver.

They started early this year, in January.

“Whenever they bring it, we have a driver that takes them down to Oporoza, to the guest house. The guest house belongs to the ex-militant leader, Tompolo,” Ebiaedor revealed.

The new Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, Commodore Joseph Dzunve, who paraded the suspects, also told journalists that his command had destroyed five illegal oil refining sites in the last two weeks.

Giving details of the involvement of each of the suspects, Dzunve said the suspects were arrested during different operations.

Speaking on the suspected militants, he said they were apprehended with incriminating evidence on them.

“One of the militants was arrested about a week ago. He’s suspected to have taken part in the murder of a naval rating sometime earlier this year. He’s also involved in the kidnapping of citizens for ransom.

“The others are buyers of some of these illegal refined products. They were caught when we went for an operation last week. They are also suspected members of the Niger Delta Avengers.

“Felix Ebiaedor is a supplier of equipment they use for the bombing of pipelines, while the other one is the mechanic who repairs their boats which they use in conveying the materials whenever they have problems,”

he explained.

Dzunve said further investigations, when handed to the prosecuting authorities, would reveal the extent to which they took part in the criminal activities.

Adeosun, however, evaded questions on the amount left as reserves by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Instead, she said as the Minister of Finance, she inherited negative reserves.

Submitting that there was a joint venture cash call debt of $5 billion that are outstanding to international oil companies, Adeosun, however, said the federal government had released N248 billion for capital projects provided in the 2016 budget as part of efforts to get the economy going.

She added that contractors being owed by the government had been paid N107 billion out of the outstanding N390 billion they were owed since 2012.

She also disclosed that N74 billion had so far been released for road construction to the Power, Works and Housing Ministry from the 2016 budget compared to the N19 billion released for the purpose last year.

She also said N21.6 billion had been released to the Ministry of Agriculture as against the N4.2 billion the ministry got in 2015, adding that another N22 billion had been released to the Ministry

of Transport.

She also said the figure for salary payments had been reduced from N165 billion to N159 billion owing to the effort of the government to reduce recurrent expenditure.

She said: “I think at a time like this, blaming who was responsible doesn’t actually take us anywhere, but I will tell you what I inherited. I inherited very little by way of reserves.

“I inherited significant debts, contractor debts, cash calls of $5 billion outstanding to oil companies. I mentioned the cash calls of $5 billion outstanding to the oil companies. I equally mentioned the fact that many of the contractors, even though we have paid them N107 billion, find it very difficult to work because they are owed and some of them have not been paid since 2012.

“Their claims were over N390 billion. So I didn't inherit reserves that were positive. I inherited reserves that tend to be more negative than positive, but the economy is actually now in very good hands and we are doing absolutely our best to get through this difficult period and I explained how

NNPC Bemoans Impact of Militancy Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has admitted that Nigeria’s 2016 budgetary projections had been grossly impacted by renewed militancy in the Niger Delta.

The state-owned oil firm also said pipeline vandalism in the region had led to the curtailment of about 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

NNPC’s Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, disclosed this to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), MajorGeneral Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin, yesterday when he met with the defence chief in Abuja.

He told the CDS that the country’s power sector was equally impacted by the heightened militancy in the oil region, and that from January to May this year, an equivalent of 1,447 incidents had been recorded in the country, resulting to a loss of the equivalent of 109 million litres of petroleum products and the equivalent of 560,000 barrels of crude oil to the nation’s refineries in Warri, Port Harcourt, and Kaduna.

“CDS sir, as you may be aware, Nigeria's energy supply security is underpinned by a robust network of over 8,000kms of pipeline assets used in the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas.

“These critical national assets have become the subject of incessant vandalism, theft and sabotage. The CDS is invited to please note that the 2016 national budget plan was based on 2.2 million bpd of crude oil production.

“However, the budget plan is now grossly impacted due to renewed militancy, with about 700,000bpd of oil production curtailed due to pipeline vandalism,” Baru said.

He added: “Domestic natural gas supply to power is equally impacted with an estimated

drop of about 50 per cent from 1400mmscfd to barely below 700mmscfd resulting in significant power outage exposure of between 2,500MW to 3,000MW as a result of direct and indirect impact.”

He said petroleum products supply and distribution pipelines had also suffered huge product losses with the attendant cost of repairs and loss of revenue.

According to him, “For example, over 3,000 vandalism incidents were recorded every year from 2010-2015. In 2015 alone, pipeline losses of PMS volume of over 643 million litres valued at over N51.28 billion was incurred.”

He noted that along with this menace was the incessant case of kidnapping of personnel and piracy in the corporation’s areas of operations.

“Other impacts of these despicable acts include loss of lives, high cost of operations, refinery shutdowns, fuel crisis and large scale environmental degradation, and the attendant cost of oil spill clear-ups,” he added.

He said under his watch as GMD, the corporation would commit to collaborating with the CDS and other government security agencies to emplace lasting solutions to eliminate the hemorrhage of losses, revenue deferments and energy security threats.

According to him, “I will work to strengthen our collaboration with the CDS and other government security agencies in securing and safeguarding oil and gas assets.”

He requested that the CDS facilitate and sustain personnel deployment to NNPC’s critical operational facilities when required, provide support to its corporate and strategic business units that require security presence to operate, and provide support for the corporation’s re-entry into the Lake Chad Basin and Benue trough for resumption of exploration and drilling activities.

“As part of current NNPC management agenda, an internal Security Advisory Council (SAC) is proposed for establishment to principally renew our strategies and the security architecture and to regularly provide crucial inputs to the national security team,” Baru explained.

FG: ECONOMY IS IN RECESSION, WILL TURN THE CORNER BY SEPT confident that Nigeria would come out stronger in view of the policies and programmes that the government had put in place to address the downturn.

She also confirmed that fuel subsidies had been totally eliminated, adding that the petroleum products in the country were now marketdriven, as the subsidy removal by the government had paved the way for healthy competition among oil marketers.

“Is Nigeria in recession?

Technically, if you go into two quarters of negative growth.

Technically, we are in recession but I don’t think we should dwell on definitions. I think we should really dwell on where we are going.

“I think if we are in a recession, what I will like to say is we are going to come out of it and it will be a very short one because the policies that we have will ensure that we don’t go below where we need to go and I think with what we are doing, we will begin to turn the corner by the third quarter.

“I can confirm there is no more subsidy. It is a market-

driven price and indeed, one of the good things that we are now seeing is that prices have actually been coming down.

“There is now competition between filling stations for market share which is a good thing, which means overtime, the market will continue to correct itself,” she said.

Adeosun also disclosed that Nigerians, before the removal of the subsidy, consumed 45 million litres of petrol a day, but consumption has now dropped to 26 million litres a day, a situation she said had provided the platform for the government to make reasonable savings.

“If you look at what is happening in the petroleum sector before the subsidy removal, we were subsidising around 45 million litres of fuel a day.

“Now, without subsidy, usage has dropped to 26 million litres.

So what does that tell you? All the smuggling that was going out of the country based on the subsidy that we were providing has stopped. Those are real savings to the economy which we are now redirecting into essential infrastructure that will get this economy going,”

she explained.

The minister also told the senators to ignore the recent projections from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the Nigerian economy would be vulnerable to global shocks.

According to her, IMF projections were not necessarily in tandem with reality, insisting that she remained confident in the potential of the Nigerian economy to weather the current economic crisis.

“I am not too worried about IMF projections. I will tell you why: The IMF, one of its functions is global economic surveillance. They equally issued a negative report on Britain as a result of Brexit.

“But I don’t think we should panic every time IMF speaks. I think we need to be confident about what we are doing and where we are going. I remain extremely confident as I said.

“IMF has given its projections which is that we may continue to go into negative territory and I am not sure what we have seen suggests that.

“Agricultural output seems to be going up... That tells you that things are moving in the right direction,” she said.

we are doing that.

“We have been extremely disciplined around our spending.

We are investing in essential infrastructure. I gave the matrix we have released: N74 billion to works in two months, compared Continued on page 9

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

NEWS

A’Court Gives Nod to Muslim Students to Wear Hijab in Lagos Schools Davidson Iriekpen A special constituted panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos yesterday gave approval to Muslim students to wear the hijab (veil for women) with their school uniforms.

In a unanimous decision, the court set aside the judgment of a Lagos High Court which banned students in public primary and secondary schools in the state from putting on the hijab with their school uniforms.

A special panel of the court presided over by Justice A.B. Gumel held that the appeal was meritorious and should be allowed.

In his lead judgment, Justice Gumel held that the use of the hijab was an Islamic injunction and also an act of worship hence it would constitute a violation

of the appellants’ rights to stop them from wearing the hijab in public schools.

Resolving all the five issues raised in favour of the appellants, the appellate court held that the lower court erred in law when it held that the ban on hijabs was a policy of the Lagos State Government (respondent).

The court noted that no circular was presented before the lower court to show that it was a policy of Lagos State, adding that “he who asserts must prove”.

The court further held that if there was a policy, such policy ought to have emanated from the state House of Assembly and not the executive arm of government.

Consequently, the court held that the fundamental human

rights of female Muslim students as enshrined in Section 38(1) of the 1999 Constitution was violated by the respondent.

It dismissed the argument of the Lagos State Government that it made exception by allowing female Muslim students to wear hijabs during prayers.

Other justices in the five-man panel were Justice M. Fasanmi, Justice A. Jauro, Justice J.S. Ikyegh and Justice I. Jombo Ofor.

Justice Modupe Onyeabor of an Ikeja High Court had on October 17, 2014, dismissed the suit instituted against the Lagos State Government by two 12-year-old girls under the aegis of the MSSN, Lagos State Area Unit.

Dissatisfied, the appellants urged the appellate court to set aside the judgment and protect

their constitutional rights.

The government had banned the use of the hijab, arguing that it was not part of the approved school uniform for pupils.

Following the ban, the students filed the suit on May 27, 2015, seeking redress and asked the court to declare the ban as a violation of their rights to freedom of thought, religion and education.

In her judgment, Onyeabor held that the prohibition of the wearing of hijabs over school uniforms within and outside the premises of public schools was not discriminatory.

According to her, the ban did not violate Sections 38 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution as claimed by the plaintiffs.

She held that the use of uniforms engenders uniformity and encourages students to

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode pursue their mutual academic aspirations without recourse to religious or any other affiliations.

The judge observed that

the uniformity sought by the government in the issuance of the dress code would be destroyed should the prayers of the plaintiffs be granted.

said.

Also at the briefing were the governors of Taraba and Niger States, Darius Ishaku and Abubakar Sani Bello, respectively.

The Taraba governor said the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, briefed the council on the upstream joint venture cash calls and proposed a new funding arrangement known as Incorporated Joint Ventures (IJVs) that would entail the corporatisation of the existing joint ventures, as envisaged in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), and allowing them to raise capital for their operations from commercial sources.

The governor said Kachikwu listed the benefits of the self-funded IJVs to include improvement in accountability within the governing structure of the JVs; a self-funding entities outside the otherwise cumbersome government budget processes; less political interference given that operational control rests with the joint teams; and ultimately IJV entities when formed.

Ishaku further revealed that the Minister of Finance Adeosun reported to the council that the balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) as at July 20, 2016 stood at $3.93 billion, up from $2.259 last May. He also said the minister gave an update on the Budget Support Facility for the states.

He said 35 states applied for the facility, of which 28 states met the criterial, while seven states sent their documentation late which was being processed.

The council also discussed specific steps and actions to be taken by both the federal and the state governments to intensify focus on diversifying the Nigerian economy, especially through agriculture.

The council welcomed the new agricultural policy endorsed last Wednesday by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The Niger State governor said the agriculture minister, Chief Audu Ogbeh, presented the plan to NEC and received an enthusiastic response from the state governors.

Meanwhile, disbursements to the three tiers of government from

the federation account showed a perceptible improvement yesterday, when the federal, state and local governments shared N559.032 billion for the month of June.

Acknowledging the significant increase yesterday, the state governments said this would assist them to pay the outstanding salaries of workers and meet other financial obligations.

The federal, state and local governments shared N305.128 billion for May 2016 and N281.5 billion in April.

Adeosun, who was visibly elated after the meeting, told reporters at the end of the monthly FAAC meeting in Abuja that the appreciation in the amount shared for June came in spite of the current economic downturn.

A breakdown of the disbursements showed that from statutory allocation, the federal government got N199.754 billion, state governments N101.318 billion, local governments N78.112 billion and N17.124 billion was given to the oil producing states as 13% mineral revenue derivation.

From value added tax (VAT) receipts, the federal government got N9.706 billion, states N32.353 billion and local governments N22.647 billion.

Adeosun attributed the increase in what was shared to improved collection by the FIRS and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The improved performance from non-oil revenue generating sources, the minister said, showed that some of the reforms in revenue collection were beginning to work.

On the economy, Adeosun reiterated her earlier remarks to the Senate that the country was technically in recession but assured Nigerians that there was no cause for alarm as “the fundamentals remain strong, especially if we can be disciplined on what we spend money on”.

“If we stick to the reforms, things will improve,” she said.

Adeosun also restated that N247.9 billion had so far been disbursed from the 2016 budget with an additional N60 billion to be disbursed this week.

The finance minister also disclosed that the government was looking for ways to raise money to fund the next batch of budgetary releases.

customised contract between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a specified price on a future date. A forward contract can be used for

hedging or speculation, although its non-standardised nature makes it particularly apt for hedging against price movements.

FG: ECONOMY IS IN RECESSION, WILL TURN THE CORNER BY SEPT to N19 billion for the whole of last year.

“We are doing everything possible to avert and to manage the situation which we didn’t create unfortunately, but which we inherited and we as a nation, we must all get out of.”

On borrowings, she said the government had been borrowing to finance the 2016 budget deficit largely from the domestic market because it needs to resolve the exchange rate problem first before it could proceed to borrow from the international market.

According to her, the government would begin to engage in international borrowings in the third quarter, saying she was confident that the economy would record at least 60 per cent performance based on projections, adding: “I think that our revenues will be better if the economy sustains its trajectory.”

On the exchange rate, Adeosun said whereas the exchange rate was predicated on N197 to $1 in the 2016 budget, the current official rate was now N280 to $1, explaining that the impact of the difference would only reflect on revenues.

“What will simply happen is that the revenues in nominal terms will increase and that will flow through into the revenue performance. What will happen is that the amount of the deficit will go down because the government will convert dollars to naira and will get more naira in nominal terms,” she explained.

She also disclosed that N15 billion of the budget for social interventions had been released for capital expenditure “and we put in N5 billion this month for recurrent and so that will continue to increase as they roll out the implementation of things like the agriculture extension workers’ scheme, and the other job creation initiatives”.

Adeosun also told the senators that it was untrue that the federal government would not implement the N60 billion constituency projects in 2016 budget. She said everything in the Appropriation Act was meant for implementation.

The Senate had summoned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, last week over his comment that constituency projects in the budget would not be implemented owing to the

drop in oil earning arising from militancy in the Niger Delta.

Lawal restated the claim when he appeared before the Joint Senate Committee on Ethics, Finance and Appropriation, saying the federal government lacked the resources to implement the projects.

Continuing, Adeosun assured her audience that all of the government’s plans to reposition the economy, in spite of the drop in oil prices and other challenges, were consistent with the promises made at the inception of the administration.

While admitting that Nigerians were going through a painful adjustment, she reassured the public that the federal government was on the right track and no money was being wasted.

“Much of our revenue will come in quarter three of the year. For example, most companies’ end their year in December. So it is from September they will begin to pay their taxes.

“I am very confident that we will do very well, at least we will do over 60 per cent based on our projections, but I think our revenue will be better if the economy sustains its trajectory.

“In our releases, we have tried to prioritise capital projects. For instance, the works ministry needs to have its money during the dry season because during the rainy season work stops.

“In terms of agriculture, we are focused on providing low-cost farms to support agriculture. There is zero per cent duty on importation of mechanised farm equipment.

“For infrastructure, we are revisiting the public-private partnership (PPP) project arrangements that have failed and trying to see where we can resolve them.

“This is important because no matter how much government spends, it is not enough to bridge the infrastructure gap, therefore we need private money.

“One of the reasons why the impact has been fairly limited is the issue of arrears. We inherited significant contractual arrears. Though we have paid contractors, they are finding it very difficult to return to sites, but we are addressing those through the Debt Management Office,” she said.

On social intervention

projects, the minister said that N14 billion had been released for the recruitment of teachers and the school feeding programme, among others.

Adeosun, who stressed that Nigeria remained the largest economy in Africa, expressed optimism that the economy would make significant improvement.

ECA Rises to $3.93bn Also at the briefing after the NEC meeting yesterday, the Minister of Budget and National Planning also allayed federal workers’ fear over the ability of the government to pay their salaries following the admission by the government that economy was in recession.

Udoma, who briefed reporters in the State House, Abuja, said there was no risk to the ability of the federal government to pay workers’ salaries.

He said: “We have paid all salaries, the federal government has always paid its salaries, and there is no risk whatsoever that there is going to be a situation where government will not pay salaries.”

Udoma, who also confirmed that Nigeria was technically in recession, however, assured Nigerians that the economy would start to grow by the end of the third quarter.

He said the year had been very tough, adding that even though government expected the fall in oil prices to affect the economy, it did not anticipate the setback that would be caused by the Niger Delta militants.

He said: “A recession is basically when you have two quarters of negative growth. We had a first quarter of negative growth and we are still waiting to get all the figures for the second quarter which has just ended in June.

“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) will be giving us all the figures, but since we suspect the second quarter is also negative, then of course technically you could say that we are in a recession if those figures turn out to be so.

“But even if we are not, the situation in the economy right now is one that of course we are addressing. Some of it was expected, some of it was not.

“We did anticipated low oil prices, but we did not expect the level of disruption that we

got in the Niger Delta, such that oil production went down and we are not likely to achieve the 2.2 million barrel per day in the budget, because it went down to 1.2 million barrel per day, a little over about 1.3 million barrel per day.

“So you can imagine the impact of that, so measures are being taken to address those issues. We expect that by the third quarter we will start to pick up and we expect to finish the year in positive territory; that is what we are expecting. We expect to be marginally positive by the end of this year.

“But by next year, we will continue to pick up and we will record better growth next year.”

The minister admitted that this year had been difficult, but government was focusing on the non-oil sector such as agriculture, solid mineral and manufacturing to plug the gap caused by dwindling oil receipts.

“So basically, we see what we are going through as an opportunity in some ways to finally move away from total dependence on the single commodity, crude oil.

“We believe that Nigerians has the capacity to turn this thing around, and it’s the private sector that is going to do it. Our role as a government is to provide the enabling environment. For that to happen, we are confident that that will happen,” he said.

The minister also disclosed that the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) would meet very soon (it met yesterday), assuring Nigerians that there would be an increase in the amount that would be available for sharing.

“Let me also say that we are about to have FAAC meeting.

There is actually an increase in the amount that is going to be available from the Federation Account, and I will let the Minister of Finance talk about the exact amount.

“There is an increase because our tax collection is going up.

When I appeared before the Senate last week, I did inform Nigerians that indeed we are beginning to move up – our revenue situation is actually improving monthly already from internal sources.

“Our tax collection is already improving, there is no doubt that we are actually going through a difficult time but things are improving,” Udoma

N559.032bn Shared for June

CBN TO FUND $697M FORWARD CONTRACTS TODAY, NAIRA PRESSURE TO EASE under the revised rules for the interbank market on June 20, the CBN had intervened in the market through the Special Secondary Market

Intervention Sales (SMIS) to clear the backlog of $4.02 billion pent-up demand for FX.

According to the CBN, it sold $532 million on the spot

market and $3.487 billion in the forwards market.

A breakdown of the $3.487 billion forward sales by the central bank showed that $697

million was for one month (1M), $1.22 billion for two months (2M) and $1.57 billion for three months (3M).

A forward contract is a

10

FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

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

Sex Scandal: No Concrete Evidence against Lawmakers, Says Foreign Minister Reveals details of meeting with Entwistle as envoy shuns house c’ttee Accused lawmakers plan legal action

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja In a fresh twist in the sexual misconduct allegations against three members of the House of Representatives by the formerUnited States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, has disclosed that there is no concrete evidence against the lawmakers to prove the allegations.

He said this as part of the details of his interaction with Entwistle over the allegations where Hon. Mark Gbillah, Hon. Samuel Ikon and Hon. Garba Gololo were accused of sexual solicitation while on a trip to the Cleveland in Ohio, US, for the International Visitors Leadership Programme. Entwistle however did not appear alongside the minister at the hearing.

Due to diplomatic immunity, he cannot be mandated to appear before the committee, as he is shielded from all prosecutions while in a host country.

Speaking yesterday before the joint House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, and Foreign Relations, Onyeama said Entwistle did not provide any evidence that would prove the allegations.

He added that he summoned the outgoing envoy when the story broke, and was told that the issues were just allegations.

“He (ambassador) told me that these were allegations and nothing more, that as far as they were concerned, the matter was closed. Entwistle stated that the allegations did not indicate a position that the ambassador had already passed a judgment or the US government,” Onyeama said.

The envoy, he said, simply wanted to bring the matter to Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s attention to inform him that such allegations were made against his members, and that the petition was not an indication that the

US government regarded the men as guilty.

“When I asked him about the evidence that emboldened them to arrive at the type of conclusions in the letter, the ambassador stressed that it was factual that there were allegations, but that he was not passing any judgment. I said who made the allegations? He said a hotel maid or cleaner, who said Garba Gololo made inappropriate request and approached her in the hotel. But, he now made it clear that the housekeeper would not testify; that she does not want to testify,” Onyeama said.

The minister continued: “I was surprised that the person who made such a serious allegation was not willing to testify. For the parking lot attendants, the ambassador said they identified the lawmakers in photographs.

I replied that there is clearly a possibility of legal proceedings for defamation because I thought there was stronger evidence.

“Again, he apologised that his only point of writing Dogara was to pass information about those allegations.”

Onyeama however noted that Entwistle did not accept the blame for the leakage of the letter to Dogara, which he described as confidential to the press.

Entwistle however apologised for not writing the Speaker through the appropriate channel required by diplomatic conventions-that is through the Foreign Ministry-Onyeama disclosed.

The minister, however, noted that the House did not intimate the ministry about the International Visitors Leadership Programme invitation to its members, which ought to have been channeled through the ministry. “…Besides, for a governmentto-government arrangement, the normal procedure was for the embassy to come through the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Of course, there are no sanctions for such behaviour,” he said.

Following queries by the committee on why the visas of the three lawmakers were revoked, if there were no concrete evidences against them, Onyeama relayed Entwistle’s position that visa approval was at the discretion of the US embassy.

The option available for the accused lawmakers is to sue for defamation of character, Onyeama added.

“The letter (to Dogara) to me was not conclusive of any guilt and I am surprised that the housekeeper would not testify.

In my opinion, there may be need for legal proceedings for defamation…I see this case as reminding your members not to put themselves in a position that could deny Nigerians

participation in such programmes in the future. It is like a caution,” he said.

The co-Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Nnenna Ukeje, noted that there were breaches of protocol on both sides, if indeed the Foreign Ministry was not aware of the invitation to the lawmakers.

“Again, I am disturbed that there were no evidences like recordings, videos, DNA, something strong to prove the allegations. Tell the US government that Nigeria too has its rules and we expect them to abide by our own rules and the integrity of our citizens,” she said.

The accused lawmakers reacted to the development.

Gololo said he has been embarrassed and humiliated by the scandal.

“It will take courage for me to

continue with my daily activities.

We demand apologies from the US,” Gololo stated.

Ikon said the ambassador could not have intended the petition to be private, as he claimed to the minister.

“This letter was copied to all the 10 members who embarked on the trip. If you add the speaker, that made it 11. It was not private then, he knew what he was doing from the very beginning; it was premeditated,” Ikon affirmed.

One of the victim lawmakers, Gbillah, who again appeared with his wife, Sophia, however urged that the investigation should go further to the US, so that he would get the opportunity to confront his accusers.

“We will take this fight to the very end and the ambassador

must take full responsibility for this harm he did to us,” he said.

Sophia, who spoke briefly to journalists after the hearing, said her husband has never cheated on her since their marriage in 2007.

“I say so because when a man fears God, he will not cheat on me. The second reason is because he loves God. He doesn’t even stand in the midst of people having conversations on women or prostitutes. I know the accusation leveled against my husband is sfalse,” she said.

Meanwhile, Gbillah in a text message confirmed to THISDAY that the three accused lawmakers would go ahead with legal action, despite the development.

“Yes, we will. We are already speaking with our lawyers in Nigeria and in the United States,” he said.

FAREWELL

L-R: Deputy Head of Mission of Germany to Nigeria, Ms. Regine Hess, outgoing German Ambassador, Michael Zennerl, President Muhammadu Buhari; and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, when the president held a farewell audience with the outgoing envoy at the Presidential Villa...yesterday

ExxonMobil’s Qua Iboe Crude to Remain PPPRA Recommends Taxation of Petroleum Products under Force Majeure Ejiofor Alike with agency reports As ExxonMobil plans to repair the pipeline feeding the Qua Iboe export terminal, the exports of Qua Iboe grade of crude oil, which is Nigeria’s largest crude stream will remain under force majeure for at least one month.

The cause of the leak was not clear, but the force majeure came just days after militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, claimed to have bombed Qua Iboe pipeline.

The Avengers had stated that it bombed the company’s 48-inch Que Iboe crude oil export pipeline on July 11.

But 24 hours after the claim by the militants, the company’s

spokesperson, Todd Spitler, debunked the claim, saying “there was no attack on our facilities.”

However, the militant group quickly replied through its spokesperson, Mudoch Agbinibo, insiting that: “ExxonMobil can deny and fool the public about their export pipeline blown yesterday.”

“How long can they lie to their investors? Just in a matter of days, the whole world will see the truth. Qua Iboe 48 crude oil export pipeline is down so said the Avengers,” he added.

But at the weekend, ExxonMobil further refuted the claim, describing the pipeline leak as a “system anomaly.”

The company declared force majeure, citing what it called a

system anomaly observed during a routine check.

Sources told Reuters this week that the pipeline lost pressure while loading a cargo of crude oil and that the company subsequently discovered a leak on the underwater pipeline.

According to the sources, the repairs would be more extensive than initially thought and would not begin this week, stressing that the force majeure is likely to remain in place for a minimum of one month.

Two of Nigeria’s largest fields are now under force majeure, with Shell-operated Forcados crude oil exports halted since the Avengers attacked its subsea pipeline in February.

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has said that taxation of petroleum products like fuel, diesel, kerosene and gas holds a huge revenue potential for Nigeria.

This was contained in a report PPRA made available to the Ministry of Finance and obtained by newsmen at the conclusion of the two-day National Revenue Retreat in Kano.

According to the report, PPPRA said the introduction of taxes on petroleum products would supplement the revenue lost due to the fall of oil prices at the international market.

It said the revenue potential from taxation of petroleum products was enormous, given the average national daily consumption of the

products.

The report from PPPRA showed that the average national daily consumption of fuel was 45 million barrel, diesel nine million barrel and aviation fuel, 1.5 million barrel.

The report, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) revealed that there were three different taxes that could be charged which the PPPRA’s pricing template did not currently accommodate.

These are highway maintenance, government tax, import tax and fuel tax.

“Fall in government’s revenue from oil sale receipts and budget deficits in the face of compelling demand has made it imperative that the nation begins to examine the next step in the petroleum

downstream business in Nigeria.

“Deregulation remains the key to achieving a self-sustaining downstream sector as well as the stimulation of the economic growth and social wellbeing of the populace.

“Environmental tax, consumption tax, fuel tax, VAT, import and excise tax, when included in the final pricing of petroleum products provides opportunities for petroleum products to provide direct funds for other sectors,” it said.

Also, PPPRA made available to the government, the option of privatisation of refineries as another way for revenue generation.

It also suggested that the downstream logistics facilities should also be privatised.

FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

11

NEWS

Judge Orders EFCC to Adopt Civilised Approach, Stop Arresting Suspects before Investigation Orders release of Fayose’s aide Tobi Soniyi inAbuja An Abuja High Court has ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to released the detained aide of Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Mr. Abiodun Agbele.

EFCC had arrested Agbele in Lagos on June 28 kept him in its custody on the grounds that it was investigating him in relation to the N1,299,490,000 it said was found in his account.

EFCC said the amount was proceeds of economic and financial crime in which Agbele “was found to have allegedly assisted in receiving and concealing in conspiracy with the former Defence Minister, Musiliu Obanikoro and

Fayose.”

EFCC said it obtained a remand warrant from a Magistrate Court in Lagos on June 30 to keep Agbele for 14 days, but moved him to Abuja on July 1.

It later applied to a Magistrate Court in Abuja on July 13 for another remand warrant, two days after Agbele had initiated his suit.

Justice Olukayode Adeniyi in his judgment yesterday, descended heavily on EFCC faulting the procedure adopted by the commission in arresting and detaining suspects.

The judge noted that the EFCC has of recent, engaged in unwarranted violation of citizens’ rights through wrongful detention

FG Fixes N500 as Transport Fare on Abuja-Kaduna Rail Dele Ogbodo inAbuja The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday said federal government had fixed the cost of travelling on the newly completed Abuja to Kaduna rail lines at N500 per passenger per trip on the economy class.

Answering journalists questions after the final inspection of the project which is due for inauguration

by President Muhammadu Buhari next week in Abuja, he said the test run exercise has been on for more than a month with passengers being moved from Kaduna to Abuja free of charge.

He said: “From the experience that we have all seen today, we are set to go. This test run exercise has been on for over a month. We said it was going to run for two weeks but we allowed it for six weeks so that everybody can use it.”

According to him, from next Tuesday after the inaguration by the president, government will then begin to charge N500 per passenger per trip on the economy class.

On why fare is pegged at that amount, he said: “As you can see, we sought the opinion of the passenger before fixing the fare, they suggested N500 on economy and I will do just that.”

He added: “The reasons we did not inaugurate it earlier is because we wanted the train to run for at least a month and check if there will be any problem but we have done that for over a month and there was no problem.”

The minister however said the fencing of the railway lines from Abuja to Kaduna, will commence when the money is sourced, adding that the contract has been awarded.

“We are looking for money but we will soon get money within the next three months then the fencing would start.

“We are expecting new locomotives and when it comes, we will then make arrangement in 2017 budget to buy more coaches so that we can have one of the trains stopping in all the stations and the other doing Kaduna to Abuja.”

In his remark, the acting Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Mr. Fidet Okhiria, said railway is the mother of all transportation because it moves a lot of people conveniently and safely, adding that the opening of the Kaduna Abuja rail line will take a lot of pressure off the roads.

He said: “Our roads will now last longer and accidents will also reduce,” he said.

Aisha Buhari Launches Project to Tackle Malnutrition, Calls for Support Worried by the high death rate of malnourished children in the country, the wife of the president, Hajiya Aisha Buhari, has launched a quick interventionist programme named “Get Involved” to prevent annual death of thousands of malnourished Nigerian children.

The programme, she launched yesterday at the State House, is a major component of her “Future Assured” pet project which encompasses healthcare delivery, education and other facets of lives of Nigerian women and children.

Announcing the take-off of ‘Get Involved’, Buhari called for the active participation and support of a broad spectrum of Nigerians and organisations, especially the organised private sector,

development partners, relevant united nation agencies and non governmental organisations.

She explained that with the participation of these bodies, the new initiative will help to combat the alarming endemic problem of malnutrition of children at Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in the country.

Relying on the UNICEF Scary Statistics of 2.5 million malnourished Nigeria Children and annual death of 500,00 of such children, Buhari said the situation was highly unacceptable and must be reversed.

She therefore appealed to all wellmeaningNigeriansandorganisations to rise up to the challenge and support the programme in order to eradicate completely this ugly trend.

before investigation.

Justice Adeniyi advised the commission to adopt the practice in civilised societies where arrests were not effected until after investigation was concluded.

He said where arrest and detention was necessary, they must be effected in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.

Agbele had through his lawyers, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Olalekan Ojo, applied to the court to enforce his fundamental human rights.

Justice Adeniyi, who faulted EFCC’s continued detention of Agbele since July 1 this year when he was brought from Lagos to Abuja, granted him bail, ordered his release and directed the EFCC to return all his seized property if EFCC was unable to charge him

to court within 21 days.

The judge granted Agbele bail at N50million and one surety, who must either be a responsible Nigerian with verifiable means of livelihood or a director in either federal agency or an agency of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

The surety, the judge said, must own a property in Abuja and must possess evidence of tax payment for the last three years.

Adeniyi also awarded N5million compensation to Agbele, to be paid by the EFCC for his unlawful detention.

Justice Adeniyi noted that the EFCC had detained the applicant in its custody in Abuja since July 1 till date, without taking him before a court, as required under sub-sections 4 and 5 of Section 35

of the Constitution.

He faulted the reasons given by the EFCC to justify it’s continued detention of the applicant to the effect that the remand order obtained by the EFCC from a Magistrate Court in Ogba, Lagos on June 30 cannot cover his detention in Abuja.

The judge also faulted EFCC’s claim that the applicant was still in its custody because he was unable to meet the conditions of the administrative bail it granted him.

Justice Adeniyi noted that EFCC’s decision to obtain a fresh remand order from a Magistrate Court in Abuja on July 13, and its objection to the applicant’s bail application were contrary its claim to have granted bail to the applicant.

The judge faulted the remand

order obtained by the EFCC on July 13 in Abuja on the ground that it was obtained after Agbele had filed his suit on July 11, which was served on the EFCC on July 12.

He said the order was granted by the Magistrate under a wrong impression and that the EFCC acted in bad faith with the sole intention of foisting a state of helplessness on the court.

The judge was of the view that the right to personal liberty granted to every Nigerian citizen under Section 35(1) of the Constitution could only be curtail only in the six circumstances provided in paragraphs A to F of Section 35(1) of the Constitution.

He noted that the circumstance that is applicable to the Agbele case is that provided in Sub-section 1(c) of the Constitution.

SURVIVING ONE YEAR OF TURBULENCE

L-R: Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Senator Kabiru Marafa; Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio; and Senator Mustapha Sani, leaving the Senate chambers with smiles as the Senate’s first legislative year came to an end .... yesterday

Saraki Pacifies Marafa, Tinubu with Grade A Committees Buhari asks Senate to confirm Eko, Augie justices of S’Court, Ndoma-Egba, Ekere for NDDC Omololu Ogunmade inAbuja Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, yesterday inched towards total reconciliation with aggrieved senators as he named combatant Senator Kabir Marafa (Zamfara Central) as the new Chairman of Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream).

Marafa who was last year appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on National Identity had rejected the office, saying the composition of new committees

by Saraki was illegal.

Saraki at that time raised the number of Senate committees from 56 to 65.

Marafa later proceeded to court to contest the new committees constituted by Saraki, asking the court to declare them illegal.

But Marafa did not reject his new appointment yesterday as he did last year.

Saraki also acceded to the demand of Senator Oluremi Tinubu

(Lagos Central) by crowning her as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and replaced her in the Women Affairs Committee with Senator Binta Garba Mashi (Adamawa North).

Until her new appointment, Mashi was the Senate Committee Chairman on Tertiary Education.

The Senate president also named Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North), another feuding senator, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Identity.

Saraki also moved Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abi South) from the Committee on Information and National Orientation to Power Committee hitherto headed by Senator James Manager (Delta South). Manager now chairs the Committee on Solid Minerals.

He also moved Senator Hope Uzodimma (Imo West) from Aviation Committee to Nigeria Customs, Excise and Tariff hitherto headed by Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) and redeployed

Aliero to Aviation.

However, Saraki tactically dropped Senator Babajide Omoworare (Osun East) as the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business as he replaced him with Senator Baba Kaka Garbai (Borno Central) and redeployed Omoworare to yet to be constituted Committee on Legislative Compliance.

Others who were made committee chairmen were Tijani Kaura (Federal Character); Suleiman Adokwe (Information and National Orientation) and Barau Jibril (Tertiary Institutions).

Also announced as vice committee chairmen were Ahmed Ogembe (Marine Transport); Ovie Omo-Agege (Land Transport) and Downstream Petroleum (Philip Aduda).

Also yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari urged the Senate to confirm the appointments of Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba as the new Chairman of Niger Delta

Development Commission (NDDC) and Mr. Nsima Udo Ekere as the Managing Director.

Other members of the commission the president asked the Senate to confirm were Adjogbe Ajenakevwe Samuel (Executive Director, Project); Mene Lenyie Derek (Executive Director, Finance and Administration); Hon. Donatus Enyinnah (member); Frank Samuel George (member); Prof. Brambaifa Nelson (member); Sylvester Effefiom Nsa (member); Dr. Ogagalfowodo (member) and Hon. Uwuilekhue Saturday (member).

Other are Senator Osita Bonaventure Izunaso (member); Olatokunbo Ayotunde Ajasin (member); Harry Iboroma Dabibi (member); Air Commodore Bernard Banfa (member); Yahaya Mohammed (member); Mustapha Dankadai (member); Mr. Igo Weli (Member); Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse (member) and Abdul-kazeem Kasimu Bayero (Member).

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FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

FG: Future Nigeria, South Africa Arms Deals will be on Govt-to-Govt Basis Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The federal government has said future acquisition of military platforms and equipment for

the Nigerian armed forces from South Africa would henceforth be guided by government-togovernment agreement and procedure.

House Members Plan N36m Donation to IDPs Seek resuscitation of Osogbo Steel Rolling Company Budgets of NIMASA, NNPC, CBN, others pass second reading Damilola Oyedele in Abuja All 360 members of the House of Representatives have resolved to contribute the sum of N100,000 each from their July salaries to assist in alleviating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east.

The decision to contribute the N36 million followed a motion sponsored by the Chairman of the Committee on IDPs, Hon. Sani Zorro, who also sought the formulation of a national policy on IDPs. Zorro lamented that over 50,000 children in the camps were malnourished due to poor feeding, adding that the inhuman conditions they deal with, lack of food, medical care, water and sanitation, increases the threat to their lives.

He called for the appointment of a substantive Commissioner for Refugees, and IDPs and the deployment of a sustained humanitarian protection and assistance protocol for an effective, efficient and verifiable supply of food and non-food items to the IDPs in the North-east.

The lawmakers also called for the resuscitation of the Osogbo Steel Rolling Company (renamed Kura Integrated Steel Mill Limited), and Nigeria Machine Tools, both located in Osun State, which have remained redundant since their privatisation in 2006.

The House yesterday also resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate why both companies are yet to commence operations since the privatisation process was completed.

Hon. Oluwole Oke (Osun PDP) in a motion, lamented

that both companies have not been operational, despite the undertakings made by the private investors to the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) that the assets will be put into maximum use and will be fully operational.

The redundancy, he added, has made thousands of Nigerians lose their jobs.

“The failure of the private investors is jeopardising both the economy and security of the country as the premises of both companies are now inhabited by criminals, and huge tax revenue is being lost by both the federal and Osun State Government,” Oke added.

The House also passed through second reading the 2016 budgets of the Nigerian MaritimeAdministration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) , Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and 34 other agencies and corporations.

The sum of N39 billion was appropriatedforNIMASA,N15.1billion for the NNPC, N420.7million for the Centralbank, N81.2billionforCustoms and N150.9 million for NPA. Some of the other agencies include Nigeria Communications Communication (N70.6 billion appropriation), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (N7.2 billion) National Broadcasting Corporation (N1.8billion), Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (N7.7billion), Nigeria Immigration Service (N1.8 billion) and Federal Mortgage Bank (N81.1billion).

We will Improve Power Supply Despite Challenges, Kaduna Electric The chief compliance and regulatory officer of Kaduna Electric, Lawal Y. Lawal, has highlighted some of the challenges faced by the company which hampers its operations.

Lawal who was speaking at the company’ customer forum in Kaduna yesterday said some of the problems affecting the firm include delay in payment of tariff, assault on its staff, huge MDA debts, collusion with staff and quacks and by-passing of meters by customers.

He said Kaduna electric, which coversthefourstatesofKaduna,Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi, is meant to serve over 16 million people and no less than 2,223 households but has only 380,000 customers at the moment with eight area offices and 143 service centers.

The Managing Director of Kaduna Electric, Mr. Garba Haruna, who was represented by Head, Strategy, Dr.

Mahmoud Suleiman, in a goodwill message thanked participants at the interactive session for coming and expressed hope that the firm will deliver better service to its customer.

Team Lead, customer service unit of Kaduna Electric, Sunday Yahaya, in his presentation to customers, said while the firm has a projected capacity of generating N3.2 billion monthly from customers, it is able to post only an average of N1.2 billion monthly so far.

He said thisisbecausemorethan30 percent of the product, due to technical reasons, is lost in the process of getting it to consumers while more revenue is lost in the process of collecting tariff.

He said the firm is faced with a situation where many who are not its customers are consuming its products due to connivance with some consumers.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, announced this yesterday as part of resolutions reached at the end of a two-day meeting of the Nigeria-South Africa Defence Committee (DEFCOM) held in Abuja.

Sheni and his South African counterpart, Dr. Sam Gulube, confirmed this to journalists at the end of the committee’s deliberations that the relevant agencies in both countries would work on fine-tuning the procedures with a view to making hardware acquisition faster and hitch-free.

He said that the discussions were based on considerations that were beneficial to both South Africa and Nigeria.

The permanent secretary listed other areas of the planned new military pact with South Africa to include training and technology transfer in the areas of space technology and military medicine.

He said: “We have agreed on certain agenda items including but not limited to issues of military training, platform acquisitions;

vehicles mainly for our military establishment.

“We have emphasised in our discussions that given our level of security threats the acquisition of military hardware and platforms would be fast tracked with our South African brothers.”

“In that context, we have also agreed that a technical team consisting of our experts from the various services will within a very short time go to South Africa to ascertain our requirements and needs.

“In the overall military relationship, we emphasised the new procurement policy of the Nigerian government which is based on government-togovernment procurement,” Sheni added.

He also said the countries agreed that this new procurement procedure will be our guiding principle in the processes the country will be engaged in.

He stated that cooperation and collaboration in the area of space development which would be private sector driven and military

medicine featured prominently in the deliberations.

On his part, Gulube assured his Nigerian counterparts that South Africa would work with the federal government’s new military procurement policy.

He said South Africa would respect Nigeria’s new regulatory environment in the procurement of military acquisitions and capabilities.

“The meetings we have had over the past two days cover the areas of training; we have been able to identify a number of training opportunities that are available here in Nigeria and in South Africa.

“We also looked at the area of military acquisitions and capabilities, we learned of various regulatory environment that exist in Nigeria especially with the new government with specific policies that guide the procurement of such military capabilities,” he said.

He continued: “We are happy to inform that such acquisition on the part of Nigeria would now be governed by government-to-

government agreement.

“I promise that when I get back to South Africa I will be facilitating such government-to-government military acquisition programmes.”

According to Gulube, this is to enable Nigeria attend to the urgent need of enhancing the capability of the Nigerian Armed Forces to address the various security challenges confronting Nigeria.

The South African Defence Secretary explained that the agreed procurement procedure would also facilitate easy access to equipment manufacturers, quality assurance and also enhance price regulation.

He noted that both countries agreed on efforts to build joint cooperation in the area of research and development of military capability in addressing the needs of our Armed Forces.

Gulube however, allayed the fears that the new Nigeria-South Africa defence pact would be beneficial to only one party, stressing that both countries had a lot to learn from one another.

ALL FOR GANI

L-R: Former Governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa; Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; and National Chairman, National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr. Yunusa Tanko, at the colloquium organised by the NCP in honour of the late Gani Fawehinmi, in Akure.....yesterday

SDP Moves to Save Falae from EFCC Net Party owns up collection of N100m from PDP Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja In an apparent bid to free its leader, Chief Olu Falae, from the grip of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has accepted that it collected N100 million from the People Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2015 general election.

The party also raised the alarm of a plot by some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State to arrest Falae ahead Ondo governorship election.

It called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call his men to order.

The party said it got the money based on the political alliance to help prosecute former President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid.

The EFCC has in its latest report, alleged that Falae collected N100 million from the PDP, being money meant for arms purchase and that he paid N60 million to SDP and pocketed N40 million.

However, SDP yesterday defended its national chairman, saying that he did not single-handedly collect or spend the said amount.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Alfa Mohammed, said contrary to the story “it was not Falae but the SDP which had a working agreement with the PDP during the last presidential election of 2015, such an agreement is normal in a democracy.”

According to the SDP spokesman, Falae in his capacity as the national chairman did summon the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and informed the party that Anenih, in his capacity as the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP had visited him in his house at Akure to request for a working electoral arrangement with the SDP towards the 2015 presidential election.

“Falae further informed us that he gave Anenih six conditions which the PDP must fulfill before

he could present their request to the (SDP) for consideration.

The oral discussion was followed by a letter from Falae asking Anenih and the PDP to confirm acceptance of the six conditions in writing.

“The money promise by the PDP was not received for about two months and was only received on 25/3/15, three days to the presidential election. It is important to note that following the delay in the arrival of the money, the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the SDP mandated Falae to raise and advance to the party some funds pending the receipt of the financial support promised by the PDP. “Subsequently, the national chairman transferred N30.5milion to the party’s Headquarters Account on 3/2/15 and arranged lodgments of N70million on the same account on 6/2/15, making a total of N100.5million.

“On receipt of the PDP contribution on March 25,

2015, CWC further requested that the national chairman should further transfer a sum of N66.150million to the account of the national secretariat of the party for disbursement to various state chapters of the SDP for prosecuting the elections. A disbursement committee was setup to effect the disbursement according to identified needs of the states.

“The CWC further decided that an amount of about N12.1million should be transferred to some leaders, stakeholders and candidates for election purposes while a sum of N21.7million was made as a token refund to the national chairman out of N100.5million he had advanced to the party.

“About N78.1milion is therefore still outstanding out of the funds arranged and advanced by the National Chairman. From the foregoing it is clear that it was the SDP as a party that utilized the money provided by the PDP for legitimate election purposes.”

T H I S D AY FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

COMMENT

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

INSTITUTIONALISATION OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA Tony Nyiam argues the root of corruption is embedded in the 1999 Constitution

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orruption has without doubt become systemic in Nigeria. The political-economic system has been so soaked in graft that even the social and cultural ways of many Nigerians have become corrupted.

In other words, apart from the institutionalisation of corruption in the Nigeria political-economy, many Nigerians have also become socio-culturally corrupt.

Powerful Nigerians in the corridors of power have indeed become the ironic role models of bent officials. They have been the culprits that have led us into the deep end of corruption.

The challenges which are confronting President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) in the war against corruption beg the question: What’s more appropriate: the Legal or the Legitimate means of fighting the War? This I intend to address in the form of a series of answers to the following questions: What’s the root cause of the institutionalisation of corruption in Nigeria? How has the institutionalisation of the graft been sustained? How are Nigerians to be liberated from one of the world’s most corruption-engendering national constitution and its legal system offspring?

The root cause of graft, and its institutionalisation, is traceable to fundamental fact that the processes and practices of governance in Nigeria have always been pre-determined by what could be described as a ‘419 constitution’. What else would an earnest enquirer call the existing 1999 military decreed constitution of a supposedly democratic Nigeria? I intend, here, to illustrate the falsity of the claims of the 1999 constitution.

As a body of fundamental laws of a nation-state which lay down the system of government, the 1999 Constitution is neither a federal nor a republican constitution. There is nothing ‘federal’ in its definition of the federal-states fiscal relations: the distribution of financial powers between the federal and the states. What is currently in operation in Nigeria is ‘fiscal centralism’, period.

There is an obvious lack of fiscal federalism in the way the federal government relates to the governments of the federating states. Apart from this, there is in the horizontal relationship which exists amongst the three major pillars of government at the federal, states and local government levels, a lack of adequate constitutional provisions for the judiciary, for example, to be independent. The executive arm is in control of the other two arms of government. Take for example, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It is independent only in name. An in-depth examination of the 1999 constitution leaves the examiner with illustrations of numerous examples of the falsity of its claim of being a federal republic constitution.

The opening affirmation of The Preamble of the 1999 Constitution which makes the claim: “We the People” is as false a representation as any big lie can be. The fact that the

THE 1999 CONSTITUTION WAS USED AS A FUNDAMENTAL LEGAL INSTRUMENT TO LEGALISE THE SHORT CHANGING OF THE PEOPLES OF THE NORTH CENTRAL, SOUTH WEST, SOUTH SOUTH AND SOUTH EAST ZONES. BY CREATING MORE STATES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS IN THE NORTH WEST AND THE NORTH EAST, THEY FAVOURED THEIR OWN ETHNIC GROUPS PARTICULARLY IN THE SHARING OF NATIONAL REVENUE

military regime imposed constitution, as shown above, lies to itself and to the Nigerian people, clearly qualifies it to be seen as a fraudulent constitution.

Being a military dictators’ regime imposition on the Nigerian people, the 1999 constitution would have, in other truly democratic countries, been rendered illegal. The South American countries of Argentina and Chile precedents are there for our learning. The legality of the extant Nigerian constitution remains questionable. This affirmation is informed by the fact that the legality of the 1999 constitution was, and remains only a covetous claim. Lest it is forgotten, the legality of the present constitution arose from an unconstitutional case of a successful military coup d’etat not only begetting its own legality but imposing the legal order on subsequent supposedly, democratic governments of Nigeria.

Only in a Third World country like Nigeria, that such an illegality becomes legal.

While the legality of the 1999 Constitution remains doubtful, what is, however, undoubtful is the fact that the constitution is illegitimate. My grounds for saying so have to do with the process of making the constitution. It was not subjected to the due process of the universal precedent of plebiscite, for example. Without the consent of the people to whom sovereignty belongs, the acceptability (that is the ‘constitutionality’) of the 1999 Constitution remains questionable. The well travelled routes of referendum need to have been treaded. The cause of justice, equity, balance and the overall public interest is not being served by the extant constitution. The 1999 Constitution was imposed by a cabal of self-serving military officers. Self-serving indeed, as the coup plotters never served the corporate interests of the Nigerian Armed Forces. They were actually not better than rogued military officers. They were, in actuality, what I have over the decades, described as ‘professional politicians in military uniforms’. My reason for saying that the military coup plotters were self-serving, is evident in how self-serving is the 1999 Constitution which they bequeathed to Nigerians.

The makers of the imposed constitution ensured that unfair advantages were given to their own two geo-political zones, and in turn their kinsfolks.

The 1999 Constitution was used as a fundamental legal instrument to legalise the short changing of the peoples of the North Central, South West, South South and South East zones. By creating more states and local government areas in the North West and the North East than they deserved (when compared to the North Central, South West, South South and South East) they favoured their own ethnic groups particularly in the sharing of national revenue. The South Easterners and their brothers in the South South, remain the most disadvantaged by the 1999 Constitution.

Nyiam is a retired military officer

TIME TO CELEBRATE?

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The Rivers State Government is keeping to its words of delivering on health care services, writes Simeon Nwakaudu

rior to the 2015 Governorship Election, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, then Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, met with all the medical doctors working in the state. In exchange for their overwhelming endorsement, Wike pledged to improve healthcare delivery to the benefit of the people.

Mr. Wike told the August gathering at the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt that his development blueprint, “New Rivers Development Vision” was designed to revive the health sector which the immediate past administration in the state left to decay. The blueprint outlines on Page Seven: “The New Vision proposes universal access to affordable quality healthcare for everyone who resides in the state. We shall arrest the present decay and decline in healthcare services and ensure that the public health care system actually delivers to every patient. “ This clear vision of what he planned to achieve in the health sector prompted the medical practitioners to commit themselves to working for his victory. The leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association informed the then PDP candidate that they would use their consulting rooms to sell his ticket to the three million residents who visited them at different times.

Since his victory, Governor Wike has taken aggressive steps to address the decay he met on ground in the state health sector. He started by setting up a framework to revive

the public health sector. The administration has commenced the process of rehabilitating selected general hospitals in the three senatorial districts of the state. In addition, the state government is repositioning the tertiary health facility in the state, the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital.

The administration has also employed fresh medical doctors to deliver quality healthcare services to the people. As he promised, the governor established a school of health sciences at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

The Teaching Hospital for the School of Health Sciences of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology will first be operational at the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital before moving to the permanent site where the state government has already started work.

For the medical doctors in public practice, the governor has taken care of their welfare which includes the purchase of cars, training and retraining of personnel.

But the reality in Rivers State is that over 60 percent of the populace access healthcare through private hospitals. After due diligence, Governor Wike came up with a novel idea to get the private hospitals directly involved in his administration’s plan to improve the healthcare services available to the people.

The governor initiated the Private Hospitals Loan Scheme. This scheme stimulated in liaison with a commercial bank will make finances available to private hospitals to

improve on their facilities and operational environment.

This is not a unilateral programme. The governor is doing this in consultation with the medical practitioners who admitted that their inability to access finance has hindered quality healthcare delivery in the state.

Addressing medical doctors at the Government House, Port Harcourt, during the consultative meeting, Governor Wike declared that the state government through a bank will make available loans to the private hospitals operating in the state.

According to the governor, the private hospitals loan scheme will cover hospitals in the urban and rural areas, with 500 health facilities billed to benefit from the programme.

This scheme will reach out to the private hospitals in phases. Each phase will cater for a specific number. “These funds are not for the purchase of drugs,” he said. “They are meant for the acquisition of equipment and for the hospitals to improve on the operational environment of their health facilities. I am introducing this programme because of the promise I made when I met with doctors before the elections. These funds will be accessed by private hospitals from across the state”.

He said that the state government would act as a guarantor for all the private hospitals that would access the loans, adding that the state government would pay the interest on the loans on behalf of the benefitting private hospitals. “This will not

be a programme for the political friends of the administration. It is a reach out to all private medical practitioners”, he said.

The governor noted that the loans would be repayable in three years.

Speaking further, he assured the doctors that his administration would address the issue of multiple taxations by streamlining the taxes payable to the state and the local government areas.

Upon reaching an agreement, the Rivers State Government and the medical doctors agreed to set up a seven-man committee to work out the modalities for accessing the loans. In his remarks, chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association, Dr Furo Green commended the governor for setting up the scheme to assist private medical practitioners in the state.

Dr Green said it was the first time the state government is intervening in the development of private health facilities.

Also speaking, the chairman of the Rivers State Association of Private General Medical Practitioners, Dr Henry Sota said that the programme initiated by the governor was God-ordained with the aim of reviving the health sector of the state.

The private hospitals loan scheme will empower the private medical practitioners to contribute their quota to the development of the state’s healthcare sector. The ultimate beneficiaries are the people of Rivers State who will access improved professional services with the attendant gains on productivity and the standard of living.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

EDITORIAL CURBING HERDSMEN’S VIOLENCE

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The authorities need to urgently stem the proliferation of illicit arms

ast February, Mr. Samuel Ortom, Benue State governor, paid an emergency visit to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to seek the federal government’s intervention in stopping the “escalation of violence” in Agatu Local Council of his state. That was after some herdsmen had killed about 300 people and sacked some mainly agrarian communities.

“We have to do everything possible as a government to arrest this situation and bring the perpetrators to book,” Ortom said. Evidently nothing was done in response to the crisis that would act as a deterrence. Last week, another marauding group of herdsmen seized Logo, Turan, Mbagber, Yonov, Ukum and other communities in the state in another killing spree in the long running conflict over grazing rights. The police claimed 22 people were killed in the attack while the presidency said it would check the accuracy of the reports.

Unfortunately, this mindless killing of innocent people is not restricted to Benue State. Last Monday, a first class traditional ruler was killed in Plateau State along with his aides by COMMUNITY suspected herdsmen, ARRANGEMENTS FOR making the governor, SECURITY AGAINST Mr Simon Lalong, to GUNMEN WOULD REQUIRE immediately declare PRIVATE ACCUMULATION a curfew in the area OF ARMS. IN THIS BID TO to avert reprisal BALANCE TERROR, OUR attacks that could only COUNTRY RUNS THE RISK exacerbate the spiral of OF BECOMING HOME TO violence.

MASSIVE ILLICIT ARMS In recent times, many communities in the country are increasingly under brutal attacks by these nomadic cattle rearers. Apart from killing men and raping women, some of these herdsmen have also been reported to engage in kidnapping.The kidnap of Chief Olu Falae in Ondo State and the murder of the late Obi Akaeze Edward Ofolue III of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom in Delta State, sometime ago, were instances of the herdsmen’s notoriety. Named the fourth deadliest “terrorist group” by the Global Terrorism Index in

Letters to the Editor

2015, the herdsmen also indulge in destroying homes and property of farming communities whenever and wherever they strike.

Not long ago, the Ukpabi Nimbo community in Enugu State was invaded by these rampaging criminals who killed several of the villagers. Although President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders made the usual statements to condemn the brazen act of mass murder with a pledge to investigate, we believe that these violent crimes would not have been of this magnitude if the criminals did not have access to arms.

The authorities, therefore, must curb this growing problem of proliferation of illicit arms. A starting point in resolving the problem is to determine the source of these arms and how they get into the hands of the herdsmen.

O 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

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MOLES IN THE EIGHTH SENATE

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ithout any doubt, the events of last week in the Nigerian Senate which led to the altercation between Senator Oluremi Tinubu of Lagos Central Senatorial District and her colleague, Senator Dino Melaye of Kogi West Senatorial District as well as subsequent reactions of several other senators has left a bitter taste in the mouths of several politically conscious Nigerians. Nonetheless, the question that begs to be answered is: who leaked details of the executive session of the Senate?

An executive session of any establishment, in this case the red chamber of the bicameral arm of Nigerian legislature, is supposed to be a classified meeting of strictly senators and senators only where matters discussed are supposed to be for their ears only. One cannot wonder what then is the essence of a closed-door session if information shared and discussed during such session become public knowledge within a few hours. The media space had been filled with half-truths, jaundiced stories, accusations, counter–accusations, dull analysis, press texts and reactions to an exchange that purportedly held behind the closed doors of an executive session of the Nigerian Senate.

At the moment, all of the 109 senators who make

ur security agencies need to step up their game and find answers to nagging questions with a view to permanently stopping illicit importation of arms into the country.

They must find the perpetrators of this gun-running and bring them to justice. And there are compelling reasons why the authorities must act fast in the interest of our national peace and cohesion.

Following the inability of the federal government to rein in these sophisticated gun-wielding herdsmen, there is a growing perception that otherwise law abiding citizens may have to make their own security arrangements to secure their lives and property. This feeling that help would not come from official quarters have intensified with the extension of the aggression of the herdsmen to the southern part of the country as more farming communities fall under their unprovoked attacks.

Such feeling of insecurity and the urge for citizens to arrange for their own defence can only worsen the situation. Community arrangements for security against gunmen would require private accumulation of arms.

In this bid to balance terror, our country runs the risk of becoming home to massive illicit arms with assured disastrous consequences.

up the upper chamber of the National Assembly need to ask themselves salient questions, search themselves and do a couple security checks. Are they going to continue to run immediately to text, call and whisper to their godfathers and followers when sensitive and privileged issues of national concern are discussed?

It wouldn’t be out of line to ask if some electronic device had been planted inside the chambers or is it that senators are simply so willing, eager and ready to comment, engage and discuss what was done behind closed door sessions with any passersby?

If the current trend is not curtailed, this unfortunate cancer will indeed spread and one wouldn’t be surprised if and when it manifests in the green chamber of the House of Representatives in no long a time, leading to a loss of the ideals behind an executive session of the legislative arm of government. This virus can as well fester into the other arms - the judiciary and the executive arms. This even seems to be already manifesting. Didn’t we recently see a memo written by the Minister for Information to an agency under his purview on the pages of newspaper? Didn’t we see the continuous subjudicial intimidation of judges leading them to withdraw from suits before them even on the day that they were supposed to give their judgment? It is time for caution.

Lekan Alabi, Lagos

IMBALANCE IN BUHARI’S APPOINTMENTS

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he dissenting voices over the imbalance in the political appointments of President Muhammadu Buhari rose astronomically last week following the appointment of Ms. Hadiza Usman as the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA).

Hadiza, touted as the founder of Bring Back Our Girls(BBOG) was appointed with new executive directors Mohammed Bello-Koko(Finance); Prof. Idris Abubakar (Engineering) and Dr. Sekonle Davis(Marine) - appointments reflecting an obvious imbalance.

When this imbalance in appointments was raised as soon as it started manifesting by the critics of the administration, the cry was dismissed with the wave of the hand. Oh! “The wailing wailers”(apology to Mr. Femi Adesina) were shouted down.

The presidency was quick to point out that more appointments were still in the offing, and that the appointments were done on merit, that is to say, the appointees merited their posts. So the cry of marginalisation from certain quarters was dismissed as soon as it came up.

But when more and more appointments came up, the same narrative of lopsidedness prevailed.

What explanation has this government for this

presumptuous partial decision and appointments? Buhari’s lopsided appointments have the potential of diminishing his popularity and his administration. Indeed, those who cried day and night for the much-touted “change” are getting disappointed. The presidency should not take Nigerians for granted.

There is no doubt that this nation is blessed with vast human resources across regions and ethnic groupings; not even the so-called educationally disadvantaged states are short of competent and capable hands. Why then would these appointments be tilting towards the same zone with that of the president? There have been recent calls for a break up by various regions of the country and one of the situations that birthed these agitations is the perceived marginalisation or imbalance in political appointments.

One of the regions making the break up call a sing song is the Eastern part of the country which has been lamenting their marginalisation in the Buhari’s-led administration. But then the same region reportedly benefited much more than others in the last administration in terms of appointments. Could this be a payback time?

Sola Lebile, Lagos

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FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY FOCUS

The North-gerian President He said at inception that he belonged to no one but everyone. But President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent actions have shown otherwise, writes Segun James

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hen President Muhammadu Buhari first appointed Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), after headhunting the first class Harvard University graduate from the American oil giant, ExxonMobil, he received accolades from different quarters because the appointment was seen as simply putting a round peg in a round hole.

Many more such appointments were however expected of the president, who had made it clear that he was going to be his own man.

“I belong to nobody, I belong to everybody,” was a clear message with nothing to add or remove. This president meant business, Nigerians enthused and the presidential rating nudged inches higher. But the people started wondering what was going on when it took the President all of six months to appoint ministers at a time the economy of the country had begun to nosedive and the naira spinning downwards without control. But the president was unperturbed still.

Just then, new appointments followed, and at every turn, persons from the northern region began to get not just the key appointments, but all the available positions in some instances.

Left in the hard-biting cold were the people of Southeast, but more especially the people from the Niger Delta area, the geopolitical region that produces the oil that is the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

But that would be no surprise still because the president had said clearly at the very beginning during one of his trips to the United States that the attention given to each region would be determined by the votes they churned out for his election. It was at the meeting that he espoused the 95 per cent theory. Perhaps, the disadvantaged zones fall in this category of his theory.

The situation got worse when Kachikwu was promoted into redundancy as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and replaced with another northerner as the managing director.

Following this and other political and economic missteps, agitators in the Niger Delta have taken up arms against the nation as they started to blow up pipelines and installations across the region.

Men of the Nigerian Armed Forces were deployed to subdue the boys, but the situation has continued to get worse even as the president too is unrelenting in his deliberate marginalisation of other parts of the country in favour of the north, his home zone.

In the last few weeks, the actions and body language of the president has started creating fears among the minority Christians in the core north. Christians are being killed not by Boko Haram militants anymore, but through inexplicable mob actions and needless rampages as Christians are routinely accused of blasphemy and minor infractions and even personal issues.

When a 70-year old woman from the Southeast was beheaded by some Islamic radicals in the north, many Nigerians thought that the president should have condemned the action, but the presidency kept mum. When eventually a statement did come, it was to blame the woman.

The reaction of the president, it is believed, must have been seen as a signal by the Islamic radicals as an approval of their action as a few months later, another Christian was beheaded for eating while Muslims were on their annual fast.

Again, the reaction came from the government.

But the situation recently crept home to the federal capital, when a lady pastor, who had gone to a part of the Federal Capital Territory, called Kubwa for evangelism was brutally killed by suspected Islamic fundamentalists.

In each of the actions, the perpetrated have

Buhari...unpretentiously pro-North

never been brought to book and the action swept under the carpets. In the last few months, radicalised suicide bombers have attacked churches and killed worshippers, yet the president wants Nigerians to believe that religion has nothing to do with the business of state.

Could President Muhammadu Buhari be leading an ethnic and religious revolution?

Or is the president leading a northernisation project of Nigeria? No matter how ludicrous or laughable the idea may sound, a good number of Nigerians are beginning to believe it may be so and the belief grows each time the president announces a new political appointment.

That this is making the people of southern Nigeria very uncomfortable and alienated can be gleaned from the indignations expressed each time another northerner(s) is announced to head a government parastatal, department or operation without regards to the principle of quota system that has helped to sustain the

But that would be no surprise still because the president had said clearly at the very beginning during one of his trips to the United States that the attention given to each region would be determined by the votes they churned out for his election. It was at the meeting that he espoused the 95 per cent theory.

Perhaps, the disadvantaged zones fall in this category of his theory

fragile unity of the nation to point.

According to Mr. Oguche Otagburiagu, the president has never hidden his dislike for the people of the South-east. He warned that the agitation for a Biafran state is gaining support from among the political leadership in the region.

Otagburiagu lamented that the Igbo are daily getting disenchanted by the Nigerian nation, which has never favoured them.

If ever there was a moment for President Buhari to pull a political rabbit out of his magic hat that will help to sustain the nation’s nascent democracy, this is it. But each time the president makes a political move that is supposed to move the nation forward, he keeps on pulling out the same handkerchief that portrays and gives the impression that he is playing the ethnic and religious card in his handling of the affairs of the nation.

To Mr. John Ikpaipai, an Urhobo man from Delta State, his greatest disappointment is the refusal of the president to see any Urhobo man worthy of any appointment. “(Goodluck) Jonathan favoured his Ijaw people in his appointments as if only the Ijaw make up the region, now Buhari is just appointing Fulani people everywhere as if the Urhobo don’t matter. Do you know we produce so much oil too? The Ijaw have started to blow up oil installations in their area. Let the president wait for us. We will soon begin, if only that is the only way to get government’s attention.”

But again, the president and his handlers are sometimes smart. Any time there are rumblings in the polity, the presidential handlers usually and quickly throw in a kite in the form of mind-boggling revelations of unfathomable corruption within the system and unbelievable stealing by some politicians, to occupy the minds of Nigerian even as he continues to make appointments that favour the north until the next time around.

Unfortunately, in the last few months, the government is fast beginning to lose credibility in its handling of some thorny political issues, especially among the political leadership, who sees the actions of the government as pushing the nation towards the precipice, particularly in the political appointments that have been

made across the political spectrum, which give the impression that president is toying with the unity of the nation.

The impunity with which the president goes about with the appointments so far made is giving the impression that the nation belongs to the north and that nothing can be done by anybody about it.

To most politicians, he is fast creating fears among the political class, a majority of whom that are now trembling with trepidation over the road the president is taking the nation.

Day by day, inch by inch, extreme and radical behaviour is creeping ever closer home. If this wasn’t sign enough that Nigerians are getting frustrated by the government, it certainly is a sign that Nigerians are ready to go their separate ways, some reckon.

Alhaji Akintola Alabi, who holds a liberal view of the political equation in the country, wondered if the president is really feeling the pulse of the nation. Alabi, who supports the president’s anti-corruption stance, said he has not given up on Nigeria and urged the president to rise above ethnic and religious sentiment in handling issues, even as he claimed that the women folk, irrespective of where they come from, have not benefitted enough from the present government.

He urged Nigerians to be patient with the president as he meant well for the country even if his action right now may have shown otherwise. He prayed Nigerians to give the president more time as the dividends of his works, especially against corruption in the system begin to bear fruits. He concurred that Nigeria as a country was created on the basis of equality among the tribes, but this is gradually being eroded.

On the contrary, the body language of the president is emboldening people from the north and encouraging the southerners to take up arms against the nation. As the nation continues to move towards the precipice and the economy on downward spiral, the agitation for a “restructuring” of the nation and the need to reevaluate her unity is gaining momentum daily. But the next few months will certainly show the way forward.

Nothing however lent credence to this fear than the recent statement by Buhari’s media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina, who said it is not every time the president has to consider federal character while making appointments. Although uncertain if Adesina was discountenancing the principle of federal character enshrined in the constitution, he however said: “Every other parts of the country would be taken care of.”

Speaking as a guest on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television, Adesina added: “There are some (appointments) that are not necessarily subject to federal character,” but did not provide details on the appointments exempted from the application of the federal character principle or if the constitution includes a waiver for such appointments.

He admitted that the appointments made by the president were indeed tilted heavily towards some regions, explaining that the selection of security chiefs was peculiar because hierarchy had to be followed.

“When it is the turn of a person to hold a certain office and you say because he is from a certain region you then bypass him for another person, you have been unfair to that person and also to the system.

“The security system often times operates on hierarchy and efficiency. So, if you have a senior person, who is also efficient and because he comes from a certain region, you bypass him, I think you are being unjust and unfair to somebody,” he added.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Peter Obi at 55

Through time and chance, former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State has remained a positive influence on humanity, writes Valentine Obienyem, who pays tribute to the 55 years old businessman-turned politician

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ormer Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi is 55.

Born on the 19th of July, 1961, he remains a man of strong will and gentle speech, of imposing purpose and simple sentiments. His character and his politics have continued to please the people.

He is genial, witty, unassuming, and endowed with a charm that atones for his errors. Simple and unpretentious in appearance and attire, he has steadily established a reputation for political sanctity and love for our country, Nigeria and its people.

Mr. Peter Obi will certainly receive many phone calls congratulating and wishing him well at 55. I am pretty sure that his family – wife and children, perhaps excepting his eccentric son – have rendered the traditional ‘Happy Birthday’ chorus to him. Corporate bodies and institutions alike will duly seek expensive birthday gifts for him which, characteristically, he will refuse – or most likely request they be monetised to enable him continue his support for schools across the land.

A look at the development of Peter Obi’s character through growth, responsibility and circumstances as well as his positive impact on humanity and society, is revealing. In secondary school, he was already engaged in different trades through which he made money. In an experience from which we coined the term ‘Peter Obi’s Egg Principle’, we were informed how he meticulously guarded the eggs he put up for sale on the sound logic that the loss of even one meant the loss of his profit in that venture.

That experience helped define his famed prudence and financial discipline.

As a university student, Peter Obi was travelling abroad on business.

Among others, there is a Mr. Fonzy with whom he maintained a strong trading relationship until the older man’s recent retirement. Their partnership lasted long because they kept to their agreements; indeed, their word was their bond.

We can therefore say of Obi that he is faithful to his words and even if there be one hair binding him to his fellow men or business partner, he does not let it break. When they pull, he loosens and if they loosen, he pulls.

Surprisingly, once I visited the then European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, HE MacRea with him on one of his numerous outreaches that helped him in the governance of Anambra State. The then new Ambassador told him of how his old friend, the same Mr. Fonzy on learning he was going to Nigeria told him to look out for Mr. Peter Obi as one man of impeccable character he could trust and deal with. I shed tears while witnessing this encounter.

Graduating with a second class degree, Peter Obi concentrated on his businesses, which grew to make him an influential player in the corporate world. In the meantime, he also sharpened his entrepreneurial and managerial competencies at Kellogg, London School of Economics, Oxford, Cambridge and Columbia, among other renowned institutions.

Seeking a wider platform to serve the society and humanity, Peter Obi contested the governorship of Anambra State, but was denied victory. Like a vessel nature has preserved for a special purpose, he went to court, shunned all manner of ‘settlements’ and intimidation – and thus, became the first Nigerian politician to regain his electoral mandate through the courts. Dogged by the predators, he was also the first elected State Governor to

As the governor, the compulsion of his character made things happen in the state. Due to this positive characteristic, at times in the bid to avoid mistakes, he fled from action into thought, from rash certainties to cautious doubts. He reminds us of the Latin maxim,“in dubio, noli agere”(In doubt, do not act). He knew well enough to discern that not all the truth or error is on one side; but on both.

Often, he placed his actions on the scale of ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’

Obi...55 and still counting

return from impeachment. The travails of his tenure altered the structure of elections in Nigeria.

Easily, Peter Obi has become a model on what good governance is all about and for justifiable reasons. After barely 6 months in office, he was impeached by the Hon. Mike Balonwu-led House of Assembly. The first charge was that he went against the ‘Constitution’ and single-handedly renovated the destroyed Government House with less than N50 million against the over N200 million appropriated in the budget.

While the leeches agonised over their lost grip on the treasury, many of his friends were disappointed he did not make them millionaires using the instruments of government. Some others wondered why he did not offer them appointments like his counterparts elsewhere did for their cronies. These people forgot that appointments are often the offspring of genuine needs and necessities and not as political settlement and that understanding must be in terms of these necessities.

Before the tenures of Dr. Chris Ngige and Peter Obi, road travel in Anambra State was a nightmare in several ramifications. Building on the foundations laid

by Ngige, Governor Obi gave the state the best road network in Nigeria. Tremendous impact was also made in other sectors and sub-sectors with the novel Anambra State Integrated Development Strategy (ANIDS).

With the benefit of hindsight, Peter Obi’s return of schools to the initial proprietors – particularly the Churches – is acclaimed as his most critical achievement as governor. Though some other persons now claim to be involved in the momentous decision, they were really among the vociferous resentment massed against the move. It was Peter Obi’s resolve, courage and decisiveness that ushered in what is internationallyacknowledged as re-birth of education in Anambra State.

As the governor, the compulsion of his character made things happen in the state. Due to this positive characteristic, at times in the bid to avoid mistakes,

he fled from action into thought, from rash certainties to cautious doubts. He reminds us of the Latin maxim, “in dubio, noli agere” (In doubt, do not act).

He knew well enough to discern that not all the truth or error is on one side; but on both. Often, he placed his actions on the scale of ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’. Regrettably, what some people told him which he doubted and did not act upon for not being sure, turned out to be the truth.

From the privilege of having not suffered any major ill-health since he was born, he sees health “pythagoreanly” as a harmony of the parts of the body and character. He has often observed that what people suffer are direct consequences of seeking what they do not need and what are not in sync with their constitution.

On his part, he goes the extra mile in trying to maintain this harmony in the firm belief that once one allows excess of import over export, it will disturb the internal economy. Thus, he exercises routinely to burn fats and keeps his body athletically trimmed – no extra ounce of flesh to burden him.

He was able to keep Anambra State one and united through many ways, excluding force. Those that wanted to fight him, he disarmed by joining them at dinner in their houses – for some he went to their houses uninvited and even passed the night. What this teaches us is that governance is not by raw force or by going on long convoys; but an intellectual business. We can actually achieve much by intelligently analysing situations and applying informed solutions.

An example is a pretty story that Plutarch, the father of biography, told of how an epidemic of suicide among the women of Miletus was suddenly and completely ended by an ordinance decreeing that self-slain women should be carried naked through the market to their burial. If the decree was for their property to be seized, would it have achieved the same result?

From his tenure as Governor of Anambra State, he recognised the need of working together amongst the states

in the east. He recognises that no society can survive if it treats its members to behave towards one another in the same way in which it encourages them to behave as a group towards other groups.

Internal cooperation is the first law of external competition.

This is why he held the people of the state together, putting up with their foibles. His tenure as Chairman of the South-east Governor’s Forum was also a success. With his humility, sincerity and appreciation of Justice, he carried everybody along and made sure the states shared their joy and grief together as brothers and sisters.

Like the period following the Dark Ages was known as the “Renaissance,” Peter Obi’s period of governance in Anambra may soon be inaugurated as “The Age of Re-Birth.” Before him, many things were dead in Anambra State – security, Agriculture, education, health, environment, commerce and industry – but after him they are all born again.

Since leaving Government House, appreciation of what his administration did for the state seems to have come into marked focus. There is hardly anywhere he goes in the state that he is not acknowledged in ecstasy – with ‘Okwute!

Okwute! This, I think, should serve as a lesson that service to the people has its own reward.

On the social media, the predators and their agents try to use him for target practice – clamouring to outdo one other in polemic vitriol. They satirise him with hilarious caricature, some depicting him as a vampire. These are not necessary!

Peter Obi is successful in every sense of the word. But despite all forethought and foresight, he made (to our hindsight) an ample variety of mistakes, both in judging men and in calculating results.

Clearly, he did not know that those he trusted in APGA were only out to trade with the state, but he has played his role in giving Anambra State a pride of place in the Nigerian federation.

As we toast to Peter Obi’s continued good health and well-being, we pray that the Almighty God will continue fulfill all He has destined for him.

- Obienyem wrote from Awka

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD R A T E S NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

A S

NIBOR 3-MONTH

4.4167% 10.8248%

6-MONTH

113.6206% 15.2903%

A T

NITTY 1-MONTH 2-MONTH 3-MONTH

Group Business Editor Chika Amanze-Nwachuku

Email chika.amanzenwachukwu@thisdaylive.com 08057161321, 08033294157

J U L Y 7.7168% 7.9518% 9.7740

1 5 ,

6-MONTH 9-MONTH 12-MONTH

10.3013% 11.0742% 13.3762%

2 0 1 6 EXCHANGE RATE N282.25/1US DOLLAR* *AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Medview CEO Wins Award

The Managing Director/CEO, Alhaji Muneer Bankole has bagged the Balafon Aviation Personality of the year, 2016 award at the just concluded second WEIZO Travel and Tourism conference and exhibition in Accra, Ghana. Presenting the award, the organiser of WEIZO, Mr. Ikechi Uko commended Alhaji Bankole for his effort so far to reduce the pains of Nigerian travellers, who had been at the mercy of foreign airlines. Uko said Medview Airline strong presence in the aviation industry in Nigeria is what had endeared Bankole to travellers, who through online process voted him as the Aviation Personality of the year. He expressed delight that a Nigerian carrier was championing the crusade to uplift the aviation industry. In his acceptance speech, Alhaji Bankole thanked the organisers of WEIZO, and noted that the industry was undergoing a metamorphosis, pointing out that from over 20 Air Operating Certificate (AOC), the industry was down to a one digit AOC. He said what keeps the airline going is dedication to duty in ensuring that travellers get the value for their money.

Media Nite-Out Award Unveils Plaques

FOR YOUR PERUSAL

L-R: President, Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), Dr Rotimi Olaniyan; Chairman, House Committee on Commerce, Federal House of Representatives , Hon Sylvester Ogbaga; General Secretary EXMAN, Mr. Kehinde Salami and Clerk of the Committee, Mr. Kwayama Jehu during the presentation of a position paper to the house by EXMAN in Abuja…recently

Forex Volatility: Operational Activities at Nation‘s Ports Nosedive Further Eromosele Abiodun

Following the foreign exchange crisis in the country and the exclusion of 41 items from access to forex, the level of operational activities at the port locations in first quarter of 2016 dropped significantly when compared with the same period of 2015.

The first quarter 2016 operational report released by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) revealed that though all cargo types declined during the period, container and general cargo traffic contributed significantly to the overall drop in cargo throughput.

Consequently, the NPA said there is urgent need to

MARITIME complement its investment in infrastructural renewal and automation of Nigerian port operations, by generating enough export cargo to make up for the shortfall of import cargo being witnessed in the ports.

The shortfall, it added, could be attributed to the reduction in government expenditure (a laudable and broad plan of the government to rebuild the economy), the exchange rate volatility as well as global economic crisis.

To address the problem, the NPA said it did an analysis of port capacity as a catalyst to

economic development through export commodities.

The analysis, it stated, revealed that about 90per cent of container traffic left the shores of Nigeria empty.

“This position was communicated to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) by NPA management and highlighted the need to sensitize Nigerians on the need to fill the vacuum through export commodities, especially Mines and agro-allied products, “it stated.

Analysis of the report showed that in the first quarter of 2016, a total of 1,131 oceans going vessels and crude oil tankers with a total Gross Tonnage (GT)

of 59,441,614 called at Nigerian Ports.

The report showed that Lagos Port Complex (LPC) recorded a gross tonnage of 8,195,979 showing a decrease of 11.5 per cent from 9,262,792 gross tons achieved in the first quarter of 2015. A total of 296 vessels were handled in the period.

Tin Can Island Port handled a total gross ton of 11,853,587, showing a decline of 1.2 per cent from the 12,260,427 gross tons achieved in the corresponding quarter of 2015. A total of 417 vessels were handled in the period under review.

Calabar Port complex handled Continued on page 20

Airlines Waste N55bn Annually on Pilots Training Chinedu Eze Nigerian airlines spend over N55billion on compulsory training for pilots, engineers and cabin crew annually, THISDAY investigation has showed. Airline operators who are however miffed over the huge spending, have said the money spent on the training could be halved if the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) allow pilots to train once a year instead of every six months, as it is done in some parts of the world.

In Nigeria, pilots travel overseas twice a year to carry out simulator training after which the NCAA would renew their licences, but without which the regulatory body would

AVIATION withdraw their licenses.

Besides fuel, training is a major area airlines spend huge resources and they have high number of pilots as every flight has the captain and the co-pilot (the flight officer).

For example, Dana Air has five aircraft in its fleet but it has 45 pilots, while Arik Air has 28 aircraft with over 250 pilots, each of these pilots travel overseas twice a year for simulator training.

An airline pays in dollars for these training; maintenance facility, pilots’ salaries, their flight which is not less than $1500 business class and they

pay for hotel accommodation for the period the pilot will spend on training.

When the pilot returns, the airline pays for his license renewal, pays for his medical and also continues to pay the pilot. If the pilot is an expatriate the airline pays him huge remuneration mostly in foreign currency and also allows him to go on leave for half of the year and also pays for his return ticket. The airlines argue that NCAA should review the policy and insists that pilots should go for training twice a year, considering the huge resources airlines spend on such training, considering the lean resources of the airlines at the time the country is threatened

by economic recession, adding that in many other countries these training is done once a year.

They noted that it is doubly costly for Nigerians to pay for these trainings because they are done overseas; remarking that while a pilot in the US or Europe may just drive from his office to the training facility one kilometer away, the Nigerian pilot has to fly to another country and the airline bear the logistics.

It is the same with aircraft maintenance, as a source told THISDAY that because aircraft in Nigeria are not “flogged” enough they should spend more time before they are taken for Continued on page 20

Preparations have begun for the 10th anniversary of the Nigeria Media Nite-Out and Award. The Award ceremony, which began in 2006, had in the past years honoured Journalists, Corporate organisations and individuals that have contributed to the growth of media industry. In a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of Solkem Entertainment and Publisher of Access Weekly magazine, Mr. Sola Olugbemiro, it was indicated that a new set of award plaques will be unveiled next week to commemorate the anniversary. To this end, this year’s edition of the award has been slated for next week. Meanwhile, two organisations; Redline FB, a Public Relations firm and a South Africa based PR Company, Zinto are said to be at the edge of making the 10th anniversary a memorable one. According to Olugbenro, this year edition will parade

Maersk Line Signs Carbon Pact in Asia

Maersk Line has signed a five-year carbon reduction pact with Huawei Technologies, a global leading telecom solutions provider and the world’s third largest mobile phone manufacturer. The agreement, signed recently, integrates both companies’ sustainability commitments to reduce Huawei’s CO2 emissions per container transported with Maersk Line by 18 per cent from 2016 to 2020. Head of Maersk Line Greater China Silvia Ding and Huawei Technologies Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer Alan Aicken presented the Carbon Pact certificate. “Huawei and Maersk Line share a common commitment to sustainable growth. The Carbon Pact confirms our mutual values and aspirations,” says Alan Aicken, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Huawei Technologies. Head of Maersk Line Greater China Silvia Ding shares how this is a win-win solution for both parties: “For Maersk Line jointly signing a carbon pact is a milestone in our relationship with Huawei. The partnership enables transparency related to container transportation, ultimately moving the sustainability agenda forward in China.

Pepsi Longthroat Campaign Wins Award

Pepsi’s Longthroat campaign has won the Grand Poster Award at the 10th Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) Poster Awards in Lagos.

The campaign beat 84 other brand entries to emerge the overall winner of the keenly contested Poster Awards. The brand also leads in the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Category at the event. Speaking on the awards, Head of Marketing, Seven Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Norden Thurston said: “The Grand Prix award for the campaign from a credible body in the marketing communications industry in Nigeria is further affirmation of the creativity and the impact of the campaign.

Our ports are a critical artery of the economy, and it is our duty to ensure that the operators deliver port services at the standards that our businesses deserve in the 21st century in supporting President Buhari’s administration agenda of economic diversity Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Ms Hadiza Bala Usman

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD FOREX VOLATILITY: OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES AT NATION‘S PORTS a total GT of 776,718, showing a decline of 15.4 per cent from 918, 237 gross tons in the first quarter of 2015. A total of 46 vessels were handled in this Port this same period.

Rivers Port complex contributed a total gross tonnage of 1,253,616 showing 14.2 per cent drop from 1,461,562 gross tons in the corresponding period of 2015. A total of 79 ocean going vessels were handled within the period.

Onne Port complex recorded a GT of 9,851,240 reflecting a decrease of 13.4 per cent from 11,371,820 gross tons recorded in the corresponding period of 2015 with 176 vessels handled within the period.

Delta Port Complex added 1,756,305 gross tons, showing an increase of 4.7per cent over the 2015 figure of 1,677,915 gross tons, with 117 vessels handled.

AIRLINES WASTE N55BN ANNUALLY ON PILOTS TRAINING major maintenance instead of the present 18 months “because technically aircraft in Nigeria are underutilised.”

An operator told THISDAY on Monday that NCAA should adjust to the economic realities of the country, while ensuring safety and security of flights in Nigeria, noting that the alleged excessive regulation is adding unnecessary burdens to airlines, which these airlines could do without and they still maintain high safety status as recommended by international practices.

But spokesman of NCAA, Sam Adurogboye told THISDAY, “NCAA operations are guided by the rules. Any proposition that contravene the provisions of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (NCARS) will not be allowed.

“Remember the law is universal, not peculiar to Nigeria.

New NCARS just took effect only on the first of this month.

The same operators were part of the amendment; were they not?

During the amendments, new development and innovations as they happen elsewhere were adopted. We stand on the point of law.”

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 (Maritime) Ejiofor Alike (Energy) James Emejo (Nation’s Capital) Obinna Chima (Money Mkt) Reporters

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Maritime)

NEWS

ENL Disowns Protesting Dockworkers Eromosele Abiodun

ENL Consortium, operator of Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, has renounced dockworkers who on Monday staged a protest at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Headquarters in Marina, Lagos.

Legal Adviser of ENL Consortium, Uzamot Boye in a statement stressed that at the time of the protest, its staff were all at their duty posts inside the port carrying out their various tasks.

“It is malicious to say our dockworkers protested. It is not true. All our workers were at work. Those who protested were those who have since been disengaged from the port and who have been paid their terminal benefits.

You can verify this from the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN). All our workers were at their duty post. They are happy on their jobs. They are all very busy,” Boye said.

He said MWUN would have issued notice and been in the forefront of the protest if the protesters were genuine port workers.

“It would be recalled that the same set of people had carried out similar protest in the past at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) headquarters in Apapa but were told that they had been disengaged from service and due allowance paid to them. ENL Consortium is a people-focused

organisation. We empower our people and enable them to be the best. Our Executive Vice Chairman/CEO places the welfare of workers above every other consideration,” he said.

On his part, the President, Dockworkers Branch of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade

Adewale Adeyanju confirmed that the protesting dockworkers have been disengaged from the port and paid their entitlements as stipulated under the National Joint Industrial Council (NJIC) agreement, warning against the return of thuggery at the port.

Adeyanju said issues affecting maritime labour must be

discussed at the table with employers, rather than the resort to the arm-twisting tactics of the past.

He said the payment of gratuity to disengaged dockworkers happened for the first time in the history of the maritime industry in the country this yea, a development which highlights

a big plus for both the union and terminal operators.

“For the past 30 to 40 years, we have not had anything like terminal benefit for dockworkers and it is under our administration that we are getting what a responsible dockworker ought to get. It is a starting point in the industry,” Adeyanju said.

CONGRATULATIONS

L-R: Executive Director, Technical, Medview Airline, Lookman Animashaun; Managing Director/Chief Executive, Med-View Airline, Muneer Bankole; Organiser, Weizo, Ikechi Uko and Executive Director, Business Development, Med-View Airlines, Isiaq Na’Allah, during the handover of the “Aviation Personality of the year 2016 Nigeria award (Balafon Award) at the 2nd Weizo Travel and Tour conference and exhibition in Accra, Ghana ... recently

Minister Links Nigeria’s Rising Investment Profile to ICT Growth Raheem Akingbolu The growth in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and the introduction of a reward scheme like the Nigerian Telecoms awards have changed the status of Nigeria, Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu has said.

The minister, who spoke at the 2016 edition of the Telecoms Awards in Lagos recently, remarked that the Nigerians telecoms industry is now valued at over $38billion in investment profile. He said the sector’s huge contribution to the economy and the combining efforts of stakeholders to encourage participation is impacting the image of the country positively.

Shittu attributed key drivers of the evolution and development of the industry to proactive and responsive policies and therefore tasked stakeholders to work harder to attract more foreign direct investments.

While speaking on the determination of the ministry to draft a bill to unbundle ICT infrastructure so as to enable it contribute more to the national economy, he pointed out that such bill would encourage private participation.

“The draft bill is aimed at increasing private participation in the ICT industry. Apart from the revenue accrued from the sector, ICT should compete favourably with oil and gas sector in terms of job and wealth

creation for the country,” Shittu said.

According to him, his ministry’s projection for the digital economy is to create an industry that is less fragmented and and more representative from 2017.

He listed new target levels to be achieved in 2018 to include full implementation of broadband penetration plan (30per cent), ICT contribution to GDP(30per cent) internet penetration (50per cent) and mobile penetration (100per cent) The minster told the audience, which comprised the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and top stakeholders in the ICT industry and stakeholders that ICT had provided unprecedented facility and opportunities for

Nigerian in other to leapfrog into the knowledge-driven global economy and enjoy the benefits of socio-economic development offered by the post information age. Therefore, the government is poised to continuously offer technology start-ups the opportunity to make them increase their capacity. “Policy makers are leaving no stone unturned in the determination to drive start-ups/SMEs growth in the ICT sector.

“Plans are underway to bring renowned and global players from abroad to show small and growing industries how they can attain healthy growth in their various businesses and learn the secrets to enable them launch their business efficiently.”

In addition, he also said the Ministry will support ICT stakeholders to collaborate with other countries that had used ICTs for development such as China, South Korea, Singapore and India. “Our strategy is to work with countries that are ready to take advantage of the Nigerian market while deepening indigenous skills,” he said.

He commended Logical Media Group, which since 2004 have been playing important role in recognising the contribution made by organisations and individuals towards growing the ICT sector. To this end, he tasked the awardees not to rest on their oars and that they should see the award as a morale booster.

Mantrac Floats On-line Initiative for Aspiring African Engineers Eromosele Abiodun Mantrac Nigeria has introduced Technicians for Africa Project, an e-learning website for engineering graduates, who aspire to become technicians in Nigeria and other African countries. The website, the company said in a statement, is leveraging its exiting state of the art e-learning solutions.

It added that the initiative is available for anyone that

has the ambition to develop a career as a heavy equipment Technician.

“The initiative would help to breach the gap that exists between human labour and required skills. In Nigeria, three of the candidates who successfully completed the Caterpillar e-learning modules were recently honoured and given their Certificates and Caterpillar Kits by Mantrac Nigeria Limited at our head

office in Lagos. The presentation ceremony was hosted by Mantrac Nigeria, Managing Director, Mr. Edmund MartinLawson, Technical Training Manager, Mr. Lateef Adenle and Territory Marketing Coordinator, Mrs Olamide Alliu.

Mr Martin –Lawson”, said the Company’s Service Operation Manager, Mr. Ahmed Ragab.

While congratulating the participants for being part of the pilot phase of the Caterpillar’s

corporate social responsibility initiative, he described the initiative as, “giving back to society for the beneficiaries to upgrade their skills and foundation knowledge of Cat products and their operations”.

He noted that two other candidates who successfully participated in the scheme in Port Harcourt would also be honoured.

Also Ragab recalled that access to the basic Caterpillar

Technician curriculum was free.

He noted that those who registered for the curriculum had the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and upon successful completion of the curriculum, were given their certificates of completion to support their chances of getting jobs.

The free, e-learning curriculum, he said, contained 18 modules of easy-to-understand, technical insights into safety.

21

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

AvIAtION

Nigerian Airlines in Liberalised African Airspace

By December 2017,Africa will begin the full implementation of theYamoussoukro Declaration on the liberalisation of Africa’s airspace for airlines on the continent.

Chinedu Eze takes a look at the possibility or otherwise of Nigerian carriers to compete effectively with other regional operators While the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Africa Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) see the gains in Africa opening its airspace for the region’s registered airlines to operate without immigration hindrances from one country to another, some countries in the continent seem to be apprehensive about the development.

The apprehension stems from the fact that some of these countries do not have major airlines that can compete effectively with others; they feel that other countries that have such airlines would take advantage of those that do not have.

But comparatively Africa does not have major international carriers. The fleet of successful airlines like Ethiopian Airlines, South Africa Airways, EgyptAir and others in the continent when combined is less than the total number of aircraft in Emirates fleet.

In fact, IATA believes that it is when the Yamoussoukro Declaration (also known as Yamoussoukro Decision) (YD) is implemented that the region would be able to grow major carriers that would eventually dislodge mega airlines from Europe, the Middle East and the US from the continent.

According to IATA, the air transport industry in Africa already supports 6.8 million jobs and generates $72.5 billion of economic activity on the continent but this would more than double few years after the implementation of YD. IATA said enhanced intra Africa air connectivity would generate 17, 400 jobs and add about $128.2 million annually to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

National Boundaries According to the World Bank, Africa is home to 12percent of the world’s people, but it accounts for less than one percent of the global air service market.

The World Bank said part of the reason for Africa’s under-served status, (according to published World Bank study, Open Skies for Africa – Implementing the Yamoussoukro Decision,) is that many African countries restrict their air services markets to protect the share held by state-owned air carriers.

The Bank explained that this practice originated in the early 1960s when many newly independent African states created national airlines, in part, to assert their status as nations.

“Now, however, most have recognised that the strict regulatory protection that sustains such carriers, has detrimental effects of air safety records, while also inflating air fares and dampening air traffic growth,” the World Bank said. It noted that African ministers responsible for civil aviation themselves acknowledged this in 1999, when they adopted the Yamoussoukro Decision, named for the Ivorian city in which it was agreed. It commits its 44 signatory countries to deregulate air services, and promote regional air markets open to transnational competition.

It followed up on the Yamoussoukro Declaration of 1988, in which many of the same countries agreed to principles of air services liberalisation.

In 2000, the Decision was endorsed by head of states and governments at the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union), and became fully binding in 2002.

In Nigeria Implementing YD means that a Nigerian airline can operate from Lagos to Lome and Lome to Dakar and to other destinations without visa and immigration restrictions and it is expected that this would boost intra continental trade and make more people travel in the continent. This is becoming a greater reality with the introduction of e-passport from African citizens by the African Union to herald visa free continent.

It is believed that if taken advantage of, YD will benefit Nigeria more because throughout Africa, Nigeria has the highest population of indigenous travellers, which continues to grow because of Nigerians penchant for international business, overseas studies and tourism. In

Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika

addition, millions of Nigerians reside outside the country, in many parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas and even Australia and New Zealand and they are always on the move. So Nigerian travellers are a huge market for the continent and they remain arguably the most mobile people in the continent.

But it is not few countries that are sceptical and almost antagonistic to the implementation of YD. but IATA believes that those who oppose YD would eventually embrace it when they realise the inherent and invaluable benefits in liberalised African airspace.

One of the critics to YD in Nigeria recently told THISDAY that national carriers in the continent which are getting the support of their governments like Ethiopian Airlines, South Africa Airways, Kenya Airways, EgyptAir, Air Maroc and others would take advantage of other upcoming airlines in the continent and dominate the market and thereby snuffing out the smaller and new operators.

“Look at Ethiopian Airlines for example, they do not pay landing charges, parking charges, VAT, all kinds of charges because they are fully supported by their government. But in Nigeria we pay all these things and that is why surviving is difficult here. We need government’s support for us to compete with these airlines. There is aviation fuel scarcity all the time and whenever it is available the prices is relatively very high.

Its scarcity disrupts flight operations and its high prices increases the cost of operation and that is why it is very difficult to operate profitably in Nigeria,” a major airline operator told THISDAY. An industry stakeholder and deputy managing

director of a major carrier in Nigeria said the open sky for Africa plan is good and recalled that it was introduced by the United States, which over the years had well developed aviation industry, but noted that the industry is still relatively young in Africa.

He said at a level playing field open sky is good where everybody has equal opportunities, but the lope-sided reality of African airlines, where most of them are still operating on the fringe, would be difficult to successfully implement the open sky policy.

He noted that in Africa “we must have a legal framework where we define ownership of airlines, where we define subvention, where we define contribution and where we define outright bailout funds that are given to airlines in respective states before you start talking about liberalisation and open sky.”

He said this is necessary because some airlines are owned by government while other are run and owned by individuals; some airlines are even subsidised and government could float an airline, subsidise it and use it to fly to other countries.

He also remarked that open skies for Africa might not even encourage competition, which should be one of its cardinal objectives.

“If you are going to do open sky, you must define ownership of airlines so that we will know that; yes; this airline is owned by the state, it is promoted and subsidized by government. We have over 175 million people in Nigeria. If 10 percent are travelling; that is 17 million people.

This may be the population of one country in Africa. So if you look at that and a country

decides to target this market, then they could subsidise an airline and then go there to go and capture that market,” he said.

Taking a cue from the view of the above stakeholder, it could be recalled recently that South Africa President, Jacob Zuma promised that whatever it takes his government would ensure that South Africa Airways continues to operate as a national carrier despite its debts and other operational challenges. Travel expert, Ikechi Uko explained why.

“I was at an event moderated by Richard Quest and he said every airline in the world is making money why is South African Airway losing money? And the South African man just gave him a simple answer.

“He explained that they are at the bottom of the world and there is no way flying out of South Africa would be very profitable for all airlines.

And if they are to depend on profitability for airlines to fly to South Africa they might get isolated. So the government knows that it is aviation that drives trade and tourism, so the government will prefer to lose money in the airline then gain money by trade and by tourism.

And that is how a national airline is supposed to operate. So our government should look at it this way; that these airlines are important to our country, that without these airlines our country can’t trade and can’t do tourism. So let’s put an airline there and lose money but we get benefits.”

Contrary to the countries and airlines that expressed misgivings about the implementation of YD, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, once noted to THISDAY that African operators do not see the big picture in the liberalisation of Africa’s airspace, noting that the implementation of YD will make small airlines big operators in the region and would now be able to compete effectively with international carriers.

“You remember in West Africa, before we established an airline called Asky, the only way to travel from Ivory Coast to Togo was through Paris. This is an embarrassment for all of us in Africa. Why should we fly first to Paris before visiting our neighbours next door? This has to stop and the only way it can stop and save our brothers and sisters the hardship of travelling to north and back to south is to open the markets in Africa.

Today the 60 per cent market that we had in intercontinental traffic that we had 20 years ago is down to 20 per cent, taken over by European carriers.”

Gebremariam believes that liberalised African airspace is the solution to the development of air transport in Africa. Many aviators believe that implementation of YD would boost trade in Africa and instead of travelling to Europe, Asia and the US, Africans would trade more with themselves which would boost the strength of their currencies and create employment for more people, forcing international companies to establish manufacturing concerns in the continent.

Above all, they believe that it would also boost air transport in the continent.

Nigerian Government Industry observers say that there is no need fighting against the implementation of YD, which Nigeria is one of the first 22 countries that have accepted to implement the policy in 2017, but what the Nigerian government should do is to support Nigerian carriers to benefit hugely from the liberalised African airspace.

“Even if the Nigerian government intends to establish its own national airline, it must give support to other Nigerian carriers by making aviation fuel available at cheaper prices, reviewing downwards the aeronautical charges and other taxes and also give diplomatic support to these airlines, which have kept the Nigerian flag flying over these years,” a source told THISDAY. For Nigerian airlines to benefit from the full implementation of YD, the Nigerian government must remove the obstacles that could hinder Nigerian airlines from benefitting from the policy.

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Mbanuzuo: Economic Downturn, Fuel Scarcity Threatening Existence of Nigerian Carriers Dana Air’s Accountable Manager, Obi Mbanuzuo warns that Nigerian airlines may go under except urgent action is taken by the government to salvage the situation. He spoke to Chinedu Eze. Excerpts: How is fuel scarcity impacting on your operations?

One of Dana’s main selling points is on-time performance and onboard service. Currently the on-time performance has been affected by the scarcity of fuel. The longest domestic flight in Nigeria is one and half hours, so it does not make sense when you have one hour to one and half hours flight you sit waiting for the flight for about five hours.

It is not really something to contemplate.

Our businessmen are always on the move and have limited time in their hands, but right now because of the scarcity it is really difficult to plan for the airline and for the passengers. If you arrive at your destination about 9:00 pm or beyond you face the challenge of how to get home. So this is a very big impediment.

What do you think that the marketers can do to make the product available despite the fact they import it and face the challenge of forex interruptions?

In the past marketers would inform us of price increase a month before but this time the price of the product changes weekly.

Sometimes every two to three days new price comes up because of the value and how much they are going to purchase the new cargo. A cargo has been imported and they are selling but when the value of the naira plummets and they use the current exchange rate to buy the new cargo, the price would go up again. I understand that the prices they are pushing to us are related to the value of the naira in the foreign exchange market.

Whether they have a cartel or not, I do not know; they may have a union, just like the way airlines have union. So the value of the naira has affected the price we pay for aviation fuel. Of course, we either bear the price increase or pass it to our passengers but let the product be available.

It is obvious that if the product is produced locally it will be available and the prices will be low because it will not be decided by the value of naira in the forex market. So what do you think government can do to alleviate this problem?

One of the biggest solutions to this problem is local production. Even when it is imported amid the high value of foreign currencies against the naira, the prices of the product are still governed by demand and supply principles. So if Jet A1 is produced locally, hopefully the supply will be much improved and the price will fall.

So I think the first step is local production.

In the past marketers would inform us of price increase a month before but this time the price of the product changes weekly.

Sometimes every two to three days

Mbanuzuo

Currently we are going abroad buying the product and paying for it and paying for transportation, for demurrage, landing cost and other expenses. But if it is produced locally the availability of the product will help the price as well.

When you spoke earlier you talked about high charges, which have contributed to the inability of the airlines to make profit but only generate revenues. What will you suggest that government should do to help airlines operate profitably?

Many aviation parastatals erroneously believe there is a lot of money in airline business. There is really high turnover, but I can say it authoritatively that no airline in Nigeria is making any profit. It is because of the high charges. Some of them are double charges. We pay to our regulator (the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) twice but in other countries it is only one payment. Airlines pay charges to the regulator and they pay for any other thing they want to do with the agency.

Airlines pay for issuance of pilots’ licences, if the regulator wants to inspect aircraft we pay

for it. Then we pay the so-called 5 percent.

It is however true we collect this money on their behalf but it also adds to the cost of the ticket.

It is the same thing with air navigation.

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) collect charges for en-route navigation, terminal navigation charges; yet NAMA still collects from the five percent charge. What we can say is that government should look at these charges with a view of reviewing them downwards; they should also look at other countries to see how they are doing it.

I know the United Kingdom very well.

The regulator over there is self-financed as well. Everything you do with the regulator you pay for, just like Nigeria, but they do not ask for five percent charge. An airline through its own work, marketing and other strategies generates higher fares for its service; NCAA will come and take five percent of that higher fare. They collect it without doing anything, but they will say it is the law. I agree that it is the law but they have already collected for the services they provided.

So we should have a look and sit down

and the airlines should be consulted so that there would be a review of the Civil Aviation Act where the five percent was mentioned.

I believe that in the past when that thing came up the airlines didn’t have strong voice but right now we have an aviator as current Minister of State for Aviation. He is a pilot I believe that he will understand our challenges. Categorically, no airline is making any profit in Nigeria. You can quote me on this. We are only struggling to survive and trying to survive is really, really difficult.

But how tough is it, especially in the last 18 months?

Exactly that period you mentioned; it has been very, very tough. One of the reasons is that all the aviation parastatals have been let lose by the government. Government has stopped funding them and asking them to go and get their charges from the airlines.

So the parastatals are after everybody. So these double charges are now being strongly demanded and the airlines cannot survive CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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MBANUZUO: ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, FUEL SCARCITY THREATENING EXISTENCE OF NIGERIAN CARRIERS unless the government looks at it and realises that it has to review these charges to safe the airlines. Don’t forget that the parastatals exist at the behest of the airlines; without the airlines there won’t be the parastatals. We have to look at it that way and the parastatals have to look at their activities and ensure that the funds they collect from the airlines are utilised. There has to be openness to that as well.

Many people are holding Dana responsible for diminishing the Accra-Lagos market because they believe that the route had saturated and very profitable before Dana destabilised the market?

I have not heard that before but Dana went into the market just like any other commercial venture to make money. We believed that it was a market that could be viable with proper fundamentals. But the time Dana went in was the time the foreign exchange market became very volatile. As you know, Ghana is a foreign country so everything has to be paid in foreign currency, so getting foreign currency that time was very difficult. So we temporarily halted the service until the forex market stabilises. You have to realise that every airline has a reason for its own actions. Dana believes that with the right fundamentals the Lagos-Accra route could be profitable.

As an example, while we have temporarily suspended our operation one of the domestic carriers still operating the route has increased frequencies. How could that have happened if we eroded the market? The market still has a space to accommodate more flights.

Do the economic realities of now threaten you and other domestic carriers that if care is not taken that some of you may go under?

The answer is yes. The operating environment is unstable, unpredictable, so it is very threatening in that sense.

Let us look at the overall load factor in the domestic market because you will have an incline to that. Can you allot a percentage to the reduction of the passenger traffic since last year?

What I can say is that the total market size of the people travelling in Nigeria has reduced. But luckily, Dana still held on to its market share of about 20-21 percent of that travelling public. That has been our market share since last year but the overall market has shrunk. Less people are travelling simply because of the economics. The fares have gone up because fuel price has gone up. What the airlines have to do now is to be more efficient. We carry less people, we pay a bit more for fuel, which is more than 40 percent of cost of our operation.

So being more efficient is flying our flights more efficiently, making sure that things are working better. For example, we just started a new route from Lagos to Owerri. Before we started we were told that the airfield lighting was working but we found out last week that yes, the lights were fixed but currently they are not working. So what we do is that by 6:00 pm we are out of there. Our flight takes off by 6:00 pm and arrives Lagos by 7:00 pm. After that time you cannot do anything. You cannot give passengers the time they want to travel. Currently it is only Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano that have airfield lighting. So the equipment of the airlines is grossly underutilised.

By December 2017 Africa will start full implementation of Yamoussoukro Decision (YD). How do you think Nigerian airlines will fare?

YD has been ongoing for a long time but now it will be fully implemented. But I feel that if YD is fully implemented now Nigeria will be in a very good position to exploit and benefit from it. I say this because when you look at West Coast, despite all our travails and difficulties in Nigeria we have five or six strong airlines. When I say strong I mean good equipment with standard safety status.

Everyday you hear that Nigerian airlines are getting IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA); each airline is working towards actualising that.

When you compare us to our neighbours in West Africa, for example, Cameroon has

Mbanuzuo

Comair, which is practically under and begging government to keep it up, Ghana has only upcoming carriers, so the YD will enable us fly to anywhere in the sub-region. We do not need any government permission but we deal with the aviation authorities.

This means that the Nigerian carriers will branch out. It also means that West Africa will become domestic for Nigerian carriers.

But some airlines in Nigeria are saying that the competitiveness is lopsided because, for example, Ethiopian Airlines has all the support from its government; the same with South Africa Airways, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air and others, but Nigerian airlines do not enjoy such support. What do you think government can do for Nigerian airlines so that they will remain competitive under YD? You mentioned the three big airlines in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and South Africa Airways, Ethiopian being the most commercially viable, but I still believe that the West Coast will still be controlled by Nigerian carriers. Ethiopian has the advantage because of their long haul destinations as passengers will come from different African nations to Addis Ababa and get connected to Asia and other international destinations.

What I can say is that the total market size of the people travelling in Nigeria has reduced.

But luckily, Dana still held on to its market share of about 2021 percent of that travelling public

That is already happening. What I can tell you is that 50 percent of Ethiopian revenues currently come from Nigeria. But they will not be able to fly cabotage; Ethiopian will not be able to do Lagos to Enugu fights.

All YD will do is to allow them to come to Enugu, Lagos, Abuja and fly to Addis. To my own mind, they are already exploiting what they can, so what else can they do.

But currently Nigerian airlines are restricted from flying to countries that cannot give them approval to fly into their cities because the airspace has not been liberalised. For example, Dana Air wants to go to Kumasi, Ghana but we can’t now because we cannot link Accra to Kumasi, which they would not allow. We can only go to Accra but if the airspace is fully liberalised we can do that.

What are the challenges you face in terms of flight scheduling occasioned by lack of airfield lighting in most of the nation’s airports?

It is tough. Like in Europe, an airline like Ryanair gets about 18 to 19 hours utilisation of its aircraft. In essence, their aircraft operates 18 to 19 hours in every 24 hours, so the aircraft is making money for the airline. Let’s assume the aircraft is leased for $200, 000 a month. The lease is a fixed figure but to meet up depends on how many times you fly it. So the higher you utilise it the more you will be able to generate the money to pay for the lease.

So the example of Ryanair compared to the Nigerian situation, the best Nigerian aircraft is not getting more than seven hours utilisation.

Most of them are getting five hours. Currently Dana Air is getting seven hours, thirty minutes utilisation of our airplanes but that is the best you can do. The utilisation level could be better improved. In those days we didn’t believe that if you put aircraft by 6:00 am there would be passenger turn out but when we tried it we saw how successful it was.

We put an aircraft at that time because we had charter and within a blink of an eye 50 passengers had booked on it.

What this means is that people will fly in Nigeria at anytime that suites them, in the mornings, in the evenings, even in the night if we have lighting system on the runways.

It means the planes will be better utilised and now most cities have lights so security

is much better, so the drawback is lack of landing facilities.

Has your airline ever faced a challenge where it has to delay in the air, burn more fuel because the landing equipment on ground was not ready for safe landing?

We really have not because while operating in Nigeria we take all these into account.

There are legal requirement of the fuel you must have before you depart to a destination.

For us that requirement is the minimum. For one-hour flight you can carry two hours fuel but you are with the weather reports so you can know where you are heading to. But this is necessary because suppose you are flying into Abuja that has only one runway and as you are getting into Abuja the runway is shut or an airplane has crashed on the runway? In Dana Air we have not experienced that but there is a possibility that such could happen to any airline.

With the adverse economic situation do you still nurture the plan to bring in more aircraft and what challenges are you facing in obtaining credit facility from the banks?

The questions are linked. It is actually very rare for any airline in the world to self-finance airplane acquisitions. Anywhere in the world, airlines would usually work with leasing companies, finance houses and banks to finance aircraft acquisitions. The difference with those places and Nigeria is that most of our finance houses are only just now learning how to do airline finance. In airline finance you can finance new equipment for 15 to 20 years. But here the banks are looking at five years.

Dana has been working with our bankers on fleet renewal. Last year the project was very advanced, but because of the current economic realities there is a bit of slow down but we are still waiting for our bankers, finance partners to make the evaluations but I cannot say whether it will happen tomorrow or not.

We have all worked it out and we are waiting for feedback. Everything depends on how the economy works. Things are not rosy so people want to be doubly sure before making commitments. So that is where we are not.

We understand that fleet renewal is part of retaining and making our customers happy so we are looking at that.

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AIR WATCH

Okorocha Commends NAMA for Airspace Safety The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has been applauded for effectively enhancing the safety of air travel within the nation’s airspace.

Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha gave this known during the recently concluded Airspace Managers’ Forum, which held in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

He expressed delight that through its commitment to excellent service delivery, NAMA has attracted a lot of goodwill to the country.

“Because of the strategic role played by the agency, I can simply define Aviation as NAMA and NAMA as Aviation,” he said.

Okorocha, who was once a Board Chairman of the agency however expressed concern that due to the invisible but critical nature of its services, “NAMA does all the work, yet it is the least recognised in the system.”

He revealed that as part of efforts to fast-track the takeoff of Imo International Cargo Airport in Owerri in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the state government recently awarded contracts for the construction of some airport structures including a perimeter fence round the facility to forestall security breaches

along the runway.

Earlier in an address, the acting Managing Director of NAMA, Emma Anasi said: “The essence of the quarterly Airspace Managers’ forum was for top echelon of the agency including Airspace Managers across the nation’s airports to brainstorm on critical issues of civil aviation and also design a road map for enhancing safety of air navigation in the country.”

He expressed gratitude to governor for extending a 33KVA line to the airport, which he hoped would reduce the agency’s burden of running its navigational aids permanently on generators, even as he solicited the governor’s support in the provision of mobility to ensure prompt response to pilot requests and also ease operational logistics around the airport.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the commencement of Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) automation, NAMA has embarked on the training of various categories of personnel in order to build adequate capacity needed for its deployment.

The agency said already the first batch of six personnel have proceeded to Frankfurt, Germany for a three-week Train-the-Trainer Course on

Map/Chart/e-AIP Publication spanning from July 18 to August 5, 2016. The next batch of 12 trainees is billed to also undergo training in Germany between August 15 to September 2, 2016 ahead of the deployment of Aeronautical Fixed Telecom Network (AFTN)/ ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) in Lagos and Kano which would be networked to other airports in the country using the VSAT Network.

In a statement, NAMA acting Managing Director, stated that the above operator’s trainings to be conducted by Avitech GMBH at the company’s factory in Germany are critical components of the AIS Automation Project targeted at giving trainees the needed exposure to handle the complex situations associated with the project, stressing that upon their return, it is hoped that they would drive down the process by training others.

Anasi at a recent AIS Day celebration in Lagos had expressed determination of the agency to ensure speedy completion of the AIS Automation project in view of the centrality of the project to the success of the ongoing global migration from Terrestrial Based Navigation to Satelite Based Navigation (PBN).

IATA, FIATA Announce New Air Cargo Programme The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) have announced that an agreement has been signed

by IATA’s Director General and CEO, Tony Tyler and President of FIATA, Huxiang Zhao to implement the IATA-FIATA Air Cargo Program (IFACP) to replace the existing IATA Cargo Agency Program.

Over the decades that the IATA Cargo Agency Program has operated; IATA Cargo Agents (freight forwarders) have evolved from being “selling-agents” for airlines to being their “purchasingcustomers”, IATA explained.

In consideration of this evolution, in 2012 IATA and FIATA joined forces to review, refine and re-engineer the existing Agency Program. The new program moves decision-making on the rules governing the airline-forwarder relationship away from an airline-led conference to a governance body - the

IATA-FIATA Governance Board (IFGB) - jointly managed by forwarders and airlines, which reflects today’s market conditions.

“IATA and FIATA have reached an important agreement on a new jointly-managed air cargo program. This is the result of four years of hard work to modernise the relationship between freight forwarders and airlines.

“The IFACP also provides a framework to ensure that industry standards are relevant, pragmatic and fit for purpose. These standards cover the endorsement of freight forwarders and more broadly the safe, secure and efficient transportation of air cargo shipments”, said Aleks Popovich, IATA, Senior Vice President, Financial and Distribution Services.

“The Cargo Agency Program has long needed updating. I am really pleased that FIATA and IATA have joined forces to provide our industry with

a new, modern program and a framework for operation that benefits both airlines and freight forwarders. IFACP will eliminate unnecessary administrative procedures and costs as well as free up valuable resources to tackle the complex challenges that today’s global trade presents. These include regulatory compliance, safety and security and the introduction of new technologies. This agreement paves the way for a more successful future for the fastest and most fascinating mode of international transport”, remarked the Chairman of FIATA’s Airfreight Institute (AFI), Mr. Rudi Sagel.

The phased rollout of IFACP will begin in early 2017 with Canada as the pilot country. It is anticipated that full global rollout would be completed by end of 2018. The public signature with the common endorsement of the agreement would take place at the October FIATA World Congress which will be held in Dublin, Ireland.

African Union Unveils e-passport in Kigali In what could be described as a surprise, the African Union has introduced African Union e-passport. This is surprising because travellers in the continent say it did not draw long debate, like the campaign for liberalised airspace in the Yamoussoukro Decision which took over 30 years before the planned implementation in 2017.

So, African leaders gathered at Rwanda’s capital Kigali for their biannual meeting with

the launch of the continent’s first-ever African e-passport.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma announced the launch and presented the first two e-passports to rotating AU chairperson Idriss Deby, President of the Republic of Chad, and President of Rwanda Paul Kagame at the opening ceremony of the 27th ordinary session of the AU Heads of States. A statement by AU before the commencement of ongoing

summit stated, “The flagship project, first agreed upon in 2014, falls squarely within the framework of Africa’s Agenda 2063 and has the specific aim of facilitating free movement of persons, goods and services around the continent - in order to foster intra-Africa trade, integration and socio-economic development.”

It is hoped that the e-passport will enhance the implementation of liberalisation of Africa’s airspace.

FAAN’s Fiscal Challenges Lagos Airport domestic terminal, MMA2

FAAN MD, Saleh Dunoma

T

he Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is currently facing serious financial challenges that may be threatening its existence unless radical measures are taken to ensure its survival.

Three factors are responsible for FAAN’s depleting resources. One is the economic downturn, which is affecting the nation’s overall economy.

Two is the inability of the agency to maximise and adequately utilise its resources and three is the age-old intervention from government.

FAAN is supposed to earn a projected N3billion every month, but right now, it can only generate about N1.3 billion monthly and its salaries, pension and overhead costs are about N1.2 billion every month.

The agency has concessions that if well managed could be generating about 50 per cent of its revenues; from car parks, cargo charges, to lounges, toll gates, hospitality facilities, including cafeterias, but poor agreement deals and a lack of sincere supervision erode the Public, Private Partnership (PPP) aimed at maximising earnings for the agency.

Take the concession of the temporary park built at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos for example, THISDAY learnt that for the two and half years the park has operated, it has not paid any money to FAAN. The company that signed agreement to operate the park was said to have agreed with the agency that it would pay it 60 percent of its earnings, while it pockets 40 percent. But since the said period, the company has not paid any money to FAAN. A source told THISDAY that the company generates about N860, 000 daily but has remitted nothing to FAAN. The source pointed accusing figure at those in commercial department, saying they are causing the confusion and the exploitation of FAAN. “The union has taken it up because FAAN cannot meet its obligations anymore. Many of its business partners on concession are not meeting their financial obligations to the agency. Right now FAAN is in showdown with the firm managing that temporary car park.

The union wants to take over the place after Wednesday meeting,” a source told THISDAY. Another huge revenue source is the tollgate at the major road that links the domestic and international terminals of the Lagos airport.

THISDAY learnt that the company ought to pay FAAN N65million monthly in an agreement that was signed about three years ago. The company without seeking FAAN’s approval increased the toll by 100 percent but has not increased the money it gives FAAN despite

the increase in toll.

“The agreement was renewed last year to the company but nothing was said about the increase in the N65 million monthly payment to FAAN and the company is generating about double of what it was generating when the agreement was signed. So FAAN through the union may take over the toll collection; although the company gave FAAN bank guaranty but right now it is ripping off the agency.

“I can tell you authoritatively that all the concessions done by FAAN are against the agency’s interest and we must fight this,” an official of one of the unions told THISDAY. The source lamented that despite the plummeting resources, the agency “was forced” to employ 400 people recently “and they will be on pay roll next month and most of them are idle so they were not employed because there were vacancies existing in the agency and all of them were employed from one section of the country and they mischievously allotted them to 36 states as if they were picked in accordance to the Federal Character Policy of the federal government.”

“We learnt these people were foisted on FAAN and other agencies in the industry; just like they used to do. So it is the old system that is prevailing, which means that there is no change. FAAN owes gratuity of N3.5 billion and staff claims of over N1 billion and the workers are complaining that the management gives priority to the contractors first, and we know where the directives are coming from. It is the rehash of the old system. So this has prompted the union to decide to charge of the revenue points so that the workers will directly collect the money before FAAN will become bankrupt,” the unionist said.

Currently, there is so much panic in FAAN and in the industry because most foreign airlines are threatening to withdraw service from Nigeria due to the economic crunch.

A union official said: “Workers are afraid because no one is telling them the plan government has for the industry. FAAN revenue is also shrinking because foreign airlines have reduced their frequencies and local airlines owe the agencies, but the worst are the concession agreements FAAN has entered into. Basically, 80 percent of them are against the interest of FAAN and this did not start today. Now, they said they want to concession the four major airports that sustain the other airports, so how can FAAN survive?”

But reacting to the view of the labour officials, a FAAN source told THISDAY that the unions taking over the agency’s revenue sources is not a solution to the problem of plummeting financial accruals to the agency because from past experience the unions do not give a good account of themselves in matters of finance.

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Customs Confiscates N76m Bullet-Proof Cars at Seme Border Eromosele Abiodun The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command on has said it seized three bullet-proof cars with a Duty Paid Value of N76million.

The Area Controller, Victor Dimka, a Customs Comptroller, disclosed this at a briefing held at the vehicle seat in the command.

He disclosed that individuals who desired to import bulletproof cars into the country must get clearance from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

According to him, “The command seized three bullet-proof cars with a Duty Paid Value of N76million and this was done through intelligence gathering by officers of the command.

A particular bullet-proof car, which was a 2012 Mercedes C300, was intercepted at the Gbaji area of Badagry and it had an official plate number of FG 35 S02.”

“Due process must be followed in the importation of bullet-proof cars and the process is that the individual must apply to the ONSA and if it is approved, the office would

send an approval certificate to the NCS and the individual would be allowed. All the cars that were seized have been handed over to the Department of State Security Service for further investigation,” he said.

Dimka also warned against attacks of Customs officers by smugglers.

He said: “A situation where officers performing their

legitimate duties are always ambushed and maimed with dangerous weapons would no longer be accepted or tolerated. Enough is enough. We are backed up by law so we are carrying out our legitimate duties by working to stem smuggling, so we are ready for war over this matter.

“Smuggling is dangerous to the economy, so anyone

involved in it is considered as an enemy of the nation.

We have upgraded ourselves and we have everything we need, so people should desist from smuggling or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.”

He reiterated the command’s commitment to surpass its revenue target for 2016, adding that all revenue loopholes have been effectively blocked.

Dangote Donates Food Items to IDPs in Abuja Raheem Akingbolu As part of its philanthropic gesture, the Dangote Foundation has delivered food items to alleviate the suffering of the vulnerable and the indigent in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The food items, worth millions of Naira, was recently presented to the Minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Musa Bello.

Receiving the items, the Minister said he was impressed by the gesture and promised to ensure that the beneficiaries get the products.

The acting Secretary of Social Development Bolanle Irene Elegbede who represented the Minister commended the President of the Dangote Group Aliko Dangote and the Dangote Foundation for supporting the poor people in Abuja.

The items delivered in Abuja included: Dangote Sugar, Dangote Salt, Dangote Spaghetti, rice, Danvita and wheat meal.

This donation followed the contribution by the Foundation of a staggering N2billion to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno last month.

Speaking at the ceremony marking the distribution

of the food items in Abuja, Chairman of the Dangote Foundation, Aliko Dangote who was represented by the Director of Health and Nutrition, Dr. Azeez Oseni said the Foundation was committed to alleviating poverty in Nigeria.

He said Dangote Foundation was “committed to alleviating poverty and suffering of underprivileged by supporting social and economic change through investments and interventions that improve the lives of the less fortunate” This, according to him, will make a positive difference in the growth of the nation.

The focus of Dangote Foundation, according to the Chairman, will be on Health and Nutrition, Education, Economic Development and the provision of relief materials during disaster. While the Foundation is determined to reduce the number of lives lost to malnutrition and disease through access to quality nutrition and healthcare with a particular emphasis on children, it is also aggressively working towards the reduction of out-of-school children, while supporting talented under-priviledged young people to achieving

their potentials as well as educating girls and women on health related issues.

He said the Foundation’s cardinal objectives include: Health and Nutrition, education, economic empowerment and disaster relief.

The food distribution to the vulnerable and indigent during and beyond the season of Ramadan is one of Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s philanthropic activities directed towards helping the poor in the society.

“I will like to specifically thank the Social Welfare Secretariat Team and FCT Emergency management

Agency for the Day-to-Day logistic support and planning on food distribution to the beneficiaries,” he said.

Some of the beneficiaries include: Abuja Children Home, Peoples with Disabilities Traders Union, Para Soccer Team FCT, Poorest of the Poor, Old Peoples Home and Abuja Parasutes Association, among others.

It would be recalled that within a spate of five years, the total amount donated to various camps of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), across the country by the Dangote Foundation has grown significantly to N6. 3billion.

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

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MARITIME

Can Hadiza Bala Usman Make a Difference at NPA? With the federal government looking to generate more revenue from the ports, a key government agency, the Nigerian Ports Authority, has been entrusted to Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman who has promised to make NPA a model agency. Eromosele Abiodun wonders if the new NPA boss is capable of turning the NPA around

Amaechi

When the new Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman formerly assumed office three days ago, she vowed to overhaul and make NPA a model government agency.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in a bid to revive NPA last week appointed Usman as the new NPA boss making her the first female chief executive of a top tier federal government agency and of the NPA. She took over from Alhaji Habib Abdullahi, who was reinstated by Buhari in August 2015 as the MD of NPA, after he had been shown the exit by former President Goodluck Jonathan in April 2015.

Speaking after shortly she took over from Abdullahi at the agency’s Head Office in Marina, Lagos, Usman said the country expects much from the NPA. She told the team: “Our ports are a critical artery of the economy, and it is our duty to ensure that the operators deliver port services at the standards that our businesses deserve in the 21st century in supporting President Buhari’s administration agenda of economic diversity. We will strive for enhanced operating efficiencies to facilitate improved revenue generation and inflows into the national treasury.

“We will listen to our customers, importers, exporters and other agencies working in the Ports to improve on our service delivery to the nation, anything less than world-class services is simply not acceptable; attaining such heights is a mission to which I am certain we can all subscribe.”

She added: “As team leader, I have come to add my best efforts to yours so that we can collectively achieve results for our industry. We must work as a team, pursuing common goals with professionalism and diligence. We shall prioritize investment in primary equipment and infrastructure and services committed to by NPA in the concession agreements to hasten clearance

Usman

of imports and exports from the ports. As we collaborate in the best traditions of public service, I believe that with commitment and diligence our hard work can position NPA as a model agency.”

To function as effective regulators, the new NPA boss stressed that all staff of NPA must commit to the highest standards of performance and cohesion.

“Let us all uphold the most diligent work ethic, in our individual beats as well as in the collective undertakings required to achieve results.

Everyone at the NPA has a role in promoting best practice, in upholding governance standards and in delivering quality services. We will work hard, with integrity and with zero-tolerance for corruption.

“As the new management settles down, we will be listening to your concerns and suggestions as we navigate the best options for effectively discharging the NPA’s mandate. But we will not shirk our responsibility to provide the leadership to improve the NPA. I hope that we will do it together,” Usman declared.

Divergent Reaction Mixed reactions have continued to trail Usman’s appointment, with some describing it as a desperate move that “may backfire soon”. Their reactions stemmed from the situation that led to her emergence as the new head of NPA. THISDAY had exclusively reported last week that the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi decided to make the change at the agency in order to overhaul the NPA. Amaechi, it was gathered, was not particularly impressed with the way the NPA was being run and decided to effect a change of the executive team. However, there are questions about her competence. With the decline in oil price and the continuous slide in the output of crude oil due to the militancy in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian ports have assumed unprecedented relevance.

Revenue flow from taxes, levies and duties at

the port will be relied upon to a large extent to run the nation’s economy. Some critics are not convinced that Usman possesses the required skill and experience to pilot the affairs of such extensive and multifaceted organisation background.

Usman was until her appointment the Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

She grew up close to the ABU campus where her father worked and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in 2000 from the same university and her Master’s degree from the University of Leeds in 2009.

She worked for a non-governmental organisation, the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training (CEDDERT) in Zaria, as a research assistant for a year starting in 1999.

She also worked for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) when el-Rufai was the directorgeneral of the privatisation agency and moved with him to work as his Special Assistant on Project Implementation.

In 2011, she worked as Director of Strategy for the Good Governance Group (3G). In 2015, she was appointed Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State governor.

She shot to national prominence in 2014 when Boko Haram insurgents kidnapped 276 girls from secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Usman, in conjunction with the former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, co-founded the #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG), which brought global attention to the plight of the kidnapped schoolgirls.

Any Hope for Nigeria?

Although she is yet to unveil her programmes or how she intends to make the NPA a model government agency, stakeholders in the maritime industry believe she has a huge task ahead. This, they said, is because government policies and

age long problems such as post concession policy crisis, passing of the Ports as well as the Harbour Bill, currently before the National Assembly, port operations and regulations issues are much more glaring even now.

They added that top in her agenda, must be the fixing of the none-existing infrastructure that is driving away cargos from the Nigerian ports Industry players told THISDAY that the areas she will need to focus on immediately should be the rehabilitation of port access roads and reversal of certain policies that are not friendly to the growth of the ports.

While admitting that fixing roads is not NPA’s direct responsibility but that of government, they urged her to use her good office to get the appropriate government attention to the dilapidated port access roads.

They also urged the NPA boss to work with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance to review policies that have taken cargoes away from Nigeria’s ports.

These policies, they said, include the National Automotive Policy, the fish quota system, the hike in rice import duty and the CBN policy, which excludes 41 items from accessing foreign exchange through the official window.

The stakeholders stressed that all the policies put in place by the past administration, are only promoting the diversion of Nigerian-bound cargoes to the ports of neighbouring countries and the smuggling of goods into Nigeria. They are not alone, Usman’s predecessor, Abdullahi had while reviewing activities in the sector in the first quarter of this year admitted that all was not well with the sector.

Abdullahi in x-raying the first quarter operational report of 2016 said that generally, the level of operational activities at the port locations in first quarter of 2016 dropped significantly when compared with the same period of 2015.

Analysis of the performance revealed that though

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

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‘BACKGROUND CHECKS HELP TO ELIMINATE FALSE CLAIMS' ACTING EDITOR CHARLES AJUNWA / charles.ajunwa@thisdaylive.com

28/COVER

22.07.2016

‘Background Checks Help to Eliminate False Claims'

Background screening has been an effective instrument in investigating the social status, business and investment claims, and lifestyles of people. The Managing Director, Background Check International, Mr. Kola Olugbodi in this interview with Mary Ekah, spoke on why background checks are of utmost importance be addressed without further delay. Negligent hiring in most cases turn out to be a sour point in the history of organisations as the staff so employment may cause the organisation a lot fortunes that they are not supposed to spend.

Negligent hiring may be interval or untowardly displayed negligence. Internal display negligence leads to work place violence when a staff may decide to assault a fellow worker which may lead to some injuries and of course the displeased staff may go to court and sue not only the staff as a culprit but also the company.

Why background check if I may ask?

The need for proper background screening cannot be overemphasised. This is because it has become imperative for corporate organisations to adopt a workable action plan to thoroughly evaluate and investigate claims by employees or business investors as the case may be. Background check is not limited to employees only but it also cuts across every strata of the society.

The significant role of background check in eliminating fraudulent claims and false information needs to be highlighted and accorded its rightful place by all and sundry. When this is done appropriately, all hands should be on the deck to ensure that background screening is established as not only a culture but also a norm in every facet of our lives.

What is the place of background check in corporate governance?

Believe me corporate Nigeria will definitely have respite from frauds and corruption if background screening becomes an integral part of the corporate vision and business model.

The task to minimise the chances of fraud and dishonesty traits in corporate governance also comes under the purview of background screening. Through this, individuals with fraudulent claims are checkmated from reaching the upper ladder in the management of companies.

Background screening is needed to restore pragmatic standards of integrity and decency in corporate governance. Background check is critical component of the business process and as a result, corporate organisations cannot afford to ignore its overall importance for continuous growth and existence in the business sphere.

Background check should be the first line of security to guide against fraud and criminal occurrences in organisations.

How then can we justify background check in the face of other issues corporate organisations and individuals?

Let us take it from the statement from Peter Drucker that chances are good that up to 66 per cent of your company’s decisions will prove to be mistakes in the first 12 months.

This is indeed true as a result of several sharp practices being perpetrated by employees. It has also been found out that 10 per cent of most company’s workforce has criminal backgrounds or criminal tendencies. 70 per cent of all lost revenue is due to employees’ theft, internal fraud and collusion. Several job applicants also make false claims as 33 per cent job applicants falsify their records and credentials. Background check is therefore a risk averter, which is a potent tool to forestall negligent hiring and also safeguarding organisational assets. You can see from this that it is highly justifiable to give background check premium position in the scheme of things.

Does your organisation have link with other bodies around the world knowing fully well that the world is now a global village?

In the first place, it is important to note that Background Check International (BCI) pioneered the business and operation of background check in Nigeria. BCI came into being in 2005 therefore opening a new frontier in the issue of security both for corporate and individuals. Now to affiliation, let me stress that security operations have always been collaborative efforts because of the need for information sharing, peer review mechanism and exposure to developments in other climes. BCI really has extensive relationship beyond the shores of Nigeria all for the purpose of cutting edge delivery to clients as well as application of international best practices in our operations. At the corporate level, BCI the first African member of the prestigious Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) based in the USA. And at the home front, we are member of the Nigeria Institute for Industrial Security (NIIS). Interestingly, I am the coordinator of the African Alliance group among background screening firms across Africa. Invariably, we are indeed living up to its vision to become Africa’s leading authority in background screening, due diligence and risk management matters. Background Check International has over the years raised the bar of transparency and integrity in corporate governance. We are positioned strategically to chart the way forward to stem fraudulent practices that hinder organisational growth.

How relevant are your offerings to the economic wellbeing or corporate organisations and individuals?

Let me say this first that any organisation whose mission has no value to add to the general economic wellbeing does not worth its existence.

Olugbodi

Having said this, BCI offerings are germane to the wellbeing across board - individual, corporate organisation and the country at large. Look at the enormity of fraud and corruption that the country has been battling with. Diligent background check of the characters before being saddled with the responsibilities that provided platform for them to go into corruption would have cut them off from getting those positions right from the word go. Our offerings at BCI are end product of research on the challenges confronting the nation and the society at large.

None of our offering is irrelevant therefore.

Among others we offer quality service delivery in background checks of educational qualification, professional certification, criminal record check, risk assessment report and other areas. BCI has been able to expose corporate organisations to the dangers of employing staff without proper verification. Our goal at Background Check is to make Nigeria investment friendly for investors through our strategic offerings.

Can you enlighten the public on the need to curtail employment risks?

Let me shock you by saying that touts can inadvertently get employment into a reputed organisation if background check and screening is not deployed at that time employment is being given to individual. Anybody can claim anything in terms of qualifications and character when being interviewed by the employer. The onus is therefore on the organisation to conduct covert intelligent gathering to ascertain the veracity of such claims. Go double check at the institution such claimed to have attended; check within his

neighbourhood his character and even possible check him out if he has criminal records or tendencies. All of these are what background will deliver to any discerning employer or individual. And at BCI, the competent, skill, reach and contact are readily available. For instance, the prevailing child kidnapping by so called house helps would not have arisen in the first place if the house helps have had their background profiled and checked by a competent background check outfit. Some will claim they are coming to Nigeria for the first time, but whereas they have been around for long being a member of a cartel specialising in child kidnapping. With background check, you are immune from such a horrible experience, preserving the sanctity of your home. For use at background check it should become a matter of policy for corporate organisations to not only audit new staff but also the old staff to forestall the incidence of theft among other misdemeanor. Corporate organisations should not be in haste to employ staff without conducting thorough background screening as such hasty decision exposes the tangible and intangible resources of the organisation to fraud and abuse. Background screening is very apt to eliminate fraud and other unethical behavior that are prevalent in corporate organisations.

What is negligent hiring?

It means employing with negligence attitude, employing on the assumption that all that the prospective employee said are true, without any conscious effort at double-checking claims.

The case of negligent hiring is one that should

How then do we entrench background check in Nigeria?

The foundation of such entrenchment is the need for dissemination of information about the overall importance of background check in Nigeria. A major emphasis is to create a lot of awareness and help Nigerians have in-depth knowledge about the operations of background screening. Everything is all about risk and this should be clearly understood by all and sundry. Background check is all about risk management, fraud risk, safety risk, and relationship risk. What background check does is that before making decision there should be verification and clarification. The act of doing this saves you the risk of trusting blindly. The person to be employed must be verified in case he absconded from the previous employment before being employed in a new company.

It is important to know the background of every potential employee to eliminate the risk of employing a fraudster and criminal. It is important to probe the criminal record of the employees to save the company from having the same criminal occurrence. Do you know that even as a practitioner in background check I escaped being kidnapped before?

It happened in the eastern part of Nigeria.

But because of my awareness, courage and smartness I escaped. So people must to know that the risk is there and know what to do when the signal is received. I was able to escape through verification and background check of their purported multi-million-naira business waiting for me. Background Check cuts access in every specimen in our society.

For a private school to employ a teacher such should be verified whether he is sex offender in previous school. Even for the employment of drivers, domestic house helps etc. BC helps to know the true identity of the elements you are introducing to your private home.

The truth is that most of the present social vices and security bottlenecks in the society can be reduced to the barest minimum with entrenchment of background check.

29/XTRA

22.07.2016

Celebrating One Year of Legislative Excellence The eight Lagos Sate House of Assembly recently celebrated its one year of legislative business with fanfare, writes Godbless Eduviere The eight Lagos State House of Assembly complex was a beehive of activities as the 8th Assembly marked its first session in office on June 8, 2016 in a rather unique manner.

No doubt, the state legislature had from onset set a clearly defined mission when it was inaugurated by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on the same date in 2015.

The Speaker Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa in his inaugural speech set the agenda for the state legislature.

Hear him: "We are here to serve the people.

Our new members will find that we are often besieged by lobbyists - Their advocacy plays a valuable role here - But we must never forget whom we really serve – the people of Lagos State."

In line with this objective, the House revved its engine re-ordering the state budget to enable Ambode deliver on his promises to the people of the state in good time.

This, no doubt was like a stitch that saves nine, as the re-ordering of the budget enabled the state government to purchase state-of-the-art crime fighting equipment running into billions of naira.

This in itself is historic as no state in the country had ever procured such equipment which included surveillance helicopters, patrol vehicles, armored personnel carriers and more at the same time.

Noteworthy is the fact that the Ambode administration's first major challenge was tackling an upsurge in crime which greeted him on assumption of office.

This was even as the state 2016 budget was delivered to Ambode in record time as promised

by Obasa when the document was laid by the governor.

Close watchers of the Obasa-led Lagos Assembly believe that may not be unconnected with the promise that the state lawmakers made to support Ambode-led government to succeed which is in the overall interest of the state.

It was therefore not unsurprising that the Lagos Assembly made giant strides in the last one year, passing 88 resolutions and six bills within the period.

These include the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund law, 2015, armed at tackling unemployment in the most populous state of the nation.

This is aside the Local Government Administration (Amendment bill), to deepen grassroots democracy, Neighbourhood Watch Bill to enhance Security. Some of these bills have been signed into law by Ambode.

Apparently keeping to its promise to Lagosians, the House is currently working on a bill to stem the spread of cancer among Lagosians.

Putting it more succintly, Hon. Tunde Braimoh, Chairman, House Committee on Information said the bill which is one of the four sponsored by the Speaker in the last 12 months aims to assist poor Lagosians in the high cost of cancer treatment spread and generally look for the cure of the deadly disease.

When the Lagos Assembly therefore hosted media executives and civil society organisations to unveil her social media platforms, it was joy flowing like a river among the lawmakers and others present.

Obasa seized the opportunity to reel out the House achievements under his leadership and formally unveiled four the online platforms.

He said: "For purpose of record, I will like to state that this House within one year has passed about 60 resolutions while six bills have been passed and consequently signed into law

by Governor Ambode. These resolutions and laws are those that border on the security and well-being of Lagosians, and have direct impact on them. We shall remain undaunted and resolute in our resolve to take Lagos to a greater height.

"I wish to reiterate that I am passionately committed to my 10-point agenda, as stated in my inaugural speech. Within one year that I

L-R: Wife of Lagos State governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, Obasa in handshake with Falana after the June 12 lecture in Lagos…recently

took over the mantle of leadership of this great House, we have had landmark achievements in prompt but thorough passage of the year 2016 budget, timely commencement of plenary sittings, organising constituency stakeholders' meetings simultaneously for the first time in all the 40 constituencies of the state, holding the MDAs to account through intensive and effective oversight activities and in responding earnestly to the petitions by Lagosians through appropriate standing or ad hoc committee.

Apart from this, we have not relented in organising training programmess for lawmakers and staff, a factor that has improved them.

Most of the people elected in this 8th Assembly are masses-oriented people; you will see it in their pronouncement, actions and debate at all times.

Therefore my view and opinion of this 8th Assembly is that they have done some things that show that they are very sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people

"Today, I am delighted to inform you that this House now has a multidimensional and functional website, which we shall be unveiling today. For the first time in the history of this hallowed chamber since its 36 years of existence, you can now communicate with the honourable members through the official email address of the House. All the website's social media platforms such as Facebook, twitter, youtube and instagram are also functioning properly. It is our belief that with all of them well harnessed, Lagosians can interact with us and also get first-hand information of whatever that goes on in this Assembly.

“May I also add that very soon, Lagosians would be watching live streaming of the plenary sessions from the chamber.”

Like it did on June 8, the Lagos legislature played host to renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN) and human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) and a former inspector General of police, (IGP) Alhaji Musliu Smith on june 13, 2016 in continuation of its anniversary to mark the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election won by late Chief Moshood Abiola with the theme “Lagos State in a true federalism and state police.”

The two Senior Advocates of Nigeria agreed that Nigeria needed both political and physical federalism for rapid development.

Both observed that Nigeria is the only Federal Republic without a state police and that states, local governments, and even schools could have their own police.

Falana revealed that Lagos for instance provided the federally-controlled Nigeria police with not less than 600 vehicles in 16 years while the federal government accorded the state with less than 200 within the same period.

Their agitation for state police was sup-

ported by the former IGP who said Lagos in particular was ripe for state police by virtue of its peculiarities and special position in Nigeria.

In his remarks, Obasa declared that every state that has the resources should be allowed to have state police in the spirit of true federalism.

He equally seized the opportunity to demand a special status for Lagos in view of its strategic position and contributions to national development.

Appraising the 8th Lagos Assembly a former chairman of the Ikeja branch of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Monday Ubani, thumbed up the performance of the Lagos lawmakers in the last one year.

“I have watched the proceeding of the Lagos House. Most times, their debates are only centered on how to better the living standard of the people of Lagos, how to improve their welfare and how to ensure that the issue of basic infrastructure is addressed.

“Most of the people elected in this 8th Assembly are masses-oriented people; you will see it in their pronouncement, actions and debate at all times. Therefore my view and opinion of this 8th Assembly is that they have done some things that show that they are very sensitive to the yearnings and aspirations of the people.”

Ubani’s views were shared by the first elected female chairman of the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Mrs. Olufunke Fadugba. “I will say the 8th Lagos Assembly seems to be more active and less controversial than their predecessors who had always been engulfed in one crisis or the other.

This particular Assembly seems to be focused and we can only pray that they remain so till the end of their tenure because it is not the beginning that matters but how well you end,” she said.

30/ NEWS

22.07.2016

Top Nigerian Artistes to Collaborate with Indian Stars on SMEs The sensational Nigerian Musician, Davido and other Nigerian arts like Pasuma Wonder and Ara are set to engage their Indian colleagues during the forth-coming mega event in Nigeria tagged ‘Festival of India Lagos’. The event, which promises to be one of a kind and over the top, will take place on August 13 at Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan, Lagos. Other musicians billed to perform are AnupJalota, Sammie Okposo, SaiGargi, Tee Mac and YuvikaChaudhary.

Ara, the talented Nigerian drummer will slug it out with one of the best drummers in India. The musical diva has disclosed her preparedness for the musical ‘battle royale’. According to her, Nigerians are going be thrilled with the best of Ara. The former president of the Performing Musicians’ Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and the Chairman of the Festival of IndianLagos Planning Committee, Bolaji Rosiji, in a statement said, “India is the fastest growing economy in the world and has the second largest SME network in the world. One of the objectives of this event is to revive the SME sector in Lagos State through a mutually beneficial development programme.”

Festival of India

Thousands of Nigerians, Indians as well as members of the diplomatic corps will be thrilled by the rich musical experience of the globally acclaimed Emperor of Indian music, AnupJalota at the spectacular event.

This rich cultural exchange is organised by the Indian diaspora in Lagos, with the support of MTN, Zee World, and Gaurapad Charities amongst other notable corporate organisations and the Lagos State Government.

The event, which has the total support of the Federal Government of Nigeria, will showcase the crème de la crème of Bollywood and Nollywood. The Indian festival will also be enriched by the par-

ticipation of other renowned international and contemporary stars, dancers, dramatic artistes, distinguished scholars and top government officials from India and Nigeria.

Rosiji, in his statement further said, “AnupJalota is popularly known as the Emperor of Bhajans. He has won multiple awards globally and is coming to the festival with his full troupe. Anyone who has heard his tabla drum player knows it sounds just like thunder. Pasuma Wonder has promised that since he has “home advantage’ he will be at his most entertaining form to musically challenge the Indian stars and do us proud.

‘Praise God Even in Tough Times’ Mary Ekah Nigerians have been enjoined to praise God without ceasing especially at a period like this when every thing seems so tough, as God is capable of doing great things on account of the praises rendered to Him. Speaking during a press briefing recently, to announce the ongoing annual Praise Week of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Lagos Province 49 a.k.a Perfection Square Province, which kicked off on Monday July 18, the Pastor in charge of the Province, Daniel Balogun, said, “Virtually every Christian knows the power and, efficacy of fervent prayers made unto God in diverse situations and circumstances, but not many know the secret and power of praise.” He said that the power in praise to God, was one revelation that Lagos Province 49 has had, the reason the church has set aside one full week every year to sing only praises to God, adding, “We have amble testimonies to confirm that as in the Bible days, when we pray, God sends angels with answers but when we praise Him, He comes down Himself.”

This year’s edition which is second in it series celebrated by Province 49, Balogun said would run till Sunday July 24 at the Province Headquarters, RCCG, Peace House

KM1, Isheri-LASU Expressway, Lagos with the theme, “The Great I am”. He said: “It is a celebration of praise to God in which every segment of the church takes turn to celebrate the faithfulness of God.”He assured that the weeklong of praise aims to ignite the passion of unstoppable praise of God among the brethren with a vision to praise until praise becomes a way of life for every participant, whether within the church, at home or at the work place.

He revealed further that the annual Praise Week started as a zonal programme and has run for more than 10 years. However, with the elevation of Peace House from zonal headquarters status to a provincial headquarters in 2014, the programme has been sustained. It has consequently become

bigger and better as a provincial celebration.

Speaking further, the Provincial Pastor said, “This year as in the previous, every segment will take its turn to lead rest in the praise of the Great I AM at occasion which will be both morning and evening sessions. Highpoint of the occasion has remained the Choir Concert held on July 21, where all the nine zonal choirs in the Province competed for the premium prize of a trophy valued at N750, 000. Friday, July 22 will be an all-night vigil of praise with guest artistes like AyanJesu, Sister BukkyBekes of OloriKokoro Fame and Pastor Wisdom Chigozie leading others to create a historic gathering to lovers of high praise of the Most High God.

Building the Youths for Better Future Mary Ekah In order to enlighten, educate and reorient a crop of Nigerian youths that will represent a better Nigeria in future, the Swiftthink Limited, is through its Edge Series initiative preparing youths for the real world, where they would maximise their full potentials for the development of the society. To this end, come July 29, at the Muson Centre, Lagos, the Edge Series Business Challenge which will be empowering five new businesses up to the tune of N3 million each in a startup kits will take place. Not just that, it’s technology training tour that will take participants around six campuses this year to better improve how people use technology to improve themselves, will hold consequently.

Speaking during the official unveiling of the project plans for the year, the Chief Executive Officer, Swiftthink Limited, Mr. Ayoola Jolayemi, said, “The Edge Series has been on for three years and from my experience with the young people, a lot of them don’t really understand how to use the things around them to improve their lives and one of the shortcomings we notice

R-L: Creative Director, TISV Digital, Timmy Oluwunmi Managing Director, The Godwin Tom Company, Godwin Tom, CEO, SwiftThink, Jolayemi Ayoola, and Personal Assistant to the Commissioner of Youth & Social Development, Lagos State, Ademola Ayoola at the press conference in Lagos recently

was communication which was why we started our first edition with a Communication Summit while the second edition was on Technology and this year which is the third edition, we are talking Sales and Marketing.”

He said the project targets young people, which include the undergraduates, fresh graduates, unemployed, freshly employed, budding entrepreneurs and people who generally believe that they hold the future of Nigeria in their hands.

Till date, Jolayemi, said the initiative has

so far impacted on more than 3,00 people, adding, “In the first year, we had more than over 700 in attendance and in the second year we had about 900 people at the event and over 1000 people in our state city tour, while this year we would be having the summit at Muson Centre and we are having a city tour again in September/October because for us it is very important to touch as many youths as possible and our target really is to reach as many as 10, 000 young people in five years.

Obiano, Ooni, Aregbesola, Melaye others for Hall of Grace Award Come August 21, the Summit Centre in Alausa, Lagos, garlands celebrating graceful and purposeful leadership and sacrifice to the nation would be given to Governors of Anambra and Osun States, Willie Obiano and Rauf Aregbesola, Ooni of Ife, imperial majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Aare Afe Babalola, (SAN), founder of Afe Babalola University, Senator Dino Melaye, Senator Representing Kogi West Federal Consituency, Kogi State and Professor Dupe Olatunbosun among others.

The award is Hall of Grace (HOG) of the HOG magazine whose grand custodian is two term Nigeria's Honourable Minsiter for Youths and Sports, Chief Alex Akinyele.

Managing custodian of the award and publisher of HOG magazine, Mr. Rupert Ojenuwa: "The HOG award has come a long way and we thank God that the mission behind the award is still intact. The reason why every year, we gather leaders who have distinguished themselves in position of authority and honour them is because we think that Nigeria should be better than this. So, when we see leaders who distinguished themselves by doing the right thing with a view of making things better, we deem it fit to encourage such leaders with this honour so that they would be proud to do more and also inspire others to emulate them.

“Senator Melaye is being honoured for speaking out againt powers that are threatening the sustenance of democracy. It is apparent that in Nigeria of today, democracy is threatened and the only lawmaker who has challenged the Executive in the spirit of checks and balances is Melaye. Nobody is talking against the excess of the powers that is already threatening democracy. Many just keep silent about it.

Everyone seems to be protecting their interest, but in the midst of this chaos, Senator Melaye dared to speak for the masses. He is constantly challenging the government when its policies go the wrong direction.You would recall that he was the only one who spoke aginst the recent increment in pump price of petrol to N145.For governors Aregbesola and Obiano, you have to go the Osun and Anambra states to see things for yourself. There have been massive developmental projects being embarked upon by the two governors to take their states to higher level.

Old Schull’ Party: Top Nigerian Arts to Storm Lagos The rub and dub master Ras Kimono, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, Charles Oputa aka Charly Boy, DJ Jimmy Jatt and other celebrities will storm Bluesea Garden and Nite Club, Akilo Road for an old “schull” party put together by “Samba Queen”, Stella Monye& WINAI Women Initiative Stella Monye Nigeria.

The show scheduled for Saturday 30th of July 2015, according to Monye is in honour of the late Prince Rogers Nelson aka Prince for championing the business of women in entertainment industry through his career which is in line with the objectives of WINAI Women Initiative Nigeria, “my NGO which has introduced many women programmes like 1000 mics that has about 250 female singers raised from the school, churches, night club circuit and the general public,Huk up show among others.”

She said that apart from the party which is purely old school, that is, all attendees will be dressed in old school attire, the show will also feature an award segment where the wife of the governor of Lagos State, Bolanle Ambode and wife of the All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Oluremi Tinubu will receive award for assisting the cause of women. The Samba Queen said that other celebrities that will grace the occasion include Denrele Edun, actress Patience Ozokwor aka Mama G, Tee Mac Omatseli, Lady drummer Ara, OritsWiliki, Daddy Showkey, Victor Essiet of the Mandators fame, the rain maker Majek Fashek, Sammy Okposo, Shina Peters, Salawa Abeni, Bolaji Rosiji and others.

Born June 7, 1958, Prince Rogers Nelson who died on April 21, 2016 was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and multi-award winning actor who has impacted positively the lives of women during his lifetime.He has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artistes of all time.

31/LIVING

22.07.2016

Arthur Mbanefo: A Fulfilled Life Of Service ABC Ojiakor On Thursday, 17 March 2016, Chief Arthur C. I. Mbanefo (Odu of Onitsha), the author, invited me to his house to be introduced to some acquaintances of his who wanted to meet me for a business discussion. It was after that meeting that Odu hinted me that his book was almost ready and that I would be the reviewer of the book. He reminded me that I made him write the book and said something to the effect that the book publisher felt I was the natural choice to do the job. I simply thanked Odu and left without properly thinking through the task in front of me.

Then on Monday, April 4, 2016, as I was boarding a BA flight from London to Abuja, I got the following SMS, “Good evening ABC, It’s been a while since we saw each other. If you are around, I would be happy if you would make contact. A copy of my book is now available for you to enable you start preparation of your review of the book for 11th June 2016. Regards.

Odu” That was the author.

I responded immediately, “Good evening Odu. I am on my way to Abuja from London Sir. I will come and see you tomorrow evening Sir.” Odu wrote again before the flight took off- “Many thanks for your quick reply. I shall be out for dinner tomorrow night. Any time on Wednesday will be perfect. Have a safe flight.

Odu”. What a polite man of order.

So on Wednesday April 6, I visited Odu at night and he handed me a copy of the book and I left after we chatted for about half an hour to catch up on many matters of interest.

As soon as I entered my car to drive home, a Soliloquy ensued-“What have I just accepted to do? Book review? On whom? Odu? Shouldn’t I have offered to do a presentation instead? Have I set myself up? Did Odu make a mistake? To review a book the audience would love to see a literary scholar, a renowned journalist or a University Professor. I was neither a student of literature nor history even at O- level!. To Review an autobiography of HE, Ambassador, Chief Arthur C. I. Mbanefo (Odu Of Onitsha) FCA, MFR, CON, an accomplished professional, an ambassador plenipotentiary, an astute corporate guru, a statesman, a patriot, a global citizen, a traditionalist and custodian of culture, a philanthropist, an intelligentsia, academic luminary, a consummate diplomat, a fine gentleman and very many more- this would not be an easy task for just a lay man.

For he is indeed not just fulfilled but many find fulfillment in him.

The book: In packaging this book, the publishers have exhibited excellence in craftsmanship. The cover page showed one of the finest pictures of the graceful Chief. That picture reminds me of Odu’s extreme kindness which many would discover once they associate closely with him. The Book is an exposé of Odu’s innermost persona- a kind hearted man. The face of charity, of a generous Odu. It is as if the picture were saying softly,

none of those I brought could phantom even the peripheries of Odu’s life. Consequently, the “A Fulfilled Life of Service” became an autobiography, the masterful piece we are presented with today. And rightly so because, having read the book several times over, I came to the conclusion that the project could not have worked otherwise. Meanwhile, the author maybe planning another book “before his 92nd birthday.” Like father, like son.

Part one: This covers his parentage, birth, growing up, education and professional training. The opening page of this part leading to the first chapter, displaces a magnificent picture of a young and handsome Arthur at 26, in England 1956. Chapter one of this book has direct bearing with ‘A friend of the gods’. It elaborates the rich pedigree of the author’s including the progenitor of the Mbanefos, Egbuka Mbanefo Iwegbu, his great grandfather and the 5th in the long lineage, which makes the author the 8th in his generational lineage based on the combined accounts of the two books.

In Chapter 7, in search of American professional experience, 1965, he demonstrated his abilities and scored another first. The first black man to work at Lybrand, Ross Brother & Montgomery.

During this time, he came face to face with professional divergence between Accounting in England and America. Arthur stood his ground.

“so how can I be of help?” The serenity in those eyes exudes love and charm. Then the colour contrast and separation blends with this image of beauty.

The title: ‘A Fulfilled Life of Service’ At first this might sound immodest. But this is the Truth. The Author depicts honour and integrity. Odu will say it the way it is. Once it is the truth. I also wondered, could it have been “An accomplished life.”But no. “Fulfillment” goes beyond “Accomplishment”. For while the later comes with a lot of efforts and hard work, the former goes with happiness and effortless giving of oneself in service.

The arrangement and style: As Odu would say, “the reference point is oneself”. The book has been perfectly arranged in four distinct but related parts. The order speaks eloquently of the author’s discipline and orderliness, which makes the book an easy, read.

Preceding the narration is a well-selected eulogy

of the author and the book by eminent and distinguished men of diverse calling.

The prologue: This part of the book brings true meaning to what Odu represents- Service to mankind. In keeping with his humility, he chose to write in the third person and avoided the “I” syndrome.

It also reminded me of the striking attributes Odu III shared with his late father, Chief Isaac Anieka Mbanefo (Odu II) who wrote a book at the age of 92. The author edited this book in 2010, which gave out as souvenir during his 80th birthday. I requested for a copy of the late Titan’s book, ‘A Friend of the gods’.

This was the forerunner to the present book.

Various aspects of the prologue effectively conveyed what to expect as one reads the book. Naturally, the part where Odu gave compliments to ABC Orjiako put a smile on my face. But what the author did not say is that all attempts I made to bring authors from both Nigeria and London yielded no fruits as

The Biafran Shuttle Diplomat and Ojukwu’s Special Envoy This section of the book evokes a lot of passion and emotions, especially for a Biafran boy like me. This part clearly provided numerous evidences of heinous war crimes, purposeful starvation of innocent Biafran children. The author’s multiple engagements during this time portrayed him invincible, for want of a better word. He obviously was gallantry in executing the various tasks assigned to him in absolute confidence and trust by the Biafran Leader, General Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.

Role in the service of Nigeria as an ultimate diplomat at the United Nations Obviously, the author’s life has been eventful from the onset. His achievements are monumental.

But his UN outing where he served for 45 months was distinguishing.

For not only did His Excellency, Ambassador Arthur C. I. Mbanefo (Odu), interact with men and women at the highest global echelon, he excelled among peers. He stood taller than most people both in height and the legacies he left behind. He interacted with the high and mighty and gave a good account of himself and represented Nigeria, Africa and the developing countries excellently well. He emerged the natural leader of the diplomatic corps. His appointment

by President Obasanjo was a surprise to him because unlike many political appointees he never lobbied for the position.

Orjiako, Chairman of Seplat Oil, writes from Lagos

LG Technologies Enhances Sporting Experience Mary Ekah It is a known fact that competition brings out the best in everyone, therefore to encourage hard work and motivates sports competitors to aim higher, one of the leading electronics manufacturers, LG Electronics is upping the ante through the introduction of game-changing products to address consumers’ desires with its wide array of leading edge products.

Increasingly, LG Electronics is working the talk by designing mouth watering innovative technologies that will spur its consumers to greatness. Creatively designed technologies from LG can be used to enhance consumers sporting activities not just as participants but also as viewers.

Modern wearable technologies like the LG Watch Urbane is proving to be very useful to sportsmen and women helping them keep track of their performance in training session preparatory to major competition. The data driven insights of wearable technology encourages sportsmen to break records previously set

by reigning champions by helping them train smarter, healthier and better. And of course, those looking for the most advanced TV in the market to buy need not look further than the array of OLED TV’s available. Interestingly, sports have a way of uniting the world under one umbrella of peace and tranquility with competitors and spectators across the globe looking forward to out-shining one another

with latest technological trends.

Head of Corporate Marketing, LG Electronics West Africa operations, Mr. Rajesh Agnihotri said: “We are able to see the bigger picture and produce innovative products that will revolutionise the technological market space.

For instance, the modular design of the G5 and the amazing picture quality of our OLED TV’s are enough evidence to demonstrate the creative ingenuity of LG Electronics.”

OLED TV’s are stylishly designed with wireless sound bars to produce high quality audio experience capable of holding sports lovers completely spellbound to their seats cheering their favourite teams to go for the gold. Most of the time viewers watching from the comfort of their homes stand a better chance of getting a crystal clear view of the action than spectators present at the mainbow of the stadium, with an additional advantage of camera angles and quality audio commentary to compliment the action on the field.

However, the newly designed innovative LG mobile 360 degree camera that captures

images from virtually all angles makes it possible to have a clear view of the low and peak moments on the field of play, ensuring every action in the pitch is perfectly recorded.

“We are in the era where social media has taken over the digital space with life feel from events being uploaded by sportsmen and women with spectators not left out. They proudly post memorable videos and pictures of their favourite teams and players on the spur of the moment. Smart technologies like the LG V10 and the G5 which boasts of great innovative modular technology with the ability to transform into a digital camera would likely be a perfect choice for fans to take selfies in the beautiful ambience of the sporting arena giving live updates of the events directly from there.

The world today is being driven by technology in every facet of human endeavor promoting productivity, which directly or indirectly boosts human capacity to do more than the ordinary.

Little wonder LG Electronics is motivating sportsmen and women to go for the gold,” the LG boss said.

32 /ENTERTAINMENTRAVE

22.07.2016

eraveonline@gmail.com

@eraveng

www.eraveng.com

Yemi Alade Rubbishes Romance Tale with Her Manager Popular Nigerian female act, Yemi Alade has once again rubbished the long time rumour of the discreet romantic affair between her and Taiye Aliu, her longtime manager and co-owner of Effyzzie Entertainment which Yemi is signed on to.

In the Nigeria music industry of today, reports of music stars having romantic affair with their managers are however not new anymore. Typical example is that of Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz and few others who are yet to own up even with all the obvious details. You will recall Tiwa Savage and Tee Billz also once denied their relationship at the initial stage.

While providing answers to some questions in a recent interview conducted by Naij bothering on her alleged romantic relationship with Taye Aliu, Yemi queried if same question will be asked if she has

Yemi-Alade

a female manager. “Male Managers no be human being? The managers are there to take care of the careers. But seriously, if I had a female manager would you be

asking me all these?”

The talented singer also addressed the pressure of keeping up with her male colleagues in the industry. “The pressure is there because I have to keep up with what my male counterparts are doing.

It’s also tough and challenging because in African the women are always looked down upon. There’s a lot of physical and psychological issues that we tackle as African female artistes whether you are A’ List or Z list. Well, I have chosen to on God’s list.”

Yemi also spoke on her 2.5million BET dress which generated lots of reactions on social media. “Do you want to buy it from me? Well, you can check it out yourself. Check the designer out. You don’t need to hear from me to confirm it. Just go online and see things for yourself.”

Drizzle Lomo Makes Strong Statement with Just U & I Burgeoning Nigerian artiste, Drizzle Lomo has yet again made another strong statement as regards his musical prowess with the release of his new single titled Just U & I. The new single which is a confirmation of the artiste’s vocal dexterity and lyrical strength was released alongside a stunning visual directed by popular cinematographer, Patrick Elis.

Just U & I is a love inspired tune blessed with simple but salient instrumental. The stunning video that accompanied the release of the single follows a story line the shows that religion or ethnicity is a not a factor in the face of true love. It is a song for all seasons and all true lovers.

Speaking with ERAVE, Drizzle Lomo explains that the new song is one the four

songs he will be releasing in the next of couple of weeks. “I have seen the need to do things properly and always set the record straight. I have been getting a lot of great reviews concerning the new song and it feels good because I actually invested a lot of time into making the music. I want to be part of those that will be remembered for doing great and timeless music. I will be dropping more songs before the end of the year”.

With the release of this captivating song, it seems Drizzle Lomo has mastered the art of making great timeless love songs with significant messages. The arrangement of the song and the delivery including the production are impressive.

A graduate of the University of Bradford West Yorkshire in United Kingdom where

Popular American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actress, Tinashe Jorgenson Kachingwe, professionally known as Tinashe has confirmed that there will be collaborations between her and Nigeria’s David Adeleke popularly known as Davido very soon.

Davido also confirmed the development by re-tweeting a post by @TINASHE NEWS- “Tinashe has confirmed that there will be collaborations with @KATYAMUSIC and @iam_Davido coming soon!” Anticipate!.

ADEKUNLE GOLD

Drizzle Lomo

he bagged a BSC in Information Communication Technology, Drizzle Lomo began singing at the age of 12 and won various resident singing competitions in his neighborhood. He is signed on to BTWBC Worldwide records label.

‘On The Real’ Hits the Screen ‘On The Real’, a drama series produced

by EbonyLife TV showcasing the lives of a group of young Nigerians living the Lagos life has finally hit the TV screen.

‘On The Real’, which premiered July 13 on DSTV Channel 165 follows the lives of five young Nigerian reality TV stars brought together by an obnoxious TV executive.

The ‘stars’ have to balance their new fame with the stark realities of their regular lives.

Viewers will enjoy stellar performances from the fresh cast led by Ini Dinma Okojie, Funto Angel Johnson, David Jones, Akah Nnani and Nancy Isime. ‘On The Real’ promises to bravely tackle problems faced by the youth today including relationships, peer pressure, sex and drug abuse like never before explored on Nigerian Television. The show was created and produced by Temidayo Abudu; written

by Tamara Aihie and directed by Tosin Coker. ‘On The Real’ is sponsored by

TINASHE AND DAVIDO

Adekunle Gold has released the track list for his debut album consisting of trending songs like Pick Up, Sade, and others. The complete list of all the tracks on the album are Gold (intro), My life, Beautiful night, Orente, Nurse Alabere, Friend zone, Paradise, No forget featuring Simi, Pick up, Work, Temptation, Ariwo ko, Fight for you, Ready, Sweet me and Sade (Bonus).

All the songs on this album are written by Adekunle Gold and produced by Pheelz, B Banks, Masterkraft, Oscar, Seyikeyz.

On The Real Crew, from left, Maurice Sam, David Jones David, Nancy Isime, Akah Nnani &amp_ Funto Johnson

Accelerate TV and Samsung.

EbonyLife TV and EbonyLife Films are dedicated to telling the full range of African stories as they have never been told before.

Strongly rooted in Africa but connecting to a global audience through a shared

identity and common values. “As Africans living in Africa, we are passionate about telling our stories, of a multidimensional reality that is a burgeoning, pioneering, cosmopolitan and progressive Africa, said the producer, Temidayo Abudu.

Miss Abia Wins Miss Tourism Nigeria 2016 Miss Abia, Ogbenna Ekwubiri has emerged as the 5th Miss Tourism Nigeria World 2016 Queen.

Aside her representing Nigeria at the Miss Tourism World Pageant in Malaysia as the winner, she also got an official car, a year supply from Woodin fashion courtesy of Korede Bello, a custom bottled Champagne , and many more.

Runners up include Miss Enugu-

Immaculata Offurum who was crowned Miss Tourism Nigeria Globe and will represent Nigeria at the next Miss Globe pageant in China, Awka Ibom's Miss Ivie Young Akpude who won the title of Miss Tourism Nigeria International will represent Nigeria at Miss International in Japan and Miss Anambra was crowned Miss Tourism Nigeria Africa.

BEZ Popular Nigerian alternative soul singer, Emmanuel Bezhiwa Idakula, popularly known as Bez and his wife, Tito has welcomed a bouncing baby boy. Bez shared the news via his Instagram page with the picture of the of the new baby. “God blessed @titoidakula and I with a King! #grateful #greatness #blessed”. The couple who lost their first child shortly after marriage is no doubt filled with happiness and joy as they welcome another child to their family. According to Tito, the names of the boy would be “Joshua Redzie Ifeoluwa Shewonya Oluwasemilore Bez-Idakula”.

33/ TRAVEL, LEISURE & TOURISM

22.07.2016

Ethiopian Wins SkyTrax World Airline Award for ‘Best Airline Staff in Africa’ Adds frequency to new York-Newark

Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing, most profitable and a technology pioneer African airline, has won SKYTRAX World Airline Award for Best Airline Staff in Africa, for the second time, on July 12, 2016 at Farnborough Airshow event held in Hampshire, England.

SkyTrax awards are solely based on customer survey and customer satisfaction measurement for their experience; from check-in to boarding, onboard comfort, cabin cleanness, food, beverages, inflight entertainment, staff service and associated travel items.

While receiving the award, Ethiopian Group CEO Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked, “We are proud that SKYTRAX, the most reputed customer-service tracking organisation in the airline industry, has recognised our service delivery for the second time. We thank SkyTrax for this recognition and make the pledge to our customers to work even harder to meet their high expectations. We also thank our valued customers for the strong vote of confidence in our services and for choosing Ethiopian as their preferred travel partner. I also take this opportunity to thank and appreciate the hard work of my 12,000 strong men and women at The Ethiopian family who have made the airline a global winner."

It would be recalled that, Ethiopian has

Ethiopian Airlines officials receiving the award for ‘Best Airline Staff in Africa’ .

received in the past an accolade in the same category from SkyTrax. Ethiopian is above all a customer-focused Airline with global standard service and superior delivery through its hallmark Ethiopian flavored African hospitality.

Ethiopian is implementing a 15-year strategic plan, Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading Aviation Group in Africa offering its passengers’ international standard product with five star service delivery and which has

a strong mission of ensuring being an airline of choice to its employees.

With its growing influence in the highly competitive aviation industry, Ethiopain has announced that it will add a fourth weekly flight to New York-Newark as from August 5, 2016.

Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines, GebreMariam, said, “We are very pleased to augment a fourth flight frequency to New York-Newark in a short span of time since we launched the route. In a continuous effort to offer our customers the best connectivity options currently we fly to 93 international destinations in five continents; connecting Africa to the world's most economically powerful cities like New York-Newark. Surely, availability of frequent scheduled services, will play a pivotal role in the expansion of trade, tourism and investment ties between the fast growing continent of Africa and the United States.”

New York-Newark is Ethiopian’s fourth gateway in the Americas; currently operating daily nonstop flights from Washington DC to Addis Ababa, three weekly nonstop flights from Toronto to Addis Ababa as well as three weekly flights from Los Angeles to Addis Ababa via Dublin.

Oba Ogunwusi Unveils Olokun Park Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo In his quest to support the government with an infrastructural development agenda with a view to springing up the socio-economic growth of his Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi(Ojaja II) Ooni of Ife, took another giant stride by unveiling an estate of 500 housing units of different categories along Ibadan road Ile-Ife in the state of Osun that will shelter hundreds of youths.

Accompanied by his chiefs and some traditional rulers led by the Obalufe of Iremo HRM Oba Idowu Adediwura, Oba Ogunwusi arrived the Ede Road project site venue of the low key ceremony to cut the tape unveiling the estate named Olokun Park.

The uncommonly visionary head of Oduduwa race while cutting the tape to unveil the project described Olokun Park Schemes 1 and 2 as part of his masses-oriented gargantuan transformational agenda for Ile-Ife designed to provide houses for the teeming population which keeps growing by the day since he was crowned in December last year.

He assured that the first of its kind project when completed will offer affordable finished

Oba Ogunwusi (middle), at the event

apartments with spectacular ambience, security and recreational facilities for the low,middle and high income earners at home and in Diaspora.

The scheme which is just a manifestation of the monarch's gated community plan for his people needed to place Ife side by side super modern cities in the world as the traditional headquarters of Yorubaland. The housing scheme according to him comprises a shopping complex with

commercial suites, cinema hall and residential development of studio flats (student accommodation), 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments as well as 4-bedroom semi detached duplexes and 4-bedroom stand alone duplexes, service plots for residential and commercial developments are also offered for sale in three different plot sizes to meet people's various yearnings of accommodation requirements.

In his welcome address, Mr. Muyiwa Aromire who is the Sales Manager of House of Oduduwa Resources Ltd, the owners of Olokun Park commended Oba Ogunwusi for this innovative concept driven by his passion to develop the ancient city to an Eldorado very soon. Aromire stated that Olokun Park with very affordable houses Scheme ll is a development that includes affordable commercial suites and residences suitable for students, tourists, researchers and upcoming starters.

"The Olokun Park schemes 1 and 2 offers affordable finished apartments like commercial suites and residences suitable for students, tourists, researchers and upcoming starters with spectacular ambience, security and recreational facilities for the low, middle and high income earners as well as Africans in Diaspora.

“The scheme comprises a shopping complex with commercial suites, cinema hall and residential development of studio flats, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments as well as 4-bedroom semi detached duplexes and 4 bedroom stand alone duplexes, serviced plots for residential and commercial developments are also offered for sale in three different plot sizes to suit your requirements," Aromire explained.

Ikotun Hoteliers Lose N3.9 billion to Synagogue crisis Hoteliers in Ikotun area of Lagos State are currently bemoaning their loss due to low occupancy rate in most of the hotels. According the hoteliers, since the Synagogue Church of All Nations accident and the consequent disagreement with the Lagos State government, the hotels have lost over N3.9 billion revenue.

Speaking to some journalists, the hoteliers under the aegis of Pilgrims Hostels Association of Nigeria, said the total number of bed spaces of different categories for all the hotels in the Ikotun area stands at about 3,500. Before the accident, the hotels had 100 per cent occupancy rate in three days of every week due to the programmes in the church. The occupancy rates currently fluctuate between 10 per cent and zero all week long. According to them, what this meant was that in these three days, instead of having their normal 3500 bed spaces sold, they could only boast of 350 rooms occupied.

Speaking further on the issue, one of the hoteliers, Chief Jerry Omoridion said, “We have been crying for a long time and the government does not seem to understand our plights. It is a serious issue for us because our means of sustenance is currently being wiped out. Look

Joshua

at it this way, you will understand what we are talking about: Before the unfortunate incident at the church, I mean Synagogue Church of All Nations, cumulatively, we have a total of about 3,500 hotel bed spaces. I am not adding some of these hotels there were in the process on coming on board but had to stop since the accident. The hotels have different categories of rooms, but for you people to understand the enormity of our lost, let me peg the room rates at just N5,000, that is the cheapest room rate in any decent hotel in Ikotun. Before the accident,

we were having 100 per cent occupancy rate on at least three days in a week, this may sound unbelievable. You are members of the press, go round and do your investigations. But now, the occupancy rate in these three days is less than 10 per cent. Many of my colleagues have reduced their staff to the barest minimum; some of us are doing the jobs we used to employ and pay workers to do, since we can’t afford to employ now due to bad business climate.

“With a 10 per cent occupancy rate only about 350 rooms are sold by our members every night.

Many had zero occupancy severally. What it means is that 3150 empty rooms, at N5,000 minimum per night, we are losing about N15,750000 per night. In a month the lost is at 189,000000. Times that figure by 21 months, you have a whooping N3,969,000,000 as lost of revenue. This is just a conservative estimate. Mind you this money is injected directly into the community. Think about the multiplier effect on the economy of the area. You can understand why we are shouting loudly. I am just talking about three days that we were sure of patronage.”

Asked what he was expecting the government to do since the case was already in court,

Omorodion cutes in: “Look, this is a tourist destination. No area in Nigeria has a steady inflow of inbound tourists like Ikotun in Lagos.

Go and do your research. Let me digress, I want you to go to the airport cab operators find out how this has affected their business.

“Back to what I was saying, we insist that the government should understand that being a destination, all over the world, when there is accident, being mindful of the peculiar nature of the place, they should put in machineries to get to the root of the accident, take punitive action where necessary without portraying the destination as unsafe and also overtly discouraging people from visiting there. If I may ask, how did other nations manage accident at destinations.

This is something we should learn to do. Like I mentioned before, the stampede in Saudi Arabia happened on September 24, 2015. More than 2000 pilgrims lost their lives. The country, knowing the importance of religious tourists, have taken the necessary steps and quietly moved ahead.

The Synagogue accident happened on September 12, 2014, since then we have been deprived of our livelihood due to the hostile signals from the government and forced to suffer.

34/ETIQUETTE

22.07.2016

THE ETIQUETTE FORUM ADEKANMI OLUSANYA

email mretiquetteonline@yahoo.com

tel. 08112661635, 0809285 4855

You and your underwear While many men pay attention to their suits and shirts, ties and shoes, many neglect their underwear and the rules that apply to them. Many mistakes are made and so many are not even conscious of the fact that they are making mistakes in the art of wearing underwear. I will go through a couple of the most important points on the common mistakes made and the things to note in wearing underwear like a perfect gentleman.

Tank-top undershirts must never be worn in public as a shirt.

Stay off dirty underwear Underwear should never be worn twice without washing let alone two days in a row. The average pair of dirty underwear contains between one-tenth and one full gram of faeces, Kill them by washing on high heat, 150 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Do not tuck your undershirt into your underwear This would only give a very tacky look to your appearance.

Do not dry white T-shirts in a hot dryer Contrary to what some may believe, drying white T-shirts in a hot dryer is anything but a great idea. This is because a hot dryer causes those yellow pit stains that aggravate us so. The combo of sweat, deodorant residue, and a hot dryer turns the pits yellow. Line-dry them to avoid this.

Bleaching is not a great option because it could quickly wear out the shirts.

Wear a dark undershirt under a light shirt A black lace bra under a white shirt is cool.

A green undershirt showing through your white shirt, is far from graceful. Likewise, don't let the sleeves of your T-shirts show under a short-sleeve shirt, or let the bottom of the T-shirt peek out.

Do not wear tight underwear if you're trying to procreate Your reproductive organ will produce more sperm if they're hanging free and easy—cooler temps means higher production.

Keep your undershirt hidden You will need undershirts for the following reasons. If you want to smooth out any bulges or if you tend to sweat a lot, you need a layer of absorbency between you and your shirt.

No matter why you’re wearing an undershirt, though, the rule of thumb is to keep it hidden. If you are wearing a crewneck, V-neck, or tank and want to wear a button-down shirt over it, you should not be able to see the shirt. If it is a sweater or long-sleeve tee, you should wear a crew with a crew T-shirt under and a V with a V-neck T-shirt underneath.

Do not wear cotton underpants while working out Many men may not pay attention to the type of underwear they use during workouts and trainings but it sure helps to do so as it prevents that sopping, saggy feel underneath when in active motion. Urologists recommend jockstraps though I feel it is not necessary (as you can do well with the built-in support of fitness and running shorts. If your shorts have no support, go with a technical fabric brief that wicks moisture away from your body. Cotton is a poor choice in soaking up perspiration.

You could purchase a copy of my book on etiquette titled PROPER MANNERS AND ETIQUETTE IN ANYTHING AT ANYTIME AND ANYWHERE at the price of N3,500 at our corporate head office at 340 - 344 Ikorodu Road, by Idi-Iroko Bus Stop, Maryland, Lagos.

Or call 0811 266 1635 or 0802 312 6010 to have a copy sent to you.

Tank-top undershirts must never be worn in public as a shirt

Do not tuck your undershirt into your underwear. This would only give a very tacky look to your appearance

No matter why you’re wearing an undershirt, though, the rule of thumb is to keep it hidden

If you are wearing a crewneck, V-neck, or tank and want to wear a button-down shirt over it, you should not be able to see the shirt. If it is a sweater or long-sleeve tee, you should wear a crew with a crew T-shirt under and a V with a V-neck T-shirt underneath

35/ENTREPRENUER

22.07.2016

Adeoye

‘We’re Out to Correct Abnormality in the Society’ As part of his resolve to bring about a reorientation in the way the policies are administered in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari established the National Ethics and Values Compliance Office (NEVACO) to build in Nigerians the self-confidence that is needed.

Dr. Emmanuel Adeoye is first Director General of National Ethics and Values Compliance Office (NEVACO) saddled with the task of giving a new orientation to Nigerians on ethics and values. The DG in this interview with Mary Ekah, spoke on how the organisation is developing the entrepreneurship skill of individuals What are the aims and objective of the agency, NEVACO? National Ethics and Values Compliance Office (NEVACO) is established to correct the wrong, the evil vices ongoing in our country and society today. It is to make sure we do things the right way, which we have not been doing in the country. Even the little child in Nigeria today wants to make money through wrong means. So, the aim of the commission is to educate people to be upright and sincere in whatever you are doing. For instance, you want to go to the ministry for something, you must have to bribe somebody to help push the letter, this act is wrong and we want to correct it. So, we are out to let everybody know whatever you are doing in the country, let it be ethnical, let it be done in the right way.

Ethnic is to correct the abnormality in the society, to correct the misimpression by the outside communities.

Are there structures on ground to kick-start this programme, bearing in mind it is a national agenda?

We are just forming the structure. As we go to the states we form structures. We are looking for credible people to take over and not just anybody that would come to destruct the whole process. So, structures have to be on ground. Everybody must know his functions. In other words, we need to get the message of government to the grassroots; there must be orderliness and a structure for everybody to carry out their respective functions.

How come the FG appointed a DirectorGeneral without a structure?

No, we have structures. If you would remember vividly how Ethics and Value was being run, the former administration appointed her Excellency Sarah Jubril as Special Adviser on Ethics and Values and later on my office was created, I am the first Director-General. So, based on this, what was

in existence before was Foundation for Ethics and Value (FEAV). At the time, she was not given any fund so she had to use her NGO to carry the message, which to me was a good idea. She started it as a cooperative society to help the people with their communities.

For instance, if there is cassava in a particular village, anybody can borrow money from the cooperative and process the cassava, refund the money after selling and the loan given to another people. That was how the structures were established based on NGO basis. What the government is doing now is that they are interested and decided to say let us make it a proper structure. But, again, there is no fund, what we told the government is that we will create something to be generating fund, so that the burden would not be on the government alone. That is what the government is looking for; that is what everybody needs now. Because the government can’t do everything, there’s no money anywhere at the moment.

We intend to create employment by training people on different vocations. For instance, in Ekiti State right now, the yam flourmill is down; it has not been working for a long time. We are looking at NEVACO taking over the mill. We can talk to the people, they bring the yam to our warehouse, and we can buy it from them, process it and repackage it for final consumption. We have to invest; we have to also look at bringing in investors to partner with us. We must find a way to create employment; we don’t need to wait for the government for everything.

With what you said NEVACO might still be seen as a cooperative society, how do you intend to correct this notion?

It is a wrong notion; they were talking about Ethics and Values. This is National Ethics and Values Compliance Office. Compliance means we have to comply with the ethics of the land. I don’t want to say we are policemen but to correct the abnormality in the society people have been doing. We came to correct

that notion. We are Compliance Officers. For instance, when you are running a cooperative, we need to check if you are following the decree that established cooperative society in the country, who are the members etc. we need to make sure people follow the laid down rules and regulations. To put it straight, we are here to correct the wrong in the society.

NEVACO cannot shy away from the fact that a good number of people have committed a whole lot of efforts to the projects of FAEV but I must say it emphatically here that NEVACO is miles apart in ways of conducting its business vis-à-vis FAEV but this is not to say that the previous endeavours are wasted rather, it will form the stones on which we will step on for easy performance of the task ahead. So, the process of staffing in NEVACO is directly guided and coordinated by Federal Civil Service Scheme of Service. The relevant parts of the scheme will be made available to each state for the perusal of every member.

ethics and values to correct the wrong in the society. We don’t arrest, we make sure you don’t commit the crime. The police are there to arrest when one commits a crime, but we prevent the crime from being committed.

We are going to partner with the police and already existing arm forces; we are here to enlighten people.

As Compliance Officers, don’t you think your duties would conflict with that of the already existing agencies, like Police and Civil Defence?

The police is established to act after the offence, the police arrest because you are a criminal, the DSS arrest because you are a criminal but NEVACO is a compliance office, we are there to correct everybody, all Nigerians and to preach the change. We are compliance officers and make people adhere to the ethics and values of the land. We let people know their rights from wrong. We are there to correct people; a Compliance Officer can correct even the policeman. We were with the Inspector General of Police recently and we told them we are here to partner with them; we told them they also need to establish ethics and value in the police force to deal with any officer that tries to go above the law. Every department of our lives, every ministry, parastatals must have a compliance officer to correct abnormality in the country. It is a must; we must have

How optimistic are you that the bill to pass National Ethics and Value Compliance will see the light of the day?

It will scale through. That is what the public is looking for. Everybody wants to correct the vices in the country right now and it is only Ethics and Value that can raise the moral; it is the antidote to corruption. So, everybody is looking forward to having the bill because Her Excellency Sarah Jubril started it and I will push it while I am in the office. It has to go through; it has to be a national thing to correct the wrong devices in our society.

Don’t you think NEVACO would be viewed as a Buhari/APC agenda?

Any serious government all over the world must have Ethics and Values. Just take a look at the advance world, its duties are to correct, train and enlighten the citizen. In Nigeria, we are developing and as developing nation things like this will need to stay together as one. Other organisations will come up in the nearest future that we are supposed to have. Even in the National Assembly at the moment we have a committee on Ethnic and Values to check them.

Why is it difficult for Nigerians to obey ethics and values?

Because we have been lawless for so long - impunity has eaten deep into our morals.

There is this syndrome of do you know who I am? Nigerians are the best, but we are so proud, we are everywhere in the world doing greatly. But the problem of arrogance is in us. That is why we need to go back to the farm.

36/COLLAGE

22.07.2016

Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Dabo Adams (Middle);Father of the celebrant/ Member, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Kelechi Nwogu, his daughter Tekla and Other House Members, during Tekla's birthday in Port Harcourt...recently

L-R: Lagos Metropolitan Grand Knight, Knights of Saint Mulumba (KSM) Charles Mbelede; Noble President, Ladies of St. Mulumba, Nigeria, Lady Ngozi Pat Nwachukwu; Supreme Knight, KSM Nigeria, Anthony Onuh; and Lagos Metropolitan President, Ladies of St. Mulumba, Mrs. Monica Aigbe, during the thanksgiving mass / reception at the 4th Degree investiture and Granting of Charterand Inauguration of Yaba and Ojodu Sub Councils of the Knights of Saint Mulumba, Lagos Metropolitan Council in Lagos recently

L-R: Principal, Olashore International School, Derek Smith; Friends of Olashore Committee Member, Mrs Joy Adekanye; and Chairman, Board of Governors, Prince Abimbola Olashore, at the Friends of Olashore dinner held in Lagos...recently.

L-R; Mrs. Chizoba Madu; her husband, Edozie with the baby Osinachi; Prince Elias and Hon. Tony Nwonye. during the dedication and thanksgiving service for Miss Olivia Sinachi Madu at Diocese of Abuja Anglican Communion, St. Matthews Church, Maitama, Abuja...recently

L-R; Bayo Onanuga, Yomi Onanuga, Mr. Oluwafunmileyi Onanuga, the Celebrants, Mrs. Janet Bowale Onanuga; Tosin Onanuga, Mr. Tunde Lawal and wife, Mrs. Funmilola Lawal, at the 60th birthday anniversary ceremony of Mrs. Janet Onanuga, held at their residence in Ketu, Lagos ‌.. recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

L-R: South Africa High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Aaron Mnguni; Tanzania High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Daniel Njoolay and National President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade. Ayuba Wabba, during the 40th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising in Abuja...recently ENOCK REUBEN

L.R: Provincial pastor , Redeemed Christian Church of God, Ogun Province 8, Pastor Adeagbo Akinlabi;Celebrants, Past/Pastor (Mrs) Oluwakemi Joseph Oluniyi, at their 50th birthday celebration held at the Resurrection Zone, RCCG, Ibafo, Ogun State...recently

L-R: The Groom's friend, Mr. Chikwe Stephen;The Couple Mr. Ekene Ezeoke; his wife Nwamaka and Rev. Ifeanyi Arinze, after the wedding service at St. Cletus Catholic Church Nnewi, Anambra State ...recently.

37/THISLIFE

22.07.2016

Lamido

Lamido’s Leadership Lessons Adams Abonu Though the holy month of Ramadan may have passed with the sighting of the moon ushering in the Shawaal, there are inherent lessons from the 30 days period which a recent THISDAY editorial captured as an opportunity for Muslims all the world “to rededicate themselves to the teachings of the faith and the course of mankind as a whole.”

As Islam’s most holy month, the Ramadan is marked by piety, spiritual discipline and a rededication to worthy causes. The holy Qur’an stipulates that a Muslim should observe fast literally from before sunrise to sunset and distribute from his resources to the masses during this period with more emphasis on demonstrating the true tenets of the faith.

How this enduring lessons were brought to bear in Bamaina, a model of how an Africa village should look like is the focus of this feature which highlights how Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa State with a towering profile, invited his people to observe the iftar, the religious breaking of the fast with him.

The ceremony captured the very essence of Ramadan-sacrifice and commitment to the welfare of others, with a sincere identification with the conditions of those around one. For the people of Baimana and environs, the annual breaking of fast with their own Lamido was a day to look out for. This is a day when they gathered to thank God for blessing them with a son who has transcended the borders of Jigawa to the national and international stage.

“We in Jigawa State feel blessed because we have given Nigeria a man of true character.

Almighty Allah has blessed us with a man who is most committed to the welfare of those around him and does everything possible to give everyone a sense of belonging not regarding where the person comes from.

“The annual breaking of fast with Sule Lamido has become some sort of ritual that we all look up to with expectations. People come from all parts of Jigawa to join the leader in observing iftar and we then tell him our expectations and pray to Allah to give him divine wealth of wisdom,” Mallam Isa Ringim, an animal farmer told THISDAY.

The mammoth crowd that came from far and near and gathered at Governor Lamido’s country home to grace the ceremony was a further testimony to how much admiration the people accord to him. As early as 4pm on Saturday, July 2, the roads leading to Bamaina became busier owing to people commuting to Lamido’s home. They came in droves, men, women, children and the physically-challenged to observe the Ramadan ritual. At the time of the Magreeb, the evening prayer for the day which signifies the time to break the fast during Ramadan, the crowd was bustling with enthusiasm when their host came out to join in the prayers.

The prayers were observed in requiem and food served around to the crowd. It was like the biblical feeding of five thousand. The crowd ate to their fill with the host dinning in delight among them. Then ensued a round of adulations from the crowd.

Speaking with obvious enthusiasm, a youth leader, Umaru Danjani extolled the leadership virtues of Lamido invoking memories of how the host had led a life of commitment to the people “from days immemorial.”

Danjani, who spoke in flowing Hausa said,

We in Jigawa State feel blessed because we have given Nigeria a man of true character. Almighty Allah has blessed us with a man who is most committed to the welfare of those around him and does everything possible to give everyone a sense of belonging not regarding where the person comes from

“It is a thing of great joy to gather together in unity today with our leader irrespective of political and social affiliations. Our gathering is to thank Allah for blessing the leader with good health and right state of mind to continue to benefit us his people and the entirety of Nigeria.

“We have come to show gratitude for his continuous dedication to us over the years and pray to God to shower him with good health so that not only us in Jigawa State but the whole of Nigeria can benefit from his experience and selfless service. Jigawa has a noble son in the person of Lamido and the crowd gathered here today shows this is a fact.”

Another speaker, Alhaji DanDutse Hassan, a grassroots mobiliser, charged the people to always rally around their leader “especially at such challenging times.” According to him, the political history of Nigeria cannot be complete without the worthy mention of Sule Lamido and his various efforts towards engendering a better-governed Nigeria for the benefits of all and sundry. He acknowledged Lamido’s virtues and his never-dying commitment to carry the people along.

Speaker after speaker poured encomiums on Lamido and praised his “humane disposition” which they charged other leaders to emulate.

The climax of the evening came when the host mounted the rostrum to address the mammoth crowd. With a charged atmosphere, the people hailed him with shouts of “Sai Lamido” reverberating in the horizon. It took some minute to calm the frenzied crowd to a rapt attention.

“It gives me great joy to be among you here tonight. We thank the Almighty Allah for preserving our lives to observe another Ramadan and be blessed by it. This is a day of thanksgiving and prayers that Allah will direct our paths and guide us in our various endeavours.

“Although there are a lot of challenges arising from a national economy in doldrums, our gathering here tonight is a testimony to our resolve to face the challenges and confront the issues that have brought us to this circumstances,” former Governor Lamido said.

He went on to encourage the people to remain firm in their resolve to do their honest best to build a Nigeria where future generations would be proud of and fired their enthusiasm by reminding them of the labours of Nigeria’s heroes like Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s first Prime Minister; Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Mallam Aminu Kano, J.S. Tarka et al, whom he said envisioned a country that would be great for her endowments.

“I count myself fortunate to be alive through the various stages of Nigeria’s democratic evolution, from the days of Ahmadu Bello, Obafemi Awolowo, Aminu Kano, Micheal Okpara, and others who fought so hard to ensure that Nigeria stayed together amidst our differences and bequeathed a nation that should not lack in any front.

“Today, our country is going through hardship that ought not to be but for the misplaced priority of those with the responsibility to lead this country. The people are suffering for what they do not know about and this is most unfortunate.

“But there is hope at the end of this tunnel of hardship and I urge you all to be patient and law abiding and wait to see how things would turn out,” Lamido continued.

The revered leader charged the people to give the needed support for the incumbent administrations in the state and the country to succeed as he said “since Nigeria belongs to all of us, we must do all we can to ensure that the country gets it right in terms of governance and development.”

However, the evening of adulation was not devoid of subtle political innuendoes as the people charged their leader to offer to reproduce the giant strides of his quality stewardship in Jigawa state to national leadership. While many complained of the shortcomings of the present dispensation which they described as “lacklustre,” they prevailed on Lamido to throw his hat into the ring in approaching presidential election.

This year’s Ramadan may have come and gone but the enduring lessons of the holy month, like the notable evening at Bamaina would linger for months to come.

38/PERSPECTIVE

22.07.2016

Oba Ogunwusi

Blending of Majestic Auras as Ooni Visits UNILAG Victor C. Ariole The 7th of July, the 30th day of Ramadan 2016 and the day the moon hid itself only to appear visibly at an obtuse angle of about 110 degree, the Ooni appeared in University of Lagos (UNILAG) as harbinger of the good news. It is a memorable day in the annals of UNILAG. The Ooni of Ife , Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and to add to the Dean of School of Postgraduate Studies, Prof. Solomon Akinboye’s discovery, Babatunde and his Olori Wuraola appeared with clusters of human stars in UNILAG. His entourage remains unrivalled in cultural display, and anyone who had read the book of Camara Laye of Guinea, ‘THE RADIANCE OF THE KING’ would attest to the affinity between the Mandigo/Mandinka and the IFE display. The presence of a king in Africa shows at a glance shows the enormity of burden placed on him as human being, rich, poor, haggard, beggarly, deprived, confused, etc throng to see him. His pensive mood, and so it must be in public, exhibits his worry on how to make everyone claiming to be his subject happy.

Like the Ooni like the Vice Chancellor who received him, both in quest of satisfying human beings in their varied existential demands and dispositions.

Professor Rahamon Ade Bello welcomed the Ooni with his own entourage of human stars who also sourced their brain package from Ife except one of them.

(The two DVCs (Management Services and Academic/Research), the Registrar, the Bursar, the Librarian) According to the Ooni as he was about to deliver his lecture, he was welcomed in the inner chambers with kola nuts. His lecture also centered on the parables of Kola, Knife, Knitting, and the acknowledgement of the King of kings; in effect 5Ks. The title of his lecture was: Redefining the Role of Traditional Institution for National Development.

Without any prepared speech or even jotted notes the Ooni diligently, mythically and majestically anchored his lecture on

the 5Ks and saw it as: refreshing from where you started from so as to arrest compassless movement. The interlude drama performed by the students of Creative Arts Department where the DVC Management Services, Prof. Duro Oni, is rooted, seemed to have mirrored the mind of Ooni in the preparation and rendition of their piece.

The Theatre Group echoed their signature tune as “Patience Nkoo!

Jonathan Nii!” Indeed, even if it is not the focus of the Ooni’s lecture the drama wanted to remind the rulers of Nigeria that, from where we are coming, it is clear that if majority of Nigerians have rejected Jonathan, it is uncalled for to be told to exercise Patience. Aso rock, the presidency, before 2015 election was occupied by the couple Jonathan and Patience.The group chorused: “we had been drinking contaminated water (with Jonathan) and now we are consuming contaminated tomatoes (from the north) and you want us to exercise patience.”

Thank God that the Ooni in his lecture proved that Nigeria, nay Africa, has no excuse to remain at the level of taking contaminated items. Starting from Kola which is a great traditional crop, grown in the south and voraciously eaten in the north, to the knife used in skinning animals for human clothing, to the knitting process carried out by needle taught by Obatala, inspired by the King of kings, and the reign of the current computer technology and the awaited creation of vast knowledge in pharmacology, sourcing from herbs and crops, Africa, and its knowledge process, has no contaminant effect. The Ooni told the gathering that his current tour to USA opened his eyes to the fact that the brand Coca-Cola known worldwide and very much a living and tending to life enterprise, is a Kola and coca grass combination, an African product, and wondered what professors in the academia are doing to get more of such out to the world.

Furthermore, he reasoned that going back to our roots, the custodians of traditional knowledge, could be of great help in

redefining knowledge process for the benefit of humanity. Japan has done that, South Korea has done that and even the current Chinese technology upsurge was as a result of that; hence the need for academics to work in close contact with the traditionalists so as to rediscover and improve on Africa’S Knowledge Process.

Obatala is an inventor, and through Ifa, the software used in computer had always been, though not at the present form. The 5ks the Ooni expatiated on and his extolling the King of kings who made it possible for him to ascend the throne are very much relevant in causing better living for humans on the planet earth as culture is dynamic and can only be living if it lends itself to renewal and progressive occasioned by cross fertilisation of environment, weather, seasons and human discipline.

Here, Professor Wande Abimbola, former Vice Chancellor University of IFE IFE (now OAU) and great priest of Ifa would not quite agree as he does not believe any religion on earth should be allowed to render Ifa worshipping a recessive religion. Notwithstanding, the Ooni acknowledges the worry of Wande and sees anything that originated from Africa, including all the races and species of human beings, as originating from the centre of creation and from where the spread of knowledge emanates; hence Africa does not need to contend with anything that takes its source from Africa. Like it is said in Ife: The child is wise and the adult is wise; that was how Ife was founded. Africa is the adult and others are the child, both are wise as long as humans are not in peril.

Uranium is found in Africa and it is refined for greater needs of electricity; in its original and refined forms, positivity for humans is located as long as it is not used for the extinction of humans.

Africa’s crude products or items must be used to give humans wherever they are refined products for better living. Again, we know that any originator craves for multiplication and it is said that if people who bear Ifa names like Faloju, Falaiye,

Faturoti, Falade, Fajuyi, etc fear to die or grow to adulthood for fear of multiplying, they should show others the grave of the original Ifa priest or worshipper.

Ooni is a believer of progress, and as people claim that Imperialism (Imperial Majesty) should be part of his title which I disagree, his subjects beyond African continent are refining, everyday, the Ifa worshipping process and it does not betray the origin of Ifa. One of the persons in his entourage says it all and the Ooni likes his shinning and lively complexion, Fola Adeola an unscathed personality in the complex maize of Nigeria financial empires. He was the chairman of the occasion.

Blending is indeed the symbol of the Ooni’s presence in UNILAG and the Vice Chancellor wants it to be the beginning of raising funds to get the School of Postgraduate Studies in UNILAG to an enviable level of remaining the university of first choice in sourcing lecturers with PhD holders for the emerging over 130 private and state-owned universities in Nigeria. The Ooni as presently constituted is a great personality holding fast a great institution the way Africans prefer it. That is, for any great institution there must be a great personality keeping it and not developing great institutions to be manned by weak personalities. Nigeria should learn that fast also. It is like the lamentation of someone who passed by the late Arisekola’s house occupied by ants and cockroaches as at now and that of Akin Osuntokun on several failed attempts to keep great institutions in Nigeria on great federalism principles as great personalities elude Nigeria or fail to appear on the scene. In all, Kola in Coca Cola as an institution remains the difference in all the enterprises that have emerged in this world and it is the Kola tradition of: he who brings kola brings life. KABIYESI A PE O.! EZE GA ADI NDU RUE MGBE EBIGHI EBI! ALLAH SARKIN!.

God bless Africa! God bless Nigeria!

God bless the Ooni and God bless University of Lagos.

Ariole (Ph.D), wrote from Lagos

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

39

BUSINESSWORLD

MARITIME

Source NPA

all cargo types declined during the first quarter, container and general cargo traffic contributed significantly to the overall drop in cargo throughput.

Consequently, the former NPA boss said there is urgent need to complement the efforts of NPA’s massive investment in infrastructural renewal and automation of our port operations, “by generating enough export cargo to make up for the shortfall of import cargo being witnessed in our ports, which could be attributed to the reduction in government expenditure (a laudable and broad plan of the government to rebuild the economy), the exchange rate volatility as well as global economic crisis.”

In this regard, Abdullahi said that the authority did an analysis of port capacity as a catalyst to economic development through export commodities.

“Our analysis revealed that about 90 per cent of container traffic left the shores of Nigeria empty. This position was communicated to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) by NPA management and highlighted the need to sensitize Nigerians on the need to fill the vacuum through export commodities, especially Mines and agro-allied products.

“An action plan has been initiated by the Authority by setting up interactive and followup sessions with the NEPC, Abuja Commodities & Exchange Commission (ACEC), The Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and Nigerian Chambers of Commerce (NCC) (Lagos and Abuja branches). The interactive sessions could be said to be productive especially in the area of information sharing and data exchange,” he said.

Ship and Gross Tons Analysis of the performance of the sector showed that in the first quarter of 2016, a total of 1,131 oceans going vessels and crude oil tankers with a total Gross Tonnage (GT) of 59,441,614 called at Nigerian Ports.

In the period under review, Lagos Port Complex (LPC) recorded a GT of 8,195,979 showing a decrease of 11.5 per cent from 9,262,792 GT achieved in the first quarter of 2015. A total of 296 vessels were handled during the period.

On its part, Tin Can Island Port handled a total GT of 11,853,587, showing a decline of 1.2 per cent from the 12,260,427 GT achieved in the corresponding quarter of 2015. A total of 417 vessels were handled in the period under review.

Calabar Port complex handled a total GT of 776,718, showing a decline of 15.4 per cent from 918, 237 GT in the first quarter of 2015. A total of 46 vessels were handled in this Port this same period. Rivers Port complex recorded a total GT of 1,253,616 showing 14.2 per cent drop from 1,461,562 gross tons in the corresponding period of 2015. A total of 79 ocean going vessels were handled within the period under review.

Onne Port complex recorded a GT of 9,851,240 reflecting a decrease of 13.4 per cent from 11,371,820 gross tons recorded in the corresponding period of 2015 with 176 vessels handled within the period.

Delta Port Complex during this period under review recorded 1,756,305 GT, showing an increase of 4.7per cent over the 2015 figure of 1,677,915 gross tons, with 117 vessels handled. Crude Oil Terminals recorded 25,754,169 GT, indicating a decrease of 12.5 per cent from 29,424,223 GT in 2015 with 221 tankers completed.

Cargo Throughput Cargo Throughput is the total volume of Cargo (inward and outward) handled in all the port

locations during this period.

The numbers released by the NPA showed that Cargo Throughput recorded during this period stood at 43,347,523 metric tons, showing a decrease of 12.6 per cent from 49,604,516 metric tons recorded in 2015. Analysis of cargo throughput revealed that; general cargo was 1,893,519 metric tons, a decrease of 48.1 from 3,649841 metric tons recorded in the corresponding period of 2015. Dry Bulk Cargo stood at 2,176,725 metric tons as against 2,306,938 metric tons achieved in 2015, indicating a drop of 5.6 per cent. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipment was 5,079,262 metric tons compared with 5,459,402 metric tons in 1st Quarter 2015, showing a drop of 7 per cent. Refined Petroleum products stood at 5,030,044 metric tons, a drop of 4.6 per cent from 2015 figure of 5,273,464 metric tons. Laden Container Throughput was 194,304 TEUs, decline of 12.6 per cent from 222,363 TEUs in 2015. Empty Container Throughput was 123,427 TEUs, showing a drop of 19.5 per cent from 2015 figure of 153,366TEUs. Crude oil Shipment was 25,754,169 metric tons, indicating a decrease of 12.5 per cent from 29,424,223 metric tons figure in 2015. A total of 27,133 units of vehicles were handled in the period under review showing a decline of 10 per cent from the same period of 2015 figure of 30,139 units.

STOAN Hails New Era The Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has described the appointment of Usman as the NPA MD as a welcome development Spokesman of STOAN, Bolaji Akinola called on the new NPA boss to take immediate steps to turn the industry around.

According to him, “We are confident that she will do her best; her wealth of experience at the BPE and as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kaduna State will certainly come handy in the discharge of her responsibilities at the NPA. We want to assure her of terminal operators’ maximum support and cooperation.”

In a chat with THISDAY recently, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of ENL Consortium Limited, operators of Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa and Chairman of STOAN, Vicky Haastrup noted that one of the major problems of operators in the sector is the high cost of operations.

“I need to stress that the high cost of operations at the Nigerian ports was not caused by the terminal operators. There are various charges been imposed in all importers of goods to Nigeria other than the charges of terminal operators. As far as I know, those other charges contribute about 85 per cent of the aggregate charges. If you look at it, terminal operators have their own legitimate charges related to services we offer. We have investments on ground.

“We have to discharge the ships; we need to buy equipment to discharge the ship. We need to develop the port. We have welfare packages for dockworkers and all the other staff. We have to take care of the environment, we have security to take care, and we have to keep the goods, so we have a whole lot to do when it comes to discharging the ship. It is a lot of responsibility.

“So, when you look at our charges compared with others charges, like I always said, there are other people who impose charges in the Nigerian port users other than the terminal operators. You have the shipping companies, you have the clearing agents, you have government agencies in the ports,

logistics providers and when you add all these up together, the terminal operator charges are not all that much. There isn’t much we can do about these other charges but I think some of them can be eliminated or scrapped to reduce cost of doing business at the ports.”

She urged that the Nigerian ports should be run the way other ports are run, even as she enjoined the government to reduce the multiplicity of agencies in the ports.

“I don’t know what some of these government agencies are doing in the ports if you ask me. We need just three or four basic government agencies that are primarily required at the ports. There is need for Customs Service, Immigration Service, Port Health, to some extent the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). I don’t even think we need them in the port as far as am concerned because the scanner is there to scan the goods, so why do you need NDLAE in the port,” she said.

Foreign Exchange Crisis On the impact of the flexible exchange rate regime, she said the new policy is highly commendable.

“If you look at the port terminal like ours for example, the number of ships that I have handled from January till today is actually the number of ship I normally handle in a month. And what is responsible is simply not being able to have access to forex. The importers of goods do not have access to forex in Nigeria and that is the kind of inhibition they were suffering from. It was a major constraint for everyone and that has affected cargo imports into Nigeria by at least 50 per cent. So, the volume of import has drastically dropped. It’s good the CBN has formulated a new policy which I think is good, where naira is allowed to find its true value. It is flexible enough, it can be N250 to the dollar in the morning and by afternoon, it can change.

“The Naira would find its true value and that is actually good for business owners which would enable them to make projections and plan effectively for their respective operations. The system we had before did not allow anybody to plan, what everybody did was just to ‘siddon look’. So, this system that is been put in place, if duly implemented, is a welcome development but further than that, government should please look at the issue of those 42 items that are banned.

It is important. They are not valid for forex. If they are not valid for forex, importers will have to go to the so called black market. That is not still good for business. To me, that is a restriction and the economy activities are being hampered by that.

And I believe it would affect the manufacturers of goods in Nigeria.

Infrastructural Deficit On his part, the National President of the Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (CMDLCG) and a member of the Presidential Committee on customs reform, Lucky Amiwero, said the new NPA boss must push for the passage of the Ports and Harbour Bill before the National Assembly.

He said: “We are now in the post concession era at the ports and we have four elements and three components. The three components are port operations, port regulations and landlord. The model we are operating today is landlord port model even though we don’t have the law to midwife it. But the part that has to do the port authority is the marine side of it which has to do

with dredging, pilot quarters, tug boat, channels and lights. When you look at dredging we are at the same level with Ghana, Togo and others.

Whereas more ships are going there, they are avoiding our port that is one area the new head of NPA must look at.

“The second area she must look at is the access roads, the roads are supposed to be maintained, control and managed by NPA. There is a need for proper restructuring and fast-track the process of passing the ports and harbour bill before the national assembly. There is a need for her to review and restructure the entire system at the ports to be able to accommodate and get back our cargos that we are losing to neighbouring countries. Ghana has taken over our traffic and Benin has taken over our transhipment, others are going to Togo because of the facilities there.”

He added Usman has a lot of work to do in terms of repositioning the ports.

Furthermore, he said: “She (Usman) should look at the process at the ports. We are now at the marine process not regulatory process. She should look at the concession policy and see how she can harmonise the views and bring everybody to the round table. She was at the BPE that was involved for driving the concession process but the BPE has not been able to take control of it.

To monitor and implement the contract terms of the concession is the work of the ICPC, but there is need for the new NPA boss to harmonise the views and bring the Nigerian shippers Council (NSC) and other stakeholders to the round table so the she can effectively manage the ports.”

Speaking to journalists recently, the Managing Director of one of the biggest shipping lines in Nigeria, Grimaldi Agency Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ascanio Russo, predicted that the new forex regime introduced by the CBN will affect the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports.

Russo, whose company operates the Port and Terminal Multi-services Limited (PTML), however, explained that the move is a welcome development as it will bring about clarity and transparency in Nigeria’s economic terrain.

He said: “We believe that the new CBN policy on forex is the right step in the right direction.

However, we are waiting to see the impact on Nigeria’s international trade. In principle, we believe the move is positive because it will bring clarity and transparency to the economic terrain.

Eventually, it is going to be good for the Nigerian economy.”

On the impact on the volume of trade at the port, Russo explained that, “it will be very difficult to make any prediction on its impact on the volume of businesses at the ports right now. We will need to access it in the next few weeks to be able to give a candid opinion on that. Why it is difficult to give an outright prediction of the new policy on the volume of trade at the ports right now is simply because the new policy will lead to the devaluation of the naira; which in turn means importers will now spend more to bring in goods into the country.

“Again Customs duty will automatically go up because they will be calculated on the new foreign exchange rate. By the time Customs duty goes up, we shall then see where the naira will balance with the dollars. With all this indices, it is very difficult to calculate if there will be a reduction or growth in the volume of businesses at the ports. But in the long term, it will bring clarity and transparency which are positive indices for business predictions.”

40

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

CITYSTRINGS

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

At Badagry, Ambode Shifts Focus to Health and Education Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who was in Badagry for a quarterly town hall meeting, vowed to improve the standards of education and health in the state.

Peter Uzoho writes

T

he town hall meeting, which had previously held in Iyana Ipaja (Lagos West), City Hall (Lagos Central), and Ikorodu (Lagos East), took place at the Muslim Community Praying Ground in Badagry, where the Governor for the first time in the history of the meeting, spent more than four hours interacting with various groups and individuals, including corporate organisations, religious leaders, youths, physically challenged, market men and women, non-governmental organisations, the political leaders and the general public.

Rising from experience garnered over time, the Badagry town hall meeting was organised in a unique fashion where Ambode met personally with all the groups in four different sessions, as against the previous meetings where he met with all the groups at a go. The format not only afforded the governor the opportunity of more time to interact with as many groups as possible, it also served as a veritable platform to provide instantaneous answers to pressing concerns and issues raised by Lagosians who came in their hundreds.

While setting the tone for the discussion, Ambode first reeled out his achievements in the last quarter, and intimated the people of his future plans to make life more comfortable, simpler and safer for them.

In the area of security, Ambode said his administration procured and donated additional equipment to security agencies in the last quarter with agencies such as the Nigeria Police, Customs, Immigration Services, the Army, Airforce, Navy, DSS, AIG Zone 2, Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Lagos State Task Force and the Nigeria Prison Services benefitting.

He said the government also commissioned the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) Rescue Unit facility with a specially designed dispatch centre to respond to emergency cases across the state, the first of its kind in Nigeria.

On infrastructure, Ambode recalled that within the quarter under review, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of the 38km, Fourth Mainland Bridge was signed in the last quarter and it is expected that the bridge which will connect Ikorodu to Ajah will be executed through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement and would to be delivered within the next three years.

While going into further details, Ambode said: “The Iyana-Oworo Bus Park project embarked upon by our administration to decongest traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge is nearing completion and is already yielding fruitful results.

“Work has commenced on the Ultra-Modern Oshodi Interchange in line with our vision to transform Oshodi into a world class transport hub. Several road projects were completed in the last quarter while others are at various stages of completion.

“Some of the most significant among the projects include: Ajara/Agelasho/Poka/ Erekiti Road in Badagry Local Government Area, construction of Aradagun-Iworo Ajido Phase I Bridge in Badagry Local Government Area, the construction of Flyover at Ajah roundabout along the Lekki Expressway and Abule-Egba junction along Lagos-Abeokuta expressway and the construction of Pedestrian bridge at Ojodu-Berger,” he said.

Also in the period under review according to Ambode, the Oko-Oba Housing Scheme comprising a total of 108 Units located on a land area of 15,785.632 square metres was completed and offered for sale, while the government has

Ambode giving account of his stewardship during the 2016 Second Quarter Town Hall meeting at the Muslim Community Playing Ground, General Hospital Road, Badagry, Lagos…recently

also commenced the process of completing the Ibereko Housing project in Badagry.

In the area of job creation, Ambode recalled that an MoU for the Lagos Smart City was signed with the operators of the Dubai Smart City, while the agreement is expected to bring multi-billion dollar investments to the state, create employment opportunities and transform the Ibeju-Lekki axis and the entire Lagos State.

He also revealed that another MoU was signed for the Lagos State Medical Park, adding that the initiative would bring more investment which in turn will create jobs and make Lagos a destination for medical tourism.

Besides, Ambode disclosed that the government officially launched the Lagos at 50 celebration designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the creation of the state, while the events calendar for the celebration will be unveiled soon.

In the area of social welfare and rule of law, the governor said in line with provisions of Section 12 of the Special People’s Law, his administration launched the Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund with N500 million, while the

We have commenced a comprehensive action to rehabilitate and upgrade the facilities in all our hospitals. Modern equipment will be procured to facilitate treatment and we will invest in capacity building of our medical staff. We intend to spend over N10 billion on our hospitals across the state before December this year.

fund will be for the advancement of the cause of persons living with disabilities.

He further said that in response to the disturbing menace of land grabbing in the state, his administration set up a Special Task Force to curb the excesses of land grabbers under the office of the Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice, while government since pursued zero tolerance for issues relating to domestic violence and child abuse.

Speaking on his outlook for the next quarter, Ambode said his administration has concluded plans to massively revamp the health sector and to that effect, the sum of N10 billion has been earmarked to upgrade the health facilities across the state.

Specifically, Ambode said government would also invest massively in capacity building of the medical staff, all in a bid to provide world class health care for the citizenry.

“We have commenced a comprehensive action to rehabilitate and upgrade the facilities in all our hospitals. Modern equipment will be procured to facilitate treatment and we will invest in capacity building of our medical staff. We intend to spend over N10 billion on our hospitals across the state before December this year.

We will recruit and train medical professionals in areas of rare specialisation and special needs,” Ambode said.

Speaking on the half year 2016 budget, Ambode said the overall performance of the budget stood at 70 per cent, which according to him, was an improvement over the corresponding period in 2015 when the performance stood at 63 per cent.

He said: “Revenue recorded 73 per cent performance for the half year 2016 despite the challenging economic environment. Your Government spent a total of N115.624b on Capital projects during the half year 2016 leading to the Capital/Recurrent ratio of 50:50 with the plan to improve this ratio to 58:42 provided for in 2016 Appropriation Law in the remaining half of the year.”

Going into specifics of the outlook for the next quarter, the governor said the Employment Trust Fund would commence disbursement of funds to various artisans, entrepreneurs and unemployed youths to make life better for all,

while all the critical sectors of the economy would feel the massive impact of government.

For instance, on education, Ambode said his administration would establish a Technical and Vocational School in Badagry before September 2016, while government would also embark on upgrade of the infrastructure in all public schools starting from July. According to the Governor, “All our primary and secondary schools will be upgraded to create conducive learning environment for students and teachers.

Another N10 billion has been earmarked for this facelift of our secondary and primary schools across the state.”

The governor, who recalled the recruitment of a total of 1,300 teachers for primary schools, said in the next two weeks, the State Government would start recruiting another 1,000 teachers for secondary schools across the state. Speaking on his plans for Youth and Sports for the quarter, the governor said government would embark on upgrade of sports facilities and would also support and promote age-grade competitions and sponsor outstanding athletes to national and international training and competitions.

Ambode also disclosed that his administration would pay greater attention to the issues concerning the elderly especially by establishing three Elderly Care Centres across the state.

He said: “We will sponsor bills to the House of Assembly which will make specific provisions for the elderly in our society and create a framework for care for the aged. Our priority is to commence the provision of Three Elderly Care centres across the Three senatorial zones and further urge the private sector for support and collaboration thereafter.”

Ambode said as a follow up to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Response Unit in Cappa, Oshodi, an outpost unit would be situated between Ojo and Badagry in this quarter with two other outposts in Fadeyi and Lekki. While responding to the myriads of questions on neglect of Badagry over the years, the governor disclosed his greater plans to revive the tourism potentials of Badagry, saying the long term plan includes the establishment of University of Hospitality

41

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

CITYSTRINGS

A cross session of traditional rulers at the event

R-L: Ambode; Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule and Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Olamilekan Adeola Solomon, during the 2016 Second Quarter Town Hall meeting at the Muslim Community Playing Ground, General Hospital Road, Badagry, Lagos…recently

R-L: Ambode, SSG, Mr. Tunji Bello and Chairman, APC Lagos State chapter, Otunba Henry Ajomale, during the 2016 Second Quarter Town Hall meeting at the Muslim Community Playing Ground, General Hospital Road, Badagry, Lagos…recently

Ambode giving account of his stewardship

Participants at the town hall meeting in Badagry

in the ancient town.

He also seized the occasion to intimate the state on his future plans, revealing that his administration was working round the clock to build the economy of the state beyond the dependence on oil, adding, “the future of Lagos is about tourism and services.”

The governor said aside the N500 million disability fund aimed at advancing the cause of persons living with disabilities, his administration would decentralise the Lagos State Office of Disability (LASODA) and absolve 200 physically challenged persons to manage their affairs in all the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDA) in the state.

He also said the State Government has perfect plans to bring about seamless waste collection in the state, and ensure clean environment.

“I implore you to take ownership of all government properties located in your area because they are our common wealth. Remember to pay your taxes as and when due in order to enjoy more dividends of democracy. On our part, we will continue to ensure judicious utilisation of the resources of the state by executing projects that will outlive us and affirm our position as a Centre of Excellence,” Ambode said.

Speaking at the event, National Women Leader, South-west of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief (Mrs.) Kemi Nelson, said the event was a laudable initiative aimed at bringing governance to the people. “This is about bringing governance and discussion to the people. You see, if the governor had decided to hold this in Alausa, he probably would have

All our primary and secondary schools will be upgraded to create conducive learning environment for students and teachers. Another N10 billion has been earmarked for this facelift of our secondary and primary schools across the state

invited few people but here, he has brought it to them and so all the people would come and tell the governor their expectations and where necessary, thank him where they feel he has done things to make them happy.

“So, I think it is good coming back to the people and giving them your account of stewardship and then hearing from the people directly,” she said.

In her assessment of Ambode’s administration so far, Nelson said: “Without mincing words, we have a governor that is serious minded.

A governor that knows what he wants to do and he goes for it. He is not one that can be distracted from his goals; he is achieving and he is a silent achiever.

On his part, APC Leader in Lagos West Senatorial District, Prince Rabiu Wasiu, said the town hall meeting was s veritable tool to engage the people and feel their pulse. He added that the initiative would also afford the governor the opportunity to reel out his achievements as well as clarify issues about the governance of the state.

His words: “You see, the town hall meeting is an avenue where all of us would have to come together, meet ourselves and hold interactive session. The governor will be able to meet the

people and then explain his achievements in office as well as his plans for the people. So, it is a very good idea and I commend Governor Ambode for the initiative.”

Among many others, a roll call of eminent personalities who graced the meeting included Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Olukunle Ojo; Senator representing Lagos West Senatorial District, Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, members of the Lagos State Executive Council and Chairman of Lagos State chapter of APC, Otunba Henry Ajomale.

Others are former Lagos State First Lady, Mrs. Abimbola Jakande; former Secretary to Lagos State Government, Mrs. Adenrele Adeniran Ogunsanya; former Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Sunny Ajose; Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu Toyi; Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotebi, among many other traditional rulers and dignitaries.

For sure, given the number of dignitaries that witnessed the Badagry town hall meeting, it is becoming increasingly clear that the governor has democratised governance and the state and its future under him can only get better.

42

FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

As Republican Party Tries to Heal Wounds, Discord Rules at Convention Zacheaus Somorin with agency reports As the Republican party tries to heal its many political wounds, discord continues to rule at the ongoing convention in Cleveland.

While speaking at the convention, Ted Cruz recounted to an audience how he had outlasted most of his 16 rivals for the Republican presidential nomination when a plane carrying the man who had won it all, Donald Trump, flew overhead, interrupting him mid-speech.

“All right, that was pretty well-orchestrated,” said Cruz, a Republican U.S. senator from Texas who waged a bitter campaign against Trump. Hours later Cruz would take his revenge, refusing to endorse Trump during a primetime speech on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He left the podium to a chorus of boos, and his wife was escorted off the floor as the convention erupted in rancor.

Susan Hutchison, chairman of the Washington delegation, said she confronted Cruz after his speech and called him a “traitor to the party.” So much for party unity.

Over three days in Cleveland this week, Republican leaders have sought to sell a story of unity, repeatedly saying the party was getting ever closer to rallying behind Trump, whose candidacy

has divided many and exposed deep discontent among Republicans with their leaders.

But in a few minutes on Wednesday night that show of unity was blown apart in spectacular fashion. Cruz’s non-committal speech infuriated Trump supporters among the thousands of delegates cramming the floor of the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. But their angry jeers triggered recriminations from other delegates. “They talk about unity and then they act like that. That is not going to get us to unify,” said Manette Merrill, a Cruz delegate from Washington state.

One of Trump’s key goals going into this week’s convention was to unite the party after a roughly 18-month primary season that was marked by personal attacks on candidates, sometimes violent rallies, and deep disagreement over what it means to be a Republican.

In public and in private the Trump campaign tried to win over skeptics who feel the New York businessman and celebrity TV star does not represent the party’s values. It took a harder stance against opponents, for example shutting down a desperate last-minute bid on the convention floor earlyintheweektostophisnomination.

“It’s like a slow crawl,” former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said of the unity drive as he made the rounds at the convention. “You’re

kind of doing it. You’re kind of looking around to see if anyone else is doing it,” he told Reuters.

But almost from the start there were blatant signs of party disunity.

Ohio Governor John Kasich, who lost to Trump in the nomination fight and disagrees with Trump on a host of issues, declined to attend the convention held in his own state.

Instead, he greeted his supporters at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame close to the convention arena to the blaring tune of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” with lyrics like, “I don’t need to fight to prove I’m right.”

Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort told reporters that Kasich was “embarrassing his state” by refusing to get on the Trump train.

His remarks were a reminder of the sort of insults that many Republicans had hoped would disappear after a brutal primary season that was characterized by Trump’s often personal attacks on his opponents.

The pleas for unity were frequent in Cleveland, led by House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican, who has been slow in warming to Trump.

“What do you say that we unify this party at this crucial moment when unity is everything?” Ryan asked thousands of convention attendees on Tuesday night. It was the biggest applause line of his speech - delegates cheered, clapped and waved signs.

But U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah, one of the “never Trump” holdouts, is still not convinced.

“Federalism and separation of powers – if he focuses on that, he brings along a lot of conservatives like me who haven’t been sold yet,” Lee told Reuters. “He needs to make that a distinct part of his message.”

Trump and his surrogates have offered scant policy details so far at the convention, nor have they been able to put to rest questions about whether they are capable of mounting a sophisticated presidential campaign to take on his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

Turkey’s President Declares State of Emergency Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, declared a state of emergency yesterday as he widened a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup. Erdogan said the state of emergency, lasting three months, would allow his government to take swift and decisive measures against supporters of the coup and was allowed under the constitution.

Emergency rule, which would take effect after it is published in Turkey’s official gazette, would allow the president and cabinet to bypass parliament in passing new laws and to limit or suspend rights and freedoms as they deem necessary.

Erdogan made the announcement during a live television broadcast in front of his government

ministers after a nearly five-hour meeting of the National Security Council. “The aim of the declaration of the state of emergency is to be able to take fast and effective steps against this threat against democracy, the rule of law and rights and freedoms of our citizens,” Erdogan said.

He also pointedly rebuffed criticism from Western governments that have accused him of going too far in efforts to neutralize suspected opponents. About 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, civil servants and teachers have been suspended, detained or are under investigation since Friday’s military coup attempt.

The failed putsch and the purge that followed have unsettled the country of 80 million, a NATO member bordering Syria, Iraq and Iran and Western ally in the

fight against Islamic State. Before announcing the state of emergency, Erdogan said the sweep was not yet over and that he believed foreign countries might have been involved in the attempt to overthrow him.

Speaking through an interpreter in an interview with broadcaster Al Jazeera, Erdogan dismissed suggestions that he was becoming authoritarian and that Turkish democracy was under threat. “We will remain within a democratic parliamentary system. We will never step away from it,” he said.

Academics were banned from travelingabroadonWednesdayinwhat a Turkish official said was a temporary measuretopreventtheriskofallegedcoup plotters at universities from fleeing. TRT state television said 95 academics had been removed from their posts at Istanbul University alone.

South Korea Calls for Unity over THAAD Deployment South Korean President, Park Geun-hye, has said that the move to deploy a THAAD missile defense system was “inevitable” because of a growing threat from North Korea and that division in the South over its deployment is what Pyongyang seeks. North Korea’s launch of three ballistic missiles on Tuesday was the latest evidence that the anti-missile system is needed, Park said at a National Security Council meeting.

This month’s announcement

by South Korea and the United States to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD)

unit with the U.S. military in a rural melon-farming county in the South triggered loud protests from residents worried about possible negative health and environmental impacts.

“If we continue to be divisive and social confusion grows about a decision we had no choice but to make to protect the country and the lives of our people, it would be exactly where North Korea wants us to go,” Park said, according to her office.

North Korea said on Wednesday it had conducted a ballistic missile test that simulated preemptive

strikes against South Korean ports and airfields used by the U.S. military, likely referring to the three missiles fired on Tuesday.

The missiles flew between 500 kms and 600 kms (300-360 miles) into the sea off its east coast and could have hit anywhere in South Korea if the North intended, the South’s military said.

Many residents of Seongju, about 200 kms (120 miles) from the capital Seoul, joined by opposition members of parliament and civic groups, have demanded the government scrap the decision to site the THAAD battery there.

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

WORLD OF ISLAM

Edited by: MJO Mustapha Email deji.mustapha@thisdaylive.com

Humanity, Religion, & Peace: Finding Common Ground -1

Mufti Shuaibullah Khan/ilmgate.com

T

he religion of Islam is the religion of peace and tranquility, and this fact stands out clearly in the teachings of the Holy Qur’an which preaches that it is the religion – the complete way of life – that has been perfected by Almighty Allah (God) in the pages of the Holy Qur’an.

[If truly followed by mankind], it is a religion of peace, tolerance, harmony, and tranquility for all human beings on this earth. It is for this reason that Allah (SWT) has called this religion “Islam” in the Holy Qur’an, His last testament to mankind, which finds its source from the root word “Salam” which means “Peace” in Arabic.

It is a well-known fact in history that Islam appeared at a time when the people of the world were enveloped in clouds of ignorance. They fought incessant wars against one another and terrorized other nations into submission for the sake of conquest, false pride, and self-glory. They inflicted great cruelties upon one another, and acts of barbarism and brutality were common among them. Among them were those who believed in racial superiority, considering all the other races of the world as inferior to their own, which gave them the right to plunder the weak and the helpless. Mass slaughter, plunder, genocide and other acts of brutality became commonplace on a daily basis, and the people of the world despaired for better lives in a forest where the people behaved worse than the beasts of prey left loose in a jungle.

So when the whole world stood in need of a Prophet, Allah (SWT) sent Prophet Muhammad on this earth to bring about a new world order on this earth. Soon, with the advent of Islam, the world witnessed a remarkable change in the attitude, mindset, and the character of people.

The Prophet of Allah, Muhammad, through the Divine teachings of the Holy Qur’an began to preach the Divine commands and in a short span of ten years the people of the Arabian Peninsula

accepted Islam as their religion. Under the rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the message of Islam illuminated itself to the neighboring countries [and emerged as] an Islamic empire that stretched to cover one-third of the world’s population who were among the strongest adherents of Islam to this present day.

The Divine teachings of the Holy Qur’an took hold over the hearts of the people and fashioned their minds in such a way that the world witnessed for the first time an era of peace and tranquility that was unknown in the centuries before them.

As the teachings of the Holy Qur’an took a firm hold on the minds and hearts of men, people who were earlier fearful under the tyrannical rule of their tribal chiefs, kings, and monarchs began to breathe freely in the peaceful atmosphere that reigned in the different corners of the Islamic empire.

In brief, the religion of Islam saved the people of the world from the brink of extinction as a human race. The teachings of Islam presented to the world for the first time the idea of peace that all people stood equal before the Divine Law of God irrespective of a person’s position, or whether he was a friend or a foe, rich or poor, ruler or the ruled, people of distinction or the working class, both high and low, and placed them all on an equal footing.

The Holy Qur’an announced, “Whoever kills a person not (to retaliate) for a person killed nor (to punish) for spreading disorder in the earth, is as if he has killed the whole mankind, and whoever saves the life of a person is as if he has saved the life of the whole mankind. And, certainly, Our Messengers have come to them with clear signs. Then, after all that, many of them are there to commit excesses on the earth.”

(Qur’an 5:32) The Holy Prophet Muhammad had announced time and again in his various sermons, “One of the great sins is to kill someone.” For this reason, Islam strongly unequivocally denounces all acts of terrorism and killing; and teaches all

human beings to become united against all forms of injustice and intolerance, practiced in whatever form around this globe in the present day. Islam commands its adherents to imbibe the qualities of love, mercy, and peace which are taught to them in the Holy Qur’an. Terrorism and extremism, on the other hand, are exactly the opposite of what is taught by this Divine religion. The people who give pledge to the communist and fascist ideology, and those who have a narrow racist outlook of life should be suspected as potential perpetrators of intolerance and injustice across the globe.

Terrorism is violence committed against nonmilitary targets to attain certain political objectives.

For this reason, terrorism means making innocent people victims of acts of violence without any provocation or moral justification. Among the victims, there could be those people who do not approve and condone the acts of injustice done by their respective governments, and making them the targets of any act of violence goes against all norms of civilized behavior. The criminals who carry out these acts are guilty of spreading mischief and violence on this earth irrespective of their religious labels. The Holy Qur’an, which is a universal book revealed to all of mankind acts as a guide for human beings, leading them to the true path that leads a person to win the pleasure and approval of Allah by our good deeds. In His book, Allah commands all human beings and Muslims to adopt good morals. This morality should be based upon positive concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance, harmony, and mercy to those from other religions. Islam is a religion revealed to mankind with the purpose of constructing a peaceful and harmonious life.

The values set by the Holy Qur’an hold a Muslim responsible for the way he treats all people whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim.

Additionally the Qur’an absolutely forbids every Muslim from committing any act of mischief and misconduct, which comprises all forms of anarchy, chaos, and terror that threaten the security,

comfort, and peace of their surroundings. The Holy Qur’an clearly states, “Allah does not love corruption.” (Qur’an 2:205) Wickedness in all forms has been plainly condemned in unambiguous terms, and Allah has commanded all human beings and Muslims to avoid committing all kinds of evils: murder, bloodshed, oppression, and cruelty amongst themselves and upon others. In the present age when acts of terrorism, genocide, and massacres occur all over the world and where innocent people are being savagely killed; and countries which are unsafe, ought to be made secure and safe by upholding the morality preached by the Holy Qur’an. For a Muslim who fears Allah, believes in the Last Day, and has grasped the true morality of Islam, it is impossible to support violence or terror or to take part in such actions in a direct or an indirect manner. And that is why the religion of Islam is the true solution against the acts of terrorism that are practiced by people on one another.

When the magnificent morality of the Qur’an is explained to people in its precise form – in the language in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed along with its translations – then it will be impossible for people to connect the message of true Islam with those who support or join extremist groups that aim at spreading hatred amongst people and aim for chaos to reign in the place of peace and harmony on those people co-existing together in a society.

The first thing that needs to be done to rid the world of the present day insecurity that exists among people and root out terrorism in all its forms, wherever it is practiced on this earth, is to educate people on the teachings in the Holy Qur’an in order to do away with deviant beliefs that are put forward in the name of religion and to teach people the true Qur’anic morality that should be practiced by all believing Muslims, and acquaint them with the basic Islamic principles.

To Be Continued

44

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

CBN Affirms Confidence in Skye Bank, Institutes Guarantee Line Nume Ekeghe with agency report The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has affirmed its confidence in Skye Bank Plc., through a guarantee line which ensures that withdrawals it suffered in the wake of undue panic recently does not adversely affect its operations.

This development analysts believe lends credence to the regulator’s earlier assertion that Skye Bank is a Strategically Important Bank (SIB), with substantial market share, interconnectedness and significant relevance to the nation’s financial systems stability.

Bloomberg, reported that the central bank confirmed this development through its spokesman, Isaac Okoroafor, who stated that the undisclosed guarantee sum would assist the bank to shore up its liquidity and maintain its level of operations.

“The short-term lending facility will allow the management

of the bank to ensure that some withdrawals it suffered in the wake of the undue panic of last week do not adversely affect its operations,” Okoroafor was quoted to have said.

In addition, “the CBN issued guarantees to depositors and creditors of Skye Bank as a demonstration of the bank’s health”, Okoroafor further explained.

The guarantee line is coming on the heels of CBN’s recent intervention in the bank following the voluntary resignation of the Board of Directors of the bank and the consequent re-constitution of the Board with a new management team led by Mr. M.K. Ahmad and Mr. Adetokunbo Abiru, who emerged as Chairman and Group Managing Director respectively.

The CBN guarantee will not only enhance Skye Bank’s interbank trading and activities; but will also provide assurance to the other banks to continue to deal with and trade with

the bank’s instruments in the interbank market.

The CBN had similarly introduced a bank credit guarantee package for some banks in 2009 in the wake of the global economic crisis which affected both the local and global financial markets. The bank guarantee programme enables financial institutions to meet their financing needs during a period of record high credit spreads and aids the successful return of the credit market to near normalcy, despite the recession and slow economic recovery.

The affirmation of confidence in Skye bank continues to grow as no fewer than two state governments have expressed confidence in the bank’s ability to deliver on crucial mandates in the last two weeks. First, it was the Lagos State government, which directed its ministries, departments and agencies to establish business relationship with the bank on account of its track record and pedigree in mandate execution.

Ecobank Lends Support to Sustainability Initiatives Nume Ekeghe The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Charles Kie, has restated the bank’s commitment to support initiatives that promote the protection and preservation of natural environment.

Speaking at the Lagos State 2016 Tree Planting event in Lagos recently, Kie, who was represented by Company Secretary/ Chief Legal Counsel, Adenike Laoye, said it was part of the financial institution’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) philosophy to promote projects that enhance environmental sustainability.

Kie said: “Our support to Lagos State government in

this initiative is in line with our business mantra and is was one of the ways to exhibit our visible, vibrant and enduring CSR to mitigate the potential adverse effects of climate change as well as offer the far reaching consequence of creating and providing an esthetic environment for a greener and healthier Lagos for years to come.”

He disclosed that the bank’s recent collaborative partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) under the UNDP/Ecobank TACC (Territorial Action Against Climate Change) initiative reduced the rate of deforestation and vulnerability in affected communities in Delta State.

Kie further commended the

Lagos State government for recognising Ecobank as an environment friendly bank, saying that the bank will continue to partner government and nongovernmental organizations to protect the environment.

Earlier, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode who was represented by the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Samuel Adejare, commended the bank and other partners in the project for supporting the 2016 tree planting initiatives.

He observed that the project was a strong symbol of expression of the state’s common determination and commitment to making a significant difference in the environment.

FCMB Unveils Youth-focused Product First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited said it is set to launch its first Flexx Hub, an exclusive banking arena for its youth customers who hold a Flexx account.

The flagship Flexx Hub, according to the bank is located at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, adding that the bank unveiled a week-long launch event began this week Monday.

The grand opening of the Flexx Hub, according to the statement is today.

Speaking on the Flexx Hub

launch and what makes Flexx different from the generic offering for young people in the Nigerian Banking space, the Divisional Head, Retail Banking at FCMB, Mr. Olu Akanmu, was quoted to have said: “Flexx is not just an account but a lifestyle platform that offers a customer experience centred around Fun, Future and Banking.

The tripod of ‘FFB’ is served through digital channels that fit into the lifestyle of the Flexx target market which include the Mobile App, a Microsite and

an Online Account Opening platform, all of which allow a potential Flexx customer open an account with FCMB without having to visit a branch.

“What the physical structure of the Flexx Hub brings to the table is a further simplification of banking as we know it and a place for young customers to breeze through those unavoidably physical banking transactions, while enjoying access to free extras such as wifi, charging ports etc,” he added.

Etisalat Supports SMEs with Market Access Forum Etisalat Nigeria said it further boosted support for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria with its sponsorship of another session of Market Access Forum in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Market Access Forum is a quarterly business networking and empowerment session for Small and Medium scale Enterprises, organised by the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria.

Speaking at the event recently, Head, Enterprise Marketing, Etisalat Nigeria, Chinelo Mbanefo, reiterated the company’s continued support for startup and growing businesses in Nigeria through innovative solutions that will stimulate the growth of the sector.

“Being the best SME friendly telecommunications network, Etisalat has been consistent in implementing innovative solutions that stimulate the growth of SMEs in Nigeria. This is because we recognise the significant role

of SMEs as a focal point and major enabler of the Nigerian economy,” she said.

Mbanefo added that the Market Access initiative is one of the platforms through which Etisalat supports Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) in Nigeria.

“We have recorded tremendous success since inception of the programme. Market Access has aided many Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in networking and developing productive business relationships with larger organisations”, she stated.

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

March 2016 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

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

22,664,815.74

---- 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)

-1,208,668.38

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

18,882,237.73

--Other Assets Net

-7,746,094.02

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,758,634.07

--Currency in Circulation

1,811,090.48

--Banks Reserves

3,947,543.59 • 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

N13.1141

N13.5095

ARM Discovery Fund

N288.9978

N297.7112

ARM Ethical Fund

N22.6462

N23.3290

ARM Money Market Fund

13.1161 (Yield % ) • Monetary Policy Rate - 13%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT 20 JULY 2016 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $42.73 a barrel on wednesday, compared with $42.66 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

45

T H I S D AY • FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

21-July-16 20-July-16

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators

01 Dangote Cement Plc

187.50

187.50

0.00%

3,195,095,138,437.50

10.64

17.62

6.50

4.27%

4.96

02 Nigerian Breweries Plc

137.00

135.10

1.41%

1,086,286,821,656.00

5.37

25.17

3.88

2.66%

6.29

03 Nestle Nigeria Plc

835.00

850.00

-1.76%

661,867,970,420.00

29.95

28.45

4.46

3.40%

17.77

04 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

21.00

21.70

-3.23%

618,054,763,704.00

3.38

6.42

2.79

8.16%

1.54

05 Zenith Bank Plc

15.30

15.50

-1.29%

480,366,354,925.80

3.37

4.61

1.13

11.61%

0.82

06 Lafarge Africa Plc

59.65

59.80

-0.25%

271,699,892,966.50

5.93

10.09

1.02

5.02%

1.55

194.90

194.90

0.00%

253,853,566,974.70

4.45

43.81

2.04

1.77%

5.49

12.33

12.91

-4.49%

226,249,966,480.95

1.39

9.27

0.46

4.80%

0.63

330.00

330.00

0.00%

182,592,403,290.00

23.48

14.05

1.62

4.82%

0.65

10 United Bank for Africa Plc

4.40

4.50

-2.22%

159,629,915,816.80

1.64

2.74

0.52

13.33%

0.49

11 Access Bank Plc

5.22

5.39

-3.15%

151,004,011,913.82

2.28

2.37

0.46

10.20%

0.42

12 Guinness Nig Plc

95.95

96.79

-0.87%

144,489,971,638.60

0.78

124.36

2.92

0.00%

3.26

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

07 Forte Oil Plc. 08 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated 09 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd

13 Presco Plc

36.00

36.00

0.00%

142,937,173,620.00

3.28

32.81

1.97

3.61%

3.40

14 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc

13.49

14.20

-5.00%

134,900,000,000.00

2.04

6.97

1.20

0.70%

1.26

15 Unilever Nigeria Plc

33.00

33.00

0.00%

124,848,776,250.00

0.32

104.71

2.11

0.15%

15.60

3.41

3.50

-2.57%

122,402,948,420.72

0.42

8.29

0.25

4.29%

0.22

140.45

140.45

0.00%

89,970,916,483.35

11.12

12.63

1.16

1.57%

3.75

6.49

6.80

-4.56%

77,880,000,000.00

0.96

7.07

0.81

7.35%

1.40

19 Julius Berger Nig. Plc

50.93

50.93

0.00%

67,227,600,000.00

1.85

27.55

0.50

2.95%

2.77

20 International Breweries Plc

18.65

18.65

0.00%

61,437,749,072.00

0.64

29.18

3.32

1.34%

5.10

180.00

180.00

0.00%

61,113,930,660.00

11.92

15.10

0.29

7.78%

3.76

4.92

5.39

-8.72%

59,210,324,958.48

0.50

10.78

0.11

13.91%

0.41

161.55

161.55

0.00%

58,254,164,576.10

13.51

11.95

0.91

4.46%

3.79

21.50

21.70

-0.92%

56,421,099,520.50

1.84

11.79

0.17

9.22%

0.56

1.29

1.41

-8.51%

49,950,086,678.25

0.05

26.87

1.34

0.00%

0.62

20.09

20.50

-2.00%

38,590,165,534.83

2.70

7.60

0.54

4.88%

0.53

27 Sterling Bank Plc

1.29

1.29

0.00%

37,139,639,382.54

0.36

3.61

0.34

6.98%

0.39

28 Diamond Bank Plc

1.59

1.74

-8.62%

36,825,018,459.12

0.24

7.12

0.19

0.00%

0.19

29 Fidelity Bank Plc

1.10

1.13

-2.65%

31,858,844,261.20

0.48

2.35

0.22

14.16%

0.18

30 Wema Bank Plc

0.78

0.73

6.85%

30,088,083,543.18

0.06

12.10

0.61

0.00%

0.61

31 Okomu Oil Palm Plc

31.50

31.50

0.00%

30,048,165,000.00

2.76

11.42

3.09

0.32%

2.49

32 Cadbury Nigeria Plc

15.20

16.09

-5.53%

28,548,671,008.00

3.21

5.02

0.90

8.08%

2.92

1.29

1.30

-0.77%

25,545,496,907.49

0.24

5.41

0.17

7.69%

0.16

36.00

35.00

2.86%

25,200,000,000.00

2.49

14.08

3.47

3.29%

16.12

35 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc

3.99

3.99

0.00%

23,468,638,138.05

0.71

5.59

0.79

3.51%

0.90

36 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

18.50

18.50

0.00%

22,123,715,028.00

0.81

22.93

0.72

1.62%

1.68

8.00

8.00

0.00%

21,195,507,024.00

0.79

10.07

1.31

6.88%

2.99

38 PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc

20.60

20.60

0.00%

20,600,000,000.00

1.10

6.28

1.81

0.49%

0.92

39 Mansard Insurance Plc

1.96

1.97

-0.51%

20,580,000,000.00

0.16

12.44

1.25

2.54%

1.19

40 Continental Reinsurance Plc

1.14

1.14

0.00%

11,824,928,515.68

0.21

5.52

0.60

10.53%

0.76

41 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

1.38

1.50

-8.00%

10,943,672,768.04

0.14

10.62

0.24

10.67%

0.56

42 Unity Bank Plc

0.93

0.97

-4.12%

10,871,084,286.06

0.54

1.79

0.18

0.00%

0.13

43 Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc

6.99

6.99

0.00%

8,784,177,584.34

0.96

7.31

0.67

1.43%

0.87

44 Wapic Insurance Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,691,369,126.00

0.10

5.16

0.94

6.00%

0.45

45 UACN Property Development Co. Limited

3.85

4.00

-3.75%

6,617,187,480.75

1.81

2.21

0.61

17.50%

0.21

46 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc

4.00

4.00

0.00%

6,496,875,000.00

0.33

12.08

0.76

5.00%

1.07

47 Resort Savings & Loans Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

5,664,866,202.00

4.68

0.11

0.02

0.00%

1.89

48 AIICO Insurance Plc

0.73

0.76

-3.95%

5,059,049,270.40

0.28

2.75

0.16

6.58%

0.54

49 Fidson Healthcare Plc

1.92

2.02

-4.95%

2,880,000,000.00

0.50

4.07

0.37

2.48%

0.48

50 Skye Bank Plc

0.85

0.78

8.97%

11,798,256,198.50

0.85

0.91

0.08

38.46%

0.08

16 FBN Holdings Plc 17 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc 18 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

21 Total Nigeria Plc 22 Oando Plc 23 Mobil Oil Nig Plc 24 Flour Mills Nig. Plc 25 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc 26 U A C N Plc

33 FCMB Group Plc 34 Cap Plc

37 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc

TOTAL

9,017,188,959,182.25

TOTAL MARKET CAP

9,615,652,552,561.13

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

93.78%

NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion) Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

Open Close Change % 20-July-16 21-July-16 28,221.18 9.69

27,997.29 9.62

-0.79 -0.79

116.80 9.09

115.81 9.02

-0.85 -0.85

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers Stock

Open Close Change 20-July-16 21-July-16 %

Skye Bank Plc Wema Bank Plc Cap Plc Nigerian Breweries Plc 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc

0.78 0.73 35.00 135.10 140.45

0.85 0.78 36.00 137.00 140.45

8.97 6.85 2.86 1.41 0.00

Open Close Change 20-July-16 21-July-16 %

Oando Plc Diamond Bank Plc Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc Honeywell Flour Mill Plc Cadbury Nigeria Plc

5.39 1.74 1.41

4.92 1.59 1.29

-8.72 -8.62 -8.51

1.50 16.09

1.38 15.20

-8.00 -5.53

Downward trend persists as ASI drops 0.79% Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today – Thursday, July 21, 2016 was bearish as the stock market closed red due to intense sell pressure. This was further highlighted by negative performances from all the NSE Sub sectors: Banking, Insurance, Consumer Goods and Oil & Gas. However, trading activities decreased in volume as 227.13 million shares worth N1.80 billion in 3,426 deals exchanged hands today.

This is a decrease from the 309.72 million shares worth N2.08 billion in 3,934 deals exchanged on Wednesday. Topping in volume terms was Skye Bank Plc, N.E.M Insurance Co (Nig) Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc while Lafarge Africa Plc and Guaranty Trust Bank Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed negative with a 0.79% (-223.89) decrease to close at 27,997.29 from 28,221.18 the previous trading day. Market Capitalization depreciated in tandem to N9.62 trillion from N9.69 trillion of prior trading day. Similarly, the Thisday BGL 50 Index followed suit with a decrease of 0.85% to close at 115.81 from 116.80 recorded at the end of the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at N9.02 trillion from N9.09 trillion of the previous trading day.

A total number of 6 stocks gained on the bourse today while 34 stocks declined, 62 leaving stocks unchanged. Skye Bank Plc has repeatedly emerged for the fourth day the day’s toast of investors as it topped the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list with a gain of 8.97% to close at N0.85 per share. It was followed by Wema Bank Plc with a gain of 6.85% to close at N0.78 per share. Others on the gainers list include: Cap Plc and Nigerian Breweries Plc, while on the decliners’ list; Oando Plc once more led with a loss of 8.72% to close at N4.92 per share. It was followed by Diamond Bank Plc with a loss of 8.62% to close at N1.59 per share. Others on the losers list include: Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc, Honeywell Flour Mill Plc and Cadbury Nigeria Plc. REQUIRED DISCLOSURE This report has been prepared by BGL Plc. BGL Plc does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should use this report as one of many other factors in making their investment decisions.

For more details go to www.thisdaylive.com

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T H I S D AY • FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

MARKET NEWS

Cordros Asset Management Floats N1bn Money Market Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie Cordros Asset Management Limited (CAML), a subsidiary of Cordros Capital Limited is offering for subscription, N1 billion Cordros Money Market Fund comprising 10million units at N100 per unit .

This follows the clearance of the offer documents for the

proposed money market fund by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC ).The company recently held a signing meeting to this effect in Lagos where the parties involved were present to sign the necessary documents.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of CAML, Emeka Ndu said this is in line with the company’s strategy to create

T H E

array of products suitable for the underserved retail segment of the economy. The CAML boss said investment of the fund is targeted at the retail end of the market and that the main objective is to provide capital preservation, regular income, liquidity and capital appreciation. He said subscription will start as soon as approval is received from the SEC.

N I G E R I A N

Also speaking at the ceremony, Group Managing Director, Cordros Capital Limited, Mr. Wale Agbeyangi said the Cordros Money Market Fund offers investors the opportunity to preserve their capital and earn returns from investments in short term money market securities such as treasury bills, commercial papers, banker’s acceptance, fixed deposits and

STO C K

other eligible money market instruments with financial institutions in Nigeria recognised

by SEC. Explaining some of the benefits of the fund, Acting Managing Director of CAML, Mrs. Olafiyaso Ogunbiyi-Badaru said the fund seeks to provide safety, liquidity, diversification, and competitive return.

Other parties to issue are:

E XC H A N G E

Vetiva Capital Management Ltd as the IssuingHouse, STL Trustees Ltd as the Trustee, African Prudential Registrars Ltd as Registrars to the Fund, Babalakin & Co as Solicitor to the Trustee, UBA Plc Global Investor Services as the Custodian and Access Bank Plc as theReceiving Bank. Also TAC Professional Services as the Reporting Accountant.

FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Abdulmumim Makes U-Turn, Demands Dogara’s Resignation Accuses speaker, principal officers of N40bn unilateral budgetary allocations Dogara dismisses allegations, says it’s prerogative of selection c’ttee to remove and appoint chairmen Damilola Oyedele in Abuja In a complete u-turn from his positions that his relationship with the leadership of the House of Representatives was cordial, the erstwhile Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Abdulmumim Jibrin, has accused Speaker Yakubu Dogara and three other principal officers of the House of unilaterally allocating to themselves N40 billion out of the N100 billion allocated to the entire National Assembly in the 2016 budget.

Calling for the resignation of the Speaker whose actions, he said contributed to the budget impasses, Abdulmumim also accused the Speaker of desperately pushing for the insertion of immunity for presiding officers of the legislature, in Section 308 of the 1999 constitution, to protect himself.

The other principal officers fingered by Abdulmumim are Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yusuf Sulaimon Lasun; Chief Whip, Hon. Al-Hassan Ado Doguwa, and Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor. Abdulmumim, considered one of the closes allies of the Speaker was removed as Appropriation Committee Chairman last Wednesday, and replaced with Hon. Mustapha Bala Dawaki also from Kano State following allegations that he unilaterally allocated projects worth N4.1billion to his Kiru/ Bebeji constituency.

Maintaining his innocence, the

lawmaker said he was willing to explore legal options to clear his name if he is not given the chance to internally testify against the Speaker and the other principal officers.

In a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, Abdulumim said his refusal to cover up the actions, and to be silent over the allocation of wasteful projects worth N20 billion to their constituencies, put him at loggerheads with the House leadership.

“My inability to admit into the budget almost N30 billion personal requests from Mr. Speaker and the three other principal officers also became an issue,” he said.

These, Abdulmumim noted, resulted in him being blackmailed

by Dogara, who he said constantly reminded him that occupying the coveted position of Chairman on Appropriation Committee, was a favour.

He added that he had explained to L-R: Vice Chancellor, Nigerian Turkish Nile Univeristy, Prof. Sert Husenyi; Chairman, Governing Council of the university, Mr Hikmet Coban; and a his colleagues how the N100billion for representative of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Opeyemi Bamdele, at the conferment of honorary the National Assembly was allocated degreeonTinububytheuniversityatitsfourthconvocationceremonyinAbuja...recently. at one of the closed door sessions, and has since been blocked from of the House and instructions of am a very blunt person by nature. members, ensured I was not at the and remove committee chairmen, briefing members on the matter.

I don’t know how to pretend. I last executive session and refused a power that has been so exercised “I gave the Speaker statistics of the Speaker,” he said.

Dogara also took offence at don’t do eye service neither will I to investigate issues I raised that I in the case of Abdulmumin 2000 new projects introduced into the budget by less than 10 committee a meeting the President had ever be a sycophant. I don’t give believe must be addressed if we as Chairman of Appropriation chairmen without the knowledge with the Chairmen of the returns. I just do my job faithfully intend to build a better budget Committee. “Most of the allegations on the 2016 budget process and his of their committee members. He Senate and House Committee on and dedicatedly. My offence was system for the House.

“I gave the Speaker statistics opposition to immunity of presiding did nothing about it because he Appropriation, while working on asserting my independence and was part of the mess yet he is the budget, Abdulumim alleged, insisting that we do the right thing of 2000 new projects introduced officers are non issues and mere talking about improving the and urged the president to be wary. at all times and expose corrupt into the budget by less than 10 afterthought, manufactured simply committee chairmen without the because the House relieved him “Dogara took it extremely people in the House. budget system. I did nothing “Lately, I openly disagreed with knowledge of their committee of his position. If he had all these wrong. I worked within the rules personal that we saw the president without his knowledge and went some principal officers on the issue members he did nothing about ‘facts’ before ,why didn’t he make on to scuttle all our efforts to help of immunity for ;\lawmakers and it because he was part of the mess them public? Why is he doing that the president during the budget budget issues. I still maintained I will yet he is talking about improving now?” the statement read.

“Abdulmumin Jibrin, like any process because he wanted to be never support immunity. I strongly the budget system. I did nothing seen by the president as the only believe with every conviction that in wrong. I worked within the rules other member of the House knows cleaning up the budgeting system and of the House and instructions of that there are conventions and good man,” he said. precedents as it relates to budgets The statement read in full: “I am considering what transpired during Mr. Speaker.

“During the budget period, and projects for principal officers obliged to make further statement 2016 budget which I have all the after listening to the full statement facts documented, Dogara, Deputy Mr. President graciously granted of the National Assembly. Why is ammunition, one Toyota Land of Speaker Yakubu Dogara on Speaker, Lasun Whip Doguwa and myself and Sen. Goje audience. It he making it an issue now? In any Cruiser, 34 jerry cans of petrol and why I had to leave as Chairman minority Leader Leo Ogor should was a very good meeting. Speaker case, he is entitled to his opinion as diesel while 55 motorcycles were of Appropriation. It is a fact I resign. “These members of the Dogara took it extremely personal a Nigerian and as a legislator while demobilised during the operation. went up to the Speaker and told body of principal officers were not that we saw the president without acting within the laws of Nigeria and “The troops have continued to him clearly I wanted to leave. He comfortable with my independent his knowledge and went on to scuttle rules of the House,” it added.

NamdasinsistedthatAbdulmumim intensify vigilance and maintained confirmed this in his statement but disposition and my refusal to cover all our efforts to help the president it appeared he wished he had fired up their unilateral decision to allocate during the budget process because he was not removed because of his high level of alertness.

“They are making concerted me instead of my personal decision to themselves N40billion out of the wanted to be seen by the president opposition to the immunity bill, where he (Abdulmumim) had brandished 100billion allocated to the entire as the only good man. efforts to clear the remnants to step down.”

“He forgot that he sees heads of an improvised placard which read “Thereafter, I proceeded to my National Assembly. The four of of the terrorists in their area of office. I was therefore not surprised them met and took that decision, MDA’s daily which he enjoys doing “No Immunity.” responsibilities,” he added.

“Afterall he is not the only one In a related development, Usman when my aide walked into my in addition to billions of wasteful more than his job as Speaker for said suspected elements of Boko office to inform me that the Speaker projects running over 20 billion they reasons best known to him anyway, who opposed the bill. The bill is Haram terrorists at the early hours had announced my departure. I allocated to their constituencies. They without Mr. President’s knowledge. still pending before committee on of last Wednesday, attacked Bakin was relieved and went straight to must come out clean. My inability That is how petty and narrow review of constitution and it has to Dutse community in which they killed address the press and released a to admit into the budget almost 30 minded Dogara can be. A coward, be voted upon by each and every one person and injured four others. statement. It was only later in billion personal requests from the hypocrite and pretender of the highest member of the House, get Senate “Unfortunately, they took to their the evening while monitoring Speaker and the three other principal order. Mr President must be very concurrence, endorsed by two-third of heels on arrival of troops. The troops the news that I watched the full officers also became an issue. I have careful with him. He wines with the 36 state Houses of Assembly and have continued to patrol the general statement he made on the floor. every documented evidence to this Mr. President and dines with Mr. be assented to by the President. It is a Presidents enemies. I am glad that cheap blackmail on the part of Jibrin to area with the hope of finding and Dogara’s statement was a complete effect.

“After the submission of the I am finally free from his emotional even insinuate that he was removed apprehending the attackers,” he misrepresentation of the facts, false, mischievous, unfair and a first version of the budget which blackmail of constantly trying to because he opposed immunity bill,” disclosed.

In the same vein, Usman said the calculated attempt to bring my was returned by the president, make me see my appointment as Namdas said.

“He should not distract the House troops on routine patrol in order to name to disrepute, blackmail, I briefed members in executive appropriation chairman as a favour.”

“I will be releasing a more detailed from giving legislative support secure and make Kumshe-Banki silence and use me as a scapegoat. session and told them as agreed “The plan is to execute it just at our pre budget meeting with statement in due course.s of the on important issues facing the road open, were ambushed by four government concerning the revival suspected Boko Haram terrorists. before the recess so that by the chairmen and deputy chairmen of National Assembly.”

However, the House through its of the economy, insecurity in the He stated that the troops engaged time we return I would have been standing committees, we simply the terrorists and three of them died buried and the issue forgotten. Mr. adopted their reports with little Chairman on Media and Publicity, country, pursuit of anti-corruption Speaker, this issue will never be amendments. No body faulted Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, said measures, poverty alleviation, as a result of gun shot wounds.

The army spokesman revealed swept under the carpet. We are my submission. Members insisted the ‘wild allegations’ made by infrastructural development etc. that lone survivor is currently being closing for recess with it and we they must know how the N100 Abdulmumim against Speaker The Nigerian people are simply shall commence the next session billion was allocated. I told them and the principal officers, over not ready to waste their time on interrogated. personal issues and personal egos “It is heart-warming to state with this issue. This was the the truth. Since after that meeting, the budget, are non issues.

Namdas, in a statement, said it of our leaders. We should face the that he has been making very last option they had after every the Speaker, with the support of useful statements that are very attempt to find something to nail the three other principal officers, is the prerogative of the Selection urgent tasks before us for which me failed. It is a known fact that I effectively blocked me from briefing Committee of the House to appoint we were elected,” he added. revealing,” he said.

Troops Kill 42 Boko Haram Members, Rescue 80 Women and Children in Borno Senator Iroegbu in Abuja The Nigerian troops have in their latest operations, killed about 42 Boko Haram terrorists and rescued 80 hostages in various parts of the country.

The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday, said this feat was recorded following confirmed intelligence report on the convergence and massing up of dislodged Boko Haram terrorists at Gangere village in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State, with intent of carrying out attack on some isolated communities.

According Usman, the troops on fighting and, clearance patrol codenamed “Operation Tiger Claw’ had last Tuesday swooped on the terrorists, killing 42 of them, while unconfirmed number of the insurgents escaped with gunshot wounds.

Similarly, he said, 38 women and 42 children held captives were rescued from the insurgents.

He said the women and children were taken to the military medical facility in Baga for checks up.

“They were further assisted with food and clothing,” he stated.

The DAPR said the patrol team also recovered 504 rounds of 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, 162 rounds of 7.62mm (Special)

HONORARY AWARD

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FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Four Killed, Three Injured in Plateau Protests After Monarch’s Killing Govt imposes 24-hour curfew Seriki Adinoyi in Jos Four protesters were yesterday shot dead and three others severely injured by security operatives in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, as the operatives battled angry protesters to rescue Ardo (Fulani leader) of the area from being lynched.

The mayhem has forced the state government to impose a 24-hour curfew on Bokkos to prevent an escalation of the crisis and total breakdown of law and order, following the killing of the traditional ruler of the community, Saf Ron Kulere, Lazarus Agai, by suspected herdsmen.

This is even as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Operations, Joshack Habilla, has appealed to the protesters, cautioning: “Two wrongs cannot make a right,” and urged them not to take the law into their hands.

There has been heightened unease in Bokkos community since Monday following the murder of the traditional ruler.

The first class traditional ruler was killed alongside his driver and his personal aide, as they returned from the farm at Sha. Since then, the community has witnessed serial protests by angry youths of the area, who alleged that the Fulani herdsmen were responsible for the slaying.

The youths have razed several houses and other properties belonging to Fulani indigenes in the area, with the state Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mallam Mohammad Nuru, calling on the security forces to protect them.

The protest turned bloody yesterday when the irate youths made a demand for the Fulani

leader in the custody of security forces.

Speaking on yesterday’s protests, the spokesman of the security forces in the state, Captain Ikedichi Iweha, said following the unfortunate killing of the traditional ruler by unknown gunmen, “some youths on Thursday blocked the roads leading to Bokkos and started burning tyres and harassing innocent citizens.”

“The situation got out of hand when the youths attempted to lynch the Ardo (Fulani leader) of Bokkos, but security operatives swiftly came to the rescue of the man and other innocent citizens and it was in the process that some of the youths opened fire on the security operatives.

“This development prompted the security operatives to fire into the air to disperse the youths and in the process three of the youths lost their lives while some security operatives sustained various degrees of injuries,” he added.

Iweha also confirmed that a 24-hour curfew had been imposed on the area.

Reacting to the killing of the traditional ruler, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the northern states, Reverend Yakubu Pam, condemned the murder of the monarch, whom he described as a devoted Christian.

He said such a devilish act must be condemned by all lovers of peace, especially after another village head from the same locality was killed about a week earlier.

Pam called on President Muhammadu Buhari to give marching orders to security operatives in the country to end the orgy of killings of innocent Nigerians in the north, insisting that the perpetrators of the latest

Adewale, Lagos Federal Lawmaker Dies in Abuja A member of House of Representatives representing Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency in Lagos State, Hon. Elijah Adewale, yesterday slumped and died in Abuja.

The lawmaker was found dead in his Abuja home.

He was said to be the only person living in the apartment.

Aged 65, Adewale was said to have attended the caucus meeting of the House on Wednesday night.

Adewale’s death shocked members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja. It was gathered that he never showed any sign of illness and weakness before his passage yesterday.

Ikeja City Mall Hosts Fashion Expo Ikeja City Mall has announced that its preparations for the forth edition of its annual fashion show themed “CATWALK IN ICM” has started and the event will take place on August 4, 2016 by 4p.m.

According to the organisers of the event, after three fantastic seasons of unparalleled success, the event which is regularly attended by fashion enthusiasts and the industry’s key influencers will also feature kids on the runway, a popular performing Artist and a guest exhibitor named Bukola Kudus.

The fashion show will showcase the spring and ummer 2016/2017 collections from fashion and fashion accessories brands such as; TM

Lewin, Daviva, Lacoste, Hawes &Curtis, Woodin, Ruff ’n’ Tumble, Redtag, Levi’s, Mango, Erinzo, Pandora, Audacious and more.

Others include Mac (official Makeup provider for models), Bruno’s place (Male Models Grooming), and Casabella (Wigs).

Aside from creating a posh environment to enjoy a top-of-theline runway show, interact with designers and have the opportunity to network, the concept of this exciting event remains positioning of the mall as the choice destination for shopping, entertainment and leisure. Catwalk in ICM remains the greatest platform to launch indigenous and international fashion brands.

killing must be fished out and punished.

The DIG said the police were deploying more policemen, including CIDs to Bokkos for reinforcement. He also said the helicopter that brought him to Bokkos would immediately be sent back as soon as it takes him back to Abuja, to maintain surveillance over the community.

Yesterday, the acting Inspector General of Police (IG) Ibrahim Idris had directed Habilla to proceed

to Plateau State with immediate effect to ensure the arrest of the killers of Chief Agai.

The IG said those behind the gruesome murder of the monarch would be fished out in record time for prosecution, explaining this as the reason for the deployment of the DIG to Plateau State.

He appealed to the aggrieved indigenes of the community to be patient with the police to carry out the investigation into the murder of the monarch.

He promised that no stone would be left unturned in arresting the culprits, but called for the collaboration of anyone with useful information to assist the police.

Idris assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police under his watch would ensure decency in the polity.

Meanwhile, the senator representing Plateau Central in the National Assembly, Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye, who incidentally is from Bokkos, broke down in tears as he arrived the palace of

the monarch.

While recounting the last moments he had with the traditional ruler, Dariye called for calm, urging the state government to set up a panel to unravel the culprits behind the unfortunate incident.

In Jos, the state capital, other groups of protesters including women and youths dressed in black marched to the Government House to call on government to end the renewed spate of killings in the state.

WE ARE IN FIRM CONTROL

Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, addressing members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the Rivers East senatorial campaign rally at Okehi, Etche Local Government Area of the state...yesterday

NMRC Proffers Recipe for Effective Housing Delivery System Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) has advocated the creation of mortgage boards, akin to a one-stop shop for all land and titling transactions in the various states, to be run under the supervision of the commissioners for housing or similar government representatives.

This is aimed at addressing issues relating to foreclosure, which have torpedoed an effective housing delivery system in the country.

NMRC Managing Director, Prof.

Charles Inyanete, who proffered the solutions at the 10th Abuja Housing Show, said if created, such boards would advise the states on the funding, administration and structure of mortgage finance programmes.

In the address which was presented on his behalf by the Director, Policy, Strategy and Partnerships, Mrs. Chii Akporji, the NMRC chief executive, the boards would also implement and honour on behalf of the states all obligations in any agreement made between their states and other parties withregardstoanymortgageschemefor theprovisionoffundsforlandownership or development of real estate in the state.

According to him, the boards are to encourage, promote and coordinate all forms of research concerned with the mortgage lending industry as it relates to economic well-being of the states and their residents.

It would also be their duty to manage the stamping and registration

system relating to mortgages in the states, the mode of application for governors consent or the consent of the appropriate local government area relating to mortgage transactions.

He disclosed that the NMRC) making housing affordable by providing long-term funds to mortgage institutions in the country, adding with this, mortgage banks would be able to increase their lending to customers.

“NMRC is connecting the mortgage sector to the capital markets, thereby providing longer-tenor funds of up to 20 years at near-sovereign interest rates.

“The impact of NMRC’s market activities is expected to drive increase in effective housing demand, standardisation and technology, which will in turn drive down construction costs.

“The ripple effect of the increased activities in the housing supply sector is expected to promote job creation and increase household income,’’ he said.

On the multiplier effects, he said about five jobs would be created for every housing unit, with a further two indirect jobs created by stimulating construction sector output.

NMRC, he disclosed, had successfully raised N8 billion through a 15-year pay-through bond at 14.9 per cent interest, adding that the federal government had guaranteed the bond, which is currently quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and FMDQ OTC.

Professor Johnbull TV Series Delivers Strong Moral Punch The new television drama series tagged, Professor Johnbull, has started on a strong footing as a veritable tool for social reengineering and moral revival in the Nigerian society.

The drama, sponsored by telecoms giant, Globacom, debuted on Tuesday on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) network , NTA International and Startimes .

The maiden episode lived up to its promise as explosive in humour, satire, quality of cast and story line.

In the episode titled ‘Claimant,’ Professor Johnbull was unveiled as a bombastic, paternalistic retired teacher whose high-profile grammar elevates every conversation to the level of a performance.

Beyond the humour of the drama, the programme showed itself to be a strong voice in the war against social vices in Nigeria. The drama deployed exciting dialogue seasoned in bombastic locutions and dictions to poke fun on evil and the doers thereof.

That first episode, in a satirical manner, unveiled the evils of fraudulent impersonation that had become a threat to the socioe-conomic fabric of Nigeria.

The drama highlighted the conflict between the fraudulent impostor who got invited to the house of Professor Johnbull, the acclaimed opinion leader in the society where he was finally exposed.

One of the characters, Makuachukwu Ilodibe,

impersonated the Koko master, D’banj by dressing like the megastar and interspersing his speech with the refrain “I’m D’banj!” to scam unsuspecting members of the public including the lead character, Professor Johnbull - acted by the inimitable Kanayo o. Kanayo.

The “erudite professor” met the fake D’banj at a restaurant owned

by Olaniyi starred by Yomi Fash Lanso and tutored him on the essence of his sobriquet, Kokomaster which the Professor inadvertently interpreted to mean cocoa.

The deceit was exposed when Professor Johnbull’s engineer son, Churchill, who was the impostor’s school mate disclosed his real name and gave him a beating for lying as he was wont to do from their school days. Olaniyi, the restauranteur, also joined in punishing the impostor for deceiving him by eating free food along with his two friends. Professor Johnbull gave the denouement as he made didactic closing remarks on the repercussions of impersonation.

Many of those who watched the drama said it reminded them of rested classics like Village Headmaster, New Masquerade and Icheoku.

The drama series, Professor Johnbull, ignited a sense déjà vu in these viewers who thanked Globacom for giving them sublime comedy which they had not savoured in decades.

Professor Johnbull is a television drama series exclusively produced

by Globacom.

FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Wike Accuses INEC Chairman of Meeting with Rivers APC Leaders to Compromise Rerun Elections Says reposting of compromised policemen aimed at rigging elections, destroying security The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmud Yakubu, of taking actions that are inimical to credible rerun elections in the state by his secret meeting with the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Davies Ikanya, and Senator Magnus Abe

on July 19, 2016.

Addressing thousands of PDP supporters at the Rivers East PDP senatorial campaign rally at Okehi, Etche Local Government Area yesterday, Wike also regretted the unfortunate posting of compromised policemen to Rivers State with the aim of damaging the security network ahead of the rerun elections.

TECH+Conference and Expo Holds Tomorrow in Lagos The Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the United States Government, Mr. Tony Scott, will join other technology thought leaders in the industry and government from around Africa and the world at the 2016 TECH+Conference and Expo tomorrow.

The event is bill to hold at the Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Scott will join former Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Ernest Ndukwe, on a 12p.m. panel discussion on Saturday, July 23, entitled: ‘A Smart and Connected City:

Lagos – Africa’s Next Smart City Hub.’ Scott will also be the main plenary panel discussant at 2p.m., also on Saturday, on the topic of “Life on the Front Line: Perspectives on the Role of the CIO and the Evolution of IT.” According to public information from the organisers, the 2016 TECH+ Conference and Expo is a platform for knowledge sharing and networking among consumers and businesses, where leaders in business and government exchange ideas and share expert insights on key technology issues.

Finally, Alade Market Gives Way for $50m Shopping Mall Tinubu endorses market redevelopment plan Gboyega Akinsanmi After a 20-year protracted disagreement between traders and Ikeja Local Government Area, the structure of old Alade Market was yesterday dismantled and its entire land area fenced off, finally giving way for the construction of $50 million shopping mall.

The concessionaire of Alade Shopping Mall, Master Reality International Concept Ltd took over the old market after the Lagos State Government and the President-General of Association of Commodity Market Women and Men, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, endorsed the shopping mall.

Consequently, the demolition of the old market put paid to the agitation of some traders under the aegis of Association of Concerned Traders in Alade Market to scuttle the redevelopment plan, which they said would create thousands of jobs directly and indirectly.

At the new market yesterday, Tinubu-Ojo commended the government and the market concessionaire for the N6.9billion redevelopment plan of the market, noting that nobody “can halt the redevelopment of the market.

“When this was about happening few years ago, my late grandmother Alhaji Abibatu Mogaji, former Iyaloja-General called a meeting between the officials of the government and the market leadership.

“At the meeting, Alhaja Mogaji instructed that before the redevelopment a conducive location

not far from the old site must be provided for the traders. And all parties agreed,” she added.

After Alhaja Mogaji’s demise three years ago, Tinubu-Ojo acknowledged that she had held “meetings twice with the traders in the market. Also, they visited our secretariat thrice.”

She said the meetings offered all traders the opportunity “to apply for shops after the market redevelopment. After the meetings, they assured me they accepted the outcome of the meeting. But on arrival at the market, they vowed to approach the court and others.”

Tinubu-Ojo, however, said there was no controversy surrounding the project, saying the traders “have started moving to the new site to commence trading. The cost of the shop to the original allotees is N150, 000.

“But for fresh traders, the price is different. The price for the original allotees was for the purchase of the shop. The specification given to the concessionaire is being met,” she explained.

The president-general, therefore, enjoined few traders who still disgruntled about the development “to join hands with the government, the concessionaire and the traders to take the market into a new height.

“In order to ensure fairness, the traders have been told that they have opportunity to apply after the redevelopment of the market is completed, adding that all anyone who is interested in becoming a traders in the New Alade market was to buying allocation form.”

The governor further alleged that the INEC chairman had concluded plans to postpone the July 30, 2016 rerun elections for fear of defeat expressed by the leadership of Rivers State APC. He wondered why anyone would be happy to destroy Rivers State just because they want to satisfy the politician who funded the APC national elections efforts using Rivers State resources.

The governor said: “They are frustrating elections in Rivers State because of one man who sponsored elections for APC. They have posted electoral officers from APC states to rig elections and they want to accede to the request of the Rivers State APC

to post out the Resident Electoral Commissioner.

“But the truth is that nobody can rig elections in Rivers State.

The INEC National Chairman only has the power to postpone elections, but he has no power to rig elections here.

“As I speak to you, on July 19, 2016, they met with the INEC National Chairman in his office.

“Rivers State is key to the development of this country.

Will they continue to deny us representation at the Senate and majority of the constituencies of the House of Representatives?”

He called on the people of Rivers State to continue to resist every attempt by INEC to rig elections

in the state because power resides with the people.

According to him: “You saw what happened in Turkey where the people effectively resisted the Army who plotted a coup to dethrone an elected government.

Here in Rivers State, the people will resist any attempt to use compromised security personnel to rig the polls.”

The governor said the APC are not campaigning for the rerun elections because of the assurances they have received that the elections will be rigged in their favour.

He noted that just as the Rivers APC backed by security agencies could not swap the result sheets handed over to them by

compromised INEC officials on March 19, 2016, so they will fail when the forthcoming rerun elections are conducted as a result of the vigilance of the people.

He reiterated that anyone posted to Rivers State with the aim of rigging the elections should inform his family the location of his hidden wealth as he will face the treatment reserved for armed robbers.

Commenting on the politicised posting of compromised senior police officers to Rivers State, Wike said he has written four letters to the new inspector general of police on the issue and made 45 calls to the police chief on the issue without getting a response.

Operation Delta Safe: Why Expectations are High in Niger Delta Now Sunday Okobi Concerned Professionals Congress (CPC) yesterday stated that expectations are high as the reinvigorated Operation Delta Safe (ODS) under its new Commander, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, will soon halt the incessant attacks and safeguard oil facilities in the Niger Delta against militancy and vandalism.

The group believes that the operation will restore lasting peace for unhindered crude oil production in the troubled region.

CPC Coordinator, Tukur Musa Tilde and the Chief Media Strategist, Emeka Nwapa, who addressed journalists in Abuja yesterday after an extraordinary emergency meeting to review the situation in the oil-rich region, said the reinvigorated military operation in the Niger Delta had become imperative due to the huge damage to the nation by the militants’ wanton destruction of critical oil installations in the region.

Expressing sadness over the state of the nation’s economy arising from the huge drop in the crude oil output and electricity megawatts caused by the militants’ activities, the group praised the leadership of the Defence Headquarters for quickly coming up with a strategy to complement the federal government’s political solution to the Niger Delta question.

The duo expressed hope that the Navy-led Operation Delta Safe (ODS) which replaced the former Operation Pulo Shield (OPS) under Rear Admiral Ifeola Mohammed will effect positive changes in the area and decisively address the resurgent militancy in the region in a manner that is capable of bringing criminality in the region to a halt.

They said: “We have reviewed the unfolding situation in the Niger Delta and have come to the conclusion that we are happy that the Chief of Defence Staff and his team have come up with a structure and strategy that can decisively address the ravaging

militancy and general criminality in the region in line with best practices and the Nigerian military’s Rule of Engagement. ‘’We are even more confident that the military will be sufficient and professional in carrying out its statutory constitutional

mandate in the troubled region in a manner that meets national aspirations.”

The group disclosed that the new commander is widely reputed and acknowledged as a fine officer/gentleman who, as a friend of the region, is versed in

the demographics, politics and dynamics of the Niger Delta based on his past assignments as an indigene of the region, a highly-rated navy officer and immediate past Chairman of the National Pipeline Protection Committee (NPPC).

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CRIME&PUNISHMENT Cross River to Domesticate Administration In Brief of Criminal Justice Act Five Kidnappers Jailed 50Years with Bassey Inyang in Calabar Cross River State is set to become one of few states in the country to adopt and domesticate the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. The adoption of the Act is a demonstration of the political will of Governor Ben Ayade who feels that the justice sector reform in the state should move beyond the criminal procedure code.

The Act which has ample benefits seeks the prosecution of criminals and offenders to achieve best results.

In addition, it would empower the state to provide the procedure for the trial of corruption cases outside the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

Speaking on the readiness of the state to domesticate the law at a workshop in Calabar, the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. John Gaul Lebo, said the foundation of the laws is the political will of the governor who feels that his first responsibility is to provide a justice sector reform system that

goes beyond the criminal procedure code passed in 1963 for all of the southern states.

“It is a law that provides criminal procedures for all of the southern states.

Now offenses have come that the circumstance and sophistication of societies no longer makes that law tenable, it’s outdated and so Cross River State is moving ahead of other states and we are going to be the first state after the federal government to domesticate this law. But we are domesticating this law with necessary modifications to suit the legal environment of Cross River State,” said the Speaker.

He highlighted some provisions of the Act to include the child right law, passage of the child rights commission, plea bargain and the provision of the procedure for the trial of corruption cases.

In his words: “the special features in this law for us are that we have passed the child’s Right law, we are about the first state and we are the first state to also pass

the child’s right commission.

“And you know when you have the child’s right commission you now need to provide for a procedure for the trial of children and then providing for custody for children outside of prison or outside of medical asylum.

So that provision is there, and we are also going to be the first state to provide for a procedure for trial of corruption cases in cross river state outside ICPC. Like l said ICPC can try certain cases if it comes from capital receipt of our budget or from federal funds given to Cross River State. But for funds that arose out of our IGR or the Appropriation Law of Cross River State, the courts in Cross River by the administration of criminal justice law will have the jurisdiction and powers to try corruption cases.

“Now for financial cases we have our public accounts committee reports where people are judged to have committed financial offences. Sometimes you have like 300 persons and then 2 or 3 political cases are taken to EFCC. The administration of criminal

justice by the expectation of the governor is to ensure that we also have such courts designated within that. We also have community service. There are simple offences that you don’t have to go to prison, the sentence is to go and teach in a primary school or go and do NGO activities to educate people on how not to commit offences.”

Speaking earlier on the necessity of the law to the state, the Attorney General, Joe Abang said the Act will be of tremendous importance to the state.

According to him, the state has been preparing for this “so we have armed ourselves and you will agree with me.

Recently the governor gave me the chance to recruit another 30 technocrats into the ministry, the whole essence of adding 30 new hands, getting the computers, E –library is to put us in better footing to be able to administer criminal justice and help in the administration in the state and indeed in Nigeria.

We are ready in the ministry of justice to do our work.”

Hard Labour in Delta

A Delta State High Court sitting at Sapele Judicial Division has sentenced five kidnappers to a total of 50 years in Prison custody for kidnapping a septuagenarian trader, Mrs. Queen Ogbor. The court sentenced the five accused persons to 10 years in jail each for the offence of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and the substantive offence of kidnapping having been earlier pronounced guilty by the trial Judge (name witheld). They were sentenced to 5 years each for count one (Conspiracy to commit kidnapping) and another 5 years each for count two (kidnapping) with hard labour. The convicted kidnappers, Fidelis Ochuko (25 years old driver), Kelvin Opuoma (21 years old bricklayer), Kelly Jonathan (20 years old student), Kevwe Itedjere and Joseph Enakpodia (a 20 year old Okada rider) pleaded not guilty to the two count information charge proffered against them by the Delta State Attorney-General when they took their plea at the commencement of trial. Prosecutor from the Delta State Ministry of Justice, T.E. Omenuwoma Esq had told the Court that the five accused persons, now convicted by the Court, on or about the 14th day of July, 2010 at Abraka, within the Isiokolo Judicial Division conspired and kidnapped their victim. The 70 years old trader was kidnapped having being ambushed by the five armed gang as she was driving into her premises around 7pm and whisked away by foot. The incidence happened during a heavy downpour. However, luck ran against the kidnappers the next day before they could establish contact with their victim’s family for ransom as they were apprehended by Security Agents at their hideout having been traced through their footsteps while the kidnapped victim was rescued unhurt. The kidnappers were convicted under the old anti-kidnapping law that prescribed 10 years imprisonment for offenders.

Ondo Police Arrest Two Persons for Kidnapping Monarch

For their alleged involvement in the abduction of the traditional ruler of Iyasan Community, Oba Abiodun Oyewumi, men of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested two persons . Oyewumi was kidnapped earlier this month at his palace at Iyasan in Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State by some gunmen numbering 10 who came through the waterways. He regained freedom a week after the abduction.The suspects Ewerikuno Meretighan and Dede Ebelo according to the Police Public Relations Officer for the Ondo State Command,, Mr. Femi Joseph, were arrested at Gbelegun community in Edo State on Wednesday through activities of the intelligence officer of the command.

“The suspects were arrested on Wednesday night at Gbelegun town in Edo State through intelligence by our anti-kidnap team led by Adekunle Onabanjo.” He said the suspects had confessed to the crime, adding that the men of the command were already on the trail of the fleeing members of the gang. The PPRO appealed to the people of the state to always assist the police command in giving out information that could lead to the arrest of hoodlums in their environment.

90-year-old LandTussle Claims Lives, Properties in Anambra

CUSTOMS IS WORKING

Remains of smuggled imported frozen poultry products as being destroyed at the government approved dumpsite in Ibadan... yesterday Felix Ademola

Man Collapses as Court Orders His Remand in Prison Sylvester Idowu in Warri There was a mild drama yesterday at the Magistrate Court in Warri, Delta State was yesterday thrown into laughter, when an accused who alleged that a bishop was sponsoring members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) collapsed as he was ordered to be remanded in prison custody along with his accomplice.

The accused, identified as Smart Etiemor, on hearing the court’s pronouncement.

The accused was arraigned alongside, Robinson Dagbolo

before the court.

The Chief Magistrate, C I Moeteke, ordered them to be remanded at the Okere prisons in Warri while awaiting legal advise from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP).

The duo were docked for allegedly lodging a petition with the police that the founder of New Salvation Chuch of Christ, Bishop Sunny Jero was sponsoring members of Niger Delta Avengers.

They accused Jero of running shady deals, including human trafficking, gun running and pipeline vandaslism and other

criminal activities.

The middle-aged suspects were arraigned on a one-count charge of false accusation, an offence punishable under Section 125 of the Criminal Code Cap c21 of Delta.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge but the magistrate failed to take their plea, saying the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Moeteke, however, adjourned the case till August 18 for mention The prosecution counsel, Sunny Irabor, had told the

court that the suspects allegedly petitioned the complainant on July 14, 2016 over human trafficking, gun running and sponsoring the Niger Delta Avengers.

He said after obtaining a search warrant, the police combed the church and private residence of the Bishop in Warri alongside the suspects adding that nothing incriminating was found.

According to him, the complainant (Jero) had to re arrest the suspects for false accusation.

About three persons have were said to have lost their lives in a communal clash between two Anambra communities, Nkwelle Ezunaka and Osile Village in Ogbunike, Oyi Local Government Area over disagreements resulting from a disputed piece of land. The communities were involved in fierce battle last week, leading to the death of the three men, who were said to be indigenes of Nkwelle Ezunaka community. Several persons were also reportedly injured as a result of the clash, while security operatives were drafted to the communities, and calm returned. THISDAY gathered that last week’s clash was caused by the quest by one of the feuding communities, Osile, to survey the disputed land, apparently to make it ready for use. This, it was gathered, was opposed to by people of Amuche village in Nkwelle Ezunaka, leading to a fracas that degenerated into shooting.

The immediate past President of Nkwelle Ezunaka Community and the Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Anambra State chapter, Chris Eluemuno, who spoke with journalists during a visit to the area, said the fracas between both communities had remained a recurring one.

He recalled that both communities have remained at loggerhead for a long time as a result of the dispute, and the refusal of the people of Osile to abide by an old court judgment on the land. The land dispute, it was learnt, dated back to 1906 when an Onitsha Customary Court entered a judgment in favour of Nkwelle Ezunaka, that Nkisi River was the boundary between Ogbunike and Nkwelle Ezunaka, as communities. When contacted the President Osile Welfare and Development Union, Donatus Mbanefo, said there was no such judgment, and that the Umuonuora family of Amuche Nkwelle have never been in any land dispute in any court of law with their counterpart. “Umuonuora family, led by Chris Eluemuno and lately Ambrose Odia had not only trespassed on these lands but have sold off all of the Osile lands lying north of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway to non-indigenes of Nkwelle Ezunaka,” he said. He appealed to the Anambra State Government through the State Boundary Committee to urgently carry out comprehensive boundary demarcation between Osile Ogbunike and their neighbours from Nkwelle to avert further bloodletting. It was gathered that calm has however returned to both communities following the drafting of security personnel to the disputed areas. Attempts to get reactions from the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, Ali Okechukwu, on the matter was not successful as he was said to have been out of office on official duties when THISDAY called.

T H I S D AY FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016

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FRIDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

NFF Working to Immortalising Amodu, Keshi

Keno Edhowo The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced yesterday that it is working on immortaliing coaching legends, Amodu Shaibu and Stephen Keshi, who both passed on last month.

While Amodu has been buried almost immediately after his death according to Islamic rites, Keshi is to begin his final journey home with an elaborate state burial starting in Benin City on July 27.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi reiterated this while receiving in his office yesterday, the newly-appointed National Technical Director of the federation, Mr. Bitrus Bewarang.

Amodu, the only person to have coached the Super Eagles in four different periods, was the National Technical Director before his death on Saturday, June 11.

Keshi, the longest-serving captain of the team who also

coached the team to win the Africa Cup of Nations and reach the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup, passed on three days earlier.

“The NFF is liasing with the government through the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, with regards to the immortalisation of the two icons of our football who died last month. Both men contributed immensely to the development of Nigeria football and will never be forgotten.

“The NFF board has immense confidence in your person that you will be able to fit quite well into the shoes left by late Coach Amodu and perhaps come up with great ideas to enhance the workings of the Technical department,” Sanusi told Bewarang, who is president of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association.

On Wednesday, Mr. Abdulrafiu Yusuf (Assistant Director, Technical) and Dr. Robinson Okosun (Head,

Shaibu

Keshi Psychology Unit) represented the NFF at the 40th day Fidau prayer for the soul of the

departed Amodu at his home town in Okpella, Edo State.

The final burial rites for late

Stephen Keshi will begin on Wednesday, July 27 with a lying-in-state in Abuja, and

culminate in internment at his hometown, Illa, Delta State on Friday, July 29.

‘NNPC Junior Tennis to World-class Golf Garden Waterfront Opens in Abuja and business The centre will be run by every day is the one day Secure Nigeria’s Dominance’ Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja executives golfers. an international professional on which the reputation of Nigeria’s Junior Tennis Head Coach, Mohammed Ubale, has stated that the NNPC Junior Tennis Championship, among other developmental tournaments, will secure Nigeria’s top position in West and Central Africa.

Nigeria has been the team to beat in the zone which has 16 countries and Ubale said the gap between Nigeria and others are widening by the years due to the nation’s commitment to junior programmes.

“The players are doing a lot to prove themselves knowing that this is one of the platforms at which we select players into our junior national teams.

“The programme has over the years helped us to get good players and that is why we are the number one country in West and Central Africa Zone.

“Our leadership position is undoubtedly secured and on

the continent as a whole, we are going higher as well judging by our performance in the last African Junior Championship where we had our best outing ever,” he stated.

The 2016 edition taking place at the National Stadium, Lagos enters its penultimate day today with Marylove Edward, who topped Pool B battling Toyin Asogba and Angel Mcleod, winner of Pool A, confronting Fortune Aniso in the semifinals of the girl’s 16&under.

Thursday was a memorable day for Kodian Tennis Foundation from Rivers as Amiyefor Jim Jaja, Timipre Maxwell, Victor Tom-Friday and David Dawariye all progressed to the semifinals of their various categories.

StarTimes Set to Broadcast International Champions Cup Live Digital TV company, StarTimes Nigeria, yesterday announced that it has acquired the media rights for International Champions Cup (ICC) on exclusive basis in sub-Saharan Africa for the 2015 to 2019 seasons and will be beaming the games live and exclusively to Nigerians from today, July 22 through August 13.

“StarTimes football loving subscribers in Nigeria will yet again be treated to another fantastic round of pulsating football entertainment beginning from Friday July 22, just as we did during the Copa America Centenario and the European Championship.

“ICC 2016 is the mini Champions League and ultimate pre-season football tournament where the biggest clubs in the world would battle for glory.17 champion clubs would clash in 22 matches

spread over 23 days in uncensored soccer festival.

Armed with exclusive broadcast rights, StarTimes World Football (channel 254) and Sports Focus (channel 250) channels would wow subscribers with another top-class actions series from the top teams including FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain who are all set to play 21 matches in China, Australia and the United States.

It would be exciting to see Jose Mourinho reignite bitter rivalry with Pep Guardiola in Manchester derby on Monday 25 in China! Barca, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich will do battle against one another in three different continents on Sat 30 June 2016!

Golf leisure in Nigeria is about to be redefined with the coming on board of Golf Garden Waterfront, in Wuse 2, Abuja.

The club aims to promote exclusive lifestyle and boasts of facilities that will set the benchmark in golf tourism in Nigeria and Africa as it is inspired by some of the best exclusive golf clubs in America and Europe.

The founder and CEO of Golf Garden Waterfront, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, said yesterday that new centre that is set up in the business hub of Aminu Kano Crescent will redefine the image of golf in Nigeria and Africa.

Aside from an enclosed driving range, short-game holes, pro shops, a museum and six in-door golf suites, the course is fitted with a travel agency, corporate suites, meeting rooms, restaurants, barber’s shops, golf laboratories and 34 toilets for men and women. The golf suites are equipped with simulators that help golfers lower their scores when playing on an open golf course.

It also has flood lights that will enable golfers enjoy a knock about in the night.

The course grass type is both Bermuda green and Brent.

It targets members of the diplomatic corps, corporate

“We are an exclusive private membership golf club that aims for golfing standard in Nigeria. We also seek to raise the stakes of professional golf in Nigeria in addition to running a high standard golf academy,” Runsewe, a golfer and the former director general of Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) said.

He said the golf garden, which was conceived four years ago, has produced its own golf book and will issue certificates for beginners, advanced players and senior golfers.

trainer from South Africa, to be assisted by five other Nigerian professional golfers.

Runsewe also reeled out the club’s philosophy, saying the Golf Garden Waterfront is to be considered one of the greatest golf experience and modern golf facility base with unique brand.

“With your kind golfing support, we will provide a quality product, which must be maintained and cared for at a superior level of consistency.

“Golf Garden Waterfront philosophy is simple. Every service we provide will be the best of its kind. We believe

Golf Garden Waterfront will be created and judged. We will be the club by which others set standard. We are totally responsible as a team for reputation and image presented to our distinguished members and special guest.

“Our guiding principles define our actions, actions define our character. We are determined to change the face of golfing in Africa from manual to IT Base and endeavour to provide a facility that appreciates our distinguished members and their pride guest and support our community.”, he said.

CEO of Golf Garden Waterfront, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe shows guests some of the items stuffed at the Pro shop

Russia Fails to Overturn Athlete Ban from Rio Olympics Russian track and field athletes will remain banned from the Olympics following claims the country ran a state-sponsored doping programme.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and 68 Russian athletes attempted to overturn the suspension, implemented by the body that governs world athletics.

But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has ruled it can stand.

A handful of Russian athletes could still compete as neutrals at the Rio Games, which start on August 5.

“It’s sad but rules are rules,” said Olympic 100m and 200m champion Usain Bolt, who is targeting more gold medals in Rio. He said it was important to send a strong message to the dopers.

“Doping violations in track and field is getting really bad,”

said the Jamaican, 29. “If you cheat or go or against the rules, this will scare a lot of people.”

However, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva one of the 68 to appeal to CAS - said the ruling was “a blatant political order”, while the Russian Foreign Ministry called it a “crime against sport”.

Isinbayeva, the 2012 gold medallist, 34, told the TASS News Agency: “Thank you all

for this funeral for athletics.”

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said it was “pleased CAS has supported its position”, adding that the judgment had “created a level playing field for athletes”.

IAAF President Lord Sebastien Coe added: “This is not a day for triumphant statements. I didn’t come into this sport to stop athletes from competing.”

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FRIDAYSPORTS

NPFL…NPFL…NPFL…

Nigeria’s Leading League Scorers on Trial in Norway

Several of Nigeria league leading scorers led by Lobi Stars striker Anthony Okpotu are currently in Norway on trials.

Okpotu, who has played for top Libyan club Al Ittihad, has so far scored 12 goals in the Nigeria league.

He is undergoing trials at Norwegian club Stabeak, so also Prince Aggreh, who has scored five goals for Kano Pillars this season.

Another Pillars forward, Emmanuel Edmund, is at Norwegian side Haugesund after scoring five goals this season.

The stocky striker has already posted a short stint at Slovak club AS Trencin.

Also on the train to Norway is Bernard Ovoke, who has fired six goals in the Nigeria league for titlechasing Rivers United.

He is trying out at Lillestrom after they sold little known Nigerian striker Fred Friday to Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.

Nigeria stars John Mikel Obi, Chinedu Obasi, Aaron

Samuel, Anthony Ujah, Odion Ighalo, Nosa Igiebor, Fegor Ogude and Sulaiman Abdullahi started out in Norway before they moved on to bigger things in Europe.

Top sources told AfricanFootball.com that several NPFL stars could still find their way to Norway before the transfer window in Europe closes on August 31.

“It’s a stable league for Nigerian players to become better professionals ready for sale to bigger leagues in Europe,” remarked a top agent.

“The clubs in Norway are prepared to take the risks to buy these players for very little and sell them for huge profits thereafter.”

In 2006, Ighalo cost Lyn Oslo less than $150,000 when he left Nigeria and eight months later, Italian Serie A side Udinese snapped him up for $1.3 million.

He is now holding his own in the Premier League with Watford after he recently rejected a switch to the lucrative Chinese league.

Enyimba Stops Stars from La Liga Friendlies Enyimba wants a full team for a must-win CAF Champions’ League group game against Zamalek on August 14 in Cairo and so has asked the League Management Company (LMC) to excuse its players from the friendlies against La Liga clubs in Spain about the same time next month.

There are five Enyimba players in the NPFL AllStars – skipper Chinedu Udoji, goalkeeper Theophilus Afelokhai, Joseph Osadiaye, Dare Ojo and Ezekiel Bassey.

An official of the All-Stars told AfricanFootball.com: “Enyimba want their players to be excused from the La Liga friendlies because they

believe with a full-strength team they could win in Zamalek and improve their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals of the Champions League.

“We just have to wait and see how things play out now.”

Enyimba is at the bottom of Champions League Group B after the Aba team lost its first two matches at home to Zamalek and then away at Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.

However, Enyimba officials believe they can get their campaign back on track with a win in Egypt on August 14 especially after Sundowns won there last week.

Ilechukwu Wants Kano Pillars Scalp as Birthday Gift Head Coach of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries Football Club of Lagos, Fidelis Ilechukwu, has told his wards to give him a befitting birthday gift by coming out top in their next league match against Kano Pillars Football Club of Kano.

The newcomers will be the guests of the former league champions, Kano Pillars FC in tomorrow’s Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Match-day 28 clash scheduled to take place at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.

Speaking to his wards after his team’s final training session at the Prayer City training ground on Wednesday, Coach Ilechukwu who became a year older yesterday told his players that a victory over the Sai Masu Gida would be a perfect gift for him.

He began “Our game against Kano Pillars is a very important match for us for many reasons and I want you all to make me and our supporters happy after the game on Saturday.

“I will be a year older on Thursday (yesterday), I need the three points as birthday gift. I believe in you guys and I know that you can win the match for me to have a remarkable 38th birthday celebration.

“If they can come to Lagos and share the points with us in the first leg, I see nothing stopping us from grinding out a victory on Saturday,” said the youthful tactician.

The Lagos-based team claimed the 9th spot on the leaderboard with 36 points from 25 league matches.

They are three points behind the host who sits in 5th position.

Lobi Stars’ Okpotu (right) is challenged for ball possession during a previous game in the ongoing NPFL season.

Bashir, Nwabulu Listed in NPFL-LBA for June Abdulrahman Bashir and Emeka Nwabulu have been named among the players to vie for the June edition of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) - League Bloggers Awards (LBA).

The two players put in very important contributions for their clubs in June.

Bashir scored three times for Nasarawa United while Nwabulu kept four clean sheets in five appearances for Wikki Tourists.

Bashir has come good this season for Nasarawa United, scoring 11 league goals, after struggling at Enyimba and Lobi Stars since he left ABS FC, the club where he made his name.

However, Bashir and Nwabulu will have to contend with the pair of El-Kanemi Warriors teenage winger Hussaini Bata and Shedrack Oghali of Warri Wolves for the player’s award in June.

Oghali’s return for Wolves in the month under review saw him help the Warri club get a point at Kano Pillars in a 2-2 draw in which he scored both goals. Before then, he netted the equaliser that

helped Wolves avoid defeat at home in a 2-2 draw with Heartland having gone two goals down.

Bata scored three important goals at home for his team against Enugu Rangers, Warri Wolves and Abia Warriors to earn himself a place among the NPFL-LBA shortlists.

Four coaches - Gbenga Ogunbote (3SC), Abdu Maikaba (Wikki Tourists), Solomon Ogbeide (Sunshine Stars) and Kabiru Dogo (Nasarawa United) - are the men in line for the manager’s award for June.

Ogbeide is the only man to have guided his side to an unbeaten streak in June in the NPFL this season. His team, Sunshine Stars, picked up eight points out of 12 including a point in the 3-3 draw at Akwa United after clawing their way back from 1-3.

Relegation-threatened Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) under Ogunbote in June got 10 points out of 15, losing just a game out of five to Lobi Stars while they became the first side to claim full points at the Agege Stadium in Lagos

against MFM FC. Maikaba masterminded Wikki’s good show in June from the dugout as they took 13 points out of 18 in six games including a 1-0 win at Ikorodu United and a scoreless draw at Heartland.

Wikki also defeated storied oppositions in Enyimba and Kano Pillars in the month under review.

Dogo got among the nominees for June after Nasarawa United’s wins over Oriental teams Enyimba and FC Ifeanyiubah as well as Niger Tornadoes. But they suffered a 0-2 loss at MFM FC in between their decent run in June.

The winners for both NPFLLBA categories for June will be announced next week.

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T H I S D AY FRIDAY JULY 22, 2016

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Friday, July 22, 2016

TR

UT H

& RE A S O

Price: N250

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MISSILE IMF to Nigeria

“In Nigeria, economic activity is now projected to contract in 2016, as the economy adjusts to foreign currency shortages as a result of lower oil receipts, low power generation, and weak investor confidence. These revisions for the largest low-income country are the main reason for the downgrade in growth prospects for the low-income developing countries’ group” – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting that the Nigerian economy is likely to contract by 1.8 per cent this year, warning that it is heading towards recession.

AKINOSUNTOKUN DIALOGUE WITH NIGERIA

akin.osuntokun@thisdaylive.com

On The Unity of Nigeria B

eyond polemics, the fact is that the unity of Nigeria started being negotiated and renegotiated right from its amalgamation in 1914, and it has to be so, since the inhabitants of the amalgamated territories did not come together of their own volition in the first place. Right from independence in 1776, the unity of the United States of America has evolved through several constitutional amendments towards what their leaders refer to as a more perfect union.

And from the original 13 independent states that banded together to form the Union in 1776, 37 other states have joined to reach the present composition of 50 states.

Similarly the constitutional development of Nigeria from 1922 to the present, comprising all the round table constitutional conferences, are a series of negotiations on national unity, first through the colonial phase which terminated in 1960 and the post-independence phase from 1960 to the present. In the colonial phase, the most consequential was the 1957 London constitutional conference which produced the independence constitution of 1960. The plebiscite conducted in 1961 that resulted in the excision of Northern Cameroun from the Sardauna province of Nigeria was a process of negotiating Nigerian unity. Ditto the referendum of 1963 through which instrument the Mid-Western region was created from the Western region was an exercise in negotiating Nigerian unity. A similar exercise of negotiating the unity of the United Kingdom (less than a year ago) produced the contrary outcome of Scotland freely electing to remain an integral part of the UK. After the breakdown of the first republic in 1966, Nigerian unity was renegotiated at the Aburi confab whose failure led to the continuation of negotiation by other means — the civil war. The war strategy of breaking Nigeria down into 12 states in 1967 was at one and the same time directed at weakening the breakaway Eastern region and a concession to the Easter minority desire for a separate Ogoja rivers state which was given an identity (South Eastern state) autonomous of the Eastern region. Here we can see that within the womb of the imposition of national unity on the Eastern region resided the element of negotiating the same unity with the appeasement of the Eastern minorities. The release of Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and his elevation to the comparable status of Prime Minister within the federal military government (headed by General Yakubu Gowon) was a national unity bargaining chip with the Yoruba people of the Western region.

The outcome of the civil war in which the federal military government prevailed over the secessionist Biafra has bred the confusion of understanding and rendering Nigerian unity as synonymous with the pseudo federalist-nationalist ideology of

President Muhammadu Buhari the victorious army. The implication of the acceptance of the unity of Nigeria as interchangeable with this militarist nationalist ideology is that Nigeria is an occupied territory of the victorious alliance of 1970 and its mutations over the years. It is in this frame of confusion that Nigerian leaders, especially those who fought the civil war, easily take recourse to playing the Praetorian Guard in whose custody the holy grail of Nigerian unity is eternally preserved.

The first inadequacy of this mind set is the erroneous belief that the outcome of the war was a moral imperative; that it was a contest between good and bad, in which, as in the movies, the good cop trumps the bad coin. The events leading to the war do not lend themselves to this convenient bifurcation. If we go back in time to 1966-67, all the regions comprising Nigeria were either cultivating or contemplating secession.

Be it the threat by Chief Awolowo that if the Eastern region secedes, the West will follow suit or the rendition of Ahmadu Kurfi that: “The original intention of the July 29 counter-coup leaders was to seize the reigns of government and then announce the secession of the Northern Region from the rest of the country. This was in line with the general mood of the people of the North whose clarion call during the May 29 disturbances in the North, which claimed many Igbo lives, was Araba or Aware (Hausa word for ‘secede’). As soon as the success of the insurgency was apparent, the leaders of the coup who were based at the Ikeja Garrison informed Northern elements resident in Lagos to leave the metropolis for the North, giving a deadline within which to comply. At the expiry of the deadline, the coup leaders planned to dynamite, if not sink, the whole of Lagos.

So serious was the threat that many senior federal government officers in Lagos actually trooped to Ilorin, Kaduna and other northern towns. The families of the coup leaders

had earlier been airlifted in a hijacked VC 10 plane of a British airline.”

But of course, it was the more republican Eastern region which belled the cat and put into action what was lurking in the inner recesses of everyone’s mind. If all the regions were thus potential secessionists, what then, was uniquely wrong in the Biafra aspiration?given (for that matter) the compulsion of the overly disproportionate magnitude of the repercussions of the bloody Igbo-led coup that terminated the first republic. In the circumstance, it is difficult to condemn the ultimate resort to the declaration of Biafra, yet the leadership of the secessionist bid stands condemned for two reasons.

Biafra leader Emeka Ojukwu should not have insisted on his maximum demands and repudiate the lesser offer on the table in the Aburi Accord given that the Biafra army was not sufficiently prepared. And if he did not know this then he was not fit to lead the rebellion-the onus of leadership often consists of making haste slowly. The allied observation is the double jeopardy of not cutting short the horrific misery of his citizens once it became crystal clear that prolongation of the war was the worst case scenario for Biafra. Thus, in justification and idealism, there was not a lot wrong in the attempted secession, it was the non-practicality of it that rendered it a bad option.

To be properly understood, I will draw a parallel with the outbreak of the 1993 president election annulment crisis. Was it inconceivable that the Yoruba would have gone to war were they not appeased with the admittance of wrongdoing by the Nigerian state; and a display of penitence and manifest commitment to make amends?- hence the compensatory concession of the presidency in 1999 in the double quick fashion of the Abubakar Abdusalam military disengagement transition. Now if the Yoruba went to war and were defeated by the Nigerian state, would such an outcome deliver a verdict of evil misdeed on the path taken by the Yoruba? Such a verdict on the hypothetical rebellion and its failure can only be right within the context of the philosophy of might is right.

The unity of Nigeria or of any other society cannot be an end in itself but a means to the end of the utilitarian wellbeing of the greatest number of its citizens.

Nigerian national unity is aspirational and a continuous process of negotiation and renegotiation which commenced in earnest in 1914 when little thought was given to the amalgamation beyond the administrative convenience of the British colonialist. Still we can make the best of a very bad situation. Beyond the blackmail of the Nigerian Praetorian Guard no one is posing the unity of Nigeria as a Manichaean duality between my way or the highway, between remaining together as one indivisible country and outright disintegration. The recourse to blackmailing those calling for

the perfection of the union as advocates of dismemberment is a great disservice to this country.

The political conduct of President Muhammadu Buhari since his assumption of office has been quite troubling. Against the immediate backdrop of the lopsided composition of his presidency and related executive appointments, his sanctimonious preachment on national unity rings quite hollow. Action and reaction are equal and opposite. Beyond the strategic imperative of federalism compliant restructuring of Nigeria’s constitution, it is perfectly logical for Nigerians to protest against leadership conduct that is seemingly at variance with those virtues that promote a sense of oneness and unity.

Nigerian unity is constantly tested and measured on such scales as equity in the spread and weight of appointments; governance objectivity; social, cultural and political identification; covert and overt political signalling. You want unity, you bridge and heal divisions not deepen and aggravate them. You listen and respect public opinion, not dismiss and waved it away.

Contrary to self-serving politicisation, the 2014 national constitutional confab was not synonymous with former President Goodluck Jonathan. It was broadly representative of respected and objective opinion across the national divide. In the 75% threshold of passing resolutions, it was subjected to the most severe test of national consensus. If anyone needed to be persuaded of the bogey word-restructuring, you need not go further than the conspicuous bankruptcy of the near totality of the 36 states-which had now to be sustained (and would permanently remain so) by so called federal government bailouts to meet the minimum standard of raison detre- salary payments.

Second guessing his principal and in astounding and embarrassing repudiation of his prior career in Action Congress of Nigeria, the otherwise sober and reflective Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had to fake a simplistic understanding of restructuring by reducing it to ‘giving the states more money-at the expense of the federal government’. Equating calls for restructuring Nigeria with national disunity conveys the implication that it is only the present 36 states that conform to the patriotic sense of national unity. Let the game playing with the destiny of this nation continue-to the detriment of us all.

As presently constituted, the legitimacy of the Nigerian state will continue to be challenged and compromised by the activities and demands of subversive entities like the Niger Delta militants. The bad news is that, in implicit acceptance of its own illegitimacy, Nigeria will have to trade with them in a manner that proves its inherent instability, and it is in this haphazard and hazardous motion that this beleaguered country may sooner stumble on the messy fate that awaits it around the corner.

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