Saturday 3rd September 2016

Emefiele at NIPSS, Vows to Deploy Monetary Tools to Restore Growth CBN remits $2 billion to foreign institutions yearly as school fees Moody's: Nigeria's liquidity pressure rising amid growth, inflation challenges

Obinna Chima in Lagos The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele yesterday expressed the desire of the bank to "employ every indispensable means, conventional or other-

wise”, to help restore economic growth in the country.

It also emerged yesterday that the CBN has amended its foreign exchange manual; resident Nigerian nationals and companies that bring in foreign currency through the banks

and other authorised dealers can now invest such funds in money market instruments, bonds and equities.

Emefiele spoke while delivering a keynote address to participants of the Senior Executive Course No. 38 at the

National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State.

The CBN governor's speech was titled: “Managing Monetary Policy in Turbulent Times.”

The governor who insisted that the "Nigerian economy must

flourish," urged Nigerians to reduce their appetite for foreign goods.

According to him, with the size and structure of the country's import bills, it is apparent that "we as a people cannot continue to depend on

other countries for things that can easily be produced locally.

"How do we justify the importation of items like eggs from South Africa, beef from Zambia and toothpick from Continued on page 6

FG Gives Aero Hope, Promises to Retain Workers ... Page 10 Saturday 3 September, 2016 Vol 21. No 7799 Price: N250

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Fuel Crisis Looms over Non-Supply of Crude to Oil Traders, Forex Challenges No cause for alarm, we have 1.3bn litres in reserves, says Baru

Ejiofor Alike Barely four months after the federal government adjusted the pump price of petrol upwards from N86.50 to N145 per litre to stabilise product importation and distribution, oil traders have raised concern over likely scarcity

of the product.

The fear expressed by the marketers stemmed from the alleged inability of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to supply crude to some oil traders and refineries in exchange for refined products, under the Direct Sales-Direct

Purchase (DSDP) contractual arrangements initiated with some selected oil traders and foreign refineries some months ago.

The marketers were also alarmed by the increasing challenges facing them in accessing foreign exchange, and threatened that they might abandon petrol

importation in the hands of only the NNPC, potentially plunging the country into another energy crisis.

They warned that the pegging of the pump price at N145 was based on N285 exchange rate and that the depreciation of the Naira in the inter-bank

market to an average of N315 has created a huge gap left to be filled. Warning that it was not feasible for the price to remain at N145 with the current FX reality.

But the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru has dismissed the fear of

possible scarcity, saying that the corporation has continued to meet its obligations to marketers and foreign refineries in the areas of foreign exchange allocation and supply of crude oil under its DSDP contracts with the oil Continued on page 6

Mark Zuckerberg: I was Blown Away By Talents of Youths at Lagos Co-creation Hub Buhari thanks Facebook founder for sharing knowledge with Nigerians

MAUREEN IHUA

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The Chief Executive Officer and founder of social networking website, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg yesterday said he was blown away by the talent and level of energy of the Nigerian youth that he saw at the Cocreation Hub in Yaba, Lagos.

Zuckerberg, who was speaking during a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, added that he was also impressed by the interest and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by other young Nigerians in all the ICT camps he visited.

Zuckerberg told the president that he was in the country to promote the penetration of “fast and cheap” internet connectivity (Express-wifi) that would help people create online businesses and reduce poverty.

President Buhari who commended the simplicity of Zuckerberg, thanked him for sharing his wealth of knowledge Continued on page 6

I Stopped Acting to Take Care of My Handsome Husband

SuperSaturday pg. 8-9

A SELFIE WITH THE PRESIDENT

L-R: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari and Facebook founder/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mark Zuckerberg, during his visit to the Presidential Villa, Abuja ...yesterday GODWIN OMOIGUI

FASHION FILE

RENAISSANCE COLLECTION BY DMG

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FG Gives Aero Hope, Promises to Retain Workers Chinedu Eze The federal government has promised to restructure the embattled Aero Contractor airline, which on Wednesday announced that it had stopped schedule flights and suspended the services of its 1,100 workers, due to lack of funds.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika made this known when he addressed workers of the airline who occupied its headquarters

at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, yesterday.

Sirika told the workers that the federal government would make sure that the problems plaguing the airline were solved, noting that it was the responsibility of government to create jobs and therefore would not allow any business concern to die under its watch.

The Minister, who identified some of the challenges facing the airline, said he would meet with Asset Management Corporation

of Nigeria (AMCON) and the management of Aero Contractors and would get back to the workers on Monday.

“I landed from Riyadh to Lagos and before I left Riyadh I was informed by the people in charge in Aero that things were getting worse and that they had only one airplane operational at the moment and, since I have time before my connecting flight to Abuja, I decided to come and see Aero and probably discuss a few issues with the managers, and possibly see the

staff. But unfortunately, I came here and saw that there is a protest going on, so I had to stop by, listened, discussed and came to an agreement.

“The primary purpose of government, especially this APC government is to help to promote, nurse, sustain, develop, keep businesses so that they can continue to provide services and employ our people.

So, it is not the government of the APC that will kill jobs and close down shops; our intent is to promote jobs and promote

businesses in Nigeria so that businesses will be growing,” the Minister said.

Sirika said the workers had the right to protest the loss of their jobs and assured them that the government would resolve the issues concerning the airline to bring it back on track.

“I think the protest is justifiable and I agree with the issues raised, but we will look into it and come up with a solution that will be mutually beneficial to all of us, the staff, the company and government itself. I

have appealed to the staff and they have agreed that we will reconvene here on Monday and listen to each other and also develop a road map and agree on what to do to rejuvenate the airline, being a premier company in this country,” he said.

He also observed that although AMCON took over the airline because of the toxic loans it owed banks, but noted that the decision of the government agency was not out of place as its mission was to sustain the airline.

people.

He said: "I believe very strongly that today, young people are included and no one has a choice in that matter.

Today, technology has created a level playing field; technology has made it possible for you to seat somewhere, in your office or living room to create wealth, to create connectivity, to create all manner of things across the world."

After meeting with Buhari, Zuckerberg attended a demonstration by leading Nigerian start-ups, tech executives, business and venture capitalists.

Among the 30 selected startups, three were finally selected and each will receive a N2million winning prize. The event was

supported by Airtel, Diamond Bank and a host of others.

Addressing the select start-ups, Zukerberg said it was inspiring to see what Nigerian youth have been able to do with technology.

He said: "This trip has really blown me away by the talents of young entrepreneurs and developers in this country, and making a difference and making a change.

"It reminds me of when I wanted to start Facebook. I wasn't starting a company at the time but wanted to build something to see if it would work. And that is what I see people here do, pushing through challenges, building things that you want to see in the world.

You are not just going to change Nigeria and the whole of Africa but the whole world," he added.

ZUCKERBERG: I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY TALENTS OF YOUTHS AT LAGOS CO-CREATION HUB with Nigerian youths, and inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs.

Buhari noted that the simplicity and magnanimity of the entrepreneur, who is among the world’s richest men, had also challenged the culture of lavish wealth display and impulsive spending that had become peculiar to Nigerians.

"In our culture, we are not used to seeing successful people appear like you. We are not used to seeing successful people jogging and sweating on the streets. We are more used to seeing successful people in air-conditioned places.

We are happy you are well-off and simple enough to always share,’’ he added.

Buhari said the various

meetings held with Nigerian youths since his arrival were most timely as the country was already exploring opportunities to spur development through entrepreneurship.

“Nigeria has always been identified as a country with great potential for growth, especially with our youthful population, but now we are moving beyond the potential to reality," the president said.

Also speaking, the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo thanked Zuckerberg for coming to Nigeria.

He said: "One of the great things you have demonstrated is that it is possible to live your dream; it is possible to make your dreams not just come true but come true so fabulously

that it will not only influence your environment but you will influence the whole world.

"One of the things you have done is really to create connectivity across the world so that people are really able to interact across tribe, race, countries and feel as part of one family and one faith."

Osinbajo said that Zuckerberg's coming to Nigeria had been especially energising not just for the young people but for everyone else.

"As you can see am on Facebook and the president is also on Facebook; so, we are part of the 17 million", he added.

The vice president said the country was being built on the energy and the innovation and on the creativity of the young

EMEFIELE AT NIPSS, VOWS TO DEPLOY MONETARY TOOLS TO RESTORE GROWTH China?" he queried.

He added: "It is in view of these facts that one of our fundamental quests at the CBN is to attain an inclusive growth by bolstering our productive capacity and ensuring that the Nigerian economy is indeed self-sufficient in every sense of the word. This entails well thought out bespoke policies. " I must confess that though we have been unjustly castigated, from various quarters for our work, we remain certain that the actions we have taken are indeed appropriate to set our economy on the path of development in the medium to long-term.

"When you have policies that people are praising, that means such policies are not really good, because the people praising the policies know that they can circumvent them. But if people criticise your policies, especially in Nigeria, such policies are good; the people criticise them because they know that they cannot circumvent them.

"We should remain resolutely committed to the course and be motivated by the achievability of our desire to strengthen the economic fundamentals.

“When we stop importing toothpicks, stop eating imported rice cultivated with chemical, stop eating chicken imported and preserved with formaldehyde, then our economy will begin to grow.

“20 years ago, we had textile, we had the groundnut pyramids, we had Cocoa and palm oil. We also used revenue from agriculture to build our economy. But after we found oil, we abandoned all that for easy money. Today, we are suffering the consequences. ” Emefiele noted that the CBN spends close to $2 billion (Two billion dollars) to remit school fees to foreign institutions yearly, querying why such huge money should not be used to develop institutions in the country to a world standard.

He also noted that some of the best doctors in other nations are Nigerians who were trained in Nigeria but had to go overseas to practice because of the poor health systems and policies in the country.

In summation, Emefiele said "we should never lose sight of

what is important. We should remain resolutely committed to the course and be motivated by the achievability of our desire to strengthen the economic fundamentals. Fittingly, to end my address I will lean on the sagacity of Abraham Lincoln portrayed in these words: “It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.” Hence, “neither let us be slandered from our duty… nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction… Let us have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.”

CBN Amends Foreign Exchange Manual In line with the CBN’s continued effort to encourage portfolio investments in Nigeria, resident Nigerian nationals and companies that bring in foreign currency through the banks and other authorised dealers are henceforth allowed to invest such funds in money market instruments, bonds and equities.

This is coming on the heels of a report yesterday by Moody's Investors Service that increasing liquidity pressures, rising inflation and stagnant growth are posing key challenges to Nigeria’s economy.

The CBN announced the amended foreign exchange manual in a circular entitled: "Re: Amendment of Memorandum 21 of the Foreign Exchange Manual," signed by its acting Director, Trade and Exchange Department, Mr. W.D. Gotring.

It was posted on its website yesterday.

It said: "A resident/nonresident Nigerian national and/ or entities and foreign national or entity may invest in Nigeria by way of purchase of money market instruments such as commercial papers, negotiable certificates of deposits, bankers acceptances, treasury bills, etc subject to the following documentation requirements: tested SWIFT message evidencing the remittance of funds; board resolution of the local beneficiary authorising the investment (in the case of a company); purpose of capital specified in the SWIFT message; and evidence of the incorporation where applicable.”

The circular also pointed out

that only funds that flowed through authorised dealers by residents, non-resident Nigerian nationals and companies specifically for investments shall be eligible.

"Consequently, balances on exports domiciliary and ordinary domiciliary accounts shall not be eligible for the investment," it added.

Moody's: Nigeria's Liquidity Pressure Rising Amid Growth, Inflation Challenges Meanwhile, Moody's Investors Service reported yesterday that increasing liquidity pressures, rising inflation and stagnant growth are posing key challenges to Nigeria.

Moody's, one of the leading global rating agencies stated this in the summary of a report, entitled "Government of Nigeria: FAQ on Credit Implications of Naira Depreciation, Low Oil Price and Broader Economic Challenges," posted on its website.

It however, pointed out that the report does not constitute a rating action.

Nigeria rated ‘B1 stable’ by Moody’s continues to face low oil prices, volatile oil production, a spike in inflation that has eroded purchasing power, foreign exchange scarcity and an economy that has entered technical recession.

Nigeria’s economy contracted by 2.06 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2016, compared with 2.4 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2015.

The deepening of Nigeria’s economic decline was largely due to the troubled oil and gas sector, which contracted by eight per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2016, as against the 6.8 per cent in the comparable period in 2015.

But Moody's projected stagnation in real GDP in 2016 and only subdued growth at 2.5 per cent in 2017 for the country.

"We expect that Nigeria will contain pressures on its public finances in the short term.

However, there is greater doubt about the severity of the impact of these challenges, particularly on government liquidity and economic growth, over the medium term,” VP-Senior, Credit Officer at Moody's, Aurelien Mali said.

Overall, Moody's viewed the recent devaluation of the naira

as credit positive, adding that the new foreign exchange system should enable the naira to better absorb external shocks over time, and dollar availability should gradually increase.

Moreover, the fiscal benefit of the depreciation and the current oil price (which is above the budgeted oil price) exceeds the loss in oil output, it added.

However, it stated that the currency depreciation implies a material loss in purchasing power given import-price inflation.

Moody's expects inflation to accelerate to 18 per cent by year end, before falling to an average of 12.5 per cent in 2017 (based on the recent two percentage point hike in the central bank's policy rate to 14%).

The rating agency expects that the depreciation will increase Nigeria's external debt marginally to 5.2 per cent of GDP by end2016 from 3.3 per cent in 2015.

“Moody's fiscal outlook for Nigeria's government's fiscal position has not materially changed since April. The rating agency expects it to remain in deficit at around 3.7% of GDP in 2016, after posting a 3.8% deficit in 2015.

“States and local governments will benefit from the naira depreciation, offsetting the negative impact on oil production from the recent attacks in the Niger Delta. Moody's expects authorities to reduce spending if revenues underperform.

“Attack on pipelines and key energy infrastructure in the Niger Delta have cut oil production to historic lows. If oil production stagnates at its current (or lower) level during the rest of the year, the expansionary spending envisioned by the current budget will be at risk, which would hurt growth.

“Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria has sent strong signals to the market that it will prioritise stemming inflation over promoting growth, as well as supporting the return of foreign capital.”

Nevertheless, the naira appreciated to N423 to the dollar on the parallel market yesterday, higher than the N425 to the dollar it closed the previous day. But on the interbank forex market, the spot rate of the naira closed at N314.77 to the dollar yesterday.

FUEL CRISIS LOOMS OVER NON-SUPPLY OF CRUDE TO OIL TRADERS, FOREX CHALLENGES

traders.

While the marketers alleged that the corporation has defaulted in the supply of crude oil to the foreign refineries, Baru dismissed this claim, revealing that NNPC currently accounts for 90 per cent of petrol imported into the country and has 1.3 billion litres of petrol in reserves “and is not about to let the country go through another crisis of scarcity”.

Following the controversy, which trailed the NNPC’s Offshore Processing Arrangement (OPA, the corporation had adopted the DSDP framework under which it provides crude to selected traders and refineries in return for petroleum products in full and extra margins, unlike the OPA. DSDP also eliminates all the cost elements of middlemen and gives NNPC the latitude to take control of sales and purchase of crude oil transaction with its partners.

But sources close to the marketers told THISDAY that the corporation had defaulted in the supply of crude oil to the foreign refineries, thus threatening the steady supply of petroleum products in the country.

According to them, lack of crude oil due to the attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta, has hampered the corporation’s ability to meet its contractual obligations under the DSDP. THISDAY gathered from the marketers that since the programme started, the NNPC had not been able to supply crude oil to the oil traders.

“The militants stopped almost all the onshore production and because of this, NNPC has no crude to supply to the traders.

The oil traders supplied petrol initially but stopped when the NNPC was not bringing crude.

The traders had to stop because they did not want a repeat of the 2008/2009 crisis when they were indebted to the tune of over $3 billion due to NNPC’s inability to meet obligations. Fresh crisis is looming,” one of the sources told THISDAY. THISDAY gathered that having lost over 70 per cent onshore and shallow water production to militant attacks, the NNPC can no longer access the 445,000 barrels per day allocation to the refineries, which is used to service the corporation’s DSDP agreement.

With the loss of production from the traditional terrains, the country’s oil revenue is currently derived solely from deep offshore production where the NNPC has Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) arrangement with some international oil companies (IOCs).

The deep offshore fields sustaining Nigeria’s crude oil production include: Shell’s 225,000 barrels per day capacity Bonga field; Chevron’s 250,000 barrels per day capacity Agbami field; Total’s 185,000 bpd Akpo and 180,000 bpd Usan deepwater fields; as well as ExxonMobil’s 190,000 barrels per day Erha field.

THISDAY also gathered that Total’s 200,000 bpd Egina deepwater field being developed at the cost of $16 billion will start production in 2017 after the $3.3 billion Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel arrives the country in March or April 2017.

However, some of the five producing fields have not attained their nameplate production capacity.

Baru however told THISDAY in a telephone chat yesterday that there was no looming scarcity.

On the issue of alleged nonsupply of crude to the traders, Baru said “at the moment, we have been giving them and I have also done a tender as a backup in case I have any issue.”

“So, there is no cause for alarm,” he added.

Also speaking on the foreign exchange challenges, Baru stated that NNPC has been assisting some of the marketers with proven financial capacity to pay for foreign exchange provided

by International Oil Companies (IOCs).

“The criteria is important because we could give some of them the foreign exchange, but they may not have the capacity to pay for it. We checked with their banks to confirm that they have the financial capacity because we don't want a situation where we give them the forex and its diverted or they can't pay for it. So we carry out a thorough evaluation. We have NNPC, Central Bank and also PPPRA representatives on the committee that evaluates them on the basis of capacity to perform.

“And once we are satisfied on that basis, we now give them forex. To say there is no forex, I don't think it is correct. At the moment as I am talking to you, I have over 1.3 billion litres and that is more than enough for this September. We have sufficient quantities and not in any scarcity.

And we also have direct sales, direct purchase where I give them crude oil and they bring in petrol for me or any product that I choose to bring in,” Baru explained.

But some marketers who faulted Baru’s claim, alleged that the challenges of accessing foreign exchange has also hampered their ability to import petrol, thus threatening product availability.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

SUPER SATURDAY Maureen Ihua

I Stopped Acting to Take Care of My Handsome Husband Maureen Ihua

Maureen Ihua. The image of a beautiful and brilliant woman is already formed in your head. Her gracious gait mesmerises you. As you pause to take a deep breath, her glittering, sexy eyeballs are fixated on you. You stop for a moment that seems like eternity – as your heart skips a beat. As she smiles at you, you groan like someone enraptured. With her gentle, soft touch on your shoulder, your knees grow weak and you close your eyes imagining being in her bosom. It’s either you’re in a dream or watching a Nollywood movie starring the magnificent Maureen Ihua, one of Nigeria’s pioneer actors. She started out with the likes of Liz Benson and Regina Askia. Blistering back in the movie industry with blockbuster films to her credit, Maureen tells Oge Ezeliora about her time off the silver screen, where her passion lies, her love for her children, just as she flaunts her handsome hubby – and dares young seductresses to “snatch her husband if they can”

I Was 18Years Old When I Got Married I Have Acted in MoreThan 100 Movies in Nigeria

Y

ou’re among pioneers of the movie industry in Nigeria.

Why did you choose acting as a career?

We started the industry and we are still in the industry.

My concentration was not the financial aspect; it was all about the fame. I have passion for acting; I keep rehearsing from time to time. Sometimes, I spent weeks – even months – on location just to shoot one movie. I was eager to learn more and it was fun. I started with Nollywood actresses like Liz Benson, Regina Askia, Ngozi Ezeonu, and Doris Young. I chose acting as a career because I am a good actress. Nobody forced me into it. I just found out that I am good. I can act very well with little or no supervision.

Today, we have many Nollywood actresses as good as you are in the industry and due to lack of funds, they act in all movies so that they will remain popular in the industry. Do you accept all scripts?

Never; I do not accept every script that comes my way. It depends on the storyline of the movie. I choose the movie I want to act in.

That is the reason why I am not in every movie.

There are some storylines that will ruin one’s career all in the name of money. I don’t need to accept such scripts because of the money that the producer will pay. It’s not the money

that matters; it is what will boost my career and reputation in and outside the industry. I know my worth. I am not in competition with anybody.

Do you see any change in the industry?

Nollywood is growing. I am happy because we are already in competition with Hollywood, Bollywood and Gollyhood. Today, I see Hollywood stars coming to Nigeria, collaborating with us to make movies. It gives me so much joy. We have improved in terms of equipment and movie ratings. But we still need government’s intervention in Nollywood. Many of our actresses are not professional. If you watch some of our movies on Africa Magic, you will wonder if some of these actresses are trained. Nollywood is not what it used to be then. We have a lot of upcoming actresses that are not talented but due to one thing or the other they are given movie roles and at the end of the day, the movie turns out to be of low standard. We have actresses and actors that are not professional; they are fortunate to find themselves in the industry – they just believe they can act. In terms of acting, I still believe Nollywood needs a training ground.

Most actors and actresses we have these days cannot be compared to the actors we had back then. During our days, we rehearsed and rehearsed until we were perfect for the movie.

You would see the passion in us. Sometimes

we could be on a movie location for up to one month shooting because the producer wanted the best from us.

These days the reverse is the case. Nobody goes for training before acting. Everybody is interested in the amount they will be paid.

When love and passion are introduced into a project, then nothing awaits you but success.

This is one thing I want upcoming actresses to know. I think it will still get back to what it used to be by God’s grace. With people like us in the industry, people will know that Nollywood still have professionals. The government also needs to intervene or support Nollywood because acting will generate a lot of money for the government. There is need for corporate bodies to support the industry.

Precisely when did you start acting?

I started when I was in school; when I was in secondary school – Mariam Girls Secondary School, Rivers State. I was in a drama group and we acted from time to time. Yes, I was young but I was a good actor. In fact, it has been my passion to act and that is what brought me to Nollywood. The first movie I did, I actually escorted a friend to an audition for a movie in Lagos – Ajao Estate, precisely.

Then, the producer saw me and offered me a script for another audition. I did very well at the audition and I was giving a role by merit.

I played a supportive lead in the movie. That was how I started; to date I have not stopped acting.

But you went off the screen at a time, what happened?

I was busy taking care of my family. In

addition, due to childbirth I kept going on and off the screen. I needed to take good care of my kids because I love children and I do not feel relaxed leaving my children in the hands of housemaids or nannies. Though my family members were there to care for my kids if I was working, I always want to be with them – take good care of them and also take good care of my handsome husband.

You talked about your husband being handsome. How handsome is he and are you not worried young ladies will seduce him?

He is very handsome. I am equally beautiful. I have natural ‘cat eyes’ that look as if I wear contact lens that everybody admires in me. I was born with that. I inherited the eye colour from my mother. For my husband, we have been married for many years. I got married when I was 18. I was very young and to date we are happily married. He loves me so much; he supports my career in every way and he is a loving husband. No young lady can seduce him and lure him away from me.

What is the name of the movie that brought you limelight?

‘Naughty Jeff’ is the name of the movie and I was the mother of Naughty Jeff then.

How many movies have you acted in?

They are countless. They are over 100.

What movie do you hold so dear?

Hmmm… It’s the movie ‘Royal banquet’ which I did last year and ‘Evil-doers.’ ‘Evil-doers’ was a little bit challenging and interesting.

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SUPER SATURDAY I Couldn’t Leave My Children in the Hands of Any Nanny...

Ihua I love that movie so much because the storyline actually fits the profile of some family I know.

So when I was given the script and I read it, I was so excited to act in the movie because I know of a particular family that something like that actually happened to. I really took interest in the movie; I gave it my best and the movie spread like naked flame. It sold massively; everybody was rushing to watch the movie because of its storyline and how terrific the movie was. It was a great movie.

Since you started acting movies, have you ever been embarrassed by a fan?

Yes; the period I finished shooting the movie ‘Evil Doers.’ You know some Nigerians’ mentality; they feel when you act, you are like that.

They do not know it is make-believe. I went to the market one day and some children saw me and they were scared and started running. You know the movie had voodoo scenes – so much diabolic and scary scenes that astound viewers; that explained why the kids were scared of me.

They started running away while some people asked me to show them my evil hands – in the movie, I would stretch out my fingers glittering with smokes to kill people. I started explaining to them I am not like that. So, I felt really embarrassed.

How did you feel the first time you faced the camera?

I have always been into showbiz; I was not shocked and ashamed. I was very bold. Based on the fact that I was a model before I went into movies, I was used to facing the camera. Not everything was new to me the first time I faced the camera for a movie production. I concentrated on what my director asked me to do. At the end of the day, the movie was a success and I acted so well.

So which of your movies did you find very challenging?

They are uncountable; ‘Women World’ was very tough for me because I was on location for almost three weeks. It is one of the most stressful productions I have done. The movie was so stressful that I was so weak after shooting it. It was fun and tough. When you are doing what you have passion for, the stress does not really count. I believe because the movie was focused on women and all tricks women play on men I gave my best. That was part of the reasons we stayed long on location for the production of

the movie.

You talked about being a model; can you name some of the endorsement deals and companies you modelled for?

I worked for so companies. I modelled for the company that manufactured ‘Breeze Soap’ then, and I was the face on Breeze soap. The advert was everywhere because ‘Breeze’ was a popular soap then. I also modelled for the company that produced Santex Paint. I was on their calendar and everybody was calling me Santex Paint girl and the advert was on billboards, television and everywhere. I was also the face of Abuja, when Abuja was made the Federal Capital Territory. I did many billboard adverts and TV commercials for many companies. I have lost count of some of the companies I worked for as a model.

What has acting done for you?

I thank God for what I am today because acting has given me fame. It opens doors to many of us. There are places you will not be allowed to go into but because you are an actress you will be permitted. Today, there is no place I cannot enter because I am a known face in the country. Acting has really opened doors for me. It has given me connection and fame – to God be the glory. It has brought so much good into my life. It has made a lot of difficult things easy for me. It also provides me an opportunity to meet a lot people. Generally, acting has elevated me.

What are some of your achievements?

I have achieved a whole lot. I am who I am today because I am in the movie industry.

Tell us about your family life.

I am married to a wonderful husband with five children. I have a daughter and four boys and they are all doing great.

How do you cope with your career and five children?

I love children. I wanted five kids or even more but we decided to stop at five. I thank God for my husband. He is very understanding. He wants the best for me. My sisters and other family members are there to assist. They know I am an actress so my children are well cared for. When I am working, they know mummy is on location. Then, when I am not working, I give them my best; the maximum

Yes;theperiodIfinished shootingthemovie‘EvilDoers.’

YouknowsomeNigerians’ mentality;theyfeelwhenyou act,youarelikethat.Theydo notknowitismake-believe. I wenttothemarketoneday andsomechildrensawmeand theywerescaredandstarted running.Youknowthemovie hadvoodooscenes–somuch diabolicandscaryscenesthat astoundviewers;thatexplained whythekidswerescaredof me.Theystartedrunningaway whilesomepeopleaskedme toshowthemmyevilhands –inthemovie,Iwouldstretch outmyfingersglittering withsmokestokillpeople.I startedexplainingtothemI amnotlikethat.So,Ifeltreally embarrassed attention and affection they need. I make up for the time I am not there for them. Everything is balanced.

How do your children react when they watch your movies?

They are happy watching me on screen but

when they were young, I didn’t allow them to watch Nigerian movies because they were still very young. But now that they are mature, I allow them to watch my films and when they see an actor physically close to me in a movie, they will scream, ‘Don’t touch our mummy.’ I will explain to them that it is only acting.

How was growing up like?

I grow up in a military home. My father (now late) was a police officer; we didn’t have the freedom to go out as we would love to. He was very strict and being the first child of the family, I had little or no liberty. I was well-trained and I carried my younger ones along. We were six girls; later my mum had two boys. My parents were particularly strict with me. But when I grew up and started having children, I realised all that my parents taught me and was happy the way I was brought up though it was a bit tough.

How did you convince them about going into acting?

My parents knew in school I loved showbiz and I am a very good actress. They encouraged me and I made them proud. My mum was proud of me. Anytime she went out she would tell people, ‘I am the mother of Maureen you watch on TV.’ The first day, I told my parents I wanted to go into acting, they accepted me. I had parents who were very understanding. Too bad, they are late now. I miss them so much, may their soul rest in peace.

Which one of them do you hold so close?

(Laughs…) My mummy; my mum was a wonderful woman and very peaceful.

She took good care of us. You can imagine a woman taking care of six girls. You know what it takes to control girls. She gave us the best training any mother could give her children. We never lacked anything. I missed her so much. I also lost one of my sisters (to death) due to an illness. My sister’s death was a shock to me. It was painful and it really affected me even in my career. I was unable to act for a while I refused many jobs just to mourn my sister because we were so close. She was my favourite sibling. I thank God that I have moved on but I will never forget her.

Young Ladies Can’t Seduce or Lure My Husband Away from Me

10

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

NEWS

News Editor Ahamefula Ogbu 08116759810 (sms only) Email ahamefula.ogbu@thisdaylive.com

Monarch, Ogoriba Want Buhari to Withdraw Military from Niger Delta Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja and Sylvester Idowu inWarri Paramount ruler of Siembiri Kingdom in Delta State, HRM Pere Charles Ayemi-Botu, has appealed to President Mohammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency, withdraw the military from the Niger Delta region.

Also, a major stakeholder and leader of the beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme, Timi Ogoriba has cautioned against military offensive in the region in the face of a ceasefire by the Niger Delta Avengers.

According to the Ijaw monarch, attacking the region with military might at this moment when the militants had announced ceasefire would be counter-productive.

The Pere of Siembiri kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State in a statement, likened the action of the Federal Government to “shooting oneself on the foot or throwing away the baby with the bath water.”

He said, “Sequel to the acceptance of Cease Fire, courtesy of Monarchs and the Leaders of the Niger Delta, 10 days ago by the Niger Delta Avengers and other Militant groups, one would have expected President Buhari to announce his dialogue team as he did in early June, 2016 when he declared two weeks ceasefire, preceding his medical trip to the UK.” The Ijaw monarch wondered why President Buhari, instead of announcing his dialogue team, ordered the mobilisation of troops to the Niger Delta Region under the pretext of military exercise, code named ” Operation Crocodile Smile.”

He stressed that by this action, he was thus sending negative signals to all Nigerians, the International Community and the whole World that the stage was now set to crush the militants at a time they had accepted cease fire.

“We have been making frantic and passionate appeals in conjunction with the United States Consul General, Mr. John Braye, calling

on both the Federal Government and the Militants to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue in order to proffer lasting solutions to the Niger Delta quagmire.

“Both the United States and the European Union have expressed their determination to partner with the Federal Government in this onerous task now that the situation has availed itself.

“I implore President Buhari to withdraw the troops he has deployed to the region and follow the path of honour to set the machinery in motion without further delay to commence the dialogue so as to achieve the desired peaceful resolution.

“Wise counselling suffices but if unheeded and the military authorities go ahead to unleash their arsenal on the goose that lays the golden egg and all the strategic and volatile oil installations are affected, invariably the resultant conflagration will certainly overwhelm the entire region nay Nigeria will be comatose economically. It is like throwing the baby with bath water or shooting himself on the foot!

“Nigerians have been bracing up with the Boko Haram insurgency for the past five years, with its dreaded affiliates , ISIS, AL QUEDA, El – Shabab, Islamic Al Maghreb, suffice to say that it is not yet uhuru and to further compound the crisisprone nature we find ourselves is the senseless and barbaric killings, raping and wanton destruction of farms perpetrated by the Fulani Herdsmen throughout the country; should be a bane of concern that ought to be abated before it engulfs the entire country.

“Finally, it’s pertinent to remind ourselves again that in 2005, the American Diplomat to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell bemusingly and ill-fatedly predicted that Nigeria was going to break in 2015 and in the same vein in 2010 , it was late Libyan strong man Col. Muhammad Ghaddafi who opined that Nigeria was too big to remain as one country and should be split into four states i.e Arewa Republic, Oduduwa Republic, Biafra Republic and Ijaw Republic and

RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE...

L-R; Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo; Dr Emmanuel Okena; Miss Damilola Olokesus; President Muhammadu Buhari,and Mr Alison Ukonu, during an audience with Winner of boot Camp on ICT Solution Tagged "Aso Villa Demo Day" (AVDD) at the State House in Abuja.

PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE. the then Senate President, Senator David Mark described him as a mad man.

“Nonetheless all these are not prophets of doom but it portends negative signals and our rulers should see the handwriting on the wall, due to the complex and volatile nature of our country that could spark off anytime if not carefully handled.

“I presume former President Jonathan knew and took cognisance of 2015 and never wanted any division in his tenure hence he quickly avoided it by raising the olive branch and I hope Buhari too would follow suit by listening to the voice of wisdom and wise counselling by reputable Nigerians in order not to be hijacked,” the Ijaw monarch stated further.

Briefing journalists after a

meeting with leaders of various beneficiaries of the amnesty programme for ex-agitators, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen Paul Boroh (rtd) said a multi-pronged approach was being adopted where all stakeholders are involved in the resolution of the crisis.

The arrangement, he said, was to involve everybody because of the need to have adequate information in resolving the crisis. Boroh said yesterday’s meeting with leaders of the beneficiaries of the Amnesty Programme was at his instance, adding that it was routine.

“We want to focus on issues that have to do with the programme

and the region, with emphasis on the upsurge of militancy in the region, emergence of new groups, the effect of their activities on the region.

These are competing issues.

“Fundamentally, the Amnesty Programme is in the real integration phase. Attention is now given to the need to reintegrate the ex-agitators.

Amnesty has ended and we are in the reintegration phase.

Nobody exited the programme before I took over, professionally, I came up with a strategy of exit for them,” Boroh said.

In an interview with journalists, a Niger Delta and leader of the delegation for the meeting, Timi Ogoriba, said the visit was necessitated by the recent happenings in the Niger Delta.

He added that there was also

the need to show solidarity with Boroh “because he has been doing marvelously well.” Ogoriba said 30,000 people were captured in the programme, with 17,000 already trained, while the remaining will be trained in due course.

“We have to make sure that within the resources available, we train everybody. It is a routine thing that we regularly have to be meeting, because we have field workers and have to find out what is happening in the field and then come back to tell him what we found out.

“I see an end to the militancy in the Niger Delta. Definitely, there is nothing that starts that does not end. Right now, there is a ceasefire because of the interfacing by some of us with the people", he said.

First Bank Denies Forgery Sokoto Withdraws Students Allegation against Officers from Foreign Universities ObinnaChima

First Bank Nigeria Limited has described as false and mischief, the news making the rounds on the allegation of forgery against its officers by the promoters of Zone 4 Energy Limited.

It explained in a statement that Zone 4 Energy Limited maintained a business relationship with FirstBank and had been availed of import finance petroleum lifting facility following their request to support local purchase and importation of refined petroleum products, as well as the acquisition and renovation of a tank farm.

The facilities were secured with a perfected All Asset Debenture over the financed

tank farm located in Calabar free trade zone.

“The bank also in the course of its business relationship with Zone 4 Energy also availed facilities to three other customers; Reeico Nigeria Limited, Broadwaters Resources Ltd and Calder Crest Nigeria Ltd the proceeds of which were) transferred to Zone 4 Energy Limited accounts in compliance with transfer instructions from Reeico Nigeria Limited, Broadwaters Resources Ltd and Calder Crest Nigeria Ltd. “After the disbursement of funds and passage of time and the failure of Zone 4 Energy to meet its obligations to the customers and FirstBank, the bank had at various times

engaged with the management of Zone 4 Energy Ltd and got an undertaking to repay the debts owed the bank. “However, after protracted engagements and the company’s failure to honour the term of its undertaking, the bank activated a recovery process with the appointment of a receiver manager and instituted a receivership process to take over the financed tank farm,” it explained.

The bank insisted that the allegation of a purported forgery against it and its officers was a desperate attempt by “the management of Zone 4 Energy to scuttle the recovery process with spurious allegations by playing to the public gallery.”

Sokoto state government has given approval for the transfer back home of 39 of its citizens currently in various schools in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

In today's exchange rate, the move will enable the government save over N500m from the policy.

The government said this signals change of priorities in the payment of scholarship to study abroad.

"The transfer/relocation of the students was necessitated by the need to conserve funds and apply same to more critical areas in the education sector," the state Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, said this Friday in Sokoto when he received the report of the committee instituted to advise government on the issue.

He added that admissions had been secured for all the students in Nigerian schools, while arrangements had been made to ensure that none of them missed a grade level upon their return home.

"As at the time we sent the children to Dubai to study last year, the state government was spending over N400 million per annum to maintain them there.

The last administration had good intentions when it sent them to Dubai to further their studies, but the current financial situation of the state can no longer allow us to continue with this burden.

"We explained to the parents and guardians of the students that as at today, Sokoto State government spends over N500 million to maintain 17,000 of its

citizens on scholarship in various schools in Nigeria. So having to pay N400 million for 38 students in Dubai was weighing heavily on the scarce resources of the state.

"We thank them for their understanding," the Governor added.

Earlier in his remarks, Chairman of the Transfer/Relocation committee of the students, Deputy Governor Ahmad Aliyu, said government decided to bring them home due to the high cost of maintaining them in the UAE. He said government had ensured that admissions were secured for them in local universities and all is set for them to resume their academic programmes without delay.

11

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

RingTrue

07013940521 yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

Yemi

Adebowale

Buhari Condemned to Bringing Back Chibok Girls

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here are so many harrowing stories around the parents of the 218 yet-to-be rescued schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect in Chibok in 2014. While many have died, waiting for their loved ones to return, others are mere living corpses. The story of Reverend Enoch Mark, whose two daughters were among the abducted girls, is also heart-wrenching.

He suffered a debilitating stroke while worrying about his daughters’ whereabouts.

Mark was among the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners who have now been stopped thrice by a combined team of policemen and Department of State Security men from seeing President Muhammadu Buhari in Aso Rock over their abducted daughters.

Why are they stopping them from seeing our president? When did it become an offence to demand to see the president in a democracy? So, the party is over with the BBOG campaigners? Or, are they saying that their faces are now homely to Buhari?

A frustrated Reverend Mark remarked: “For two months now, I have not been able to sleep; I had stroke while thinking about my two daughters. General Buhari, had your daughters been among these girls, how will you feel? How will you feel with your daughter in enemies’ hands? You are responsible for the rescue of these girls. You are responsible for my daughters’ safety.

You did not empathise with the Chibok parents when we visited you at the Presidential Villa in January. You intimidated us; you said you were frustrated, you were not happy with us. Are we not Nigerians?

If Buhari feels he does not know the girls’ location, let him step down and hand over to someone else.”

Reverend Mark’s remark is a reflection of what most Nigerians think about this administration’s failure to rescue the Chibok girls as promised. It is even more painful that we are not seeing any tangible measure that will lead to the rescue of the schoolgirls. The then opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, politicised the abduction and used it as a key election issue, which gave the party a big edge

It is very sad to note that 15 months after assuming office, this administration still lacks credible intelligence on the whereabouts of the Chibok girls. There is obviously, no focused, coherent and consistent operation to rescue the girls. Nigerians are tired of being told stories. They want results. I also wonder if there is even any political will to rescue the girls. What we have now is government agents and officials yelling at the devastated parents and campaigners. Suddenly, the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners are now saboteurs to be pummelled during the 2015 Presidential election.

Suddenly, Buhari seems to have forgotten that one of his key election promises was to rescue these hapless girls. Our president has suddenly forgotten that many voted for him because they felt he was capable of bringing the Chibok debacle to an end.

Many thought that Buhari’s Presidency would bring smiles to the faces of devastated Chibok parents. A promise is a debt that must be paid. It is very sad to note that 15 months after assuming office, this administration still lacks credible intelligence on the whereabouts of the Chibok girls. There is obviously, no focused,

A Case for Our Gallant Soldiers The recent call by the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners for an investigation into the handling of salaries and emoluments of troops fighting Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east should be taken seriously by the authorities concerned. Complaints about their poor feeding and allowances are mounting daily. This is unacceptable.

Global standards on welfare must be

maintained when it comes to front-line troops. The courage and gallantry of our soldiers fighting on the frontline, including the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Civilian JTF, amid challenges, is legendary. They have remained resilient in the face of challenges. The military authorities must ensure that their welfare remains a priority. May Allah continue to protect our gallant soldiers.

My Takeaway on Cardinal Okogie’s Homily I have spent days reading, over and over again, the recent homily by the Emeritus Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie on the state of the nation. I hope President Muhammadu Buhari and his aides have also spent quality time reading the homily.

Okogie wants Buhari to do something fast to address obvious hunger across the country: “Today, cries of hunger could be heard across the length and breadth of our vast country. Nigerians hunger, not only for food, but also for good leadership, for peace, security and justice. This letter is to appeal to you to do something fast, and, if you are already doing something, to redouble your effort. May it not be written on the pages of history that Nigerians die of

starvation under your watch. As President, you are the chief servant of the nation. I therefore urge you to live up to the huge expectation of millions of Nigerians. A stitch in time saves nine.

“Nigerians are waiting for you to fulfill the promises you made during the campaign.

They voted you into office because of those promises. Mr. President, if you want to leave a credible legacy come 2019, in all sincerity, please retool your administration.”

For me, the area Okogie urged Buhari to take a critical look at his cabinet, policies and programmes of his administration, is pertinent. Buhari’s cabinet, as presently constituted, cannot deliver the desired “change.” Our president also needs to critically examine his warped actions and inactions. Things have just got to change.

coherent and consistent operation to rescue the girls. Nigerians are tired of being told stories. They want results. I also wonder if there is even any political will to rescue the girls. What we have now is government agents and officials yelling at the devastated parents and campaigners. Suddenly, the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners are now saboteurs to be pummelled. The remarks of government officials on the Chibok debacle have been depressing. Nigerians are tired of being told that the government had not given up on the Chibok girls when there is no progress report. We are tired of being told that Buhari’s heart is with the girls and their parents, when nothing concrete is being done in this direction.

We are tired of being told that efforts are ongoing to find the abducted girls when there is nothing to support this. This government is not even communicating effectively with the troubled parents.

Again, government and its agents must put a stop to consistent maneuvering to destabilise the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners. Suddenly, factions of the parents are emerging, no thanks to manipulations by these unseen hands.

Pressure is coming from somewhere, for Chibok parents to dump Obi Ezekwesili and her BringBackOurGirls campaign-

ers. Everything is being done to humiliate these patriots. This is a disheartening dimension to the campaign. Ezekwesili and her co-campaigners have every reason to seethe.

They have every reason to be very aggressive.

They have every reason to intensify pressure on the Buhari administration. We must all encourage them.

This morning, I urge our dear president to reflect deeply on the last statement of an exasperated Reverend Mark who said: “Now, the parents are asking you, Mr. President, to meet the insurgents and make a decision.

Either use the military force or go for negotiation; some countries are ready to give you a helping hand. What are you waiting for? Are you not interested in bringing back our girls?

We have intelligence agencies in Nigeria; there is nothing in this country that they don’t know. Why didn’t you give them orders to bring back our girls? Are you not a General?

You know what is happening and you know where our daughters are. Buhari, if you feel that you are incapable of rescuing the girls, step down now and give it (power) to someone else. We have many intelligent persons in the country who can handle this situation.

You cannot tell us that you don’t know where the girls are.”

Mr. President, please, no more stories. You are condemned to bring back our girls.

The Terrifying Unemployment Brought By ‘Change’ I was not surprised that the total freshly-unemployed persons in Nigeria since President Buhari assumed office on May 2015 has come to 4,580,602. This is an unenviable record. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, the total number of Nigerians who became unemployed within the first and second quarter of 2016 was 2.6 million. About 1.46 million Nigerians became unemployed in the third quarter of 2015, while another 518,102 became unemployed in the fourth quarter of 2015. This brings the total freshly-unemployed persons in the economy to a record high of 4,580,602. In its second quarter unemployment and underemployment report released on Wednesday, NBS said further that the country’s unemployment rate grew from 12.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 to a record high of 13.3 per cent in the second. Underemployment in the economy was also on the rise, with 15.4 million Nigerians said to be underemployed.

These are frightening figures which account for why crime rate is on the rise across our nation.

The handwriting was all over, but this administration failed to take pragmatic action. The real sector that provides jobs has been gasping for breath in the last 15 months.

The manufacturing sector in our dear nation has never had it so bad in our entire 55 years of nationhood. According to the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN, under just one year, at least 222 small-scale businesses have closed shops. About 272 medium and large-scale firms had been forced out of business, 50 of which were manufacturing companies, all leading to 180,000 job losses.

Sliding Naira, scarcity of forex, warped economic policies, multiple taxation, high interest rates, epileptic power supply, policy inconsistency, slapdash implementation of the Treasury Single Account, TSA, and the foreign exchange restriction placed on 41 items by the Buhari administration have combined to complicate the woes of Nigerian manufacturers.

The Buhari administration must constructively engage stakeholders like MAN, the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and the National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Mines and Agriculture to effectively manage our raging economic crisis. For example, 16 of the items on the list denied access to interbank forex by this administration serve as critical raw

Ngige, Labour Minister

materials for intermediate goods produced in Nigeria. A good example here is glass and glassware. For now, this country lacks the capacity for optimal production of this item and several other raw materials. Unfortunately, all efforts by MAN to have this policy reversed have proved abortive. The result? Firms affected, directly and indirectly, have closed shops and sacked thousands of workers.

Also, since the assumption of office by Buhari, manufacturers have been begging for the reintroduction of the Export Expansion Grant (EEG), which gave manufacturing a big boost under the Jonathan administration. Recipients of the export grant held an instrument called Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate (NDCC), used in the payment of import and excise duties. The suspension of this scheme is negatively affecting manufacturers. Also, outstanding Negotiable Duty Credit Certificates are no longer honoured by government agencies. The EEG must return immediately to save our economy. Buhari needs men and women capable of thinking out of the box to fix our economy. To achieve this, he needs to urgently refit his cabinet.

What he has now is largely a legion of sycophants and a bunch of clowns. Also, the federal government must redirect its policies towards stimulating the economy rather than tightening money supply.

The Buhari administration must be pragmatic as it struggles with self-inflicted economic crisis.

12

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

COMMENTARY

CLINICAL PHARMACY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The new trend in pharmacy practise speaks to the emphasis that the SDGs place on people, their health and general wellbeing, writes Fola Tayo

T

he year 2000 was exciting in contemporary history. It was that year during which many felt a certain sense of accomplishment in witnessing a transition not from one decade or century to another, but indeed from one millennium to another. Transition into Y2K, as that year had come to be referred, was hallmarked by fears of a possible global crash of computer systems, a fear that turned out, to the relief of the world, to be without basis.

Instructively, the new magical year of 2000 also witnessed the coming together of some 189 countries across the world to assess the present and make projections for a better future for mankind. The excitement of the new millennium notwithstanding, the outlook of the world at the time was not pretty. The world was plagued with natural disasters such as famines and drought and other problems such as poverty and disease. Whilst some of the problems were of course, inevitable, it was clear that their impact could be less devastating on humankind. The world had the capacity to produce enough food to ensure that no one was left hungry, but somehow, severe hunger pervaded much of the world.

It was the search for a reversal of these fortunes that led leaders of these 189 countries to conceive and collectively adopt a set of eight goals that they believed if pursued aggressively on a global scale, would among others, help considerably rid the world of hunger and poverty by 2015.

Those goals came to be known as the Millennium Development Goals.

The MDGs may not have met their ambitious targets by 2015. They were however very successful in redressing to a considerable extent, the problems they sought to combat.

There were reports that the MDGs may have succeeded in reducing extreme poverty by up to half. MDGs also succeeded in impacting global awareness on the essence of enrolling children in schools and globally by 2015, more children were in school than at any previous period in history, while infant and child mortality had also reduced considerably.

The successes of the MDGs, though rather far from the ambitious targets set at the beginning of the millennium, have spurred the world to adopt a new set of goals that build on these accomplishments. Known as the Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) this new set of goals aims to, among others, end hunger and poverty by 2030. Like the MDGs, the SDGs, build on the premise that by working together on a pre-agreed mission, the world stands a better chance of meeting the aspirations of its citizens for peace, prosperity and progress.

Most pivotal among the SDGs is good health and the promotion of wellbeing for all and at all ages.

It would appear that by some fortuitous coincidence of sorts, Pharmacy, that profession whose role has traditionally been to manufacture and provide medicines, has sequel to an evolution in scope over the years, attuned itself to keying more seamlessly into the SDGs. Over the last six decades for instance, the focus of pharmacy practice has gradually shifted. Whereas the focus used to be on the medicines that pharmacists manufacture and distribute, today, the focus has shifted to the patient, the clinical equivalent of what other professions refer to as customer or client. The profession would appear to have adopted the counsel of famed Harvard marketing professor, Theodore Levitt, who in his iconic 1960 article, “Marketing Myopia,” canvassed that an industry (replace that with

THE NEW TREND IN PHARMACY EMPHASISES COLLABORATION AND CO-OPERATION AMONG HEALTH PRACTITIONERS. AT COUNTER-POINTS TO THE OLD PRACTICE THAT RESTRICTED THE PHARMACIST TO HIS LABORATORY WHERE HE WORKED IN VIRTUAL ISOLATION, HE IS NOW IN A BETTER POSITION TO CONTRIBUTE HIS KNOWLEDGE OF MEDICINES TO THE CLINICAL TEAMS WHILE ALSO BENEFITTING FROM A BETTER AND MORE ROUNDED KNOWLEDGE OF DISEASES AND THEIR MANIFESTATIONS FROM HIS DOCTOR COLLEAGUES

profession) “is a customer-satisfying process, not a goodsproducing process.” An industry, Levitt said, “begins with the customer (patient in this case) and his or her needs, not with a patent, a raw material, or a selling skill.”

Today, across most of the world, especially in developed economies, the patient has become the focal point of pharmaceutical practice. Increasingly, the pharmacist is taking direct responsibility for ensuring that only those medicines that are most appropriate for a particular condition; that are optimally cost-effective as well as safe and convenient for the patient, are taken. The new shift in focus, therefore, implies that rather than work largely in isolation of other clinical health care practitioners like his doctor and nurse counterparts, pharmacists now play a key role in clinical settings, helping to ensure that patients only take medicines that are best suited to their situations.

The new trend in pharmacy practise speaks to the emphasis that the SDGs place on people, their health and general wellbeing. The new trend in pharmacy also speaks to the emphasis that the SDGs place on responsible consumption and production. It acknowledges that because medicines are essentially poisons with a potential to wreak untold harm and havoc on people and subject them to inconvenience and even further pauperise people if the most affordable or cost-effective options are not painstakingly selected, it is critical that in the war against diseases, pharmacists must increasingly play the critical role of intercessor for the patient. Very importantly, the new trend is very much in line with the SDGs which emphasise partnerships and collaboration towards the attainment of the goals.

The new trend in pharmacy emphasises collaboration and co-operation among health practitioners. At counterpoints to the old practice that restricted the pharmacist to his laboratory where he worked in virtual isolation, he is now in a better position to contribute his knowledge of medicines to the clinical teams while also benefitting from a better and more rounded knowledge of diseases and their manifestations from his doctor colleagues. Ultimately, much of the knowledge which may have resided idly in his brain in the past is now regularly tested, refreshed and renewed, all for the benefit of the health and wellbeing of the patient.

It can be argued that the emerging trend of patientfocused or clinical pharmacy will be increasingly pivotal at driving the global effort towards research and development towards new and better medicines for the various diseases that afflict mankind. We can safely posit that enriched knowledge garnered from partnerships whether in clinical teams or research teams can only further amplify progress in the search for solutions to that great enemy of mankind, disease The SDGs are, like the MDGs before them, considerably wide-ranging and ambitious. The 17 goals include ending poverty and hunger, delivering good health and wellbeing, providing quality education, achieving gender equality, providing clean water and sanitation as well as affordable and clean energy for the world’s peoples. They also include provision of decent work and driving sustained and inclusive economic growth, building resilient infrastructure as well as promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation as well as reduced inequalities within and among countries.

Professor Tayo is General Secretary of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy

THE FIRST GOOD MAN

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he late elder Benjamin Nworah Momife was my Dad and the first good man I ever knew and loved. He lived his life without fear or resentment. He was very proud of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and handled every persecution that came his way with the help of the Holy Spirit. He loved Christ even till death.

My Dad believed that heavenly matters came first before the affairs of this world.

As he would say, “Omenenubu Omenaniuzo”, which implies that our ways of life and decisions must have basis in the word of God and not about laws of men. And he was right until he had his last breath on July 7 this year at age 80.

I was my “daddy’s little girl”, and I loved it. Even when I might not have entered the world through his body, I had no doubt that I entered the world through his heart. The bond we shared was unlike any other connection and I loved him to bits. My Dad was the best and as far as I am concerned, he deserved nothing but the

Precious Emechebe pays tribute to a loving Dad, Benjamin Momife best. Dad, I love you for an infinite number of reasons, but most of all for the wonderful legacy you left for us in Christ Jesus.

Of course that is the best gift every father should offer his or her child. You were a man of integrity, soft spoken, powerful listener, peacemaker and a devoted father.

Thank you for years you spent with me and my family. We enjoyed every bit of your stay. I won’t forget the love you shared with my kids and the little Igbo language you taught them. I won’t forget the days you shared in the kitchen with me while cooking. You will always say, “nne jisike” as you remained grateful for the care we gave you. Now, memories are coming back: the drama the kids always put up for you to watch, the instruments they played for you, etc. You watched everything with smile. You blessed us a number of times. You were a very loving Daddy. The children and I will miss your hugs and smile.

Thank you for the several years of uncommon sacrifice. You remained faithful to your master even after our mother’s

death 20 years ago. You said consistently that you remained a widower because you wouldn’t want anybody to come in between you and us, your children. You chose Christ and married Him. You were a superdad and I love you even more. Now I believe men can actually love women faithfully and unconditionally, and for a lifetime.

Thank you for constantly showering me with heartfelt love. Thank you for the school runs when I was growing up and the discipline especially as regards, planning. A good planner is never taken unawares you always said. Thank you for laying the foundation of Christ for us.

Thank you for standing in the gap for me.

The blessing and promotion your stay in my house brought my way is unimaginable. I was blessed back to back while you were staying with my family.

Thank you for loving and accepting my husband. Thank you for loving my kids, your grandchildren especially Golibenachi (you called her fine girl) and she enjoyed you the most. She is expecting you back

from Heaven though! And thank you for the prophetic names you gave my kids. I can see it manifesting in their lives daily.

Thank you for always making me feel like I am good enough.

My kids didn’t want to hear you died, so they were told an aeroplane moved you to heaven and that you will return soon. It is quite evident they are missing you. But then, we all miss you and the room chat and fellowship time we had with you. I had been told that daddies are sweet and they are sweeter as they get older. Now, I know it is true. I enjoyed every bit of my dad especially at his older age. But then, my daddy eventually had to go the way of all flesh.

I can just picture dad singing his favourite song, “A ga m eburualeluyaeburu, para aleluya apara, buru aleluya, para aleluya, paagaraya Chineke…iheahu O mere m, Onu m apughiIko” as he rests in the Lord Jesus Christ, watching over us from Heaven.

Goodnight daddy.

Mrs Emechebe wrote from Lagos

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

INSIGHT

A glimpse of the Solar Eclipse...

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Climate Change Lessons from Oghara

ast year November-December 2015, nearly 200 countries converged in Paris France to ratify the Climate Change deal which the Conference of Parties (COP) had negotiated in April of that same year. That convergence was not new nor was it anything novel. Every year, the COP meets, at the instance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC) to discuss issues relating to the mitigation of climate change.

Most of the time when these discussions take place, the issues are not confined to climate change. There are interconnected and bye-issues as well like flooding, desert encroachment and deforestation. I have read the Paris Agreement. Relevant parts include articles two subsections (a) and (b), together with Article eight subsection one. Excerpts from article two say that signatories must do all within their powers to recognise the importance of averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change.

But Nigeria is seemingly uninterested in these meetings. Whether or not Nigeria attended the Paris Climate Change Summit I cannot vouchsafe. But I can tell that Nigeria did not sign the Paris Treaty. The argument from developing countries like Nigeria is that the developed world is responsible for the climate change problem. Via the industrial revolution, countries from the North emitted carbon injurious to ice glaciers. The implication of this appears unclear to everyone: coastal cities and towns all over the world like Ughelli, Lokoja, Warri, Uzere, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Eket, Oron, Uyo and Sapele are at greatest risk and usually hit every year from flooding. We all saw what happened in 2012, where floods sacked entire towns. Irregular occurrences like this also build up heat waves that diminish the ozone layer, produce conditions which result in desert encroachment.

This is why nations like South Africa have stopped playing the blame game with countries of the North. In another league with nations like China, Brazil, India and Russia, South Africa is forming formidable alliances to diplomatically negotiate reduction of carbon emissions with the greatest polluters – China and the United States. But it seems that

that assessment has been made, and if there is a tiny-weeny suggestion that the uprooting of those trees would significantly mess up the ecosystem, plans are immediately put in place to plant other trees even while building the school. Most of us do not know as yet, that the oxygen we take in is from trees, and the dangerous carbon we emit is usually mopped up by the trees. That is what we often fail to consider when we seek to ‘develop’. Our development is hardly planned and hardly sustainable. Let me give you a good example.

In July 2016, residents of Oghara town in Ethiope West local government took to the streets and the Benin-Warri expressway. Their grouse was that the Nigerian Navy had illegally annexed and forcefully taken over their land for the construction of a Naval Base apart from the Logistics Command situated in Oghara. Now, this land is no ordinary land.

While investigating the allegations made against the Navy, I took a walk into that vast land. One, it is an ancestral land holding the

Nigeria is not ready to join this league. Even though she is not the only country which did not sign the Paris Climate change treaty, her temperament is easy to decipher thus: first, we still flare our gas. We have been doing so since the 1950s, and therefore contributing to messing up of the ozone as much as the countries of the North. Data out there say that the reason we still flare our gas is that the technology is not there, and rather than develop it, we collect a paltry sum from the multinationals that are here prospecting crude.

Second, we are not careful about our environment and the network in it. We are more interested in ‘development’. But development has to be sustainable, and what this means is that if there is a plan to build a school on a land where trees like mango, guava and palm trees already sit on, an environment impact assessment (EIA) must be carried out to ascertain what cost to the environment the building of a school on that land would bring. And apart from that, if after

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TR

UT H

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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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bones of the ancestors of Oghara people. And second, it is home to fauna and flora of the type that can only be found in the Amazon Jungle of Brazil. Why do we want to replace it with a Navy barrack?

Just before the street demonstrations took place, the Navy had already commenced a massive clearing of that vast land, and in clear violation of article two of the Paris Treaty. Let’s say two things quickly: what the Navy says it intends to build on that land – a barrack, shopping malls and a naval school – first have no space on that land and is hardly sustainable. It incredibly aggravates the climate change problem, and messes up the work of the UNFCCC. Two, since the damage is already done, especially since the Navy is willing to pay ‘compensation’ to the original owners of the land, and the owners appear ready to be compensated, an EIA, to reconstruct that environmental loss will appear to be better compensation.

Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku, communications

Enugu and Herdsmen’s Violence

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he recent attack by suspected herdsmen in the Ndiagu Attakwu community in Enugu State has understandably generated a lot of bile to such an extent that nothing can assuage their angst other than an extra-judicial crackdown on the herdsmen.

Many observers blame the governor for the failure of security agents to curb the menace of herdsmen. But such sentiments often tend to obscure the reality of the Nigerian situation, especially with regard to its federal structure.

Governors are chief security officers of their states.

In practice, however, this is a mere presumption as they neither have powers over the police nor any armed services deployed to their states. As a result of that, they are severely constrained in their constitutional mandate to protect lives and property and generally secure the states they govern.

Calling for extreme measures to tackle the problem of violence perpetrated by herdsmen is akin to aggravating an already grim situation. The brunt of the public’s outrage should rightly be borne by the federal government - not the governor.

Uchenna Nwuzo, Agbani, Enugu State

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POLSCOPE

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

with Eddy Odivwri eddy.odivwri@thisdaylive.com 08053069356

GovOkowaandtheOghara HospitalChallenge

O

nce upon a time, the Eku Baptists Hospital, in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State was like the John Hopkins Hospital to the people of Delta State. No matter how tough an ailment may be, taking the patient to the Eku Hospital was almost a certified assurance that the patient will get the best of medical attention. Its medical verdicts at the time was almost without blame, uncontestable anywhere in the world. In a sense, it served like a “salvation ground” for the sick and the ailing. Most times however, the deaths recorded are as a result of late arrival at the hospital which is largely seen as a treatment ground of the last resort.

At the time, the great hospital populated by medical expatriates, and fitted with an aerodrome, was owned and run by the Baptist mission.

Then about a dozen years ago, the natives of the town (Eku) began to agitate to take over the hospital. They eventually did. And the fortunes of the hospital began to head southward.

The hospital soon became a shadow of itself. Even the illiterate patients from the surrounding communities knew that Eku Hospital was no longer the same.

In an attempt to salvage the hospital, the Emmanuel Uduaghan administration resolved to take over the hospital as a government hospital.

Given his medical background, Uduaghan’s passion for healthcare was unparalleled. He threw in so much to raise the standard of the hospital. But it was clear that so much water had passed under the bridge and the bridge was broken. Almost.

Interestingly, the Uduaghan effort coincided with the operational take off of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital built in Oghara by the James Ibori administration.

Gov. Okowa Gently and gradually, the Oghara hospital began to assume the efficiency fame associated with the Eku Baptist Hospital, of those days. Indeed, for many across the state and even beyond, the Oghara hospital became a medical destination point, as it hosted all brands and manners of medical cases, especially after then Governor Uduaghan led medical experts to perform the first renal transplant in the hospital.

Ever since then, the status and rating of the hospital surged upward, also because the state government at the time provided subsidy to patients with renal/kidney cases, such that patients who came for dialysis had the cost slashed from N22,000 to N6,000. No doubt, this helped to save the lives of many who could have died out of inability to pay the appropriate medical bill.

The medical team comprising many South African expatriates, had over the years, striven to raise the standard of the hospital to an appreciable level. The state government had engaged them on certain terms.

For a fact, in no time, the Oghara hospital had the best neo-natal unit (the first 28 days of the life of babies) in Nigeria, which made it a referral hospital for many babies from across Nigeria.

What’s more, the enthusiasm of the Uduaghan administration for health matters ensured that the hospital was well equipped. Indeed, it was the first hospital in the region to have radiological equipment like 62 slide CT, and a 3.5 teslar MRI… the lack of which often drove patients to foreign hospitals.

Perhaps, if all these were achieved in then Governor Godswill Akpabio’s Akwa Ibom State, his anthem of “Uncommon Transformation” would have been sung at a louder note. Sadly however, the above is the end of the cheering story. Things are no longer the same with the Oghara hospital. If care is not taken, it will soon even-up with the shadowy Eku Baptist Hospital which has been reduced to a mere consulting clinic.

Trouble started when the Governor Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa administration reviewed the work conditions of the expatriate medics at the Oghara hospital. First, it was said that instead of the usual payment in foreign currency, the medical team will now be paid the Naira equivalent of their foreign currency. This is perhaps understandable, given the scarcity of forex in present day Nigeria.

Next, the state government, after a while, was said to have further resolved to slash the salary of the said doctors and other members of the team. This was no longer acceptable to the expatriates and they declined to continue.

It was gathered that they have parked their bags and left the hospital and the facility is fast becoming an empty shell of itself.

What’s more, even the local staff are being owed salaries and allowances leading to strike actions every now and then. When this happens in a medical facility such as the big hospital that the Oghara outfit is, the casualties are many.

Beside the fact that Okowa is a medical doctor too, like his predecessor and should have similar passion for healthcare, the Oghara hospital, perhaps represents the greatest legacy of James Ibori—Okowa’s political godfather, not only to his Oghara folks, but also the entire Delta State. The governor must therefore strive to protect the legacy of his boss.

Governor Okowa, being a medic need not be reminded that in all things, health comes first. Government is made for man, not man for government. If the Oghara hospital falls, to where shall the people go? He should therefore not allow the Oghara Hospital to go to seed as it seems bound.

Okowa must save the hospital and rekindle the hope of the people of the state on a facility that connects them with government. To abolish the health subsidies, force out the expatriates and narrow the access of the people to healthcare simply because of the shrinking economic realities in the country is to apply a medicine that will kill both the disease and the patient at the same time.

Canticles...

Master, Carest Thou Not That We Perish?

W

ere you in church last Sunday?

No, only the fanatics would shun that rain to go to church last Sunday.

What do you mean? Am I a fanatic?

Why did you ask anyway?

There was a great sermon by the priest Every Sunday offers a great sermon

But this one was exceptional.The priest drew his message from Mark 4:38.

What message can be exceptional? What have you not heard a dozen times over all your life?

That’s not the point. Don’t forget the word of God is new every morning. Beside, the delivery and connection to our present situation in the country was so quaint as it aligned perfectly.

What does the passage say?

It is the story of the storm that hit the Disciples of Jesus in the boat. How they fretted and worried themselves sore over the calamity that was threatening to swallow them all, while Jesus snored away in one corner of the boat.

And how in that tempest, Jesus was still so untroubled as to be snoring away in a deep sleep. And the bewildered disciples humbly queried Jesus for daring to sleep in the face of such trouble as they asked him:“Master, carest thou not that we perish”?

It is a familiar story. So what is the connect?

That is the point!The priest drew attention to how Jesus woke and not only rebuked the storm but also rebuked the disciples for their little faith. In other words, how could they have feared that much knowing that Jesus was with them in the boat. Put differently, would Jesus become a victim of any disaster?

I still don’t get the connect?

The priest likened the disciples to Nigerians who are crying and wailing and worrying themselves sore over the hard life that has now defined their lifestyle. How many Nigerians, like the Israelites who encountered some difficulties as they were journeying from Egypt to the promised land, preferred to go back to Egypt because of the degree of hardship they were facing.The priest said many Nigerians are already expressing desire to go back to the old days of former President Jonathan where they ate garlic and onion, instead of the tasteless manna from heaven. And they are asking Buhari, Mr President don’t you mind we if groan and die?

So if the priest compared the disciples to Nigerians, did he also compare Buhari to Jesus?

Well, not exactly, but… (cuts in) There is no ‘but’ in this matter. That will be clear case of blasphemy. The two of them do not compare by any means.

The one was in charge of his environment and circumstances while the other is completely bereft of managerial competence, I don’t want to use that notorious lingo: clueless.

Look, I don’t intend to get into any argument with you. Just allow me represent the narrative of the priest.That is my interest. I am not interested in the political interpretation you want to deduce from the story.

Ok, so continue.

The priest likened the socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria right now to the storm. He pointed out the hike in cost of cement, how it has risen from N1.600 to N2,300 per bag in a developing economy; how many companies are closing shop and leaving the country, thus worsening the unemployment situation in the country; how many other companies are unable to keep doing their legitimate businesses because of the low purchasing power of Nigerians; how even state governments can no longer pay salaries; how our take home pays can no longer take us home; how business operations and transactions are being stifled and frustrated because of scarcity of forex; how even two square meals a day is now a mirage, how parents are jittery over how they will pay their children’s school fees as they resume in two weeks; Buhari how foreign students are being bundled back home because there is no foreign exchange to pay their fees, and how Nigeria has indeed relapsed into the worst form of economic depression in 29 years…

Do you know the priest did not get his analogy correctly? While the situation Jesus and his disciples faced is a natural phenomenon, the one Buhari and Nigerians are facing are clearly man-made.And while Jesus had supernatural powers to handle tough cases, our Buhari does not even have enough human wisdom to tackle his immediate challenges.

I beg to disagree.You have to be fair to Mr President. He is trying his best to solve an endemic problem inherited from past administrations. A lot of rot had taken place before now.The local and international circumstances are overwhelming. No right-thinking person can blame him. And unlike Jesus, he is not even sleeping at all. He’s wide awake, searching for the best solution.

Yes, he is awake and searching, but searching the wrong places. Who can be looking for the eye of the fish in the fish’s tail?

He will search forever without finding it. What do you expect from an economic team headed by the Vice President who is a Law teacher? What does he know about modern Economics beyond what he read from Lawal Economics of the and 70s?

Should he not be left with delivering speeches and lectures at various fora? Or is it that swift-talking Britico lady called Kemi Adeosun as Finance minister? Has she managed any entity beyond the match-box economy of Ogun State? Does she not look like a High School student as she defends those flippant economic policies? Does she convey the image of a burnished economist who understands the dynamics of global economics?

Nigerians are perishing. But do they care? The boat is flapping up and down now, with some water pouring inside and yet… (cuts in) I have always known you as a pessimist.Where others are seeing the bottle as half full, you choose to see it as half empty. Look, the water will not overwhelm us. God is in charge of the Nigerian boat.We shall overcome.

Suddenly a voice shall arise to rebuke the economic storm blowing us. And suddenly, there will be a great calm and you will begin to wonder whence the storm came from or went. Be still my brother. It shall be well.

That is the problem with Nigeria and Nigerians. We spiritualise just everything. Even the basic laws of Nature and Economics, we breach them believing that God will come to our rescue, without we doing the needful. Look, did that priest of yours not say God cannot be mocked? And lest I forget, what has happened to the over two trillion Naira the government said they recovered from treasury looters? What about all the money gathered from the TSAwindow? Is the government still saving money while we wither economically like Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former governor ofAnambra State did? Let them walk the talk of reflating the economy. Nigerians are hungry and dying. We don’t need another Umaru Dikko to deny that Nigerian children are not yet eating from the dustbins because there are no dustbins anymore. Everything is eaten up.

Stop reading from the book of Lamentation. It is time to pray. If no one else leads the prayer session, let us invite General Gowon with his Nigeria Prays team.We need the supernatural economist to bail us out.

There you go again.

15

September 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

TUNDERAHMAN The Column on Politics and Political Issues

tunderahmanu@yahoo.com

08055069548 (Text only)

Ondo: As APC Holds Governorship Primaries

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aving written an analysis on the Ondo governorship race published in the Friday, September 2, 2016 edition of Thisday, wherein I highlighted the changing political landscape in the state and how the 2016 race has been remarkably different from the 2012 contest, I felt I was done with that impending electoral debacle. That was until I heard that piece of devastating news from the Peoples Democratic Party camp. Before that incident, the All Progressives Congress in the state had dominated the airwaves and the pages of newspapers with the angry vituperations, accusations and counter-accusations from some of the party’s aspirants in the race and the attendant efforts by the party leaders to pacify them and douse their fears, real and imagined. The party’s National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, had assured the aspirants of a level-playing field and had taken every measure to ensure a free and fair exercise as the party conducts its governorship primaries today in Akure. President Buhari had also delved into the matter, assuring the aspirants that he had no preferred candidate among them. During the week, however, some of the aggrieved parties, within and outside APC, did the unthinkable: they placed at the gate of the party’s secretariat in Akure, the state capital, some fetish objects to create some effects and further stoke the controversy.

And as if out to ensure that PDP is not defeated by APC in the battle for attention, some despicable persons went after one of Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s main allies in the state, Evangelist Niyi Pirisola, whom they shot dead in his country-home in Okitipupa on Friday.

Pirisola was the immediate-past Chairman, Caretaker Committee of Okitipupa Local Government Council. The message perpetrators of the dastardly act would want to send across with the killing is that the race to Alagbaka Government House, the seat of government in the state, is now a matter of life and death.

This should n’t be the case; whether at the level of intra-party or inter-party election, the contestation should be on the basis of ideas and programmes. It should be about the contenders moving to persuade the delegates or the voters on how their ideas are superior to those of others, and the people then left to choose among the competing forces in the end.

Indeed, as the APC’s plethora of governorship aspirants go into battle today at its primary election, the delegates, as they make their choice, should think of that aspirant who has the best plan for the people of the state, who would make the APC banner soar higher, who has the integrity to deal with the job and is generally best suited to take Ondo to

Oyegun, APC National Chairman

the next level. The aspirants themselves should eschew the bitter controversy and intrigue that had predated the primaries, keep an open mind and rally round whoever the process throws up because, divided after the primaries, they are headed for electoral peril, but united the party becomes stronger in the real battle come November 26.

The PDP water is not any calmer either. The more popular Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led camp has picked former Commissioner for Justice and AttorneyGeneral of the state, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, as the party’s governorship flag bearer while the camp of the recalcitrant factional chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, allegedly elected businessman, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim, as its candidate. Only on Thursday, Justice Okon Abang of a

Federal High Court in Abuja declined to hear Ibrahim’s suit seeking a court order to compel the electoral body, INEC, to recognise him as the authentic candidate of PDP. Like the matter between Sheriff and PDP, which is likely to go all the way to the Supreme Court, the issue of who the authentic PDP candidate in Ondo election is may ultimately be decided by the apex court. Are we likely to witness a replay of Governor Amaechi scenario if per chance the court declares Sheriff the authentic PDP chairman and if per chance again PDP wins the Ondo election?

• Rahman, former Editor, Thisday on Sunday, is Managing Editor of Western Post. Follow him on Twitter @tunderahmanu

Indeed, as the APC’s plethora of governorship aspirants go into battle today at its primary election, the delegates, as they make their choice, should think of that aspirant who has the best plan for the people of the state, who would make the APC banner soar higher, who has the integrity to deal with the job and is generally best suited to take Ondo to the next level. The aspirants themselves should eschew the bitter controversy and intrigue that had predated the primaries, keep an open mind and rally round whoever the process throws up because, divided after the primaries, they are headed for electoral peril, but united the party becomes stronger in the real battle come November 26

RIGHT OF REPLY

Enough of Phantom Corruption Allegation, Demonization of Atiku

I

t’s not usually in the character of former President Obasanjo to say something and turn round to deny it. He would say something and would stand by what he said. So when the former president denied the statement credited to him in the media that three or four of them from different parts of the country got together and brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power in 2015 (perhaps the same way three or four Northerners brought him (Obasanjo)

to power in 1999 from prison), I verily believed him. But the statement credited to him is also believable.

Obasanjo was reported to have made the statement at a reception organised for him in Jalingo, Taraba State capital where he went on a visit. He has, however, issued a denial, saying nobody can claim glory for Buhari’s election. The problem, as I indicated earlier, is the statement credited to him is believable. It is in synch with the former president’s character to

revel in incredulous vain-glory, in moral righteousness. He likes to see himself as that super being that knows all the nation’s problems and the solutions to them. The sad thing, however, is when he was catapulted to power again in 1999, 20 years after he voluntarily handed over power to a civilian as a military leader, it was n’t a jolly ride to Eldorado for the country as many had expected. Obasanjo tried his best but through some self-conceited decisions and actions, which again was a throw-

back to his persona; his era turned out not exactly a glorious one. It’s all well and good that Obasanjo acknowledged that Buhari was brought to power by the collective will of the people, not by any single person or group. A majority of Nigerians voted for Buhari because they were yearning for ‘change’ from the clueless government of President Goodluck Jonathan. More than one year after that historic vote, have the people gotten the ‘change’ they happily voted for? Big question!

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

INSIGHT

What is President Buhari Doing With The Economy?

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Garba Shehu et me start by asking an important question: who wants to kill racy introspection?

There is a cacophony of voices telling the Muhammadu Buhari administration to close its eyes to the past, that given the enormous tasks that lie ahead, history and its consequences for our nation should be the least of the government’s preoccupation at this juncture.

I disagree. Let us keep a fiery memory of the past so that we don’t repeat its mistakes. Look back, look ahead. The future must of necessity be built on the foundations of the past.

The Conservative Party took power in Britain six years ago from Labour. Check the British press, they are talking about Labour 24/7, is anyone complaining?

Japheth Omojuwa, one of Nigeria’s top three influencers seemed tasked in his patience reacting to calls that we must stop talking about the immediate past administration in this country.

“People are still talking about who ran governments in 1865 you want us to forget those who left government last year? (Expletive).”

Music icon Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who many agree was a philosopher disguised as Afro-musician, taught in one of his songs that without knowing where you are coming from, you won’t know where you are going. Wise men say that the empty can doesn’t disappear by simply kicking it down the road.

To avoid repeating the past mistakes, Nigerians must come to terms with what went wrong with the past, how bad were things, what was done wrongly, what the past government should have done, before we come to what needs to be done to right those wrongs. Believe me, episodes from the Jonathan era can fill books, and other possibilities such as courtroom drama thriller.

Against this backdrop, I sought to hear our erudite Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun on where we are coming from, vis-a-vis the administration’s chosen path to recovery and accelerated growth.

What is the administration doing to revitalize the economy? She spoke at length on the many measures being put in place, many of which are not glamorous. They of necessity come with pain. Why should Nigerians be asked to endure pains? Why should they be asked to make adjustments?

The simple explanation is that the economy was broken, and just as they do the broken leg, you must bear the pain of fixing it.

The current situation was caused by years of mismanagement and corruption.

As explained by President Buhari again and again, trumpeted

by Madam Adeosun and other senior officials, we solely relied on oil, the price of which was as high as US$140 per barrel. Government simply reticulated oil revenue through personal spending by corrupt leaders, wasteful expenses and salaries. This was done rather than investing in what would grow the economy.

Economies grow due to capital investment in assets like seaports, airports, power plants, railways, roads and housing. Nigeria has not recorded a single major infrastructural project in the last 10 years. In short the money was mismanaged.

In addition to failing to spend money on what was needed, no savings were made by Government unlike other countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Norway.

To compound the problem, the previous government was borrowing heavily and owed contractors, and international oil companies. When this government took over we had accumulated debt back to the level it was before the Paris Club Debt

The truth is that more than any other time before, there is a clear direction and strategy for achieving growth and development.

Revisionists may not agree, but the truth of the matter is that the previous administration only had one issue, which was how to spend money ( oil revenues and borrowed money). As mentioned earlier this spending was focussed on the wrong things and even though the economy seemed to be growing it was not sustainable, it was, as described by Minister Adeosun, a classic “boom and bust”’ driven solely by the oil price

Buhari

Forgiveness.

All these factors were building up to Nigeria heading for a major crisis if the price of oil fell. Nigeria did not have fiscal buffers to withstand an oil shock.

The oil shock should and could have been foreseen. These are matters that both the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sunusi 11 and Professor Chukwuma Soludo, both of them eminent former Central Bank Governors had occasions to warn the government of the day about, but they were clobbered. The dire warnings was written all over the wall, but they were ignored by Nigeria’s economic managers.

What should they have done?

They should have had the courage and vision to do as the present administration is doing through the Economic Team, the Ministry of Finance under Madam Adeosun and the various agencies of the state to envision a better future by first of all fighting corruption. Look at what a civilian administration is today doing to the military, investigating their finance and accounts that the military could not do to themselves.

See what the current administration is doing to sanitize the huge salary bill by eliminating payroll fraud. So far, the federal payroll has been rid of about 40,000 ghost workers. More than eight billion Naira stolen monthly has been saved.

We are also saving on wasteful expenses like First Class Travel and Private jets for official trips.

The federal is not limiting the reforms to the center but forcing State Governments to reform their spending and build savings or investments.

Government is also increasing spending on capital projects especially on infrastructure needed to make Nigerian businesses competitive and create jobs. The administration is at the same time blocking leakages that allowed government revenues to be siphoned into private hands.

Currently, there is focus on key sectors ( apart from oil) that can create jobs and or generate revenue such as Agriculture, Solid Minerals and Manufacturing. If these things had been done when the oil price was as high as US$140 per barrel, Nigeria would not be in the current predicament. We would not be suffering now if we had no cash reserves but we had regular supply of power, a good rail system, good roads and good housing.

Now that the oil has fallen as low as US$28 per barrel, it is very difficult to do what is needed but they must be done to save Nigeria. There is no other way if we want to be honest.

If PDP were still in power they would have continued deceiving people, by borrowing to fund stealing and wastage and the problem would have simply been postponed for future generations to face.

There are many who say that this Government’s economic strategy is unclear whereas the previous government seemed well co-ordinated. I will make the confession that we, the officials hired to communicate government policies, that includes myself, have not done as well as we should have.

The truth is that more than any other time before, there is a clear direction and strategy for achieving growth and development.

Revisionists may not agree, but the truth of the matter is that the previous administration only had one issue, which was how to spend money ( oil revenues and borrowed money). As mentioned earlier this spending was focussed on the wrong things and even though the economy seemed to be growing it was not sustainable, it was, as described by Minister Adeosun, a classic “boom and bust”’ driven solely by the oil price.

Unemployment was and remained high (never forget the NIS jobs that exploited thousands of desperate graduates in a scam that was used to fund house purchases in high brow areas and claimed so many lives) Inequalities were growing (our then President boasted about the highest number of private jets when most Nigerians could barely afford to eat).Terrorism and social unrest were growing.

Real development was lacking. As soon as the oil price fell, these vulnerabilities were exposed.

From its records so far, this administration is trying to reset the

Nigerian economy and ensure that it attains its potential and is diverse and resilient. We are doing this at a time when the global economy is in crisis due to the oil price collapse. Even rich nations like Saudi Arabia are experiencing problems The Government is people-focussed and wants the economy to grow in a way that will create a more stable future which is not dictated by world oil prices ( over which we have no control). No more boom and bust ( thanks Minister Adeosun).

Nigeria wants to take responsibility for its own destiny, therefore our policies will ensure that Nigeria returns to growth in a sustainable manner. No more dependence on oil. Every part of Nigeria has a role to play in contributing to our growth. We will create an environment where people can thrive and where business can grow.

To this effect, all relevant agencies have been reoriented to: • Focus government spending on infrastructure which will create jobs and opportunities for Nigerians across a number of sectors( not just oil).

• Ensure that we reduce our reliance on oil by developing other revenue streams such as taxes, efficient customs collections and other government revenues.

• Develop key sectors in which we have comparative advantage.

Encourage development of agriculture to ensure food security for our huge population.

Develop petro-chemical industry on the back of the oil industry.

Develop solid mineral extraction and Develop light manufacturing to provide locally made basic needs and reduce importation.

If you are an official of this administration and a mixer, that is someone who mingles with citizens high and low, a charge you are forced to defend is that this Government seems to be bringing austerity and suffering to the people. Blame not, Buhari.

The current pain is due to the mismanagement of the past. What Nigeria is currently experiencing was inevitable. This government is simply being honest with the people instead of piling up debts and concealing the truth by pretending all was rosy. This government believes that Nigerians deserve to know the truth.

People stole unbelievable amounts of money. The kind of money some of these ex-officials hold is itself a threat to the security of the state. Since it is not money earned, they feel no pain deploying just anyhow to thwart genuine and well-intentioned government efforts.

Sadly, even that which was not stolen was wasted. Government coffers were left empty, with huge debts unpaid and unrecorded ( this government is working to quantify the amount owed).

Even the current high food prices can be traced to past deceit. For example, The previous government purchased fertiliser in 2014, worth N65Bn and left the bill unpaid. In 2015 the suppliers could not supply fertiliser which resulted in a low harvest, shortages and high food prices. This government had to pay off the debt so that the suppliers could begin to supply fertiliser again. Across Nigeria a green revolution is occurring as Nigerians are going back to the farms, from rice in Kebbi and Ebonyi to Soya and Sesame in Jigawa and Kano. At the same time Nigerians are looking inwards to identify commercial opportunities from agri businesses.

Most of our road contractors had not been paid since 2012, many of them had sent their workers away adding to the unemployment problem. This government has released capital allocations in the last three months that is more than the whole of 2015. In 2015 Nigeria spent a paltry N19Bn on roads, in three months we have spent N74Bn and we are already releasing more.

In the transport sector in 2015, government spent just N4.2Bn we have spent N26Bn with more to follow. We are starting a concession that will revive our old rail system for freight, whilst we build a new high speed rail system. Moving heavy goods by rail will reduce our transport costs which will reduce food prices and will save our roads from damage from heavy loads. Government will embrace the private sector through PPP, concessions and other collaborations to deliver services and infrastructure efficiently.

Nigerians expected a lot from President Buhari and are right to have done so. Many feel disappointed. While much of this warranted, a lot more is arising from opposition politics.

A man who has promised good things is being accused of failing to use the palm to cover the sun or that he is unable to stop the rain.

Nigerians are right to be disappointed but they must direct their anger at the right quarters. The bad management and corruption of the past are firmly to blame.

This government is fighting corruption. It is working hard to do things right and do them in a manner that will endure. No government has ever considered the poor like this one. Under the current budget, the administration devoted N500Bn for social intervention programmes for those who need and deserve support.

There are also programmes for affordable housing with mortgages which will transform thousands from tenant status to homeownership.

Any process that will endure, must involve some pain but things will begin to improve. There is always a time lag between policy and effect. That is why the bad effects of past policies are manifesting now. Similarly the positive impact of the work being undertaken to fix Nigeria’s problems will soon begin to show and we will emerge from this period stronger, wiser and more prosperous.

There is hope for Nigeria, a hope that was previously clouded by corruption, greed and lack of focus.

Nigeria is starting over and everyone has a role to play. Look back, look ahead.

–– Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant ( Media and Publicity).

Plus

LOUD WHISPERS TRAVEL AUTO GLOBAL SOCCER FITNESS FASHION FILE

pg. 20 pg. 25 pg. 26 pg. 29 pg. 40 pg. 41

Olusola Teniola I Plan to Retire as a Farmer

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

18

Plus

My Father Made Me to Study Engineering Comely, brainy and stylish,Olusola Teniola is a first-class technologist born in London.

A computer and information engineer with an exclusive pedigree, his exceptional skill fetched him big roles in institutions like British Telecoms and Alcatel-Lucent Technology,the Chief Executive Officer of Internet Solutions Nigeria, a Pan-African Information Communication Technology ( ICT) firm that has earned high-profile deals in private and public companies in Nigeria and overseas. Recently, he was elected sixth President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). Teniola, who clocked 50 recently speaks with Omolabake Fasogbon on the relevance of ATCON in the country, Nigeria’s telecommunication firms,the future of the industry, his life in the past 50 years and his plan to retire as a farmer

Y

ou just clocked 50.Looking back, what have been your greatest achievements?

I’ve lived a privileged life, born in London, schooled in the UK, worked for some of the best telecom companies in the world alongside some of the best brains in the world and being able to bring this to bear in Nigeria. My greatest achievement is to have done all this with a loving and adorable family that has supported me and continues to do so.

So far, have you any regret in life?

None. Everything has been a journey.

We know 50 is a golden age, but some people still go on a low key celebration. Why do you feel the need to celebrate it big and what will you be celebrating?

I would have naturally celebrated my 50th birthday in London where my dad, siblings, and a number of my cousins and friends live. However, in recognition that I also have a family in Nigeria, acquaintances, and colleagues; it is only a great way to thank God and them for their support in the last seven years I’ve been back in Nigeria.

As the new president of ATCON, how did you feel when you were announced the association’s winner of the election that fetched you this new role ?

Humbled and with a great sense of responsibility.

How do you intend to run the association and what footprint would you want to leave behind upon the completion of your two year term?

I truly believe in servant-leadership style and this means serving our members, the industry and consumers to solve the various problems that we shall encounter. The legacy I seek is a stronger association in its advocacy capability both in Nigeria and worldwide.

You have headed ATCON For three months. What have been your impacts in the association so far?

My leadership is one of service and to this, I set myself three top priorities to do within my first 100 days in office. They are collaborating more with all stakeholders in the industry and this has happened in the first 30 days; attended West Africa Telecom Awards in Accra and gave keynote speech – this is the first time that this has been done and the outcome is that under my leadership, ATCON will introduce industry awards in

Teniola

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

Plus One Needs Formal Education to Succeed in Engineering the near future to match that being performed on an annual basis in Ghana and also, we are revamping our web presence and portal, which effectively brings a total rebranding of our image. This brand identity is key to ATCON’s future in this digital age.

Beside ATCON, you are also managing a pan-African Information Communication Technology ( ICT) firm, Internet Solutions, how do you combine these roles?

In fact, I’ve been fortunate to have a great team around me in both ATCON and Internet Solutions. They provide the necessary support for me to remain effective. With them, there’s no vacuum.

What are the contributions of Internet Solutions to Nigerian telecommunications system Internet Solutions was involved in providing communication services to a majority of well-known banks, government agencies and key security institutions.

How much of family time have ATCON and Internet Solutions taken away from you ?

All the working time that I don’t spend with my family.

One of the roles of ATCON is to maintain the highest standard of professional and technical conduct in telecommunication sector. In view of this, what effort did the association take to caution MTN’s wrongs before it fell victim of NCC fine?

MTN joined ATCON as a fully active member after the fine. Any member of ATCON can place before us issues that they deem necessary for our intervention and this is a role we take seriously and look to be more proactive in. We have recently solicited from our members to acquaint us with issues that they will need our intervention and this is just one way we influence various decisions that may impact the industry and consumers.

Are you saying that MTN may have escaped the fine if it had joined ATCON earlier?

No, I am not saying that, but maybe things would have been handled in a more expedient manner, if we were able to intervene from the outset.

What has the association learnt from MTN’s scenario and what steps are you taking to ensure such doesn’t happen in future?

We’ve learnt that membership of ATCON is a must for any serious telecoms business operating in Nigeria and we seek to also encourage membership of ICT companies that have exposure to the telecommunication eco-space to join in advocacy functions that will assist in influencing the direction of the telecommunication industry.

Ntel has also joined the list of private telecom companies in Nigeria. Do you see prospect for the new network in Nigeria even in the midst of strong competitors?

I strongly believe that competition is the basis for any healthy market and note that Ntel is not going to be the only new network to launch in Nigeria. The prospect of more types of networks to come is very positive for the industry and the consumers. I believe the prospect of Ntel is just as good as any other network that is op-

Teniola

erating in Nigeria. However, funding is a major challenge in operating an extensive network in the country and which every player in the industry is aware of.

So, how did you find yourself in engineering?

My earliest memories that I was going to be an engineer according to my father, was my ability to strip apart our black and white television set and refixed it then in the early 70’s when I was much younger.

Though my daddy still called a technician to check the TV to be sure it was safe to use. I wanted to be an airline pilot from the time I was 14 years old but my father persuaded me to study engineering.

What are the challenges in engineering?

Dealing with complex problems in a timely manner before one’s solution becomes obsolete.

As a computer and information engineer, what do you know how to do best Computer programming A major challenge besetting the country today is insecurity. How do you think technology can be used to tackle this menace?

Big data is the key to solving security problems in the country.

Information is the ingredient of intelligence agencies and systems (more automated) are the enabler, alongside reliable connectivity across the country that will transport information to the relevant users.

All technology does is to provide an opportunity to change the way we do things and solve problems. When we embrace ‘Big Data’, we have an opportunity to address security issues in the country.

How do you unwind?

I play tennis, squash, golf and spend time with family whenever possible.

As a fashionista,what fashion accessory can you not do without?

Brietling watch.

What Is your most admired asset?

Family.

What is the name of your first mobile phone?

Motorola MicroTAC. Can’t remember how much I paid for that in 1990.

Which is your favourite telecom network?

MTN, Glo, Etisalat, Airtel and Ntel.

Of all the gifts presented to you on your 50th birthday, which is your favourite and who presented it to you?

My wife treated me to a lovely dinner in Athens and that is the best for me.

You are a member of the Institute of Directors, both in Nigeria and London, how has being a member of the IOD affected your managerial attitude?

As far as the institute has helped in shaping my style, my MBA education better influenced my managerial style. It is important that mentorship also helped to mould me into who I am.

Most people usually condemn the choice of polytechnic education, you finding yourself in the polytechnic, was it intentional or conditional?

In the UK and Germany, polytechnics are highly regarded for engineering disciplines and I was fortunate to do mine at South Bank in the 1980s.

In this part of the world, most people believe that it is one’s educational certificate that can pave way for one. However, the likes of Zuckerberg and Bill Gates who are successful today were school drop-outs. What is your take on this?

For the Bill Gates and Zuckerbergers of this world, there are many graduates that have contributed to their success. For instance, in the case of Microsoft, the actual programme

I strongly believe that competition is the basis for any healthy market and note that Ntel is not going to be the only new network to launch in Nigeria. The prospect of more types of networks to come is very positive for the industry and the consumers. I believe the prospect of Ntel is just as good as any other network that is operating in Nigeria.

However, funding is a major challenge in operating an extensive network in the country and which every player in the industry is aware of sold as the best-selling operating system wasn’t written by Bill Gates but his co-partner. You need a degree in engineering or computer science to succeed in this industry, otherwise, you may need to have the fortune to be a Bill Gates.

Tell us your greatest disappointment in life My greatest disappointment so far is not being able to get the necessary capital to fund a startup during the dot com boom.

As you set for another phase in life, what are you aiming at?

By the grace of God I shall focus on social projects, serve the nation and retire as a farmer in my village in Idanre. My family is into cocoa production and I want to carry on with the tradition.

Can you take us through your background?

I am the eldest of seven children, born in London and then brought to Nigeria to school in 1977 to 1982, to complete my O’ Levels; studied Engineering after my A‘ Levels.

Worked with a number of technology companies during the 90’s and then joined Cisco in 2000 and proceeded to do my MBA (MBath UK) in General Management in year 2002. I ran my first telecom company in 2004 in Portugal and returned to Nigeria in 2009 after being awarded an ISP licence in 2005. Since my return, I’ve had the opportunity to run two telecom companies in Nigeria.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

LOUD WHISPERS

Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri: an intellectual thief Let me first apologise for the title of this piece. When I say thief, not like ‘Ole’, the one that steals oranges in the market place but the kind which is even more dangerous. This kind is the one who takes strong facts and information and turns them on their heads to achieve narrow and usually selfish goals. Anytime I read Reno I come out impressed with the way he marshals out his facts, spewing well-researched information and giving his arguments a strong intellectual backbone that can stand any onslaught against it. This kind of battle is very toxic becuase it is a battle of the mind. Reno is a master of the art and pitiable, I have not seen anybody on the government side who has stood up to the challenge of rigourous intellectual provocation that Reno’s pieces always throw up. All we get are emotional and sycophantic responses aimed at pleasing the masters instead of tackling Reno’s well-defined positions. Someone should finally stand up and meet up with Reno in his own space. He has been unchallenged for too long. All our oga’s spokespersons usually fail to rise up to the occasion. Instead, all we hear from the other side is ‘the toughest job in Nigeria today is to be a state governor’, ‘Buhari’s body language is fighting corruption and increasing the share prices on the Stock Exchange’, ‘heavy rain is leading to stable power supply’. So to all government spokesmen, Reno is winning. He is winning the battle of the mind and stealing our souls with well crafted, issue based, research propelled positions in the economy and general polity. I swear he is a thief.

Dr Fayemi : where forth art thou?

The last time I yabbed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I had to run with my tail between my legs. It is for this reason that I will not be too harsh on Dr. Fayemi whose wife happens to be one of the most beautiful women in the land. But if truth is to be said, Dr. Fayemi is running a lame ministry of solid minerals. Why my anger is directed at this gentleman is simply because I have seen the constant struggle by the Central Bank of Nigeria to manage the little revenues that trickle in with the continuous crash in oil prices and the attendant effect in the value of the Naira with little or no concomitant effort from those whose job it is to provide an enabling environment for the diversification of the economy. I make bold to ask very seriously, Dr. Fayemi where are you in all these? What is your ministry doing despite the abundant resources in the land we are yet to see a tiny shift in our position? My plea to you, sir, is to double up efforts, no more talk. We need action; for now is the time to work assiduously towards reducing the crippling hold of oil on our lives. We are literally dying while you are busy sleeping or is it learning how to tie gele. I am sorry baba, but I am really not happy with you.

Samson Siasia : do not cry for me That is the message Samson has asked me to tell Nigerians. He has asked me to convey his feelings to you all that you should not cry for him. He is used to these kinds of treatment and in fact

Kayode Fayemi

Samson Siasia

Senator Ita Giwa and the gift of Life This my amiable mummy has been more than a blessing to the orphans from the Bakassi region. She has for sometime now been providing scholarships to a large number of these children and I have come to realise that some even attend foreign universities. If you consider what is going on today with the rate the Naira is exchanging to the dollar then you can begin to see the kind of wonderful sacrifice she must be making. The way I am sweating and begging all the school proprietors in Lagos to give me a discount on fees so that we can at least manage to pay half of the first

enjoys it or how do you reconcile the fact that today he is shouting now and the next moment he will be lobbying for the same job? That is how they all are.

They do everything in this world to get the job, including bathing in the Osun River and doing MFM prayer and fasting and when they get the job they will start abusing and cursing their employers.

To me, Samson should go and sit down.

Is it becuase of yeye bronze medal that he won that he is now shouting. After all late Stephen Keshi, my darling, won Gold and was still not paid his salary. Is it today that coaches are being owed salaries. It is part of our national pastime and this was abundantly clear to him during the interview for the job. They told him clearly that he will be owed. They told him clearly that he would be stranded in Atlanta and he said he did not mind that he was doing his patriotic duty as a Nigerian. I was there during the interview.

He even prostrated and thanked them when they gave him the job and now he is lamenting. He should just keep quiet and join the millions that are being owed salaries since the era of change dawned on us. We are in this together. His own is even better, after all, he went to Brazil and saw those beautiful samba girls.

Chai, what would I give to exchange my job for his? I would gladly give up my job where I am being paid regularly with

term fees you will now understand my admiration for this beautiful lady for making this huge sacrifice at this time. I hear she is sponsoring 13 children out of which, nine are in Private Universities in Nigeria and Ghana. Two are studying Petroleum and Mechanical Engineering in Ghana while the rest are spread between Babcock and Afe Babalola Universities. Mummy, I doff my hat to you. God will continue to reward and replenish your pockets even as I use this medium to ask you to join me as my running mate in the upcoming 2019 elections. This is real change we are seeing here.

all allowances complete to go and coach the national team in faraway Brazil and mingle with those peahens on the beach, Zika or no Zika, and with no salary o. In fact, Siasia should be thanking Amaju, who is fast becoming the very best employer of labour in Nigeria. He should be given an award. Na wa.

Mr. President : emergency powers?

Sir, I once again, like my dear egbon, Dele Momodu, write to you directly and unlike my egbon I know you will not invite me to lunch at the State House but God dey. You see, I have been using style to beg for this invite and you are just doing like you have not heard or seen my request. Well, I leave that to Allah. The aim of writing you this small note is to tell you point-blank that I do not agree with the request for economic emergency powers and Sir, I remain very happy that the National Assembly did not agree. Although, those ones, if you really push them they will agree sha. Sir, our economic problems cannot be solved by centrist concentration of power in one body or person. We are a large economy with a huge population. What we need, my lord, is the freedom required to galvanise demand and supply towards the production and distribution of goods and services, even Aunty Kemi should know this one na. Our problems can be solved

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo

if only we invoke the power of our retail market. Our issues are elites. They are the ones who need the almighty dollar for their reckless living and the rest of us are made to suffer the consequences. Sir, if you can just bring about grassroots policies that would encourage us especially in the entertainemnt industry, services, agricultural processing, solid minerals, you will begin to see wonders. Sir, do you know that almost 60 per cent of our wealth is not in the banking system? We must now start to borrow from the poor.

We must look for ways to bring those funds into the system to water down the tight liquidity position we are facing.

My young friend, Chidi Ajaere, runs the famous God is Good Motors franchise.

He employs over 1000 Nigerians with bus terminuses across the country. He is not owing any bank and his turnover is bigger than the budget of Osun, Jigawa and Ebonyi combined. You know why he is this successful? It is becuase he knows the power of the retail market and has harnessed it. We will continue to suffer as a people if we continue with this senseless and unbridled quest for luxury and inanities. So, my Lord and master, emergency powers will not solve the problem, we need people around you who understand the dynamics of the new economy and who can leverage on technology to exploit opportunities instead of technocrats and journeymen, who have surrounded you. We need you to succeed and indeed you must succeed, hence this my small talk. Oya, are you still inviting me? What else am I supposed to do to come to this Aso Rock o?

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo and Hon. Chike Ogeah : prayers for the faithful I mistakenly found myself in the midst of these wonderful people. Honourable Chike Ogeah, the immediate past Commissioner of Information in Delta State, is my egbon. I like the man no be small.

His best friend, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, who apart from running a successful accounting practice, beside his church, also parades the sexiest mustache I have ever seen on a man. Well, that is how I found myself in the midst of these two and out of nowhere someone asked me to pray. Me? I stared at them both and knew immediately that the God of Tasty Fried Chicken had just caught up with me. I had eaten and forgotten to pay and only just remembered when I got to Pastor Ituah’s office. So how do we explain this one where despite all the strong men of God seated it was me that was now asked to pray? Well, I stood up and said, let us pray, ‘ father please forgive me for eating chicken without paying.................’

And all hell broke loose; the laughter was unimaginable as we hugged and kissed ourselves goodbye. On my way home that night, I made a mental note to go learn the Lord’s Prayer again, just in case.

Davies Agbor: welcome the House of Haze Let me send a shout out to my friend and neighbour, Davies Agbor, who has just acquired a new state-of-the-art night club and lounge in the Yaba area called House of Haze. Congratulations, my brother. Ok, now that I have hailed you, I hope you will stop blocking my car with your ‘Tokunbo’ car. Lol.

21

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

SPY GLASS

with Bayo Adeoye ....08054680651

Tunde Badmus

Farouk Lawan

Farouk Lawan’s Political Odyssey

By providence, he once tasted and enjoyed the sweetness of power. Then, he was always in our eyes and in the news for diverse reasons, to the envy of many.

In fact, between 1999 and 2015, the political tide swayed him hither-thither thereby making him a recurring decimal in the nation’s political scene.

However, he seems to be striving very hard to regain relevance in the political circle nowadays. Such is the pathetic tale of Hon. Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives.

In reminiscence, he had literally hugged fame within the Green Chamber of the National Assembly in 2007 when he led a group known as Integrity Group, to open the lid on the alleged financial malfeasance of the former Speaker, Patricia Etteh, who was accused of spending N628 million on the renovation of her official residence and that of her deputy, as well as the purchase of 12 official cars for the House of Representatives.

Consequently, Lawan, who was nicknamed Mr. Integrity, instantly became a hero. It was, no doubt, a flip to his fledging political career. Lost in the euphoria of the overwhelming approbation, he reportedly began to eye the number one seat in his Kano State.

But before our eyes, Mr. Integrity’s integrity was put to question, following his alleged involvement in a $620 million bribe– he was said to have collected the money from oil and gas magnate, Femi Otedola. Though the matter is still in court, Lawan has continued to redeem his battered image. Surprisingly, diminutive Lawan, without a worry about his already dented image, reportedly attempted to return to the Lower Chamber in 2015 for the fifth time, but he was trounced and humiliated by a greenhorn, Sule Aliyu Romo, to represent Shanono/Bagwai Federal Constituency of Kano State at the National Assembly.

Sadly, his political odyssey seems to have taken a new twist, as his supporters and friends have allegedly abandoned him, leaving him like flotsam and jetsam on the Nigerian sea of politics

Tayo Amusan in Mega Deal

When you think of businessmen who deserve commendation for their shrewdness and brilliance, Tayo Amusan will certainly make the long list with a generous mention.

Spy Glass gathered that the brains behind The Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki, Lagos, has just completed an eye-popping shopping complex inside the Ogun State government-owned Gateway Hotel in Ota, Ogun State.

Apart from Amusan, who is described as a close friend of Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, ex- Ogun State Commissioner for Commerce, Bimbo Ashiru, is also said to be a part-owner of the complex, which will be opened before the end of the year.

However, a source disclosed to Spy Glass that the deal is a partnership between Amusan and the state government.

It will be recalled that the former state governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, at the twilight of his administration, had concessioned the three Gateway Hotels in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode and Ota to three private investors. His reason, it was learnt, was that the three luxury Hotels built by the first executive governor of the state, the

late Chief Bisi Onabanjo, were being run at a huge loss.

But while Governor Amosun retained the concession agreement with the investors running both the Abeokuta and Ijebu-Ode hotels, he reportedly cancelled the Ota concession with an Americabased hospitality investment company.

The hotel was said to be in ruins until Amusan, a Business Administration graduate of the University of Atlanta, showed interest in it.

Amusan, a big player in the real estate sector, is currently the Chairman and Managing Director of Persianas Nigeria Limited, incorporated in 1990 to develop luxury residential, retail, entertainment and hospitality centres as well as commercial developments in Nigeria.

Amusan, who has over 25 years of experience in real estate, is recognised for successfully exploiting a supply gap for residential accommodation for a select niche of the upper income expatriate market. His biggest project has been the world-class Palms Shopping Mall, which is regarded as the benchmark for retail development in West Africa.

In addition to his various business interests, Amusan also serves on boards of several companies, including Garages Limited and Southern Petroleum Limited.

Olumide Wole-Madariola Celebrates Late Dad

It was really a memorable occasion at the weekend when Olumide Wole-Madariola, CEO, Fut Concepts, organised a remembrance party at the expansive compound of Awaye Industrial Estates, Coker, Lagos for his late dad, Wole Madariola, a military officer and entrepreneur who passed on 20 years ago.

The event started with a church service at the Heaven Trac Ministries, where prayers were offered for the families of the late Madariola by officiating pastors.

At the well-attended reception, families and associates of the the businessman testified to the exemplary and philanthropic life of the deceased.

Olumide, also the CEO of Awaye Holdings, was visibly elated at the turnout of guests, despite not sending official invites out.

Popular gospel act, Tope Alabi thrilled the guests with pulsating music.

Wale Babalakin’s Headache

The rich also cry! This popular saying aptly captures the current experience of Dr. Olawale Babalakin, SAN. The reason for his seeming headache

is not unconnected with a 2014 court order stopping him from withdrawing money from his five companies’ accounts: BiCourtney Limited, Chartered Investment Limited, Resort International Limited and Roygate Properties Limited.

It all started when Justice Okon Abang granted an ex-parte order freezing his companies’ bank accounts, following a suit with number FHC/L/CS/1361/2014 brought to the court by Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) over a N54 billion debt.

Besides, Babalakin’s effort to vacate the order also failed, as the trial judge, Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos dismissed his case for lack of merit.

didn’t live to old age, but it was because his colourful lifestyle beat a kingly living.

He created his own world and he literally lived it alone. Described as reclusive, he lived big wherever he landed in any part of the world. He had almost incomparable taste for the good things of life.

The Lagos State-born plenipotentiary, whose root was traced to Brazil, had become wealthy very early in life and remained so till he breathed his last. He had imposing mansions all over the world and owned a number of private jets and yacht too.

He is survived by nine children - Olateju Phillips, Olugbemisola Fernandez, Tony Fernandez, Akintokunbo Fernandez, Titilayo Unzicker, Adekoyejo Fernandez, Oyinkansola Fernandez, Atinuke Fernadez and Abimbola Fernandez.

Tunde Badmus Wows at 70

LBIC’s Boss, Folasade Folivi at War with Shareholders

That Osun State-born businessman, Tunde Badmus, is in money is not in doubt. But what you may not know is the extent to which he can go to literally spoil himself with his God-given wealth.

Recently, he surprised many when he marked his 70th birthday. He reportedly organised a soirée, where his friends joined him on a boat cruise around some popular countries in the world, including USA, Haiti, Mexico and Jamaica.

Some of the guests who witnessed this ‘‘mother of all birthday’’ celebrations include Nollywood stars and Osun State deputy governor, Titilayo Laoye-Tomori.

Badmus , who is the Akayejo of Oshogbo land, was married to younger sister of billionaire businessman, Alhaji Razak Okoya, Wosila, before the marriage hit the rocks due to irreconcilable differences.

Late Antonio Fernandez Remembered OneYear After

Like yesterday, it was exactly a year ago on Thursday, September 1, 2015 that death plucked life out of exceptional businessman and Ambassador Plenipotentiary, Chief Antonio Oladeinde Fernandez, after a brief illness in Belgium.

In life, he was a phenomenon; he came, saw and conquered his own world.

As the saying goes ’sweet is the memory of the righteous ‘ .

Spyglass gathered that the late colourful and stylish billionaire was remembered by his children last Thursday in commemoration of his first anniversary. As informed by his first child, Chief (Mrs.) Olateju Phillips, a former Lagos Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, organised a memorial service in honour of her late father at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Catholic Mission Street, Lagos.

The event was witnessed by high-flying and top dignitaries in the country.

A source close to the family also revealed that the family is planning to host a grand reception party in Lagos later this year.

It will be recalled Fernandez when the news of his passing on broke, many, including those who only knew him through the pages of newspapers, were shell-shocked. It was not because the flamboyant businessman didn’t live a fulfilled life or that he

When Folasade Folivi was appointed by the Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as the Managing Director of Lagos State Building Investment Company, (LBIC), in December 2015, not a few had kicked.

Her critics faulted her appointment on the grounds that she lacks the requisite knowledge to lead the company. But many still gave her the benefit of the doubt that she would spring a surprise.

However, it appears Folivi has now confirmed the fears of her critics, as she has been having a running battle with the company’s shareholders over her style of administration. Her style, they argued, constitutes an imminent threat to their investments, as she has allegedly not been operating in compliance with corporate governance as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regulations.

Spy Glass gathered that many shareholders who subscribed to the company’s private placement in 2008 are unhappy because they are yet to receive their dividends. The displeased shareholders claimed that all efforts to call the attention of the previous management to the issues were rebuffed.

Speaking about Folivi’s alleged highhandedness and arrogance, a source told Spy Glass that ‘‘she has no iota of experience in the highly regulated banking industry and neither has she cut her teeth in financial intermediation at any reasonable level. Besides, she has incurred heavy losses from the operations of the company.’’

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

MEMOIRS Stephen Lucas

Nigerians Should Love their Neighbours Reverend Brother Stephen Lucas came to Nigeria in 1959 when he was 26 years old, because the Dominican Brotherhood Order of the Catholic Church in the United States of America asked him to. Like a young Christian soldier, he packed his bags and headed to Yaba, Lagos with its bush paths and dirt roads infested with jiggers. Brother Stephen, as he is fondly known at St Dominic’s Church, headed back home recently at the age of 84, after spending 57 years in the country. Shortly before his send-off, he tells Bennett Oghifo his experiences and his thoughts for the nation, among others

Y

ou’re leaving Nigeria.

Oh, yes, after 57 years. I am going to Chicago.

What will you do back in the United States?

I don’t know for certain but I was told there is an assignment for me but I have not been told the kind of assignment yet.

What inspired you to come to Nigeria?

Well, I belong to the Religious Order called the Dominicans; it was founded 800 years ago, this year, by St Dominic.

So, when I entered the Order/community, I was 19 and I made my profession in 1953 in America. I was sent to different places where I spent a year or two and I was at the university at New Mexico; loving it, because it is a wonderful place.

Then one day we were sitting around the table with the Parish Priest and he said ‘by the way, you’re going to Nigeria’. We go where we are told to go and that is how I found myself in Nigeria in October 1959. Since then, I have been working here, helping a lot of people; we have about 40,000 people in our Parish, and it is about 60 years old now. I was told, before I left Chicago, that my job would be to help support locations, help people who want to become Priests and Brothers.

When they drove me from the airport here in Yaba, there were no roads, just dirt road and I met a lot of young people who wanted to become Dominicans.

They were 15-year olds and I asked them how many years did you spend in school and they said they hadn’t been to school but I told them I didn’t mean secondary school and they said they had not gone to school at all. And that is how we started and I built a Shrine to St. Jude who is the Patron of difficult cases all over the world. He is the one that helps people with problems; we all have problems.

When I came, we didn’t have one African Dominican but now we have 200 African Dominicans and all of them are university people.

Lucas

What was Nigeria like when you came?

Well, we only had one bridge going to Lagos, I remember; that was the Carter Bridge that was built in 1933 by Mr. Carter and he did it so well and when the bridge was shaking they had to replace the bridge and still named it Carter Bridge. There were rail tracks on the bridge; the train service stopped before I arrived but the track was still there.

People ask me what Nigeria is like, saying there must be beautiful flowers here. For me, Nigeria is beautiful; 250 languages and they all have their distinctions, they dance different dances. So, that is the joy of Nigeria, the different people, but people always think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. If they break up, then Nigeria will be forgotten and it will become small like Cote d’voire or

Benin or some place. It is also important to love people; a lot of people do not have what to eat, a lot of people need support, there are no jobs and people are begging along the streets. Some people are able to make so much from the little they have and this happens if you treat people with, have nice personality and you’re honest.

Nigerians, for the most part, do that. But people need help. I’ll never forget my friend who had malaria and died, he was 15 years old. There were no drugs and that is why life expectancy is so low- 47 years. But, I love Nigeria, I love the people; I love going back and will tell people all these stories- the success stories of the people. The government has to find a way to share the wealth; most people in the North-east do not have anything; all parts of the country should be equal. The people of Makoko who live on stilts over water also need help; it is their culture. I brought a friend from Makoko to be our day guard and to live at St. Dominic but after a while I noticed that he became withdrawn and I asked him if he was happy and he said yes but that he didn’t feel good. A Psychiatrist friend of mine advised that I take him to the village to put his legs in the water for a week and when I did that the man became himself again; that is his culture. In Nigeria, as the Lord said, love your neighbour as yourself. Nigerians should love their neighbours who are Nigerians. We have to love each other; that is what we have to do but the world is so political. The people are the joy of Nigeria; the different tribes and these are tiny tribes and they still keep their traditions.

Tell us about you early works.

We have built two churches since I have been here. I have built several churches in various places; one is in Iwaya, Mafoluku, Makoko and at Takwa Bay and I assisted with others. I also built a medical centre here in St. Dominic and at Mafoluku. The clinic is in the Yaba Community Centre (fondly called YCC Hall) I built in 1976 within the premises of the St. Dominic Church with assistance from the German Community in Lagos. The YCC is the main hall in the parish and it is used for all major church functions, wedding receptions and for social activities by various societies in the Parish. The center also accommodates the DOMNET. The clinic was officially opened in 1978 and has been providing various outpatient medical services to both parishioners and non-parishioners within Lagos State. It is divided into five units: Child welfare and general Clinic, Workshop, Antenatal services, Optical services and Laboratory service. They offer HIV/AIDS counseling and Natural Family Planning counseling.

The clinic operates between 8a.m. 3p.m.

(Monday-Friday). The Laboratory, drug store, consultation and treatment rooms are all fully equipped while there is an ambulance assigned for clinical uses.

I also established the Makoko Clinic

23

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

MEMOIRS Nigerians Should Love their Neighbours...

Cont’d from Pg. 22

Rev. Lucas with members

People ask me what Nigeria is like, saying there must be beautiful flowers here. For me, Nigeria is beautiful; 250 languages and they all have their distinctions, they dance different dances. So, that is the joy of Nigeria, the different people, but people always think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence in 1988 with assistance from the Dominican Sisters of Monte Mario, which I sought in 1977. It is an extension of the St. Dominic’s Clinic and it caters to the Egun fishing community within Makoko and its environs.

The clinic consists of an out-patient clinic and in-patient sections, including ante-natal and immunisation units.

It is administered by a Reverend Sister. There are two doctors who run shifts while three nurses are available all the time. We sank a borehole there with support of Arlington Height Rotary Club in the United States of America; it supplies clean water to the clinic. I bought a large piece of land at Mafoluku in l965 and it has been built into a complex, housing St. Jude’s Catholic Church, St. Catherine of Siena Medical Centre, St Martins De Porres Filling Station, Dominican Sisters’ House and Arts Shop, Dominican Nursery and Primary School as well as Dominican Secondary School. There is a broadcasting studio close to St. Dominic but I am no longer in charge of that; someone else is in charge of the station now. The studio started in 1994 with the acquisition of the former Crown hotel located close to St. Dominic at No. 364 Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, which was named Veritas House and turned into a studio. Veritas means “truth” in Latin. The Veritas Studio was set up basically to preach the word of God to listeners, but in Nigeria, the law does not permit the establishment of religious broadcast media thus the studio was restricted to packaging and coordinating the broadcast of Dominican productions in the various electronic media available in the country. It also sourced for materials from Catholic Radio stations e.g Radio Vatican and St. Joseph Catholic Radio USA for evangelical purposes.

However, today, it has expanded from a purely Dominican Religious facility to a fully equipped studio rendering various services to the public, like production of jingles, recording and waxing of compact digital audio, CDs, production of sound tracks for films, waxing and production of tapes, etc. There is also a book store.

The book center was initiated by the late Fr. Ambrose Windbacher, OP and started as a small bookshop in 1955. I got involved in running it in 1962 and from the little store in the old father’s house, the book centre has grown into one of the biggest Catholic bookshops in the country with patronage extending to neighbouring countries like the Republic of Benin, Ghana and Cameroon. It has been relocated to a bigger space, beside the Parish office and a warehouse for books is at St. Jude’s Mafoluku.

Lucas with church sisters

How did you engage young people in and outside the church?

I founded the Young Christian Workers who engage in a lot of activities in church and they are the ones who do the procession on Good Fridays. There are now Young Christian Workers in other Parishes and it is becoming a regional affair. I also founded the Society for Vocation Support in 1982 to raise funds from St. Jude’s devotees to train seminarians. Their first fund-raising initiative, (still in use till today) was to reach out to devotees both home and abroad with pledge forms attached to the periodic Novena information bulletins. The response was wonderful and since then, the Society has embarked on launchings and other fund-raising activities involving high networth individuals. A trust fund has since been set up, where proceeds from these activities are put, to yield interest which is used specifically for vocation support.

Tell us about growing up.

I was born to your Marcella Kohlman Lucas and

Walter Lucas, an engineer, in Racine, Wisconson, close to Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes. I have a younger sister who will be 80 years next January. We had several houses that we lived in and they were all on water. I always like the water and now that I’m going back to Chicago, I’ll visit Lake Michigan; it is huge and takes like two days to cross by ship and it is a mile deep in some places and it is all fresh water-wonderful.

I went to St. John’s Nepomic School, Racine, Wisconson and we had Reverend Sisters. I went to St. Catherine High School, Racine and most of my teachers were Dominican Sisters. I entered the Dominican community in River Forest, Illinois in 1952 after High School and in 1953 I made my first profession at the Dominican community in Dubuque, Iowa. I was transferred to the Provincial House of the St. Pius Priory in Chicago and later to Aquinas Newman Centre at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. I had planned to study Medicine at the University of New Mexico but I took my solemn vows on July 29, 1959.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

24

TRIBUTE

EmekaOffor:CelebratingAnUnsungNigerianHero

T

Hon. Chinwe Ugwu

here is a common maxim that some men are born greatest, some attain greatness while some had greatness bestowed on them. In another vein, the Holy Scriptures made us to understand that a prophet is without honour except in his own place.

One of the most successful Nigerian businessman, industrialist and philanthropist, Sir Emeka Offor is a man who achieved success, fame and greatness through hard work but is unfortunately not given commensurate accolades by the society, particularly in Igboland where he hails from. Due to the fact that he is not given to blowing his trumpet, Offor who sits atop a business conglomerate that spans power, oil and gas and other areas of the economy keeps a low profile lifestyle.

He is indeed an unsung hero. Offor’s philosophy of life is to attain excellence through hardwork, dedication and honesty. And as he clearly stated “I want to make my mark.

Actually, I want to make two marks. One as an excellent businessman who has built a group of companies that will stand the test of time. Two, to be as good at giving as I am at turning a profit. I hope to set an example for the next generation of successful Nigerian businessmen who will know they can make money while also making a difference” Born of a humble parentage in the railway commercial nerve centre of Kafanchan in Kaduna state, the son of a policeman braved the odds to become the successful businessman, community leader, philanthropist and family man that he is today. A very humble and humane achiever, Offor is detribalized Nigerian who accords respect to the sanctity of life and the existence of God. Offor in one of his media interviews described himself thus: “I am simply Sir Emeka Offor, the son of a policeman, born in Kafanchan. I stand for excellence. I am a goal-getter. I set big personal goals and enjoy the challenge of achieving the extraordinary and being the best I can be. I am a firm believer in the old Christian values of hard work and dedication to duty, and am an ardent admirer of these qualities in others”.

Offor is the chairman of the Chrome Group, which has extensive domestic and international business experience in numerous sectors of the economy. A dynamic and hard-flying entrepreneur, he has the wherewithal to excel where others fail due to his strength of character, vision and dedication to any cause he chooses to pursue. The Chrome Group was founded in 1994 and based in Abuja is a major player in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Due to his penchant for threading on paths dreaded by other men, Sir Offor could not allow his humble background to deter him from attaining Olympic heights in life.

Consequently, he has doggedly consigned poverty to the background and having tasted that side of life has vowed to erase tears from the faces of average Nigerian child. He has made his mark both locally and

Offor internationally in touching lives. As such the history of the fight against polio in Nigeria cannot be written without the audacious contributions of the Orafite-born billionaire and philanthropist. His contributions toward the eradication of the disease have been acknowledged locally and internationally. It is on record that he remains the only Nigerian to have donated $1.250 million dollars in addition to the Rotary Foundation polio plus programme, for the eradication of polio in Nigeria. We are aware that Nigeria is the only country in Africa where the incidence of Polio is still being recorded.

Similarly, the philanthropist through his foundation, The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation has not relented in ensuring that the menace of river blindness, one of the foremost eye diseases in the tropics is eliminated in Nigeria. Offor has in keeping with his avowed commitment to fight this disease to a standstill being collaborating with the Carter Centre financially and morally. He had contributed variously and at different times to the Carter Centre for the purpose. For example, Offor had some time ago donated $250,000 to the Carter Center, in support of its River Blindness Control Programme in the South East states of Nigeria. Similarly, the Foundation had donated the sum of €250,000 to endow a professorship of glaucoma in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Mainz, Germany. This is to assist research on the early detection and treatment of glaucoma. So far, Offor has committed the sum of $10 million over a seven-year span towards a complete elimination of river blindness.

In the area of education, he has instituted scholarships and other programmes to assist indigent students and uplift the standard of education in the country. A few years ago, he signed a 7million-dollar contract with Books for Africa (BFA) for the delivery of 32, 40 ft HQ containers of primary, secondary and University texts from November 1 2011- November 1 2014. This singular contract brought in over 640,00 books and assorted computers, which were brought in and distributed to schools. Since then, Offor has ensured that these books are distributed annually to all these institutions of learning.

Besides, presently thousands of students across the country are enjoying Sir Emeka Offor’s scholarship at various educational levels.

Just in April this year, Sir Emeka Offor and His Excellency, Aminu Bello Masari, the Executive Governor of Katsina signed into effect a Memorandum of Understanding between The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation (SEOF) and the Katsina State Government where the Foundation has committed to providing books and computers to higher institutions in the state. The initiative is part of Sir Emeka Offor Foundation’s continuing effort to promote literacy in the country and the continent of Africa. The Foundation’s active partnership with an Atlanta based non-governmental organization, “Books For Africa”, have successfully facilitated the supply of books, reading materials and computers worth more than $22 million to schools in over 18 countries in the continent including Nigeria since its inception.

Not oblivious of the challenges faced by widows in most of our communities, Sir Emeka Offor has developed a special attention for the welfare of widows. In fact, the empowerment programmes for widows go beyond the shores of this country. For example, the widows in Orafite would always recall with nostalgia, when in December 2012, the Sir Emeka Offor Foundation sponsored a delegation of about 20 of them from Oraifite to India on a three week study visit to the Talent research foundation. This group of women learnt a lot about practices and activities that enhanced the economic, social and political lives of the rural Indian populace. Areas of interest included skill acquisition centers, small holder farms, orphanages, rehabilitation centres and designated rural health centers. The Sir Emeka Offor Foundation Widows Cooperative has since inception catered for thousands of widows annually by given out bags of rice and other food items to these women.

As a true son of Orafite, Sir Emeka Offor has continued to identify with his people not only through charity but also businesswise and job creation. As part of his resolve to impact on his immediate community, Offor has set up a radio station, Blaze 91.5 FM in Oraifite. Blaze 91.5 FM every 30th and 31st of December hosts the Blaze blast concert where most “A “ list artistes in the Nigerian Entertainment industry are brought in to thrill the audience who do not have to pay a

dime to have a swell time. The show which is open to all and sundry is a platform which brings together south-east youths and other youths across the country.

A man who recognizes that everything he has comes from God, Emeka Offor built the Anglican Church that serves the community and this edifice is a magnificent structure to behold. In the area of infrastructure, he built the first access road from Oraifite to Nnewi.

It is also a well-known fact that he is the brain behind the constant power source in Oraifite.

He single handedly sponsors the New yam festivities “Afiolu” in Oraifite.

Due to his humanitarian activities, Sir Offor has been honoured both at home and abroad. He is a recipient of several chieftaincy and other awards. In March this year, Sir Emeka Offor, was honored by the Rotary International with an award as the 2015/16 International Service Award for a Polio-Free World in recognition of his non-financial contribution to Polio eradication throughout the region. The current Rotary International President, K.R. Ravindran was present in Abuja with his wife Vanathy, to personally hand over the award to Sir Emeka Offor at a lunch held in the latter’s honor. The International Service Award for a Polio-Free World, according to a top Rotarian is the first of its kind for a recipient from the African country.

The former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Howard F. Jeter (Ret.) was present at the lunch. In his brief comment, he gave a broader insight in Sir Offor’s other humanitarian projects. Speaking as a board member of SEOF, he highlighted the foundation’s partnership with Books For Africa (BFA), a U.S. based organization. Ambassador Jeter disclosed that SEOF’s partnership with BFA had facilitated the delivery of over “2 million books and reading materials” to over 18 African countries including Nigeria. He also spoke of an ongoing collaboration with The Carter Center, another U.S. based organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Rosalyn Carter. The partnership according to Amb. Jeter is targeted at ridding the five states of the southeast (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo) and two states of the south-south (Delta and Edo) of River Blindness.

This is just a tip of the iceberg of who and what Sir Offor is and does; and what he stands for. But to properly elucidate on his achievements and indelible contributions to the society and nation building, one would need to write volumes of books about him.

This honourable son of Nigeria deserves not just a pat on the back but an institution of his name and achievements in the sands of times. The history of Nigeria can never be complete without the due recognition of a man who has given his time, talents and resources to the welfare of the less privilege and is still doing it. Sir Emeka Offor God bless you the more!

Hon. Chinwe Ugwu is the Executive Director, Centre for Reform Education Initiative (CREI)

Osun at 25: The Beat Continues Isiaka Adeleke

L

et me say that divine providence, coupled with very selfless urge to serve the people, primarily informed my incursion, as they would say, into “the murky water” of politics. At the same time, I must emphasis that politics, in itself, flows in my family. My paternal grandmother, Madam Adeboyin was one of the outstanding Iyalodes that Edeland has ever produced. Vibrant and effervescent, she begot my father, the late Balogun of Edeland and a Senator in the second republic, Papa Raji Ayoola Adeleke of blessed memory.

I believe, in part, that the continuity to serve the people was reinforced by the past activities of my illustrious lineage.

As at 1989, I saw the need to join the foray to participate actively in the politics of old Oyo State, out of which Osun State emerged.

My university days in America witnessed student union activities, which has become part and parcel of me. I took the plunge and was determined to prove my mettle, though I was the youngest of all the contestants, where we had the likes of the late Chief Kolapo Isola, Haruna Elewi, Chief Oderinu, Hon ‘Dosu Ladipo, among others.

I travelled the length and breadth of old Oyo State, making overtures to the electorate as to my intention to serve them. Thank God that even as at today I have friends in far-flung areas like Ago Are, Ago-Amodu, Tede, Shaki, Oke-Iho, Eruwa, Iganna. We still relate very well up till today. They were at my 60th birthday ceremony in 2015 out of established affection.

When eventually, Osun State was created the job became a lot easier, as I had fewer places to touch in campaigning for the governorship race. Osun is a well-knit state, with clusters of towns. Hence, campaigning

was a bit easier. The primaries took place under the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and, by God’s grace, I won the general election and became the first elected executive Governor of Osun State on January 2, 1992 at a memorable occasion held at Osogbo township stadium.

As for my blueprint when I resumed office as governor in 1992, the priority was to get the staff deployed from old Oyo State to settle down to work, because the bedrock of any administration is her human resources.

Hence, we were determined to make the new state grow in leaps and bounds. We made efforts to give the civil servants all encouragement necessary, though accommodation posed a lot of problem. But we succeeded in laying a solid foundation. And Osun today can boast of one of the best civil service in the federation.

One important lesson, which our government learnt from the past development plans

in Nigeria, is the inadequate co-ordination and integration between physical plan and economic development plans itself. We discovered early enough in the life of our administration, that Osun State is highly urbanized and the conglomeration of the satellite towns was used to an advantage.

The government I led went ahead and built a state capital that was functional and beautiful. A Capital Territory Development Authority was established for the planning and development of the 40,000 hectares of land designated as the Osun State Capital Territory.

–Senator Adeleke (CON) was the first Governor of Osun State, Asiwaju of Edeland, Chancellor, Adeleke University, Ede, and Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market

Read full article online: www.thisdaylive.com

25

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

EXPRESSION

MEDIAGAFFES BY

EBERE WABARA

Converge On, Not ‘In’/’At’

N

ational Mirror of August 25 offered readers a cocktail of improprieties: “LIRS seals-off (seals off) Protea Hotel for tax evasion” “Edo SDP members decamp (defect) to PDP” “1 die (sic), 6 vehicles, houses burnt as fuel tanker explodes in Benin” The fatality in proper context implies that the person was killed (not dies) “When South West APC converges in (on) Ibadan” “Maximizing broadcast content security ahead of digital switch over (switch-over)” “Media must assists (why?) in fight against terrorism—FG” NATIONAL MIRROR Editorial and other sections of the edition of August 18 circulated oily blunders: “…indicated that the FG had concluded plans to drag an additional 700,000 companies to shore-up (shore up) its revenue profile.” Phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation.

“Kekemeke (Kekemeke’s) loyalists invade Ondo APC secretariat” “Another Delta community threatens to shutdown (shut down) Chevron operations” ‘Shut down’ is a phrasal verb while ‘shutdown’ is a noun.

Still on National Mirror: “There are some set of laws that governs the universe….” Critical strokes: either a set of laws or some sets of laws—depending on context or style “Youths should be solution provider (providers) in nation building (nation-building)” “Growing up…had an ‘arrow’ on her forehead, which helped her to remain focus (focused).”

“NURTW charges members on HIV free (HIV-free) society” “Singapore jails senior civil servants over

(for) corruption” “ANA postponements (sic) (postpones) August reading” “Peugeot plans to inject $7.26b on (into) research, development” “South African Airways celebrates 80 years (years’ or 80th year) anniversary” “You lived well and you have gone to (preferably for) a well deserved (well-deserved) rest. Rest in perfect peace.” (Full-page obituary) Except for graveyard peace, ‘peace’ is an absolute and does not need inflection, intensification or adumbration. So, rest in peace (R.I.P—not R.I.P.P)!

Finally from the Back Page of THE GUARDIAN under review: “One has witnessed at (on) different occasions dissenting opinions of doctors as regards prescriptions for patient’s (a patient’s) ailment.”

Next is DAILY TRUST of July 11: “Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar spoke at his palace in Sokoto….” Does the Sultan of Sokoto have another palace elsewhere? Let us think as we report.

“Heritage Bank plans listing in (on) capital market” “Pact with China conducive for peace, says Taiwan (Taiwan’s or Taiwanese) president” “Otherwise, there is no point we engage in importing that much on yearly (a yearly) basis.” “…he said though the institute has (had) developed 62 rice varieties for farmers, five most prominent varieties are (were) in circulation and are (were) doing very good (well).”

“NEMA, stakeholders meets over displaced persons” You can readily identify the boyish slip-up.

“With the LG polls now fixed for next week Tuesday….” Either next Tuesday or Tuesday, next week Lastly from DAILY TRUST: “Replicate

ewabara@yahoo.com, 08055001948

your performance to (in) your constituents (constituencies)” “Security at airports: Police deploys (sic) sniffer dogs at (in) Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, 5 others” (AIT News) From DAILY TRUST we move to THISDAY of July 12: “Absence of interpreter stalls trial of Portuguese woman charged for (with) drug trafficking” “Thumb (Thumbs) up for Nigerian refs in Mali” “Obasanjo : Amaechi’s k-leg (knocked leg) has been straightened” The following five solecisms are from DAILY INDEPENDENT of July 12: “DHQ assures of continued offensive” Who did it assure?

“Battle for soul of Ecobank intensifies” So the battle intensifies itself?

“Harnessing potentials of local software industry in Nigeria” ‘Potential’ is uncountable, but we have ‘potentialities’, “Tackling voters apathy in Nigeria” This way: voter apathy SATURDAY INDEPENDENT of July 9 disseminated all manner of school-boy mistakes right from the front page: “Fear has grip (gripped) notable politicians in Ebonyi State following findings by….” Most of the ensuing blunders were caused by sheer carelessness and loose thinking as the computer system has an in-built mechanism that detects most of the spelling errors contained herein.

“The discovery was made when the DSS arrested some kidnappers in the state alleged to be the brain (brains) behind high profile (high-profile) kidnapping in the state.”

“The SSS in the state said on Friday that it has (had) arrested….” “…motorists were made to watch a bizzare (bizarre) spectacle, (needless comma) as four policemen beat a man gave (who gave) his name as…to a state of stupour (stupor).”

“The policemen, who drove to the scene in a patrol van with registration number KJA 284 AX, threw caution the winds (sic) (threw caution to the winds).”

“Federal University Lafia, (otiose punctuation) matriculates 380 students” Would it have matriculated traders? Just yank off the last word in the extract!

“Community sends SOS to Amosun, Ambode over harrassment” Spell-check: harassment, but embarrassment.

“When Fayemi’s wife rescued woman abandoned with tripplet (triplet)” Still on SATURDAY INDEPENDENT under focus: “…Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, has already served the people creditably well…” This is an over-kill: use either ‘creditably’ or ‘well’. Both cannot co-function in the same environment.

“Adewale Ayuba is one musician (music/ musical) act who has been around for years.”

“My husband usually ask (asks) me to abort my pregnancy, woman tells court” Finally from SATURDAY INDEPENDENT, a voice of your own: “Movie directors threaten sanction on (against) actress” Next on focus is DAILY SUN of July 12: “They buy at N159 and sell at N167, the CBN has (had) addressed last year when….”

“But what the banks decided to do is (was) to even stop selling.”

“Middle aged (Middle-aged) man commits suicide in Jos…Police tries (try) to uncover his identity” “IITA creates 40,000 jobs under cassava to ethanol (cassava-to-ethanol) project” “Edo: Court remands killer cop (killercop)…”

“CBN said money is (was) missing from federation (the federation) account.”

Of Crocodile Smiles and Crocodile Tears

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ll things being unequal, the impossible can happen in Nigeria. That is why the crocodile is about to smile and tear at the same time, courtesy of the nation’s military and the Delta’s militants. As both forces square up in lock-down threats and drills, the otherwise sleepy crocodile is being roused from its lazy lethargy into a menacing mood that can hurt either way like a double-edged sword.

At the end of the day, the resulting scenario may be that of a MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) denouement that could leave both the Niger delta and the Nigerian state prostrate.

In the wake of escalated attacks on oil installations by resurgent but disjointed bands of militants and tough-talking responses from the Muhammadu Buhari administration, national and global attention has expectedly focused on the Niger delta in recent months. With its crippling effect on the country’s economy which is now officially in recession, two clear schools of thought had arisen on the renewed volatility in the region. The first which is preponderant in the corridors of power at the centre, is that sabotage and criminality has taken the garb of genuine agitations. The second, often canvassed by the intelligentsia of the Niger delta struggle, is that militancy is an off-shoot of the region’s demand to be given its deserved share in the allocation of national resources most of which is mined from its bosom. Somewhere in-between lays the interplay of global politics driven by the push of big oil and its conspiring component of international state actors.

But away from the theoretical and ideological underpinnings of the Niger delta affair, the reality on ground is that the nation is being brought to its kneels by the bombings of trunk lines, pipelines and other critical economic infrastructure crisscrossing the area. Nothing explains and exemplifies this more than the dreadful fact-sheet on the state of the economy released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) last Wednesday. According to ThisDay newspaper’s report on the grim release by the Bureau, “Nigeria officially slipped into a recession based on NBS’ GDP growth figures for Q2 2016, which showed that the economy contracted by 2.06 per cent, compared to the negative growth of 0.36 per cent recorded in Q1 2016.” In terms of the specific context of this discourse, the report said “daily oil production was estimated at 1.69 million barrels per day (mbpd), representing 0.42mbpd lower than Q1 production of 2.11mbpd and also lower than the corresponding quarter in 2015 by 0.36mbpd when output was recorded at 2.05mbpd.” Agreeably, the federal government has attributed this “sharp contraction in the oil sector due to huge losses of crude oil production as a result of vandalism and sabotage,” in a statement by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning. The disturbing explanation is that “with crude oil contributing 8-12% of GDP and up to 50-53% of the non-oil sector dependent on the oil sector, it is clear that the fortunes of up to 60% of the Nigerian economy rested on a volatile sector.”

But how can Nigeria address and redress this devastating volatility in the Delta and get a badly needed relief from the debilitating economic condition made worse by the global downturn in oil prices? This is the million naira question confronting the nation’s leadership today.

Unfortunately, President Buhari has shown an inclination towards applying the iron-fist approach against calls in some critical quarters that dialogue is better suited to deal with the situation. In

PEOPLE2PEOPLE

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OKE EPIA Telephone (sms only): 07059850016 Email: resourceman.oke@live.com.

Twitter: @resourceme

Buhari

the last week or so, the military has begun an operation code-named ‘Crocodile Smile’ ostensibly to safeguard law-abiding citizens and oil infrastructure from the rampaging militancy in the region. The full import of the military’s ‘show-of-force’ is not hidden to keen observers and inhabitants of the Niger delta who fear that the effort is a surreptitious move to level-up the creeks and inflict maximum damage to harmless and hapless civilians in the region. Given the history of the military’s intervention in the region, these fears cannot be dismissed as unfounded. This is why a note of caution by Vanguard newspaper in its Editorial comment on August 30th entitled ‘As “operation Crocodile smile” Begins’ must be taken seriously by government. The newspaper said: “The armed forces must keep to their promise of conducting their operations within the rules of engagement, which guarantees the safety of innocent civilians and their property. We totally forbid the harassment and victimization of innocent civilians, as this might escalate armed confrontations and defeat the core objectives of the operation. This is not a revenge mission, and it must not be allowed to result in acts of criminality by those sent to pursue criminals. Meanwhile, efforts at dialogue must take on a more urgent note. Any peace agreement must not be abandoned as soon as calm returns to the region. This will amount to merely postponing the evil day, yet again.”

The newspaper’s admonition echoes a similar position canvassed by respected statesman and former Military Governor of Kaduna

State, Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd) who cautioned the President against applying military force on the militants. In a statement released recently and titled ‘War in the Niger Delta: A Most Dangerous Option,’ Umar strongly advocated for the use of dialogue by government. Disagreeing firmly with attempts to draw a correlation between the Niger delta militants and the heinous boko haram terrorism in the North-east of the country, he said: “I am really frightened by the sudden escalation in the Niger Delta region from where there are reports of skirmishes between our security forces and the Niger Delta militants. This is happening after the President was quoted as vowing to deal with the militants as he did Boko Haram. All factors considered, the use of military force in an attempt to resolve the lingering crisis is not a good option and must therefore be discarded. As a retired General, Mr. President is well aware of the serious and daunting challenges any military will face in its operations in the most difficult and densely populated Niger Delta region. The creeks are so heavily polluted with oil, rendering them highly inflammable. It will take the firing of a few high explosive shells to set the whole area on fire, resulting in inestimable collateral damage among innocent civilians. It is also difficult to see how an armed conflict can secure our oil and gas assets in the region, instead it will aid the destructive activities of the militants and lead to total shut down of all oil and gas operations in the area. The Niger Delta militants cannot be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word and I believe they are amenable to meaningful dialogue. I need not remind the President that a war in the Niger Delta will be viewed and opposed by most objective Nigerians and the International community as unjust and merely aimed at control and exploitation of the region’s oil and gas resources.” The retired officer’s word of wisdom contrasts sharply with the position of a frontline member of the Northern intelligentsia and former presidential adviser, Ango Abdullahi who described the Delta militants as ‘economic terrorists’ who are “worse than Boko Haram.” According to him, the militants should be flushed out because “if you (federal government) are not going to fight the Niger Delta Avengers then stop fighting Boko Haram.”

Perhaps Professor Abdullahi and the school of thought he represents need to realize that the militants are not a rag-tag army of malcontents, saboteurs and criminals waiting to meet their waterloo in the hands of the armed forces as assumed. These boys much as their modus operandi is not in the overall best interest of the region and its peoples, are involved in a symbolic struggle for fiscal federalism and self-determination. And like has been proven beyond any doubt, they also possess the capacity to give the military a tough time if a push comes to a shove. Is it not ironically curious that a set of militants responded to the military’s declaration of ‘operation crocodile smile’ by announcing a countermand ‘operation crocodile tears’ which it demonstrated by blowing up a trunk line? The government should be guided by the dictum that violence begets violence. While I submit that the authorities must not be dragged into dialogue from a position of weakness, there is also the need to take deliberate measures to de-escalate tensions in order to create a convenient atmosphere for genuine talks that will involve all stakeholders across board. Otherwise, the real crocodile tears may become inevitable after the sounds of bombs and guns would have subsided. Or suspended.

––Follow writer onTwitter @resourceme

26

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

auto

Africa Needs to Develop Auto Sector Strategy, Says Nemeth Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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he Chairman of African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), Mr.JeffNemethhassaidthatAfricaneeds to have deliberate policies and systems to grow its auto sector.

AAAM was inaugurated on November 25, 2015 by founding members BMW, Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen, focusing on key markets of the African Continent.

Jeff Nemeth said, “The aim of the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers is to unlock the economic potential of the African continent by promoting a policy environment that is conducive to the development of the automotive sector.”

He said, “As the African continent becomes increasingly important within the global economy, it is crucial that we develop an auto sector strategy backed up by incremental investments in infrastructure, skills development and in-market localisation programmes.”

Nemeth, who is the President and CEO of Ford Motor Company Sub-SaharanAfrica Region, stated this in his brief speech at the launch of the Ranger 2.2 Automatic drive in George, South Africa, recently.

According to him, “This (auto sector strategy) will make new vehicles more affordable, boost the industrialisation of the economy and lead to the growth of middle income households, which will be the main driver for new vehicle sales.”

He said, “Outside of South Africa, which has a well-developed world-class automotive industry, Nigeria is recognised as a strategic market over the long term due to its demographics.

Quoting available statistics, he said, “Although Nigeria is recognised as Africa’s largest economy, the automotive sector is relatively small, with an estimated 44 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitants, according to DeloitteAfrica’sAutomotive Insights, published in April 2016.

“This is far below the global average of 180 vehicles per1000inhabitants,andlowerthanotherdeveloping regionssuchasLatinAmerica(176)andAsia,Oceania

President Muhammadu Buhari, receiving the Chairman of African Association of Automotive Manufacturers, Mr. Jeff Nemeth (next to the president) and his team in Abuja... recently

and the Middle East (79),” the report indicates.

“One of the biggest challenges we face in Africa is the lack of reliable data on the number of new and second-hand vehicles sold on the continent, as very few countries have formal reporting or legislative structurestomonitortheautomotivesector,”Nemeth adds. “This is exacerbated by the large number of second-hand imports, with only a small proportion of new cars sold due to the high import duties and lack of affordable financing options.”

He said AAAM’s mandate, thus, is to engage with government, industry bodies and representatives from the motor sector to provide advice on opportunities to formalise, develop and grow all aspects of the local automotive industry.

This,hesaidincludespromotinganinvestor-friendly regulatory framework that would support the development and implementation of policies to establish a viable automotive manufacturing industry on the continentthatincludesbothassemblersandsuppliers.

Nemeth said, “To unlock this market potential will requiregreatergovernmentandprivatesectorpartnerships to develop a formal legislative environment that is conducive to longer-term growth. It needs a more robust automotive strategy that promotes a sustainable and stable environment in support of local manufacturing operations.”

A delegation from AAAM, led by Jeff Nemeth, recently, visited Nigeria to engage with government and industry leaders.

Peugeot 4008 SUV Shows Class

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overs of Peugeot vehicles, particularly those who desire the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) version, now have Peugeot 4008 to put in their collection.

ThePeugeot4008isanSUVwithon-road and off-road capabilities. Peugeot was known more with the production of sedans and estates and not the SUV. The auto maker had the 404, 504 and 505 sedans and estates. They were in a class of their own during their time. They were preferred models of car buyers in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Peugeot has taken advantage of the current trend in the automobile industry whereby Sport Utility Vehicles have become the way forward to launch itself into the SUV category.

The launch of the 4008 into the market marks yet another beginning for Peugeot in the automobile world especially at a time when even luxury automakers are veering into SUV production. Even Bentley has come up with Bentaya, and Jaguar launched F-Pace, Porsche did theirs and Audi introduced many SUVs. Only an unserious car maker would ignore this

car segment and Peugeot has cashed into this segment with the 4008.

Having established itself as one of the leading automobile makers in the world, Peugeot has brought its many years of experience to bear in the new 4008 sport utility vehicle. The 4008 adopts a clearly distinctive style.

It asserts a personality with audacious lines and a genuine all-terrain attitude that is both expressive and dynamic. Compact and solid, the Peugeot 4008 is an off-road vehicle with a strong personality.

It combines outstanding handling with comfort.

The versatility according to Peugeot was achieved through a high quality suspension system and a range of transmission mode.

Distributed in Nigeria by PAN Nigeria with head offfice in Kaduna and a network of branches and after-sales facilities nation-wide, the 4008 is masterfully crafted to take any tough task. The 4×4 mode of the 4008 overcomes every terrain when the need arises while the two-wheel drive is at home with dry tarmac road. In poor road like sandy or muddy road, the 4WD Lock mode

Peugeot 4008

tackles the road with ease.

Interestingly, the 4008 is available with a 2.0 litre engine which delivers 150 brake-horse power. Here, the user has the advantage of fuel economy and at

the same time, a powerful engine. This engine is marched with a continuously variable automatic transmission, CVT, combined with steering wheel paddle-shift controls for driving pleasure.

Coscharis Motors Partners Chisco Transport on Rides, Rewards Promo

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wo major players in the transportation sector, Coscharis Motors Limited and Chisco Transport Limited are set to jointly delight customers/travellers on the Chisco platform.At a joint media briefing held recently in Lagos to formally announce the unique loyalty campaign tagged ‘’Rides and Rewards Promo’’, the two companies together with other stakeholders present unveiled the details of the campaign which majorly was to digitalise local transport business with the travellers in mind.

The Rides & Rewards Quarterly Promo comes with a Brand new Morris Garages 3 series car as star prize give away and several consolation prizes worth millions of Naira. The promo is structured to run every quarter to reward frequent travellers

and it is exclusive to online bookings strictly for those that patronise Chisco transport vehicles.

While addressing the media partners at the briefing, Mr.Abiona Babarinde, General Manager Marketing & Corporate Communications, Coscharis Group said Coscharis is proud to identify with Chisco for trailing the blaze on the digitalization of the road transport industry in Nigeria. Abiona noted, “Coscharis is a value driven organization and as such, we find a brand fit in any organization which takes the offering of value added goods and services to its customers seriously. This is what Chisco transport Ltd has demonstrated by creating this digital platform for its customers to initialize and conclude their road transport bookings online, thus our decision to partner with them to further

delight their customers.”

He went on, “We are equally proud that Chisco has chosen one of our great brands we represent in Nigeria, the MG3 as the star prize for their loyalty reward promo. The MG which is the acronym for Morris Garages, is a British brand which has been around since 1924 and Coscharis Motors is the exclusive franchise owner in Nigeria. The MG3 is regarded as a supermini car and like the rest of its siblings in the MG range, it is respected around the world for its sleek designs, world class performance and ICT savvy. There is no doubt that the eventual winner of this promo will go home with an automobile machine to be proud of.”

On his part, the Director, Assets Management, Chisco Group, Mr. Obinna Anyaegbu said, “As a

brand we are spurred to tow this direction, knowing that digitisation is cutting across all layers of our society to the extent that virtually every action we take today has a digital approach to it.

“As one of the industry giants, our strategic focus is to develop and drive an integrated transportation system that is digitally holistic in design and functionalities to promote contactless ticketing, improve operational efficiency, and create better experiences for our customers.” He added, “Our choice of partners - Coscharis Motors, Zenith Bank, Interswitch, TECNO Mobile- is inspired by their techie savvy and compatibility at pioneering the next-generation vehicles, transport systems solutions, and smart mobility services that comes with the future today.”

27

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

auto SAFE DRIVING

JONAS AGWU

with

(Asst Corps Marshal) Zonal Commanding Officer Zone RS7 Abua phone 08077690700 FRSC TOLL FREE NO 122 Email:j.agwu@frsc.gov.ng

Driving in the Rain 2017 BMW 7 Series

BMW Planning 7 Series Coupe Stories by Bennett Oghifo

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MW is planning to release a 7 Series Coupe, a move it hopes will help bring some excitement, and sales, to its range-topping luxury car.

According to a report from Bloomberg, the new coupe will arrive as soon as 2019 and it is only the first of several new variants coming to help

boost the 7 Series lineup.

BMW is mimicking Mercedes’ strategy with the S-Class, which is sold as a coupe, convertible and in the ultraluxury Maybach version.

Though a convertible from BMW wasn’t mentioned, the brand is also planning a Maybach competitor.

Audi is gearing up to release a new A8 flagship, further putting pressure on BMW to make sure its flagship car remains competitive. Four

years ago, BMW 7 Series sales were on par with the S-Class, but sales have slid for BMW down to 40 percent below its chief rival.

A performance variant, the M760Li xDrive M Performance, was introduced for 2017 along with the 740e xDrive Plug-In Hybrid, both of which should begin to help boosting sales. Rumors of a full-on M7 sports car have been swirling for some time, but considering BMW is

looking to get its edge back now, it may push the brand to actually pull the trigger.

Internally, BMW is blaming the lack of sales on its car being a little too boring and not being able to capture the attention of the public with technology like Tesla’s Autopilot. Gesture control was introduced on the 7 Series, but it hasn’t proved to be a technology that consumers care about.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Toyota C-HR: Full of Originality, Says Designer

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heC-HRgivesToyota a powerful new presence in the growing C crossover segment. It is intended to spearhead a new movementwithinitssegment-to create a new frontier. That’s why we decided it had to be unique: with its own personality, full of originality, Kazuhiko Isawa, the Chief Designer of C-HR has said.

Designed to stand out both within the Toyota line-up and in its segment, the all-new C-HR – or Coupé High-Rider - represents Akio Toyoda’s determination to allow greater stylistic freedom and promote engineering creativity in order to achieve eye-catching designs and enhanced driving pleasure.

The Toyota C-HR remains remarkably true to the general features of the concept-cars that attracted so much public attention in Paris in 2014 and in Frankfurt in 2015. Its coupelike lines are a testimony to the resolve of its designers to create a style that stands out in the Toyota range, and to establish a new direction amongst mid-sized crossovers.

With the C-HR, Toyota targets a clear and singular customer profile.Predominantlydrivenby emotional considerations, these

Interior of all-new 2016 C-HR

customers want individuality, and to be the first to try new experiences and products.

Style and quality are essential considerations in any purchase they make, and the car is an extension of their personality.

Inspired by what he learned from meeting with these customers, C-HR Chief Engineer Hiroyuki Koba focused per-

sistently on their requirements throughout the development process, setting high demands for design and perceived quality.

The Toyota C-HR’s unique character demonstrates the flexibility that the TNGA(Toyota New Global Architecture) gives to vehicle developers in the three key areas of design, powertrain and dynamics, enabling them to

deliver a new and fresh take on the increasingly commoditized crossover segment.

Pre-sales will begin throughout Europe in September, with the first deliveries to customers before the end of the year.

Positioned between the Auris TS and the RAV4, C-HR targets upwards of 100,000 annual European sales.

A New Design Direction for Crossover Segment

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ccording to Kazuhiko Isawa, “Crossover users want something special, something that a traditional SUV cannot offer. They want a high driving position, but they don’t want the boxy shape of an off-roader. And they also want an agile driving feel.

“With the C-HR, we are try-

ing to introduce a new value into the C crossover market, and that newness comes from SUV robustness and strength.

But we’re not trying to make an SUV that’s dynamic, rather, a dynamic vehicle with SUV-like properties.”

The all-new Toyota C-HR introduces a distinctive styling that brings newfound dynamism and sensuality to the crossover

market. 4360mm long, 1795mm wide, 1555mm high (Hybrid) and with a 2640mm wheelbase, the production vehicle remains remarkably true to the concept car’s exterior which was first shown at the Paris Motorshow in 2014, and which registered extremely well with target customers.

The C-HR is also available with a new 1.2 litre turbo engine,

which debuted in the Auris.

Delivering 85 kW/116 DIN hp and 185 Nm of torque, this unit generates CO2 emission from 128 g/km and returns combined fuel consumption of from 5.7 l/100 km. It may be mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a Continuously Variable Transmission. CVT equipped versions are available with either front- or all-wheel drive.

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aily in Port Harcourt, the River State capital,theheavenspours out its blessings on residents. I don’t know what the report for other parts of the country is, but the simpletruthisthattherainsarestill hereandweneedtotakenecessary precautions to avoid road traffic crashes and possible deaths .Driving in the rain, according to the Revised Highway Code is more difficultandhazardous.Thisweek , I intend to run this material again as a guide to both new and old drivers starting with P. Olson and M. Sivak research conducted in 1988 which found out that the amount of light required to see at night doubles every thirteen years. That is, at 20years of age, youneed100%oflighttosee,while at 33years, you will require twice the amount of light used to see at 20.The preponderant age of drivers on our roads would fall within the second category and most of these drivers within the context of our economy cannot rank among drivers on balanced diet. It therefore means that a good number of our drivers because of other factors peculiar to us would not even fit into the 1988 conclusions by Olson and Sivac.

The vital lesson however is that we cannot play down the place of visibility. It is safe to drive with your light on when it is raining and at night. Anytime visibility is poor, endeavor to have your head lights on.

While we advise that we enhance our visibility, special care must be taken to avoid the typical Lagos driving of, kiss me I kiss you or hanging on to someone’s rear light which has the potential of leading you off course; therefore you must defensively keep a safe distance. It is also advisable that you use clean cloth soaked in soap tocleantheparticlesthatmayhave accumulated over time on your wiper to make it more effective.

Youmustalsolearntocontrolyour speed. You are advised to adopt the common sense speed limit by adjusting your speed to suit the weather, your vehicle, your capability and competence and your age which we have said affects your sight or the amount of light required. Common sense therefore dictates that speed should be lower when weather isbadorroadsdefective.eg-onwet orslipperyroadsorwhentheview is unclear from smoky exhausts of other vehicles, harmattan dust or in foggy weather.

Critical to driving at any time is speed. It is identified as a critical factor and that is why good driving demands that we obey speed limits at all times especially during bad weather such as the raining season. When the road is wet, the chances of your vehicle glidingareveryslim.Alsovehicles in front of you, especially large or speeding vehicles may raise a film of dirty water to further reduce visibility.Yourwipersmustalways

work. When it is raining or the road is wet, leave at least double the normal stopping distance. if you are following a vehicle at a safe distance and another vehicle pulls into the gap you have left, dropback toregainasafedistance.

If you are driving in a very wet weather, you may find that your vehicle begins to aquaplane; ie, slide. This is because water builds up between the tyres and the road and makes the steering feel light Now let’s talk about steering handling at all times, including during the rains. The vogue on our major roads including the cities is to find a good number of driverswhoholdthesteeringwith one hand, eat, or phone, with the other. Some others would choose to rest their right arm on the front passengers head rest even under the rain. The correct posture is to hold your steering wheel with both hands except when shifting gear lever or giving signals. The recommended way is to hold the steering on nearly opposite sides in a position termed “ten-to-two” derived from the clock hand positions at ten minutes to two o’clock, that is, 01.50 or 13.50 hours. It is a traffic offence to drive with one hand only Driving we have noted is all about visibility. You must be particularly careful at dusk and in mistyordustyenvironmentwhen it is more difficult to judge speed and distance. To overtake, never do so if you are in doubt. Overtaking is a dangerous manoeuvre.

Ask yourself if you really need to overtake. Learn to signal in good time; ensure it is clear and safe and that it is legal for you to overtake.

Avoid overtaking at the crest of a hill, slope, built up arrears, corner, bend, narrow bridge or a bus stop.

Do not overtake where the road narrows, or where your action would force another vehicle to swerve or brake suddenly, or if you would have to cross double solid white lines, or if the solid line of the centre lines is nearer you.

Lastly, remember that your tyre connects the vehicle with the road; they are the part of the vehicle that has direct contact with the road. It is therefore important that you use goodtyresandrunacheckonyour tyre pressures with a quality tyre pressure gauge (not the abused/ overused roadside vulcanizer’s gauge). Such a check may reveal that at least one of your tyres is incorrectly inflated. Very few vehicles, if any, will pass this test.

Incorrect tyre pressure is the major cause of tyre blowouts, sudden tyre failures and premature tyre wear. Incorrect tyre pressure is an invitation to disaster even if the tyres are brand new! It is a time bomb waiting for the right time to explode.

The implication is that each time such a vehicle is driven, the occupants are facing grave danger without being aware of it. There are two types of incorrect tyre pressure. These are over-inflation and under-inflation.

28

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

FAMILY HEALTH

Possible Causes of Repeated Failed IVF Cycles

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he in vitro fertilization [IVF], process is a complex assisted conception procedure that involves 1. the male and female patient, 2. the clinical team and 3. the eggs and sperms on one side. We could look at it that a repeated failed cycle could arise from any of these sets of important players in this scenario. We can look at it a simple way , Sometimes, there will be clear-cut reason but often there is no answer. The recommendation will be to try another cycle of IVF and if that fails, try another and so on until out of sheer exhaustion- physical and mentally- a person stops doing IVF. In this physician’s experience, it is critical when faced with multiple cycles of IVF, to try and determine when enough is enough. Approaching the answer to this question requires evaluating various aspects of the IVF process in an attempt to define why multiple attempts at IVF have failed. dividing the world of IVF into the world of the embryo and the world of the uterus offers a starting point for this investigation.

A failed cycle could be that the patient did not respond to the expected level of follicular development, the inability to collect eggs at harvesting time, the inability of the eggs to fertilize using all conventional methods of inducing fertilization, which is the coming together of the egg and sperm, to fuse, or finally the failure of the transferred embryo to implant.

Pregnancy rate following one cycle of IVF and ET can be as high as 60%. But even in the very successful units, some couples fail repeatedly. The causes for repeated implantation failure (RIF) may be because of reduced endometrial receptivity, embryonic defects or multifactorial causes. Various uterine pathologies, such as thin endometrium, altered expression of adhesive molecules and immunological factors, may decrease endometrial receptivity, whereas genetic abnormalities of the male or female, sperm defects, embryonic aneuploidy or zona hardening are among the embryonic reasons for failure of implantation. Endometriosis and hydrosalpinges may adversely influence both.

Implantation dysfunction is a common cause of repeated “unexplained” IVF failure with good embryos.

This is especially the case in young ovulating women who have normal ovarian reserve and have fertile partners.

• Failed IVF is a frustrating situation for couples and their fertility doctors.

There is an equation that we can use to illustrate the implantation process: • Quality of the embryos + receptivity of lining of the uterous = chance for implantation and pregnancy • We know that many human embryos will arrest (die) before day 5 • Unfortunately, embryonic arrest also occurs after day 5 • Some of the embryos that we transfer that “ look good” will die after we put them in the uterus • This is the explanation for IVF failure in the large majority of cases • The problem is rarely the male sperm , and uncommonly the uterus • It is usually a weakness in the embryo that leads to failed implantation • On the average, only about 25% of transferred embryos continue to develop and become kids • This percentage of implanting embryos is greatly dependent on the age of the female.

• We see about 50% implant under age 35 • We see about 12% implant at age 41-42.

When IVF does not work after numerous attempts - switching the uterus is not likely to result in success.

However, the egg donation experience teaches us that switching to eggs from a young egg donor would be very likely to be successful.

This tells us that the problem is not the uterus but is the egg quality . Therefore, it works when we switch to different eggs from a young woman.

Some animal species have much higher implantation rates per embryo transferred than humans do. Human IVF is not as efficient due to the relative weakness of the human egg as compared to those animal species.

This is not to say that the sperm and the uterus are not sometimes contributing factors in the IVF success equation. However, the sperm and the uterus are relatively minor factors as compared to the major factor of egg quality.

•Genetic and chromosomal issues causing causing failure of implantation in IVF We know that one of the major factors contributing to in vitro fertilization failure is the high rate of chromosomal abnormalities in human embryos.

As women age the incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in mature eggs increases significantly.

Studies have shown that starting in the early 30s, the rate of chromosomal abnormalities in human eggs (and therefore in human embryos) starts to increase significantly.

The rate continues to increase with advancing female age so that by the mid-40s a very high percentage of human embryos are chromosomally abnormal (over 75%).

It is believed that this is mainly due to problems with the spindle apparatus in the egg nucleus. The spindle is involved with

Research have identified a biological process that may cause the failure of embryo to attach to the uterus wall after IVF, raising the possibility of future treatments.

Recent studies have found that microRNA levels are altered in the endometrium of women with repeated implantation failure. But how these molecules might affect the attachment of the embryo was previously unknown

properly lining up and segregating the chromosomes as the egg matures at the time of ovulation.

Older eggs have an inefficient spindle apparatus that does not line up the chromosome pairs properly and “mistakes” are made when splitting pairs of chromosomes.

This leads to eggs that do not have the proper balance of 23 chromosomes - and will result in a chromosomally abnormal embryo if fertilized.

It has been shown that about 1% to 2% of human sperm are chromosomally abnormal on the average - as compared to about 20% to 90% of human eggs (depending on female age).

PGS preimplantation genetic screening can be done on embryos prior to transfer to evaluate chromosomal competence.

Research have identified a biological process that may cause the failure of embryo to attach to the uterus wall after IVF, raising the possibility of future treatments.

Recent studies have found that microRNA levels are altered in the endometrium of women with repeated implantation failure. But how these molecules might affect the attachment of the embryo was previously unknown.

Scientists at the University of Manchester’s Institute of Human Development have found that they may do so by inhibiting another molecule - insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGFR1) - that was not previously known to have a role in the attachment process.

•Defective endometrium: this is the status of the linning of the womb.

Repeated implantation failure (RIF) is determined when embryos of good quality fail to implant following several in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment cycles.

Implantation failure is related to either maternal factors or embryonic causes. Maternal factors include uterine anatomic abnormalities, thrombophilia, non-receptive endometrium and immunological factors. Failure of implantation due to embryonic causes is associated with either genetic abnormalities or other factors intrinsic to the embryo that impair its ability to develop in utero, to hatch and to implant. New methods of time-lapse imaging of embryos and assessment of their metabolic functions may improve selection of embryos for transfer, and subsequent outcomes for IVF patients, as well as for those diagnosed with RIF. •Defective embryonic development : Chromosomal abnormalities of the male or female partner, the gametes or the developing embryo may burden embryogenesis.

•Endometriosis : Endometriosis as a cause for RIF has not been investigated directly; however, all markers of reproductive process, including ovarian response, embryo quality, implantation and PRs, are decreased in endometriosis, especially in severe diseases .

•Hydrosalphinx: Patients with hydrosalpinges have lower implantation and PRs Hydrosalpinx fluid is commonly slightly alkaline and may contain cytokines, prostaglandins or other inflammatory compounds. These compounds may have either direct embryo-toxicity or adversely affect the endometrium. . Reflux of hydrosalpinx fluid into the uterine cavity may result in decreased affinity of the embryo for the uterine wall.

A functioning and receptive endometrium is crucial for embryo implantation. During the menstrual cycle the endometrium undergoes both morphologic and biologic changes that prepare it for interaction with the

with

BOBO BODE -KAYODE

lifeissuesfromwithin@yahoo.com, .Cel, 08053372356

embryo, and ultimately for successful implantation.

Once all biological changes transpire, the embryo can attach, invade the endometrium and finally implant.

This crucial stage lasts for a few days and is referred to as the “window of implantation”. For occurrence of the “window of implantation”, the endometrium must proliferate, increase in thickness and then, after ovulation, adequately respond to progesterone and become receptive. Ultrasound examination of the thickness and appearance of the endometrium is an easily performed means of assessing morphological changes occurring in the endometrium during the follicular phase, and is thus used as a measure to predict successful implantation. Indeed, several studies have reported a strong association between endometrial thickness and successful . The minimal adequate endometrial thickness for successful implantation, as measured in the late proliferative phase, varies between studies, with a range of 6–8 mm. However, although rare, some investigators have reported successful implantation in an endometrium of no more than 5 mm thickness .

Thin and unresponsive endometrium, especially following surgical interventions in the uterine cavity is difficult to treat and obviously contributes to implantation failure. Several approaches have been implemented to increase endometrial thickness, and presumably prepare it for the “window of implantation”. Treatment with high dose oral estrogen or vaginal estradiol application, intended to increase the estradiol level in the serum, as well as in the vicinity of the endometrium, has demonstrated only marginal success . Similarly, treatment with low dose aspirin or vaginal sildenafil which presumably increases blood flow to the uterus, consequently improving the response to estradiol, were rather disappointing . Our approach is to freeze embryos when a thin endometrium is noticed, and to transfer them in a natural cycle, if possible; or alternatively, in an artificial cycle, while applying increased dosages of estradiol, for as long as three weeks before progesterone is added. Once progesterone is added, estradiol treatment dose can be lowered, or switched again from the vaginal to the oral route. Nevertheless, once all modes of treatment fail, surrogacy should be offered as an option.

The definition of RIF refers to the transfer of good quality embryos that do not result in implantation. Embryo quality is assessed by morphologic criteria, under the assumption that the embryos, although transferred on either day 2 or 3 after fertilization, would continue to develop in utero, reach the blastocyst stage and then implant. However, even embryos that are morphologically defined as good quality may cease to develop in utero and fail to progress into a blastocyst stage. This may be due to either suboptimal local conditions or intrinsic factors within the embryos. Several approaches have been suggested for overcoming these obstacles, among them zygote intra fallopian transfer (ZIFT), blastocyst transfer, sequential ET and embryo co-culture system.

Improved implantation can be achieved by Hysteroscopy correction of uterine cavity, myomectomy, treatment of thin endometrium , endometrial stimulation, treatment of the embryos [ PGD , co cultures, assisted hatching , blastocyst transfer ] , and improved embryo transfer technique.

GLOBAL SOCCER

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • JUNE 16, 2011

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

Planning Tanzania Fall

PAGE. 29

03.09.2016

Gernot Rohr

Eye on 2018 World Cup

30

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER

Eye on 2018 World Cup

Football fans in Nigeria will have an insight into what new manager, Gernot Rohr, can offer as he leads out the nation's national team in his first assignment as Eagles Coach against Tanzania in a formality Africa Cup of Nations qualifier today in Uyo. The result will not change anything for both countries. However, after Nigeria failed to qualify for two consecutive AFCON, Rohr’s main task is to save NFF President, Amaju Pinnick from the unenviable record of having led a federation that failed to qualify Nigeria for not only two AFCON but a World Cup, as Nigeria faces an uphill task of qualifying from a group of more prepared nations like Algeria, Cameroun and Zambia. Kunle Adewale reports

W

hen the draws for the qualifying matches of the 2018 World Cup slated for Russia were made and Nigeria was pitched alongside Algeria, Cameroun and Zambia, many soccerloving Nigerians were pessimistic of the country’s ability to hoist her flag in Russia. This is not because Nigeria lacks quality players to navigate the qualifiers but the ill-preparedness of the football governing body in Nigeria.

Even the NFF boss in an interview admitted that the country boasts of some of the youngest best talents in world football, and that the Super Eagles feared no foe in the quest to book a place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

“Nigeria has the youngest and the most enterprising team in world today.

Today’s world is youth football, players between the ages of 18 and 21,” he said.

But the big question is, does the NFF itself possess the ability to turn these talents into a formidable team? Only time will tell.

However, after all the hullabaloo that surrounded the search for a new manager for the senior national team, the NFF penultimate week finally settled for 63-year-old German Gernot Rohr, whose major challenge is getting the ticket to the 2018 Mundial in Russia.

“We do not want to make any mistake this time around. Even if we are in a group that has Algeria and Egypt, we would still qualify. We don’t care who is in our group. Other countries should be scared of Nigeria now because of the quality of the new team we are presenting. One thing I can assure Nigerians is that whichever decision we arrived at eventually would be in the best interest of the country without any bias,” Pinnick had said during the federation’s quest for a coach and before the draws were made.

In a telephone chat with former Nigeria international, Mutiu Adepoju, he admitted that Rohr may not be one of the best coaches in the world but thinks he was right for the job considering the little time the federation had to employ a new coach.

“If we are thinking of bringing the best coach for Nigeria at this time,

we would just be going round and round. I just believe Rohr is the right person we can get now and I think he would do a great job for the team considering the way he has related with them, his intelligence and the working ethics he has brought.

“His first priority for now should be how to bring the players together, especially with the match coming on Saturday (today) in Uyo; how to get the positives from it- which is noting down the players that would suit his style; bringing in his quality, work ethics and philosophy and introducing it to the players. Immediately after the game against Tanzania, is the first World Cup qualifiers and he has the responsibility to get the players united,” Adepoju said.

In spite of not getting a coach on time for the national team, which no doubt has set behind the team’s preparation, ‘Headmaster’ as Adepoju, is fondly called, said Rohr could still book a World Cup ticked for Nigeria.

“Nothing is impossible; we just have to be optimistic. All he needs from us is our support because questioning and criticising would only amount to distraction for the team, which is what they don’t need now,” he noted.

Nigeria’s preparation to the 2018 Mundial qualifiers was hindered by the quest for a coach after erstwhile coach, Sunday Oliseh unceremoniously threw in the towel before the all-important encounter against Egypt for the last matches of the 2017 AFCON qualifier slated for Gabon. In an attempt to fill the gap left by Oliseh, the NFF had been at a crossroads before finally settling for the German.

Another thing that may not work in favour of the former German international is that while other Eagles foes in the qualifiers can take advantage of the AFCON in January, to keep their team in shape, Rohr cannot boast of such as he would have to depend on training and possibly warm-up matches (if the federation can afford one, considering its usual complaint of ‘NFF lean purse’).

Interestingly, considering the insincerity of the NFF in the past,

Rohr and his assistants during Super Eagles first training in Uyo

NFF Boss, Amaju Pinnick

31

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER

Rohr

Eye on 2018 World Cup Rohr is starting his job on a precautionary note.

The coach, a former development officer with German Football Association (DFB), has lodged copies of his contract with the international football governing body, FIFA and the German Embassy in Abuja.

THISDAY understood that Rohr complied with advice of his agents by domiciling copies of his contract with the German Embassy in Abuja and the international football governing body’s headquarters in Zurich.

The move is seen by many as a safety net that will guarantee his interests by making a third party, notably FIFA, to intervene in the future if he is embroiled in unresolved contract disputes with the notorious Nigerian federation.

NFF is famed for causing high profile feuds with coaches it engages over matters concerning breaches of contracts.

The NFF and its immediate past national coach, Sunday Oliseh, still

occasionally trade tirades about allegations bothering on outstanding salaries to the former international midfielder and his assistants.

At the time they died in June, both Stephen Keshi and Shaibu Amodu, were still owed by NFF for services rendered as national coach and technical director of the federation respectively.

Rohr is understood to be employed on $48,000 per month salary and will aim to make an immediate impact when Nigeria tackles Tanzania in Uyo today, in an Africa Cup of Nations fixture that amounts to a mere window dressing.

In 1996, he managed Girodins Bordeaux to the UEFA Cup final, where they lost to Bayern Munich and and between 1998 and 1999, he was sports director of Eintracht Frankfurt.

His other past managerial jobs include French club Nantes and Nice, Young Boys Berne in Switzerland, the Tunisian club Etoile du Sahel and the national teams of Gabon and Niger.

Rohr took Gabon to the quarterfinals of the 2012 Nations Cup on home soil and also managed Niger at the 2013 edition but failed to get them out of the group stage. Before leaving Burkina Faso, he led the Stallions into the final round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

The NFF's technical committee recommended Rohr after the federation failed to reach an agreement with Paul Le Guen in June.

"I am enthusiastic to get to work.

This is a big challenge because Nigeria has big players everywhere and has the ability to do well internationally.

I have a German heart - the heart of a winner. I have confidence that with the right atmosphere and the right support, the Super Eagles have the capacity not only to qualify for the World Cup, but get to the latter stages of the competition," Rohr had told the NFF website.

Ahmed Yusuf Fresh, vice chairman of the NFF's committee, had explained their recommendation thus: “The committee was impressed with Mr. Rohr's profile and current activities for the German Football Federation (DFB).

"He was very positive, showed great interest in the job and is ready and willing to live in Nigeria. He is also willing to work with indigenous

Nigerian coaches and with the committee, and believes the Super Eagles can qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which is very important to the NFF. He swayed the committee with his calmness, good knowledge of the African terrain, focus and maturity."

The football federation signed Rohr on a two-year deal to work as a technical adviser.

How well Rohr is able to save Pinnick’s face by qualifying Nigeria to the

G LO B A L S O C C E R ASSISTANT EDITOR KUNLE ADEWALE LAYOUT DESIGNER WAHAB AKINTUNDE THISDAY ON SATURDAY EDITOR SHAKA MOMODU DEPUTY EDITOR YEMI ADEBOWALE THISDAY NEWSPAPERS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE

32

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

GLOBAL SOCCER 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier… 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier… 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier… 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier…

Super Eagles Play for Pride against Tanzania

An Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Tanzania ordinarily would have generated a lot of attention among soccer-loving Nigerians but not so as both countries are already out of the biennial competition slated for January 2017 in Gabon. However, the Super Eagles and the Taifa Stars will be playing for pride

W

ith Nigeria needing an outright win against Egypt in Alexandria after the Super Eagles failed to hold on to their 1-0 lead and allowed the Egyptians a last-minute equaliser in the first leg at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, the Samson Siasia-led team was therefore condemned to win the return leg but failed to inspire and lost to a first half goal, which ensured Nigeria would not hoist her flag in Gabon.

Therefore, today’s encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, is a formality as Nigeria and Tanzania will have no part to play at the 2017 AFCON, after Egypt nicked the sole ticket from Group B. Meanwhile, while fans in Nigeria are not losing sleep ahead of today’s game, the Taifa Stars are

I know many Nigerians will want us to hire the best coaches like Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson but the truth is that Rohr is the coach we can afford right now.

That a coach has failed while coaching other countries does not mean he will fail with Nigeria. The truth is that with the quality of footballers this country is blessed with, any coach who comes here is almost guaranteed 60 percent success.

We are appealing to Nigerians to throw their support behind Rohr

taking the game seriously and want to make a statement in Nigeria after being held to a goalless draw by Nigeria in the first leg in Dar Es Salaam, insisting they should have won the first leg game after creating plenty of chances and will be in Uyo to prove they are one of Africa’s emerging teams.

The Taifa Stars sit bottom of Group G with just one point and are yet to score a goal in the entire campaign but head coach Charles Mkwasa is confident his troops are up to the challenge.

"Both Tanzania and Nigeria are out of the qualification brackets but we want to win this game. Every coach sets out to win every game and we want to win because it will definitely improve our Fifa ranking," said Mkwasa in an interview with supersport. com.

In the absence of striker Thomas Ulimwengu who is recovering from an injury, Mkwasa will be looking to Belgium-based Mbwana Samatta who has been enjoying fine form at Genk.

The 23-year-old is the main man in the Taifa Stars and has already started making a name for himself in Europe after moving to Genk, in the winter transfer earlier this year.

Tanzania pack an exciting bunch of players like John Bocco and Mohammed Hussein, with Samatta, the only foreign-based player named by coach Boniface Nkwasa in his attempt to upset the Super Eagles.

As part of his on-the-spot assessment and also an opportunity for the new German Coach to assess his players in a match situation, the Super Eagles took on Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) club, Akwa United in a tune-up game on Wednesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stdium, Uyo in preparation for the Tanzanian match.

Eagles won by 3-0, but Rohr was unhappy as failing light abbreviated proceedings during the s friendly game. The second half of the contest lasted barely 30 minutes as stadium officials at the ‘Nest of Champions’ failed to turn on the floodlights.

The development meant the game had to be ended prematurely, something that did not go down too well with Rohr.

“The absence of the floodlights affected our play in the second half.

The players started the second half very well when it was not too dark but it was very hard to play in the dark (as the game wore on).

Rohr opted to start players like

Rohr in training with Super Eagles players in Uyo

Chiedozie Awaziem, Wilfred Ndidi and Victor Osimhem while the ‘big guns’ like John Mikel Obi, Ogenyi Onazi, Ahmed Musa and Odion Ighalo were introduced at the start of the second half.

The trainer added afterwards that he has no preferences and merely wanted to see all his players in action.

“I wanted to see all the players.

For the players that started, I didn’t know them too well and that is why I wanted them to play in the first 45 minutes. Two of them continued after the break because we still do not have all the invited 23 players available. There were 20 players on Wednesday but by Thursday, we will have 23 players,” he said.

“The training match against Akwa United will tune up the boys for the game against Tanzania on Saturday (today) as well as give the coach a chance to see the boys in a game situation for the first time,” spokesman of the Super Eagles, Toyin Ibitoye said.

Meanwhile, midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, who was a second half substitute in the encounter has spoken about his earliest impressions of the new Super Eagles Technical Adviser.

The 23-year-old Trabzonspor man revealed that his earliest impressions of Rohr have been positive. “I have been impressed with our new coach so far and I hope we achieve great success. The game against Akwa United was a good one and it gave the coach opportunity to see us (Super Eagles players) for the first time in a match situation.

“We will try to win on Saturday(today) against Tanzania and hopefully, it sets the tone for a successful World Cup qualifying campaign as we look to go to Russia (for the 2018 Fifa World Cup),” Onazi told supersport.com.

However, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has urged Nigerians to throw their weight behind the new national team head coach, Rohr.

A member of the technical and development committee of the NFF, Paul Bassey, said Rohr would succeed as Nigeria coach and is drumming up support for the 63-year-old trainer.

“A few years ago, a certain barman, Clemens Westerhof, was appointed as Super Eagles coach and the decision to hire him was criticised by many. We know how it ended as Westerhof remains the most successful coach this country has ever had. I don’t think it is right to criticise a man (Rohr) even before he has commenced work.

“I know many Nigerians will want us (NFF) to hire the best coaches like Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson but the truth is that Rohr is the coach we can afford right now.

That a coach has failed while coaching other countries does not mean he will fail with Nigeria. The truth is that with the quality of footballers this country is blessed with, any coach who comes here is almost guaranteed 60 percent success. We are appealing to Nigerians to throw their support behind Rohr,” Bassey said.

Rohr will want to start his Super

33

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

GLOBAL SOCCER 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier… 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier… 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier… 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier…

Super Eagles Squad

Goalkeepers: Carl Ikeme (Wolverhampton, England) Emmanuel Daniel (Enugu Rangers); Ikechukwu Ezenwa (FC IfeanyiUbah) Defenders: Leon Balogun (FSV Mainz 05, Germany) William Troost-Ekong (Haugesund FC, Norway) Chidozie Awaziem (FC Porto, Portugal) Jamiu Alimi (Kano Pillars) Abdullahi Shehu (Uniao da Madeira, Portugal) Musa Muhammed (Istanbul Basaksehir, Turkey) Elderson Echiejile (AS Monaco, France) Kingsley Madu (AS Trencin, Slovakia) Midfielders: Mikel John Obi (Chelsea FC, England) Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor, Turkey Wilfred Ndidi (KRC Genk, Belgium) Nosa Igiebor (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel) Forwards: Ahmed Musa (Leicester City, England) Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City, England) Moses Simon (KAA Gent, Belgium) Victor Moses (Chelsea FC, England) Imoh Ezekiel (Al-Arabi Sporting Club, Qatar) Odion Ighalo (Watford FC, England) Brown Ideye (Olympiacos FC, Greece) Victor Osimhen (Wolfsburg FC, Germany)

Eagles adventure with a win to make a statement.

Meanwhile, Egypt has already secured qualification to Afcon 2017 from Group G having amassed an impressive 10 points with home and

away wins over Tanzania, a home win against the Super Eagles and a priceless draw in Kaduna to ensure a place in Gabon for the first time since 2010.

Chad pulled out of this qualification campaign citing financial constraints in March this year following their 1-0 loss

to Tanzania, the latter’s first win in the qualification process thus rendering all their results null and void.

Rohr will want to start his Super Eagles adventure with a win to make a statement.

“It is very important because it is the first match for us before we commence the qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. We will face Zambia in the next one month so this game is important to see the state and level of the players and how they react in match situations. The game against Akwa United was interesting because I saw something in our young players. It was also good to see the fans turn out to appreciate the players who won Bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio,” Rohr said.

Black Stars in a Shambles Ahead of Rwanda Challenge

G

hana are in a shambles as they head into their final 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, which see them host Rwanda in Accra

today.

The Black Stars are already guaranteed top spot in Group H after collecting 13 points from five unbeaten matches, and their place at Gabon 2017 is secure.

However, they come into this final match courting chaos after a battle between the country’s Sports Minister and the Football Association.

After coach Avram Grant named a

strong squad for the clash, Sports Minister Nii Lante Vanderpuye claimed his portfolio had no money to pay for overseas-based players to travel, as well as accommodation for the team.

This has led to the farcical situation where many of Ghana’s foreign-based players have paid for their own travel (injured Andre Ayew has generously offered to pay for those who cannot afford the cost themselves), while the players have also reported for training from homes rather than a team hotel.

It is important that the Black Stars at least honour the fixture in order to avoid any sanction from CAF and ensure that they are

Fennec Foxes Set to Run over Lesotho

A

lgeria, having comfortably secured qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, will ease into their final match of the preliminaries when they host minnows Lesotho in Blida on Sunday.

The Fennec Foxes have been imperious in Group J of the qualifiers, going unbeaten through five matches and claiming 13 points to guarantee top spot and therefore a berth at the Nations Cup finals next year.

As for Lesotho, aside from a morale-boosting 2-1 win over Seychelles back in March, their cam-

paign has been predictably lean and they enter the final round sitting at the bottom of the pool with just three points.

Algeria will fancy their chances of at least repeating a 3-1 win they claimed over Lesotho in the teams’ first meeting a year ago in Maseru.

A first-half strike from Faouzi Ghoulam and a late brace by Hilel Soudani secured the victory, with the hosts’ consolation goal coming from Ralekoti Mokhahlane.

The group’s other match sees Ethiopia host the Seychelles in Hawass today. The game at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida will be refereed by Guinean official Sekou Ahmed Toure.

free to participate both in next year’s AFCON finals and the impending start of Africa’s 2018 World Cup qualifying group stage.

As for Rwanda, they come into the match placed second on the standings with six points, though they have no mathematical chance of finishing as one of the two best runners-up, who will also qualify for the AFCON tournament.

The Black Stars claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Rwanda when the teams met in their group match in Kigali a year ago, with Mubarak Wakaso scoring a late goal to see the West Africans to victory.

Group H’s other match in the final round sees Mozambique host Mauritius in Maputo today. The game at the Accra Sports Stadium will be refereed by Cameroonian Antoine Effa.

Today’s Fixtures Ghana Cameroon Ethiopia Angola Cape Verde Nigeria Senegal Cote d'Ivoire Mozambique

v v v v v v v v v

Rwanda Gambia Seychelles Madagascar Libya Tanzania Namibia Sierra Leone Mauritius

Standings Group A

Team Liberia Tunisia Togo Djibouti Group B

P W L D GF 5 3 1 1 10 5 3 1 1 12 5 2 1 2 6 5 0 5 0 1

GA 4 2 4 19

GD 6 10 2 -18

PTs 10 10 8 0

Team

P

W L D GF GA GD PTs

RD Congo

5

4 1 0

12 5

7

12

CAR

5

3 1 1

8

7

1

10

Angola

5

1 3 1

6

7

-1 4

Madagascar 5 Group C

0 3 2

4

11 -7

Team

P

W L D GF GA GD PTs

Mali

5

4

0 1 8

Benin

5

3

0 2

S/Sudan 5

1

4

0 3

1

1 -8 3

E/Guinea Group D

5

0

4 1

2

6 -4 1

Team

P

W L D GF GA

2

1 7 13

10 5 5 11

GD PTs

Burkina Faso 5

3

1 1

4

1 3 1 0

Uganda

5

3

1 1

5

2 3 1 0

Botswana

5

2

3 0

4

6 -2 6

Comoros Group E

5

1

4 0

2

6 -4 3

Team

P

W L D GF GA

GD PTs

G/Bissau

5

3

1 1

7

6

1

Congo

5

1 1 3

8

7

1 6

Zambia

5

1

1 3

6

6

0 6

Kenya Group F

5

1

3 1

4

6

-2 4

Team

P

W L D GF GA GD PTs

10

Morocco

5

4

0 1

8

1

7

13

Cape Verde

5

3

2

0 1

1

6

59

Libya

5

1 3

1 7

6

1

4

Sao Tome/P 5 Group G

1

Team

P

W L D GF GA

GD PTs

Egypt

4

3

0 1

7

1

6

Nigeria

3

0

1 2

1

2

-1 2

Tanzania Group H

3

0

2 1

0

5

-5 1

Team

P

W L D GF GA

GD PTs

Ghana

5

4

0 1

13 2

11 13

Rwanda

5

2

3 0

8

5

3

Mauritius

5

2

3 0

3

14

-11 6

Mozambique 5 Group I

1

3 1

4

7

-3 4

Team

W L D GF GA

GD PTs

Cote d'Ivoire 5

2

0 3

4

2

2 9

Sierra Leone 5

2

2 1

3

3

0 7

Gabon

5

2

2 1

7

4

3 7

Sudan Group J

5

1

3 1

2

7

-5 4

P

4 0 4

17 -13 3

10

6

Team

P

W L D GF GA

GD PTs

Algeria

5

4

0 1

19 5

14 13

Ethiopia

5

2

1 2

9

13

-4 8

Seychelles

5

1

3 1

4

9

-5 4

Lesotho Group K

5

1

4 0

5

10

-5 3

Team

P

W L D GF GA

GD PTs

Senegal

5

5

0 0

1

1

2 9 15

Burundi

5

2

3 0

7

9

-2 6

Namibia

5

2

3 0

5

7

-2 6

Niger Group L

5

1

4 0

2

7

-5 3

Team

P

W L D GF GA GD PTs

Zimbabwe

5

3

Swaziland

5

2 1

Guinea

5

1

2 2

Malawi Group M

5

0 3 2

Team

P

W

L

D GF GA GD PTs

Cameroon

5

3

0

2

5

2 3 11

Mauritania

0 2

11 3

8

11

8

-2

8

4

5

-1

5

4

9

-5

2

2 6

5

2

2

1

5

4 1 7

South Africa 5

1

1

3

7

5 2 6

Gambia

0

3

2

1

7 -6 2

5

34

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

AFRICA PLAYS

with KENNETH EZAGA 0807 0530 677, zigi199@yahoo.com

Will Star Lager NPFL Sponsorship Change the Game?

Still some distance to go, and space for more or the league to become as successful as would create significant value in our society, no one brand can make take on the responsibility alone.

Despite the encouraging progress made in the management of the league in recent times, especially this year, more still needs to be done and this would require even more sponsorships. For instance, the NPFL champions received less than 100m naira in prize money last season whereas their counterparts in the South African PSL carted home about two million dollars - close to one billion naira. I am a firmer believer in the thinking that for sports to achieve its potential in popularity, the stakes have got to be high and stars have got to be created. If you put a one billion naira prize money on the NPFL crown it immediately changes the dynamics. Clubs would raise their competitive levels, strive for more professionalism, hire and pay better for quality playing and management staff, and constantly invest in the search for quality talents. More investors will buy into our clubs and ensure better marketing that would spike spectator interest. But to do this the league managers would require more sponsors beyond Supersport and Star.

There is room for more of you big Nigerian executives reading this to get on board.

There must be room for an official bank of the league, an official telecoms partner and even an official car company. Now is the

F

L-R -The Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria-Maggi, Chairman of League Management Company, Shehu Dikko, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde and the 1st Vice-President Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at the official unveiling of Star Lager as the official beer of Nigeria Football Professional League last Tuesday in Lagos Photo: Sunday Adigun

time to get in and tell a story of how your brand helped to make it happen, because it will happen. Yep, there is still some way to go, but we are marching, with increasingly greater speed, in the right direction.

Applause for Ifeanyiubah FC after West Ham deal Just last weekend I was singing the praise of Heartland FC for seeking partnerships with European clubs as a way to move the club to new competitive heights, only to read this week that FC Ifeanyiubah have already completed a deal to become the

partners of London club West Ham United in Nigeria. This is a huge step forward for both the club and the NPFL and more Nigerian clubs must follow this route to tap into the billions of dollars invested in the global football industry annually. We need to increase our share of the global football market. This is how we should play the game because given our pedigree in the game, our population of 180m people, our status as arguably the largest economy in Africa even with vast amounts of various mineral resources that are yet untapped,

Nigeria Cup Pre-qualifiers Hold Today, Organisers Plead for More Support

A

s preparation for the 20th in the series of the Nigeria Cup; a weeklong competition put in place to celebrate the nation’s Independence anniversary gathers momentum, the first stage of the competition begins on Saturday with the pre-tournament qualifiers, Chairman of the 2016 organising committee, Bayo Alli has revealed.

The pre-qualifiers take place at the golf section of Ikoyi Club 1938 on Saturday, September 3rd.

While saying all effort is being made to ensure a successful competition, the organising committee chairman, who is also the Vice Captain of the section, promises a unique competition that every Nigerian will be proud of.

“Nigeria Cup is about celebrating our national heritage; it’s about Nigeria and Nigerians, and everything in it.

So we are giving our members, our sponsors and every participants a Nigerianised weeklong

L-R ; Gordon Tannock (Arsenal) former Arsenal football player, Kanu Nwankwo; Marketing Director,Nigerian Breweries Plc, Franco Maria-Maggi; and Portfolio Manger, National Premium, Nigerian Brweries Plc, Tokunbo Adodo at the Star/European Clubs Partnership Announcement, held in Lagos...recently Photo: Sunday Adigun

fanfare”, Alli said.

According to him, the kiddie’s event this year will be great; the ladies event will be a showpiece, the pro-am is our signature event and very unique, Alli said, explaining further that sponsors and players will get value for being part of the competition.

“We will make sure that our sponsors get value for their money, we will be accountable

and we promised that every money given will be well spent Describing this year’s edition as a novel considering the plans already put in place; Alli said that there is no better time to celebrate the nation than now.

‘I think this is actually the time to relax and celebrate after all the crisis we have gone and still going through. We want to ensure that the

20th Nigeria Cup give sponsors, our members and all our friends opportunity to unwind and refocus and golf is one of the those sports that is good for such relaxation,” Alii explained further.

While thanking members of the club and corporate organisations for their support so far, Alli pleads for more, saying every kobo given to the committee will not only be well spent.

SuperSport Gears up for Paralympics Advertising guru, Joey Reiman, once described the Olympics as “where heroes are made . . the Paralympics is where heroes come.” These heroes will soon flood our television screens when the

2016 Paralympics begin in Rio de Janeiro on September 7.

SuperSport will broadcast two 24-hour channels (SS13 and SS14) in High Definition for the duration of the Games with producers choosing the

best of four feeds from Olympic Broadcast Services. What isn’t broadcast live will be broadcast on a delayed basis.

Both Olympic channels will be available from the Compact DStv bouquet upwards and

expectations are high that the Paralympics will continue a long tradition of extraordinary feats by athletes with disabilities competing across 23 sports, including, for the first time, canoeing and paratriathlon.

every business from outside our continent with Africa-wide interest should first talk to us in Nigeria.

Also this should show us that business is a two-way street as this deal will be mutually beneficial. I see Nigerians sweat over their love for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the like and ask them “what do you get in return?”

Often the answer is “entertainment”. I never get this, we already are a people exposed to over-entertainment, but that is not my point. Men should be different from boys because men have bills to pay. If you must invest your emotions and resources in these foreign clubs, at least be shrewd enough to get something tangible in return.

That is what this Ifeanyiubah deal smells like, and the aroma is beautiful.

Barcelona academy in Lagos On more of the good news in Nigerian football, a football academy backed by global giants Barcelona FC is expected to begin operations at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos from next month. This will no doubt offer a number of young Nigerian talents a window to the global stage. Again it speaks to the give-and-take football business relationship some like us have advocated for.

This after all is an age when footballers are sold for tens of billions of naira. French star Paul Pogba was recently bought for about N40b in a single transaction by English club Manchester United, a fraction of that would put a lot of people to work in Nigeria. Football is business not just entertainment.

GOtv Boxing Night 9

Organisers Promise More Fights Flykite Promotions, organisers of GOtv Boxing Night, have announced their decision that the boxing event will feature more fights beginning from the next edition holding on October 2, at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos.

Speaking in Lagos on Tuesday, Managing Director of the company, Jenkins Alumona, said it has become necessary to increase the number of the fights from six to eight because there is a need to give more boxers opportunities to participate.

Every edition of the event, aside from the one held last December, featured six bouts. The only exception featured four.

“Boxers are emerging and needed a platform to express themselves. We have just concluded the second edition of GOtv Boxing NextGen Search, which threw up 16 talented guys across weight divisions. These and some of those who emerged at GOtv Boxing NextGen 1 are on the queue waiting for opportunities. Increasing the number of fights will address this quicker than sticking to the customary six-fight format,” explained Alumona.

He promised that GOtv Boxing Night 9 will be a watershed, as it will feature a number of elite boxers from within and outside Nigeria.

“We are looking at having our boxers test themselves against the toughest opponents in other countries. It is no use for our boxers to be local kingpins if we want them to develop and get them prepared for tougher tasks ahead. Don’t forget that this is about developing the sport within our shores and part of that development is to have our boxers fully tested by very good boxers from other countries, so as to gauge their readiness for bigger bouts,” he added.

Alumona reiterated that boxers discovered at the GOtv NextGen Search, who had their professional licences paid for by the sponsors, can hope to make their professional debuts sooner than later.

Athletes from 18 African countries will be among the competing nations.

The popular Blitz channel will carry regular Paralympic news items, while the two TV channels will be available via streaming via www.supersport.

com and the SuperSport and DStv Now apps, as well as social platforms and DStv Catch Up. Daily two-hour highlights packages will be scheduled on SS Select and SS9.

The Paralympics run from September 7-18.

T H I S D AY SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

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16, 2011 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER THISDAY, JUNE THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

FAIRGROUND

Fourth Marketing Minister’s Business Dinner, Recognition

with

AZUKA OGUJIUBA

azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

T

he fourth annual Marketing Minister (MM) Business Dinner and Recognition took place recently at the ultra-modern CEME Innovation Centre, London, United Kingdom.

The annual business event organised to recognise, appreciate and celebrate entrepreneurs and business owners was well attended by eminent personalities, government functionaries, top entrepreneurs and business executives in the UK. In his speech, the acting High Commissioner of Nigeria to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Simon Ogah, enjoined all Nigerians and indeed Africans to embrace entrepreneurship.

He thanked the organisers of the event, Marketing Ministers UK for such wonderful opportunity of helping Nigerians to develop new businesses. And these are some of the faces of the guests at the prestigious

From Right, Lola Shonowo, CEO MIDAS Hair,and Yinka Shonowo, Operations Director of Operations

From Left, His Excellency, the acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador, Simon Ogah, Chairman Central Association Of Nigerians In UK (CANUK),Publisher, African Voice, Mike Abiola

VIP Guests at the Event

Yinka Shonowo, Operations Director MM, Ambassador Simon Ogah and MM Founder and CEO, Tunde Sodeinde on the Red Carpet

Morenike Ajayi, Executive Director Career Nuggets being presented her Recognition Award

Beautreat Parlour CEO with her Business Recognition Award and Guests

Some of the recipients of the business success recognition Awards

Charles Khiran, Host of the Event with CEO Olamint Media

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

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FAIRGROUND

Falana Presents 3rd Set of

Falana Uncover’d

T

here are not many people that can boast of living on three continents, being able to speak four languages fluently, in addition to being a multitalented creative artiste, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. Enter Victoria Falana: known simply by the mononym FALANA, the Cancer-born force of nature not only speaks English, French, Spanish and her native Yoruba, but also has taken her gifts with her to Toronto, Lagos and Havana.

FALANA started life as any other child, highly influenced by the things around them. She picked up vibes and rhythms from her Sunny Ade-obsessed mother during her happy childhood, along with the jams of the ‘90s she used to belt out at 3AM much to the displeasure of her siblings. Her

defining moment with music, however, was the release of Lauryn Hill’s first and only album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”.

She listened to the album from beginning to end all in one sitting, thus began the FALANA we know today. Along with Lauryn Hill came Nina Simone, Etta James, Amy Winehouse and Sade, in addition to Fela and King Sunny Ade; laying a foundation for a fusion of diverse, unique sounds that can be difficult to categorise. She knows she’s not your regular afro-beat musician, and you might be tempted to call her jazz or soul artiste or even a drummer girl. While she’s neither of the two, but she’s fine with people labeling her however they wanted.

After leaving Nigeria, moving to Canada and spending sometime in Cuba, FALANA has made her way back to where it all began. In a series of concerts, she brings

FALANA UNCOVER’D to the Nigerian market with the vision to revolutionise the concert experience in Nigeria. Opening performance for Asa in Concert and performing at a recent Felabration, FALANA is not a completely new face to the alternate Nigerian music scene. With her own concert series, however, she has been pushing the envelope for what a live performance can be in Nigeria by challenging the norms with regards to the way audiences received live music.

Currently working on her first full album, FALANA brings the audience her own original songs, as well as covers of popular songs with a refreshing spin and her unique vocal delivery. The next pop up concert in the FALANA UNCOVER’D live show series came up yesterday, August 26th at Alara Lagos.

Falana

EF Academy Has Done it Again

S

ixteen-year old Oluwatosin Onaolapo has made Nigeria proud. Tosin is an IB student at EF Academy at the Torbay campus.

She spent the early part of her summer holiday as an intern at the Global Student Leaders’ Summit at The Hague in the Netherlands. She was chosen out of 1500 international high school students to give a speech introducing Ndaba Mandela (grandson of Nelson Mandela) to her peers at the international summit.

From June 24th to 26th, Oluwatosin, along with other high school students from around the world, gathered at the International Court of Justice for the Global Student Leaders’ Summit. It was a three-day leadership conference focused on human rights issues. At 8:30 a.m. that morning, Tosin prepared for the task assigned to her as a summit intern.

She has the sole honour of introducing the summit’s keynote speaker, Ndaba Mandela to a group of 15,000 of her peers from around the world. Other keynote speakers were Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Pulitzer Prize winner, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, an alumnus of the African Leadership Academy (ALA), South Africa.

Oluwatosin’s stint at Torbay was her

Oluwatosin

first time away from home alone, and her work at the Global Student Leaders’ Summit was her first internship. “The summit gives us the confidence to raise our voice higher and add our thoughts,

our ideas to global issues. My entire internship experience was centered on learning from everyone around me and being bigger than some of the limitations that are typically associated with youth or race. It was all truly amazing,” she said.

Students at the summit attended human rights and leadership workshops and they participated in innovation sessions with peers who became close friends by the weekend. The pinnacle of the summit was the innovation sessions that saw small groups of students come together to solve a current human rights issue using the ‘design thinking methodology’. They chose from four different case studies that focused on individuals who overcame situations where their human rights were diminished or disregarded. These four individuals’ stories were featured on the renowned blog “Humans of New York” and the students were asked to come up with solutions to the issues that the individuals faced in each scenario. Tosin’s group worked on finding a solution for women like Bhavani, an Indian woman now living independently in the U.S. after her husband died 15 years ago. She, and other women like her, have had to move past the gender roles that restrict them.

“As a group, we realized that Bhavani

needed support from other women who had been in, and risen above similar circumstances. One group member suggested we send letters of encouragement from such women to Bhavani. We then decided to fold those letters into origami cranes and have them mailed to her personally.”

Students at the summit came from all around the world. Oluwatosin was part of the EF Academy group made up of 23 students representing 16 different countries; a culturally diverse group unified by a common universal trait- youth.

Oluwatosin believes young students should be given the opportunity to experience the Global Students Leaders’ Summit like she did because “the summit gives us the confidence to raise our voice higher until we get the respect we deserve, even as youths. Some of the other interns and I are thinking of creating an international non-profit organisation where we can use what we’ve learned about leadership and storytelling to teach others to take leadership positions in the student council and become better ambassadors for EF Academy and for our countries. Being part of the conference allowed me to get a glimpse of where I stand in the global community.” With young women like Oluwatosin, the future is in good hands.

Danny Glover, Bimbo Akintola, Somkele Iyamah Idhalama to Premiere at Toronto Film Festival

T

he Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which has an outstanding reputation for showing the best films from around the world, announced, recently, its selection of the captivating movie 93 Days for this year’s screening.

The highly anticipated premiere of 93 Days will take place at the TIFF on Friday, September 9th, 2016 at 9.30PM at the Isabel Bader Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

93 Days has been labeled one of the most important movies to come out of Nigeria. The true-life movie details the Ebola epidemic in Nigeria, which held the entire nation at standstill.

The movie gives a true account of how Nigeria was faced with the first case of the Ebola Virus disease and the victory

the country achieved when the disease was eradicated after 93 Days.

Ebola found its way to Nigeria when American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer (Keppy Ekpeyong Bassey) collapsed at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and was rushed to First Consultant Hospital for exhibiting symptoms of fever. After careful observation, the team at First Consultant Hospital, led by Dr Ameyo Adadevoh (Bimbo Akintola) believed Mr. Sawyer’s illness was more severe than fever and not long after, he was diagnosed with the Ebola Virus Disease.

Then, the journey began on how to control the spread of the life-threatening virus that could result into a national outbreak.

“93 Days is a masterfully crafted incredible story of bravery and sacrifice and is definitely a must see. It showcases the

best of Nigeria, it’s powerful, gripping and an emotive piece. I am proud,” said Bolanle Austen Peters, Producer, 93 Days.

The suspense-filled thriller, directed by award-winning movie director, Steve Gukas features the best of international and African movie acts such as TIFF rising star, Somkele Iyamah Idhalama, Danny Glover, Tim Reid, Alastair Mackenzie, Bimbo Akintola, Keppy Ekpeyong Bassey, Bimbo Manuel, Charles Okafor, Tina Mba, Gideon Okeke, Paul Adams, Francis Onwochei, among others.

93 Days is a powerful movie that details defeat, triumph, heroism and a country’s determination to protect its people. With the expertise of talented producers, cast and crew, Nigeria tells its own story through film.

The film was produced by Steve Gukas, Pemon Rami, Bolanle Austen-Peters and Dotun Olakunri.

Danny Glover

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

September 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

FITNESS FILE

Summer’s Over And You’ve Put On

W

e all know about the quest for that elusive bikini body, a lot of you were on workout missions in the build up to your summer holiday.

Now it’s time to start heading back to your various realities and the glaring fact that the summer body you fought for was gone in week. To be fair, a lot of you are probably trying to stay active while on your summer break, but the truth is your body just can’t keep up with the sheer volume of calories being consumed in booze and all the wrong types of food.

I can guarantee that as your break goes on, the workouts get less and less, and pretty soon that bikini goes into hiding. So as you start to head home, it’s time to start thinking about getting back in shape before the demands of life kick in, as well as that depressing realization of just how much money you’ve burned through. Here are some tips to avoid descending into a pit of laziness and over-indulgence.

Eat in When I think of the amount of calories in restaurant food, the first word that comes to mind is “obscene.”

Restaurants want repeat business, and they get this by making their food taste extra good. They make it taste extra good by piling on lots of sugar, fat and salt. Not only does this amp up the calories to the aforementioned obscene levels, but also it tastes so awesome that you lose control and overeat. This is bad.

To drop the holiday pounds, you have to come to terms with the fact that the holiday is actually over and get back into the habit of regular grocery shopping for healthy ingredients to make nutritious, calorie-restricted meals.

Detox I’m not a fan of cleansing supplements, or any type of dietary detox product. What I’m talking about here is going on the wagon. Booze will pile on the calories as well as decrease your eating inhibitions (meaning you make poor dietary choices when drinking), and also make it harder to perform on the exercise front.

Sure, you may be bummed about going back to the grind after a nice break, but don’t compensate for this with alcohol. If you were drinking like it’s an Olympic event during your trip, then it’s time to give your liver a break. By itself, taking three to four weeks off from drinking alcohol is going to do a lot to shed those unwanted pounds.

Get back into the exercise routine I’m a big fan of working out while on holiday, but most people aren’t.

Most forget their exercise routines the moment to check-in to their hotel; many just go to the gym once. It’s okay; I understand how difficult it is after an alcohol-fuelled night out.

If this is you, then it’s time to get back to the sweaty socks and labouring lungs. You may need to ease your way back in if you’ve totally slacked off. Either that, or just take the consequences. Also, try to find ways to fit in some extra activity. This can be as simple as deciding to pack a healthier lunch (remember the rule about not eating out - skip those lunch meetings) and taking a walk at noon with a colleague while eating something healthy.

The Edenlifestyle corner with

MAJE AYIDA

majeayida@edenlifenigeria.com www.edenlifenigeria.com, 07062614551

Go to bed hungry Hungry, not starving. I believe that right before bed is the only time it’s ever okay to be hungry. You need to keep your appetite “satisfied”, not “full”, throughout the day in order to provide energy. This strategy also keeps you from losing control of your appetite later on in the evening and engaging in night-eating.

If you stay properly fuelled throughout the day, eat a moderate dinner, and then stop eating after that, therefore not taking in a bunch of additional calories before bed, then the pounds will really fall off. Again, before bed is really the only time it’s okay to be hungry, because overnight your appetite resets and you start off with a clean slate of eating a good breakfast the next morning. Just don’t be so hungry that it affects your sleep or that you need to get up and eat in the middle of the night.

Find Something You Enjoy Doing, and Start From There Getting into the right mindset is only half the battle. The rest, obviously, is actually putting your plans into motion. If you’re already struggling with your weight, or if you have no idea where to start when you return, this can be one of the biggest hurdles to get over. What kind of exercise should you do, and how much? How can you tell if it’s working? How can you get the biggest bang for your diet and exercise buck, as it were?

Frankly, the best response to all of these questions is to ignore them.

If you focus on results out of the gate, or think in terms of optimal

Getting into the right mindset is only half the battle. The rest, obviously, is actually putting your plans into motion.

If you’re already struggling with your weight, or if you have no idea where to start when you return, this can be one of the biggest hurdles to get over. What kind of exercise should you do, and how much?

How can you tell if it’s working? How can you get the biggest bang for your diet and exercise buck, as it were?

Frankly, the best response to all of these questions is to ignore them. If you focus on results out of the gate, or think in terms of optimal benefit instead of building habits, you’re already on the wrong track. I’ve known people who took up running or spinning because they thought that’s what they had to do benefit instead of building habits, you’re already on the wrong track.

I’ve known people who took up running or spinning because they thought that’s what they had to do.

They hated it, but kept going until something happened and they missed a day. It may have been the holidays, a late meeting, or illness, but whatever it was, that was all it took to get them off the horse.

Instead, seek out exercise that rewards you mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Find things you enjoy doing, at any activity level.

Don’t get caught up in the “all or nothing” mindset, where you think you have to buckle down and do an hour of cardio or strength training every other day for the rest of your life, start slow with something you know you can do, even if it’s once a week. It’s more important, especially when you’re getting started, to focus on what you can do and step up from there.

Remember to be patient, it may take a couple of months for the weight to drop off, but you’ll get there.

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SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

FASHION FILE

RENAISSANCE Collection by DMG

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

FASHION FILE

By Azuka Ogujiuba azuka.ogujiuba@thisdaylive.com

RENAISSANCE’ Collection

B

eauty comes with art, fashion comes with beauty and art; Renaissance is a merge of beauty art and fashion..

“We are glad to present to you the DMG spring/summer collection, ‘R E N A I S S A N C E’, a Collection inspired by the embedding desire to capture the beauty of women, not withstanding the age difference, the body type or shape.

Women are a great vessel to the era of the human race and with immense understanding of a woman’s life, we discover every woman’s wants to look chic, beautiful, fashionable and stylish! Which is why we decided to ‘give every specie a bite of their own flesh’ with designs and colours featuring dark colours to pink, known as the love of every lady, not exempting dark colours that are edgy to florals (bright and shady), details , cut outs and capes and palazzo. The pieces which is meant to be suitable for those in their 20s and 30s, or 60s. It is indeed a must have for women of fashion and style. It’s a time of change, a time of the new era, a time to be that Renaissance lady in DMG!” Designer: DMG Models: Charity Owoh & Lynda Ify Stylist: Vane Karolle Make-up artist: Chykar Olebu Shoot director: Kevin Koya Photography: Ayo Alasi IG: @officialldmg @de_davids

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER •SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

WITH

MARKET PLACE

OMOLABAKE FASHOGBON 08033621009

L-R: The Director, Standards and Network Integrity, Nigerian Communication Commissions, Engr. Fedilis Onah unveiling ranges of eclipse smart devices being distributed by Pumoh Exclusive Online Services in Lagos ...recently

L-R: Acting Director General,Manufacturer Association of Nigeria,Mr. Segun Ajayi -Kadir;Director General,NAFDAC,represented by Special Adviser to the DG,Mr. William Effiok;Managing Director,The La Casera Company,Mr Roland Ebelt and Director,Product Certification,Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON),Mr Bayo Adigun, during a factory tour of the company in Lagos recently

UK Firm Floods Nigeria with Smart Devices Technology shops in Nigeria will be hosting new device stands as United Kingdom-based brand, Eclipse hits the market with wide range of smart devices.

The just released devices which include two tablets, two smartphones, one feature phone, and one smart watch are to be exclusively distributed in Nigeria and Africa by Pumoh Exclusive Online Services, a Nigeria based online shopping mall.

Unveiling the products recently in Lagos, Director, Standards and Network Integrity, Nigerian Communication Commissions, NCC,

Daar Communications Committed to Indomie Heroes’ Award Preparations towards the 2016 Indomie Independence Day Awards (IIDA) for Heroes of Nigeria has received a boost with the recent agreement between the host company, Dufil Prima Foods and Daar Communications limited.

The agreement indicated that Dufil would be able to utilise Daar Communications platforms which include Raypower, African Independent Television(AIT) and Faaji FM for guest appearances, news coverage and advert spot booking.

The IIDA is an annual Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of the Dufil Prima Foods Plc ,geared towards the recognition of children who have against all odds, exhibited extraordinary acts of bravery in the face of danger and societal challenges not minding the pains that come with it ,and this new deal will afford the event a wider coverage.

To Chief Marketing Officer, AIT, Mr. Lanre Awoyemi ,the move would offer the communication company an opportunity to contribute to promoting children’s accomplishments ,who although, may be young, but yet mature, to display extraordinary courage and determination in situations that ordinarily would bring fear, discouragement and self-pity to the whole world.

Speaking on the partnership, Group Public Relations and Event Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju commended management of Daar Communication Plc for their commitment to the project.

He said “There is no doubt that Nigeria is indeed fortunate and blessed to have young people with nature of service and milk of human kindness flowing in them and they indeed, need a wider coverage platform to showcase their acts of bravery. ”We have made it a yearly commitment to connect and reward extra ordinary kids and we will not relent on our effort in making this initiative even bigger with more rewards.”

The award has so far produced a total of 24 winners in the last eight years who were rewarded with scholarship prizes worth millions of naira. This year’s edition has been reformed to fit newly created categories – physical bravery, social bravery and Intellectual bravery in order to reward more kids.

Mr. Fidelis Onah, pointed out that the new products had scaled necessary checks and test, thus, certified okay for the Nigerian market.

Managing Director of Pumoh, Mr. Umoh Adigwupu noted that the new range of smart devices were set to revolutionise the mobile technology market as they parade value-packed features that would help users enjoy seamless experience from personal entertainment to business functionality.

Adigwupu said, “Eclipses come with extra value for the user and product testing has passed through thorough quality control processes to

ensure users enjoy great aesthetics, high-level functionality, super-durability and portability.

The table range includes the Eclipse Tab 7 and Eclipse Tab 9. Both runs on upgradable Android operating system and the slates are handy, sleek, feather-weight and very easy to carry and handle.

“One marked feature is its crystal clear screen and dual-facing camera with super-predictive moves. With an unbeatable battery life of up to 7 days and Andriod 5.1 Lollipop operating system, the Ice 2 will be a force to reckon with in the African smart phone market”.

Alcatel to Announce New Deal at IFA 2016 At booths 102 and 104 at this year’ s world’s leading trade fair for consumer and home electronics, Internationale Funkausstellung, IFA ,which kicked off today in Berlin, mobile phone producer, Alcatel has disclosed plans to form an alliance with four of the world’s innovative 360° camera makers as parts of effort to enhance its delivery.

According to the firm, it would also be displaying its most recent products ranging from premium-design smartphones, zippy tablets, to visionary virtual reality products at this year’s fair.

The IFA is a global annual show programme that offers a platform for manufacturers to showcase their products as well as for trade experts and the public to take advantage of latest technological developments.

The company added that it acknowledged the millennials and Gen Z consumers who

would want a live interaction with technology in a way that made them feel good and seize the moment, create joy and live life to the full without breaking the bank.

“As such, we will be displaying devices with distinctive designs and affordable price tags. All designed for twenty-somethings and of course, former twenty-somethings,” said Regional Director, Alcatel Nigeria and central Africa, Nick Imudia.

Imudia added, “One thing that sets us apart is that we provide end-to-end delivery of our products — from design to manufacturing. This enables us to deliver the latest innovation and the best value to our customers. Visitors to our booth will not only be able to test the brand’s products but take a step into Alcatel’s vision of the brave new world of virtual reality, with products and application that are one step ahead”.

La Casera Kicks off Nationwide Thrill Train Tour Indian owned beverage firm, the La Casera Company Plc. has kicked-off its Nationwide ‘Thrill Train Tour’ with the Abeokuta consumers having the first feel of the event.

The firm said that it was a fulfilling outing at the gateway state as consumers turned out enmasse to grace the occasion which lasted for three days and further spiced up with musical performances from the mosquito killer crooner, Small Doctor, and a host of other local performers.

The occasion saw elated customers participate in activities such as dance, mime and comedy competitions with hundreds of participants rewarded with mouth-watering prizes and free cases of La Casera drink.

According to the firm’s General Manager, Mr. Dave Van Rensburg, the activity was one way the organisation engaged and connected directly with its widely dispersed audience. He explained that the thrill began in Ogun State

because the firm had its highest number of consumers in the state as recorded from statistics.

Renseeburg added the thrill train would be moving from Abeokuta to reach consumers in other states including Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Ilorin and several others who would be treated to a mind blowing experience of fun, dance and also rewarded with exciting prizes.

Managing Director of the company, Mr. Roland Ebelt reiterated the firm’s commitment to continue to serve consumers the best and connect with them on regular basis.

“We have for over a decade offered Nigerians with a rich, premium and refreshing drink through these years and this has earned us the love of millions of consumers across the country as well as awards and recognitions both from industry regulatory bodies and other corporate bodies alike, and for, us the consumer still remains the king,” he said.

The smart watch, according to the Pumoh boss, promises user-friendliness, non-invasive display, attractive design, and easy connectivity with other devices as well as effective security.

“The core objective of introducing the Eclipse range of smart devices into the Nigerian and African markets is to make life easier for users. In a world where things are moving at supersonic speed, with creativity throwing up interesting innovations, people need smart mobile technology that can simplify their day-to-day activities and make lives easier even while increasing their productivity,” Adigwupu stated.

Always Reaches out to Girl-child With over 100,000 students to benefit from its mentorship and scholarship scheme, world’s leader in feminine protection, Always, has promised to remain committed to supporting the girl-child dreams as its released a news video for its ‘MyFutureStartsToday’ initiative.

The initiative which aligns with the firm’s purpose of advocating and empowering girls and women to live their lives to their fullest potential, would help break limitations in a female child, hence, enabling her to break new grounds.

Always mentor on ‘MyFutureStartsToday’ Initiative and pilot, Mercy Odusola noted that the dreams of female children were hindered by issues that keept them from extending their possibilities while the video was there to inspire them and make them believe In their potentials.

“I’m highly honored be a part of this initiative, there are still very few female pilots, and if one of the things hindering girls is because they feel it is unattainable, I want them to know women like me exist.

I want to know that it is possible for a girl to aspire to be anything she wants to be with a good education. Always has a mission and the mission is to see millions of Nigerian girls achieve their full potential and become what they want to be .

According to the company’s Brand Communications Manager, Ajewole Ayotomiwa, the latest video was programmed such that it would spark a lively conversation on social media and beyond.

“The initiative is one of the ways the brand is leading conversation on how to improve the potentials of the girl child.

It is very important that we bring girls to understand that there is no profession beneath them, and this is why we are empowering them to achieve their fullest potentials through mentorship and scholarship”, she explained.

She therefore urged girls and women in Nigeria to join the conversation and tweet about it using the hashtag #MyFutureStartsToday .

44

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

SHOWbIZFLAIr

tosin Clegg

07062816737 e-mail: tosinclegg@hotmail.com

EMMANUELLA SAMEL

Obama’s Daughter, Malia, Shared My Skit Eight-year-old comedian, Emmanuella Samel, is unarguably one of the funniest kids in Nigeria.

With over 400,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and hundreds of thousands on her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. In this interview with Tosin Clegg, she talks about her rise to stardom via the social media and many more How I discovered that I was good at making people laugh knew I could do comedy when I realised that I could make people laugh, especially my classmates. I make my friends laugh a lot. We started uploading our skit on social media in 2014. I am one of the kids under the Mark Angel Comedy Corporation but I am the star kid right now.

There are other kids in the company but I’m told that I have more public appeal and the other kids are not that mature. We began posting short comedy skit online because it was cheaper and we needed a voice.

have started shooting for the next season so when I resume school, I will just begin to release the video. By doing this, it does not clash with my school work. It is only when I have an emergency shoot that I can be permitted to shoot when school resumes and it is usually on a Friday.

I

I want to be an actress and a fashion designer I’m still a kid and I change my mind on my future career a lot. For instance, just last week, I told my uncle that I want to become an actress and a hip hop artiste. It is still too early to settle down and decide a career path. I am just eight years old.

My most popular post is ‘my real face’ joke It is just one of the materials we wrote and did not see anything special about it. The skit was posted last year. We did not know it would go viral. We just uploaded it like any other material.

Coping with night events Most times when we go out, my uncle ensures that the organisers call me on stage early so that I can go home to sleep. There are times that we have gone to an event and I slept off; there was no show at the end of the day because I did not wake up. When I sleep off, it is difficult to wake me up.

Because I sleep a lot during the day, especially when I have an event but that does not rule out the fact that I am still a kid and I have to rest at night. I also drink a lot of water. I miss a lot of event and night activities because of sleep. If I tell my uncle that I would rather sleep than attend an event, we would not go. Also, I make sure I attend events that are child-friendly and I do not go anywhere without the strict supervision of an adult, especially my uncle. I will not go for an event that kids are not supposed to attend or places that they do bad things.

What inspires my posts It is the Holy Spirit that inspires my social media posts. We also draw inspiration through my upbringing and the environment that I live in.

Amount of fans I have on my social media platforms I don’t know the amount of followers I have on social media generally but we have our own YouTube channel and we have about 430,000 subscribers.

Views generated on my YouTube channel We measure the views based on a certain amount of time. The views increase with time. So, if we post a major comedy skit, in a month, we should have between 1.5 and two million views.

Views on ‘not my real face’ I have not checked it in recent times but we did not really promote that particular skit; it went viral on its own. We promoted it on Facebook but later on, we put it on our YouTube channel. The skit has been shared on so many other social media platforms. I saw it had 78 million views on a particular page. It was also on Obama’s first daughter, Malia’s page and it had about 11 million views. I was very happy and it made me know that it is not only Africans that love what I do. It made me realise that people from other continents are interested in my material. Also, someone from America, rapper Lil Wayne’s family also posted the skit on their platform. The post generated about 60 million views.

I never thought of fame on social media I did not think about that while joining the social media. What I thought of was to get a new media where I can have a voice. I saw social media as a new media where you can have a voice without necessarily spending all your life savings. We tried terrestrial television for a long time but it was not

The first problem we faced was that of acceptance When we started, people said things like, ‘kids are not supposed to do comedy’.

They often asked why I was doing comedy, especially people that do not understand what I am doing. It was hard to sell the idea.

Also, finance posed a big problem. The good thing is that with every problem we faced, God provided a solution.

Emmanuella

working. We had to spend a lot of money and my uncle’s job could not afford that always; so we had to look for other ways to be heard.

About my school After the holiday, I would be in Basic 2.

Fame and schooling do not really disturb me. I am still a kid and I am happy that my uncle is not treating me like an adult but as a child that I am. I think things can only go wrong when they start treating

me like an adult because I cannot become one overnight. Nothing has really changed about me since I became popular. Probably the only difference is that most weekends, I am not at home because there are several events I have to attend. When I am home, I live my normal life and I am not treated like a celebrity except occasionally when some people in my area see me and tell me they love my videos. I don’t have any issue with being popular. It does not affect my school that much. During this holiday, I

My parents’ reaction At first, they were skeptical just like any other parent would be but my uncle had several meetings with them and explained the long term goals. He also told them that it would not affect my school. They were very concerned about my education and if stardom would negatively impact in me but my uncle assured them that I would live normally like every other kid. Right now, some people complain that I don’t behave like a celebrity.

They say that I behave like a normal kid and I dress like one. They don’t know my background; we are normal people and not a celebrity. We did not start this project for me to become a star, instead we needed a voice; we wanted to be heard. If my talent brought me to where I am today, then I thank God but that was not the plan. We just wanted to be heard.

45

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

SHOWbIZFLAIr

MY STORY LAI MOHAMMED, NOLLYWOOD STARS UNVEIL ‘MYAFRICA’ It was all fanfare and excitement, as Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and a host of movie superstars, including Mike Ezuruonye, Frank Artus, Angela Okorie, Faitha Balogun, Ejiro Okurame, Uche Elendu, Thelma O`kaz, Melvin Oduah, Ani Chinedu Emmanuel (Neduwazobia), all decked in African attire defied the rain to storm the city of Lagos to unveil My Africa Reality TV Show tagged: “Reviving the lost African Culture through music, dance, drama and comedy.”

Season 1 of the TV show is set to start in October. The event, which held at Havillah Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, featured a display of glamour and glitz, as guests were fully dressed in elegant African attires and putup a dazzling show of African fashion on the red carpet to the delight of all and sundry, especially the paparazzi.

The CEO of Vingha Productions and organiser of MyAfrica, Prince Vincent Oyagha, while briefing journalists on the production namely film, music, dance and comedy, unveiled the teams. The roll call included; Nollywood Ghanaian-born actor, Frank Artus, Angela Okorie, former housemate of Big Brother Africa (BBA) Melvin Oduah, Ani

DAWN UGOEKE

I Plan to Remain Original

Dawn Ugoeke is a singer and songwriter.

This 21 year-old singer/songwriter from Imo State was one of the contestants at the just concluded ‘The Voice Nigeria’ sponsored by Airtel. In this chat with Tosin Clegg, she talks about her debut song, musical career and more

Chinedu Emmanuel (Neduwazobia), Mike Ezuruonye, Ejiro Okurame, among others. The Teams include, The Gifted, The Alphas, The Victors, The Spotlight, THE Mayors, and The Goldstars.

Inspired by the abounding talents of Africa’s youths, especially Nigerians, Oyagha informed that the TV

reality show would be presented twice-a-year, where 24 housemates would keep viewers glued to their screens and voting for them based on their raw-talent and original performance. They are prohibited from performing or mimicking other ready-made-artiste`s songs, comedy and movies.

ETISALAT- SPONSORED ‘KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS’ 2 SET FOR BROADCAST

Nigeria’s leading Children Television series, ‘Kids Say the Darndest Things’, (KSDT) by Cliqlite from Etisalat Nigeria has commenced nationwide, airing from the 20th of August of the season

2 edition for the viewing pleasures of families.

The nationwide airing of the series will be on both terrestrial and satellite TV stations and will provide a gateway into the minds of children. It will feature enthralling views on topical issues, rib-cracking imitation of parents’ mannerisms and insights into their future, among others.

Speaking at a premier of the second season of KSDT, held at Genesis Deluxe Cinema, Lekki, Manager, Sponsorships, Etisalat Nigeria, Orah Egwu promised that this new season would be a blockbuster, full of exciting moments. She also spoke about

the introduction of a new segment, primarily dedicated to celebrating exceptionally talented children.

The second season of KSDT would be anchored by actor, producer, Disc Jockey and America’s favorite sidekick on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Tony Okungbowa. Okungbowa starred in, and produced the film, “Mother of George”, “Restless City” and the soon to be released, “Echo Park”, which was an official selection at the Los Angeles Film festival 2014.

The television show, which has enjoyed popularity and rave reviews in various markets like Australia, Singapore, India and Italy, was launched in Nigeria during the first quarter of 2015, with the original format adapted to the Nigerian market. The theme of the show is “Let Your Little Star Shine Bright”.

SUPERSTORY, SFH CALL FOR ACTING AUDITIONS Superstory, Nigeria’s most watched TV drama, has entered into a partnership with Society for Family Health (SFH) Nigeria to produce a special season, titled Free to Live, aimed at increasing awareness on malaria prevention and treatment; and to this end, an Acting Audition has been announced.

Wale Adenuga Jnr., Producer of Superstory, had this to say: “SFH has been doing an awesome job across Nigeria for over 30 years. We are excited with this partnership and have put together this fantastic Superstory: Free to Live script. All we need now are the right actors and

actresses; and this audition is the perfect opportunity to discover some fresh talents to portray certain characters as they begin their journey to worldwide stardom.”

The free audition commences by 10am on Saturday, September 3, 2016, at the PEFTI Film Institute Auditorium located at 5 Joy Avenue, off Osolo Way, Ajao Estate, Isolo Lagos. Aspiring artistes within ages 16 to 40 are to bring their 5 by 7 pictures, as well as their positive attitudes.

Those selected would go on to star in the multipleaward-winning Superstory which is watched by millions of families weekly.

W

hat’s been the challenges and successes so far?

There’s the challenge of trying to break out on my own, but I count it as a success too. A challenge because it has not exactly been “walking on sunshine”, but God remains faithful. And a success because I am happily going through the process, learning things I probably won’t learn any other way, and earning my stripes while doing it.

What have you been up to, and what should we be expecting from you?

What to expect from me is my debut single, which I’m putting out in a few weeks! I am super excited about it because it is my first song ever and I can’t wait for it to hit the markets.

Who are your musical influences and mentors?

For musical influences, there’s Rihanna, because she is in a class of her own and isn’t subject to just one genre of music; which is the entire idea of my kind of sound. And for mentors, I absolutely admire Beyonce’s work ethics- I won’t mind having a theme as strong as hers! I also love Waje as a mentor. Being under her wing for a few months helped me to imbibe her “God-first” attitude and positive approach to everything she does.

Where do you see yourself in five years ?

In five years, I see myself still pushing the dream. Not because I haven’t achieved it, but because the success of it would have also birthed a thousand more tiny dreams.

What’s your biggest aspiration as an artiste?

My biggest aspiration as a musician is to be the first of my kind. I plan to remain original, and true to my art.

46

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

PERSPECTIVE Why Dialogue with Niger Delta Militants Must not Fail

W Emma Agu

hile it can be argued that Nigeria is far from economic redemption, the truce by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a group that has almost single-handedly crippled oil production in the Niger Delta and brought the economy to its knees, kindles hope that a break towards restoring economic stability is on the way.

Yet, it is not just the truce that gives cause for optimism. As we are all aware, the truce did not just emerge from the blues: there is always the cause and effect, the process and the outcome. But first, let us address the environment. Hitherto, two groups had pushed two contrasting models for resolving the debacle. One group, the hawks, was for outright military annihilation of the militants; the other group, the pacifists, advocated dialogue or some form of carrot and stick strategy.

The fear, always, was that President Muhammadu Buhari who maintains a zero tolerance posture to violent agitation would subscribe to only forcefully putting down the militants, a step that, many believed, would only lead to escalation of violence. Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum was the arrowhead of the dialogue school and labored relentlessly to push his position. At every point, he insisted that he had the President’s mandate to negotiate with the militants and was never deterred by the campaign aimed at derailing the effort.

That we can today be talking seriously about dialogue is a tribute, first, to the pragmatism of the President who, against all predictions, endorsed negotiation. By that singular decision, Buhari has vindicated Kachikwu who, at every available opportunity, insisted that the President was committed to peace and development of the region. While it is not yet Uhuru, it goes without saying that Kachikwu has also been vindicated in his insistence that dialogue was possible, that it remained the most viable model, out of the many scenarios that were being touted to resolve the imbroglio. His nudging at the conscience of his fellow Niger Deltans; his methodical exposition of the dire consequences of unremitting militancy, his promise of federal government’s commitment to the development of the region, his cultivation of a broad spectrum of the stakeholder groups without prejudice to political alliances and

Ibe Kachikwu the personal risks he put himself through, must have convinced the NDA to give his entreaties a chance.

We can speculate on other likely reasons why the NDA has embraced dialogue. For one, it is possible that the militants have achieved the limited objective of getting the Federal Government to the dialogue table.

Lastly, it is possible that the unprecedented military build-up in the region and the resolve of government to deploy force if dialogue failed could have compelled a rethink on the part of the militants.

Now, it is left to be seen whether dialogue will work or not. It all depends on the disposition of all the stakeholder groups in committing unequivocally to an amicable resolution of the conflict. Yet, there is no gainsaying that this is one conflict that needs to be resolved quickly, not just because Nigeria and Nigerians are hurting badly but because the share magnitude of destruction of the Niger Delta, in the event of a full scale military expedition, will overshadow any disaster that the country has ever experienced.

From the experience of other lands, we need to approach this opportunity for dialogue with caution, realizing that there is no quick fix to the problem. But all

the parties can create the atmosphere for dialogue to succeed.

In this regard, the first requirement is to guard against giving preconditions.

For instance, during their meeting with Kachikwu, the Gbaramatu chiefs had given six conditions for peace to return.

Legitimate as their demand was, nothing stopped them from reserving it for the dialogue table.

The second requirement is for both the Federal Government and the militants to constitute negotiation teams that are made up of nationalists and patriots who command the confidence of Nigerians.

There should be no place for hawks and agent provocateurs. It is axiomatic that the Federal Government’s team be led by Kachikwu who, by unequivocally advocating development-propelled pacification and dialogue, has earned the confidence of the militants and genuine advocates of peace in the Niger Delta. Actually, at the end of the day, it is not about who takes the plaudits; only the President will take the credit for success just as the buck stops at his table should things go wrong.

Finally, nothing should be done to convey the impression that the Federal Government’s dialogue proposal is only a smokescreen to hoodwink the militants out of the creeks and round them up. It is difficult, at this point, to predict how ongoing military expedition in parts of the Niger Delta will affect the dialogue.

Paradoxically, it will be naïve to expect the Federal Government to fold its arms in the guise of dialogue while the militants who oppose dialogue overrun the region.

This clearly shows the enormity of the challenge and why it is incumbent, on all the stakeholders, to eschew utterances and actions that fuel hate, enlarge suspicions, harden positions and instigate further violence. For those who think that overrunning the Niger Delta will be a police action, they need to be guided by the statement of Navy Admiral Dennis Cutler Blair retired, former United States Director of National Intelligence who once commanded the U.S. forces in the Pacific region. According to Admiral Blair “the use of large-scale military force in volatile regions of underdeveloped countries is difficult to do right, has major unintended consequences and rarely turns out to be quick, effective, controlled and short lived.” Has that not been our experience with Boko Haram?

By now, those who doubt the resolve of the Federal Government to defend the country’s territorial integrity would have read the statement credited to President Buhari to the effect that he was trained to die

for Nigeria. It is this frightening scenario, and the real prospect that, in the end, we could all end up as losers that make this chance of dialogue one opportunity that should never be passed up. Anyone with any reservation about this should read the timely counsel of Col. Abubakar Umar, one-time military governor of Kaduna State at page 9 of the DAILY SUN newspaper of August 31, 2016. It is worth quoting in some detail. His words: “I am really frightened by the sudden escalation in the Niger Delta region from where there are reports of skirmishes between our security forces and the Niger Delta militants…All factors considered, the use of military force in an attempt to resolve the lingering crisis is not a good option and must, therefore, be discarded.

“As a retired general, Mr. President is aware of the serious and daunting challenges any military will face in its operations in the most difficult and densely populated Niger Delta region. The creeks are so heavily populated with oil, rendering the area highly inflammable. It will take the firing of a few high explosive shells to set the whole area on fire, resulting in inestimable collateral damage among innocent citizens.

“It is difficult to see how an armed conflict can secure our oil and gas assets in the region. Instead, it will aid the destructive activities of the militants and lead to the total shutdown of oil and gas operations.

“Besides, Niger Delta militants cannot be said to be terrorists in the real sense of the word. I believe they are amenable to dialogue.”

He then ends on a note that should be of concern to the President: “I need to remind the President that a war in the Niger Delta will be viewed and opposed by most objective Nigerians and the international community as unjust and merely aimed at the control and exploitation of the regions oil and gas resources”.

Incredible summon to greatness; uncluttered genuine counsel; bold timely intervention by someone whose moral compass has consistently trailed the trajectory of the plumb line. Will the President rise to the occasion, to be the courageous statesman that found a balance between might and compassion, between power and responsibility? How Buhari resolves this could ultimately define his presidency and place in history.

–Emma Agu is a member of the Federal Insignia, a nascent group of policy analysts poised to change the content and direction of conversation on national issues in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Cure Remains Diversification Lukman Otunuga

A

sense of anxiety has gripped the Nigerian economy with concerns elevated over slowing growth as the combination of depressed oil prices and Naira vulnerability weighed heavily on investor sentiment.

This has been a rough year for not only Nigeria, but for many commodity dependent economies that have collectively surrendered $40 billion in capital outflows due to the persistent global uncertainties.

The second largest economy in Africa continues to battle its own woes following the slump in oil revenues which eroded public finances while raising further pressure on the Naira as scarce foreign exchange skyrocketed. With slowing domestic growth, weakening global growth, inflated debt levels all enforcing downside risks on a nation that is already entangled in a fierce battle with falling oil prices, the current quest for economic recovery could be the greatest challenge presented to Nigeria.

Nigeria’s sickness may be diagnosed as the prolonged periods of low oil prices that have not only heavily eroded government earning but also diminished confidence

towards the health of its domestic economy.

The nation’s oil sector provides 70% of government revenues and a mammoth 95% of export revenues, which is a big chunk of overall GDP. With the renewed militancy in the south of Nigeria expected to Keep Nigeria’s crude oil production depressed through 2017, the nation must act swiftly to finding the cure which is non-other than diversification. Even without the drop in Nigeria’s oil production, the ongoing concerns over the excessive oversupply of oil in the global markets could ensure oil remains depressed for an extended period consequently punishing oil dependent nations further. The shock of falling oil may be the wake-up call Nigeria needed to start steering away from being heavy oil-reliant.

Speaking of reserves, the nation’s external reserves have entered a slippery decline falling a painful $25.78 billion as of August 2016 following the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) decision to set up Dollar sales in an effort to boost interbank liquidity. Oil’s sharp decline has caused reserves to deplete in an unnatural fashion consequently causing the CBN to introduce questionable foreign exchange controls which were abandoned in July. Nigeria’s foreign reserves have already lost over $2 billion this year with fears of

further declines as the central bank attempts to support the vulnerable Naira. There may still be some hope for the nation to reclaim back lost reserves in the future but this revolves around diversification and reinforcing infrastructure.

Naira vulnerability has been a recurrent theme following the official floatation in June which saw the local currency depreciate almost 40% against the Dollar. The toxic mixture of weak oil prices and persistent concerns over lacklustre economic growth has created a platform for bearish investors to continually attack the Naira on both the official and black market exchange.

Sentiment remains bearish towards the local currency with further declines expected as the natural forces of supply and demand determine an equilibrium price level. With the forex scarcity persistently enforcing downside pressures on the Naira, bears may have been offered an opportunity to install repeated rounds of selling on the currency.

From a technical standpoint, the USDNGN remains bullish on the daily timeframe and a breakout above the psychological 350 could open a path towards 400 on the official exchange.

It has become common knowledge that the extended periods of depressed oil prices

have eroded Nigeria’s GDP growth for 2016 with the current yearly forecast standing around 1.8%. With first quarter GDP growth painting an undesirable picture, investors may direct their attention towards second quarter GDP which could provide some clarity on how the nation is faring in a period of global instability. If the second quarter GDP figure released on the 31st of August [HA1] fails to meet expectations then concerns may heighten over the nation entering a recession. Reports have already circulated over Nigeria relinquishing its positions as the largest nation in Africa to South Africa which dented sentiment further. Although both countries have had a record drop in GDP, Nigeria’s painful Naira decline could have been the main factor which forced it to surrender its title as the largest economy in Africa. While this is indeed a heavy blow in the short term, it should be kept in mind that steps have already been taken to jumpstart economic growth with optimism still present over the country grasping back its lost title.

–Lukman Otunuga is a Research Analyst at FXTM

Read full article online: www.thisdaylive.com

47

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

54 Laws to Empower Nigerians Yusuph Olaniyonu

T

he Eighth Senate has repeatedly stated that its Legislative Agenda is anchored on three legs. They are economic revival, social development and youth employment. The choice of issues must have resulted from the current situation in the country. Since the present administration in Nigeria came into office, the price of oil, the nation’s economic mainstay, has been at its lowest. The fall in price occurred when the foreign reserve had been seriously depleted, thereby causing social dislocation in a population that has been weaned on foreign goods. As expected, the economic downturn has imperilled small businesses.

For a new regime taking office under this economic difficulty, the people’s expectations had hit the sky. While the executive arm battle with fulfilling its numerous promises and meeting the high expectations, the legislature felt compelled to provide legislative backing for the efforts to put the economy back to shape. It therefore agreed to focus on using legislations to reform and revive the economy.

According to a report by the World Bank in 2013, 90 percent of jobs in a developing economy like Nigeria are provided by the private sector. This reality therefore means the government needs to focus on helping the private sector to grow in leaps and bounds in order for people to be put to work and for the gross domestic product to rise.

To do this, government policies must seek to create a vibrant business environment where serious and hard working private enterprises can develop. This, according to a report submitted to Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, by a team of expert-advisers, is because “with firms making investments, creating jobs and increasing productivity, there is a greater opportunity for inclusive growth”.

The report noted that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are the engine of job creation in Nigeria and there are 37 million of them currently operating in the country, contributing almost 50 percent of the nation’s GDP in nominal terms and providing 84.02 percent of all available jobs.

It is therefore incumbent on government to provide the right atmosphere for these small businesses to grow.

The government is expected to give clear, pro-active and strategic direction that will

The World Bank report considers relative ease or difficulty of beginning and operating a small to medium size business while complying with existing laws and regulations. The experts contracted to advise the Senate did a diagnostic review of current and proposed laws relevant to the business environment in the country, including the procurement law, competition laws, company laws, investment laws, finance and contract laws. After extensive consultations with operators in the private sector, the experts identified major legislative gaps and deficiencies in these legal frameworks and recommended priority legislative areas which require urgent interventions.

They used the survey research method to get private sector people to identify main challenges and constraints confronting the operation of MSMEs. These include lack of finance, weak infrastructure, inconsistent government policies, lack of support, lack of work space, and multiple taxation.

One of their recommendations therefore include establishment of a Federal Legislative Clearing House to reconcile differences and inconsistencies as well as to scrutinise and review bills before presentation to the respective chambers for first reading.

They also seek for the National Assembly Senate President, Bukola Saraki to always avoid multiple agencies with overlapping or conflicting mandates. enable serious and hard working, existing They also recommended the passage of an MSMEs to thrive and new ones to be created. Independent Warehouse Regulatory Agency It is believed that to develop the private secBill with the aim of solving the challenge of tor, it is not only macro-economic factors that collateral by allowing businesses to securineed to be worked on but also the quality of tise their commercial warehouse receipts. laws, regulations and institutional arrangeThere is also expected to be sponsored a ments that shape the daily lives of people.

Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Bill The role of the legislature in this new thinkwhich will establish a National Collateral ing, therefore, is central. The law makers are Registry. The group also proposed that a expected to review and reform the laws, use National Development Bank of Nigeria Bill their oversight powers to monitor compliwhich seeks to consolidate the operations of ance with the laws and advocate attitudinal development finance institutions ( Bank of changes in government agencies.

Industry, Bank of Commerce and Industry The 8th Senate in order to position itself to and National Economic Reconstruction play these key roles set up an advisory body Fund). of experts under the aegis of Adam Smith The experts also suggested the establishConsultants. The team was led by a Professor ment of a National Legislative Forum to of law and senior advocate, Prof. Paul Idorni- constantly facilitate dialogue between gie. Other members are Leonard Ugbajah, federal and state governments and between Eberechi Mary Okon and Isaiah Bozimo. The different state governments with a view to setting up of the team was mainly inspired modernising and harmonising laws, regulaby the World Bank Ease of Doing Business tions and practices affecting the business annual report 2016 which placed Nigeria environment. The Senate was also advised 169 from the list of 189 countries surveyed. to improve commercial dispute resolution In 2008, the report placed Nigeria 114 out of through different means like creating courts 183. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, solely devoted to commercial matters, Nigeria was ranked 118, 125, 133, 133, 131 review of the Arbitration and Conciliation and 170 respectively.

Act of 2007 and encouragement of more

PERSPECTIVE

states to create the Multi-Door Court houses to encourage Alternative Dispute Resolution option.

The Senate was also advised to simplify the process of payment of taxes and eliminate multiple taxation, review all laws relating to businesses and determine whether they are consistent with international best practices, the extent to which they provide a conducive environment for the operation of private sector enterprises, especially MSMEs, the degree of transparency in their operations and whether they prevent arbitrariness.

In all, the team of experts recommended that 54 existing laws need to be attended to by the federal legislature to leap-frog the economy. Twenty-eight of them are top priority, five are rated medium while 21 are tagged low priority.

The high priority laws include Arbitration and Conciliation Act, Coastal and Shipping (Cabotage Act), Companies and Allied Matters Act, Companies Income Tax Act , Copyright Act, Federal Highway Act, Federal Inland Revenue Service Act, Fiscal Responsibility Act, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (Establishment) Act, Investment and Securities Act, Mortgage Institutions Act, National Information Technology Development Agency Act, Nigerian Civil Aviation Act and Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority Act. Other top priority laws to be quickly revised are Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission Act, Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Act, Nigerian Ports Authority Act, Nigerian Railway Corporation Act, Patents and Designs Act, Petroleum Act, Petroleum Profits Act, Public Procurement Act, Taxes and Levies Act and Trade Marks Act. Already, the Senate has started implementing the recommendations. For example the Public Procurement Act and the Nigeria Railways Corporation Act have been comprehensively reviewed and new laws passed. Amendments to or new version of the remaining aforementioned priority laws are already being considered and are at various stages of passage in the red chamber of the federal legislature.

The implication is that the current Senate is determined to use laws to jump-start the economy and lift it out of the current ‘technical recession’ in which Nigeria has found Itself.

–Olaniyonu is Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Senate President

Amaechi’s Voyage in Transportion Sector Kingsley Anaroke

T

he appointment of Rotimi Amaechi as the Transportation Minister on November 11, 2015 was received with mixed feelings in the sector. It was expected. Many had a fixed impression about him as no less an eel, given his role in the recent political theatrics in Rivers State.

Some felt he would make an errant minister because he had no knowledge or expertise in transportation. Others, however, believed he could make a difference because of his personality, which is underscored by a simple expression- “quitters don’t win”.

Amaechi never quits, and he does not fear bullies.

In his usual loquacious innocence, Amaechi, during his maiden visit to the parastatals under his ministry in Lagos, said, “I am not a transport expert.”

As expected, he has had a couple of trials and errors in the process of his learning, and he has even confessed at a point that he would rather remain a governor than being a minister, on a scale of choice. To him, ministerial responsibilities come with forests of bureaucratic bugs. This, notwithstanding, Amaechi is very determined to have some key deliverables to mark his one year in office come November, this year.

He got an endorsement for performance from President Buhari recently, during the commissioning of the Abuja-Kaduna train services on Nigeria’s first-ever standard

gauge rail track.

“The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and his team have put great efforts in the last few months to ensure the successful completion of this project under this Administration,” Buhari noted.

That is from the rail subsector, and he remains humble enough to give credit to the previous administration as the forerunners of the project.

In the maritime sector, Amaechi has embarked on a mission to re-launch Nigeria into the mainstream of shipping business by insisting on the establishment of a national carrier. A steering committee has been constituted and it is made up of some critical stakeholders, and chaired by Barr. Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’Council (NSC). It has made impressive impact, with a serious foreign partner in their kitty and volumes of potential cargoes waiting to be freighted by the emerging national carrier, expected before November, this year.

Amaechi is also determined to begin and sustain performance audit of the government agencies and terminals concessioned to private operators.

Before now, national Single Window Network platform in Nigeria was a subject of political chess game, while Ghana, Benin Republic and other neighbouring West African countries feasted on the vacuum to grow their economies. It took a mere briefing for Amaechi to see the inherent benefits, which include advanced cargotracking information opportunity, antidote

to revenue leakage, cargo security, a check on capital flight, correct tonnage declaration, amongst others.

In Ghana, the integration of the Advanced Cargo Tracking Note (ACTN) with the Single Window Network platform is a perfect experience being midwifed and managed by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA).

In Nigeria, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has the mandate to implement the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN), as a unit of the national Single Window Network platform to widen the income net of the federal government.

At the last count, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) has subscribed to the CTN platform, among other numerous clients, which include the shipping lines.

So far, the scheme, with a rejuvenated board of directors composed of credible Nigerians, as members of the consulting company, has generated well-over $1.8million (about N320millon) on partial test-run in less than a year. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), freight forwarders, shippers’ associations, among other stakeholders, have come to embrace CTN as a key instrument of sanity in the international trade supply chain and trade facilitation.

The Minister on May 5, 2016 inaugurated the Bakassi deep sea port steering and delivery committee as a demonstration of the Federal Government’s desire to harness the vast potentials of the maritime sector for sustainable economic development.

However, one area where the minister’s

attention is needed is the land transportation mode. Successive ministers in the past failed to give attention to this sub-sector with the highest concentration of the masses’ patronage. And a plausible reason for this neglect, which has never been debunked, is that it is not “a money spinner for the minister” like the other modes. The land mode is a symbol of chaos, and demands sanitisation.

And there is certainly no federal agency in control, and perhaps, the only hope now rests with the passage of the National Transport Commission (NTC) bill into law.

Efficient and effective inter-modal transport system will remain a wish and a dream if the various modal units are not fixed for active cohesion. A positive policy thrust in this area will have direct great impact on the lower and middle income classes, especially with the rail mode still battling to occupy its rightful place in the logistics chain in Nigeria.

As Amaechi continues his voyage, stakeholders are keen on keeping their dates and impressions with their discoveries, while some pray he turns out to be the long awaited “Change Agent” in the transport sector.

These footprints, obviously, do not suggest biting more than he can chew. The feed backs from the various committees leave the hope that the change will crystallize to transformation in no time.

–ANAROKE is the publisher of MMS Plus Weekly Newspaper kingsleyanaroke@ mmsplusng.com

48

SEPTEMBER 3, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER

POLITY

Rivers: Subjecting Murder to Politics The revelation by the Rivers State Police Command on how Ken Atsuete, a human rights activist and lawyer was murdered recently is an opportunity for members of the All Progressives Congress to join hands with state government to tackle crime in the state. Davidson Iriekpen writes

U

ntil the Rivers State Police Command intervened, the murder of a popular human rights activist and lawyer to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Ken Atsuete, had assumed a political dimension with fingers already being pointed at a particular direction – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led state government.

No sooner did the news of the murder broke, members of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) who have being sulking since their defeat in the last governorship election in a series of statements hurled accusations and insults on the Governor Nyesom Wike-led administration.

Atsuete was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Monday in Port Harcourt. But without waiting for the police to investigate the murder, members of the APC in their characteristic manner, jumped to conclusion with wild allegations and subjecting what could have been opportunity for them to join forces with state government to find last solution to crime to the arena of mindless politics. Not even a plea from the state government and ruling PDP to allow the police investigate the murder changed whatever conclusion they had drawn on who was responsible for the murder.

The APC said the PDP should be held liable because the slain Atsuete had announced that he was going to expose how the PDP was parading a fake court order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the result of Tai Local Government Area in the last rerun election. Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt the state Chairman of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, said the death of Atsuete was premeditated and the handiwork of the state government.

He said: “Further interaction with the staff of the murdered lawyer revealed that it was clearly a case of premeditated murder considering the dimensions of what happened. The APC wishes to be on record that the Rivers State Government and their agents must be held responsible for the killing of Atsuete and the reasons for our charge are obvious and lucid.

“The late Atswete was one of the leading counsels to the APC chieftain, Hon. Ojukaye Flag-Amachree who is presently incarcerated on trumped-up charges surreptitiously inspired and driven by the Rivers State Government led by Wike. Officials of the state government have variously vowed to teach the APC and its leader, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi a lesson by jailing one of its most active leaders, Hon. Flag-Amachree.

However, Ken Atsuete, as counsel to FlagAmachree, had thrown in everything into the defence of his client to the chagrin of officials of the state government who are the traducers of Ojukaye Flag-Amachree.

“Most importantly, we know that Atsuete threatened while on a radio programme that he would expose how the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in Rivers State, Samuel Nwanosike, obtained a forged court order restraining INEC from releasing Tai rerun election results – a court order the PDP has been parading.

Ken promised to present proof that such a court order did not exist and that the judge that purportedly gave that order was not a vacation judge as she had been on vacation in the US. Unfortunately, they ensured he never saw this week and therefore cannot now expose those characters. They may have stopped Ken in his track but they cannot stop God from exposing them.”

However, the state government while condoling with the family of late human rights lawyer, described as irresponsible and shameful, the attempt by the APC to politicise such a tragic incident. A

Governor Wike

statement issued in Port Harcourt by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dr. Austin Tam-George, called on the APC not to politicise criminality but to join forces with security agencies and government to build a more peaceful and secure state. He urged the police to deploy their best intelligence personnel in the search of the culprits behind this death and bring them to justice.

Luckily for the state government it was vindicated as the police on Wednesday, came up with a damning revelation that dumb-founded the opposition and those who thought otherwise.

The Force said from its initial findings, Atsuete was killed when he went to pick his neighbour who had escaped from sus-

Atsuete’s neighbour, Pastor Abba Emmanuel, was abducted on Sunday by unknown gunmen at his gate at Aluu. But the pastor later that night escaped from his abductors and called his family. They would have gone that night to pick him (the pastor) up but the time was too late and they decided to go early in the morning. As the only man in the yard, Atsuete decided to accompany Abba Emmanuel’s wife at about 5a.m. to pick up the pastor.

It was in this process that Atsuete was shot in his car

state.

The source revealed that in less than 14 months in office, the governor has so far worked with five commissioners of police, a situation he described as an aberration.

He said as soon as a new police chief is posted to state, rather allowing him to settle down and effectively tackle crime, he would be recalled to Abuja particularly when be begins to arrest members of the opposition who do not want peace to reign in the state.

On his part, the governor since he assumed office is believed to have provided every logistics needed to enhance the capacity and efficiency of the police and other security agencies in the state. Some of his direct initiatives and investments in the last 14 months to advance the protection of lives and property include the procurement and donation of over 67 patrol vehicles fitted with communication gadgets to the security agencies.

In addition, he has massively repaired some Armoured Personnel Carriers purchased by the previous administrations in the state for the police. The governor further directed local government councils to institute direct release of logistics to Divisional Police Officers to enable policemen promptly respond to security challenges. The governor also directed local government councils to provide regular logistics support, including fuelling of Atsuete vehicles to the security agencies for their operations in the state No doubt, these pected kidnappers. The state Police Public logistics which come with huge financial Relations Officer, Omoni Nnamdi, told costs have enhanced the visibility and THISDAY that the police established that operational efficiency of the police in the Atsuete’s murder was not premeditated as state. he actually met his death while playing the To show that the governor is committed good neighbour. to peace in the state, he recently initiated Nnamdi said: “Atsuete’s neighbour, measures to curtail the increase in cultPastor Abba Emmanuel, was abducted on related violence, armed robbery, kidnapSunday by unknown gunmen at his gate ping and oil theft with the amendment at Aluu. But the pastor later that night of the Rivers State Kidnap (Prohibition) escaped from his abductors and called his Law No. 3 of 2009, to provide additional family. They would have gone that night penalties such as the confiscation of assets to pick him (the pastor) up but the time derived from kidnapping and other rewas too late and they decided to go early lated activities. He equally instituted a N1 in the morning. As the only man in the million reward for any person that gives yard, Atsuete decided to accompany Abba useful information that leads to the arrest Emmanuel’s wife at about 5a.m. to pick and successful prosecution of kidnappers, up the pastor. It was in this process that armed robbers and other homicidal crimes Atsuete was shot in his car.” in the state.

Nnamdi however assured the public Wike also instituted a N5 million that the police would in no distant time compensation for families of any police unravel Atsuete’s killers as the state personnel, who lost his or her life while criminal investigation department (SCID) fighting kidnapping and armed robbery has already swung into action. in the state. He has also directed and encouraged all local government caretaker “I can assure you that we will get and committees to give priority attention to prosecute the killers as the state criminal crime fighting and the maintenance of investigation department is already on the peace and security in the local governmatter,” he said. ment areas in collaboration with security What perhaps gave credibility to the agencies, traditional rulers and vigilante findings of the police were the names of groups, even as he has inaugurated the Atsuete’s neighbour, Pastor Abba EmState Security and Peace Committee with manuel and wife mentioned for those in improved funding to all military and doubt to independently investigate. para-military agencies.

No doubt Rivers State and the entire To curb the destructive predisposiNiger Delta have been in the news lately tions of cult groups and the threat they albeit negatively following the increasing constantly pose to peace and security in spate of crime and criminalities in the the state, Wike recently requested security region which many analysts predated the agencies to carry out a total clampdown on assumption of office of the Wike adminiscultists and related criminal behaviour in tration. But rather than join hands to tackle communities across the state. the scourge, many analysts believe that He directed heads of tertiary institutions the opposition out of mischief to tag the to take measures, including arrest, prosPDP-led government has clandestinely ecution and summary expulsion, to stamp engineered crises in the state to discredit out cult and related activities in all statethe state government with a view to comowned tertiary institutions; requested pelling the federal government to declare a traditional rulers to join forces with the state of emergency in the state. security agencies and local government A source in the state informed THISDAY chairmen to enforce the state’s anti-cultism that since his assumption of office on May law and eliminate cult activities in their 29, 2015, Wike has been doing all within communities. his powers to tackle crime, adding that It is against this background that many rather than join hands with him to make analysts and observers are urging the the state safe for all, members of the oppo- police to key into the governor’s efforts sition both in the state and the federal level to tackle crimes head-on and bring those THISDAY gathered, have been secretly behind criminal activities justice in order plotting to frustrate achieving peace in the for the state to witness peace.

49

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

POLITY

Fixtures of Nigeria Professional Football League Continue, Says LMC Duro Ikhazuagbe

F

ixtures of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) will continue to hold as scheduled, according to a statement by the League Management Company (LMC) released yesterday.

The LMC said it was among several other grounds, relying on the motion filed for stay of execution of Mr. Justice I.I Kunda’s latest order made in disregard of the notice of appeal filed against

his first order.

The League body also stated in addition to the stay of execution filed, it has also filed a notice of appeal against the order of the Plateau State High Court, Jos stopping matches of the NPFL until full compliance with the earlier interim order of the Court directing the reinstatement of Giwa FC to the League and rescheduling of matches for the club.

It also raised the question on how the Judge found an urgency in fact as required by law to make the first interim order ex-parte three months after Giwa FC was

expelled from the League under the League Rules, for failing to play three consecutive matches.

Mr. Justice I.I. Kunda, the vacation judge of the Plateau State High Court, Jos division made the earlier order in a fundamental human right suit filed by an individual, a certain Mustapha Abubakar, who claims to be acting for himself and Giwa FC. Mustapha claims that the expulsion of Giwa FC had denied him the right to enjoy matches of the club after he bought season’s ticket.

The said tickets were found to have been purchased even when the club was yet to be

FCTOrders AEPB to Remove Hawkers from Pedestrian Bridges Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

T

he FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello has directed the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the FCT Task Team on Environment to stop hawkers from using pedestrian bridges for their activities in the Federal Capital Territory.

Bello gave this directive when he paid an unscheduled visit Friday to pedestrian bridge in Lugbe, a village along the Airport Road.

He warned that hawking and other activities are not acceptable on the pedestrian bridges across the territory and called for stern enforcement.

The minister reiterated that such bridges were constructed for easy movement and passage of residents crossing the highways but not meant for hawking, begging or for other nuisances and therefore a stop must be put to it forthwith.

He said that the Administration was not prepared to take excuses anymore; saying that AEPB must carry out its statutory duty.

Bello also instructed that the AEPB and the Task Team must also get rid of herdsmen still grazing in the Federal Capital City; noting, “you must find a way in dealing with that bizarre situation”.

The Minister seized that opportunity to talk to the crowd gathered around the pedestrian bridge on why people should not

use such places as shopping malls.

He told them that pedestrian bridges were also not constructed for miscreants and further warned that all activities must be very far away from the expressway ways.

“These expressways are the gateway into the Federal Capital City and the seat of power of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and therefore everything must be done to keep Abuja clean from all environmental nuisances in line with the vision of its founding fathers,” Malam Bello stressed.

The Director of AEPB Mrs. Oluwatoyin Olanipekun and the Chairman of the FCT Task Team on Environment, Squadron Leader Abdullahi Adamu Monjel, accompanied the Minister on the unscheduled visit.

registered to participate in the NPFL season, thereby violating provisions governing the league.

But the LMC’s position also is that the infinitesimal interest of the said Abubakar cannot override that of millions of fans of the other 19 NPFL Clubs, corporate partners of the League, the players and myriad other interests that are attached directly and tangential to the League.

“We cannot accept that these multifarious and incalculable interests can be held to ransom and subjected to the whim of an individual with no connection, whatsoever, with the operation of the League”, the LMC continued on why the league cannot be stopped.

The LMC said that this decision to continue with the fixtures is part of some urgent steps to preserve the integrity of the NPFL and protect it from irreparable damage.

The League body expressed surprise that the Judge will make the orders even after it has been brought to the court’s notice through a written affidavit that Giwa FC has written the LMC stating categorically that it never mandated the plaintiff or anybody to sue on its behalf.

It continued, “This letter from Giwa FC is a restatement of the written undertaken of the club to abide by the rules and regulations governing the league and football in general and, not to take football matters to the ordinary court”.

Read full article online: www.thisdaylive.com

PHOTO NEWS

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R-L: MD/CEO, Ideas House Marketing Communications Limited, Kehinde Salami; Account Manager, Ideas House Marketing Communications Limited, Iyabosile Igbodipe; being presented an award for excellence; and the company’s Account Executive, Chinomso Onuoha, , during the recently held Ideas House Team Bonding 2016 in Badagry, Lagos...recently

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50

THISDAY, THe SATurDAY NewSpAper • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

WRITERS’ WORLD

The Herbert Wigwe Moments and Models

BISI DANIELS bisi.daniels@thisdaylive.com Blog: www.bisidaniels.com, 08093618000

A story on Access Bank’s recent Corporate Social Responsibility model caught my attention the other day, and as a writer on the subject and practitioner, my interest was piqued. (I have been initiating and writing CSR projects, especially literacy projects on key sectors, for some Corporates). Coming on the heels of some strong, positive PR the bank was enjoying even from the benevolence of coincidence, made it all the more interesting. Expectedly Herbert Wigwe, the bank’s Group Managing Director, has been in the thick of the news

O

n the day, the Central Bank of Nigeria barred nine banks (it turned out to be eight) from further dealing in foreign exchange transactions over infractions on the TSA remittances, Wigwe’sAccess Bank, which was not included, was reported to have raised the salaries of its staff members to cushion the effects of ongoing economic hardships, which was officially called a recession on Wednesday.

The eight banks were found guilty of refusing to remit to the TSAover $2.12 billion revenue realised from the operations of the NNPC. TheAccess Bank report that day said, “Staff members ofAccess Bank Plc were pleasantly surprised as they had an increase in their salary despite the prevailing economic realities in the country. It came at a time businesses, including banks, had cut jobs to reduce operating cost.”

One report quoted an employee, who called Wigwe “Uncle Herbie,” as saying: “I am speechless.

I don’t think anyone saw this coming, this is happening at a time when my friends in other banks are losing their jobs. It feels great to be supported in such trying times. Thank you Uncle Herbie.”

The employee’s affection for Wigwe is somehow shared by some people, who describe him and exceptionally warm, and friendly, but a firm manager. My psychological read of him is a man who is, and looks it, mentally sharp even from a distance.

As the news broke on Wednesday that the CBN had lifted the ban on the eight banks after a meeting of chief executive officers of the affected banks and the Committee of Governors of the CBN under the auspices of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Wigwe was the one to speak for banks. He was reported as saying the banks pledged to uphold a re-payment plan. On a number of occasions he had spoken for his colleagues. It is not clear if that is sheer co-incidence but, again, it takes a strong brand to be entrusted with such responsibilities.

Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe

Mr. Herbert Onyewumbu Wigwe, FCAhas been the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director ofAccess Bank Plc January, 2014 and served as its Group Deputy Managing Director. Wigwe started

Economics from the University of London and a B.Sc. degree inAccounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Strong half-year results

Wigwe his professional career with Coopers and Lybrand Associates, an international firm of Chartered Accountants. He spent over 10 years at Guaranty Trust Bank where he managed several portfolios including financial institutions, Corporates and Multinationals.

He served as the Chairman of Intercontinental Homes Savings & Loans Plc. He has been Director at Associated Discount House Limited since December 1, 2011.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), and anAlumnus of Harvard Business School Executive Management Programme.

He holds a Master’s degree in Banking and International Finance from the University College of North Wales; a Master’s degree in Financial

Wigwe has another good run in the news with the bank’s strong half-year results. The report and accounts for the six-month period ended June 30, 2016, showed pre and post tax profits rose by 28 per cent and 26 per cent; and interest income and net interest income grew by 14 per cent and 42 per cent.

Gross earnings rose to N174 billion in first half 2016 as against N168.3 billion in the corresponding period of 2015. Interest income rose from N98.9 billion to N112.3 billion as a result of steady income growth from the bank’s core business and a 14 per cent reduction in interest expense. Non-interest income thus improved from N48.16 billion in first half 2015 to N68.45 billion in first half 2016.

Also, strong growth in fee and commission income contributed to non-interest income of N61.7 billion which largely off-set the decline in trading income.

Operating income grew by 11 per cent from N117.6 billion to N130.2 billion in 2015.

Profit before tax rose by 28 per cent to N50 billion in first half 2016, from N39.1 billion in 2015, while profit after tax stood at N39.4 billion, up by 26 per cent from N31.1 billion in the corresponding period of 2015.

The bank ended the period with a return on average equity (ROAE), which is above the inflation rate of 16.48 per cent.

If all that are numbers, the bottomline to shareholders is that the bank is one of the three banks that on the basis of audited report and accounts for the six-month period declared interim dividend per share of 25 kobo.

And of all that, Wigwe said: “The results underscore our continued ability to grow sustainably whilst effectively adapting to a challenging operating landscape. The prevalent macro-economic conditions put a strain on business performance across the industry, with increased concerns about asset quality deterioration. Despite these challenges, the bank’s asset quality remained stable, as nonperforming loans remained below industry average, in line with our guidance. Our capital and liquidity levels were also sustained above regulatory limits.”

The CSR Story

The CSR story on Wigwe read in part: “Access Bank Plc, with Herbert Wigwe as group managing

Some of the Most Notable Literary Prizes NIGERIA

• The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has over 20 different prizes. Please see the ANA website to see the guidelines on submission.

• Pat Utomi Prize • The Nigeria LNG Prize

INTERNATIONAL

• The James Tait Black Memorial Prize<http://www.unca. edu/~moseley/black.html • The Booker Prize <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/booker.html • British Book Awards<http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/britbook.html • The David Cohen British Literature Prize in the English Language<http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/misc.html • The Commonwealth Writers Prize <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ common.html • The Costa (formerly Whitbread) Book Awards<http://facstaff.unca.edu/moseley/whitbread.html • The T. S. Eliot Prize <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/eliot.html • The Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ faber.html • Forward Poetry Prizes <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/misc.html • The *Guardian*Fiction Prize<http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ guardian.html>

• The Hawthornden Prize <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/hawthorn. html • The Heywood Hill Literary Prize <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ misc.html • The *Irish Times* Literature Prizes <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ irish.html • The *Mail on Sunday/*John Llewellyn Rhys Prize<http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/rhys.html • The Somerset Maugham Awards <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ maugham.html • The Orange Prize for Fiction <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/misc. html The WH Smith Award <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/smith.html • The WH Smith Thumping Good Read Award <http://www.unca. edu/~moseley/misc.html • The Sunday Express Fiction Award <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ misc.html • The Betty Trask Prize and Awards <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/ trask.html • The Whitbread Prize<http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/whitbread. html> • The* Yorkshire Post *Book Award <http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/yorkshire.html> • New, Discontinued, and Miscellaneous Literary Prizes<http://www.unca.edu/~moseley/misc.html>

director and chief executive officer has, for instance, identified infrastructure as a key component of the conducive environment that must be in place if Nigeria is indeed to play in the league of leading nations and even to attract the much needed foreign investment that is needed to help grow the economy and empower its citizens to achieving their socioeconomic goals.”

It went on to say: “the Lagos State government has struck a partnership with the bank as the lead financier for two major projects that have direct relevance to the socio-economic lives of the people of the state, and those outside. The projects are the Eko Atlantic that is designed to be Nigeria’s version of Manhattan, New York, in the United States, as well as the Fourth Mainland Bridge, the N844 billion, N38 kilometre road/bridge project that will link Ikorodu with Eti Osa Local GovernmentArea.

“Access Bank’s foremost status in infrastructure financing is underscored by the fact that it is leading two internationally renowned financial institutions – J. P. Morgan andAfrica Finance Corporation – on the new bridge project.

“The bank is also collaborating with the Dangote Foundation to raise five billion naira for the building of a state-of-the-art International Research Centre of Excellence for the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, inAbuja, for the promotion of public-private partnership for quality health services, capacity building and research in WestAfrica.”

The term “corporate social responsibility” became popular in the 1960s and has been used indiscriminately by many to cover legal and moral responsibility more narrowly construed.

Indeed, until recently, CRS was resorted to as a means of buying peace from host communities for business operations to go on unhindered towards profit maximization. In Nigerian street English, CSR was, and it still is, to some companies, “finding the people something for companies to have their peace.”

And what do the companies give? Money and consumables to communities, especially their leaders!

That is really selfish, old school CSR. Researchers of the subject have noted that: “In the 1950s the primary focus of CSR was on businesses’ responsibilities to society and doing good deeds for society. In the 1960s key events, people and ideas were instrumental in characterizing the social changes ushered in during this decade. In the 1970s business managers applied the traditional management functions when dealing with CSR issues, while, in the 1980s, business and social interest came closer and firms became more responsive to their stakeholders. During the 1990s the idea of CSR became almost universally approved, also CSR was coupled with strategy literature and finally, in the 2000s, CSR became definitively an important strategic issue for overall development.”

It is not difficult to situate the Wigwe CSR model here. CSR is no longer a bread and butter thing or an occasional show of benevolence. It is goes beyond a company’s sense of responsibility towards the community and environment (both ecological and social) in which it operates, or “giving back to the community,” which is now a CSR cliché.

CSR has become integral part of business that seeks to contribute to quantum overall development of regions and nations, from which the corporate also benefit.

According to Wikipedia, with some CSR models, a firm’s implementation of CSR goes beyond compliance and engages in “actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law.” CSR strategies encourage the company to make a positive impact on the environment and stakeholders including consumers, employees, investors, communities, and others. Of course the firm at the centre of it also benefits.

51

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

WITH

MARITIME BITS

JOHN IWORI

08057763164

L-R: Professor Nikos Nomikos of Cass Business School (CBS), London, United Kingdom (UK), Barrister Adekanmi Abayomi of Aux’ander Advisors, UK and Dr. Amir Alizadeh, a Reader in Shipping Economics and Finance at CBS, London…recently

President of the Ship Owners Association of Nigeria (SOAN) and Chief Executive Officer of the STARZS Group, Mr. Greg Utomwen Ogbeifun displaying the African Leadership Award presented to him by the All Africa Students Union (AASU) in Port Harcourt…recently

NSC Flays Terminal Operators’ Resistance to Regulation The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello has flayed the resistance of terminal operators to abide by regulations in the nation’s seaports.

NSC is presently the economic regulator in the nation’s seaports and it has been having a running battle with the concessionaires over their alleged arbitrary charges and violations of the agreement they signed with the Federal Government through the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Speaking at one a one day talk shop on a decade of Nigerian Ports Concession organised by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria

(MARAN), the NSC helmsman stated that despite the desire of the Federal Government to implement reforms in the maritime industry, some terminal operators are resisting regulation.

The NSC Executive Secretary who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the council decried the poor attitude of some of the terminal operators to the change agenda of the President Mohammadu Buhari’s administration.

His words: “The maritime concessionaires, shipping companies and others have shown enough courage to invest in Nigeria; we should never forget that they have option to move elsewhere. However, there is need for the private

NIMASA Disowns Staff over Ripples on Customs Board Chairman The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has disown one of its staff Mr. Momoh Alhassan for the position he took on behalf of the agency as regards the chairmanship of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) board.

Alhassan had while speaking at a stakeholders’ forum which took place recently in NCS Training College, Ikeja, Lagos said NIMASA is opposed to the Comptroller General of NCS, Colonel Ibrahim Ali (retired) serving as the Chairman of NCS Board.

Alhassan who presented the agency position when it was time allocated to speak at the forum also pushed for NIMASA becoming a member of the board in view of its statutory roles and responsibilities as Nigeria’s maritime regulatory authority.

According to him, the agency should be placed on the board of the Customs alongside the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). The Nigerian University Commission (NUC) should be removed from the Customs board and replaced with NIMASA. As far as the maritime sector is concerned, we are the only one qualified to develop capacity of operators. He also argued that cargo manifests of NCS should be made available to all government agencies.

Apparently worried by the controversy generated Alhassan position at the forum, the agency in a statement issued in Lagos said there was no iota of truth in what he said at the forum. The statement signed by NIMASA Head, Corporate Communications Team, Hajia Lami Tumaka said: “We want to state categorically that this is NOT the position of the Agency. The event which was held in Lagos and organised by the Nigerian Customs was intended to sensitise stakeholders and garner feedback on the proposed amendment to the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA). Mr. Momoh Alhassan, though a staff of the Agency was merely expressing his opinion in his personal capacity. NIMASA is not unaware of the correct procedure to be adopted in making its own presentations on matters of this nature which the Agency regards as very important.

“Being a draft law that will be forwarded to the National Assembly for legislative input and passage, the Agency will articulate its position at a public hearing at the National Assembly when the need arises. As a responsible organisation, NIMASA is dedicated to its core mandate of promoting the development of indigenous commercial shipping in international and coastal trade and the regulation of the maritime industry in Nigeria. The agency will therefore always commit to only those ideals that can further this course”.

sector to behave responsibly. There are a lot of sharp practises going on inside the ports like not positioning the containers when it’s time to do so, rent seeking activities. We have found out that some terminal operators are very far ahead than others. While some terminal operators have embraced automation, certain terminals operators are still operating primitively. These terminals will not embrace automation. These terminal operators resist regulation vehemently, not knowing that the regulation is for their own good. For example, the case we have with the terminal operators and some shipping companies has taken the shine off the regulation we have

NCS: Why We Detained Vessel at Onne Port The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Eastern Marine Command (EMC), Port Harcourt, Rivers State has given reasons why it detained a vessel named ``MV Defender V. The vessel, a patrol boat from South Africa, used in piloting tanker vessels was said to have sailed into Nigeria territorial waters without the requisite documentations and procedures.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), EMC, Comptroller Usman Bello who confirmed the development sailed into Nigeria territorial waters without a valid bank bond.

Giving an insight into why officers and men of EMC detained the vessel, Bello revealed that though the 7-man crew had a temporary importation permit (TIP) but they had no valid bank bond.

The Customs Chief explained that the vessel was detained as part of the crack-down by his officers and men on vessel owners who chose to operate in Nigerian waters without TIP and a valid bank bond.

The CAC revealed that the vessel

was detained in Onne port under the jurisdiction of EMC. His words: “The vessel sailed into Nigerian waters and docked in Onne port without the necessary valid bank bond which is a requirement for ship owners granted temporary importation permit by the Nigeria Customs Service. It should be recalled that earlier on, a tanker vessel, MT African Beauty was detained in Warri, Delta State for a similar offence”.

He warned that all ship owners plying the Nigerian territorial waters granted TIP

by NCS Headquarters, Abuja should always ensure that they also obtain the valid bank bond before either approaching or sailing into Nigerian waters.

According to him, any ship owner found violating this directive would have his or her ship detained as no excuse would be tolerated.

Continuing, Bello said: “The Temporary Importation Permit is an approval granted to ship owners by the NCS Headquarters to those importing ships temporarily to be able to either trade or transact business within Nigerian waters.

Smuggler Hides Contraband as Corpse Another antic of smugglers to evade the prying eyes of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security operatives has been uncovered with a suspected smuggler, Moses Degbogbahun carrying 11 bags of imported rice in an ambulance.

The antics of Degbogbahun were uncovered by officers and men of NCS, Seme Area Command who were on a patrol of the area.

The mobile patrol team leader which was led by CSC Moses Ozah promptly moved into action when it realise the frequency of the ambulance patronizing the international route with the alleged “dead body” and laid an ambush for Degbogbahun on his next trip.

Degbogbahun was promptly impounded the Volvo ambulance (740 GLE) with registration number DV 74

EKY and arrested the suspect along Aradagu tollgate road.

On further examination, the ambulance was discovered to be carrying 11 bags of imported rice that was carefully arranged and wrapped as a corpse.

Following the discovery, the management of NCS, Seme Area Command which has Comptroller David Victor Dimka as the Customs Area Controller (CAC), warned that no amount of smuggling antics along Seme border route will go undetected by what it called “the eagle eyes” of officers and men of the command on patrol. A statement issued by the command and signed by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Selchal Taupyen quoted Dimka saying that the suspect is still undergoing investigation for possible prosecution in the court.

put in place. This has also brought a lot of delay in some areas where we would have gone very far by now. This is so because some of these terminal operators believe we cannot audit them or that they are above the law. It is important that investors subject themselves to the laws of the land where they are operating in. After all, they are operating in other countries, so why is Nigeria’s case different”.

Continuing, Bello, a lawyer said: “Reforms are coming and they will come. I have always told the seaport terminal operators that they should get ready for reforms. I have told the freight forwarders that it is important they consolidate.

Sifax Gives Reasons for Having RoRo Terminals Outside Port Sifax has disclosed the major reasons for sitting its newly-opened RoRo terminals outside the port environment.

Sifax Grosup has given reasons why it sited its roll on roll off (RoRo) terminal outside the nation’s seaports in Lagos.

It stated it has opened two terminals at Okota, Lagos, where the storage and releasing of the imported vehicles are done.

The group which is a multinational corporation with diverse interests in maritime, aviation, haulage and logistics, oil and gas and hospitality said it took the decision as part of the one-stopshop vehicle importation service it recently launched in Lagos.

This is a sharp departure from the practice where vehicles are cleared from facilities in and around the port area.

The Group Managing Director, SIFAX Group, Mr. John Jenkins, in a statement issued in Lagos said the state of deteriorating roads around the port and need to decongest the port are two of the major factors for taking the terminals away from the port.

His words: “The reason why we made SIFAX terminals at Okota our releasing office was because there is a high demand for dedicated RoRo Off-dock terminal solutions outside the port area. With an increase in import cargo and deteriorating roads, consignees are seeking for better accessibility in the release of their cargo. SIFAX Group Off-dock terminals located at Okota offer this unique logistic advantage, which is highly recognized in Lagos.

“The Off-dock terminals are strategically located along the main roads of Lagos and they are new purpose-built logistics centre for handling RoRo products for the Nigerian market. Its geographical position in the centre of Lagos industrial zone provides consignees with faster and more cost effective transport solution.”

Jenkins stated that it was necessary to open the new terminals to customers because the ports area is a temporary transit base where cargoes are stored before it is then transferred to an off-dock terminal.

He also assured agents and consignees of an innovative, excellent and unparalleled customer service that will make the releasing of vehicles at the terminals a pleasurable experience.

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • September 3, 2016

52

media & marketing

Modalities for 2016 Maltina Teacher of the Year Revealed

T

eachers’ profile, teaching methodologies, challenges encountered in the course of teaching and resources employed in teaching would form some of the yardsticks for determining who wins this year’s edition of the Maltinasponsored Teacher of the Year (MTYOTY) award. The panel of judges for the annual award which is in its second edition will be led by the erudite professor of political economy and management expert, Prof.

Pat Utomi.

This was disclosed after the jury’s meeting to determine the modalities for judging the entries.

The Corporate Affairs Adviser of Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mr. Kufre Ekanem, disclosed during the meeting that aside from Kebbi and Zamfara, 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, are up in battle for the second edition of the Maltina Teacher of the Year.

Ekanem explained that the project received hundreds of entries from across the states of the federation. However, the entries were shortlisted and validated to compete for the initiative’s coveted prize by the stringent project assessors who trimmed the entries down after a thorough and painstaking examination.

After scaling the project assessors’ hurdles, Ekanem informed that the valid entries would be subjected to further scrutiny and thorough assessment process by the panel of

CHANGE OF NAME

Nigerian Breweries Plc has extended the scope of this year’s edition of the Maltina Teacher of-the Year initiative to include privately owned secondary schools in the country

judges, charged with determining who becomes the Maltina Teacher of the Year. On October 20, 2016, the winners will be announced and celebrated at a grand event in Lagos.

Ekanem stated that members of the panel were assembled based on their individual pedigree, professionalism and dedication adding that the job of the panel is to examine and scrutinize the valid entries received from across the country to determine winners at the state levels (state champions).

The 10 best entries will thereafter be invited for the grand finale where the panel will further subject the 10 finalists to rigorous scrutiny in order to determine who truly should be named the Maltina Teacher of the Year.

Like last year, the Maltina Teacher of the Year 2016 will get N1 million instantly, plus N1 million every year for the next five years. The package also includes a development training

opportunity abroad and a block of classrooms built at the school where he/she teaches. “It is our hope that through the Maltina Teacher of the Year initiative, we can inspire this nation to accord our teachers their deserved credit and bring back respect to the teaching profession in Nigeria,” Ekanem averred The MTOTY initiative with prizes worth N50 million annually, is done on the platform of NB/Felix Ohiwerei Education Trust Fund. Ohiwerei is a former Chairman and CEO of the leading beverage conglomerate which has been operating in Nigeria since 1946. The Trust Fund was established in 1994 to contribute to the development of educational sector in the country.

Over the years, the company has used the fund to assist over 20,000 students, built over 250 classrooms and 22 libraries in both primary and secondary schools across 49 communities in the country.

LG Gas Cookers Promises Easy, Safe Cooking

M

eal times are looked forward to by many households all over the world. It enables bonding and interaction with family members and friends. In Nigeria, owing to the use of poor cooking appliances, many households experience a great deal of challenge in getting fast, tasty, safe and nourishing meals. This will soon become a thing of the past with the introduction of the new Gas Cooker range by LG Electronics, a global leader in Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics.

LG Gas Cooker offer users more flexibility when cooking.

It comes with ‘dual heater’ that enables the grill and oven to work together at the same time. This allows food to cook faster and evenly as no hassle is experienced in the process of turning food around. This unique feature also makes food decoration remains same during and after cooking. With Cooling fan which circulates cool air and blow out hot air to lower the temperature of the door surface as well as the knobs.

Commenting on the product, the General Manager, Home

Appliances division, LG Electronics West Africa, Mr. Jiung Park, said: “The Gas cooker is an indispensable appliance in contemporary kitchens; their popularity stems from the fact that they provide users ease of use and a better controlled environment for cooking delicious meals.

It offers excellent cooking performance with some of its unique features such as dual heater which helps cook food evenly from top to bottom without turning it around”.

Rotisserie associated with cooking large chunk of meat in one sitting during parties. This will save people a lot of time spent and energy dissipated during cooking.

“This cooker has also taken care of issues people faced when preparing fish meals.

Usually people have to constantly stay at alert to check at intervals and even get it broken to pieces at the point of turning. We assure you that with LG Gas Cooker, these worries have been taken care of.” Easy Cleaning is another distinguishing mark of the LG Cooker as it comes with a removable glass; cleaning the oven door after cooking is not an annoying job anymore.

Users do not require any tool to take off the inner glass as

this can be achieved by simply pulling the glass a little bit against the body and lifting it off.

Cleaning the oil from the inner surface of the ovens is a tough process. LG Gas cooker allows for self-cleaning; through a process known as catalytic cleaning as oil and food residue are always left inside the oven after cooking.

Entirely hassle-free, LG ‘catalytic cleaning’ will not allow any food residue to stay insides the oven, it oxidizes food residues when inner temperature reaches to 250 degrees Celsius, this ‘Selfcleaning’ function will make oven stay hygienic.

Regarding safety, the cooker comes with Flame Failure Device (FFD); is a device designed to stop flammable gas going to the burner of the gas if the flame is extinguished due to overflow of food on the burner, temporary interruption of gas supply, gas under-pressure or wind, it also prevent dangerous buildup of gas within the appliance, its chimney or the room.

This unique feature addresses worries stemming from the concern that gas leakage might cause a fire in the house. It guarantees the safety of user’s house from the fire.

I formerly known and addressed as CHRISTIANA ADABRUKEME NNOCHIRI, now wish to be known and addressed as NNOCHIRI CHRISTIANA ADA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS ALABI ATINUKE CECILIA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS ADELEKE ATINUKE CECILIA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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I formerly known and addressed as EMMANUEL CHRISTIANA, now wish to be known and addressed as NWABA CHRISTIANA. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

I formerly known and addressed as MISS BUKOLA REBECCA OYENIYI, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS

OLUWABUKUNOLA REBECCA OYENIYI-AYELESO. All former

documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

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MRS OLUWATOBI ADERIKE OLOJO. All former documents

remain valid. The general public should please take note.

with

KASIE ABONE 08057511558 (sms only)

CHANGE OF NAME

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This is to notify the public that my name was wrongly spelt as ENGEDEFA B. JANE instead of ENGEDEFA BRIAN JANET. Henceforth my correct names remains ENGEDEFA BRIAN JANET. All documents remain valid, Bayelsa State, Environmental Sanitation Authority, FCMB and the general public should please take note

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

53

NEWS

In Brief

Sterling Bank Donates Incubators to UUTH

Sterling Bank Nig. PLC has donated two modern infant incubators to the PediatricsDepartmentoftheUniversityofUyoTeachingHospital(UUTH) in Akwa Ibom State. The Regional Manager South East, Mr. Ubong Isong, whomadethedonationonbehalfofthemanagement,saidthepresentation was in support of the Hospital to continue to meet the health needs of the people. The infant incubators, he said would assist to reduce the rate of infant mortality in the state and environ pointing out that the UUTH and Sterling Bank had years of mutual relationship which they had benefited.

Responding, Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital,ProfessorEtetePeterscommendedsterlingBankfortheirsupport.

Grocery Bazaar Opens Satellite Outlet

Growing super-wet/mall, Grocery Bazaar, will September 8, 2016, shall open the doors and make available its variety of products to residents in the Satellite Town neighborhood. The outlet located at 7, Assembly Road, opposite Close 17, shall play host to dignitaries from all walks of life, particularly from Agboju, Festac, Ojo, Navy Town, Ijegun-Egba and Abule Ado communities. Activities to officially commission the 4th outlet shall commence from 10am. Grocery Bazaar was birthed at LASU-Isheri flagshipstoreinSeptember2010.Thegrowingacceptanceisevidentviarapid follow up with the second and third at Ejigbo and Agbara in August 2013 and December 2015 respectively.

Navy's Free Healthcare in Aladja

CELEBRATING ANAMBRA..

Momodu Sule NDLEA State Commander, Anambra State and Anambra State Commissioner of Police Sam Okaula at event marking Anambra @25 in Awka, Anambra State

NDLEA Arrests Pilgrim at Abuja Airport

Chinedu Eze

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 55-year old female pilgrim, Mrs. Binuyo Basira Iyabo who was on her way to Medina, Saudi Arabia to perform the annual pilgrimage.

Iyabo tested positive to narcotic ingestion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja.

NDLEA said she was immediately placed under observation by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

The agency said Iyabo had so far excreted 76 pellets of substances found to be cocaine.

Meanwhile, at the Murtalla Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos, officials also inter-

cepted a 37-year old father of three children for inserting seven wraps of cocaine weighing 355 grammes inside his anus. Both suspects were going to Saudi and China where drug trafficking is punishable by death.

NDLEA commander at the Abuja airport, Hamisu Lawan said that the female suspect was still under observation until she expelled all the ingested pellets of drugs.

"Mrs. Binuyo was arrested during the outward screening of passengers on an Emirate flight to Medina through Dubai. She has so far excreted seventy-six (76) pellets of drugs that tested positive for cocaine. Meanwhile, she is still under observation until the drugs are completely expelled" Hamisu stated.

According to NDLEA, Mrs. Binuyo hails from Irepodun local government area of Kwara State.

She is married with three children and a trader at Dosumu market, Lagos. In her statement, she agreed to smuggling the drugs for a fee.

"I am a trader in Lagos, married with three children. I wanted to expand my cosmetic business but I have no money. My sponsor offered to foot my expenses to Saudi on pilgrimage. I was excited until I was asked to take drugs along. I wanted to decline but considering the offer of a million naira, I accepted. I swallowed the drugs in Lagos and took flight to Abuja on my way to Medina but I was caught in the process" she stated.

The other suspect was found to

have inserted seven wraps of cocaine weighing 355 grammes inside his anus at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Lagos. He was apprehended during outward screening of passengers on an Ethiopian Airline flight to Hong Kong, China through Addis Ababa.

NDLEA commander at the airport, Ahmadu Garba said that the suspect who hails from Imo State holds a dual citizenship of Nigeria and Mali. "An arrest has been made of a suspect travelling to Hong Kong, China. He hails from Imo State but was travelling with a Malian international passport.

The name on his passport is Diara Sauduo while his Nigerian name is Okpalanem Henry. The case is under investigation" the commander stated.

World Bank Approves 8 Erosion Sharia: 'Dont Tinker with Sites in Anambra for NEWMAP Nigeria's Secularity' David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The World Bank Group has approved eight more erosion sites in Anambra State for construction and remedial measures for the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).

The World Bank Environmental Specialist and its Task Team Leader in Nigeria, Dr. Amos Abu disclosed this on Friday shortly after inspecting the ongoing construction work at some erosion sites in the state.

While briefing the state Governor, Willie Obiano who was represented by his deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke, at Best Western Meloch Hotels, Awka, Abu noted that the World Bank through the NEWMAP was making spirited efforts to end the scourge of erosion in Nigeria.

“This is a joint World Bank, FAO, and Federal Government of Nigeria implementation and technical support mission; the states that are implementing the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP).

"This is a project that started with seven states but as of today, it has been oversubscribed such that we have 19 states and we had to dialogue with the federal government to put moratorium until the next midterm review. By then we will be able to take stock and determine whether we will be able to add one additional state.

“When NEWMAP was conceived, in particular during the preparation, Anambra State was the lead state; it was setting the pace but along the line something happened. It appeared to have lost that lead role but we are very happy to report that the momentum is back.

"As at the last count, we promised His Excellency that the design of the priority site as identified by the state remains a priority for us in terms of our reviewing.

And with this we have given it accelerated review process. And we are happy to report that as at today eight priority sites designs have been approved for Anambra State.

John Iwori A cleric, Archbishop God-dowell O. Avwomakpa has counselled President Buhari on the need to avoid taking any action that will violate secular state of the country.

The cleric who is also the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-south geo-political zone as well as the President of Niger Delta Bishop forum at the weekend kicked against the plan to re-introduce Sharia law into the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He stated this after a meeting of clerics and stakeholders in the Nigeria project which place in Warri, Delta State.

He argued that Nigeria as a secular state did not need a Sharia law as doing so will precipitate a crisis that would worsen Nigerians present precarious state.

According to him, though President Buhari means well for Nigeria but his refusal to call the higher hierarchy of Muslims and Christians and let them know that the issue of religion if taken too far could sour the relationship

between Muslims and Christians and by implication divide us as a people is the bone of contention. “We are witness to what is happening in Sudan, Israel and Turkey. We must learn from history and do every ting to make Nigeria get out of the woods and make life meaningful for the masses. Even if they kill 30 million Christians in Nigeria in the name of Sharia, Boko Haram or Islamization, my Bible teaches me to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

He does not sleep nor slumber. He knows how to thwart counsels of the wicked and save His people”, he said.

The clergy called on President Buhari not to allow the Nigeria ship that was sailing to sink in his hands because history and posterity would not forgive him even as he tasked the National Assembly members to put the nation first before their personal or group interests.

He made reference to the bill before the House of Representatives to cover criminal aspects of Islamic Sharia law to be implemented in the legal system in Nigeria.

TheNigerianNavyhasagainreiterateditsdeterminationtoassisttheneedy, especiallyintheareaofhealthcaredeliverysystem.CommandingOfficer, NigerianNavyHospitalWarri,SurgeonCommodoreLawalAdamswhogave theassuranceattheCentralNavalCommandMedicalRhapsodyProgramme held yesterday at Aladja in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State, promised that the Navy will not shy away from its responsibility of caring fortheneedyinthesociety.Accordingtohim,theexercisewasdesignedto promoteNavyandCivilianrelationshipwithaviewtoalignwiththesickand theneedy.“Besides,wewanttoestablishnormalrelationshipwithmembers of the public and to ensure that we are always there for them”, stressed SurgeonCommodoreAdams,insistingthatsanitymustprevailatalltimes.

Ahwi is 'Osu R' Urhobo of Lagos

A new 'OSU R' Urhobo, Lagos (leader of the Urhobo people in Lagos) has been elected. He is ChiefVincent Ogheneochko Ahwi. He defeated his opponent by one vote. After the demise of the Osu r’Urhobo Ill, the Council in LagosnamedChiefVincentOgheneochukoAhwi,theOwhoesiriofAbraka Kingdom and a chartered accountant with experience spanning over two decades as the next Osu r’Urhobo, Lagos. This declaration was made on August20,2016attheCouncilSecretariat,16/18AjoseLane,Ajegunle,Apapa Lagos.The selection process was carried out diligently in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the council.The process involved the appointment of Osu Committee comprising of five persons.

Special Exhibition

To Celebrate and Commemorate founding fathers and their patriotic life style which galvanised the birth and growth of Nigeria, the exhibitor, Mr. JerryUrukuIrimiyaandhisteamhaveannounced“ASpecialArtExhibition" and“theunveilingofaLegacyGalleryonOctober1,2016,attheprestigious TranscorpHiltonHotel,Abuja.Mr.Irimiyawhohasgarneredovertwodecades ofburgeoningartcreations,productionandcirculationisapassionate,astute and outstandingly creative, visual arts producer that is also renowned for holding art exhibitions of special and outstanding thematic focuses. He is an accomplished designer and photo exhibitor who has also blazed trails in the areas of painting, sculpting, and exquisite interior decoration and many more especially in his cutting edge aesthetic design of medallions.

ISI to Improve Integrated Information

In an attempt to improve the way insurance carries out their business, Insurance Systems Inc., ISI, as a fully-integrated browser-based insurance policyadministrationsoftwareishelpingtore-engineerthewayinsurance carriersdobusiness.Itsadvancedarchitecturerunsfromasingledatabase andcodebasewithrealtimeprocessing.Thesolutionwasdesignedtohelp insurers achieve maximum benefit from their IT systems. It empowers users by providing integrated client information and at their fingertips.

Some of the key benefits includes, flexible billing options catering to any distribution model, flexible payment plans and installment schedules and accurate financial data to promote effective and timely decision making.

It also allows for billing changes independent of the policy.The integrated accounting module automatically captures all insurance and general business transactions processed anywhere within ISI Enterprise in real-time.

Aregbesola, Others for Ijesa Festival

ToppersonalitiesfromallworksoflifewillgracethesecondeditionofIjesa Day,acelebrationofthediverseculturesofIjesalandholdinginLagosState onSunday,September18.IjesaDay,acelebrationwhichhasturnedareference point since it commenced in 2015, will hold at Anchor Event Center located at 1 Registration Close, off Lateef Jakande Road, Ikeja. Some of the big names expected at the event include HRM OBA Gabriel Adekunle Ademolaran, the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ijesaland; Osun State Governor RaufAdesojiAregbesola;LagosStateGovernorAkinwunmiAmbode;and MinisterofHealth,Prof.IsaacFolorunshoAdewole.OthersareSirDemola Aladekomo,PrinceAdeFadahunsi,EreluOlusolaObada,Chief(MRS.)Remi Olowu, Chief Olu Falomo, Lefosan of Ilesa to mention a few.

APGA Repositions to Win Elections

TheleadershipoftheLagosStatechapterofAllProgressiveGrandAlliance (APGA)hassaidthatitwaspoisedtomakeitthepartytobeatinLagosState.

SpeakingatagatheringofthepartyfaithfulinLagos,theStateChairman,Mr. SlyvesterEzeanisaidinordertoachievethat,theyweregoingtoembarkon politicalevangelismtosalvagetheover70percentofthestatepopulation thatwerecreatingthewealthbutwerenottakencareofbythepoliciesand programmes of the party in power in the state. He said that APGA had all it takes to win elections in Lagos State, but the lack-lustre leadership of the past leaders has been the bane of the party.

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THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

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We didn’t Shut-down, Sack Workers, Says Innoson Bennett Oghifo Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited (IVM), one of Nigeria’s auto manufacturing outfits, has said it was still producing vehicles with full complement of its workers, and had not shut its plant in Nnewi, as reported recently in various sections of the media.

This was contained in a statement the management of the company issued yesterday in reaction to the publications which purported that the plant had laid-off worker and shut down production over FOREX crises.

Explaining, however, that IVM, like many other manufacturers in

the country, was experiencing low production occasioned by scarcity of FOREX to import vital components, the statement signed by the Public Relations and Media Assistant, Cornel Osigwe, assured that the auto maker was hopeful that the Federal Government would soon find a lasting solution to the challenge.

The management faulted part of the erroneous reports which specifically stated: “Nigeria’s major vehicle assembly plant, Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company Limited (IVM), has announced its decision to shut down production due to lack of foreign exchange to import vehicle components.”

The IVM spokesman described the reports as “a deviation from the interview (the Chairman of the Innoson Group), Dr. Innocent Chukwuma, granted to Reuters News Agency which was correctly published by them, but was totally distorted by the various news platforms.”

Highlighting what it said was the correct position, the statement added, “Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co Ltd (@innosonmotors) has not shut down its manufacturing plant and is not planning to do so. In as much as the company is experiencing low production due to the inability to get the required volume of FOREX to source for its vehicle components

outside Nigeria, it still has absolute faith in the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN’s) ability to fix FOREX scarcity problems.

“Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co Ltd has not laid off its staff due to the low activities in production. Rather, what Chief Chukwuma said was ‘I believe they (Federal Government) are doing something but if they can't do anything, we will lay off some workers, “Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Co Ltd believes in the Federal Government’s drive to boost the manufacturing sector and is aware that this presentFOREX scarce challenge is a phase that will soon pass”.

YOU'RE WELCOME...

L-R; President, Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Worldwide, Abraham Olukunle Akinosun; Ondo State Governor Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; and General Secretary of VAC, Pastor Emmanuel Mapur (right) during a visit by the CAC President to the Governor's office, in Akure, on Friday

Midwestern Oil Urges Delta to Step up Power Generation Omon-Julius Onabu inAsaba

The quest by the Delta State Government to establish a solid base for industrialisation might remain a mirage unless deliberate efforts are made towards ensuring power generation and availability for production purposes.

Charles Oditah, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Midwestern Oil & Gas Company Limited, who gave the advice at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit in Asaba, noted that state desire for massive industrial takeoff could only be realised with a solid power base in place.

While commending the state government for its concerted efforts at "providing the right and enabling environment for private

participation and investment", he stressed the need for Delta State to strive to generate its own power.

Oditah pointed out that the state government quest for huge industrialisation would continue to be hampered by poor energy supply despite the fact that the state had a "large share of gas reserve".

Most of the megawatts (MW) of power generated from the state is not within the power of the state to control as it is fed into the National Grid, he observed.

He noted that since all facets of industrialisation demand energy to run them successfully and profitably in a sustainable way, the issue of regular and readily available power supply could not be overemphasised.

He said he also shared the

views of former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, that to launch Delta State industrially required huge financial outlay The Midwestern Oil boss, therefore, urged stakeholders, particularly oil and gas bearing communities to brace up to the challenge by venturing into the upstream sector of the industry trough meaningful investment.

"A lot of finance is required to support any meaningful and sustainable industrialisation effort", Oditah noted, adding that the host communities could pool resources together and also take advantage of the Nigerian or local content launch pad existing in the country.

Moreover, Oditah appealed to the people, especially youths involved

in various agitation, to give peace a chance as the disruption of the operations of oil companies trough destruction of pipelines and oil facilities are counterproductive.

Insecurity remains a centrifugal force that scares off existing and potential investors, he noted, adding that all hands must be on deck to tackle the problem of insecurity as international investors who naturally expect returns form their investment could not afford to lose their valuable infrastructure to violent agitators.

He noted that the Okowa administration was treading the right path with its disposition to economic and investment issues, as inward-looking mechanism remained the best way to go in the desire to establish Delta State as the industrial hub of Nigeria after Lagos State.

Stakeholders Consultation Influenced FRSC Accomplishment, Says Oyeyemi In its 2016 Half Year Corps Performance review, the Federal Road Safety Corps revealed that Stakeholders consultation had directly and indirectly influenced the accomplishments of the objectives of the Corps on all fronts across the nation.

According to Bisi Kazeem, the Head Media Relations and Strategy of the Corps, the Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, stated in his address at a Strategic Session with Sector Commanders at the FRSC Headquarters that the goals of the Corps to meet its mandate

of reducing road traffic crashes was embedded in three strategies adopted by the Corps in 2016, to improve fleet regulation and Sustain stakeholders’ consultation, to collaborate with States on improved road safety administration, and to improve enforcement and public education.

While acknowledging the support of the Federal Government for the Corps and road safety in Nigeria, Oyeyemi reiterated that management’s commitment was imperative for success, as well as monitoring and evaluating processes

and procedures to ensure continuous effectiveness in the administration and operational activities of the Corps.

Oyeyemi restated the commitment of the Corps to unwaveringly tackle the use of substandard tyres by motorists in Nigeria, to curb excessive speeding, overloading, number plate violation, timely removal of materials causing obstruction of movement on Nigerian roads, and the commencement of the enforcement of speed limiting device.

In this vein, he expressed the Corps’ readiness to continue col-

laborating with sister agencies and state traffic agencies like LASTMA, and called on states that are yet to set up their own traffic agencies to do so as the Corps is ready to help in the training of the personnel of such agencies in the FRSC Academy.

The Corps Marshal used the opportunity to encourage the Corps’ field operatives to remain steadfast and deploy measures to demonstrate known and cherished values rooted in dutifulness, firmness and fairness, in the face of challenges ranging from personnel knockdown, assault, kidnap, inducement, and fuelling.

Stop Encouraging Contraceptive Use, Civil Societies Tell Health Minister Peter Uzoho and Godbless Eduviere

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (CSON) have called on the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole to stop encouraging the use of contraceptives by Nigerians, debunking the minister’s position that increased use of contraceptives could lead to abortion reduction.

The organisation believed that most modern contraceptives were abortifacients which cause mini and micro abortions, hence abortion and contraception achieve the same purpose of the most despicable, callous, heinous and inhuman method of killing, pointing that, the child was killed by their parents and doctors, the very persons who were supposed to protect them.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, with the theme “Population Control Or Improving The Living Conditions of The People”, Director-General, Project for Human Development, Mr. Jerry Okwuosa, said the Minister’s proposal was to increase the contraceptive prevalent in Nigeria from the present 15.1 per cent to 36 per cent for the purpose of reducing Nigerian’s population.

“They want us to believe that increasing contraceptive use will reduce abortions. This is a lie.

Can they mention any country the world over that has reduced abortion by increasing contraception?

Contraception increases abortion”, Okwuosa said.

“The undisputed truth is that not only has contraception not lowered abortion rates anywhere, it has in fact increased it because of the manufacturer-approved conclusion that ‘no contraceptive can guarantee

100 per cent effectiveness’.

“Contraception is a slippery slope to abortion, hence once a woman is tricked into using contraception, and it fails (as they always do), she will go for abortion (the ultimate contraceptive) because she considers the resulting baby a failure of technology and not her fault.

Okwuosa revealed that there were 125,000 abortions every day in the world, making abortion the commonest medical surgical procedure in the world followed by sterilisation. However, he noted that the 661 million women on contraception based on three per pent failure rate of perfect use of contraceptives, kill 652,000 babies every day, 5.2 times, the abortion carnage. He said Nigeria aborts average of 1,125,000 million babies annually, stressing that using the world ratio of abortion and abortifacient deaths; Nigeria was killing 5,850,000 million by contraception annually. He further said that, to increase contraceptive prevalent from 15.1 per cent to 36 per cent would take our contraception death toll to 13,947,020 million annually or an additional 8 million deaths by professorial antics.

“And most importantly, contraceptives are dangerous to health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), classified contraceptives as carcinogenic (cancer-causing agents), in a September 2005 report. In spite of the carcinogenicity, WHO routinely makes the unsupported claim that health benefits clearly exceed the health risks? Is it not shocking that the WHO is not concerned that women are putting cancer-causing chemicals, which are in the same category as cigarettes and asbestos, in their bodies?”

Navy Vows to Rid Nigeria's Territorial Waters of Maritime Illegalities Chiemelie Ezeobi In line with its zero tolerance to maritime illegalities including piracy, crude oil theft and sea robbery, the Nigerian Navy (NN) on Friday reiterated its commitment to rid Nigeria's territorial waters of such, thus creating a free domain for economic prosperity.

The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ette-Ibas, said this at the graduation ceremony of Senior Officers' Course held at Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Quorra, Apapa, Lagos.

According to the Training Captain, Livingstone Izu, the course saw 22 officers of the rank of captains and commanders graduating after a four-week Command Level Officers' Course.

The CNS, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Rear Admiral Jacob Ajani, said he was delighted to be in the graduation ceremony of the participants in the Command Level Course.

He said, "It would be recalled that my mission statement clearly spelt out the need for a well-trained, organised and highly motivated personnel to fulfil our constitutional roles.

"And also to fulfil our constitutional roles professionally and efficiently in the defence of Nigeria for our economic prosperity and wellbeing of our people.

"This equally resonates with the specific task on Human Resource Management and Administration in the CNS' Strategic Directive 2015-1, the command level course

was emplaced to deliver on the core objectives therein.

"Therefore, training must be continually reinvigorated through deliberate innovations to achieve our desired goals.

"In this regard, the command level course provided a veritable means to fast track the delivery of a trained and ready force as the important linkage through quality leadership training to achieve command attributes.

"It is my hope that you have imbibed sufficient knowledge within the past one month to enable further self-development as you set to take command ashore or afloat."

Ibas, also said Nigerians and President Muhammadu Buhari had ensured that the navy was well resourced within the limit of available funds bearing in mind contending national needs and priorities.

He said, "The nation has invested in all of us. I enjoin you therefore, to strive to justify the huge resources by playing a credible role in the attainment of navy's mandate."

Also speaking, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Admiral Ifeola Mohammed, said that the course was a result of deep introspection.

He said, "Our past operations and trainings as well as experiences with lessons learnt, served as the main ingredents for the course.

"I have no doubt that the course will fill the gaps, in past efforts as well as the renewed drive to meet present and future challenges, in operations in our maritime domain."

THISDAY, THE SATURDAY NEWSPAPER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2016

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Edo: Sheriff's Faction Moves to Displace Ize- Iyamu as Card Reader is Stolen

FG Confirms Five Cases of Lassa in Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Rivers States

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Adibe Emenyonu in Benin

The federal government yesterday confirmed five cases of Lassa fever from four states in the country between week 24th August and 2nd September.

According to officials, two cases were reported from Plateau State, one from Rivers, and one each from Bauchi and Gombe. The case reported from Gombe died on 22nd August 2016, all other cases are alive.

The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said public health response commenced immediately in all the affected states under leadership of the respective state’s Ministries of Health.

It was indicated that following the new cases, resources were immediately mobilised from the centre and its partner, the Nigerian Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training

Ahead of the September 10 governorship election in Edo state, the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), loyal to the ousted national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the candidate of the group, Mathew Iduoriyekwemwen as the PDP's candidate f or the election.

This is as there have been reports that one of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) smart reader has been reportedly stolen in Akoko- Edo local government area of Edo state A member of the House of Representatives, representing

Egor/Kpoba-Okha Federal Constituency, Hon. Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma was at the INEC on Friday to submit a court ruling ordering the commission to accept Iduoriyekwemwen as the PDP candidate for the election in Edo state.

But there was an altercation between the lawmaker and the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr. Rotimi when the later scolded the delegation for badging into the commission's premises to address the media without any notice.

The plan of the Sheriff's delegation to meet with the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu failed as the chairman was said to have left for Jumat prayers.

Addressing newsmen later,

outside the INEC premises, the lawmaker said the commission's decision to publish the name of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who emerged from a primary election conducted by the PDP National Caretaker Committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi as PDP candidate for the election was illegal.

He said the INEC's legal department should advise the commission's chairman, Prof Mahmud Yakubu accordingly in order for the "rightful thing to be done", adding that "INEC must obey court order".

"Today, I am challenging INEC to do the needful and be on the side of the law. We are not in a Kangaroo country. Nigeria is a great nation. Something good can come out of Nigeria. I have submitted a

letter to the INEC chairman to as soon as possible, with immediate effect, put Hon Iduoriyekwemwen as candidate of PDP for the Edo governorship election because the court order has been struck out.

"Today, Hon Iduoriyekwemwen is the rightful candidate. So there is nothing more to say about this than for INEC to be on the side of the law, obey the law of the land.

Anybody that refuses to obey the law of the land will face the music at the end of the day.

"There was a court order given recently by Justice Adeniyi of the FCT High Court. There was a case filed by Ize-Iyamu at the same court that has brought us to where we are now but INEC decided to place Ize-Iyamu as candidate of PDP; which is the Makarfi group.

while speaking to reporters in Makurdi Yesterday.

He said the presidents’ in action at the beginning of his tenure led to this crises.

He condemned the corruption fight by the Buhari government which he said was vindictive and would not stand the test of time while also questioning why top civil servants and bankers were not being tried by anti-crime agencies.

"The fight is targeting the wrong people, politically exposed people are being targeted while fraudulent civil servants and bankers are walking

about freely.

The president has grounded the economy due to lack of clear cut economic policies." Till date we don't have an economic team to form a good blue print that will take us out of the wood" He said the President must act fast to save the country from collapsing.

He also called on the Benue Governor Samuel Ortom to sack 90 per cent of his cabinet members for non-performance.

He said the present commissioners in Benue lacked the pedigree and intellectual capability, adding that

they did not have the requisite skill to assist the governor develop the State.

"Most of them were appointed for political patronage and this has stifled development of the State", he decried.

Apir frowned at the manner the governor was handling the internally generated revenue, IGR of the State, accusing him of always speculating on figures rather than telling the truth, averring too that what was being realised between N800million to N1.2 billion, the governor had no excuse not to pay salary of workers.

Paul Obi in Abuja

Programme (NFELTP), to support the investigation and management of cases in the affected states.

NCDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said: “We commend the early detection and reporting of the most recent cases, as it significantly improves the likelihood of survival for the cases and also reduces the risk of further transmission.

"We also urge all States to report cases immediately for Lassa fever while improving on the timeliness of their reporting generally” "As a result of increasing number of cases, the NCDC is issuing an advisory to all States reminding them of the steps they have to take to prepare and respond to cases of Lassa fever and other haemorragic fevers, as well as the resources that they can access for this."

'Buhari has Worsened Nigeria’s Economic Situation' CNN AfricanVoices

George Okoh in Makurdi

A Former Aspirant on the ticket of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the 2015 governorship race in Benue State, Mr. Nathaniel Apir has blamed President Mohammed Buhari for the aggravated worsening economic situation in the country even as he disclosed that the level of poverty was high among the citizenry.

He said that even though the president's corruption fight was in order, he condemned the way and manner the president was going about it. He made the statement

Globacom, sponsor of CNN International’s African Voices, says this week’s edition of the magazine programme would profile the change agents on the continent.

In a press statement released in Lagos on Friday, the company disclosed that the edition, themed Change Makers, would feature the Founder of African Leadership Academy, Fred Swaniker, and Nigeria’s Ugo Udezue who is the Chief Executive Officer of Africa Basketball League (ABL).

Swaniker and Udezue are among outstanding Africans who share dreams for a better world and better future.

“These individuals are shaking up

the status quo and simultaneously empowering their fellow countrymen,” CNN stated.

Born in Enugu State, Nigeria, 37-year-old Udezue is a former basketball international who plied his trade with Wyoming in the United States. He sees basketball as more than a game, and has made it a personal mission to build a sports empire from scratch. He is expected to reveal to viewers about his goal “to provide a safe and socially conducive entertaining environment with basketball as the epicenter" as well as his hopes that the ABL which he co-founded will 'unite Africans through sports.''

VINTAGE

Meadow Hall Foundation: Mentoring Younger Generation for Greater Future

As part of its contribution towards building a generation of well rounded 21st century women, Meadow Hall Foundation has conceptualised an initiative tagged ‘A Beautiful Life’. Raheem Akingbolu reports

B

eyond going to school and acquiring certificates, there are more values expected from graduates to make them have a positive impact on their family and the society.

This was demonstrated recently at the maiden edition of the ‘ABeautiful Life’ mentorship initiative organised

by Meadow Hall Foundation, MHF, to bring the best out of Nigerian women. Few months ago, the organisers had placed an advertorial in some selected newspapers to invite participants. Asides, many participants who spoke to THISDAY confessed that the outcome of the previous conference encouraged them to buy into the initiative. This was as a result of the impactful and inspiring sessions delivered by notable speakers of the preceding conference and strong word of mouth.

In all, almost 30 young women, mostly graduates from various schools, had the opportunity of listening and interacting with three prominent women, who have excelled in different disciplines. The mentors included the Chief Executive Officer of Meadow Hall Group, Mrs. Kehinde Nwani. Few things were common to the mentors: they are achievers, they are spiritual, they are mothers and they are nation builders. While the programme lasted, they didn’t only share their experiences with the participants; they also showed the role of God in human success, hence the need for the participants to be spiritually endowed. In fact the session centered around ‘being a child of God’.

According to the head of Meadow Hall Foundation, Mrs. Oluwakemi Adewoye, ‘A Beautiful Life is the segment of MHF’s Mentoring Programme dedicated to women. She pointed out that the mentor -mentee session was a follow up to previous conferences held recently. The sessions are meant to provide an opportunity for mentors to facilitate

Oluwakemi Adewoye, head of Meadow Hall Foundation within small groups and have one-on-one discussions geared towards developing their mentees towards the attainment of excellence in all areas of their lives. She added that the focus areas were spirit, mind and body with the sole objective of making the mentees understand the importance of connecting with the Holy Spirit and being led

by Him in all they did.

“To us at Meadow Hall Foundation, we believe in touching lives and making today’s youths the best leaders in future, both at home and in the society. With ‘A Beautiful Life’s’ mentor-mentee sessions, we want women to grow and understand the importance of their role in the society and become total women that can positively impact their children and anybody they come across. That is why ‘A Beautiful Life mentor–mentee sessions’ majorly targets women from diverse backgrounds,” Adewoye said.

He added that the Foundation believes there are

individuals in the society whose achievements in life could impact the lives of women and inspire them to be change agents in their various spheres of influence.

“To this end, Meadow Hall Foundation conceived the initiative through which successful women from different sectors could share their experiences and guide other women in attaining the ideal of a beautiful life,” the woman explained.

One of the participants, Waire, said she decided to attend the programme to tap from the experiences of the mentors and to hone her own leadership skills.

She described it as an awesome programme, where she met women that had everything, especially God, and had equally succeeded in their careers with good families and wonderful children as testimonies.

“I felt I had to get close to one of them to learn from her experience: what she had done, what she is currently doing that had made her succeed.”

Speaking on her key take-away from the session and what she thought she would do differently going forward, she had this to say: “We talked about the Holy Spirit during this session and realised I have not been seeking the Holy Spirit. I always felt I have the brains and can figure out everything on my own. One thing I will take home with me is the fact that I have to depend on God more and ask the Holy Spirit for even the simplest things, as simple as what to wear and what to eat. It is important to trust God more and learn more from Him.” Corroborating this position, another mentee, Tola, said she signed up as a mentee because she knew about two of the mentors and saw them as role models: successful women in business and children of God. According to her, she wanted to follow their paths and live a beautiful life that would be based on applying godly principles in

her life and business.

“I took away two major things from this session: the first was spiritu ality. God gives the power to make wealth, helps and directs you with the spiritual part of everything. You have to give all your worries to God, be anxious for nothing, leave God to do His job and He will sort out the problems. The second aspect was health, it is important to go for regular checkups; it’s not just about praying and being a good wife. From now on my anxiety would reduce once I pray and leave everything to God and the second part which is regular checkups would be improved for my family & I. I would ensure everyone is up to date with the doctor. It is important to make sure your health is balanced as your soul is nourished,” Meadow Hall Foundation, a subsidiary of Meadow Hall Group, has contributed in no small measure to the society. Recently, MHF embarked on a N1.8 million project to build a modern library for her adopted public school, Ilasan Primary School, Jakande.

Again, in an effort geared at supporting the government’s determination towards quality teaching and development of the Nigerian child, MHF, also, recently trained its fourth set of trainees from her Graduate Teacher Trainee Programme (GTTP) which was project-managed by Meadow Hall Consult, one of Meadow Hall Group’s five subsidiaries.

Meadow Hall Foundation was founded in May 2009 to give hope for a better future, to provide quality education to the less privileged, to sensitise privileged children to give back to the society by helping the less privileged to raise a generation of children with the desire to impact their generation positively and to mentor the less privileged children thereby creating opportunities to be able to compete favourably with their peers.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

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MISSILE Civil Liberties Organisation to Buhari

“We are wondering whether the president, who ran for office, four consecutive times never had an agenda for Nigeria. With a little above one year in office, the country is now in a terrible mess where people can no longer sit down peacefully in their own ancestral homes.”

– The Civil Liberties Organisation, condemning President Muhammadu Buhari for the latest killing in Enugu State by Fulani herdsmen

PENDULUM Dele Momodu

dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

In Search of a Simple Roadmap “In the past what we have done has been to manage the situation.

I do not intend to manage ourselves out of the situation as has been done in the past.

I intend to fix it! I owe it to the Ghanaian people. I, John Dramani Mahama, will fix this energy challenge.”

- President John Dramani Mahama State of the Nation Address, 2015

F

ellow Nigerians, let me start on a positive note today that there is no problem we are facing today as a country and as individuals that cannot be fixed if and when we are ready, determined and tenacious. I draw huge inspiration and example from President John Dramani Mahama today because I have had the opportunity of following Ghana’s trajectory very closely and keenly since the regime of President Jerry John Rawlings (aka Junior Jesus). I doubt if there is any Nigerian of my generation who would not remember that, once upon a time, Ghana was down and almost out. Things were so bad that I would not even want to regurgitate the story here. What is good is that the story has changed for the better. Even if Ghana is not yet an Eldorado, the country is certainly on the confident and steady march towards prosperity.

We have a lot to learn from a few smaller African nations. I won’t bother travelling to Europe, America or Asia my examples. Right here in Africa, smaller countries with minimal resources are doing admirably well. I know the usual attitude of some of our people is that they dismiss those countries as being too small and lacking our kind of stupendous population. But they conveniently forget two salient facts; that one, those countries don’t have access to our kind of resources and two, our bigness should be an asset and not a liability.

I have no doubts about the greatness of Nigeria and I plan to preach it and admonish President Muhammadu Buhari and his team that they can fix our problems if and when they are ready.

As complex and complicated as we may seem, Nigerians are not too difficult to govern. The trouble is our leaders usually refuse to do things differently yet they expect dissimilar results. Only if they can turn things around a little and work instead of sermonising, they would see better results. Nigerian leaders often expect Nigerians to trust them with all their hearts, and even their lives, but forgetting that politics and religion are not one and the same. The first requires critical analysis while the latter thrives on blind faith and no proof of evidence. Our leaders are insensitive to any form of criticism but ignoring the aphorism: “to whom much is given, much is expected!” My unlettered mum taught me that the best way to silence your critics is to continue to excel. This, precisely, is what President Mahama is doing in Ghana.

Trust me, Mahama has been endlessly maligned and castigated at the flimsiest opportunity but he has continued to respond by unleashing a tornado of developmental projects all over Ghana to the mortification and bewilderment of his most vociferous and acerbic critics. First he was accused of doing nothing and they almost succeeded in convincing us. Mahama’s infrastructural development of Ghana was the best kept secret. The projects he embarked upon were quietly successfully executed without fanfare yet they were spread everywhere you turned.

Alone they seemed isolated and nothing to write home about but by the time he lifted the veil on his remarkable collection of projects, he left us totally stunned. Now the woeful tune being sung by the Opposition has changed from “he is doing nothing” to “the contracts are inflated”.

President Buhari and Facebook founder/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mark Zuckerberg No one can even quarrel with the world class quality of the job so they can only whimper about the cost.

I call Mahama a magician because I wonder when he found time to conceptualise the projects, how he designed them so beautifully and where he got the funding to actualise this audacious dream of his. It is obvious that he must have had a simple but comprehensive roadmap and followed it meticulously and religiously and his faith moved mountains for him. His confidence level is uncommon going by his speech quoted at the beginning of this piece. That is the attitude we need to imbibe desperately and urgently.

The roadmap would be like our business plan.

Nigeria can make do with a master-plan going forward because it seems noting of the sort is readily available for now. I recall Vision 2020 was supposedly one of such master plans but nobody even mentions that any more. I can only venture that it is better late than never to formulate a veritable roadmap for our beloved country. I have no doubt Nigeria is blessed with some of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people in the world and if invited and allowed to function they would perform wonders.

The biggest challenge Ghana faced in the last three years has been the virtual collapse of energy.

Power outages crept into the country like a thief in the night and soon took over the lives of the people. It was so bad that the moniker, Dumsor Dumsor, soon became a household term depicting the rationing of electricity from zone to zone.

What I admired the most was that government did not panic. The ruling government ignored all the insults and rolled up its sleeves. They demonstrated clearly that they meant serious business. They reduced any frivolous activities they were involved in and concentrated on exterminating the scourge of power failure that crippled many organisations and businesses. They attacked the demon from different fronts, before our very eyes. They invested in different types of power generation - wind, hydro, solar, barges, turbines using diesel and gas, etc. Today, Ghana has won the battle, almost totally. We can too.

And I have noticed improvements in Lagos in the last few months. I’m very confident that Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola is up to the herculean task but he cannot do it alone. Such a venture requires the collaboration of several ministries, agencies and private organisations together with the will and zeal to move mountains.

The first thing government should have done that it refused to do is shed the toga of “bigmanism”, according to critics of Buhari. The

attraction of a Buhari government, as many of the youths abusing us today remind me repeatedly, was they expected it to be less ostentatious but fast-paced in conceptualisation and actualisation.

They think Buhari is too casual and lackadaisical and when we try to offer explanations and plead for understanding and patience, they get even angrier. The insults I receive on behalf of President Buhari is no longer funny and I hope he is aware of the foul mood of the people out here contrary to whatever he is being told by insiders. It is getting bad and must be appropriately managed lest it gets out of hand.

The young ones are saying they expected Buhari to treat the problems of Nigeria like an emergency that it is and not like a typical presidency under a normal climate. They expected him to do away with the profligacy of the past, sell off most of the Presidential jets and reduce Presidential convoys and multitude of security aides that portrays us like an Empire ruled by an Emperor rather than a Federation governed by a democrat. Those who advocated for change felt that this would mean that the President would reduce foreign trips to the barest minimum, cut costs of governance at all levels by setting example from the top, get active on our bad roads by making surprise appearances at critical sites and locations, and so on. I don’t think they are asking for the impossible. Some of these expectations can be handled by the office of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who as a former University lecturer would readily know how to manage restive youths. Every government tries to pull some cosmetic stunts at the beginning. It is like when a plane wants to take off; it requires a lot of power and everyone around feels the vibration. Fashola invested in planting flowers and improving the general environment of Lagos. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode mesmerised Lagosians with his light up razzmatazz and it is working for him. Such projects visibly ensure that citizens see and believe government is working. President Buhari must have assumed everyone would see his pure and genuine heart and judge him only on his incorruptibility but it is not always as simple as that.

The biggest assets of Nigeria are not in oil and gas but in our human resources, particularly our amazingly talented youths. They must not be allowed to waste away. I’m glad our President eventually met with the Facebook founder, Mr Mark Zuckerberg, in Abuja yesterday. No one can ever repay him for that visit to Nigeria for its free public relations windfall. It doesn’t

matter if he came looking for how to expand his own business. Nigeria needs more of such inspirational visitors. I hope this would not end as mere photo opportunities like others before it.

I’m sure Mr Zuckerberg didn’t just wander into Nigeria like Henry the Navigator. He has met and employed several Nigerians at the highest echelons of his company. Today is not the day to salute and pay tribute to these giants of social engineering and information dissemination. He knows there are many more geniuses buried within the so-called wilderness of Africa. He is smart to see what many of us can’t see in our own people. I commend his spectacular vision.

One of the ways to create employment opportunities for the people is by investing substantially in science and technology, especially ICT. For example, close to home, 70 enhanced community information centres have been completed across Ghana. Nigeria can partner with some of our blue chip companies to create such opportunities in every Senatorial or Federal constituency. The Federal Government can designate each of the geo-political zones as centres of excellence and mould them into our own Silicon Valley for technological advancement; Oil and Gas zones can be set up in our oil producing regions as is the case in Houston, Texas. We can create institutions like The Academy of Sciences; Agricultural Research Institutes, Centres for vocations and artisans; Schools of Business and Entrepreneurship and Colleges of Politics and Leadership to mould and produce our scientists, farmers, entrepreneur and leaders of the imminent tomorrow. It makes it possible to target specific talents and they will create the buzz and generate loads of activities. Only the best brains would be admitted and nurtured in these elite institutions. Not everyone can enter Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, etc. but they do not have to be children of thee privilegentsia. Any youth who has the requisite, intelligence, acumen and determination will be able to gain admission to such centres of excellence. We can start by upgrading two universities per geo-political zone since we can’t revamp all our universities at once.

We must invest in our healthcare. This would reduce the temptation of going for treatment abroad. Let us build excellent medical facilities, at least one per zone, and employ the best medical practitioners from all over the world. Let us make agriculture our top priority. Government can identify spirited young farmers and support them in setting up and also identify those interested in processing, preservation and distribution.

Agriculture alone can engage a vast majority of our people. By now we should be exporting our produce, foodstuff, and foods, much more than we do at the moment. We should not pay lip service to diversification. We must understand that such can never happen in a jiffy. It is the product of painstaking research, hard work and dedication. Failure to understand this means we are not even ready to begin.

Proper attention must shift to rebuilding our infrastructure, especially roads and airports. Our airports are just too disgraceful, especially the ones in Lagos and Abuja. President Buhari needs to act fast because nothing gives Nigeria the worst image than these retrogressive airports which invariably represent the gateway to our dear country.

No government can do it all but some of the suggestions I have enumerated can ignite not only a job revolution but also massive industrialisation and an agrarian regeneration. There is no time to waste.

We must start from somewhere, sometime.

No better time than here and now!

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