Thursday 10th Noverber 2016

CBN Fines Standard Chartered Bank N2Bn for FX Infraction Meets BDCs over rates convergence

Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria has fined Standard Chartered Bank N2billion for foreign exchange infraction, an

authoritative source told Thisday yesterday.

The bank, according to the source, drew the apex bank’s anger for buying $25million at the official rate and selling

same way above the inter-bank market rate.

Apart from the hefty fine, the commercial bank’s treasurer is also said to have been suspended by the apex

bank that has been battling to rein in unwholesome banking industry practises that have engendered a huge differential between the inter-bank and parallel market rates.

As part of its efforts to bridge the wide gap between the interbank and the Bureau De Change (BDC) segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market, the apex bank, the

State Security Service (SSS), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Bureau De Change Operators (BDCs) also met Continued on page 8

Senate Drops Grazing Reserve Bill, Says It's Unconstitutional...

Page 11

Thursday 10 November, 2016 Vol 21. No 7875. Price: N250

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Buhari, World Leaders Congratulate Trump

Obama promises smooth transition Clinton offers to work with president-elect, says this is not the outcome we wanted Joseph Ushigiale in Lagos, Tobi Soniyi and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Zacchaeus Somorin in Washington DC with agency report President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday joined other world leaders to congratulate Mr. Donald Trump, who prevailed

over his main rival, Secretary Hilary Clinton, to emerge as the President-elect of the United States of America in last Tuesday’s presidential election.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, the Continued on page 8

Buhari Appoints Onnoghen Acting CJN To be sworn-in today

Bolaji Adebiyi and Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The uncertainty surrounding succession to the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) has persisted even as the Presidency said yesterday that an acting CJN would be sworn in today by President

Muhammadu Buhari.

The president’s failure to appoint a replacement for Justice Mahmud Mohammed, whose tenure lapsed 12 midnight yesterday, had threatened to create a leadership vacuum in the Continued on page 8

SEC Blames Turbulent Capital Market for N2.1bn Revenue Deficit... Page 11

SAVOURING VICTORY

US President-elect Donald Trump and his deputy, Mike Pence, during their victory party at Hilton Midtown Hotel in New York...

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

PAGE EIGHT BUHARI, WORLD LEADERS CONGRATULATE TRUMP president also congratulated Americans on the successful outcome of the election.

Buhari said he looked forward to working with Trump to strengthen the already established friendly relations between both countries, including cooperation on many shared foreign policy priorities, such as the fight against terrorism, peace and security, economic growth, democracy and good governance.

"As Mr Trump prepares to assume the position of the President of the United States, I extend my good wishes to you on the onerous task of leading the world’s strongest economy," he said.

Other world leaders who greeted Trump on his victory yesterday included the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mrs Theresa May, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, French President François Hollande, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Italy’s Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi Boris Pahor, and the Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy.

The European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) were also in toe to hail the new US leader.

Finding their voices after the shocking defeat, President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party candidate, Mrs Clinton, spoke about an urgent need to reconcile Americans after one of the most cantankerous electioneering in recent American history.

The president promised to work for a smooth transition of power to Trump, when he leaves office in January, citing the example set by former President George W. Bush eight years ago.

"I had a chance to talk to President-elect Trump last

night at 3:30 in the morning to congratulate him on winning the election and invited him to the White House tomorrow to talk about making sure there is a successful transition between our two presidencies," Obama said from the White House Rose Garden with Vice-President Joe Biden at his side.

Obama campaigned hard against Trump to boost his former Secretary of State, Clinton, who conceded the race in an earlier speech yesterday morning. "It is no secret that the president-elect and I have some pretty significant differences," Obama said, adding later, that "we all want what's best for this country".

According to CNN, many of the White House staff who had come out to hear the president speak were emotional immediately preceding his remarks. Obama sought to comfort his supporters and the Clinton campaign, saying he was "heartened" by a message of unity and inclusion when he spoke with Trump on the phone.

"I hope that he maintains that spirit throughout this transition and I certainly hope that's how his presidency will begin," Obama said. Obama praised his staff for working relentlessly on behalf of the American people, saying the America Trump inherits is better than the one he was handed in 2008.

"Everyone on my team should be extraordinarily proud of everything they have done," Obama said, adding: "Everybody is sad when their side loses an election. The day after, we have to remember we're all on the same team."

Earlier in the day, Clinton had formally and publicly conceded to Trump. "Last night I congratulated

Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans," she said.

"This is not the outcome that we wanted,” Clinton stated, adding: “I'm sorry that we did not win this election. This is painful and it will be for a long time."

At one point, Clinton spoke to her younger supporters, saying that they may have career setbacks later, but must carry on.

"This loss hurts but please never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it," she said. She also addressed her female supporters, who had hoped that she would make history by being elected the first female president.

"To all the women and especially the young women who put their faith in this campaign and in me, I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion. Now, I know, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but some day, someone will," she said.

Last night, Trump praised Clinton in his victory speech, saying the former secretary of state had called to concede.

He thanked his opponent for her service to the country, saying that it was time for the country to come together as one united people.

"I pledge that I will be president for all Americans," he said.

He promised to rebuild "inner cities" and infrastructure, as well as "taking care of our great veterans. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal," he said.

Trump said he would double

economic growth, while talking somewhat ominously of "getting along with all other nations willing to get along with us...

While we will always put America's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone".

French President Hollande said Trump’s win “opens up a period of uncertainty” that “must be faced with lucidity and clarity”. He congratulated the US president-elect “as is natural between two heads of state”, but showed little enthusiasm.

Hollande had openly endorsed Clinton. “Certain positions taken

by Donald Trump during the American campaign must be confronted with the values and

In her own reaction to the outcome of an election that has left many analysts bewildered, Germany’s Merkel said: “There’s no country we Germans have as close a relationship with as the United States of America.

Whoever rules this vast country, with its enormous economic strength, its military potential, its cultural influence, carries a responsibility which is felt all over the world. Americans have decided that the person to carry this responsibility for the next four years is Donald Trump. Germany and America are connected by common values: democracy, freedom, and respect for the law and for human dignity irrespective of origin, skin colour, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political conviction. On the basis of these values, I offer the future president of America, Donald Trump, a close working relationship.”

She said: “Partnership with the USA remains a basic pillar of German foreign policy in order for us to meet the great challenges of our time: striving for economic and social wellbeing and a forward-looking climate policy, the fight against terrorism, hunger and disease, engagement for peace and freedom, in Germany, Europe and all over the world.”

held on 11 October, 2016, the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommended Justice Onnoghen, being the most senior justice of the Supreme Court, for consideration for appointment as CJN. But the process of appointment was stalemated by the failure of the president to indicate his acceptance of the NJC recommendation by forwarding its nominee to the Senate for confirmation.

Although in law, the president is not bound to accept the NJC recommendation, he could also not bypass the council in making the appointment.

If for any reason, the president does not accept the NJC recommendation, he is at liberty to ask the Council to recommend to him another suitable candidate for the office.

Senior lawyers told THISDAY yesterday that unless the president exercised his powers

under Section 230 (4) of the Constitution, there might be a leadership vacuum that could precipitate a constitutional crisis in the third arm of government.

The lawyers argued that except the president activated this section of the Constitution, the most senior justice of the Supreme Court could not automatically assume the leadership of the judiciary.

By swearing in someone in an acting capacity today, the president would have activated this proviso even as he leaves in abeyance the process of appointing a substantive chief justice of the federation.

Last Monday, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Sebastian's Hon, called on the president to act with dispatch and ensure that the name of the next CJN was forwarded to the Senate for clearance.

Hon, in a statement, said it

was scary that the name of the next CJN had not been sent to the Senate with less than a week before the incumbent, Justice Mohammed, would retire.

He said: "The tenure of office of the incumbent Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mahmud Mohammed, will expire at 12 midnight on 9th November, 2016.

"The name of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen, the next most Senior Justice of the Supreme Court, has since October 10, 2016, been forwarded to the president, who is expected, constitutionally, to forward it to the Senate for confirmation.

"Till this moment, Mr. President has not forwarded Justice Onnoghen’s name to the Senate for confirmation. This is scary, to say the least.

"Senate confirmation hearings are not jamborees but are grave constitutional exercises, requiring incisive investigative and at times

FX market, the spot rate of the naira closed at N307.76 to the dollar yesterday, just as it went for N385 to the dollar on the BDC segment.

In a related development, the stock market reacted negatively to the news of Donald Trump’s election as US president.

Specifically, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) All-Share Index (ASI) fell by 0.72 per cent to 26,173.69, while market capitalisation shed N65.6 billion to close at N9.0 trillion.

Although the market has been bearish in the past six trading days, operators said the surprising victory of Trump must have further dampened investors' confidence.

“We acknowledge the possibility that the surprise victory of Trump in the US presidential election could potentially further dampen sentiments, as investors weigh the potential impact on the country given the close trade relationship between Nigeria and

the US,” analysts at Meristem Securities Limited said.

The global markets were calm as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq stock indexes in the US were little changed after the first hour of trading.

The pre-open future markets forecast dramatic sell-offs when Trump's lead became clear overnight.

Share traders had expected Hillary Clinton to beat Mr. Trump to become the next US president on the back of polling forecasts.

UK and European stock markets have made early losses, with money flowing into safe haven stocks, gold and currencies including the yen.

The UK's FTSE 100 index initially dropped two per cent before recovering its losses to show a gain of 0.8 per cent in afternoon trading.

France's Cac index and Germany's Dax were back in positive territory after erasing losses of more than two per cent.

World Leaders Stunned, Reacts Obviously dazed by the Trump victory, world leaders were barely able to veil their disappointment even as they expressed their readiness to accept the decision of the American people.

United Kingdom UK’s May congratulated Trump and said Britain and the US had an enduring and special relationship based on the values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.

“We are, and will remain, strong and close partners on trade, security and defence. I look forward to working with president-elect Donald Trump, building on these ties to ensure the security and prosperity of our nations in the years ahead,” she said.

France

interests we share with the United States,” he said.

According to him, “What is at stake is peace, the fight against terrorism, the situation in the Middle East. It is economic relations and the preservation of the planet.”

Germany

Italy Prime Minister Renzi of Italy, who was a vocal supporter of Clinton even before she secured the Democratic nomination, offered his congratulations to Trump “in the name of Italy” and said he was convinced that the friendship between Italy and the US was strong and solid.

“It’s a new political fact that along with other things demonstrates that we are in a new stage,” Renzi said. “Who would say that Trump would win? It is that way and we respect it. We will cooperate with the new American president and have a relationship between the EU and Italy.”

Rome Pope Francis did not mention the US elections during yesterday's audience, but Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, offered Trump congratulations in a statement to Vatican Radio that “his government can be truly fruitful”.

He added the Vatican offered its prayers “that the Lord illuminates and sustains him in service of his country, naturally, but also in service of the well-being and peace of the world”. Parolin concluded by noting that “there is need for everyone to work to change the global situation, which is in a situation of severe lacerations and great conflict.”

Slovenia Boris Pahor, the President of Slovenia, the Alpine nation that Continued on page 9

BUHARI APPOINTS ONNOGHEN ACTING CJN judiciary.

But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Shehu Garba, told THISDAY yesterday that there was no prospect for confusion as the president would inaugurate an acting CJN later today.

“An acting CJN will be sworn in by President Muhammadu Buhari at 2.00 pm tomorrow (today),” he stated in a text message, adding that he had no information about who would be appointed into the office.

“The Attorney-General of the Federation will present the person to the president tomorrow for swearing-in,” he said.

A reliable source, however, told THISDAY yesterday that the most senior justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Walter Onnoghen, might be the choice of the president in line with Section 230 (4) of the 1999 Constitution

as amended, which provides: "If the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of that office, or until the person holding the office has resumed those functions, the president shall appoint the most senior justice of the Supreme Court to perform those functions."

By virtue of Section 231 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, it is the prerogative of the president to appoint a CJN. Section 231 (1) explicitly provides: "The appointment of a person to the office of Chief Justice of Nigeria shall be made by the President on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council subject to confirmation of such appointment by the Senate."

At its emergency meeting

CBN FINES STANDARD CHARTERED BANK N2BN FOR FX INFRACTION yesterday over the need for the BDCs to adhere to the rules governing foreign exchange transactions.

A reliable source, who attended the closed-door meeting, said the federal government was concerned about the disparity in the FX rate among the three markets.

According to the source, the CBN and the security agencies present at the meeting made the BDC operators to understand that a lot of foreign investors are not comfortable with the wide gap between the three arms of the FX market and would only come in if the situation is addressed.

Therefore, it is anticipated that the initiative would encourage the inflow of FX from foreign portfolio investors.

The President, Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Mr. Aminu Gwadabe, who confirmed the development in a phone interview

yesterday, said his members had pledged to cooperate with the government.

He explained: "We were told to follow the rules and make sure we cooperate with them. We have agreed to carry our members along on that, in ensuring that compliance is strictly observed.

We have been sensitising our members and we have been holding meetings.

"We want to have same regulation that is happening within the banking industry for BDCs. If you go to any bank, you see the FX rates written boldly. So, we have promised the government that we would adhere to the rules. So, we are looking at a rate between N390/$ and N400/$. That is, we buy at N390/$ and sell at N400 to retail customers."

He said the initiative was to make the parallel market unattractive.

"We already have a Rate Regulation Committee and

we have an Enforcement and Surveillance Committee as well as a Sensitisation Committee.

So, our business is now under strict surveillance by the security agencies and we have to protect it," the ABCON president added.

THISDAY, however, learnt last night that some BDC operators who were caught selling FX above the stipulated limit were arrested by security agencies, both in Lagos and Abuja. Those arrested would be prosecuted in order to discourage others from flouting the FX regulations as well as the federal government's objective.

A top executive of ABCON, who said he was not aware of the arrest, declined to comment on the exact number of BDC operators arrested.

Meanwhile, the naira reacted positively to the development on the parallel market as it appreciated to N460 to the dollar yesterday, stronger than the N465 to the dollar it closed the previous day. On the interbank

confrontational posturing. In other words, the Senate needs to obtain the biodata of the CJN nominee ahead of time, to enable the upper legislative chambers to conduct a thorough investigation cum confirmation exercise.

"The time to act is now, as the Senate must confirm Justice Onnoghen latest on Tuesday, to further enable his swearing-in just before or just after Justice Mahmud bows out.

"The image of the Judiciary has nosedived in the recent times; and Mr. President must be seen to be preventing any further dent on the image of this crucial arm of government.

"Mr. President should once again act as the father of the nation, by forwarding Justice Onnoghen's name for confirmation - since he is the only southerner entitled to occupy the seat of the CJN for close to 30 years.

"This gesture will go a very long way in cementing our sectional divides. Again, the time to act is now!"

TOP GAINERS NGN NGN CAP PLC 1.38 35.40 DANGSUGAR 0.18 6.30 UNIPRESS 0.10 3.90 LIVESTOCK 0.02 0.80 REDSTAR 1.51 16.49 TOP LOSERS NGN NGN PZCUSSONS 1.51 16.49 FLOURMILLS 0.95 18.05 NASCON 0.38 7.37 CONTINENTAL 0.05 0.97 DANGFLOUR 0.18 3.55 HPE Nestle Nig Plc N814.97 Volume: 146.110 million shares Value: N1.035 billion Deals: 3,039 As at yesterday 9/11/16 See details on Page 46

% 4.1 2.9 2.6 2.5 2.3 % 8.3 5.0 4.9 4.9 4.8

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

NEWS

Trump Embarrasses Soyinka, TB Joshua Nigerians mock duo as TB deletes 'prophetic' video of Clinton's victory Chiemelie Ezeobi The social media space was set ablaze yesterday after it became clear that Donald Trump, the hitherto Republican presidential candidate, had won the keenly contested American presidential election against popular favourite, Hillary Clinton of the Democratic party.

With his win, Trump stands to become the 45th US president.

But that is not the story of the day for Nigerians.

The main issues for Nigerians at this point are two popular persons — Prof. Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate and Prophet Temitope Balogun Joshua, popularly known as TB Joshua, founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

While Soyinka had threatened to destroy his green card (a US residency permit) if Trump won, Joshua on the other hand had

predicted that Clinton would win the election.

Was that to be? Apparently no, as the results have declared Trump winner, thus making a mess of the prophetic declaration of Joshua, which many Nigerians banked on to place bets with their friends and families.

In a move many have described as firing blank shots, Joshua had on a video uploaded on his official Facebook account 'prophesied' that he saw a woman win the election.

Although he did not mention her (Clinton) name, he said: “Ten days ago, I saw the new president of America with a narrow win.

The new president will be facing several challenges over many issues, including: passing bills, attempts to possibly pass a vote of no confidence on the new president.

"The boat of the new president will be rocked. By the way,

Trump in order not to keep you in suspense, what I frankly saw is a woman.”

But the person taking the most flak on social media was Prophet Joshua, as most Nigerians called him out on his prophesy, while

some went as far as calling him Pinocchio (a boy whose nose grows long each time he lies).

Immediately the results were announced, many people of course remembered the prophesy and went back to that post, only to find it gone. It had been deleted.

However, the deletion did not prove a deterrent for Nigerians who took to different social media platforms to mock the duo.

Surprisingly, the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election, Jimoh Ibrahim, also went in for the kill while tweeting on his Twitter handle @JimohIbrahimOFR. He teased: "Even though TB Joshua has seen it that I am the next Governor of Ondo State, please let him keep it to himself for now."

A former aide to ex-President

Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, joined the fray when he wrote: "Dear TB Joshua, who gave you your prophecy? My God that I serve is not a man that He will lie."

One Adedayo Ayomide said: "People: TB Joshua you said a woman will win. TB Joshua: you people didn't hear me clearly, I said woolman, the person his head looks like wool."

Mistur Sam wrote: "TB Joshua is only good at predicting football matches not US election. Is he really a prophet or bet9ja expert?"

An ardent believer of the prophet, one Arther Chatora, wrote: "Even when Clinton was stuck at 2015 electoral votes for hours, and Trump was close to 270, I still believed TB Joshua's prophecy."

A Twitter user simply identified as @CorrectBea wrote: "Please has Soyinka torn his green card? Do we still believe

TB Joshua and his prophecies?

Please pray and think twice before making any statement."

For Soyinka, who is a scholar-in-residence at New York University’s Institute of African American Affairs, he was quoted to have declared, while giving a speech to Oxford University students, that he would not wait to be told to reapply for a green card.

He reportedly said: “If in the unlikely event he does win, the first thing he will do is to say all green-card holders must reapply to come back into the US. Well, I am not waiting for that. The moment they announce his victory, I will cut my green card myself and start packing up.”

To him Omokri also wrote: “Dear Professor Wole Soyinka, please think twice before you tear your green card. You may find recession back home hard to deal with!"

of Mexico said he was ready to work with Trump to help bilateral relations, and that the two countries would continue to tighten bonds of cooperation and mutual respect.

“Mexico and the United States are friends, partners and allies and we should keep collaborating for the competitiveness and development of North America,” Peña Nieto said on his Twitter account.

conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation,” Xi was reported to have told Trump. Xi also told Trump he hoped the two sides could avoid “conflict and confrontation [and] instead achieve cooperation and a win-win [relationship]”.

the conflicts in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent,” he wrote. “We must trust and work together to crush terrorism and eliminate extremism from a position of strength.”

BUHARI, WORLD LEADERS CONGRATULATE TRUMP is the home country of Melania Trump, said: “We are allied as part of NATO and I will strive for the friendship and the alliance to deepen further.”

and would have a positive effect on the general climate of global affairs given the special responsibility of Russia and the US to sustain global security.”

Spain

Ukraine

The Prime Minister of Spain, Rajoy, congratulated Trump on his victory and vowed to work with him to strengthen Spain’s relationship with an “indispensable ally”.

Spain’s foreign ministry said it was confident that the new era of bilateral relations would serve to “reinforce and consolidate” Spain’s partnership with the US and “deepen the friendship between our countries and peoples”.

But Pablo Iglesias, leader of the anti-austerity Podemos party was less welcoming. Above a picture of the famous black power salute at the 1968 Olympics and an emoji of a clenched fist, he tweeted: “The vaccine against Trump’s fascism is social justice and human rights, not more establishment. There are people in the US who will resist.”

In Ukraine, where officials expressed fear prior to the vote that a Trump presidency could see Ukraine thrown under the bus in favour of improved ties with Russia, President Petro Poroshenko offered “sincere congratulations to Donald Trump on being elected president of the United States and to the friendly American nation on democratic expression of will”.

Poroshenko said he had met the US ambassador on Wednesday and had been assured that “the new US administration would remain a reliable partner in the struggle for democracy”.

Sweden Sweden’s former Prime Minister Carl Bildt said 2016 was the year of “double disaster” for the west.

He tweeted: “At least Richard Nixon had a solid understanding of world affairs. Manoeuvred skilfully. But morally corrupt.

And collapsed in disgrace.”

Russia Russia’s Putin sent Trump a telegram to congratulate him.

Speaking at a ceremony in the Kremlin, the Russian president said: “We heard the campaign slogans when he was still a candidate which were aimed at restoring relations between Russia and the United States. We understand that it will not be an easy path given the current state of degradation in the relations.

And as I have repeatedly said, it’s not our fault that RussianAmerican relations are in such a poor state. But Russia wants and is ready to restore full-fledged relations with the United States.”

Putin emphasised: “I repeat we understand that this will be difficult, but we are ready to play our part, and do everything to return Russian-American relations to stable and sustainable development track. This would serve the interests of both the Russian and American peoples,

Egypt President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt said Cairo wanted to see more “cooperation and coordination” between the two nations to bolster stability and peace in the Middle East. He telephoned Trump to offer his congratulations and invited him to visit Egypt.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump and called him a “true friend of the State of Israel”.

Netanyahu said that he believes the two leaders “will continue to strengthen the unique alliance between our two countries and bring it to ever greater heights”.

The news was met with jubilation by politicians on the Israeli right, including the country’s education minister Naftali Bennett, who declared that Trump’s victory meant “the era of a Palestinian state is over”.

“Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the centre of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause. This is the position of the president-elect, as written in his platform, and it should be our policy, plain and simple.”

Palestine The news of Trump’s election was greeted cautiously by Palestinian figures. A spokesman for the Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas said: “We will deal with any president elected by the American people on the principle of achieving permanent peace in the Middle East based on the two state solution on June 4,1967 lines with east Jerusalem as its capital.”

Saudi Arabia King Salman of Saudi Arabia expressed hope that Trump would bring stability to the Middle East. “We wish your excellency success in your mission to achieve security and stability in the Middle East and worldwide,” he said, praising US-Saudi relations, which are “historic and tight between the two friendly countries, that all parties aspire to develop and reinforce”.

Turkey In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said: “The election marks the beginning of a new era in the United States. I hope that the American people’s decision will facilitate audacious steps being taken regarding fundamental rights and liberties and democracy in the world and regional developments. Personally and on behalf of the nation, I wish to consider this decision by the American people a positive sign and wish them a successful future.”

President Hassan Rouhani reacted to Trump’s win by saying that it would not change the trajectory of his country’s foreign policy. He said: “The US election results will have no impact on the policies of the Islamic Republic. Because of wrong policies, the position of America in the international community and world’s public opinion has diminished and [the US’s] growing rift with Europe and the world will exacerbate that position.”

Iraq Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Trump and said he looked forward to continued support in his country’s fight against Islamic State. In a statement on his website, Abadi said he hopes the “world and the United States will continue to support Iraq in fighting terrorism”.

Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated Trump and stressed the close friendship and ties between the two nations. The US accounted for 60% of Canada’s global trade in 2014, a relationship underpinned by Nafta.

Trump, who has described the agreement as “the worst trade deal in history”, has vowed to renegotiate the terms and would move to withdraw the US from the deal if Canada and Mexico refuse. According to the Canadian government, nearly 400,000 people a day cross the shared border between Canada and the US. Trudeau’s statement said: “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I would like to congratulate Donald J Trump on his election as the next President of the United States. Canada has no closer friend, partner, and ally than the United States. We look forward to working very closely with President-elect Trump, his administration, and with the United States Congress in the years ahead, including on issues such as trade, investment, and international peace and security.”

Cambodia Cambodia’s long-serving, authoritarian prime minister Hun Sen congratulated Trump.

On his official Facebook page, Hun Sen pointed out that he had announced his support for the Republican candidate several days earlier. “American voters have shown their choice to elect your excellency,” he wrote, adding: “My support for your candidacy is not wrong either.”

China Chinese state media said President Xi Jinping had called Trump to congratulate him on his victory.

“I place great importance on the China-US relationship, and look forward to working with you to uphold the principles of non-

Indonesia President Joko Widodo said the world’s most populous Muslim nation would work with the Trump administration. “We will keep good relations, especially in trade and investment as we know the US is one of Indonesia’s major investors,” he said. “I think there will be no change.”

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent his “heartfelt congratulations” to Trump. Abe said that “as a very successful businessman with extraordinary talents, not only you made a great contribution to the growth of the US economy, but now as a strong leader, you have demonstrated your determination to lead the United States”.

Philippines The Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, who branded Obama a “son of whore” earlier this year, offered “warm congratulations” to Trump. Duterte, who has expressed outrage almost daily with the Obama administration and threatened repeatedly to end one of Washington’s most important Asian alliances, hailed the success of US democratic system and the American way of life, according to his Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

Duterte “looks forward to working with the incoming administration for enhanced Philippines-US relations anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit and shared commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law”.

Malaysia

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Prime Minister Najib Razak – embroiled in a corruption scandal at home that is being investigated in the United States – sent a congratulatory message to Trump: “Mr Trump’s success shows that politicians should never take voters for granted. Opinion polls, and established political figures, all underestimated the strength of his support. His appeal to Americans who have been left behind – those who want to see their government more focused on their interests and welfare, and less embroiled in foreign interventions that proved to be against US interests – have won Mr Trump the White House. He added the US and Malaysia “are firm allies in the worldwide fight against terrorism and extremism.”

President Joseph Kabila, who suspects the Obama administration of trying to oust him from power and whose aides have made little secret of their preferred winner, congratulated Trump.

Speaking both personally and “in the name of the people” of the troubled nation, Kabila offered his “most sincere congratulations” to Trump for his “brilliant electoral victory and, through him, to the American people who, sovereign, have decided to trust him with their destiny”. Kabila said he wanted to “solemnly express his desire” to work with Trump to strengthen ties between their countries.

Pakistan Pakistan’s former president and army chief Pervez Musharraf congratulated Trump on “his historic election”. Writing on Facebook, he said the presidentelect “should not quit from Afghanistan”, the country where some US and international forces remain in place.

“I hope he will focus keenly to bring peace and stability around the world and demonstrate deliberate leadership in resolving

Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta congratulated Trump for his “victorious campaign” and Clinton for her “valiant effort”.

Kenyatta reminded Trump that the “ties that bind Kenya and the United States of America are old, and based on the values that we hold dear: in democracy, in the rule of law, and in the equality of peoples,” adding: “These values remain dear to the peoples of both nations, and so our friendship will endure.”

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 Ëž T H I S D AY

NEWS

Ă?ĂĄĂ? ĂŽĂ“ĂžĂ™Ăœ Davidson Iriekpen Ă—Ă‹Ă“Ă– davidson.iriekpen@thisdaylive.com, 08111813081

Niger Delta Avengers Weakened as JTF Foils Another Attack on Chevron Escravos Pipeline in Delta Bakassi militants contact security operatives, ready to lay down arms

Sylvester Idowu Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹ĂœĂœĂ“ Members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) were yesterday weakened as soldiers of the Joint Task Force (JTF), code-named Operation Delta Safe, again foiled another attempt to blast the Chevron Escravos export pipeline at Escravos offshore.

Security sources told THISDAY that the militants were sneaking into the pipeline site in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State but were overwhelmed by the massive military presence and beat a retreat.

It was gathered that they arrived in two speed boats at about 3 a.m., switched off their engines and were rowing close to the site when they saw heavily armed soldiers around the area and quickly left the place.

However, the leadership of NDA, anticipating a successful outing by its strike force, issued a tweet announcing the attack and later posted details on its website early yesterday.

Surprisingly, THISDAY observed that the statement

issued on NDA website dated October 25 this year with the title ‘Escravos Export Pipeline Down’, was the same content issued to announce the attack on the line executed over two weeks ago.

Curiously, THISDAY checks within the security circle revealed that there was indeed an attempt but the militants couldn’t move near the scene to perfect their attack because of the overwhelming military presence around the facility.

It was however gathered within the militant’s circle that the strike team sent on the assignment had misinformed the leadership of the NDA that the assignment was successful resulting in the release of the tweet.

The purported release issued and signed by the Spokesperson of NDA read thus “Tuesday, October 25, 2016, Escravos Export Pipeline Down. Today at about 3:45a.m., our strike team 06 took down Chevron Escravos export pipeline at Escravos offshore. This action is to further warn all IOCs’ that when we warn that there should be no repairs pending negotiation/dialogue with the

people of the Niger Delta, it means there should be no repairs. “Any attempt to use dialogue to distract us so as to allow the free flow of our oil will halt the dialogue process.�

A community source (names withheld) disclosed that there was no attack of the Chevron facility as claimed by the militants, noting that repair works were ongoing as at the time of speaking with THISDAY. Coordinator, Joint Media Campaign Centre of the JTF, Lieutenant Colonel Olaolu Marcellinus Daudu, confirmed that the militants fled on sighting the military around the facility. “Yes. There was an attempt by the hoodlums on sighting the JTF operatives beat a retreat. So I am surprised that you are telling me of an attack on that facility,�

he said.

Niger Delta militants under the Bakassi Strike Force (BSF) yesterday contacted security operatives fighting militancy in the Niger Delta, indicating their intention to lay down their arms.

The spokesman of the Joint Media Centre of the JTF, Lt Col Olaolu Daudu, told journalists in Yenagoa that the move was a major success for the military which has raided the hideouts of the warlords who claim they are fighting for a fair deal for the Bakassi people of Cross River.

The troops also said the militants have declared their intention to turn in their arms to the government, noting that the process of submission has already started. “Following consistent successful operation against militants and

criminals by Operation Delta Safe, available information from Sector 4 in Cross River State indicates that BSF militants led by one Mr. Benjamin Ene, have expressed unreserved willingness to lay down their arms. “They (militants) have contacted the DSS in Cross River State through the state governments appointed rapporteur on amnesty to signify their readiness to hold talks on amnesty with the relevant authorities. “To buttress this demonstration of goodwill, BSF turned in General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) and AK 47 rifle.

The DSS representatives and representatives of the rapporteur have since recovered the arms as talks are ongoing on modalities to surrender their remaining arms,�

the JTF said.

Leaders of the group had last week accused the military authorities of killing several innocent people in the guise of trailing members of the BSF, and abusing the rights of the people resident in the area.

They asked the military to leave the community as they were in the struggle for selfdetermination, maintaining that they were agitating against the poor implementation of the Green Tree Agreement after ceding Bakassi to Cameroun, leaving Nigerians resident in the peninsular without proper resettlement.

Still on the fight against sea robbery and pipelines vandalism, Daudu said they killed one sea pirate yesterday, wounded two and arrested seven.

Buhari Meets Saraki, Southeast Senate Caucus Biafra, marginalisation top agenda of Igbo senators’ meeting with president Tobi Soniyi Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday held a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Senate.

The president also met separately with Senators from the South-east.

The senators at the meeting, held at the president’s office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, were led by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

After the meeting with the lawmakers, they exited while Buhari held a personal meeting with  Saraki.

The meeting came about a week after the Senate rejected  Buhari’s request to borrow $29.9 billion from external sources.

The lawmakers, across party divide, rejected the application without debate, saying it did not come with relevant information such as purpose, means of repayment and among others.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Ekweremadu said: “For us from the South-east, we believe that dialogue is better than any other form of engagement. So we decided to visit the president and present to him some of the concerns of the South-east including the issues of roads, general infrastructure: the rail, airports.

We also discussed the issue of security with him and of course the issue of Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB.) We had a good

conversation with the president, and he promised to look into the issues.�

The Chairman of the Southeast Caucus in the Senate, Eyinnaya Abaribe, who was also at the meeting with the president, said the South-east caucus came to see the president over raging issues in the region.

He said: “This is the Southeast caucus in the Senate and we came to see the president because of the issues we have in the South-east. “We had a fruitful discussion with the president. He has promised us that he is going to look into the problems of region. “We know that there are problems everywhere but we also believe that the South-east is the zone that is far much shortchanged at this time than other zones.

We also talked about the issue of appointments from the South-east, especially with respect to the National Security Council.

The president also told us that governors of the South-east have also engaged him on the same problems we engaged him on. “There is a concerted effort from the people of the South-east to be sure that we engage with this government meaning fully. “We are reassured with the response we got from the president and we look forward to further interaction with him in this manner.�

Others in the delegation were: Sam Egwu, Hope Uzodima, Andy Uba and Chukwuka Utazi.Â

AN AUDIENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT

R≠L: Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe; Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari; Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; Senator Sam Egwu; Senator Chukwuka Utazi; and Senator Hope Uzodimma, during a visit by senators from the South≠east led by Ekweremadu at the State House in Abuja....yesterday

Obla Denies Bribing Justice Ajumogobia Ejiofor Alike A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Godwin Obla, has denied an allegation of bribery payment of N5 million to Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of Federal High Court in Lagos.

In a statement yesterday, Obla said he did not manke any payment of N5 million or any other amount to Justice Ajumogobia.

According to him, the payment of N5 million under reference was a payment he made on May 21, 2015 to a company named Nigel & Colive Nigeria Ltd, for the purchase of building materials for his construction site in Abuja.

Obla further clarified that at that material time of the said commercial transaction and till date, he had no privy knowledge that Justice Ajumogobia has any interest whatsoever in the company.

He said when he honoured the invitation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interview, the Acting Head of the STF team read incoherent portions of Justice Ajumogobia’s statement, alleging that the N5 million was part of purchase price of N40 million

for a bungalow at Karshi, Abuja. “For the avoidance of doubt, I have never purchased or made any payment for any bungalow in Karshi, Abuja or landed property, whatsoever from Justice Ajumogobia. On account of the foregoing, I was informed that the EFCC Chairman had directed that I be detained,� he explained.

Obla said he was shocked to be confronted with the allegation of possible bribery payments to Justice Ajumogobia ostensibly in return for judicial favours.

He insisted that there is no foundation or basis whatsoever for making any such payments.

Obla acknowledged that Justice Rita Ajumogobia was his classmate 33 years ago and has always been his friend but added that he had only minimal professional contact with the Judge.

According to him, the records would indicate that in all her years at the Bench, the only matter he had before her was the case of FRN v. Raymond Omatseye, which commenced in 2010 and terminated in 2016, wherein he acted as a prosecutor for EFCC. “For the record, I re-state that the only matter in which I have ever appeared as a lawyer

before her Lordship, Justice Rita Ajumogobia was in Charge No: FHC/L/C/482C/10 between FRN v. Raymond Omatseye whose trial commenced by a criminal charge dated 22 December 2010 before another Court and was later re-arraigned before her Lordship, Justice Rita Ajumogobia on an Amended 27 Count Charge dated 16 January 2013. I acted as Prosecutor for the EFCC and the trial culminated in the conviction of Mr. Raymond Omatseye in the judgment delivered by the court on 20 May 2016. Importantly, the conviction of Mr. Raymond Omatseye was very significant in the fight against corruption and was widely celebrated as the first conviction ever secured by the EFCC under the Public Procurement Act 2007,� he explained.

He alleged that notwithstanding the diligent and successful prosecution and conviction, the EFCC for whom he acted and who has deemed it a matter of public interest to make this bribery allegation has neither settled expenses he incurred over a six year period in prosecuting this matter nor paid any professional fee whatsoever in respect of the

said matter.

Obla said he was at a loss as to why on earth he would be obliged to pay out bribe to Justice Ajumogobia for judicial favours since the only case he had ever taken before her court was as a prosecutor on behalf of EFCC in a criminal charge which terminated in a landmark conviction for EFCC. “It is inconceivable that I paid a bribe on behalf of or for the benefit of EFCC to her Lordship, Justice Rita Ajumogobia or any other person,� he said.

Obla alleged that all the lawyers who were interviewed yesterday at the EFCC office in respect of various payments to judicial officers were all granted bail on self-cognisance, except him.

He described it as a mystery that after his meritorious service to EFCC in various capacities, particularly as a prosecutor in no less than 40 cases involving economic and financial crimes and securing convictions, for which his bill of charges continues to lie unsettled at EFCC, the present leadership has elected to treat him with disdain and needlessly detained him in its custody, without the benefit of doubt.

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Senate Rejects Grazing Reserve Bill, Says It’s Unconstitutional Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja A controversial bill seeking to establish Grazing Management Agency that will ensure the creation of grazing areas across the country was yesterday withdrawn by the Senate.

Sponsored by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano Central), the bill was withdrawn along with two other similar bills sponsored by Senators Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-east) and Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North).

While Gemade’s bill sought to establish National Ranches Commission for Regulation, Preservation and Control of Ranches, Utazi’s bill sought to control keeping and movement of cattle in Nigeria.

However, after Kwankwaso made a presentation to the Senate on his bill, it was found to have completely different objectives from those of Gemade and Utazi and because of the controversy the bill had earlier generated across the country, the Senate President Bukola Saraki, asked the Senate Leader Ali Ndume to move a motion for the bill to be withdrawn.

The foundation for the withdrawal of the bills was laid by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who said the Senate lacked the power to legislate on grazing matters which the bills set out to pursue.

According to him, only states have powers to legislate on grazing matters and livestock animals, adding that since the matter was neither in the exclusive nor concurrent list, the National Assembly lacked the power to legislate on the matter.

Ekweremadu said: “The issues at stake here are neither in the exclusive list nor in the concurrent list. I believe therefore that it is a residual matter. It is for states to decide how to deal with it. I believe the matter here concerns everybody, given the level of carnage and the conflicts going on in different states.

So, I feel the concern of my colleagues but unfortunately we do not have powers to legislate on matters relating to livestock in this Assembly.

It is a matter reserved for the states. So, I believe that the bills for Senators Kwankwaso, Gemade and Utazi are beyond the reach of this National Assembly and should be accordingly withdrawn so that the states under the constitution should be able to deal with the matters which the constitution has prescribed for them. I will like to see somebody to show me anywhere in the exclusive list or concurrent list that has given us powers to legislate on this matter because they are not in existence.”

Also speaking, Ndume

threw his weight behind Ekweremadu and urged his colleagues to withdraw the bill without being emotional about it, saying if the Senate lacked the legislative authority to legislate on the bills, it made no sense considering them at all.

He also reminded his colleagues of the implication of allowing the bills to scale second reading, explaining how Order 81 of the Senate Standing Orders provides that any bill which passes second reading in the house must be committed to a standing committee for further legislation.

Ndume therefore added that since it was unconstitutional of them to consider the bill, it was in their own interest to

stop the bill from being read the second time in observance of their standing orders.

“I just want to join the DSP to explain. I just want to remind us of Order 81 and also appeal that we are the Senate. We should not allow any emotional or whatever to influence us. The point that the DSP raised is a very important one. Number one, if we don’t have the power to make laws, if it is so, I think there is no need to even start arguing on it. But having said that if that is not even the case our rules 81 says second reading of bills.

“On the order of the second reading of bill being read, a motion may be made that the bill now be read the second time and a debate may arise

covering the general merits and principles of the bill.

What we now have before us even myself, to be very candid, is just the heading of the bill which attracted us.

We should hear them out on the merits if that is possible but if it is impossible, Mr. President, it is because we don’t have the powers to do it, then, we just waste our time. But if we have to, I think we should listen to the merits and principles,” he said.

Responding, Saraki said since the contents of the bills were antithetical to his initial thoughts that they were uniform, it was only sensible for them to withdraw them as he charged Ndume to withdraw the bills.

“Before the point of order of Deputy Senate President, I had already put a suggestion that these bills be caught on the order paper based on the discussion I had with the sponsors that these bills should be consolidated. It is clear from the discussion today that it is not so and my view is that since the basis by which they came on the order paper has changed, the way forward is for us to step them down from the order paper of today. I will want the leader to move that we step them down from the order paper of today to another legislative day,” Saraki said.

After Ndume moved the motion to withdraw the bills, they were immediately thrown out.

SEC Blames Turbulent Capital Market for N2.1bn Revenue Deficit Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has blamed the nation’s turbulent capital market for the revenue deficit of N2.1 billion, a decline from revenue projections for 2016.

The Director General of SEC, Mr. Munir Gwarzo, who spoke yesterday when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on capital markets for the 2016 Budget Defence, said there has been a plummet in the revenue base of the commission from N5.2 billion to N2.9 billion.

“We are going through very turbulent period in the capital market which has affected our revenue projection of N5.2 billion as revenue for 2016 but we got N2.9 billion which shows that we are short of what we budgeted,” he said.

Gwarzo added that SEC has not been able to realise revenue through penalties for infractions, as there is higher level of compliance with regulations by the stock market operators, and has not been able to derive income on investments due to the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

He further disclosed that SEC has not paid for the only

contract awarded for the supply of UPS worth N72 million as the contractor sought extension due to the fluctuating rate of foreign exchange.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf (Kogi PDP), raised issues with the expenditure of N4.6 billion out of an appropriation of N5.4 billion on staff emoluments, particularly as SEC was not able to achieve its projected revenue.

He also noted that SEC has expended N151 million on children education allowance out of N162 million, alongside N142 million for dressing allowances.

Hon. Danburam Nuhu (Kano APC) expressed concern that SEC has already expended 80 percent of its 2016 budget.

“I am more worried about some of the expenditures in particular, as it has to do with your staff emolument.

For me, you are paid for no value, because here you are in an organisation that is supposed to be generating revenue but you are more concerned about what you get, than what the organisation is getting. This is a worrisome for us but should not be allowed to continue,” Nuhu said.

INSIDE NIGERIAN BANKS LAUNCHED L-R: Guest of Honour, Mr. Jibril Aku; Special Guest of Honour and former Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Prof.

Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke; Chairman of the occasion and Commissioner for Water Resources Development, Delta State, Sir Fidelis Tilije; CEO, Leading Edge Consulting, Dr. Ije Jidenma; and Author of the book, Mr. Nik Ogbulie at the unveilling ceremony of the book “Inside Nigerian Banks” written by Mr. Nik Ogbulie in Lagos....yesterday KOLAWOLE ALLI

Nigeria’s Population Estimated at 182m With Widening Youth Bulge Nigeria’s population reached 182 million this year with more than half its people under 30 years of age, putting a severe strain on a nation suffering from a slowing economy and declining revenue to provide enough schools and health facilities.

The latest estimate was based on the population of 140 million recorded in the last census a decade ago, using an annual growth rate of 3.5 per cent weighed against other variables such as rising life expectancy and a declining infant mortality rate, the Director General of the National Population Commission (NPC), Ghaji Bello, said in an interview with Bloomberg in Abuja.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populated country, is witnessing a growing youth bulge, with those under 14 years accounting

for more than 40 per cent of its citizens, he said. This is happening at a time when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast the West African nation’s gross domestic product will shrink 1.7 per cent this year, the first full-year contraction in more than two decades.

“The implication is that they’re assets, they’re are the future of your country, but they are also liabilities,” Bello said.

“We need to know how to plan for their transition from youths to the next category. It has implications for education, health and security, particularly in our environment where you have a lot of unemployment.”

Nigeria’s population, currently the world’s seventh largest, is the fastest-growing among the 10 most populous countries globally and is

projected to exceed the U.S. to become the third-largest with more than 300 million people by 2050, according to the United Nations.

Plans to hold a census this year were delayed by the election of a new government in 2015 and a plunge in state revenue due to low prices for crude, the country’s main export, and slashed output caused by militant attacks in the southern oil region, according to Bello.

“We’re hopeful the government will soon make a statement for the next exercise,” he said.

To ensure an accurate figure when it does take place, the commission plans to obtain the biometric data of citizens counted to curtail the temptation to inflate numbers by states and municipalities in a bid

to attract more social benefits and services based on larger numbers.

During the last census, the northern state of Kano registered a higher population figure than Lagos in the south, which included the commercial capital that’s a major destination of urban migration in the country.

“It’s our mandate to produce figures that are accurate and credible,” Bello said. “If we do that successfully, we’ll be able to lay to rest some of these issues.”

The agency is making efforts to improve birth and death registration records to enable more accurate adjustments of population figures between census years, according to Bello.

Only 40 per cent of births and 10 percent of deaths are currently registered in Nigeria, he said.

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Senate Repeals 58-year-old Colonial Customs Act to Enhance Efficiency Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja The Senate yesterday commenced moves to repeal Customs Service Act of 1958, describing it as an obsolete and antiquated colonial law which militates against strict professionalism in the operations of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Another bill seeking to develop commercial agriculture, private sector food processing companies in rural areas, add value to staple food crops, reduce postharvest losses, reduce Nigeria’s dependency on food importation, create jobs and revive the rural economy, also passed second reading.

The first bill, tagged: ‘A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Nigerian Customs Service Management Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) 2016,’ the bill passed second reading on the floor of the Senate.

Sponsored by Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East), the bill does not only seek to repeal the customs and excise laws in Nigeria, it also seeks to reform the administration and management of customs and excise.

In his lead debate, Anyanwu said the bill would bring the NCS in line with international best practices by providing for organisational structure, modern customs procedure and penalty scheme geared towards boosting

government revenue.

He also said the bill, when passed into law, would improve trade and facilitate investment in business community and also protect the society against smuggling, illegal weapons, narcotics, counterfeit goods, other trade related crimes and money laundering.

Anyanwu said: “Customs administration is globally recognised as a key indicator for driving economic growth and facilitating trade between countries. The administration of Customs occurs in a complex national and international, legal, regulatory environment that influences the form and content of the national customs laws or regulations. Our dear country Nigeria has experienced many changes in government. Many regimes have come with different laws andolitical focuses.

“The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) is unarguably one of the oldest institutions of government in this country with the history spanning as far as 1891. As one of the frontline organisations that contributes to national security and economic growth, the service functions of collection of revenue and curtailing smuggling have remained crucial to the security and development of Nigeria.

“Curiously, the enabling law of the NCS which is Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) has not substantially benefit from transformation experienced in the history of the nation in the areas of law reform and facets. In over 100 years of NCS, various reforms and re-organisation of committees have come and gone, emphasising only one style of operation and equipment with special focus on the paraphernalia of office and none has taken bold steps to critically look at the very archaic laws that govern the customs.

Also yesterday, a bill seeking to develop commercial agriculture, private sector food processing companies in rural areas, add value to staple food crops, reduce post-harvest losses, reduce Nigeria’s dependency on food importation, create jobs and revive the rural economy, passed second reading.

The bill’s sponsor, Senator Francis Alimikhena (Edo State), said it would accelerate development of farming communities across the country, provide price support programmes that would guarantee minimum price for agricultural produce and make the authority of buyer the last resort of selected agricultural products.

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COMMENT

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

A GENTLEMAN IN POLITICS

Alan U. Boyd pays tribute to John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of the APC

I

n 2015 the wind of change blew across Nigeria exposing the corruption and ineptitude of the 16 years of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in power. One of the men who are acknowledged and who stood shoulder to shoulder with now President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) to bring Nigeria that change is Chief John OdigieOyegun. Chief Odigie-Oyegun was one of those who were alarmed by the drift of the country and who decided to form the then opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013.

The APC was an amalgam of various opposition parties including the ACN, CPC, ANPP and a faction of APGA. Chief Odigie-Oyegun emerged the pioneer national chairman, a position he was eminently qualified for and which he holds to date. Born in Warri, Delta State on August 12, 1939 to late Daniel Osagiede Odigie-Oyegun and Mrs. Shaka Odigie-Oyegun (nee Amurun), John Odigie -Oyegun hails from Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo state.

He had his early primary education at Sacred Heart Catholic School, Warri. He later proceeded to Holy Cross Catholic School, Benin City.

On completion of primary school, he proceeded to St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, Delta State in 1952 for his secondary education. Thereafter, he attended the University of Ibadan, where he graduated in 1963 with a B.Sc. in Economics. On graduation, he worked as a federal civil servant.

He served the nation as a development planner. He was later appointed permanent secretary after putting 13 years in the service.

In 1985, he retired voluntarily from civil service and went into business. However, he had a rather short sojourn in the business world.

Even while in business, he was nominated the national chairman of the Nigerian Trawler Owners Association, a position in which he displayed his usual magic as a quiet achiever and team player.

Subsequently, John Odigie-Oyegun ran for the gubernatorial election in Edo State and won in 1991. He was elected the first executive Governor of Edo State under the platform of the Social Democratic Party(SDP).

This was during the transition to democracy of General Ibrahim Babangida. Chief Odigie-Oyegun served from January 1992 to November 1993 until General Sani Abacha swept into power and dissolved the budding democratic structures of that period.

Though his tenure as governor was short-lived, Chief Odigie-Oyegun as an economist and development planner produced the road map and laid the foundation for the future transformation of Edo State. Till date his achievements command recognition as he was considered one of the best hands that have ever sat in the government house of that foremost state of the South-South.

When politics began after the Abacha inter-regnum, he emerged a leading light of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). As providence would have it, John Odigie-Oyegun was elected as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC) on June 13, 2014 when that party was searching for a level-headed gentleman to guide it through its tumultuous early days.

His emergence as APC national chairman was not without its challenges, however. Chief Odigie-Oyegun was favoured by a majority because of his maturity, stability and sagacity. On emerging the national chairman on June 13, 2014, he was emphatic on what the challenges facing the opposition party were. In his acceptance speech as national chairman entitled: “We must set forth at dawn”, he said:“Tonight I say to Nigerians your wait is over. Your prayers have not been in vain. Help is on the way.

ODIGIE-OYEGUN, ADMINISTRATOR PAR EXCELLENCE, POLITICIAN EXTRAORDINAIRE, STRATEGIST, TACTICIAN AND SYMBOL OF POLITICAL HONOUR, IS THE MAN THAT HAS CATAPULTED AN OPPOSITION PARTY INTO THE PINNACLE OF LEADERSHIP IN NIGERIA

The APC is here! In 2015 Nigerians will finally have the opportunity to kick out a long-ruling party that has, among other things, failed to provide them with stable power supply, failed to provide them with security that will enable them sleep peacefully on their beds at night, failed to provide employment for millions of Nigerian youths, and failed to stem the tide of corruption that is robbing Nigeria’s children of their future.

“In 2015, the All Progressives Congress will provide Nigerians with a visionary, dedicated and people-oriented leadership that will liberate the nation from PDP’s rule of poverty and oppression. Under the stewardship of the APC, Nigeria will progress and Nigerians will thrive. This is our sacred pledge to Nigerians tonight….”

A man of great vision and determination against the vicissitudes of life, his avowed determination to succeed were not deterred by any obstacle on his way. Before venturing into politics, Chief Odigie-Oyegun held several important positions of responsibility and authority, in all of which he distinguished himself as a man of excellence.

The huge successes he recorded in the civil service and the business world were the foreshadow of his foray into politics. A man of courage with impeccable democratic credentials, it will be recalled that at the collapse of the ill-fated Third Republic, he went into the trenches. As a patriot, he sacrificed his all to fight the military government in Nigeria on the platform of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) where he was the secretary in the Diaspora. He was in the vanguard fighting relentlessly to save the nation from the shackles of military oligarchy and dictatorship of the ruinous Abacha years. He kept vigilso that Nigerians could regain their democratic rights. An uncompromising advocate of the total emancipation of man, he has always refused to be intimidated by the aggressive media campaign of his opponents.

Odigie-Oyegun, administrator par excellence, humanist, politician extraordinaire, strategist, tactician, adept in political engineering, symbol of political honour, confidence and hope, is the man that has catapulted an opposition party into the pinnacle of leadership in Nigeria. A family man who nurtured his children in the best tradition of Christian ethic, which says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it”.

The successes recorded by his children in their chosen careers are testimony that while he spent a great part of his life in public service, he did not neglect his responsibilities as a father.

This Economist is not only a brilliant tactician, but also a fighter extraordinaire whose contributions made change possible in Nigeria in 2015. He midwifed the APC’s presidential primaries-adjudged the most transparent in modern times in Nigeria. It was at that primaries that the party’s delegates overwhelmingly elected General Muhammadu Buhari, as the presidential flag bearer of the party for the 2015 general election. Once Buhari emerged as the candidate, Odigie-Oyegun led the charge for the political soul of Nigeria, traversing every nook and cranny of this huge country with Buhari. They succeeded in selling the APC as the alternative to the PDP government that had failed to protect the nation from the murderous Boko Haram sect. He it was who led the protest against the PDP government, when the elections were initially postponed. He also led the campaign for the use of the card reader-the game changer and nemesis-of PDP’s infamous rigging machinery.

Boyd wrote from Abuja

UNDERSTANDING THE HIZMET MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA

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his topic is probably one of my best in recent times because it is as a result of real life encounters. And somewhat a response to a certain Huseyin Oztunc, who has been spreading outright falsehood on the Hizmet movement in Nigeria. For starters, Mr. Huseyin Oztunc is not a Nigerian, and his recent outburst is an affront to us as a people and tantamount to repeating what the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria Mr. Hakan Cakir did when he requested that the government should close down Turkish schools in Nigeria.

I will start on high note. The Hizmet movement is not a cult. The participants of the Hizmet movement are not terrorists. The Hizmet movement philosophy does not encourage any form of violence, let alone coup plotting. The Hizmet movement is anchored on love, tolerance, and peaceful co-existence. Mr. Huseyin Oztunc should please take note of this paragraph.

I decided to start on this note because a lot has been said and written in recent times on the activities of the Hizmet movement and Fethullah Gulen since the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey. Recall that the Turkish envoy in Nigeria Mr. Hakan Cakil made a horrible request for the closure of Turkish schools and hospitals in Nigeria belonging to a group of private Turkish investors who are inspired by the philosophy of the Hizmet movement. I was really dumbfounded because I could not understand the rationale let alone imagine if Nigeria was a part of Turkey under President Erdogan. I was glad that the Nigerian government vehemently turned down the request on arrival.

The Hizmet Movement is for the good of society, contends Joshua Ocheja Back to the issue. The Hizmet movement is characterised in two distinct ways. One is that it is not a structured organisation and two it is always for good. Hizmet movement is not a formally structured or centrally-run organisation, even though they have a presence in over 160 countries. The absence of a central planning body which tells the participants what to do is another reason why the dynamism of the Hizmet movement puzzles observers who cannot understand how diverse people working autonomously in various locations can achieve outcomes that are coherent and mutually supportive. How is this possible? They have their inspirational sources from the teachings of respected Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen. They make a start with whatever means they have at hand in whatever situation they find themselves. They say: “Our duty is to strive and it is God who wills and guides the outcomes from our striving.” That explains how a group of investors came to Nigeria in 1998 and started the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) in a rented two-bedroom apartment. And today, the NTIC schools have recorded tremendous successes with schools in Abuja, Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, Kano and Yobe States. Over the years, they plowed back profits made into establishing the Nile University of Nigeria and the Nizamiye hospital through very legitimate and transparent means. This is very different from other foreign nationals doing business in Nigeria where profits made are sent back to the country of origin. I can’t readily tell how much was invested in the other NTIC schools and the university, but I know of the Nizamiye hospital that cost a whopping $20 million with state of the art facilities and hugely

experienced Turkish and Nigerian medical personnel.

The Nizamiye Hospital is a world-class medical facility. And I have to mention that the hospital amongst other services has a complete open-heart surgery team resident here, led by Dr. Mustafa Kirman, a renowned cardiovascular surgeon from Turkey who is credited to have performed over 15, 000 heart surgeries with 99 per cent success rate.

The most significant aspect of the Hizmet Movement is its interfaith work. UFUK Dialogue Initiative in Nigeria falls into this category. It has a mission to foster interfaith and intercultural dialogue, stimulate thinking and exchange of opinions on supporting and fostering democracy and peace all over the world and to provide a common platform for education and information exchange. They have demonstrated this in various ways. For example, on a yearly basis, UFUK Dialogue Initiative organises seminars, conferences and round-tables on various issues bordering on peace, love, interfaith understanding and other topical issues. A good example is its annual dialogue and peace awards in honour of laudable contributions in fostering dialogue, peace, mutual understanding in Nigeria. Among the long list of awardees are the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan; the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Said Abubakar; renowned Islamic scholar Sheik Ahmed Lemu; Bishop Hassan Mathew Kukah, and others too numerous to mention. These are great personalities in the Nigerian space, and they have come to understand what the Hizmet movement represents.

Recently, UFUK Dialogue organised an international conference on countering violent extremism

through love and tolerance. This well-attended conference was in conjunction with the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution. And the positive takeaways cannot be over-emphasised. The principal goal of UFUK Dialogue Initiative is to promote peace in the world and contribute to a peaceful coexistence of the adherents of different faiths, cultures, ethnicities and races. This much they have demonstrated in Nigeria.

UFUK Dialogue is not left alone in this charitable initiative.

Its sister organisations like the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges (NTIC) the Nile University of Nigeria, and the Nizamiye Hospital have been rendering services in Nigeria through the NTIC Foundation, which is more of the corporate social responsibility arm of the First Surat Group.

In 2016 alone, the NTIC Foundation distributed over 8000 stationery packages to schools in the six area councils in the federal capital territory (FCT). The NTIC Foundation caters for a myriad of needs and social deprivations in the society. The project revolves around initiatives designed to heal the sick, feed the hungry, provide succour for orphans, protect entire communities against preventable diseases, provide nutritional support for poor households, among others. And they have been consistent in this regard over the years. What about the socio-economic benefits of activities of the Hizmet movement participants in Nigeria through their various investments in schools, hospitals, and foundations? This fact also cannot be overemphasised because hundreds of Nigerians are in their employ and interestingly, whatever is realised as profit from these investments are plowed back to the system.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10,, 2016

EDITORIAL FIGHTING SEXUAL PREDATORS ON CAMPUS

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The sexual harassment in tertiary education prohibition bill is a good piece of legislation

he recent passage, by the Senate, of a bill which seeks to stamp out sexual harassment of students by lecturers in the nation’s tertiary institutions is a commendable development. Titled: “Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Education Institution: Prohibition Bill, 2016” and sponsored by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, it prescribes a five-year jail term for lecturers and educators convicted of sexual harassment of their male or female students. In the alternative, anyone found guilty of the offense is liable to a fine of five million naira. But the bill protects innocent lecturers and educators by prescribing suspension or expulsion for any student who is found by a court of law to be liable for false accusation.

It is indeed very depressing that the campuses of our institutions of higher learning ordinarily considered as sane and safe havens for the acquisition of knowledge and inculcation of character have been turned into hideouts for sexual gratification by those who should FOR YEARS, THIS impart knowledge.

SOCIAL MALAISE HAD For years, this STRADDLED OUR social malaise TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS, had straddled our THREATENING THE FUTURE tertiary institutions, OF THE NATION’S YOUTHS, threatening the fuPARTICULARLY THE FEMALE ture of the nation’s youths, particularly STUDENTS WHO ARE USUALLY HELD TO RANSOM the female students who are usually

BY RANDY LECTURERS held to ransom by randy lecturers, intent on having illicit sex with them. In several cases, many female students have had their academic carrier extended, and sometimes truncated, because of their refusal to succumb to such demand for sex.

Ordinarily, the internal rules and regulations of the tertiary institutions would have been sufficient to rein in these sexual abusers. Unfortunately, the malaise is so endemic that even those at the highest levels of most institutions are believed to be neck deep in the unwholesome practice of demanding sexual gratifications for marks. In several instances,

Letters to the Editor

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heads of departments to whom students report the harassment and members of panels to which the report was referred for investigation, were themselves involved in the abuse. That then explains why for years, gangs of sexual abusers who acted as though above the law have been allowed to operate freely on the campuses of most institutions of learning in Nigeria.

In a way, it is not an isolated development though it is a serious challenge we must begin to deal with.

Having created a society in which the seemingly strong are seeking ways to display their superiority over the ‘weak’, demanding sexual gratification for marks from students may be a more blatant manifestation of a deeper deviation in our social psychology. But there should be no excuse for such irresponsible behaviour from those who are paid to teach our children.

H T H I S DAY

EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU DEPUTY EDITORS BOlAJI ADEBIYI, JOSEpH USHIGIAlE MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOlA BEllO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOlAfE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OlUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOlA BEllO, KAYODE KOMOlAfE, ISRAEl IWEGBU, EMMANUEl EfENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OlUfEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS pETER IWEGBU, fIDElIS ElEMA, MBAYIlAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOlA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER pATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD fEMI TOlUfASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

owever, as important as the bill is, for it to make meaning when eventually passed into law by the National Assembly and assented by the president, the relevant authorities must be alive to their responsibilities. A point of safe, protective and comforting recourse must exist for victims of such sexual harrassment to pursue the ends of justice without being victimised or stigmatised. But to the extent that this bill promises to ease the burden of students who had been vulnerable to what amounts to a serious abuse, we support it even as we urge the House of Representatives to issue its concurrence without delay for the eventual assent of the president.

We hope, however, that this bill, when eventually passed into law, would be utilised by our law enforcement agencies to hunt down those sexual miscreants in the nation’s tertiary institutions who parade themselves as lecturers even when they are no more than petty criminals.

As we therefore urge that the law be used to make our citadels of learning totally uncomfortable for these randy fellows, we hope that there would always be diligent prosecution and swift sanctions that would help to ultimately free our institutions of higher learning of corrupt lecturers and sexual predators.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (9501000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

IN PRAISE OF ABU ALI AND OTHERS

woke up on November 4, 2016, to hear the sad news of the killing of some officers of the Nigerian Army by the Boko Haram insurgents.

Among those killed on that day was Lt. Colonel Mohammed Abu Ali, who happened to be the leader of that battalion. It was indeed very shocking news from all ramifications. I pray that God in His infinite Mercy will grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss. I want to let the families of Mohammed A. Ali and his other colleagues know that their death did not just happen as one of those events in the history of our dear nation. Their death re-opened another chapter in the history of our dear nation.

Up until last Friday, someone like me had already given up on our dear country. Just like Prof. Rev. Ehosa Osaghae stated during 2016 edition of The Platform, when he said someone asked him, “can you find any Nigerian within or outside that loves Nigeria or that is patriotic?”

On the day the event was going on, my answer to the question was NO. Not knowing that the person who asked the question and myself were completely wrong.

The event of November 4, 2016 made the difference in my thought on all Nigerians. The death of Mohammed A. Ali and his colleagues revealed to me that we still have men and women who love this country to the point of death. Men and Women, those that are ready and are prepared to pay the ultimate price for our dear nation. Men and women that understand the purpose of humanity on earth. Men and Women that understand the purpose of life, which is sacrifice, men and women like Lt. Colonel Mohammed Abu Ali and his compatriots.

I know some of our past heroes and heroines. I have also read about how some of them that have long gone, perceived their sacrifices and the price they paid. For me, my greatest hero was Lt. Colonel Mohammed A.

Ali. And his other gallants men of impeccable courage.

I did not meet the Lt Colonel or his other men in person but they remain my hero till the end of the world. Even in death he and his colleagues stood taller in the history of the great nation.

Their death rekindles my hope, commitment, love and patriotism to our dear country. I am using this medium to say a very big thank you to Lt Colonel Muhammad A. Ali and his colleagues for their sacrifice, love, dedication and patriotism to Nigeria.

They are the reasons why we can sleep with our two eyes closed. Because when we are sleeping, they are out there fighting on our behalf, making sure that we don’t fall into the hands of this dare devil group called Boko Haram.

Furthermore, I want to thank them for being one of the instruments God used to restore my faith and love for my country.

Ajayi Ade, Surulere, Lagos

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2016

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

Ndoma-Egba: New Era Awaits the Niger Delta Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, spoke to journalists recently and declared that the region would enter a new era of development under its new board. Bassey Inyang was at the session. Excerpts:

Ndoma-Egba...we are the change

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hat do you have in mind to get NDDC revamped as quickly as possible so it can achieve the development goals for which it was set?

First of all, we would need to carry out a number of audits. An audit of our systems, audit of our processes, audit of our projects and audit of our personnel, so that we can have a true picture of, not only the governance systems, but also a true picture of our obligations. Secondly, we have to develop a master plan. There was a master plan that was drawn up before. It was a 15-year plan. It is more than 10 years after the plan was drawn up, so it is either we do a new plan or we revalidate the old one.

But there has to be a master plan that would govern planning for the region.

Part of the problem has been that the NDDC is budgeted for on a year-by-year basis. It would not work. We have to have a long term to say this is what we want to see out of the Niger Delta, and then you use the yearly budget to achieve that ultimate goal. Those are some of the things we intend to set out to do. Uncompleted projects would be captured in the project audit because a project audit would determine the number of projects you have, the nature of the projects, and the status of each project.

The projects that you need to get off your books, you find a convenient way of getting them off the books because we need to clean up the books. Right now, NDDC has over 9,000 contracts and that is an unwieldy number. No matter the capacity of an organisation, I doubt if you have capacity to properly execute 9,000 contracts. Some of those contracts are moribund, some are dead, and some are non-existent. So, you need to really investigate and find out the

status of each and every one of them and then you clean up the books and then you begin to deal with the realistic ones.

The funding of NDDC is a known problem

The people should expect a new story.

It would be a new story of commitment, single-minded focus and determination to make a change in the region. It is only the Niger Deltans that can change the Niger Delta, and we have this historic opportunity to do so and the choice to succeed or fail is ours to make. I would rather choose to succeed than to fail, and I would do everything to make that difference

and apart from the budget from the federal government, statutorily, there are companies and organisations that are mandated to contribute to the running of the NDDC, financially. Don’t you think this could be a huge challenge for your board, given the time frame and expectations?

Well, funding would be an issue, but one of the greatest impediments to funding is the lack of transparency. When people don’t see a transparent process in an organisation, they will hold back their money. So, we have to re-engage the stakeholders by making sure our systems and processes are transparent. What people see now is a very opaque environment and that would not encourage people to put in their money. So, you have to open up the system, make sure that there is due process in everything you are doing and then reestablish the confidence of the stakeholders in the place.

I give you an example. Under the Act establishing the NDDC, there are number of committees and organs that should operate.

There is an advisory committee made up of the governors of the NDDC states. But, I don’t know when last that organ met. Why do you need the advisory board? You need the advisory board because the member states are contributors to the finances of the project, so they must be part of the planning. They must be part of the budgeting process. There should have input into what kind of projects the commission should do in their states or should not do.

I give another example. Recently, I was told in Rivers State or so, the NDDC said they did some projects and the state government is saying no, you did not do the project, we did the project. So, we don’t even know who did what.

On issue of youth restiveness, militancy and vandalism oil and gas installations, this is affecting the economy and people are expecting that your board would play a role in addressing them. What is your comment on this?

First of all we need to engage with the youths.

We need to engage with all the stakeholders. If a group believes that it was part of a process, a decision-making process, they will feel a sense of ownership of the process and the outcomes.

But when a group is not part of that process, they see the process and the outcomes as strange to them because they were detached.

So, there is no ownership. The important thing, going forward in the Niger Delta, is that every stakeholder must feel a sense of ownership.

They must be a part of the process. If the youths are part of the process, I believe they will begin to own the process and it would begin to douse militancy. It won’t stop it because what would eventually stop militancy is development; the kind of development that would create an economy for them, an economy that would make them productive. So, until we get to that point, we would still have some restiveness. But you cannot have development in an atmosphere of militancy and chaos.

The expectation from the current NDDC board is high. What words do you have for the Niger Delta people?

The people should expect a new story. It would be a new story of commitment, single-minded focus and determination to make a change in the region. It is only the Niger Deltans that can change the Niger Delta, and we have this historic opportunity to do so and the choice to succeed or fail is ours to make. I would rather choose to succeed than to fail, and I would do everything to make that difference.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

INTERVIEW

Banire: I Don’t Encourage Bribery National Legal Adviser of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire, in the week stunned both the observers and the active political players, when he set an unprecedented record by standing aside to allow for an investigation into allegations of bribery of some judges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. In this exclusive interview with Shola Oyeyipo, he clarified the issues and maintained that he does not engage in bribery of any sort. Excerpts:

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ow do you place the recent insinuation which seeks to suggest that you are one of those who bribe judges?

In the first instance, the person in question, to me, I would say, at least as at the time I gave him money was not a judge to the best of my knowledge.

He was a colleague when we were both at UNILAG campus in those days. I left UNILAG in 1999 and since then, till last week, I think it was November 3 or there about that I just set my eyes on him. I have never seen him since I left UNILAG. I never knew he had become a judge at all.

I have never appeared before him at any point or in any case whatsoever let alone discussing.

So, it is surprising that mischief makers will interpret a kind gesture based on his solicitation.

All I remember which they can confirm from him was that he sent me a text three years ago, as a former colleague, that he lost his mother and he was financially depressed, needed some assistance, which I rendered to him. I even put my name. If I wanted to bribe someone would I have sent money to him indicating that I sent money?

Certainly, it is not true. It is unfortunate again that people are misinterpreting my kind gesture in terms of my visit to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) because it was not the EFCC that invited me, I went there on my own volition, based on a letter I wrote to them. I said I heard that my name was being mentioned in a particular transaction: please I want to come to explain my version.

I went on my own volition to tell them, let me help your investigation as it concerns me, because it is not Banire alone. There were at

knows that I am one of the foremost anticorruption crusader, particularly as regards judicial corruption. As recently as some few months ago, I still held a roundtable on the same subject that was even misinterpreted that I was attacking judges. So, how suddenly would I have turned round to say I am the one engaging in it? More so, Industrial Court is one court that most of us don’t even go, so, how would you go there to go and be influencing somebody?

Banire

least as at the last count, about nine Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and several other lawyers, who the man solicited fund from in one form or the other.

I don’t think it is criminal. I don’t know any law that says that you cannot assist somebody, particularly a friend. Even if the person turns out to be a judge, there is no law that says so. No law to the best of my knowledge, particularly in this instance. I am sure the man will gladly tell them that and since 1999 till last week, I have not set my eyes on him.

Are you worried?

Well, I must tell you that I am perturbed. I am disturbed because everybody around me

Would you say the EFCC has not been thorough in its investigation?

My perspective is that now that we are talking, the EFCC has not said to me I have committed any crime. Like I said, their investigation is still ongoing. They have not even concluded any investigation. They just started and I was the one that volunteered to go there on my own, not that they invited me. But I feel that some people don’t appreciate what I have done, but I believe it is my own duty, particularly, it is often said that those who live in glass house should not throw stones.

Where I am presently, which I believe is one of the basis for which they are giving undue interpretation, publicity and or propaganda to the issue, is the office of the Legal Adviser of the party. And to that extent, I believe that it is my duty to assist EFCC, which is an arm of the government we serve and is prosecuting one of the major agenda of the government.

So, it is on my own volition that I went there and I believe that they should be assisted in whatever direction that you can to get to the root of anything. So, for me, the investigation has just started. Nothing has been said that a crime has even been committed or alleged. There

seems to be a lot of misconceptions out there.

Do you think there could be political undertone to this?

Of course there is. In the first instance, I have been reluctant to see it as a political thing but I must confess to you, there are some political maneuverings along the line. I would tell you for example, if you see most of the newspapers, where they carried the news item, it’s been an isolated case of Muiz Banire, whereas there are several other lawyers out there that the same judge solicited money from under one guise or the other – that “my mother died” or “somebody died for me” or he had a problem.

Several other lawyers he solicited funds from are being equally investigated by EFCC. But those who want to achieve political mileage decided to tuck it aside and making it look like it is Muiz Banire that has gone to bribe somebody. Secondly, you will discover that rather than they saying I walked up to them to help the investigation, the impression they are giving is as if I was invited or even arrested. It is equally not true!

And thirdly again, when investigation is just commencing you don’t just go out there and engage in media trial. The regrettable thing about Nigeria is that those who might have heard about the commencement would not be there when the matter is being concluded.

However, I am not honestly so much disturbed about that because, again in life, particularly as a leader, you must expect those kinds of challenges from time to time.

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Oke: I’m Not Desperate to be Governor In an interview with journalists, governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, Chief Olusola Oke,explainedhowheintendstochangethefortunesofthestateforthebetteranddismissedinsinuations that he was banking on the crisis within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress to become governor. Shola Oyeyipo brings the excerpts:

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hat inspired your ambition in 2012 and 2016 governorship race in Ondo State?

When I contested in 2012 to be governor, there were good reasons for me then. These reasons have only increased and therefore, so long as those conditions are still prevailing and multiplying, I will be failing in my responsibilities not to come out at this time. And what are these? Ondo State is a state generously loved by God. Considering the resources available to us, we should be a shining example to others in Nigeria.

Whatever resources you can imagine that would help the development of a state, Ondo has in abundance. A critical assessment of Ondo State today would show that the people are poor. They are not poor in their heads but in their pockets. And I have come to appreciate that poverty of the pocket could create poverty of the head.

I believe that given the opportunity to be the governor of Ondo State, I can start to re-direct the development of the state. And the starting point will be to examine what is on the ground. Since I already have the database on what is on the ground, how do we utilise what we have to solve the problems

private engagement in flourishing business in the state.

The people want reduction in poverty level; they want job opportunities; they want infrastructural decay to be addressed. They want our schools to wear good look; they want the transport sector to be organised and less chaotic as it is today; they want the coastline resources to be developed and exploited. They want those abandoned industries to come back on stream. So, the desire of the people of Ondo State fits into my dream. It fits into my manifestoes and we are on the same page.

Oke

confronting us.

What have you garnered are the issues during your campaign?

The aggregate opinion of the people of Ondo State is that the present situation is no longer tolerable. They want a change that will bring about creation of wealth, bring productivity back on the table; a place where a labourer will earn his wages for work done; that will see to the emergence of industries in this state; not government initiative alone but

How do you intend to achieve all of these lofty ideas if elected?

First, the major burden is debt. I may not be too specific but I am told and I readily believe that we are down with over N108billion indebtedness in Ondo State. That is a major challenge to the incoming government. But government’s assets and liabilities are valid assets; no government can take assets and run away from liabilities.

But the way to manage it and reduce the effect on what we are doing is to go back to the negotiation table and reschedule some of those debts. Not in terms of the avoidance of liabilities but to give space so that the amount committed to servicing the debt can

be reduced and whatever you get from there can be ploughed back to face the challenges of government.

Two, we have a lot of assets that are wasting away. The various industries or factories started by the last administration which were nearing completion in their different stages, we should do something urgently to complete them. And then we can bring in private investors after proper evaluation.

The truth of the matter is that despite the depreciation of those assets, the state of our economy, that is, the devaluation of Naira has also helped in enhancing their value; I am sure today that if they are valued, we will still have a lot of funds tied down there. With vision and commitment, all these are achievable and once they are achieved, Ondo State will shine again.

Your opponents are saying as candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) you are an orphan and that Ondo State needs to be in the mainstream. How do you intend to work with the federal government in collective interest?

NOTE: Interested readers should continue in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

Nigeria’s Redefining Moments Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Abuja, recently celebrated its 14th year anniversary amid pomp and pageantry. The climax was the explosive anniversary lecture delivered by Pastor Tunde Bakare, where he explored various phases of Nigeria's journey and the place of the church in the crises bedeviling the country. Omololu Ogunmade writes

I

t was a refreshing moment a fortnight ago when Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Abuja, took the lead in the religious circle to examine the role of the church in Nigeria's biting economic recession.

With an incisive lecture, entitled ‘The Church and Economic Recession’, delivered by the Serving Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly, the occasion was the climax of the celebration of 14 years anniversary of the church's existence.

Accompanied by resounding applause, Bakare's lecture transcended spiritual concerns on economic crisis to involve the exploration of the subject of recession and factors which plunged Nigeria into it.

Before going into the lecture, Bakare paid tribute to the Senior Pastor of Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Rev. Babajide Olowodola, his associate, Rev. Adeolu Odusote, chairperson of the occasion, Senator Helen Esuene and the anniversary committee chairman, Senator Domingo Obende. He also paid glowing tribute to the memory of the first General Superintendent of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, the late Rev. Samuel Odunaike, whom he said influenced his Christian life positively in the late 70's.

Bakare laid the premise for his lecture by asserting that recession was not an end in itself but rather a means to an end as he recalled how the founder of the International Church of Foursquare Gospel, Aimee Semple Macpherson, during the depression of 19201921 in the United States, raised $250,000, a huge sum of money at the time, to build a classic church edifice which has remained a reference almost a century later.

Bakare therefore, by his allusion to the feat attained by McPherson in a time of depression, attempted to challenge his audience that economic meltdown, irrespective of its degree, could be a platform for overwhelming breakthrough if it was systematically explored.

Hear him: "Nearly a century ago, a woman of God broke the jinx of man-made limitation and of confinement to the proverbial 'kitchen, living room and other room' by doing the unprecedented. She defied all odds – socio-cultural norms, religion and gender – to establish the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel. As if that was not enough, she went ahead to build Angelus Temple, an architectural masterpiece in the heart of Los Angeles, the film industry capital of America, as the place of worship for the new church.

"The woman, Aimee Semple McPherson, driven by nothing other than simple obedience to God, and with no connections or earthly inheritance, raised $250,000, the modern day equivalent of just over $3m according to a 2014 estimate, to build that edifice during the economic depression of 1920-1921. In today's Nigeria, Aimee Semple McPherson would have had to raise about N1 billion to build that new phenomenon in church architecture," Bakare said.

Digging deep into the lecture, Bakare stated without equivocation that the current economic recession confronting Nigeria was not peculiar to Africa's largest economy but rather a trend in notable countries such as Canada, Ecuador, Venezuela, Algeria, Brazil, Iraq, Russia, Libya, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Even though the lecture was organised by a church, Bakare did not approach it only from spiritual perspective, instead he

L-R: Guest Lecturer, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Chairman of the occasion, Senator Helen Esuene, Senior Pastor, Revd. Babajide Olowodola and his wife, Pastor Sola Olowodola, at the 14th anniversary of Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, Abuja...recently

adopted a holistic approach to the theme, exploring the concept of recession from both secular and spiritual perspectives.

Sounding scholastic, Bakare proceeded to educate his enthusiastic audience on the meaning of recession and how recession often climaxes with depression.

According to him, a recession graduates into depression when economic downturn becomes prolonged. This, he said, occurs when economic activities become unproductive for a longer period as evident in

Although he acknowledged certain views that the current economic recession in Nigeria was spurred by the fall in prices of crude oil in the international market since the late 2014 as well as the protracted vandalism of oil pipelines by militants under the aegis of Niger Delta Avengers, Bakare was swift to blame the trend on mismanagement of the nation's commonwealth when there was economic boom

increasing unemployment rate, bankruptcy, declining investor/consumer confidence and negative growth as reflected in gross domestic product (GDP), among others.

"Experts define a recession as a significant decline in activity across the economy, lasting longer than a few months. According to Investopedia, a leading online source of investment related definitions: A recession is visible in industrial production, employment, real income and wholesale-retail trade. The technical indicator of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth as measured by a country's gross domestic product (GDP).

"In my opening, I referred to Aimee Semple McPherson’s raising of funds for the building of Angelus Temple during a depression.

Depression is a sustained form of recession.

Again, according to Investopedia: Depression is a severe and prolonged downturn in economic activity. In economics, a depression is commonly defined as an extreme recession that lasts two or more years. A depression is characterised by economic factors such as substantial increases in unemployment, a drop in available credit, diminishing output, bankruptcies and sovereign debt defaults, reduced trade and commerce, and sustained volatility in currency values. In times of depression, consumer confidence and investments decrease, causing the economy to shut down.

"I am once again reminded of a profound re-couching of the terms recession and depression I heard recently: Recession is when your neighbour loses his job and turns to you for help; depression is when you lose your job and have no one to turn to. That seems to corroborate the technical position that Nigeria is in a recession as our leaders have been traveling the world in search of help in the form of loan deals, foreign direct investments and, more recently, advance payments to meet cash calls for joint venture operations," Bakare said.

Although he acknowledged certain views that the current economic recession in Nigeria was spurred by the fall in prices of crude

oil in the international market since the late 2014 as well as the protracted vandalism of oil pipelines by militants under the aegis of Niger Delta Avengers, Bakare was swift to blame the trend on mismanagement of the nation's commonwealth when there was economic boom.

According to the fiery preacher, as much as God has been good to Nigeria, turning doom into boom at different times, Nigeria's current economic regression has been largely caused by myopicism and complacency of its leaders whom he accused of failing to diversify the economy to other viable and productive sectors when the going was good.

Bakare recalled, for instance, that the 1973 oil embargo by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), cleared the coast for "Nigeria’s first oil boom." This boom, he added, resulted in a steady rise in the nation's GDP growth from about $10 billion in 1972 to about $90 billion within a decade. This he said culminated in the era of petro-dollars and thus prompting a statement credited to a Nigeria’s former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, that "our problem is not money but how to spend it."

Bakare lamented: "With that posture, despite the aggressive industrialisation, import substitution programme and the broader national development plans of the government at that time, Nigeria ended up squandering an opportunity to diversify her economy and build sovereign wealth.

Therefore, when the global recession of the early 1980s hit the nation, the gains of the boom years translated to doom and GDP fell to about $25 billion by 1989.

"However, with the Gulf War in 1990, oil prices rose and Nigeria’s GDP began to pick up once again. This rate of production was sustained for a few more years until 1996 when more intense exploration and drilling activities led to a sharp rise in production with GDP rising back to the $90 billion level towards the end of the decade. Rather than fund the development of the nation

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• T H I S D AY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

FEATURES and the wellbeing of the Nigerian people with this boom, the military government and their civilian collaborators ended up looting the gains of that short-lived era of prosperity.

"Furthermore, as a result of the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003, Nigeria was given another chance at wealth creation and management as the price of crude gradually rose. Laudably, the economic team of the Obasanjo-led administration, comprised the likes of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, demonstrated astute management of resources despite the limitations of the political atmosphere.

"By the end of that administration, the GDP growth occasioned by rising oil prices resulted in reserves of about $67 billion.

Our external debt had also been severely reduced following the Paris Club agreement.

However, not only were the macroeconomic gains of that era not translated to wealth creation and poverty reduction for the teeming population; the gains were also eventually lost as that administration left a legacy of ill-prepared succession."

For Bakare, the current economic crisis was midwived by the advent of unprepared leaders whom he accused of failing to harness the available resources in the era of boom fostered by the height of political crisis tagged the Arab Spring, and the eventual sanction on Iran. These twin developments, the legal practitioner-turned preacher recalled, pushed up oil prices to the peak of $145 per barrel in 2008 before it later dropped to $100 per barrel until December 2014 when the price drastically fell.

Bakare added that the era of "unprepared leadership" did not only witness unaccountable spendings but also gave rise to "reported massive lootings through oil subsidies and diverted defence budgets."

The aftermath, he said, led Nigeria into "an economy in dire straits" which he said the current government had been struggling to fix in the past 18 months.

"A few months ago, the Minister of Finance admitted that Nigeria is officially in a recession. While the GDP shrunk by 0.36 per cent as at the first quarter of 2016, production dipped by 2.06 per cent as at the second quarter. Evidently, Nigeria’s recession is largely self-inflicted and could have been avoided," Bakare remarked.

Now, how does recession affect the church?

Or put differently, what role should the church play in this misfortune? Bakare answered these questions in different ways. First, he highlighted how the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa of the Church of God Mission, as one of the founding fathers of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), laid the foundation for prosperity movement in the spiritual circle in the 1970's.

He said the movement later culminated in prosperity within the Christian fold through the preaching of messages of faith, a move he said was later hijacked by covetous preachers in the 1990s.

A few months ago, the Minister of Finance admitted that Nigeria is officially in a recession. While the GDP shrunk by 0.36 per cent as at the first quarter of 2016, production dipped by 2.06 per cent as at the second quarter. Evidently, Nigeria’s recession is largely self-inflicted and could have been avoided

A cross section of participants at the event

A cross section of participants at the event

A cross section of participants at the event

Second, he highlighted the roles expected to be played by the church in times of recession, as he likened today's economic upheavals to what was known as "famine" in Bible days.

Third, Bakare proceeded to classify the church into seven different categories, viz: the scandalous church which he said was usually characterised by scandals; the bankrupt church which he said would be plunged into bankruptcy by recession because the "income could not meet their obligations;" the struggling church which he said experienced a decline in attendance, tithes and offerings as a result of the recession and the passive church which he said was not concerned about economic crisis but rather pre-occupied with goals of making heaven.

Other categories of the church, as enumer-

ated by Bakare, were survivor/humanitarian church, whose pre-occupation, he said, was how to survive the economic crisis by developing "creative revenue generation strategies to keep afloat"; the investor church which he said had "a sufficient resource base to fund businesses and capital projects and to lift populations from poverty."

He said the investor/humanitarian church in this category would invest its resources in the economy and consequently help in boosting it. Subsequently, he said this church would deploy some of the dividends of its investments to cater for the welfare of the less privileged.

The last category, according to the preacher, is the governing church which he said would exalt Christian worship by bailing "out nations, influence public policy through God-inspired economic principles,

and strategically position human resources..."

This categorisation, as done by Bakare, therefore presents every church with the window of opportunities to discover the category it belongs to.

In rounding off, Bakare again congratulated Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro, on the occasion of its 14th year anniversary.

He also expressed delight in the laudable feat attained by Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria which he said "now shepherds some key officials of the Federal Government of Nigeria through its Asokoro branch."

Earlier in her remark, the chairperson of the occasion, Esuene, described the name "Foursquare" as unique. She also praised Foursquare Gospel Church for its ambitious barley harvest project which resulted in the planting of 1,000 churches between 1999 and 2009.

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IMAGES

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

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

Senator Solomon Adeola commiserating with the son of late Afenifere chieftain, Pa. Olaniwun Ajayi, Dr. Ola Ajayi, during a condolence visit to the family, at Isara Remo, Ogun State...recently

L-R: Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Ltd, Mrs. Titi Ogungbesan; President, Centre for Destitute Empowerment International, Pastor Samson Okoliko; and Head, Equities Dealing, Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Ltd, Mrs. Bunmi Olarinoye, during a visit to the Centre as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility efforts of Stanbic IBTC...recently

L-R: Deputy Governor of Lagos Sate, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; representative of the president and Governor of Osun State, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola; and the National President, Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajia Amina Omoti, during the 31st annual conference of the association, at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos...recently

L-R: Chief Strategy Officer, Palton Morgan Holdings, Semira Oguntoyinbo; General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Grenadines Homes Limited, Francisca Dyegh; and Assistant General Manager, Head of Sales, Grenadines Homes Limited, Olalekan Amusan, at the media launch of The Coral Hotel Apartments by Grenadines Homes in Lagos... recently

Executive Secretary/CEO, Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun (left); presenting a key of a Toyota Hilux patrol van to the Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig-General, Sanni Mohammad, at a brief presentation of patrol to OP-MESA, at LSSTF office, Alausa Ikeja‌.yesterday 03-11-2016 KOLA OLASUPO

L-R: Director, Corporate Relations, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Sesan Sobowale; Director, Legal Services, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Ahmed Tijani Ibrahim; and Director, Community Development Services, NYSC, Rhoda Kaka Kwaki, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Guinness and NYSC on Responsible Drinking Campaign Initiative in

L-R: Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Prof. Ayodele Atseruwa; Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo; Director, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi; Justice Candide-Johnson of Lagos State High Court; and former Lagos State Solicitor-General, Fola Arthur-Worrey, at the SimmonsCoopers Advocacy Development (SCAD), an initiative of the Vice- President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, organised to nurture and develop writing skills of Law School students and undergraduates in Lagos...recently KOLAWOLE ALLI

L-R: Director, Tax Policy and Advisory Department, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Peter Olayemi; Chairman, National Tax Policy Review Committee (NTPRC), Prof. Abiola Sanni; and Director, Technical Services, Federal Ministry of Finance, Hajia Larai Shuaibu, during the third stakeholders engagement on review of the draft revised national tax policy document in Abuja...recently ENOCK REUBEN

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

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BUSINESSWORLD NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

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Quick Takes Nigeria Innovation Summit Honours Agabi

FOR TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT

L-R: International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Representative, Afirca Regional Office Addis Ababa, Mr. Marcelino Toyob; Chairman, Digital Bridge Institute (DBI) Board, Prof. B. M Barkindo ; Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu; Administrator, DBI, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde; Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and Director General, National Communication Commission, Sierra Leone, Mr. Senesie Kallon, during the 3rd Steering Committee Meeting of the ITU Africa Network of Centre for Excellence…recently

Fresh Concerns over Communications Tax Bill, As ATCON Urges Senate to Rethink Proposed Legislation Emma Okonji Fearing the likely negative impact of the proposed telecommunications tax bill on a large chunk of telecoms subscribers and the economy as a whole, the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the umbrella body for all telecoms companies in the country, has advised the Senate to reconsider its stand on the proposed legislation.

President of ATCON, Mr. Olusola Teniola gave the advice in a detailed presentation on the negative impact of the bill

TELECOMS to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki in Abuja recently.

He urged the Senate to revisit the proposed bill and reduce it from 9 per cent tax increase to 1 per cent tax increase.

According to Teniola, the bill, if eventually passed into law, would exclude 10 per cent of the population of telecoms subscribers, which is over 20 million, from getting access to telecommunication services.

Teniola explained that whereas the survival of the Nigerian economy will is

about attracting more citizens to gain access to internet and telecommunications services, the bill would cut down on access to Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services.

Members of Senate and the House of Representatives, are seriously pushing for the passage of the bill, which had since scaled through the first and second readings.

Their intention about the planned bill was to raise telecommunications taxes, in order to generate more revenue for government.

Although the telecoms operators understood the need for government to generate more income in order to provide better infrastructure for the good of the masses, they are however of the view that the operators are over burdened with all manners of taxes and levies from the government circle and that additional levies and taxes may crash telecoms activities in the country and spell doom for the industry.

Unfolding the feelings of telecoms operators during Continued on page 24

Shittu: 70% of Cyber Attacks in Nigeria Successful FG Woos Foreign Investors into ICT Sector

Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Minister of Communications, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, has said 70 percent of cyber attacks carried out by hackers in Nigeria’s Information Communication Technology (ICT), space were successful.

According to him, studies carried out by the ministry showed that 3,500 cyber attacks unleashed in the country, resulted in loss of $450 million.

The minister made the disclosure at the 8th Cybersecurity, Technology Optimisation and National Development, organised by Information System Audit and Control Association

IT (ISACA), forum in Abuja.

Shittu, said maintaining a hitch free cybersecurity space required the engagement of Information Technology specialists and expertise.

Meanwhile, the minister, during a courtesy visit to his office by the Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Morteza Rahimi, urged Iranian business men and other foreign investors to take advantage of Nigeria’s huge market and high return on investment to invest in the country’s ICT sector.

He said: “I am convinced ISACA has those skills; you

have the knowledge; you have the professionals; you have the approaches, techniques and strategies.

“Permit me to say that you sitting here are the professionals Nigeria is counting on to conquer the cyberwars and crimes in the country. If the country fails, then you have failed and ISACA has failed in Nigeria.”

He however, said that he was not unaware that ISACA recently introduced CyberSecurity Nexus (CSX) to equip professionals with expert skills and competencies to counter cyber terrorism in the country.

“At this juncture, may I

emphasize here that though these certifications are very important, but your practical involvement, the demonstration of your expert knowledge in facilitate a secured cyberspace in Nigeria is our utmost demand.

“I can assure you that if our cyberspace is safe, investors will come; e-commerce will be given much priority; and most transactions will be done without stress and above all, the quality of life will increase. This is what national development is.” Shittu said.

According to him, the share of telecommunications in total Continued on page 24

Emerging Media, a Lagos based Media and Public Relations firm has honoured Dr. BayeroAgabi, Nigeria’s foremost Information and Communications Technology broadcast journalist cum enterprenuer, for supporting and promoting ICT innovations in Nigeria, especially among the youths.

The recognition is coming a few weeks after Eko Lions Club, an arm of the International Association of Lions Club, District 404 Nigeria gave him an Excellence Service Award in recognition of his humanitarian support towards creating awareness for ICT usage, mostly in the rural areas.

Presenting the award to Bayero at this year’s Nigeria Innovation Summit, held at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Director of the Nigeria Innovation Summit, Mr. Tony Ajah, said the recognition was bestowed on Bayero because of his consistent contribution to the development of capacity among the youths, which has led to the promotion of ICT innovations in the country.

“Bayero has distinguished himself by supporting and promoting innovations in Nigeria. His insistence on building Nigeria with innovations has led to the development of the ICT industry, which is presently powering almost every sector of the nation’s economy,” Ajah said.

Responding, the multiple award winning ICT broadcaster, dedicated the award to the less privileged in the society, saying he is elated and challenged by the recognition. He added that the award would spur him to put more effort towards a better society through Information Technology.

Kings Oaks Opens Additional Outlet

Kings Oaks Technology Limited has extended the number of its outlets in Lagos, through the recent launch of another outlet in Yaba, Lagos, with renewed determination to provide quality modern technology devices such as phones, computers, laptops, information systems and accessories that can assist Nigerians do their day to day businesses and gain access to latest technology.

Others services in the company’s kit are ICT services including maintenance, computer analysis, software design, VSAT, PABX installation and ID card system for performing businesses among others.

The Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Anthony Ajayi, said one of the key products of the firm is the Frequency Identification Card (RFID), and described it as a unique device that has the capacity to monitor organisation’s database, adding that with the RFID, staff attendance, wages and other activities within the business environment are secured at all times.

“It is a card embedded with unique security features. RFID is used to monitor any working business environment,” Ajayi said.

On why the outlet was sited in Yaba, the CEO said, “We are launching one part of our business in Yaba because it is a very busy area and strategic. We have major higher institutions and health organisations here. The security ambience in this area is encouraging. Aside this,about five popular bus-stops are around us. So it is a free-flow location we hoped to leverage on and do credible business.”

ATCON Holds Regulators’ Forum

The Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) is set to hold the 4th edition of the Nigeria’s Telecoms Executives and Regulators Forum (TERF). The event is to hold on the 8th of December, 2016 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Lagos.

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerians Communication Commission (NCC), Prof.Umar Garba Danbatta, is the keynote speaker. He will, at the forum lead discourse on Quality of Service, MultipleTax, Forex Sourcing, FundingTelecoms Investment, The Internet Exchange, Spectrum Management and many other topical issues.

President of ATCON, OlusolaTeniola, said the forum would provide members with the understanding and knowledge of the policy and regulatory best practices. It will also give information on emerging issues that Nigeria needs to consider in regulating the telecom industry, while proving an enabling and sustainable environment for the sector.

“Technology innovation is timeless and can be found in the most unlikely places, and created by the most unlikely people” Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr. Matthew Willsher

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD FRESH CONCERNS OVER COMMUNICATIONS TAX BILL, AS ATCON URGES SENATE TO RETHINK PROPOSED LEGISLATION his presentation, Teniola said: Our mandate is to support the federal government to succeed in attracting and protecting investments in the telecommunications industry and to make meaningful input to all aspects of economic development including legislation and management of our industry so it continues to be the oil of growth and development. However, the planned introduction of the 9 per cent Communications Tax Bill, as source of revenue generation for government, will be counter productive to operations of the telecoms sector.”

The ongoing work on the proposed 9 per cent Communication Service Tax Bill is a trending subject. We would be happy to support government to make the best of our tax efforts which certainly are key components of strengthening the economy and sustaining our industry. Contrary to uninformed opinions we do not object to reforms in taxation neither do we regard taxes as burden, Teniola said, adding that there is severe pressure at these times and government revenue cannot be different.

SHITTU: 70% OF CYBER ATTACKS IN NIGERIA SUCCESSFUL real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined throughout 2010 to 2014, but in the last five quarters, growth in telecommunications has been higher, meaning the trend has reversed. Shittu added: “The total number of subscribers as of the end of June 2016 stood at 149,803,714, and internet users for the same time stood at 92,181,978 – the biggest internet market in Africa.

“The ICT sector contributed 12.62% to the total nominal GDP in the 2nd quarter of 2016, up from its 12.25% contribution in the 1st quarter.”

According to him, government is redoubling efforts to increase ICT’s contribution to our GDP, as we consider it to be a veritable alternative to the oil sector whose contributions have dwindled over the past year.

Group Business Editor

Chika Amanze-Nwachuku AgriBusiness/Industry Editor

Crusoe Osagie

Comms/e-Business Editor

Emma Okonji

Capital Market Editor

Goddy Egene

Senior Correspondent

Raheem Akingbolu (Advertising) Correspondents

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

Nume Ekeghe (Money Market) Nosa Alekhuogie (Maritme)

NEWS

‘Organisations Will Spend 80% of IT Budget on Cloud By 2025’ Stories by Emma Okonji Giving the current trend in global technology evolution, where organisations that are involved with big data analytics are gradually moving their data hosting to the cloud, Oracle Corporation has predicted a generational shift of organisation’s data to the cloud by 2025.

Oracle further predicted that organisations globally would spend 80 per cent of their Information Technology (IT) budget on cloud, based on the emergence of more cloud-based applications that would compel Chief Information Officers of Organisations to spend more of their IT budgets on cloud innovative solutions, rather than on maintenance of physical structure that is currently taking place within IT organisations.

The Corporation, which made the predictions at the Oracle Digital Day held in Lagos recently, called on technology driven organisations in Nigeria to begin to see the need to confide in cloud service providers like Oracle, to safely move their data from on-premise to cloud, in order to boost their market share and remain competitive in business.

Country Manager, Oracle Nigeria, Mr. Adebayo Sanni, who spoke at the Oracle Digital Day, said his organisation has invested over $5.2 billion in research and development, which covers innovation in cloud solutions, with the establishment of over 19 best-in class data centres across the globe, and with about 82 per cent growth rate in cloud investment.

Sanni therefore advised big and small technology companies in Nigeria to consider adoption

of cloud technology in order to cut cost and remain in business.

“Nigeria needs to move with the rest of the world by going to the cloud. Businesses are changing and the way businesses are done are also changing. So Nigerians must innovate and change their business perspectives. Cloud is the next generation technology solution that the globe is fast adopting and Nigeria cannot be left behind, but rather join in the innovation,” Sanni said.

Oracle Vice President, Technology Solutions, EMEA, Mr. Xavier Verhaeghe, said the world has gone digital and that cloud solution is actually driving the digital

transformation, which he said, has helped organisations globally to reduce cost of doing business, increase market share and remain relevant in their line of business.

“We are in a world where new technologies are causing digital disruptions to the old ways of doing business and the Oracle cloud is one of the technology solutions that is changing the face of business and making businesses more agile and transparent in nature,” Verhaeghe said.

According to Sanni “CIOs and IT managers currently spend 80 per cent of their IT budget on maintenance of IT systems instead of innovation

which is key to business survivability, but Oracle is trying to change all of that by making the CIOs and IT managers to see good reasons why they should spend money on innovation and cloud technology, that will give them competitive advantage in business.”

Speaking on affordability of cloud solution, Sanni said: “Oracle cloud solution is affordable to small and big companies. By the time they are connected to the cloud, they will cut down on cost, save more money and increase their market shares.”

Sanni therefore called on the federal government to come up with policies in relation

to data sovereignty that will enable organistions adopt cloud technology fast.

He said education remained key in creating the awareness for cloud adoption in Nigeria, while assuring Nigerians of the safety in adopting cloud solutions for their business.

Cloud adoption in Nigeria is still low but it is the responsibility of Oracle and other cloud services providers to educate people and organisations on the importance of cloud adoption.

The advocacy on education is ongoing and the adoption rate will begin to increase as more organistions continue to see the need to move to the cloud, Sanni said.

FOR FINANCIAL INCLUSION

L-R: Chairman, Committee of eBanking Industry Heads (CeBIH), Dele Adeyinka; General Manager, Mobile Financial Services, MTN, Usoro Usoro; Managing Director/CEO, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Ade Shonubi; Director, Digital Business, Etisalat Nigeria, Adia Sowho and Principal Manager, Payment System Policy and Oversight Office, Central Bank of Nigeria, Joe Obogo, at the launch of mCash by NIBSS in partnership with Etisalat and other telcos in Lagos...recently

Digital Innovation Key to Economic NJI: Globacom Has Made All Nigerians Proud Growth, Says NCC The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has stressed the need for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) organisations to be innovative in their business approaches in order to boost economic development across all sectors of the Nigerian economy. The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta gave the advise at the Nigeria Innovation Summit, organised by Emerging Media in Lagos recently.

Danbatta, who was represented by the Director, Public Affairs at NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, said the telecommunications industry has witnessed a lot of transformation and revolution as a result of innovations introduced into the industry by the telecoms regulator, the NCC. He promised that NCC would continue to introduce innovation in its regulatory approach, since innovation is a continuous exercise and approach that must be adopted by the regulator and the industry players to move the country forward. “There is a popular concept that tells businesses to ‘innovate or die’. References have severally been made to the innovations, which the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs made to pull Apple from the brinks to occupy an enviable top range as a typical example

of a business success achieved through innovation.” Danbatta said. He explained that NCC had maintained effective and innovative telecommunications regulation that is well grounded on very transparent process and wide industry consultation that has helped greatly in achieving industry stability and contributed to accelerated growth of the telecommunication infrastructure across the country. He listed some key areas where NCC introduced innovation to include the Telecoms Consumer Parliament, Value Added Services, Mobile Number Portability, among others.

Speaking on the economic growth indices in relation to NCC’s innovative approach, Danbatta said the contributions of ICT to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country are currently estimated at 10 per cent. He said since the inception of GSM in the county in 2001, investments attracted to the telecoms sector are over $60 billion and that direct and indirect employments have grown with systematic approaches to the promotion of market competition in the sector. In the area of social media, Danbatta said the internet has created a whole new online world that has led to the recreation of new

communities that exist within the social media with real time interaction potentials.

Director, Nigeria Innovative Summit, Mr. Tony Ajah, said: “There are practically two types of nation today- those who are innovation driven and those who are not, but the difference shows in their respective levels of advancement and backwardness, prosperity and poverty.”

He said Nigeria was ranked 114 out of 128 countries according to the 2016 Global Innovation Index, based on the reflection of the country’s present reality since Nigeria does not invest much in innovation as country.

He called on government and organisations to begin to think of innovative ideas that would move the county forward, to enable the country attain good global ranking in the future.

Nigeria must urgently move to the digital driven economy and collectively embrace high-tech innovations toward achieving a sustainable development, Ajah said.

The Chief Executive Officer, Emerging Media, Mr. Kenneth Omeruo, said innovation must be facilitated by government, in collaboration with the private sector and the academics, with each playing their key roles to build a sustainable ecosystem for the country.

Students of the National Judicial Institute (NJI) said Globacom has made Nigerians proud through its quality service delivery at affordable rate to the people.

Globacom, they noted, has been very innovative in its service offerings, which have helped to move Nigeria forward in the areas of business, interpersonal relationships and judicial processes.

The students, who are members of the Bench spoke through their leader, Hon. Justice Chinwe Iyizoba of the Court of Appeal, Ibadan Division, during an educational excursion to Globacom recently.

They commended Globacom for making all Nigerians proud by growing an indigenous telecommunications firm that is competing favourably with other global telecoms networks.

After the tour of the stateof-the- arts facilities in the customer care department of the company, the members of the Bench concluded that “Globacom is doing well”, nothing that the company had contributed immensely to the socio-economic growth of the Nigerian economy.

“Having toured your customer care facilities we can now appreciate what Globacom go through to ensure its customers are satisfied. We encourage the

company to continue to sustain its service level to retain its customers. We are impressed,” Justice Iyizoba added.

The visit of the judges was facilitated by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) as part of the NCC/ NJI workshop for Judges on legal issues in telecoms. The trip to Globacom was to help the judges appreciate the importance of telecommunications as a crucial national infrastructure.

Receiving the visiting justices, Executive Director of Globacom, Mr. Adewale Sangowawa, said that Globacom recognises the enormous contributions of the Bench to the development and preservation of Nigeria as a nation, especially the part they are playing in guiding the young democracy. He said efforts of Nigerian judges have helped to engender peace and harmony by helping to resolve constitutional and political differences.

“You have also remained the hope of the common man as far as justice and equity is concerned. In these days of the telecoms revolution, Globacom remains a partner with you in the dispensing of justice. Our massive infrastructure facilitates easy and seamless administration of justice anywhere in the country,” Sangowawa said.

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Putting Indigenous Software on the Global Map Emma Okonji writes that the opportunity given to SystemSpecs by the federal government to use the Remita software solution as a platform for e-payments and e-collections for all government finances, has opened a vista for the firm to showcase the ingenuity of local software within and outside Nigeria Necessity has always compelled people and nations to look inwards while seeking solution to address immediate challenges. Such was the case with Remita, an indigenous software solution that was developed by SystemSpecs, a Nigerian company designed as a platform for e-payments and e-collections.

The technology solution that makes it possible to send and receive payments and being in control of national cash assets, came into limelight in 2011, when the federal government suddenly realised that Nigeria was losing huge sums of money because the country’s accounting system was porous to the extent that billions of naira were not accounted for.

The huge financial losses became a source of worry to the federal government in 2011, a situation that compelled government to look inwards in order to address the national challenge. In seeking solution to the financial challenges of the country, SystemSpecs was approached and its managing director, Mr. John Obaro assured government of addressing the situation through its locally developed software called Remita.

Today, Remita, which is an indigenous payment solution, is able to process over $30 billion worth of transactions every year in Nigeria, and the company has come out to say that the software solution could address financial issues beyond Nigeria and Africa.

Speaking at the just concluded Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) in Dubai, United Emirates (UAE), the biggest trade show on the ICT circuit in the Middle East, the Executive Director, Strategy at SystemSpecs, Mr. Deremi Atanda, told investors that Remita has come of age to address financial leakages in Africa and the rest of the world.

About Remita Remita, which predates Nigeria’s Treasury Single Account (TSA), is not a specialised software for TSA, but a software for all electronic payments and collections of funds that addresses financial leakages. Having seen the importance of Remita, the federal government, in 2011, decided to use the software solution to block all financial leakages in government circles by applying Remita to TSA, which is all about process efficiency, and being able to account for funds from a single channel.

The federal government got involved with TSA because Nigeria was looking inwards to solve her financial challenges.

Before TSA, nobody knew the number of accounts operated by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government. Before TSA, government could not give account of the net cash flow of the country.

Also, government could not say which account any payment was going into, and could not transact business over the weekend because it had to be between working hours.

But with the application of Remita to TSA, government discovered so much huge financial leakages and lapses, which include remittances of government monies to illegal accounts that were not accounted for, which led to the closure of 17,000 bank accounts that hitherto spread across different banks within the county, as at the last count.

So the success of TSA is the victory of Remita, a technology solution developed by an indigenous company, SystemSpecs, in solving everyday financial challenges.

Myth about local software Speaking on the myth of local software in addressing global financial issues at the just concluded GITEX exhibition in Dubai, where Nigeria was well represented, Atanda convinced foreign investors to invest in the local software developed from Nigeria.

According to him, the local software has the potential of addressing global financial issues, especially in blocking financial leakages and setting up a platform for accountability and transparency that organisations could always

L-R: Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Information Technology, Mohammed Onawo; Executive Director, Strategy, SystemSpecs Limited, Deremi Atanda and the Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, during the exhibition of Remita at GITEX in Dubai ...recently

rely on.

He said Remita is a product from SystemSpecs that is “transforming payments in Africa right from the app of Nigeria.”

“Talking about opportunities, the simple good news you will hear in the payments space is that there is a model of payment for the entire Africa coming from Nigeria, a one-stop payment gateway overlaid with payment applications for enterprises, multinationals, governments at all levels, SMEs, corporates as well as individuals.

So at every point you want to touch payments across the entire ecosystem, Remita is the product to do that,” Atanda said.

“Right from Nigeria today, Remita, which is an indigenous payment solution, processes over $30 billion worth of transactions every year, and that’s just within Nigeria. There’s a roadmap to take this to Africa. So if you have a vision to be part of revolutionising payments in Africa at whatever level, even if you are thinking of driving financial inclusion at the national level, driving savings, micro-savings and micro-transactions, we have got IPs in that space with quite a number whose patents are pending. We have solution that you can adapt into your own environment. We have got process flows across the entirety of government, and the Nigerian government has given us the opportunity to solve a national problem,” he added.

Speaking further, he said: “The first opportunity was in 2006 when Nigeria had the payroll challenge and there was an international World Bank bid. As a Nigerian firm, we won that bid and completed the project in a record six months. The next time was in 2011 when the Nigerian government was going to begin the process of properly taking charge of its national cash assets and introduced a Treasury Single Account (TSA) initiative. It was something that made Nigeria to look for the best in the whole world. And after evaluation SystemSpecs came forward again. Today, the TSA success story is because a Nigerian company is involved; that’s the story of Remita and the myth of indigenous software.” Atanda told foreign investors that Remita offers the single one point that aggregates all possible payment options.

“It aggregates cash, it aggregates mobile wallet and payment schemes, it aggregates internet banking, it is connected to the national settlement platform, it is connected to any payment touchpoint you can think of. So if you are thinking of transforming payments in any way, it is not only about government but also goes to micro-credit, driving financial inclusion, accountability across all touch points,” he added.

Remita mobile version During its participation at this year’s GITEX

forum, SystemSpecs announced the planned launch of the mobile version of Remita before the international audience. The mobile version will enable millions of people to make payments from any of their commercial or micro-finance bank accounts or through any debit or credit card to thousands of merchants and billers in Nigeria, while using their smart and feature phones.

SystemSpecs plans to release the mobile version of the application by the end of this year.

Atanda said: “Remita mobile app will enable any individual or organisation see in real-time the balance in accounts held across different banks on a single app. Apart from this first-of-its-kind feature on a mobile app, users will also be able to make payments using the latest scan-to-pay and tap-to-pay technologies.”

He added that Remita is conceived as a onestop payment app that will easily address the diverse needs of customers who currently have to download and use many payment apps at the same time.” While welcoming Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami and the chairman, House of Representatives Committee on ICT, Mohammed Onawo and others to Remita’s stand within the Nigeria pavilion, Atanda said: “Remita has been around for about 10 years and currently serves over 1,000 merchants, billers, multinationals, SMEs, and governments at various levels.The uniqueness of Remita lies in its unique ability to serve as a one-stop payment platform that offers organisations and individuals the most number of payment and collection channels available on any single platform.”

in real time and provide services to payers without the need for customers to queue in banking halls to pay or carry bank tellers or paper receipts around as evidence of payment before service can be delivered.

Also speaking on the company’s plan to take the solution beyond Nigeria’s border, he assured Nigerians and international investors that Remita was ready to roll out to the whole world, starting from Africa.

“Based on proven performance track record in the Nigerian market and especially on the national TSA project, we have been receiving great interest from other African countries to replicate the same model. While each country may have its own peculiarity, we believe we have developed a robust financial technology platform that can compete anywhere in the world. We are therefore very comfortable taking Remita out of Nigeria and become one of the indigenous organisations that can help our country become a net foreign exchange earner from technology,” Atanda said.

The Minister of Communications, Shittu who pledged government’s support for SystemSpecs’ quest to roll out Remita across African countries and beyond, said: “We will continue to support all your endeavours to take our country to the next level.” Onawo on his part, explained that he was particularly excited about the fact that Nigerian software firms showcased their solutions at GITEX 2016.

“With what I have seen, it has encouraged me to take a lot of things back home. We need to encourage our Information Technology (IT) firms and technology start-ups so that more Nigerian companies can do what Remita is doing for the economy,” Onawo said.

Remita’s role in financial inclusion Atanda explained that Remita was at the forefront of driving the national financial inclusion policy as it is currently in use by about 500 micro-finance banks to meet the needs of many Nigerians who do not have access to commercial banking services and to also empower them to extend financial services to large number of unbanked Nigerians.

According to him, Remita’s vision is to empower every Nigerian to easily make payments for any product or service you can think of in the easiest way possible. He said one of the areas of immediate impact of the Remita mobile app is that anyone will now be able to settle bills and make payments to all tertiary institutions and all federal MDAs without having to visit the bank as they will be able to easily generate payment codes, make payment and generate payment receipt all on their mobile phone.

MDAs will also be able to verify payments

Why GITEX? The Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) has become the biggest trade show on the ICT circuit in the Middle East. The event is a forum for technology experts to exchange ideas, and presents a strong platform for technology companies to showcase their products and services.

GITEX 2016 attracted over 150,000 participants from 144 countries, with over 42,000 exhibitors worldwide showcasing cutting-edge technological innovations. The trade expo served as good leverage for SystemSpecs to position itself as a reputable technology company and prospective pan-African technology champion through its revolutionary payment software Remita.

SystemSpecs’ participation at the event was strategically aimed at showcasing its technology to international stakeholders, thereby facilitating business development, possible partnerships and penetration into new markets.

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What Wrong Has MTN Really Done?

Following the Senate’s allegations against MTN of moving $13.9 billion out of the country without the required authorisation, Davidson Iriekpen wonders why a foreign investor, who brings in funds into Nigeria, pays all the relevant taxes, cannot repatriate dividends or profits For some time now, MTN has been in the news for the wrong reason. Precisely on September 27, the Senate accused the telecoms company of an alleged connivance with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah and four commercial banks to have taken advantage of the porous Nigerian financial system to move about $13.9 billion out of the country without the required authorisation.

The upper legislative chamber, according to a motion moved by Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West in the Senate, alleged that MTN beat the nation’s financial regulatory laws by failing to obtain a certificate of capital importation (CCI) as authorised by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Financial and Miscellaneous Act within 24 hours between 2006 and 2016 before moving the money out of the country.

The senator pointed out that MTN did not request for the CCI from its bankers, Standard Chartered Bank, within the regulatory period of 24 hours of the inflow, nor was the CBN notified of the inflow by the bank within 48 hours of receipt and conversion of the proceeds to naira as required by regulation.

CCI is a document from the bank that processes the receipt of foreign investment capital into Nigeria. It states the day on which the cash arrived, how much it was, and how much local currency the bank converted it into.

But when the Senate Committee on Banks, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions opened an investigative hearing into the allegations, MTN denied the allegations. It said it did not violate the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, insisting that its processes in acquiring CCIs had been transparent.

According to its Chief Executive Officer, Ferdinard Moolman, the monies repatriated by the company were in respect of dividend payments and capital investment originating from legitimate foreign direct investment. He added that Enelamah did not connive with the company to move funds out of Nigeria.

He said: “We would like to reiterate that at no point did MTN illegally repatriate funds out of Nigeria or collaborate with Nigerians to loot the external reserves of the country.

MTN is a Nigerian company and is proud to be conducting business in Nigeria. It therefore categorically refutes any accusations of money laundering, economic sabotage or tax evasion leveled against it. The dividend payments were made to shareholders who imported foreign capital for investment in MTN. We would like to state that Enelamah has never been a director or shareholder of MTN.” Moolman said whereas the telecoms company only requested for CCIs for foreign capital that was imported into Nigeria, dividends were neither declared nor paid until the CCIs were issued and finalised.

He said: “Often for various reasons (such as not having all the required documentation for instance), it is not possible to issue a CCI within 24 hours, and the CBN’s Forex Manual contemplates such situations by asking that the banks refer to the CBN for approval. Besides, the requirement to issue a CCI within 24 hours of conversion is an administrative requirement.

As such, the CBN has the authority, and indeed we believe, approved the banks’ applications to issue CCIs outside the recommended time frame.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Chairman of the company, Mr. Pascal Dozie, denied the allegation of illegal repatriation by the telecoms company, arguing that MTN had invested $16 billion in Nigeria within 16 years. He said the money imported to Nigeria was done in three tranches as he insisted that the allegation by the Senate “was completely false.”

According to him, when MTN came to Nigeria, it offered 40 per cent shares to Nigerians while it took the other 60 per cent only to find that it was difficult to get Nigerians to invest 12 per cent of the 40 per cent offer. He added that MTN had to bring other investors before it could secure 25 per cent of the offer.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki

Dozie further said it was these Nigerians who constituted Celtelecom, adding that a conversion of Celtelecom investment was done in 2007 through its bankers with CBN approval .

He exonerated Enelamah, saying he was not a shareholder in MTN but only a director of Celtelecom and CEO of Capital Alliance which he said initiated the Celtelecom.

The questions begging for answer here are: Did MTN really breach the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act? Where was the CBN when these were taking place?

This was perhaps why, in making his submission at the Senate committee hearing, the Executive Secretary of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), Mr. Jim Obazee, absolved the company from blame, saying the regulatory agencies should be blamed for the company’s infraction.

He added the Department of State Services (DSS) had investigated the issue and pledged

“The questions begging for answer here are did MTN really breach the Foreign Exchange Act? Where was the CBN when these were taking place?

This was perhaps why in making his submission at the Senate committee hearing, the Executive Secretary of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), Mr. Jim Obaze, absolve MTN of any blame”

Moolman

to make a copy of the report available to the committee.

MTN is one of the telecommunications companies in the country. It is South African company which invested in the country following federal government’s investment drive. In fact, it was the second to roll out GSM services in the country in 2002. The questions many analysts are asking are: Does the late issuance of a CCI mean no capital was imported or does the late issuance of a CCI mean that an investor can no longer repatriate its profits. Is it proper for the profits of an investor to be stuck in Nigeria?

The position of the Act The Nigerian Investment Promotion Council (NIPC) Act and Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions Act), are very clear on what the right of an investor is in Nigeria. Section 24 of the NIPC Act states: “…

A foreign investor in an enterprise to which this Act applies shall be guaranteed unconditional transferability of funds through any authorised dealer in freely convertible currency of (a) dividend and profits (net of all taxes) attributable to the investment…”

Section 15 of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions Act) states, similarly, in addition to spelling out whose responsibility it is to issue the CCI, “Foreign currency imported into Nigeria and invested in any enterprise pursuant to subsection (1) of this section shall be guaranteed unconditional transferability of funds, through an authorised dealer in freely convertible currency, relating to— (a) dividends or profits (net of taxes) attributable to the investment…”

This is why observers feel that the NIPC should inform the lawmakers that if a foreign investor has brought in foreign investment, and pays all the relevant taxes, why can’t he repatriate all his dividends or profits? How does this amount to an illegality? How does the dividend and profits of a company concern the government. The only legitimate question the Senate can pose here is, has the foreign company under investigation paid its taxes?

Observers’ position Observers believe that MTN’s current travail should worry the president and his economic team because they are constantly travelling round the world telling people that Nigeria is open for business and that Nigeria is friendly to investors. The president recently returned from one of such trips to inform Nigerians that foreign investors are ‘falling over themselves’ to invest in Nigeria.

Analysts believe that the president and his team can rest be assured that prospective investors talk to those who are already here and that all foreign company subsidiaries established in Nigeria have it as a primary aim to send profits and dividends back home. They stated that if profits and dividends cannot be converted and transferred freely as the country’s laws currently provide, foreign investors have little incentive to invest in Nigeria.

Whose money was repatriated?

The only legitimate question the Senate can pose here is, has the foreign company under investigation paid its taxes? The question begging for answer is if a foreign investor has brought in foreign investment, paid all the relevant taxes, what is the business of the government if he repatriates all his dividends or profits?

Many analysts believe that one of the major reasons why investors stay away from Nigeria is because of the country’s policy inconsistency and weak and parochial implementation of the laws by the authorities.

For instance, the latest report released by the World Bank ranked Nigeria in the 169th position out of 190 countries on the ‘Ease of Doing Business index for 2017. The bank stated this in its Ease of Doing Business report titled: ‘Doing Business 2017: Equal Opportunity for All’.

Though in the report the country moved up by one point from 170th position on the 2016 ranking to 169th position for the 2017 ranking, many analysts feel it is still a far cry from where it should be. In sub-Saharan Africa, the country was ranked 36th out of 47 countries, with Mauritius, Rwanda and South Africa as the three leading countries in the region. This is despite the numerous foreign trips by the country’s political leaders to woo foreign investors to the country.

Many analysts feel that the principal reason for the country’s poor ranking in the easy of doing business index is due to among others, the ineffectiveness of regulatory agencies.

Like a public affairs analyst, Mr. Rotimi Fawole, asked recently, “If you file your passport application dutifully, and your passport took longer to be issued than the immigration guidelines, can you be said to be travelling illegally? If your ‘C of O’ took longer to be issued than the guidelines prescribe, are you holding your property illegally? When it took longer than three months for your permanent licence to arrive after the temporary one expired, did that fact mean that you were driving illegally even though you had the licence? Whose responsibility was it to issue the CCI on time and who is being investigated?”

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JumiaPromises70%Discount NCC Explains OTT Technology Regulation at Black Friday Sales that apart from interference to ensure more participation and the role played by the Stories by Emma Okonji Online retail giant, Jumia Nigeria has announced a 70 per cent discount sales of regular prices on most of its items that will be displayed across all Jumia online stores, during the ‘2016 Black Friday Sales’.

The Jumia Black Friday will take place for 12 jaw-dropping days, from Monday November 14th to Friday November 25th 2016 on all Jumia websites – Jumia Mall, Jumia Food, Jumia Car, Jumia Market, Jumia Travel, Jumia House and Jumia Deals.

Top brands like AXA Mansard, MTN, Binatone, Innjoo, Infinix, Poly Star, HP, Intel, Etihad airways have partnered Jumia to bring to Nigerians the largest shopping event of the year.

According to the Head of Marketing Jumia Nigeria, Simone Bartlett, this year’s Jumia Black Friday would be exciting for all categories of shoppers, based on the 12 days promotional deals lined up for customers.

He listed them to include: increased sales inventory in all categories such as fashion, electronics, phones, computers, home, baby, health and beauty – up to 70 per cent discount of regular prices; Over 100,000 deals from 2,500 vendors; and Highlight offerings from brands like PolyStar, HP, Binatone, Nikon, Pampers and Apple.

“In addition to mouthwatering deals, this year’s Jumia

Black Friday features an online giveaway for every customer who spends N10,000 and above. Lucky customer winners will win an iPhone 7, a PS4 console, two economy class Etihad tickets and two business class tickets. Nigerian customers are therefore reminded to visit all Jumia stores during Black Friday including Jumia Food and Jumia Market, the largest and safest marketplace online where buyers can safely interact with sellers for juicy Black Friday deals,” Bartlett said.

During last year’s Jumia Black Friday that took place on November 27 2015, more than 2.3 million Nigerians visited Jumia. Following the impressive volume of orders during last year, this year’s sales event has been expanded to reach even more customers.

“This year’s Jumia Black Friday is designed to offer our customers more days, more deals and more convenience and to deliver on better customer service to our shoppers,” Bartlett added.

The deals are expected to go fast, on a first come, first serve basis, so customers are encouraged to download the Jumia app and subscribe to the Jumia newsletter for real time notifications on the featured sales, deals and daily offerings which will commence November 14th and run until November 25th 2016.

Following the growing concerns over the call for the regulation of Over The Top (OTT) technology by licensed telecommunications operators, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has clarified the controversial issue, explaining that countries of the world are deliberately treating the regulation of OTT applications with caution. Telecoms operators have continued to mount pressure on the NCC, the telecoms industry regulator, to regulate OTT applications that are being used by some service providers to offer free telecoms services to telecoms subscribers through various means like WhatsApp, WeChat, while riding on the internet.

The operators have argued

that would be created in the telecoms space, such free service provision would also eat deep into their revenue generation, since they invested so much in telecoms infrastructure in the country and are still investing in the maintenance of such infrastructure and the staff that operates them.

But the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, who spoke while receiving the Director-General of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Ms. Patricia Bala, noted that the countries of the world are deliberately treating the regulation of OTT applications with caution.

“The whole essence of this digital transformation that we so passionately talk about is

of citizens in governance,” Danbatta observed.

He said: “There are many other important things happening, the smart phones, the social networks and mobile applications. These have transformed the society in unprecedented manner that things will never ever be the same again. We are hoping that this transformation will be positive transformation.

It is our hope again that the destruction associated with these transformations will not completely destroy legacy, system, process among others. Look at the impact of social media in ensuring free fair and credible elections.

Many people hailed the last election in Nigeria as the most credible ever in the history

social media cannot be ignored.

When the history of elections in this country is eventually written, the role of social media in the last election will occupy an important portion.”

The DG earlier told Danbatta that she was in the commission to seek collaboration on how to curb circulation of harmful contents on telecoms platforms.

She commended the commission for sustaining the upbeat of the profile of the telecom sector of the economy.

In a related development, members of the National Association of Northern Nigerian Students, led by its President, Mr. Tijani Abdulmumuni, were at the headquarters of the commission to decorate the EVC with Sardauna Legacy Award of Excellence.

StarTimes Set to Launch Free Open Week CURBING UNEMPLOYMENT L-R: Brand Manager, U-Connect Human Resources Ltd, Amaka Okorie; Philanthropies Lead Microsoft Nigeria, Olusola Amusan; MD/

African pay TV giant, StarTimes, has announced that it will serve up a visual feast to subscribers with the launch of an ‘Open Week’ in the middle of this month.

The planned launch will enable all StarTines viewers and new subscribers of StarTimes in Nigeria to freely have access to several prominent channels including Fox Life, National Geographic Channel (NGC), StarTimes Bollywood and StarTimes World Football for one week.

From 12th to 20th November, StarTimes’ viewers can freely watch a variety of wonderful TV programs on StarTimes TV platform, such as one of NGC’s biggest new documentary shows Mars, Fox Life’s popular drama series Empire Season 1, Bollywood’s movie Force and fantastic Bundesliga matches on StarTimes World Football.

Brand and Marketing Director of StarTimes, Kafar Oludare, who made the disclosure in Lagos, said: “Consistent with StarTimes’ mission and values, the ‘Open Week’ will allow every viewer of StarTimes to enjoy a visual feast in November.”

The announcement is coming after FOX’s 3 major channels: Fox Life, National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild, were aired on StarTimes in October this year.

“Open Week provides an excellent opportunity for StarTimes’ viewers to learn more about new channels and fully experience the fantastic content

service of StarTimes,” Oludare said, adding that StarTimes’ self-owned channels, like World Football and Bollywood, will join the ‘Open Week’ too.

According to Oludare, StarTimes Movies 1, StarTimes Sports Premium, StarTimes Plus, StarTimes Bollywood Africa, E!, and IDX, would also be open to viewers during the ‘Open Week.’

He explained that “StarTimes will not spare any effort to offer rich, diverse and high quality television content services to African customers.”

The StartTimes platform carries over 440 TV channels, including quality international third party channels, most popular African local channels and StarTimes ownedand-operated channels. The platform also offers all genres of content, ranging from news, movies, sports, entertainment, kids programmes, music, life style and religion. The channels are broadcast in 10 different languages, such as English, French, Portuguese, Africa local languages and Chinese.

Just recently, StarTimes reiterated its strategic commitment to ensuring quality nationwide signal coverage and innovative offerings both for content bouquets and decoder products. This is consistent with its renewed drive to improve digital TV entertainment services and viewing experience for Nigerians and further deepens the penetration and acceptance of digital TV across the nation.

CEO, U-Connect Human Resources Ltd, Omomene Odike and Team Lead HR Consultant, U-Connect Human Resources, Babajide Ogunfuwa, at the Microsoft/Gr8jobsng Recruitment Day Event, held in Lagos…recently

Winners Emerge in 2016 Gr8jobsng Launches ‘Project Etisalat Prize for Innovation Employ’ to Boost Employment Winners have emerged in the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Innovation competition and their cash prizes were presented to them at the weekend in Lagos.

The winners, as announced

by Etisalat, included team ‘OneMedical’ and ‘Dresses

by Aloli’. Team ‘OneMedical’ was announced as the Most Innovative Product/Service category, while ‘Dresses by Aloli’ was announced as the Most Innovative Idea category.

The Chief Executive Officer of Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, who made the announcement, also presented the prizes to the winners, with support from the Director-General, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim and the Chief Executive Officer, MainOne Broadband Company, Ms. Funke Opeke.

While congratulating the winners, Willsher said that Etisalat Prize for Innovation is a demonstration of the company’s belief that Nigeria’s developmental needs could be met through the creation of innovative products and ideas.

“With the Etisalat Prize for Innovation, we demonstrate our belief that innovation is timeless

and can be found in the most unlikely places, and created by the most unlikely people. We believe that the change Nigeria needs to move forward can be created through innovative products, services and ideas,” he said.

Willsher also reiterated Etisalat’s commitment to support the growth of Tech Startups by creating an enabling environment for collaboration between the small businesses and investors. The Most Innovative Product and Services category award was won by a team of inventors among whom are Ojeniyi James, Adegoke Olubusi and Oluwole Gbenga whose entry, “OneMedical”, beat those of other contestants to win the N5 million coveted Prize.

In the Most Innovative Idea category, Tobilola Ajibola took home the N2 million prize money for her idea, “Dresses

by Aloli”, which was adjudged the most outstanding.

In his reaction after receiving the award for the Most Innovative Product and Service, James, one of the team mates thanked Etisalat for the opportunity to be part of history. He noted that the country is ripe for innovations that can help create sustainable development.

Opportunities in Nigeria Sunday Okobi In a bid to boost employment opportunities in Nigeria, Gr8jobsng has launched ‘Project Employ’, an initiative to assist companies and organisations recruit staff at no cost.

According the recruitment firm, the successful launch of the Gr8jobsng platform in June 2016, a platform hailed as the number one recruitment platform in Africa, has continued to gather momentum by providing top notch world class human resources services to jobseekers, employers and professional training institutions registered on the platform.

In a statement made available to THISDAY, the CEO Gr8jobsng, Mrs. Omomene Odike, stated that as part of its goal to improve employment opportunities in Nigeria and make jobs easily available and accessible to job seekers, “Gr8jobsng is launching its first initiative called ‘Project Employ’ specifically tailored and directed at the employer group which includes SMEs, large organisations, multinationals and international companies with particular emphasis on

the SME group.”

With the aptly name, Project Employ, the initiative, Odike said offers employers the unique opportunity to have their official roles (vacancies) from intern/entry level-senior management filled at no cost by Gr8jobsng in a bid to help boost employment in Nigeria and to give jobseekers and professionals a great opportunity to get hired.

The statement said: “With the official announcement of recession in August and the numerous job cuts that followed the recession, this initiative has come at the most opportune moment for jobseekers and professionals who are trying to secure a job or change a job.

“With the experience of having run a HR consulting firm, ‘U-Connect’ for 12 years, I fully understand the recruitment process and how highly important it is to employers to get the right employee, the pain of the recession and what this means for so many Nigerians.

We hope to promote employment in Nigeria by offering our recruitment expertise for free to companies and organisations for a few months.”

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Ayeni: PR Agencies Need to Re-invent to Remain Relevant Ten years after the establishment of Black House Media, a public relations firm, its chief executive, Mr. Ayeni Adekunle, in this interview, spoke on various stages of the agency’s growth and the need for practitioners to always aspire to sharpen their skills. Excerpts: Ten years after the establishment of Black House Media, how has the experience been?

The experience has been good. As a matter of fact, if I knew then that things would turn out this way, I would have dreamt bigger dreams. I think a lot of people are limited by the lack of understanding of the power of possibilities. A lot of people are limited by their natural circumstances; they think they could not achieve their heart desires because they don’t have money, yet to bag MBA or have no godfather somewhere, who could influence things in their favour. They then imagine that these things are beyond their reach. So my lesson in the ten years of running an agency is that, anything you genuinely wish for and work towards, entire manifestation of the universe would conspire with you to make it happen.

Our story is that of impossibility. I didn’t study Public Relations or Mass Communication; I studied Microbiology at the University of Ibadan. With this background, I came into journalism and was reporting entertainment.

Again, my crossover from entertainment to brands management and PR also appeared strange.

We are where we are today because of the support from my immediate family, my wife especially and the first set of staff who sacrificed their blood, water and sweat.

There are some clients we had in the early days that we didn’t know. The pitch was on the phone and we got the business. In fact, out first multinational account was on the phone and we didn’t have relationship with them before. Finally, I think we have enjoyed tremendous support from the media.

You spoke about how you came into the world of journalism, what prompted the move?

Perhaps a little background will be necessary.

I started working very early. By the time I was 19 year old, I was employing people.

That was before I went to the University. I grew up in Okokomaiko. I was organising shows and was close to a lot of musicians.

I used to organise an award called Youths Award for Excellence in Music. It used to take place on Allen Avenue and attracted the like of Daddy Showky, Pasuma, Sunny Neji and others. I left that and went to the University at a time parents wanted their kids to be doctors, engineers and so on. I was admitted to study Microbiology but my five years in school showed me that I had fallen in love with the media. I knew I didn’t want to go back to doing show because I had fallen in love with writing. When I left the university in April 2004, by June of the same year, I resumed at Encomium Magazine.

One day, some of my close friends called me and said they wanted me to assist them in talent management. I agreed. We went to their label -Kennys Music, and another respected brother there said you this man, you write very well, you shouldn’t be doing talent management.

You are going to be a publicist. I’ve never heard the word publicist before but I’m a listener and leaner. When I got home, I went to study. I am a writer anyway and this is still in line with what I wanted to do. So that was how I started. Back then, Artistes pay me to help them write their profile. Once Tuface Idibia called me and some others also called, I started doing it for them and by then, I had gotten a two page column in THISDAY on Sunday. Soon, with small money from my wife, we decided something on our own. We started sharing a space on number 4, Ogundana Street, where a friend, gave me a table and chair in a room just for me to leave home every day and come and work from there. Then after a while, he had to leave the room for us because I had three more staff. We started with a

Ayeni

brand name ‘AYENE Entertainment’ (All You Ever Need in Entertainment). Butagain, some friends convinced me on the need to change the name. Their arguement was that if I don’t change the name, I may not be able to do big business for banks, telcos and the multinationals. So in 2009, we agreed and rebranded. Black House Media came from a Yoruba proverb that says ‘Inu ikoko dudu

Today, PR agencies that want to survive need to understand blogging, technology, social media, psychology, entertainment and basic things that would help a brand thrive in today’s market place. The boom that is coming would be greater than the one PR experience of some years ago as long as we do the right things and play at the high level

ni eko funfun ti n jade’ meaning; the white pap comes from a black pot.

The PR industry has been on for years but still seems to be lagging behind. What do you think is responsible for the slow pace of progress?

I like to provide some context. Today, a lot of companies are facing challenges based on the disruption that technology is facing.

Marketing communication is one of them. It’s a media problem not just PR. The same thing is applicable to a lot of businesses. A lot of giant strides are being made by technology companies. I would say that industries and organisation reinvent and recreate themselves from time to time. I think PR in Nigeria has done amazing works over the years. I think a time came few years ago for the industry to either reinvent itself or die. Last year we did a campaign tagged ‘PR is dead’. We wanted to shock everybody and we did. We were able to create a conversation around it. What I realised is that digital marketing which is a PR function is now acceptable and mainstream. What you find is that the social media which is an aspect of PR is functioning.

So traditional PR now has to refresh a lot of what it knows, relearn some of those things and adopt a lot of new skills to function today.

What I see globally, is that the PR industry is experiencing the challenge of having to contend with amazing new thinking. Ideally, the social platforms that you have today should have been built by PR agencies or media agencies. We are the story tellers and these platforms help people tell stories better. But these platforms were created by technology people, so we came late to the party. That’s why newspaper sales are dropping while blogs and websites are rising. Newspapers and magazines are playing catch up. Using a BHM perspective, what I see is that the combined skills an agency needs to have today goes beyond understanding strategy,

how to write, client service or community management.

Today, PR agencies that want to survive need to understand blogging, technology, social media, psychology, entertainment and basic things that would help a brand thrive in today’s market place. The boom that is coming would be greater than the one PR experience of some years ago as long as we do the right things and play at the high level.

To raise the bar in the industry, BHM, has in recent time, introduced few initiatives to boost knowledge and provide data for researchers, who want to know about PR practice in Nigeria. They include; smart PR, a campaign initiated to showcase the good works that Nigerian PR agencies have done. We did that on twitter, facebook and instagram. We launched Nigerian PR report in February this year and before then we have launched BHM app, where industry players can access relevant information. In 2014, we developed what we called the three Cs: compensation, capacity and convenience.

It’s in our 10 years road map that we want to pay more than anybody else in our industry and we want to pay what the best of our clients are paying their staff. In terms of capacity, we want to give our staff the best training on earth.

Some agencies see affiliation as a ladder, anytime they are dreaming of moving to another level, is BHM considering that too?

We are not interested in affiliation. We won’t seek affiliation. In the next ten years, we want to give foreign agencies affiliation. We want them to be proud to be affiliated to us.

If there is good money on the table, we can talk about that but it is not in our plan. We want to be the first local agency to become a global agency. WPP did not become what we know today by chasing affiliation. We truly believe we have an opportunity to build a national, regional and a global agency. I don’t care about affiliation.

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Suntory Beverage Enlarges Brian Munro Adds New Brand Footprint into the Nigerian Stories by Raheem Personality and Fashion brand has embarked on an Enterpreneur, Gbemi Olateru- exciting journey to not only Akingbolu Market Olagbegi, the event featured celebrate its new packaging Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria has announced its decision to enlarge its footprint into the Nigerian food and beverage market as owners of the globally popular beverage brands, Lucozade and Ribena.

This development follows the recent completion of the divestment of the drinks bottling and distribution business between GSK Consumer Nigeria Plc and Japanese global beverage company, Suntory Beverage & Food.

Speaking at a press conference held in Lagos to officially announce the Company’s new acquisition, Managing Director Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria, Chinedum Okereke, described Suntory’s investment in Nigeria as a development that will yield many positive results.

“This is a clear demonstration of Suntory’s confidence in the Nigerian economy.

The company relies on the strong connection between the Nigerian consumers and its Lucozade and Ribena brands and is especially confident of the nation’s immense potential for economic growth and the impressive productivity level of its people. Our conviction in the Nigerian market is responsible for the company’s decision to invest in the country and contribute to human resource empowerment to run the business as a wholly

Nigerian company” he said.

“As a company, our desire is to consistently provide some of the country’s best quality drinks through well researched market insight, expertise and dedication and to also deliver high quality innovative products.

Lucozade and Ribena have enjoyed impressive patronage over the years, so with a promise of continuous improvement and providing better value to our consumers, we are convinced of an improved and more rewarding relationship. Innovation, research and development will play a big part in the foundation of our operations in Nigeria” he also said.

With Suntory’s global credentials and successes, Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria will gain a solid platform into the Nigerian soft drinks industry for its iconic Lucozade and Ribena brands.

Commenting further on Suntory Food & Beverage Nigeria’s entry, Okereke explained that the development is also an expression of the company’s trust in Nigeria as a nation.

He added, “Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria is a wholly Nigerian Company both in its operations and its people, we glad to take off with a dedicated and committed team of Nigerians that will be consistently challenged to create bigger and better brand ideas for our loyal consumers.”

As part of its plans to deepen its penetration in the Nigerian market, Brian Munro Limited has launched a Scotch Whisky, The Famous Grouse in the market.

The brand was ushered in during an all white party in Lagos to demonstrate its uniqueness.

The event, which marked the roll out of the brand’s new look and global campaign in Nigeria, “Famous For a Reason” – was meant to celebrate famous people from different works of life including music, media, movies and fashion industry.

Hosted by OAP Media

performances from alternative artistes, Aramide and others.

Reflecting on the name and the brand’s heritage, Paul Wilson, Managing Director, Brian Munro, Sole Distributor for the brand in Nigeria while unveiling the brand said life is about doing the right things and that when the right thing is done, fame will come and man will become famous for something.

Speaking at the event, General Manager, Brian Munro, Abayomi Ajao said: “We are excited about the launch of the Famous Grouse in Nigeria. The

and premium design, but to also celebrate the people who are famous in their own rights and have made a difference in our community.

“You don’t have to be the biggest name in the society to be celebrated. If you focus on doing what you do well… fame will find you. You will become famous for a reason.

Our brand history is central to this idea and it allows us to celebrate all the things that make the Famous grouse “Famous”… A new journey has just begun for us and the fame is only growing stronger.”

The Famous Grouse was first produced in Scotland in the 1800s by Mathew Gloag and has built on its roots and heritage, moving towards a more modern and premium expression.

The brand which is known as a whisky of the finest quality now comes in an elongated capsule with a proud stylized icon crown and an elegant curved shoulder, inspired by the Grouse unique eyebrow.

The brand is said to be presently being sold in over 100 countries. The essence of the brand’s whisky which makes The Famous Grouse of purest quality is broken into four key fundamentals – Foundation, Finest, Flavour and Fusion.

DRIVING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

L-R: Oracle Vice President, Technology Solutions, EMEA, Mr. Xavier Verhaeghe and Country Manager, Oracle Nigeria, Mr. Adebayo Sanni, at the Oracle Digital Day, held in Lagos...recently

CSR: Indomie Rewards Innovation, Bravery in Children Gold Exchange Begins Operation Interswitch Launches ePayment After a thorough search identify, recognise and reward in Nigeria Technology for Churches and selection process, children who had done well three winners have finally emerged in the 2016 Indomie Independence Day Award.

Over 200 contestants were said to have been received while the exercise lasted.

The winners who exhibited exceptional bravery in physical, intellectual and social acts were awarded scholarship worth of N1million each, in addition to huge donations from kindhearted individuals and some corporate organisations.

For 14-year-old visually impaired Salisu Ibrahim, the winner in the social category, he was not discouraged by his plight and was able to earn a living and sponsor himself through school from shoe making, Babatimileyin Daomi, 15, was recognised for his intellectual bravery with his unthinkable inventions which included: a vacuum cleaner, a phone bank, a portable fan, self watered flour vase and a functional radio while 15-year old Favour Unwene emerged winner in the physical bravery category for saving a life.

The Group Managing Director of Dufil Prima Foods, Mr. Deepak Singhal at the award ceremony noted that the initiative was meant to

in distinguishing themselves by carrying out exemplary heroic acts that had touched the lives of others positively.

He added that Dufil Prima Foods would always celebrate children who serve as change agents in its respective communities and beyond.

Managing Director of The Education Partnership Centre (TEP Centre), Dr. Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, called for commitment in the empowerment of Nigerian children. In her keynote speech titled “The Nigerian Child: Our Biggest But Yet Untapped Resource’, she also emphasised the need for an enabling environment where a Nigerian child could develop his or her talent.

Dufil Prima Foods Group Public Relations & Event Manager, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju congratulated the winners with a promise that coming editions would be more memorable than previous ones.

The ninth edition of Indomie Independence Day Award, IIDA, was supported

by Daar Communications plc., Stanbic IBTC Bank and was well attended by politicians, captains of industry and many others

As the economic downturn continues to put Nigerians under financial pressure, a maiden pawn brokering firm, Gold Exchange Limited, has commenced operations in the country to help families and business owners get over liquidity problems through access to stress-free short-term loans.

According to the promoters of the company, its decision to come to the market is as a result of difficulties currently associated with sourcing of funds from banks.

The company stated that most times, some cash-trapped individuals own precious items that could bail them out of their predicament, but are either ignorant or unaware of the opportunity. According to the company, in many western countries, individuals in such scenario turn to Pawning, and Gold Exchange Ltd. With an office in Nigeria designed for similar services, individuals in need of quick financial solution, and who have precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum can use such item as collateral for short-term loans.

Managing Director of the company, Mr. Victor Okezie,

while speaking on the initiative said: “Individuals with such valuables should stop hoarding them. A valuable that can’t help you in time of need isn’t worth it.

“Nigerians in need of shortterm loans should approach us and pawn with valuables such as gold, silver platinum. The item is weighed and valued.

And loan would be granted based on the value of such item. Our interest percentage is reasonable and negotiable depending on how much is being considered.

“Pawn loan doesn’t require any credit check, bank account or co-signer. We are registered and we give legal documents.

We ask verification questions to ensure the person with the item is the rightful owner. Once a deal is signed, the item is kept safe in a vault until the loan is paid. An individual can also approach us for an outright sale of such item.”

He explained that unlike pawning in the western world which is guided by stringent rules, the company would give it a human face by giving extra weeks of grace to borrowers who couldn’t meet up with payment deadline.

Interswitch has launched a new technology solution for ePayments for churches in Nigeria. The technology will allow churches and associated religious organisations carry out key administrative, database, accounting and reconciliation activities in simplified ways and also process e-Payments easily.

The solution was unveiled to stakeholders at a media briefing in Lagos recently, and Interswitch said the solution was developed based on the appreciation of the unique requirements of religious organizations in Nigeria, in terms of enterprise resource planning and payment management.

At the launch of the new solutions, Paul Ohakim, Group Head, Industry and Retail Chains at Interswitch, said “with the introduction of Interswitch Church Solutions, we are extremely excited to partner with as many churches in Nigeria to assist them in integrating virtually every aspect of their activities from communication within various branches as well as with church members to providing easier payment management and clear reporting and tracking, raising administrative standards and

promoting accountability.”

The new technology comes in three variants, which churches can subscribe to any of them.

The first is the integration of Church accounting system to Interswitch Collections. And the second is customised mobile app with integrated payment solution from Interswitch and the third variant, the Asoriba Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and payments solution for Churches, clients can either choose to subscribe to the Software-as-a-service (SaaS) which is a lighter version for smaller organizations.

The Enterprise version of the solution, which is suited to larger organizations comes enhanced with a customized mobile app that is available to every member of the church.

The third variant, was developed in partnership with Gh-Asoriba Ltd, and is equipped with features such as Centralized church data management, Church financial analytics and reporting, Events planning and calendar management with notifications, detailed membership management, Group/ branch/ parish management and easy online and offline donations and payments.

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NDE Engages 45 CalabarInternationalTradeFairPartnersNIPC,Annouces Unemployed Graduates in New Dates for Trade Exhibition Kogi entrepreneur participation at signed, Konwea enthused that at working closely with the Emma Okonji Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja Due to the unavailability of white collar jobs in Nigeria, the Kogi State National Directorate of Employment(NDE) has engaged another batch of 45 unemployed graduates under its scheme tagged: “Graduate Attachment Programme”.

The scheme, which is domiciled in the Special Public Works Department of the NDE, is one of the strategies of the Directorate to create jobs for the nation’s teeming unemployed graduates.

The privileged 45 graduates, who were successful would be attached to some private or public organisations to acquire practical experience in contributing their quota to the nation’s economy while the NDE pays them their stipends.

The NDE Director-General in Kogi State, Mr. Kunle Obayan while inaugurating a-five-day training workshop for the beneficiaries in Lokoja, Tuesday, reiterated the commitment of the federal government to tackle the disturbing unemployment situation in the country.

The Director-General said the graduate attachment

scheme is also aimed at promoting skills and personal attributes capable of enhancing technological advancement in Nigeria. Obayan, who was represented by the North Central Zonal Director of the NDE, Mr. Jibrin Aye said the directorate recently designed new employment creation scheme targeted at new diverse group such as the School-To-Work programme at secondary school level.

In his welcome address, the Kogi State cordinator of NDE, Mallam Abdul Ibrahim Ndaman enjoined the benefitting graduates to take the programme very seriously as it was designed to make them gain permanent employment or being self-employed.

The cordinator said despite the current economic meltdown, the Directorate would not relent in its efforts to reducing the increasing unemployment in Nigeria to the barest minimum.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr. Samuel Achimugu, thanked the NDE for finding them worthy to benefit from the programme with an assurance that they will make the good use of the opportunity.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Calabar International Trade Fair, Gerald Konwea has announced a partnership with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), towards executing the annual 10,000-vendor trade exhibition.

He said that the partnership stands to be one of the most important in over a dozen partnerships the company has secured since the MoU signing in March with the Cross River State Government.

According to a statement signed by the company secretary, Andy Daze, Konwea explained that under the partnership, both organisations will encourage Nigerian

state level by reaching out to state governments to take advantage of the exhibition and the skills development programme; facilitate international entrepreneur/vendor participation by reaching out to embassies operating in Nigeria with participation information; facilitate investment in Nigeria through the CITF channel and make new business registrations fast and efficient especially through the NIPC’s One Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) and work together to produce a ‘doing business in Nigeria’ handbook that will benefit both local and foreign participants.

While lauding the management of NIPC for the speed at which the partnership was

the federal and state governments ought to take the CITF project serious by exploiting its economic gains.

He added that due to the magnitude of the project, the maiden edition has been moved to December 16, 2017 to give the team enough time to prepare, Konwea said: “When you are trying to host the world to one of the biggest events in its class, and you are doing it for the first time, you have to address and exhaust all if’s and maybe’s and that means entering into strategic partnerships that are incidental to the success of the whole project as there is no room for error.”

He pointed out some already secured partnerships and hinted

Nigerian Immigration Services to streamline the process of obtaining visas and permits for international vendors adding that vendor registration will be open anytime from now and there will be rewards for early registrants.

“We also want to make it easy for vendors when they arrive in Nigeria. We are in talks with 2 telecoms providers to partner on the supply of sim cards and telephones to our vendors but for the international attendees we want them to be able to connect as soon as they hit Murtala Mohammed or Nnamdi Azikiwe. We don’t want our vendors stranded.

We will finalise on that in a week or two.”

Kebbi to Deliver 1million Metric Tonnes of Rice to FG Next Month Ayodele Ajoge in Kebbi Kebbi State authorities have expressed readiness to deliver one million metric tonnes of rice to the federal government on or before 31st December this year.

Disclosing this at a world press briefing organised by the state government to herald its readiness to deliver on scheduled, the State Deputy Governor, Col. Samaila Yombe Dabai (rtd), who represented the Governor, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu stated that despite negative opinion from the opposition and misguided elements in the society, the State government will not disappoint President Muhammadu Buhari and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the programme.

The State government had before the press briefing, engaged media practitioners on a three days tour of rice producing communities in the state to see for themselves the level at which the government had expended the N14billion Central Bank anchor borrower funds disbursed to the State to produce the much needed one million metric tonnes of rice to feed the nation.

The journalists were taken round the rice producing communities of seven Local Government Areas in the state designated for the large scale rice production.

After the tour, the Deputy Governor during his briefing

expressed gratitude to the Buhari led administration for deeming it possible to make Kebbi State a major destination for rice production among states in the country, adding that with what the journalists have seen so far, one is in no doubt that the projection of 1million metric tons of rice by the end of this year is visible and realisable.

Dabai also told the visiting Journalists that the state is capable of cultivating and harvesting large scale rice thrice in a year, during the wet season and twice during the dry season, pointing out that it is easy for someone to project that rice can be produced all year round in the state to complement the consumption of rice by the Nigerian populace.

He also mentioned that large scale wheat production is another produce, which the state is also earmarked for, noting that production of wheat is purely a dry season affairs pointing out that wheat cultivation would take off immediately after harvesting rice as wheat only take between two and three months to harvest.

He therefore appealed to the media to propagate what they have seen so far to clear the doubt of those who are thinking otherwise of the ability of the Kebbi State Government to deliver the target to the federal government by the end of the year.

HEALTH IS WEALTH

L-R: Managing Director/Chief Creating Officer, Noah’s Ark Communications limited, Mr. Lanre Adisa; Lead Partner, Noella Solicitors, Barr Toyin Gbede; His Wife, Founder/Editor in Chief of Vivo Wellness Magazine, Mrs. Toyosi Gbede and Chairman, Vitafoam Nigeria Ltd, Dr. Dele Makanjuola during the launch of Vivo Wellness Magazine at Noah’s Ark Communications limited, GRA Ikeja Lagos … recently

DS-IHUB Opens Innovation Wi-Pay Secures Intl Money Transfer Operations Approval Floodgate Hackathon 2016 Emma Okonji The Delta State Innovation hub, (DS-IHUB) has opened the knowledge Olympiad floodgate hackathon 2016 with a promise to deliver a 48 hours non-stop coding adventure into the world of innovation and creativity.

Announcing the DS-IHUB Hackthon, the Director General of DS-IHUB, Mr. Chris Uwaje said not less than 300 teams from all knowledge-walks of life will assemble at the DSIHUB Asaba knowledge city from 1st – 3rd December 2016 to shoot at the passion of their lives in all areas of innovation.

“This knowledge Olympiad will chase and set perhaps a new record in accelerated knowledge development – shooting at all aspects of innovation and creativity under the sun in conformity with International standard,” Uwaje said.

The DS-Open Innovation Hackathon is an initiative of Mobile Software Solutions Limited, winner of Would Summit Award for Best Africa Mobile Content 2014, in partnership with the Delta State government

under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) development model.

The platform is an innovation development accelerator for startups and entrepreneurs.

The mission is to establish responsive knowledge factory at all levels, as the core accelerator for poverty reduction, attainment of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and creation of wealth in Africa.

According to Uwaje, the DS-IHUB Open Innovation Hackathon is a corporate technology event in pursuit of hunting technology idea capable of disrupting the ecosystem and by extension, building new creative mindset through competition to help bridge the innovation gap that exists between the Nigeria software developers and the institutional needs. It will also help in embracing all domain of knowledge benefits, which include encouraging young innovators and software startups/ developers to participate in an open innovation process, to trigger off their potential and inspire their creativity with the aim of increasing the quality of their works.

Wi-Pay has been granted an approval-in-principle by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for international money transfer operations. In the letter received from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and signed by the acting Director of Trade and Exchange, Mr. W.D. Gotring, it was stated that upon review of its application, an approval was granted to the company to commence operations for inbound international remittances.

The market for international inbound remittance to Nigeria is quite substantial and growing steadily. Based on 2015 figures, in excess of $21 billion was remitted to Nigeria, which accounts for the second highest source of foreign exchange flow after crude oil exports, surpassing both foreign direct and portfolio investments combined. Nigeria ranks as the leading international remittance destination in Africa and one of the top-10 global destinations according to the World Bank 2016 Remittance Fact book.

Thus far international remittance business is dominated by the legacy operators like Western Union, MoneyGram and RIA,

with a combined market share of over 80 per cent, but that has gradually been eroding.

With the licensing of new digital and nimble operators like Wi-PAY GLOBAL, the emphasis will be on providing digital Peer-to-Peer (P2P) speedy, convenient and reliable remittance services to Nigerians in the Diaspora at cheaper cost, thereby saving money on unnecessarily high fees.

“The uniqueness of Wi-PAY service-offering is the “TriplePlay Strategy” that allows the company to leverage the infrastructure and customer base of local partners and affiliated companies to deliver value seamlessly, securely and cheaper under a single platform to Nigerians at home and abroad”, according to Charles Ighedo, Head of IT/Operations of the company.

Beyond international money transfer, Wi-PAY long-term strategy entails offering domestic money transfers, bill payments, airtime top-ups, airline ticket purchases, payment terminal services and other value-added services via POS terminals, online portal and mobile App.

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The Role of Private Mortgage Institutions in Credit Provision Vincent Okechukwu writes on the need for private mortgage institutions to provide credit for financing housing schemes in Nigeria Most Nigerians pay at least 80 per cent up front for major purchases, even houses and brand new cars. With this lack of a credit culture, it is not surprising that Nigeria has one of the lowest mortgage loan rates in Africa as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). According to The Economist, mortgage loan rate in Nigeria was less than two per cent in 2014, compared to about 25 per cent in South Africa and four per cent in Rwanda. This has extremely negative effects on the retail market; lack of access to credit continues to stunt the purchasing power of the Nigerian consumer which inhibits growth in local production and the economy as a whole.

However, recent changes in the financial sector are aimed at enabling a larger proportion of Nigerians with an easier path to building wealth. The strengthening of primary mortgage banks (PMIs) is a key example and has been supported by other sound credit policies, including the recently launched Vehicle Credit Purchase Scheme. The new trend of providing access to credit instruments for property ownership when they are actually needed (such as at the point of starting a family), rather than waiting until later in life, is slowly becoming the norm and is the right

path to lasting prosperity for responsible, working class Nigerians.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s PMI recapitalisation exercise in 2014 resulted in the licensing of 32 private mortgage institutions to operate at a federal or state level, with at least N5 billion and N2.5 billion capitalisation respectively. Since then, the number of PMIs has increased to 36 and the policies of the CBN have expanded from liquidity ratios to increased focus on provision of funding for residential housing. These policies include the exclusion of certain financial activities from the mandate of PMIs, which formerly led to over-development of the commercial real estate to the detriment of residential developments.

The tendency of such institutions to favour trading activities that have little to do with mortgage financing, in a bid to make higher profits, have been curbed and this is a step in the right direction for widespread access to affordable mortgages.

PMIs increase private ownership of property through demand and supply side strategies.

Individuals gain access to financing through tailored mortgage related accounts, such as savings accounts specifically set up to finance loans. In addition, real estate developers receive access to the mobilized capital, which

is regulated by the institutions who determine the percentage of residential development in accordance with current housing needs. As these PMIs are strategically located to provide access to all six geopolitical zones, they are in an ideal position to react appropriately to the needs within their specific zones.

Private and public mortgage funds, such as the National Housing Fund (NHF), are also becoming more popular and are an important way for Nigerians to tap into funding for home ownership. The NHF is operated by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and is structured in the form of contribution savings, which is the preferred format for most public and private funding schemes. Salary earners contribute a percentage of earnings on a monthly basis and are then eligible for up to a N15 million loan.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) also fund similar schemes with low interest rates and longer repayment periods compared to commercial banks. They also tend to provide access to more funds for a broader spectrum of people as investment is sourced from different private sector funds. Growth in these PPP schemes is touted as the future of a healthy mortgage culture as the regulation from the government and access to bulk funding from

diverse private sources are key ingredients for price and interest rate stability.

Most housing funds disburse funds to buyers through primary mortgage institutions, so it is important that there are adequate regulations and supervision from the CBN and the FMBN to ensure there are no bottlenecks. The goal is effective operations that link potential home owners to the funding that best suits their needs. This is an on-going process which has already started and requires continued strategic planning to overcome the years of mismanagement that have led to Nigeria’s current dismal property ownership figures.

The last global financial recession showed the world how key financial institutions almost entirely funded the boom in the housing market, and the co-dependence between the two sectors. The Nigerian financial sector must learn from the successes (and the mistakes) of Wall Street, to build a society where every family has access to the credit needed to facilitate home ownership. This is a key first step to wealth creation for working and middle class families; the best way to lift any country out of poverty.

- Okechuwku is a financial expert and property consultant based in Lagos

Vivian Fowler Student Develops Mobile Tracking App Stories by Emma Okonji A 12-year old student, Tomisin Jasmin Ogunnubi of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls Oregun, Lagos, has developed an android mobile tracking application tagged ‘My Locator.’ The app, which was developed under the tutelage of a technology partnership between the school and New Horizons Computer Learning Centre, would help people to know their geographical

location, view it on the map and get appropriate direction.

One of the other useful attributes of the app is that it is integrated with an alert button which when pressed in a distressed situation, calls the Lagos State emergency service number (767), and thereby gets the chance of being rescued from such threatening emergencies or conditions.

The app is already uploaded online and readily available for

free download in Google store.

The performance of the likes of Jasmin has confirmed that Nigeria is blessed with sharp and focused youths who in future, will emerge as Nigeria’s industry captains that will become tomorrow’s entrepreneurial giants like Bill Gates, Mack Zuckerberg, Google Boys, among others.

While presenting the app, the school Executive Director, Mrs. Olufunke Fowler-Amba expressed her joy that Vivian

Fowler Memorial College for Girls has been living to its billing as a top quality and front row IT-driven school for many years and that the achievement by Jasmin and many other students who have equally developed other IT solutions at different times are glaring testaments to the fact. She reiterated her delight at the productive strategic international ICT partnership which her school established with New Horizons, a US-based, world largest international IT

skills and certification training organization that has presence in 80 Countries of the world.

General Manager Educational Services, Mr. Bolaji Olaoye congratulated the proprietress, management and generality of the esteemed school for the impressive heights the school has been taken in education and its 21st century IT-driven stance which guarantees that all the students mandatorily undergo training in different international IT skills acquisition

under its partnership with New Horizons.

Olaoye said these sets of young entrepreneurs would have been convincingly positioned with their skills to bail the country out of its total dependence on oil and become an IT-driven country like India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, etc that are dominating the world’s lucrative Information Technology (IT) market, which is expected to hit 4.4 trillion Euros by 2019.

IDL Unveils New Eagle Schnapps Intercontinental Distillers Limited, makers of Chelsea Dry Gin, has unveiled the new looks of Eagle Majesty and Eagle Emperor. The new bottles were relaunched at a distributors’ award held recently in Lagos.

The Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo who unveiled the bottles accompanied

by IDL’s top Management staff, said Eagle Aromatic Schnapps is a brand that has continually shown respect and appreciation for tradition. He added that Eagle Schnapps is used at all celebrations.

Head of Marketing at the company, IDL Mr. Mobolaji Alalade, said the brand was renewed because of imitations in the market. According to him, the new look has full proof security features on its bottle caps and label. He also added that the gift pack was one of its kind in Nigeria and each bottle contains a tot glass and handkerchief.

The relaunch was preceded

by IDL Distributors’ Award ceremony. The event, which

saw distributors from the ten IDL distributing regions, scattered across the country, go away with a total sum of 296, 974, 000 in cash and gifts, is an annual remuneration ceremony for the hard work and diligence of the company’s trade partners.

The gift rewards included Single door fridges, a 42 inch LED TV, a 55 inch LED TV, a 15 KVA Generator, a 20 KVA Generator and 4 tonne trucks. The No 1 distributor from Port Harcourt, Meridan Marketing, won 6.5 million cash reward and a 10 tonne truck. Its Managing Director, Mr Joseph Ugwoegbu, expressed his appreciation and surprise that IDL would yet still reward its trade partners in the economic recession.

The Managing Director of Intercontinental Distillers Limited, Engr. Patrick Anegbe, stated that IDL is a Nigerian brand of Nigerian products, which are of quality that compares with international brands, for the Nigerian market.

A BOOST TO BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

L-R: Deputy Managing Director, Suntory Beverage & Foods Nigeria Limited, Rajiv Das; Plant Director, Agbara Plant, Seyi Adesomi; Managing Director, Chinedum Okereke, and Marketing Director, Rosemary Akpo, during a press conference to announce the entrance of Suntory Beverage & Foods Nigeria Limited, into the Nigerian Market, in Lagos...recently

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Akande-Adeola: Women as Her Constituency Ahead of her book launch (A Woman in Parliament) on November 11, former Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and Founder of the Jokodolu Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola shares some views with Abimbola Akosile on her development initiatives and political sojourn. Excerpts: totally consumed with the demands of public life. Anyone who signs up for public life needs to count the cost, especially where one is very passionate about this type of work.

Affirmative Action I am a proponent of affirmative action simply because it promotes a shared sense of ownership over our country. It also creates room for a rich diversity of opinions and contributions towards nation building. Affirmative action is anchored on the principles of partnership and inclusiveness, which are critical to the progress of a heterogeneous context like ours.

Nigeria has lost out by not promoting affirmative action in a more institutionalised manner. It should cut across all tiers of government both in appointive and elective positions. It should also be implemented within political party structures.

Our country was very visible during the Beijing conference and also ratified the UN CEDAW. Unfortunately we are lagging behind in terms of implementing these policy commitments.

Travails and Triumphs The contest for speakership was one of the toughest times for me because I got to experience the more unpleasant dimensions of human nature.

The period when there were mass defections within the House from the PDP was also another low moment. I feel that jumping from one political party to the other says something about a person’s character and the need to improve as well as strengthen the ideological lure of partisan politics.

The Sunday when the House convened to discuss the Federal Government’s decision to remove fuel subsidy was another tough day.

I stood up to explain why I thought this was something we needed to do and also to urge dialogue between the Executive and the NLC. I was shouted down and verbally insulted because people felt I was Mr. President’s stooge. I even received death threats and abusive text messages because of this.

I consider my being able to become House Leader a triumph. So was the opportunity to empower quite a number of people in my constituency through business start-up support, skills training, providing access to employment, and also the award of over 100 tertiary level scholarships to young women and men.

Women Empowerment I see women as my primary constituency.

While I was a legislator, I set up the South West women’s forum which was structured to empower women to engage in the democratic process through a series of skills development support initiatives. This group still remains active.

Many of them have been encouraged to contest at Local Government level. Over 100 widows have been able to establish and sustain micro businesses because of the credit window which

Gender Equality The most significant gender specific achievement of the House during my tenure was the passage of the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act. Also, Speaker Tambuwal accepted to include more women as members of the constitutional review committee which was a plus. There were also a number of male colleagues who were always ready to champion the cause of women’s advancement. However I feel we could have done a whole lot more and that there is room for improved action in this area.

Hobbies and Pastimes I love to travel and I really like to relax at home. I enjoy a cozy home environment and I like watching T.V. Charitable work for me is a hobby and I also really enjoy doing it. I like attending parties too.

Hon. Akande-Adeola I provided. I also negotiated for 20 per cent of leadership positions at Local Government Level to be reserved for qualified women.

In 2014 I collaborated with NGOs and other key stakeholders to organise a national Women’s conference on women’s political participation.

Some of the recommendations from that meeting were adopted in the policy space.

It is important that the voices of rural women are part of policy conversations and decision making at all levels.

They need to be consulted so that even where they do not occupy some of these public offices, their perspectives inform government action. We also need to promote the principle of affirmative action at the level of Local Governments to create room for more of them to be involved as leaders at different levels.

MDGs and SDGs I’m not sure we performed that well as a country

Cross Purposes

The new book

Someone once told this reporter that there is no single issue or topic under the Sun that all Nigerians can ever agree upon, even the desired outcome of a qualifier football match involving the male senior national team. As harsh as this assertion seems, there appears to be some element of truth in it, and nowhere is this better showcased than among the three arms of government and their activities for or against the development of this nation. Take the Executive arm for example; the game plan of the current administration to bring Nigeria out of recession appears to be rather unclear to the Legislature, which

with the MDGs. This may have something to do with the sheer size of our country and the monumental challenges which we currently face. I am impressed to note that the SGDs apart from having a stand-alone requirement on gender, also has gender related requirements for each of the goals.

This is an improvement from the MDGs. Now we need to look at the situation of women and girls across sectors, which is a good thing.

Balancing Obligations This is quite a challenge for most women in politics. In my case, I relied heavily on the support of my family to help out with the children when I was unavailable.

Also, my children were all grown up by the time I took on more responsibilities as House Leader. I thank God that they are very grounded, disciplined children and so, did not give me extra headache when my time was almost

Book Overview In the past some activists have documented my experiences as a contestant vying to become a member of the National Assembly. What has not been documented however is the experience I had while trying to become speaker, and also my experiences as Nigeria’s first female National Leader of the House.

I feel there are lessons to be learnt from all of this especially for other women in leadership or even the younger generation who will dare to aspire to leadership. Actually, there are lessons there for the men as well. I discussed my legislative agenda, gave an account of what I did with the responsibility bestowed on me by my constituency and also talk a bit about my childhood.

Better Legislature I recognise that our democracy is still a work in progress. There are some very decent people in the Legislature but there is room for improvement. We need to consider raising the bar in terms of minimum entry requirements in the Legislature from secondary to university education, to improve the quality of debates and provide space to harness the best of ideas for moving our country forward.

Above all, members of the House across party lines need to try as much as possible to find consensus around national issues. Irrespective of party affiliation, legislators need to coalesce more often around national interests rather than around party lines.

RANDOM THOTS recently refused to approve a huge foreign loan request targeted towards reviving the ailing national economy, albeit for cogent reasons (no clear payback plan, priority focus and areas of intervention for an eventually approved loan, and an altogether uncoordinated approach). The same executive is having issues with the citizenry, where Nigerians have been subjected to unexpected greater hardship instead of the promised gains and dividends of democracy.

The third arm of government – the Judiciary – is currently caught in a web of corruption, and accusations from the Legislature, which claims that various

court cases against the leadership of the National Assembly have greatly slowed down legislative processes to make the lives of citizens better. Even now, many citizens are accusing the eminent members of the Bar and Bench of perverting the cause of justice and denying the common man the last hope for a better life. To make Nigeria great again, there must be positive tandem among the three arms of government in the governance process, all of which must combine to improve the lives of every Nigerian. United we stand…

Abimbola Akosile

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOpMENT/ISSUESINBOx

Nigeria’s past and present Heads of government in a council meeting

What is Nigeria’s Current Top Devt Obstacle?

Several things had earlier been identified as serious impediments to the growth and development of Nigeria as a country with Africa’s largest population. Among them were corruption, insincere leadership, selfish elites, weak policy implementation, absence of basic infrastructure, insurgency, citizens’ apathy, low agricultural and even food insecurity. A lot has happened in the last year since the current administration came into power, but what is your biggest obstacle to Nigeria’s development process and how can it be successfully resolved?

Abimbola Akosile

THE FEEDBACK

* Once the right and capable hands are in place, Nigeria will fly. Right now, it seems the same old tune is playing as we dance.

- Miss Nkeiruka Abanna, Lagos

Top devt obstacle:

Incompetent leadership

Second:

Poor policy implementation

* There is the saying that, ‘In unity we stand; divided we fall’. What can be the current top development obstacle more than our refusal to love and cherish one another, where everybody respects one another’s religion, tribe or ethnicity? There are few individuals or shall we say cabals that are trading with our conscience to see us always in disunity.

The solution is unity.

- Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna State

Third:

Poor attitudes, ethnicity

Radical tip:

Purge Civil Service!

Total no of respondents:

15

Male:

12

Female:

3

Highest location: Lagos (8)

Lagos (8)

* Incompetent leadership is our biggest obstacle, and political/electoral reforms are the solution.

- Mr. Aiyegbusi Abiodun Franklin, Water Engineer, Lagos * The current exchange rate of the naira has done so much damage to our economy that if something is not done urgently, this recession will only worsen. Some many companies have relocated out of Nigeria, as a result taking with them thousands of real sector jobs. On the other hand, capital flight due to importation of almost everything is further worsening the situation and making the cost of living unbearable.

The negative multiplier effects are numerous.

Something must be done to shore up the naira if we are to survive this recession and save the economy.

- Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * Lack of patriotic and servant leadership.

- Mr. Feyisetan Akeeb Kareem, CDHR Coordinator, Ogwashi-Ukwu, Delta State * Our current top development challenges like corruption, insincere leadership, selfish elites, weak policy implementation, absence of basic infrastructure, insurgency, citizens’ apathy, low food insecurity e.t.c. all call for genuine concerns. But more vital and pathetic are the cancerous effects of religion, ethnicity,

hypocrisy, un-patriotism, greed, avarice e.t.c. weighing Nigeria down variously. We must change our sordid mindset positively in addition to good moral or and communal upbringing of our future leaders for a better society and tomorrow. The time to adjust is now.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos State * Lack of financial controls in the Civil Service.

The lack of financial controls has led to systemic corruption in Nigeria’s civil service at all levels of government. Until sufficient and effective financial controls are put in place in the Civil Service, corruption will continue to ravage our nation.

- Mr. Utibe Uko, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State * The problem with Nigeria is that we don’t implement policies that will better Nigerians’ lives. It is very unfortunate and sad. Nigerian leaders have a long way to go in governance of implementing policies despite the party differences and other related differences.

- Mrs. Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos State * The civil service is the bane of our nation’s backwardness. Until the civil service can be reformed to play the role of national long and short term policy formation, we shall always grope and stumble about in the dark. They (civil service) are the bastion of corruption in our nation - Mr. Kayode Rufus, Lagos

* Insincerity; if we are sincere there would be no selfishness, corruption, weak policy implementation, low agriculture and food insecurity, because we hate the truth we brewed like Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, kidnappers e.t.c. Unless we inculcate the habit to be faithful, love one another as ourselves, we will continue to remain in our present predicament, if not worse. This current government should be encouraged to weed out corrupt individuals in our midst.

- Mr. Dogo Stephen, Kaduna * Docile citizens and corruptible society are the top obstacles. Remove these and our problems would be solved. If leadership knows society will not accept and condone any nonsense they will sit up and deliver on their promises.

- Mr. Idris Adesina, London, United Kingdom * Apart from refusing to take advantage of our population size economically, corruption, insincere leadership, selfish elites, weak policy implementation, lack of basic infrastructure, insurgency, citizens’ apathy, low agriculture, strategising complexities e.t.c. challenge our progress negatively and seriously. Ethnicity, religion, disaffection, financial greed, disunity, federal character e.t.c. also breed systems failure.

Advanced economies have rejected all these and anti-development forces that we still hold so high long behind them but focus on open truth and real national patriotism always.

- Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * It’s basically incompetent leadership. Oyo and Osun state Governors are case studies of this. Their own ways of governance simply prove and show their incompetence.

- Mr. Okunlola Olawale, Lagos * I think quite pertinent for us at this time is for us all to discuss and decide how we move forward as a nation with a level field for all. When we realise and act upon the realisation that every Nigerian should feel included in the Nigerian project, then progress will be exponential.

- Mr. E. Iheanyi Chukwudi, B.A.R. Associates,

Apo, Abuja * The main obstacle is insincere leadership and selfish elites. Although PMB appears to want the best for Nigerians, he has surrounded himself with selfish acolytes and elites who are not interested in the average citizen’s wellbeing.

The president has to really move out of the clutches of this cabal and deliver on his promises to the people who love him and voted him into power. The downside of it is the rejection of PMB by the people, which will pave way for the opposition to raise hell against and return to power in 2019.

- Mr. Olumuiywa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

Next Week: How Can Nigeria Check Capital Flight?

Analysts have prescribed huge spending especially on capital projects - as a way out of the current economic recession facing the country. However, most of these vital funds are domiciled in the private sector where ironically companies are folding up daily while others are relocating their operations and funds to more economically stable countries like Ghana, with resultant capital flight out of a cash-starved economy here in Nigeria.

To your informed mind, how can the current administration check capital flight and get the economy back on track with injection of cash and capital projects? please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location.

Responses should be sent between today (November 10 & Monday, November 14) to abimbolayi@yahoo.com, greatbimbo@ gmail.com, AND abimbola.akosile@ thisdaylive.com. Respondents can also send a short text message to 08023117639 and/ or 08188361766 and/or 08114495306.

Collated responses will be published on Thursday, November 17

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Brisk meat business at the abattoir in Oko Oba, Agege, Lagos

ABIMBOLA AKOSILE

Reps, CSOs Seek Amendment of Existing Legal Regime on Money Laundering Pledge speedy passage of Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill Abimbola Akosile Members of the Civil Society and House of Representatives Committee on Financial Crimes have sought for an amendment rather than repeal of the existing Legal Regime on Money Laundering, where existing institutions and contents can be brought up to speed to conform with international standards; with focus on fixing existing agencies and institutions rather than creating new ones.

The stakeholders have also called for the enactment of non-conviction-based laws that would put the burden of proof on the suspect (civil forfeiture). They further called on the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to consider and withdraw the proposed Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2016 and substitute same with a Bill to amend the existing legal regime.

These calls were among the recommendations contained in a communique issued at the end of a joint workshop of members of the Civil Society and House of Representatives

Committee on Financial Crimes held recently at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Calabar, Cross River State.

Most importantly, parliamentarians in attendance at the workshop committed to ensuring the passage of the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 before the end of year 2016, according to the communiqué, which was jointly signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, Hon. Kayode Oladele and Chairman, CSO Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria, Mr. ‘Lanre Suraju.

The workshop was jointly organised by the United Nations Development Programme and the Financial Crimes Committee of the Federal House of Representatives with funding from the European Union.

It sought to promote the critical role of the Legislature in combating financial crimes; to afford the Committee members the opportunity to acquire indepth knowledge of relevant Bills for combating corruption and financial crimes; and to

engender synergy between the Legislature and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), thereby creating a feedback mechanism for the public on the legislative approach and effects on the war against corruption in Nigeria.

Participants and resources persons at the forum were drawn from the House of Representatives, Civil Society groups, Federal Ministry of Justice, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Cross River State Government, academia and the Media.

The workshop was declared open by the Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Evara Esu, and had presentations and plenary sessions on the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2016.

There were opening remarks

by Hon. Oladele, while additional remarks were made by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Nkem Abonta, Mr. Suraju of the CSOs Advisory Committee,

and Mrs. Kehinde Olorunleke on behalf of the UNDP. After presentations by resource persons, and exhaustive deliberations by participants on the two relevant Bills (Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2016 led by Mr. Ike Udunni of the Federal Ministry of Justice; Mr. Godwin Iheabunike of the Federal Ministry of Justice, and Mr. Francis Usani (Director, NFIU), some observations were made at the forum.

Participants noted that corruption is a major issue in Nigeria and looted funds are laundered abroad and that lawyers and bankers play roles in the matters of proceeds of crime and assets acquired in Nigeria, and that the burden of proof should be on the owner of suspected properties and not proceeds of crime.

The forum observed that Nigeria is signatory to crucial international anti-corruption agreements and instruments and is obligated to ensure that effective legislation is in place to fight corruption.

Participants also noted that

Nigeria’s problem is systemic and should be fought within the ambits of the law.

To the participants, there is the need to expedite action on the passage of the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 to ensure the early admission into the membership of the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which Nigeria has applied for. They also noted that in conforming to international best practices, Nigeria must also look at local peculiarities to ensure a more successful fight against corruption.

They noted that the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 was an Executive Bill presented to the National Assembly in February 2016 but the right political will is needed by the Executive to ensure its passage.

It was observed that not all best practices are suitable to Nigeria’s domestic needs, necessitating the promotion of better and ideal situation for Nigeria.

Participants noted that Nigeria is currently under the process of becoming a FATF member, and that Nigeria’s membership

is being considered based on the current Money Laundering Law, therefore attaining membership status of the FATF, a repeal of the existing law (Money Laundering Act 2012) will be counterproductive to Nigeria’s efforts in this direction.

Participants also urged the civil society and relevant international agencies to engage the Executive through the AGF to show commitment towards the early passage of the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016 before the Mutual Evaluation process coming up in the first quarter of 2017.

They called on the AGF to consider and withdraw the proposed Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2016 and substitute same with a Bill to amend the existing legal regime. They also called for a meeting between the relevant members of the National Assembly, Ministry of Justice, Office of the HAGF and the Civil Society for the purpose of reworking the Bill and to fashion out the way forward towards the passage of the two Bills under consideration.

Poverty Alleviation: NGO to Train 10,000 Youths in Ekiti Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti As part of efforts to banish hunger in Ekiti State, a Nongovernmental organisation, Knowledge and Courage Development Centre, is planning to provide food items to the needy at the grassroots level to complement the stomach infrastructure programme of

Governor Ayodele Fayose’s government.

Also worried at the level of unemployment in the state, the centre intends to train over 10,000 jobless youths in various vocations to make them employers of labour and to reduce crimes in the state.

At a press parley in Ado Ekiti recently, the chief executive of

the Centre, Kola Ajayi, said the centre is ever ready to partner the government of the day on all programmes and policies that would put food on the tables of the citizens.

“What I really found fascinating about stomach infrastructure is the fact that it deals with the poor and those at the grassroots and that is

our scope. We are concerned about improving the standard of living of Nigerians and the best way to do this is to achieve food security.

Ajayi explained that crop farming would be a major course for all participants to boost food security and stimulate their interest in agriculture.

He disclosed that the youths will be trained in information and communication technology, engineering, systems security, events and public management, agriculture, arts and craft and environmental management.

Ajayi said Ekiti is being used as a pilot state for the project because research showed that about 10,000 Ekiti youths

graduate from tertiary institutions every year while less than 500 of them get gainful employment.

He explained that the NGO is partnering the Ekiti State House of Assembly to source for beneficiaries in their wards and constituencies since the lawmakers are closer to the grassroots.

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DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“At the core of the efforts to plug revenue leakages is revenue transparency which will increase accountability and reduce opportunities for corruption and potential waste of revenue. The principle of transparency requires openness in revenue management with public availability of information on budget preparation and execution. The lack of transparency and accountability in revenue can indeed exacerbate poor governance, corruption, fraud and general low productivity” - ACTING CHAIRMAN OF THE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY COMMISSION (FRC), MR. VICTOR MURAKO, IN A PRESENTATION IN ABUJA Young Women Demand Stronger Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill Abimbola Akosile

FAO Advocates Adaptable Irrigation Methods to Ensure Food Security Abimbola Akosile The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that in order to adapt agriculture to a changing climate, new approaches to irrigation will need to be developed and implemented worldwide.

These new approaches are being discussed as part of the 2nd World Irrigation Forum which opened Monday in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and brings together stakeholders from around the world to rethink water management in the context of continued population and economic growth as well as the growing threats of climate change.

During the Forum, which wraps up on November 12, experts are expected to also discuss ways to improve water management in order to achieve global sustainable food security.

FAO emphasised in a news release that in order to achieve food security, especially in developing countries, regular access to water must be made possible through irrigation. The agency cited irrigation as “a key factor to help transform rural societies and economies,” as it plays a critical role in ending poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, as well as sustaining natural resources and responding to climate change.

The theme of this year’s Forum is ‘Water Management in a Changing World: the Role of Irrigation in Sustainable Food Production.’

In her remarks, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, Kundhavi Kadiresan, announced that solutions to agriculture necessitated addressing water issues and that the challenges of today’s water problems likewise depend on addressing food production.

“Future irrigation practices should also move beyond conventional approaches of productivity gains, and also focus on rural prosperity, facilitating inclusive, equitable and greener growth,” she urged.

The FAO expects the world population to

Irrigation pump, crucial for agriculture in Nigeria rise to nine billion people by 2050, which will exacerbate the demand for food and water and require a scaling up of agricultural productivity to ensure that everyone is fed.

The world must transition to more productive, resilient, and sustainable forms of agriculture in order to ensure its continuation at both local and industrial levels. This especially includes adapting water management systems to meet evolving challenges.

The forum is expected to also adopt a Ministerial Declaration on delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through agriculture water management. Ms. Kadiresan introduced

the declaration through the FAO’s new global initiative, “Coping with Water Scarcity in Agriculture: a Global Framework for Action in a changing climate.”

The objective’s main initiative is to build on the FAO and partners’ technical capacity in order to support worldwide development and policy implementation for sustainable water use in agriculture.

The official launch of the Global Framework for Action will take place during the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as COP22, in Marrakech, Morocco, which opened Monday.

A group of young Nigerian women have canvassed for a stronger gender and equal opportunities Bill to enshrine gender equality and eliminate gender based discrimination in Nigeria The Nigerian Young Women is a group of women representing various CSOs, interest groups and constituencies who are passionate about the rights of women and girls, pushing for a society where women are able to enjoy their human rights in its entirety. The Gender and Equality Opportunity bill is being considered in both chambers of National Assembly.

According to a release issued recently by the Programmes Coordinator, Advocacy Education as a Vaccine (EVA), Abuja, Miss Izundu Kosi, the group said, “We believe that a clear understanding of women and girls’ contribution to our nation’s political, economic and social development calls for stronger policies, structures and implementation; ultimately, putting an end to the mindset that a woman has no role in public or in her community. “Since the introduction of these bills, every subsequent version in particular the Senate version has consistently lost important elements. These includes upholding women and girls reproductive rights, citizenship rights, ensuring protection against sexual harassment in education, employment and political domains as well as reaffirming 18 years as the age for marriage for boys and girls.

“We, young women in Nigeria, want a Gender and Equal opportunities bill that ensures: equitable share of spouse’s property in an event of death; women rights to choose whether to have children, the number and timing of children and have access to family planning services; rights of women and girls living with disabilities and in humanitarian setting to be free from all forms of violence in public and private”, the release noted. The group also seeks a Bill that ensures automatic custody to the surviving parent in case of death of a spouse; that paternity leave is granted to men and women’s right to maternity leave is upheld; 50 per cent affirmative action for women in all public and private leadership positions and other opportunities; women’s rights to having children is not used as a basis for discrimination in employment or exclusion for other benefits; equal rights of parents in matters relating to their children; and the rights of women to confer their citizenship on their children.

“A stronger gender equality bill says clearly that everyone matters and is recognition of globally accepted schools of thought that improving the lives of women and girls have a strong, positive ripple effect on society and secures the wellbeing of future generations. The legislature passing a stronger gender equality bill than the watered down version in the Senate and President Buhari signing it into law will show that everyone matters. “For a stronger gender equality bill, we call on the Senate to go back and review the contents of the bill to ensure it adequately promotes the wellbeing of the Nigerian woman.

Removing things that are critical to wellbeing and of the Nigerian woman is unacceptable.

“We want both chambers to call for a public hearing for the Gender and Equal Opportunities bill so that young women and men in Nigeria can make inputs into the bill. And we call on the House of Representatives to strengthen their version of the bill to include sections on paternity leave and relief for women in conflict and humanitarian situations”, Izundu added.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY,NOVEMBER 10, 2016

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

Diary of a Breast Cancer Survivor Amid the growing number of people dying from cancer in the country, there seems to be a glimmer of hope for strong and resilient Nigerians like Mrs. Nneka Effiong who has beaten the deadly disease. Rebecca Ejiforma writes When it strikes, it leaves its victims with two choices, either to identify the disease on time and deal with it appropriately amidst discomforts, or identify it late and suffer the consequences of late detection, which most likely leave tales of sorrow, pain, tears and perhaps death. Either way, just like day turns into night, the victims have to live with their new status. This is the picture of cancer when it visits. It shows no mercy, only sad footprints.

But for Mrs. Nneka Effiong, her resilience to live, early detection of breast cancer and prompt treatment processes played a key role in her survival.

It was June 2013. Before the month, things had gone jolly for the civil servant, until the tumor appeared. As unfortunate as it seemed, she was lucky enough to have noticed a lump on her left breast during a self-examination in time. Worried about the new discovery, she went to see her doctor in a private hospital in Festac Town, Lagos.

“I showed him and he said I should go to a public facility. I went. I did a mammogram and showed him the result. He referred me to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) to do a breast scan. I did all the necessary things and saw a doctor, who wasn’t satisfied with the result.”

Now, things fell apart for Effiong that even the centre could not hold after she was told her the lump was cancerous. “The doctor requested I did Biaxin because he wanted to know the type of lump. When the result came out, it turned out to be cancerous. I broke down and cried like a baby,” Effiong said.

But at that time in June, doctors were on strike at LUTH in 2013, her operation was delayed until November of that same year. And that was when she did a radical mastectomy (a medical operation to remove one’s breast). No doubt, this became the beginning of her journey.

According to the survivor, after the operation on November 30, the doctor advised her to rest at home for one month before chemotherapy.

“I was placed on a six-course chemo– once every three weeks for six weeks. But it wasn’t easy at all; injecting toxin into one’s body to kill cancerous cells. The trauma was so much that at a point I thought I was going to die,” she said.

Swiftly on the heels of the chemo, Effiong, a then civil servant with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), went for radiotherapy. “After a month, I went for radiotherapy to radiate the affected area to kill anything left.”

Sadly at this stage of excruciating moments, she saw hell for the first time in her life but refused to enter. “My hair pulled off. All my nails and everything went off. I saw hell. But thank God, I pulled through.

“The doctors counselled me. There at LUTH, I had all my treatment. The doctors treated me very well. They tried their best. But you know government hospitals, we all know what they go through. So, we don’t blame them; they are not well treated by the government.”

She explained further that she was under treatment for months. “When a normal human being is being injected with poisonous syringe – even till now, it still hasn’t relieved me. I don’t do what I used to do before. The doctors will tell you to take it easy; don’t stress yourself too much.”

Effiong, a monosyllabic speaker, said she was yet to experience relieve till date. “Now, we, cancer survivors, don’t eat normal foods. We don’t take sugar, soft drinks, less carbohydrate, but we take plenty of fruits and vegetables. We keep going to the hospital every now and then for check as recommended by the expert. Another thing is that at every point in time, a cancer patient still runs some test, do mammogram on the other breast to know whether there is anything; they check the blood, the kidney and every vital part of your body. So, visiting the hospital for regular check becomes a part of

Early detection can increase chances of cancer survival

your lifestyle.”

As a fighter, she believed firmly that while there is life there is a will. “I lost my job at PHCN as a result of the illness. But I thank God I’m alive. Life is very much important.

Even before the discovery, I didn’t know that anyone could survive cancer.”

Now in her late 40s, Effiong reminisced what the treatment cost her and why many Nigerians still die of cancer. “Cancer treatment is something

She lamented that husbands have not been helping matters. She said when a woman finds out she has a lump and the doctor says the solution is to remove her breast, some husbands refuse, threatening to divorce such women. I know many women who have died as a result of this. Husbands should assist their wives

that is capital-intensive. Between 2013 and now, I’ve spent close to four million naira.

She told THISDAY further that poverty remains a burning factor that kills cancer patients, saying that people do not have money. “Cancer is something that without money no magic can happen. Then they go away.

“Another thing that is killing cancer patients is our religious leaders. They tell some of these people not to do any operation; that they are healed. Whatever happens in one’s life, pray first then see a shrink. Whatever treatment the doctor administers, go for it and keep praying,” she added.

Accordingly, she lamented that husbands have not been helping matters. She said that when a woman finds out she has a lump and the doctor says the solution was to remove her breast, some husbands refuse, threatening to divorce such women. I know many women who have died as a result of this. Husbands should assist their wives.”

Having trailed this gnashing route in 2013, Effiong wishes no woman such experience. “If you look around, so many people die of cancer.

They don’t detect it early. An average woman should do a breast check always; not just wait for the doctor. This thing is in all parts of the body, not just the breast. Don’t take anything for granted. But in all my family has been so supportive, especially my husband.”

Also, C.O.P.E, (Care Organisation Public Enlightenment), a foundation giving hope to cancer patients, have been there for me. The President and National Coordinator, Mrs. Ebunola M. Anozie, who runs the foundation is a great woman, who is worthy of emulation,” she said.

Of course, she continued that Nigerian hospitals have got very outdated equipment. “There is a machine called bone scan. In the whole of Nigeria, there is only one. It is in University

of Ibadan Teaching Hospital, the Oyo State capital. It is even outdated. It doesn’t give the accurate result.”

Therefore, interceding for other patients, l urged the government to help cancer patients. “They should update radiotherapy machines. There should be a body that should care for them.

This way the number of deaths could reduce.”

While Effiong is lucky to have survived the deadly scourge, there are over two million Nigerians still grappling with various forms of cancer, with little or no financial support to tackle the disease which is expensive to treat.

Also, availability of treatment facilities has also in no small measure contributed to the death of several Nigerians who were unable to access radiotherapy machines.

Just recently, a Professor of Clinical and Radiation Oncologist, Prof. Sunday Adeyemi Adewuyi, in a presentation at a CEAFON cancer summit in Abuja, said the dearth of treatment machines in the country has aided deaths of cancer patients.

He said the abysmally poor cancer management in the country can be referred to as a death sentence for cancer patients because the country presently lacked the capacity to manage the several thousands of patients needing radiotherapy daily.

He explained that the recommended number of cancer machines, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is one machine to 250,000 population, or one machine to 350 to 450 cancer patients, but that Nigeria currently has seven radiotherapy machines which means there was one cancer machine to over 30 million people.

Checks by THISDAY have however shown that all seven cancer machines have in recent years never worked at the same time. Only one or two work at a given time, records show.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

NEWS

Lagos will Renovate, Equip PHCs Needing Interventions, Says Onanuga Martins Ifijeh As a reaction to the recently published article in THISDAY, titled ‘How Rot in Lagos PHCs Fuel Maternal and Newborn Deaths’ the Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor, Dr. Olufemi Onanuga, has stated that the remaining Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the state still needing some forms of intervention for optimal productivity will be fixed within the shortest time possible.

He said already, about a billion naira has been earmarked by the state government for renovating and equipping the suboptimal PHCs among the 288 primary health facilities in the state, adding that 34 of such PHCs have benefitted from the fund and that efforts were geared towards putting others in shape as soon as possible.

“Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is very keen on the health of Lagosians, hence we have put very stringent measures on ground to tackle lapses in all healthcare facilities in the State from infrastructures to human resources, but for PHCs requiring interventions, which fall within the ones mentioned in the THISDAY publication, efforts are ongoing to address them one after the other. 34 of such PHCs have been transformed already, and soon, others will get the same lift,” he said.

While acknowledging that the

story was a wake-up call for the government and that the reporter could be considered a partner for sensitising the team on the few areas needing interventions, he said majority of the PHCs in the state were working at optimal levels, and that apart from drugs, infrastructural and human resources, most of the facilities were operating 24-hour services in order to make healthcare more accessible to community members, irrespective of what time of the day or night they access the facility.

“What I found out from the story is that the reporter is assisting us. He is sensitising us to do more work than we have been doing. The places Dr. Onanuga reported will be touched. It is already in line with our plans we have made it so secretive, for renovating and equipping such that wherever we are going to is always unannounced. It is some PHCs in the State.”

Reacting to a part of the story only at the time we are going which noted that workers of out that I direct where we are Baruwa PHC had a clue that going, so for people to say they the monitoring team from the knew we are coming there, I office of the Special Adviser find it difficult to believe, but on PHC were coming to their again, that is something the centre, Onanuga said he found reporter has pointed out, which that part difficult to believe as is extremely unusual because he only decides which PHC to we don’t tell anybody where be visited solely, and hence it we are going. And it’s a good could not have been possible thing that it has happened like that certain PHCs would have that, so what is required is that a head up that their facilities we are going to tighten up our would be inspected by the arrangements, we are going to be more secretive than before, monitoring team.

“I find it difficult to believe such that there will not be room that people know when and for centres to prepare on ground where we are coming, because for our coming.”

The SSA said since the monitoring, evaluation and the advocacy team started moving from one PHC to another in January, there has been tremendous and positive results. “A lot of changes like attitude of our workers to work have changed. Absenteeism has reduced drastically. Negative attitude to work has also gone down, and decent work has been promoted through the continuous, but random and unannounced visits to these centres.

“We pay unscheduled visits to different PHCs every week and in places where we discover that their workers are absent or not up and doing, we discipline

them as appropriate.”

On the concern over why Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) are given prominence in the state by community members and even the stakeholders in the state, Onanuga said TBAs were partners in progress to the state for health service delivery.

“We train these TBAs as often as possible and then award them certificates. Through these trainings, they become very knowledgeable on how best to handle deliveries, ante natal, among others. And they also know their limits, they know when to refer, as well as when to identify complications.

In cases that are beyond them, they immediately refer such cases to the primary health facilities nearest to them. So we are partners in progress and we can’t do without them.

“If you look at the cultural background of our people, so many of them still believe they must visit the TBA. So what we are doing as a government is to preach to them on the importance of health, but we cannot tell them not to go there. Even if we do, they will still go there because they have their beliefs in them and that is why we have decided to work with the TBAs, and they are trained on new intervention techniques. We make sure they are updated with new trends in the service delivery.

“Just recently, we trained

80% of Eggs of Women with Meeting Africa’s Universal Health Challenge Aneuplody Can’t Become independent leaders founded Graça Machel for nearly one third of total

by Nelson Mandela to work for Babies, Says Expert health financing; in some Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja A medical expert and the Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, has revealed that 80 per cent of eggs from women that suffer from aneuplody cannot become babies. Ajayi made this known in Abuja at a sensitisation programme organised for women who are 40 years and above and also for those below.

He also explained that the chances of a woman in her 40s to lose her pregnancy to miscarriage, was 34 per cent.

According to him, “reproduction has two processes, fertilisation and implantation, fertilisation is what we achieve in the laboratory and that’s why we called it In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF), fertilisation outside the body.”

He noted that implantation failure was one of the inefficiencies of the human IVF technique, stressing that it is more likely to be found in older women, where eggs thickened covering was one of the major causes, as well as in frozen embryos.

Ajayi noted that, “We have realised that women over 38 years that the covering of the eggs is thicker than what it should be, it is one of the changes that age brings about but some other people are not that old but they have that kind of problem.”

However, in order to offer this group of women a fair chance of having their own

genetic or biological babies, he stated that Nordica Fertility Centre acquired the first Laser Hatching (LAH) equipment in Nigeria in 2003.

Ajayi stated: “With LAH, when we see that the envelope of the capsule is thick, we now create a point of weakness so that it helps the embryo to hatch.

We started it in Nigeria in 2003.

“There are many other peculiarities with older patients, majority of the eggs cannot become babies, even if we laser hatch there would still be a problem, it is like racing against time. ”After fertilisation the eggs start dividing, normally they should divide in equal parts, and that’s what the body wants, that’s normal but as you grow older there are chances that there would be errors in this division in phases and therefore it’s these errors that are called Aneuplody- chromosomal error, this leads to miscarriage, bad effects in babies, women not getting pregnant, it is peculiar when you are getting older.

“By the time you are 40 years, about 80 per cent of eggs that you have can’t become babies, and that is why getting pregnant in your 40s is a major event, it is possible but there are things you need to be aware of and therefore you know how to prevent some of it,” Ajayi said.

The right to health is a basic human right, one that depends on access to timely and affordable healthcare of appropriate quality. Yet, we know that approximately 100 million people globally are needlessly pushed into poverty every year as a result of costly healthcare expenditure.

Nobody should be forced to choose between seeking medical care and staying out of poverty.

It is unacceptable that families, sometimes whole communities, are denied life-saving health services and forced to pay unaffordable fees for their care.

This burden is particularly felt by women, children and adolescents, who often have high needs for healthcare but the least access to financial resources. The needs of these populations were identified as a priority in the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by 193 countries during the United Nations General Assembly last September.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which took place in Nairobi from 27-28 August, was a moment for decision-makers to take important political steps towards Universal Health Coverage.

We welcome the commitment in TICAD’s Implementation Plan to “support UHC-related policy reform... (and) promote regional cooperation towards the achievement of UHC in Africa with the support of relevant international organisations and donors.”

The Elders, the group of

peace and human rights which is today led by Kofi Annan, are campaigning for Universal Health Coverage because of its basis in equity and rights. We believe that everyone must be covered, with services allocated according to people’s needs and health systems financed according to people’s ability to pay.

In our own countries, emerging from decades of colonial and military rule, we know from personal experience how important affordable, accessible and quality health care is in building inclusive, prosperous and sustainable societies.

We also know that this requires both unwavering political leadership and public financing commitments. Governments and global development partners should develop and implement health financing strategies that increase levels of public financing and reduce the role of inefficient and inequitable private financing, especially health service user fees.

It is essential to allocate these public resources efficiently and fairly, in particular to services that benefit the most vulnerable.

Priority should therefore be given to primary healthcare, especially to maternal, newborn and child health services.

This is the process Japan, for example, underwent in 1961 when it made its own giant leap towards Universal Health Coverage.

Sadly, many African countries are still to make this transition.

In 30 sub-Saharan countries out-of-pocket costs account

countries, such as Nigeria and South Sudan, this rises to 70 per cent. At these levels, the poor are effectively excluded from the health system. And this can have dire consequences for the population as a whole when health emergencies such as the Ebola epidemic occur.

However, other African countries are achieving impressive results. Malawi has never

400 of such TBAs and the Governor himself was on ground to present certificates to those who attended. So we can’t do without them, the law allows it and they also render services. The only thing is that we will continue to train them, re-involve them, encourage them, and then punish the quacks among them,” Onanuga said.

On why some PHC workers were not in the various duties which the previously published story pointed out, Onanuga read the riot act to all PHC workers in the state. According to him, any PHC worker not on duty as at when due shall be dealt with according to the civil service rule.

“All health workers in the state are motivated to work because every 23rd they are paid their salaries, so they have no excuse not to go to work.

Anyone caught during any of our monitoring will have him or herself to blame. No state in the country motivates workers like Lagos State,” he said.

With the promise by the SSA that the identified PHCs in the said publication will be given speedy attention, THISDAY investigations will also inform Nigerians on the new developments in the PHCs, which are the Baruwa PHC in Ipaja, Oko-Oba PHC in Epe, Akinyele PHC in Abesan and Oriba PHC in Epe area of the state.

charged user fees in public health facilities and allocates 5.6 per cent of GDP to public health financing – above the 5 per cent target The Elders urge governments worldwide to commit to spending on health. As a result, Malawi has relatively low levels of poverty caused by health expenditure and a child mortality rate of 64 deaths per 1,000 – in contrast to 109 in Nigeria, which is seven times wealthier.

Emzor Unveils Para1000, a Single Dose Caplet In its effort to continuously ensure maximum as well as affordable wellness to all Nigerians, Emzor Pharmaceuticals has introduced an innovative brand of analgesics called Emzor Para 1000 into the market, whose dosage cones in a single caplet.

The company said the drug was going to change the face of paracetamol in Nigeria as it afford people with choices on whether to take a single tablet for maximum relief or use other types of paracetamol which has more than one tablet for relief.

Speaking in Lagos recently to unveil the new innovation, the founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Dr. Stella Okoli, said unlike the regular paracetamol which requires double dosage to be effective, Emzor Para 1000 provides maximum relief from headaches, pains and fever with only one easy-toswallow caplet.

“We are happy today to record another milestone in the annals of Nigerian pharmaceutical industry with the introduction of Emzor Para 1000; this is as a result of our resolution to ensure maximum and affordable wellness to Nigerians.

The Emzor Para 1000 caplet features enhanced release and quick absorption thus ensuring rapid relief from aches, pains and fever.

Only one caplet of Emzor Para 1000 is as strong as two tablets of the regular paracetamol and as such, no more than one caplet should be used at a time,” she said She said the pharmaceutical company was a household name in Nigeria and a leader in the pharmaceutical market.

“The addition of Para 1000 to its range shows that Emzor remains committed to producing and delivering flawless products on time and every time.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

HEALTH

Durosinmi-Etti: One in Two Persons will Have Cancer by 2030 Professor Francis Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti is a cancer advocate and the President, Cancer Education and Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CEAFON). In this interview with Martins Ifijeh, he talks about the burden of the disease in the country, its grim picture and best ways to tackling it work to do.

How devastating is cancer in Nigeria?

Cancer is reaching an epidemic proportion in Nigeria, and am not just being alarmist.

In fact, I am a realist. The truth is, the earlier we all sit down, listen, put things in the right position at the right time in order to see how we can reduce the effect of this thing called cancer, then the better for everybody.

Global statistics have shown that in another 14 years, that is 2030 or thereabout, one in two persons will have one form of cancer or another. Now that’s frightening. The statistics also indicate that the impact will be felt more in the developing parts of the world including places like Nigeria. It is that bad and we are already seeing it everyday. It’s terrible and we need to do something about it fast.

What would you advice as the way forward?

What that means is that there is a lot of work for doctors, pathologists, surgeons and all the stakeholders who are involved in the fight against cancer. That also includes nongovernmental organisations also. We need to make people aware about this scourge because you see, prevention is better and even cheaper than cure.

Infact, for us at CEAFON, before talking about prevention, we want people to start thinking about preempting it. They should know what to do, how to examine themselves, what tests they should do regularly. We also need to carry NGOs along. Today, we are working in parallel with government to make sure we get centres where people will be treated for cancers. Now, for you to get such centres, you need equipment. And of course when you have such equipments they will not work on their own. They need trained people to man them-so we are encouraging the training of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, in fact, we want everyone involved to come onboard.

That was why even before this year’s cancer summit started, we had a whole day for presummit workshop for pathologists and surgeons and other doctors who are all involved in managing breast cancer. Top of our agenda was our focus on what is called immunohistochemistry which is the immunochemical analysis of the breast tissue. We wanted to ensure that the professionals know how to do it well. Immunohistochemistry, I must add, is one of the modern ways of treating cancer.

Beyond merely looking at the breast tumour,

From what you have said, cancer in Nigeria has reached an epidemic level. How aware is the common man on the street about this disease?

Well, I think people are becoming more aware.

I wouldn’t say everybody is total aware, but many more are becoming aware and they are doing their best to try and see that they do something positive about it. I can confirm and say yes that definitely, people are becoming more and more aware. The more we push it, the better for everybody

Prof Durisinmi-Etti

Immunohistochemistry requires that we ask questions like what is your name, what is the name of your father, what is the name of your grandfather? Where do you come from? Essentially, we would be drilling down to the monocular and DNA level so we can block that pathway.

If we can incorporate modern treatments like Immunohistochemistry and then continue with the aggressive awareness and advocacy activities, then we would begin to see positive results in the fight against cancer. And that’s what this summit is aiming to achieve.

Why is CEAFON’s summit focusing on breast cancer for the second year running?

It is amazing that we are talking about breast

cancer for the second year of our summit running. That should indicate how critical it is. If you look at the incidences of cancer in Nigerian women, you will find that breast cancer and cancer of the Cervix accounts for almost half of all the cancers that occur in our women. Out of both of them, breast cancer is the clear leader.

Also, unlike in Europe and other developed countries of the world where about 80 per cent of people with cancer present early especially in the first stage where it can be managed, here in Nigeria, over 80 per cent present with late disease when it is almost incurable. So you can see that we have a lot of battles on our hands with respect to the fight against cancer. The truth is that we have a lot of

Universal Health Coverage has a major role to play in the fight against cancer. We have prominent pharmaceutical concerns like Roche and others present for the summit and we also have the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) represented yet there is no single Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) at the summit. Does CEAFON Summit have the buy-in of HMOs, and if not, why?

Ultimately the HMOs will come onboard but don’t forget that we are only two years old and CEAFON only ratified her constitution recently. Ultimately, all the stakeholders are going to come but let us get the regulatory body onboard first which is what we have done. Then it would only be a question of time before others begin to fall into line. Don’t forget cancer treatment is expensive and even in Britain they don’t get it easily on NHS. But we are optimistic that Nigeria, by the grace of God will find a way forward at least to get substantial subvention so that, the treatment of cancer would be affordable to cancer patients.

What are you doing to address the dearth of radiotherapy in the country?

It’s a very big issue. But the government is alive to its responsibility and the Minister of Health has assured us that before December, something is going to done. In fact, we have had several meetings about this here in the summit. I suspect Public Private Partnership agreement will play a key role in solving this issue. I think that is the way we should be thinking because we can’t leave everything to the government. Interestingly things are looking up because some private and state-owned cancer centres with machines are springing up all over the country.

For Easy Access to Disease Information, NCDC FG to ban importation of drugs that can be Launches Website produced in Nigeria Sumaina Kazim As part of efforts to provide accessible information to Nigerians and the media community, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has launched its website in Abuja.

The website, www.ncdc.gov. ng, which will be at the centre of the digital channels to be deployed by the NCDC for its communications functions, will serve as the primary source of health information to Nigerian citizens, journalists and health workers.

Speaking at the launch, the CEO of the NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said, “we are not deploying a back office for communications at the NCDC, we are picking the best hands possible and we are placing the functions at the level it

deserves to be. The website will be core to all our activities and we hope it goes ahead to fulfill our intentions in the Nigerian health space.”

Ihekweazu, who appreciated the Centre’s partner, the University of Maryland, MGIC-Nigeria project played in the implementation of this project, called on Nigerians to take advantage of the website for updates on prevention, treatment, as well as outbreak information of various diseases.

The Country Representative, MGIC-Nigeria, Mrs. Mercy Nyiang, said her institution was committed to working with the NCDC in implementing activities towards strengthening surveillance in Nigeria.

On his part, the Technical Assistant to the CEO on Communications, Dr. Lawal

Bakare, highlighted that an integrated system which allows the NCDC to focus on two communications functions is being pursued.

Bakare said, “The NCDC hopes to showcase a strong corporate brand and fulfill NCDC’s responsibility in risk communication. These dual communication goals require that we focus on the minutiae elements of brand building and communication for mitigating and responding to disease threats. This website allows us to deploy web technology for both functions at once.

“The centre’s social channels on Twitter (@NCDCgov) and Facebook.com/NCDCgov are active and are always open for engagement. The centre’s messenger account, m.me/ncdcgov, is also open for especially journalists engagement.”

Laleye Dipo in Minna The Federal government has said it may soon ban the importation of drugs that Nigeria can be produce even as the government also kicked against the importation of Insecticide Treated Mosquito nets from Tanzania.

While the Vice President Professor Yemi Osibajo dropped the hint about the plan to ban the importation of drugs Nigeria can produce the Minister of Health Dr Isaac Adewole said “We have no business importing nets from Tanzania, these nets must be produced in Nigeria” They spoke on Tuesday at the opening of the 89th annual conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria PSN with the theme Pharmaceuti-

cal Industry Contribution to National development” holding at the Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference centre in Minna Niger state.

Professor Osibajo said the country could no longer continue to invest hard earned foreign exchange on the importation of drugs that the country could produce especially when the nation was in desperate drive to diversify its economy from oil.

Professor Osibajo who was represented by the Minister of Health Dr Isaac Adewole assured manufacturers in all sectors of the nations’ economy that Federal government would give them full support to ensure they produced up to their full capacities so that they would be in position to

generate more funds for the country and also employ the teeming unemployed youths in the land.

The Vice President said as much as the government would want to give protection to drug manufacturers in the country it would vehemently oppose any firm that produced fake or substandard drugs adding that the administration was not unaware of the challenges confronting the industry but assured that these impediments would be removed to ensure competition of the variety products in the country.

Professor Osibanjo also used the occasion to reassure the private sector that government was making every effort to ensure stable and sustainable economic development by reducing dependence on oil.

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

HEALTH

Ahsen: Nizamiye Hospital is Concerned About Saving Lives Dr. Mustafa Ahsen is the general surgeon at Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja. In this interview with Godbless Eduviere, he sheds light on some of the medical breakthroughs at the hospital as well as some newspaper reports that a former minister’s son died at the hospital due to wrong prescriptions Though your hospital is a pristine medical facility, there are insinuations that it is only suited for the wealthy. Do you agree with that?

I would like to start by correcting the impression that Nizamiye Hospital is suited for the wealthy. I say this because I was until recently the chief medical director of the hospital and to a large extent, I am conversant with all the happenings at the hospital. First, the hospital is established to render quality medical services with an emphasis on proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment. We do not look at your societal status before admitting you to our hospital because that would be at variance with the ethics of the medical profession. But you could say given the massive investment that has been made in the hospital regarding equipment and experienced personnel; it would be assumed that our services would be out of reach of the ordinary people. But that is quite not the case.

Our first emphasis is service to humanity.

Yes, we are in business to make a profit, but the profit aspect comes secondary. We have had cases where we admit patients, and after treatment, they can’t meet up with their financial obligations, and we didn’t raise a dust about it. We believe there is always a friendly way to settle issues and hence the various incentives we have in place.

For instance, there are some cases we realised some patients would not be able to make payment, we call in our sister organisation the Nigerian Tulip International Colleges Foundation to come to the rescue of such patients and in all honesty, we have not had any reason to be unruly to any patient because of unpaid medical bills. As compared to other private facilities, our services are quite affordable and within reach. There is no form of discrimination whatsoever, and as a fact, a large chunk of our patients are not extremely wealthy people. Most of them are average earners, and the relationship has been entirely mutual.

What about the bad press the hospital has received in recent times and of mention is the case of the son of a former minister who died here as a result of the wrong prescription?

Like I said to you earlier, the Nizamiye Hospital is not just a medical facility that is configured

he passed on, and that was what happened.

It wasn’t a case of the wrong prescription as reported in some newspapers. And interestingly, we have also had such cases in times past, and the patient is revived and living well now.

Dr. Ahsen

for profit making purposes. As a first, we are a compassionate organisation that is very much interested in saving lives. Our operational policy won’t allow us to turn back patients.

We don’t believe that should be the case.

What happens in most cases is that there is a culture of bad cases being referred to our hospital when all seem not to be going well.

And since we can’t reject patients no matter the condition, there is a tendency for people to insinuate that the hospital could not save the life of Mr. A or B despite the quality of equipment they have and the manpower.

For us, our human resources criterion is such that for all the departments, there are highly experienced consultants as the head.

I will use myself as an example. I have been in active practice as a general surgeon for the past 28 years working in various hospitals in Turkey. I have written medical articles

on a broad range of subjects that includes; high-resolution ultrasonography in diagnosis of acute appendicitis, published in the journal of National Surgery vol. 13 no: 4 275-279, comparison of computed tomography with ultrasonography in obstructive jaundice, published in Journal of Trakya University, medical faculty, 13(3): 35-42. I have also made presentations on a broad range of complex medical topics.

Back to the question of the unfortunate death of the son of a former minister, I would like to state that nothing of such happened here.

What happened was that the young man was brought here in an ambulance and coma.

We took him to the Intensive Care Unit to resuscitate him.

But it was already a bad case, and there was nothing we could do. In less than 30 minutes

Are all the doctors Turkish?

All the doctors are not Turkish. We also have experienced Nigerian doctors as well. But for the major departments, the heads are hugely experienced Turkish consultants that have distinguished themselves in their areas of specialisation. That is not to say we do not have Nigerian doctors.

We also have Nigerian doctors working and learning under the various Turkish consultants who in a way are strategic in that they are benefitting from the wealth of experience of these specialists. The bulk of our nursing staff are Nigerians.

As the general surgeon, what has the experience been like since you came to Nigeria?

I have been in Nigeria for the past five years.

I was formerly the chief medical director of the hospital before I resigned my position to concentrate on surgical operations entirely as the general surgeon of the hospital.

I would say that the experience has been quite an eye-opener for me. I have learned new things, and I have in collaboration with my colleagues broken new grounds medically.

We have been able to perform complex medical surgeries. I will give one or two instances.

There was a case of a Lebanese man that was brought in with a bullet injury in the stomach. He was operated upon at another hospital, and it wasn’t successful, and he became bloated.

There was a duodenal infection, and in the stomach region, it is one of the most complex cases.

We set out to work, and to the glory of God, the open duodenal surgery was successful.

We have also had prevalent cases of breast cancer. I must add that I have lost count of the number of breast cancer surgeries I have performed in the last three years. What we also do as a hospital is to educate our patients too.

As I mentioned earlier, our primary motive is to save lives, and we do this in conjunction with our patients. The relevant authorities in Nigeria have also been incredible. They have given us all the necessary support possible.

Nordica Offers Free IVF Treatment, Marks US Commits $100m to Nigeria for Tropical 4th Year Anniversary Diseases Says IVF babies are normal children Adedayo Akimwale in Abuja In its quest to ensure that In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment, which is believed to be beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians is available to all, Nordica fertility Centre is offering a free treatment through its Expanding Access to Reproductive Treatment program (EART).

The Managing Director of the Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi, disclosed this while addressing a press conference in Abuja, where he also declared one free treatment and discounts to all customers to mark four years anniversary of Nordica Centre, Asokoro.

He said though the treatment might be out of reach of

ordinary Nigerians, but stressed that the centre was mindful of the environment in which it practises, that it might get to a point where people would not be able to afford it, but added that it was not as bad as it sounds most of the time.

“On the issue of cost, I can only talk about my own centre, I do not know how much other people charge. I know that there is no treatment that is up to N1.2 million for a cycle in my centre.

Continuing he said, “we charge between N600,000 to N800, 000, and very maximum is N900,000. You always take things out of context not comparing it what happens in other parts of the world.

For instance, in the United

Kingdom, a cycle costs about $4000, that is without the air fares and other logistics.

We have to bring in all the materials we are using even our consumables from there, and they do not have the problem of electricity supply.

I have three electricity generating sets here now, and if I tell you how much I spend on diesel every month.”

However, in order to make the treatment available to all, Ajayi revealed that; “we did this Expanding Access to Reproductive Treatment (EART), which has crystalised now to Fertility Treatment Support Group (FTSG). There is now a support group that is in charge of that programme. We are still running it this year.

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The United States government has committed the sum of $100 million in the year 2016 to the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) in Nigeria.

The diseases which include malaria, elephantiasis, a parasitic infection spread by repeated bites of mosquitoes, river blindness, as a result of bites from infected blackfly, soil transmitted helminth caused by tiny worms, bilharzi, also caused by tiny worms found in dirty and stagnant water, as well as trachoma blinding disease have gulped the sum of $6 billion from over 40 organisations for drugs and medication around the world, including Nigeria for the same cause.

This was revealed recently by Mr. Michael Harvey, Director,

USAID mission in Nigeria, during the commemoration of the Carter Centre 500,000,000 treatment of persons infected with NTDs at Gidan Gimba Village, Karu LGA, Nasarawa State.

Harvey disclosed that the fight against the different diseases in Nigeria has so far achieved over 60 per cent alongside other innovative methods which have been initiated to fight the NTDs which include preventive chemotherapic medicines.

“The US government has committed $100m to fighting diseases in Nigeria in 2016 and so far, about 40 organisations, businesses and partners all over the world have committed over $6 billion on drugs and medication across the world.”

The CEO/President of the

Carter Centre, Amb Mary Ann Peters, in her speech, said Nigeria was selected out of the 14 countries that are beneficiaries because it is the most populous nation in Africa and the most affected of all the diseases.

“Nigeria is the most affected of all the NTDs, hence the choice of Carter Centre. In stemming the tide of the diseases, 42 per cent of drugs and medication has been distributed in Nigeria and the treatments were delivered in about 20,000 villages.”

The Centre which led the eradication campaign of guinea worm in Nigeria towards the free certification of the diseases in 2013, has pledged its continued support towards the eradication of the diseases which has so far had eight states as beneficiaries.

40

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10Í, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2016

Happy Customer Service Week!

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THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

INTERNATIONAL

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

Anxious World Leaders Seek Clarity on Trump Policies World leaders offered to work with Donald Trump when he takes over as the United States president, but expressed anxiety over how he will handle problems from the Middle East to an assertive Russia and whether he will carry out a number of campaign threats.

Several authoritarian and right-wing leaders hailed the billionaire businessman and former TV show host, who won the leadership of the world’s most powerful country against the odds in Tuesday’s election.

China, a target of Trump’s ire during his campaign, appealed for cooperation. Mexico also struck a conciliatory tone, despite Trump’s insults to Mexican migrants and pledges to build a wall to separate the two countries. South Korea urged him not to change policy on North Korea’s nuclear tests.

Trump, who has no previous political or military experience, said after defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton that he would seek common ground, not conflict, with the United States’ allies.

In the election campaign, he

voiced admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, questioned central tenets of the NATO military alliance and suggested Japan and South Korea should develop nuclear weapons to shoulder their own defense burden.

Putin was among the first to send Trump congratulations.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have become strained over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, and allegations of Russian cyber attacks featured in the election campaign.

“It is not an easy path, but we are ready to do our part and do everything to return Russian and American relations to a stable path of development,” said Putin, for whom an easing of U.S. economic sanctions would be a prize.

Among other issues causing concern among allies are Trump’s vows to undo a global agreement on climate change, ditch trade deals he says have been bad for U.S. workers, and renegotiate the nuclear accord between Tehran and world powers which has led to an easing of sanctions

on Iran. Iran urged Trump to stay committed to the Iran deal.

President Hassan Rouhani said the nuclear accord with six world powers could not be dismissed by one government.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- denounced by Trump as“insane”for allowing more than 1 million migrants into the country last year -- added a stern note in her message of congratulations which hinted at a certain unease.

“Germany and America are bound together by values - democracy, freedom, respecting the rule of law, people’s dignity regardless of their origin, the color of their skin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or political views,” Merkel said.

“On the basis of these values, I am offering to work closely with the future President of the United States Donald Trump.”

In Britain, where Trump’s victory had echoes of June’s referendum in which voters showed dissatisfaction with the political establishment by voting to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said the“enduring and special relationship” between the two countries would remain intact.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2016

43

44

T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

Okereke-Onyiuke to FG: Merge NDIC With AMCON to Improve Efficiency Ugo Aliogo, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku and Joshua Odebisi A former Director-General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Prof. Ndi OkerekeOnyiuke, has called on the federal government to merge the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) with the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in order to promote increased effectiveness in the financial sector.

She disclosed this yesterday in Lagos, at the public presentation of a book titled: “Inside Nigerian Banks,” that was written in her honour by the Editor, BusinessWorld Newspaper, Mr. Nik Ogbulie.

Okereke-Onyiuke said this in respond to a call by the Delta State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr. Fidelis Tilijie, who formerly was the Managing Director of the defunct Fortune Bank Plc, that the NDIC should

be scrapped.

The former NSE DG argued that merging both institutions would have a positive impact on the economy.“I agree with the chairman of the event (Tilijie), that the NDIC should be scrapped, however, I am bridging that by adding that scrapping it means nothing because AMCON will do the same thing as NDIC,” she noted.

She lamented that the government does not have a good understanding of how the finance sector operates.

According to her, as an institution, the NDIC has not been able to create wealth, but rather spends what is generated by the public, “we don’t need NDIC anymore, it is dead.”

She further noted that the merger of both NDIC and AMCON would create effectiveness in the sector, while also protecting the monies of Nigerians in the banks.

She added: “NDIC and

AMCON can do the work effectively. After the merger, practising bankers should be brought onboard to work together. There should be reduction of staff and those available should be given the power to work. This will save Nigeria a lot of money. We have to build institutions for government to create wealth. People just go to government to waste money.

During our time in the capital market, we created wealth for government.”

Okereke-Onyiuke, who donated some copies of the book to universities across the federation, appealed to stakeholders in the education sector to ensure that more copies of the book are available to libraries in tertiary institutions, including the national library.

Earlier in his remarks, Tilijie had called for the scrapping of the NDIC and the handing over of its assets to AMCON to manage.

Experts Harp on Adherence to Risk Management Ugo Aliogo The President of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Prof. Olusegun Ajibola, has called for collective effort on the part of industry stakeholders to develop a strong capacity for risk management.

This, he said would provide the necessary framework to analyse, manage, and control the various risks facing enterprises across the country.

Ajibola disclosed at the 2016 induction ceremony of fellows and associates of Association of Enterprise Risk Management Professionals (AERMP) held in Lagos recently. The event was titled: ‘Managing Enterprise Risk in a Recession.’

He stressed that risk management requires the collective efforts of all stakeholders and commitment and honesty on

the part of every Nigerian.

“We must have a change in our mindset and there should also be a change in the paradigm shift because if we don’t manage risks it will crystallise on us.”

Ajibola expressed confidence that when risks are effectively managed, it would help prevent disasters and promote compliance with corporate governance requirements.

He said: “To manage the risk, banks do buy and sell foreign exchange in the forward and futures market and thus hedge against uncertainties in the movement of exchange rates.

Second, banks are inundated with the risks that those they lend depositors money to may not be able to pay back the loan (principal plus interest).

“To manage such risk (called credit risk), the banks ensure that loans are well secured and

repayment sources adjudged to be certain, ascertainable and controllable at the point of advancing the loan. The banks also buy into modern day Relationship Management framework to keep the risks under close watch.

“Risk Management is relevant to all organisations whether they are in the private or public sector (such as FIRS), small or large.

Indeed, it should form part of the culture of the Organisation as it supports accountability, performance measurement and reward thus promoting efficiency at all levels.

“For meaningful implementation of Risk Management framework, it requires a detailed knowledge and understanding of the Organisation and the processes involved in the Organisation as well.”

EDC Fund Management Launches Mutual Funds EDC Fund Management , the Asset Management arm of Ecobank in Nigeria has announced the launch of two mutual funds - The EDC Nigeria Money Market Fund, and the EDC Nigeria Fixed Income Fund.

The mutual funds gives customers of the corporation and other interested Nigerians the opportunity to diversify their investment portfolio with as little as N5,000 for the Money Market Fund and N50,000 for the Fixed Income Fund.

Announcing the launch of the two funds in Lagos, EDC Fund Management Managing Director, Ibukun Oyedeji said the money market fund provides the benefits of pooled investment, allowing investors to invest in a diverse and high quality portfolio. Like other mutual funds, each investor in a money market fund is considered a shareholder of the investment pool.

She stated that the money market funds are managed within rigid and transparent

guidelines to seek preservation of capital, liquidity and competitive yields. The Money Market fund has two classes - Class A caters for the retail investor while Class B is targeted toward corporate investors as a liquidity management solution.

The EDC Nigeria (Corporate) Money Market Fund will assist large corporates to efficiently manage their day-to-day liquidity while they focus on more strategic initiatives for their business. The unit price for the Class B is N1 million.

Keystone Bank Sierra Leone Wins Awards Keystone Bank Sierra Leone Limited, a subsidiary of Keystone Bank Nigeria Limited said it recently won two awards at the inaugural edition of the Sierra Leone Council of Chief Executives Awards ceremony held in Sierra Leone.

While Keystone Bank Sierra Leone won the award for Best Bank for 2016, its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ime Okon, according to a statement from the lender, won Best Foreign CEO of the year.

Receiving both awards from the organizers, CEO Mr. Ime Okon said, “Our products have given us strength and they cut across from school children to the market women to the institutions and businesses. We are not finished yet as we will be launching more products in the market very soon as we hope to broaden our horizon and make Keystone Bank a leader in Sierra Leone.”

Okon noted that Keystone Bank was the last to come to

Sierra Leone but the strides the lender has made has catapulted the institution to the top.

He said: “This rise to the top saw us win such a meritorious award from a high profile organisation like the Sierra Leone Council of Chief Executives.”

He thanked the customers of the bank for their support and for making Keystone Bank feel at home in Sierra Leone.

He also appreciated the support of the Head office in Nigeria.

Okereke-Onyiuke

MARKET INDICATORS MONEY AND CREDIT STATISTICS

(MILLION NAIRA)

JUNE 2016 Broad Money (M2)

21,684,965.22

-- Narrow Money (M1)

9,125,933.16

---- Currency Outside Banks

1,379,187.93

---- Demand Deposits

7,746,745.22

-- Quasi Money

12,559,032.07

Net Foreign Assets (NFA)

7,105,663.47

Net Domestic Assets(NDA)

14,579,301.76

-- Net Domestic Credit (NDC)

24,318,143.03

---- Credit to Government (Net)

2,893,190.01

---- Memo: Credit to Govt. (Net) less FMA

2,893,190.01

---- Memo: Fed. and Mirror Accounts (FMA)

-2,111,487.25

---- Credit to Private Sector (CPS)

21,424,953.01

--Other Assets Net

-9,738,841.27

Reserve Money (Base Money)

5,370,199.87

--Currency in Circulation

1,684,725.89

--Banks Reserves

3,685,473.98 • Source - CBN

MANAGED FUNDS Initial Price (N) Stanbic Balanced Fund

Buying Price(N)

Selling Price

1,660.29

1,685.29

Stanbic IBTC NEF

1,000.00

11,002.32

11,326.67.11

Stanbic SIBond

20

120.47

120.47

Stanbic IBTC Ethical

1

1.10

1.13

Stanbic IBTC GIF

142.90

143.38

UBA Balanced Fund

1.2563

1.2493

UBA Bond Fund

1.3443

1.3443

UBA Equity Fund

0.8205

0.8074

UBA Money Market Fund

1.1510

1.1510

ARM Aggressive Growth Fund

N13.0544

N13.4480

ARM Discovery Fund

N288.2515

N296.9425

ARM Ethical Fund

N22.5268

N23.2060

ARM Money Market Fund

13.1030 (Yield % ) • Monetary Policy Rate - 14%

OPEC DAILY BASKET PRICE AS AT TUESDAY, 8 NOVEMBER 2016 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $41.87 a barrel on Friday, compared with $42.65 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

The new OPEC Reference Basket of Crudes (ORB) is made up of the following: Saharan Blend (Algeria), Girassol (Angola), Oriente (Ecuador), Rabi Light (Gabon), Minas (Indonesia), Iran Heavy (Islamic Republic of Iran), Basra Light (Iraq), Kuwait Export (Kuwait), Es Sider (Libya), Bonny Light (Nigeria), Qatar Marine (Qatar), Arab Light (Saudi Arabia), Murban (UAE) and Merey (Venezuela).

SOURCE: OPEC headquarters, Vienna

45

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2016

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

9-Nov-16

8-Nov-16

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

01 Dangote Cement Plc

164.01

164.01

0.00%

2,794,813,619,494.05

9.20

17.82

4.92

4.88%

3.73

02 Nigerian Breweries Plc

143.50

144.00

-0.35%

1,137,825,977,428.00

4.03

35.57

3.77

2.51%

6.94

03 Nestle Nigeria Plc

814.97

814.97

0.00%

645,991,065,692.44

8.81

92.49

3.74

3.56%

20.47

04 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

20.65

21.40

-3.50%

607,753,850,975.60

4.90

4.21

1.51

8.57%

1.23

05 Zenith Bank Plc

14.21

14.62

-2.80%

446,144,176,699.06

3.91

3.64

0.94

12.67%

0.64

06 Lafarge Africa Plc

52.14

52.14

0.00%

237,492,580,373.40

-9.39

-5.55

1.11

5.75%

1.17

361.00

361.00

0.00%

199,745,022,993.00 -44.58

-8.10

2.57

4.41%

0.51

48.10

48.05

0.10%

181,976,549,625.00

0.69

69.49

2.74

0.10%

19.40

9.80

9.80

0.00%

179,825,601,907.00

0.68

14.49

0.31

6.33%

0.29

10 Presco Plc

43.85

43.85

0.00%

174,105,418,423.25

0.03 1,499.67

2.44

2.96%

4.16

11 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc

16.85

16.85

0.00%

168,500,000,000.00

2.04

8.27

1.20

0.59%

1.43

12 United Bank for Africa Plc

4.20

4.35

-3.45%

152,374,010,552.40

1.75

2.40

0.46

14.29%

0.35

07 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd 08 Unilever Nigeria Plc 09 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

13 Access Bank Plc

5.15

5.40

-4.63%

148,979,053,899.65

2.59

1.99

0.42

10.68%

0.34

113.72

113.72

0.00%

148,118,151,033.16

3.31

34.40

0.96

3.03%

3.43

15 Guinness Nig Plc

90.00

88.50

1.69%

135,529,936,920.00

-3.06

-29.43

1.31

3.56%

3.44

16 FBN Holdings Plc

3.04

3.06

-0.65%

109,121,690,087.68

0.21

14.65

0.20

4.93%

0.17

17 Total Nigeria Plc

315.88

315.88

0.00%

107,248,157,871.56

38.02

8.31

0.40

4.43%

4.71

18 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc

150.86

150.86

0.00%

96,639,462,162.18

-0.05

1.04

1.46%

4.35

6.30

6.12

2.94%

75,600,000,000.00

1.03

6.14

0.53

7.94%

1.21

190.00

190.00

0.00%

68,513,099,780.00

19.32

9.83

0.75

3.79%

3.70

19.00

19.00

0.00%

62,590,736,320.00

0.02

843.25

2.35

1.32%

5.71

4.26

4.22

0.95%

51,267,476,488.44

-3.15

-1.35

0.20

17.61%

0.32

23 Julius Berger Nig. Plc

38.00

38.00

0.00%

50,160,000,000.00

-2.95

-12.90

0.43

3.95%

2.64

24 Flour Mills Nig. Plc

18.05

19.00

-5.00%

47,367,481,225.35

-1.19

-15.13

0.11

11.08%

0.48

25 Okomu Oil Palm Plc

44.70

44.70

0.00%

42,639,777,000.00

4.82

9.27

6.48

0.22%

2.64

0.88

0.89

-1.12%

34,074,477,734.00

-0.47

-1.89

0.65

0.00%

0.46

17.67

17.67

0.00%

33,941,673,718.29

3.37

5.24

0.45

5.66%

0.45

0.87

0.89

-2.25%

25,197,449,552.04

0.39

2.25

0.17

18.39%

0.14

29 Cap Plc

35.40

34.02

4.06%

24,780,000,000.00

2.28

15.50

3.72

3.25%

14.48

30 Cadbury Nigeria Plc

12.95

12.95

0.00%

24,322,716,418.00

0.50

25.94

0.87

10.04%

2.38

31 Diamond Bank Plc

1.02

1.05

-2.86%

23,623,596,747.36

-0.29

-3.47

0.11

0.00%

0.10

32 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc

3.93

3.93

0.00%

23,115,726,286.35

0.76

5.15

0.63

3.56%

0.81

33 Wema Bank Plc

0.59

0.60

-1.67%

22,758,934,987.79

0.06

9.90

0.44

0.00%

0.48

34 Sterling Bank Plc

0.78

0.79

-1.27%

22,456,526,138.28

0.29

2.71

0.21

11.54%

0.27

35 FCMB Group Plc

1.07

1.09

-1.83%

21,188,900,535.67

0.61

1.75

0.13

9.35%

0.12

36 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc

7.37

7.75

-4.90%

19,526,360,845.86

0.85

8.68

1.04

7.46%

2.64

37 Mansard Insurance Plc

1.81

1.89

-4.23%

19,005,000,000.00

0.28

6.50

0.95

2.76%

0.90

38 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

15.00

15.75

-4.76%

17,938,147,320.00

-2.98

-5.03

0.64

2.00%

2.04

39 PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc

16.49

18.00

-8.39%

16,490,000,000.00

5.69

2.90

1.15

0.61%

0.44

40 Continental Reinsurance Plc

0.97

1.02

-4.90%

10,061,561,982.64

0.42

2.31

0.45

12.37%

0.54

41 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

1.16

1.17

-0.85%

9,199,029,283.28

-0.40

-2.87

0.19

13.79%

0.28

42 Skye Bank Plc

0.57

0.57

0.00%

7,911,771,803.70

-2.93

-0.19

0.05

52.63%

0.08

43 Unity Bank Plc

0.63

0.62

1.61%

7,364,282,903.46

-0.10

-6.15

0.11

0.00%

0.09

44 Wapic Insurance Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,691,369,126.00

0.18

2.78

0.85

6.00%

0.41

45 Resort Savings & Loans Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

5,664,866,202.00

0.03

17.71

3.72

0.00%

1.94

46 Cement Co. Of North.Nig. Plc

4.48

4.70

-4.68%

5,629,916,391.68

0.22

20.46

0.51

2.23%

0.52

47 UACN Property Development Co. Limited

2.80

2.80

0.00%

4,812,499,986.00

0.30

9.36

1.14

25.00%

0.14

48 AIICO Insurance Plc

0.59

0.58

1.72%

4,088,820,643.20

0.22

2.65

0.14

8.47%

0.40

49 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc

2.43

2.55

-4.71%

3,946,851,562.50

0.15

16.08

0.49

8.23%

0.66

50 Fidson Healthcare Plc

1.20

1.20

0.00%

1,800,000,000.00

0.24

5.10

0.27

4.17%

0.28

14 Forte Oil Plc.

19 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc 20 Mobil Oil Nig Plc 21 International Breweries Plc 22 Oando Plc

26 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc 27 U A C N Plc 28 Fidelity Bank Plc

TOTAL

8,465,913,377,119.32

TOTAL MARKET CAP

9,075,668,695,206.97

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

93.28%

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators

Open 8-Nov-16

NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion)

26,364.27 9.08

26,173.69 9.01

-0.72 -0.72

109.46 8.52

108.73 8.47

-0.66 -0.66

Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

Close 9-Nov-16

Change %

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers Stock

Open 8-Nov-16

Cap Plc Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc AIICO Insurance Plc Guinness Nig Plc Unity Bank Plc

34.02 6.12 0.58 88.50 0.62

Close 9-Nov-16

Change %

35.40 6.30 0.59 90.00 0.63

4.06 2.94 1.72 1.69 1.61

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

Open 8-Nov-16

PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc Flour Mills Nig. Plc National Salt Co. Nig. Plc Continental Reinsurance Plc Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

18.00 19.00 7.75 1.02 15.75

Close Change 9-Nov-16 % 16.49 18.05 7.37 0.97 15.00

-8.39 -5.00 -4.90 -4.90 -4.76

Market Index move further south with 0.72% loss Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today – Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 ended bearish due as stock market closed red today. This was further highlighted by negative performances from the NSE Sub sectors: Banking, Insurance, and Consumer Goods (Save Oil & Gas). Trading activities decreased in volume as 146.11 million shares worth of N1.04 billion in 3,039 deals exchanged hands today. This is a decrease from the 189.01 million shares worth of N1.60 billion in 3,434 deals which exchanged hands on Tuesday. Topping in volume terms were Chams Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and United Bank for Africa Plc, while Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed negative with 0.72% (-190.58) decrease to close at 26,173.69 from 26,364.27 the previous trading day. Market Capitalization depreciated in tandem to N9.01 trillion from N9.08 trillion of prior trading day. Similarly, the Thisday BGL 50 Index followed suit with a decrease of 0.66% to close at 108.73 from 109.46 recorded at the end of the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at 8.47 trillion from 8.52 trillion of the previous trading day.

A total number of 11 stocks gained on the bourse today while 27 stocks declined, 61 leaving stocks unchanged. CAP Plc remerged as the day’s toast of investors as it topped the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list with a gain of 4.06% to close at N35.40 per share. It was followed by Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc with a gain of 2.94% to close at N6.30 per share. Others on the gainers list include: AIICO Insurance Plc, Guinness Nig Plc and Unity Bank Plc, while on the decliners’ list, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc with a loss of 8.39% to close at N16.49 per share. It was followed by Flour Mills Nig. Plc with a loss of 5.00% to close at N18.05 per share. Others on the decliners list include: National Salt Co. Nig. Plc, Continental Reinsurance Plc and Glaxo SmithKline Consumer Nig. Plc. REQUIRED DISCLOSURE This report has been prepared by BGL Plc. BGL Plc does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should use this report as one of many other factors in making their investment decisions.

For more details go to www.thisdaylive.com

46

T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

MARKET NEWS

SEC Investigates Five Capital Market Operators over Investors’ Complaints Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating complaints received against five capital market operators (CMOs). The CMOs are Bytofel Securities and Trust Limited, Jenkens Investment Limited, Securities Solutions Limited, Wizetrade Capital & Asset Management Limited

and Elyon Assets Management Limited. Although SEC did not disclose the nature of complaints, it may not be unconnected with unauthorised sale of clients’ shares among others.

SEC has always restated its commitment to investors’ protection by ensuring that infractions committed against them are redressed. Some operators have either been suspended or banned from operating in the market

over various market infractions.

The recent case was the banning of suspension of BGL Plc and its sponsored individuals from operating in the market following complaints by investors.

SEC conducted an investigation into the activities of the BGL Group to ascertain the authenticity of the complaints.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the Commission confirmed the complaints of the affected

35 persons and also observed that the BGL group had acted in violation of the provisions Sections 38, 60 (1), 61 (1), 160 and 161 (1) of the ISA 2007. Other infractions observed during the investigation were breach of the provisions of Rules 3 (4), 22 (4), 34 (1e), 65 (5) and 60 (1f) of the SEC Rules and Regulations.

Dissatisfied with the findings of the investigation and the inability of the BGL group to resolve the

complaints, the Commission suspended the Group’s Managing Director, Mr. Albert Okumagba and some other officers as well as invited the Group along with thirty one (31) other persons to appear before the Administrative Proceedings Committee (APC) of the commission.

Upon the conclusion of the proceedings a year later, SEC’s APC banned Okumagba and his deputy, Chibundu Edozie,

from carrying out capital market activities for 20 years. However, the BGL Group proceeded to the Federal High Court and instituted three cases. The first case sought the suspension and sanctions pronounced on them by the Commission on the ground inter alia that the executive management committee of the commission is not the competent body to pronounce such sanctions.

DAILY STOCK MARKET REPORT T H E

N I G E R I A N

STO C K

E XC H A N G E

THURSDAY, NOVEMbER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

47

MARKET NEWS

NAHCO Chairman Cleared over Corporate Governance Issues Goddy Egene The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cleared the Chairman of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (Nahco), Mallam Suleiman Yahyah of any wrongdoings in allegation of unauthorised sale of shares, non- purchase of shares and other violations.

President Muhammadu Buhari and the capital market regulator had been petitioned in July 2016, alleging that SEC had supported Suleiman Yahyah because of his

purported relationship with the director general of SEC, Mounir Gwarzo.

The petitioner argued that Suleiman ought to have been barred because of the failure of the commission to conclude investigation of Empire securities.

However, SEC in a letter dated August 26 2016 to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) cleared Yahyah of all the allegations against him five years ago before the appointment of the Gwarzo as commissioner in 2013. Gwarzo was appointed

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager. Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares.

director-general in 2015.

The letter signed by E.A. Okolo on behalf of the DG noted that “The fact of the matter are that Empire Securities Limited, it’s board and management were brought before the Administrative Proceedings Committee in 2010 for unauthorised sale of shares and other violations. In May 2011, the decision of the APC was communicated to the parties, Yahyah and other boards member were cleared of the allegations while the

Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Guide to Data: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at

managing director was held responsible for the violations.”

The commission also highlighted the compliance of Nahco to its code of corporate governance which includes prohibition of one individual from being the chairman and also the managing director as well as having non-executive directors as majority in line with section 4.3 of the codes.

“For purposes of efficiency and effectiveness, the code requires that boards of public companies should operate

through committees. Nahco complied with the requirement,” SEC said.

Concerning the 2011 management service agreement between Nahco and Rosehill group in which Yahyah was alleged to be interested, SEC noted that the agreements satisfied the laid down procedures for such.

“Documents show that the matter was presented by management to the relevant board committees, the full board also considered the matter

and finally an Extra Ordinary General meeting of shareholders was convened to approve the agreement”.

The commission stated that the process complied largely with good corporate governance practices especially where the interested directors were excused from the meetings when the decision was taken, This, SEC said added to the disclosure of the agreement as well as the value paid by Nahco to Rosehill in the company’s annual accounts.

8-Nov-2016, unless otherwise stated Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF Yield / Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment.

Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return NAV: is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Afrinvest Equity Fund 122.16 Nigeria International Debt Fund 218.67 ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.68 AIICO CAPITAL LTD Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price AIICO Money Market Fund ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name ARM Aggressive Growth Fund ARM Discovery Fund ARM Ethical Fund ARM Money Market Fund AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund AXA Mansard Money Market Fund CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Nigeria Global Investment Fund Paramount Equity Fund Women's Investment Fund FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name FBN Fixed Income Fund FBN Heritage Fund FBN Money Market Fund FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Equity Fund Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Growth Fund

100.00

aaml@afrinvest.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 122.95 12.06% 219.74 9.25% info@acapng.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.69 11.10% ammf@aiicocapital.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

100.00

16.21%

enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Bid Price 12.51 288.81 23.65

Offer Price 12.88 297.52 23.41

Yield / T-Rtn 2.63% 3.33% 4.11%

1.00

1.00

14.99%

investmentcare@axamansard.com Bid Price 101.90

Offer Price 102.54

Yield / T-Rtn 2.22%

1.00 1.00 14.52% investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Bid Price 2.09 9.15

Offer Price 2.14 9.38

Yield / T-Rtn 2.67% -7.16%

82.83

84.95

2.12%

invest@fbnquest.com Bid Price 1,075.82 110.26 100.00 111.37

Offer Price 1,076.90 110.80 100.00 -

Yield / T-Rtn 4.98% 4.55% 13.18% -

112.88

12.13%

fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Bid Price 0.93 2.52

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.94 3.75% 2.52 8.44% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 2,199.87

Offer Price 2,225.73

Coral Income Fund 2,061.91 INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price

Yield / T-Rtn 1.13%

2,061.91 9.00% enquiries@investment-one.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund

1.00

1.00

15.24%

Vantage Balanced Fund

1.64

1.66

0.77%

LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 0.99 1.01 11.43% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 994.96 994.96 -0.50% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 9.46 9.55 -3.24% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.95% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.04 1.06 5.78% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.30 10.36 3.32% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 107.85 108.61 5.87% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.23 1.23 8.70% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 1,818.49 1,829.01 8.29% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 152.30 152.30 3.55% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.78 0.79 4.67% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 182.15 182.15 7.34% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 137.41 139.14 1.55% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.33% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,584.88 7,685.61 5.53% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.15 1.16 9.05% United Capital Bond Fund 1.25 1.25 15.60% United Capital Equity Fund 0.69 0.70 0.19% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.00% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.66 9.83 1.23% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.37 11.45 -0.92% Zenith Income Fund 16.74 16.74 4.37%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.58 122.80

3.99% 6.00%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.87 75.37

8.97 76.79

-7.37% -9.44%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697

Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.55 7.22 12.27 17.66 129.28

2.59 7.30 12.37 17861 131.28

10.30% 12.91% -2.22% -8.03% -

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

48

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

FG Reviewing Incentives, Tariffs to Ease Trade Facilitation Crusoe Osagie The federal government yesterday announced that a review of incentives and tariffs is being concluded for federal executive council’s approval to ease trade facilitation, noting that this move is aimed at ensuring a holistic framework towards addressing all bottlenecks affecting trade facilitation in the country.

The Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Aisha Abubarka, who dropped the hint, explained that to support the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), a review of the National Enterprise Development document has been concluded by Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) where the agency charged in implementing the NEDEP were enlarged to include National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in order to tackle the challenges affecting trade.

She said these measures were taken to drive inclusive economic growth and access to finance particularly for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Abubarka, during the 2016 Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry

(LCCI) international investment conference, however, stated that any plan for the diversification of the Nigerian economy must be strategic and integrated to include economic and revenue diversification, export promotion, import substitution and job creation through innovative use of local content.

She said major sectors targeted to achieve diversification include, the agro allied, solid minerals, oil and gas related industries, construction, light manufacturing activities and services, maintaining that the present administration would continue with the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) which is one of the five pillars the ministry’s focus.

“The NIRP is anchored on encouraging backward integration programmes to empower our people and create jobs along the value chain, development of special economic free zones and industrial clusters to attract investors, development of specific sectoral polices and programmes to stimulate industrial growth in sectors where Nigeria has comparative and competitive advantages in terms of natural resources endowments. For any country to attract increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), there must an effective overall investment policy framework, public governance and market

competitiveness,” she added.

Abubarka pointed out that contributions from relevant stakeholders especially the private sector were not only necessary, but an imperative to assist government in making policies and creating an enabling environment to promote sustainable growth and economic development in Nigeria.

“There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is an extremely blessed nation with abundant human and natural resource, however, what is lacking is the sincerity of purpose to streamline and enforce processes and procedures to ensure that maximum utilisation of these resources.

It behooves on the public and private sectors to work together and articulate pragmatic strategies that would address the obstacles that hinder our development

efforts. The task involved in the diversification of the economy is enormous.

Nigeria has no choice than to actively and effectively diversify. It will neither happen quickly or easily,” she added.

In her words, “It should be noted that investment promotion and institution capacity strategies for implementation are equally important. We are highly committed and doing our very best to improve the infrastructure gap and ease of doing business to attract more investment inflow into our country. There is a continuous need for a dialogue between the federal government and the private sector.”

Earlier, the president, LCCI, Dr. Nike Akande, said the investment conference was packaged to meet the yearnings of both local and international investors on

investment opportunities and doing business in Nigeria.

She added that recently, the National Planning Commission prepared a 30year roadmap infrastructure development plan towards resolving the infrastructure deficit in Nigeria, stressing that the master plan projected that Nigeria required at least $2 trillion for infrastructural development over the next three decades According to her, to address this deficit, there is an urgent need to attract investments across the globe to compliment the nation’s deficit borrowing component of Nigeria’s budget.

“The government needs to provide the enabling environment to attract the needed investments from within Nigeria and abroad,” she said.

She noted that the global competitiveness index as

compiled by the World economic forum this year ranked Nigeria at 127 after examining the country on indicators like institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education.

“I am however glad to confirm to you all that the Nigerian investment climate is gradually improving with renewed investments in some critical infrastructure like rail transport and on-going reforms in our ports. The regulatory environment is also being strengthened with the fight against corruption, introduction of code of corporate governance and the successful passage of a bill to establish a federal competition and consumer protection commission which will eventually abolish monopolies in Nigeria,” she added.

Only Six States in Nigeria are Viable, Says Aig-Imoukhuede Segun James The former Managing Director of Assess Bank, Mr. Aigboje AigImoukhuede, has said only six states in the federation are viable, hence it is foolhardy for anyone to call for the creation of more states in the country.

Aig-Imoukhuede stated this at the 11th annual lecture of Aelex Legal Practitioners and Arbitrators held at the Muson Centre yesterday.

He said apart from Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Oyo, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), all other states rely solely on the federal allocation to survive.

He said the situation of those state are compounded by the fact that even the revenues allocated to them are spent at the six viable states either by the government or by the people.

Also speaking in the same vein, the former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi

Odinkalu, lamented that the type of federalism Nigeria operates does not make sense as states were created irrationally out of political exigencies instead of sound reasoning.

Earlier, the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, had lamented the level of wastage in governance in Nigeria.

He told the story where he was advised to build an airport as his legacy to the state. But cried that while the project would cost over N20billion to build, the airport would only be generating N100,000 monthly to the state coffer. He stated that he rejected the idea.

Obi also lamented the lack of planning in government, saying that when he took over, there was no document to guide him on the going on in government that he was forced to adopt the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the state’s strategy for development.

WHERE ARE YOU GUYS OFF TO?

L-R: Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State; and Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja....yesterday

Reject Buhari’s $29.9bn Foreign Loan, LP Tells Nigerians Says it will be disastrous Oghenevwende Ohwovoriole in Abuja The Labour Party (LP) has called on Nigerians to reject the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow $29.9 billion external loan to execute key infrastructural projects in the country.

The National Chairman of LP, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who made the demands in Abuja yesterday, advised Nigerians to know that part of the problems bedeviling the country was the uncontrollable borrowing of external loans by previous administrations in the name of infrastructure development.

According to the party,

“It will be disastrous for Nigeria to obtain foreign loans because conditions of loans that allow failing firms to go bankrupt, like higher interest rates to stabilise the currency, negative exchange rates reform, economically flawed development plan, inflationary devaluations, repressive labour laws, unrelenting economic crisis and economic diversification failures among others will worsen Nigerians conditions.

The National Assembly should maintain its stance on the loan and Nigerians should mortgage their future.”

The National Chairman of LP said the present administration disappointed Nigerians after

reeling out plans to enhance capabilities of Nigerians for the growth of the country.

According to him, month after month, core economic indices have continue to increase due to the bad economics and treasury mismanagement despite the tough-talk of President Buhari and the ‘Change begins with you’ slogan’.

He said: “The current recession was primarily enhanced by the unfortunate locking up of funds in the name of fighting corruption, thus failing in the promise that funds would be released into the economy as soon as the budget was passed.

“All of a sudden, from looking inward, despite the many travels like Gulliver in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, the Buhari-led APC government having failed to put the right framework that will engender positive transformation, is ready to take to a graveyard by burrowing without recourse to the after effect.”

Abdulsalam wondered why the government had boldly rejected such offers in its early days of assumption of office when it was clear that the country was still servicing debts with about 25 per cent of its annual budget apart from the nation’s foreign reserve nearing zero.

49

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWSXTRA

We’ll Resist Any Fuel Price Increment, NUPENG Warns FG Buhari’s ministers clock one years in office Paul Obi in Abuja The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) yesterday warned the federal government that it would resist any attempt by the federal government to increase petroleum pump price from the current N145 price tag.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja during a parley with the federal government, NUPENG President, Igwe Achese insisted that the body will do all it can to resist any increment of pump price by government.

“N145 is the price and so, I will say that there is no increase for now. We have said clearly that any increase will be strongly resisted by us.

So, it is a rumour for now and that is why we are working hard to partner with IPMAN and all necessary stakeholders in the depot environment and depot community to ensure that scarcity of petroleum product is abated and the issue of increase in pump price is abated.

“We have stated clearly that while pipeline vandalism has been a key problem for our nation’s production capacity in terms of oil sector, one of the key issue affecting us here is the debt owed by NNPC to the IOC in terms of operational cost.

“For me, we have said that we need to put in place advance pipeline technology and create an outfit that will separately be in charge of pipeline security and that is what we have been fighting for.

“At our meeting with the President, WMD also mentioned that to him that an agency should be created to look at pipeline security separately and away from the other security outfit. Presently, you

know that we have security challenges across the country,” Achese stated.

He explained that “it is unfortunate that we are not averse to whatever security improvement that can be made in securing our pipelines. But the model that was applied when this administration came into power by bringing in security companies to take over the system to secure the pipelines was a wrong model.

“These individuals who came in with their proposals and told the President that they can perform the magic when they don’t have the capability and capacity to secure the system took over the system.

We realized that they went back to these same boys,the same ex militants to ask them to come and take over the system.

“You will agree with me that when you take away things like that from those who have been working on it for years and give it to those who lack the capacity. Who in turn give it back to the same people, there will be challenges.

“That is what we are facing today. It is a global trend now to talk about community policing and when you want to do community policing don’t bring people from outside to do it. You must get people from the community to do the community policing for you.

“That is why we are advocating that if it means constituting community policing that was done which made us move a little bit from where we found ourselves when insurgency started to 2.2 million barrel per day, we should be able to do that. That is what we are looking and that is what we are canvassing for.

“If you put that as a stop gap measure. You will now come and look at the security networking or whatever system you want to use to secure the area.”

Achese said: “We gave a 21day ultimatum and two weeks has elapsed. We were invited for a meeting with the directorate of SSS and we were there to discuss some of these issues and we hoped that the measures and the discussions held there will be implemented to call for a stakeholders meeting to address some of these issues of redundancy in the oil and gas sector. If that is done, we hope that nothing will take place. If not, we will be forced to withdraw our services.”

On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), he stated “this bill has been in the National Assembly for the last nine years. It is high time the bill was passed into law to allow

transparency, accountability and attraction of foreign investment into the oil and gas industry.

“We call on the federal government and the National Assembly to convene a major stakeholders meeting to iron out the grey areas in order to allow for speedy passage.

“We frown at the frequent vandalisation of pipeline in the country by the so called militants which has depleted our supply of crude oil for export. We therefore call on the federal government to increase security surveillance to stem the tide and establish a pipeline protection agency to be fully committed to reducing the scourge.

“In the interim, we suggest that the former private security outfits hired by the last administration be reinstated so that there will be no further disruption of oil facilities

which enabled us meet the 2.8million barrels per day achieved then.

“We are opposed to the proposed sale of the nation’s assets, especially the refineries.

“We believe that the proposed sale is unnecessary and not in our national interest as they will be sold to their cronies as scraps. The union will resist any attempt to sell theses national assets and advise that government should look at other areas to revamp the economy.”

Speaking, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said: “The Buhari government is working hard over its developmental challenges.

The present administration has adopted some policies and a lot of machineries are already in place to resuscitate and reposition the nation’s economy with a view to creating jobs for the teeming

unemployed youths.

“It might also interest you to know that the federal government has increased its spending on capital project, especially on infrastructure needed to make Nigeria globally competitive. The government has also put in place machineries to block leakages that allow government revenue to be siphoned into private hands.

“This will assist the government to generate much funds for agriculture and infrastructure. You are aware that our country has lost a large chunk if its earning to the massive crash of crude oil price.

For a mono product economy like ours, this is nothing short of disaster.

He added thay the “administration has therefore decided to turn this disaster to blessing by doing everything humanly possible to diversity the nation’s economy.

PDP Stakeholders Endorse Rebuilding Plan Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) organs and stakeholders yesterday ratified the move by the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led leadership to engage in party re-building and re-alignment ahead of the 2019 elections.

At a meeting held last night in Abuja, the stakeholders unanimously passed a ‘Vote of Confidence’ on the National Caretaker Committee, especially its plan towards rebuilding, reviving and repositioning the PDP to attain international best practices.

The party leaders also reviewed the state of affairs of the PDP and the pragmatic and focused leadership that the committee was demonstrating.

The meeting which came on the heels of Tuesday’s inauguration of the “Strategy Review and Inter Party Affairs Committee” restated the readiness of the party to chart effective way forward within the tenets of democracy ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The leaders, according to a

statement by PDP spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, decided to pass a vote of confidence on the committee because of the pragmatic and focused leadership demonstrated by the committee.

PDP said: “You will recall that since the party returned from the August 17, 2016 National Convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the National Caretaker Committee working in compliance with the mandate given to it by the convention, is discharging party affairs diligently and also maintaining constructive opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and its leaders by holding them accountable in the management of the country’s resources and governance.

“To this end, the stakeholders called on all party members nationwide, our teeming supporters, friends of the party, and the general public to continue supporting the National Caretaker Committee in their concerted efforts with other stakeholders towards rebuilding, reviving and repositioning the PDP to attain international best practices.”

HONOURING FASHEUN

L-R: Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; founder, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, his wife, Iyabo, Chief Olu Falae; and Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), at the sixth edition of Fasehun’s annual public lecture, with the theme: “The Nigeria’s Quest for Social Justice and Credible Leadership,” in Akure...yesterday

House Cautions Nigerians against MMM Scheme Demands arrest of promoters Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The House of Representatives has called on Nigerians to be wary of participating in the Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox (MMM), a scheme which was introduced into the country early 2016 with the promise of 30 per cent returns for an investment of 30 days.

This is as it called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the promoters of the scheme which the lawmakers likened to ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, and who have capitalised on the high level of poverty and unemployment in the country to deceive

unwary Nigerians.

This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Hon. Saheed Akinade Fijabi (Oyo APC) who noted that the scheme, created by Russian nationals, Sergei Pantelevich, Vyacheslav Mavrodi, and Olga Melnikova, prides itself as a mutual fund through which recruited members contribute money without any intent to engage in banking business.

“But the scheme’s structure, operation and intendment indicate otherwise as their clients can have multi-level structures under them and receive bonus (in percentage) from each financial transaction

of every participant in their structure,” the lawmaker said.

Fijabi added that the antecedents of the creators cannot guarantee security of the funds, as reports indicate that similar schemes by the same founders had been launched in Russia, where investors lost billions of dollars.

The government of China has also banned the operations of the MMM, on grounds that it was a pyramid scheme without registration in the country, and has capacity to cause havoc in the system, the lawmaker added.

“Every Nigerian who is participating in the MMM scheme, which is not regulated by any law, is vulnerable to losing his/ her investment as there is no identifiable platform to guarantee the security of such, given the declaration by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that the scheme is fraudlent and also recalls that many Nigerians have been victims of similar schemes in the past, such as West Solution, Pennywise and Wealthh Creation, all in the name of making quick money,” Fijabi said.

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JAMB: 70% Admission Quota Not Filled in the Past Five Years Senate tasks board on transparency, openness

Paul Obi in Abuja The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said tertiary institutions in the country have not been able to successfully fill 70 per cent of their admission quota by candidates in the last five years due to uniform cutoff marks adopted by the federal government.

JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, stated this yesterday when Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund led by its Chairman, Senator, Jibrin Barau, visited the headquarters of JAMB on an oversight function in Abuja.

Oloyede explained that the adoption of 180 cutoff mark as a benchmark for admission into tertiary institutions had consistently kept candidates who are qualified but with less cut off points on the street.

He said: “Every year, we do not meet 70 per cent of the quota contrary to what people think that there are more people than the existing places. We have in the last five years, not filled 70 per cen of the quota. We need to ask a question, why? The simple answer is a mismatch.

“I can say it without any doubt that it has never been obeyed. It is only obeyed in the papers. When you talk about the practice of it, there are hundreds of people in our universities, polytechnics and colleges of education that have not gone through JAMB. “The reason is that we are setting standards that cannot

be obeyed. They (universities, polytechnics and colleges of education) will now go through the back door and recruit people with 160, 150, 140 and some who did not take JAMB at all because you have made 180 the minimum,” he stated.

Oloyede informed the committee that he “went to colleges of education in Kano and Jigawa, all the institutions there I toured the place to have first hand information and they told me; ‘look we know you.

You will say obey the rules. This is the rule, the rule cannot be obeyed.’

“Why? If you obey 180, 70 per cent of our colleges of education will be out of duty because they will have no student. What they do is that they recruit with 140, 130 and they just say let JAMB be doing what JAMB is doing.

What we have done is that we should not be saying one thing and be doing another.

“I have made recommendations to the Minister of Education that look, the reality is let us tell every institutions, give us what you think on the basis of those that have applied to you and that should be your cut off point. We will have the minimum. Even in the university, pass mark is 40 per cent until recently raised to 45 per cent.

“For some universities where they don’t have 180 and above, allow them to take 160. For colleges of education and polytechnics, tell us what you want. We will allow you to go as low as 30 per cent if you

Nigeria (SON), Mr. Osita Aboloma, has asked the Independent Accredited Firms (IAFs), managers of the agency’s off shore Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP), to tighten the noose on importers of substandard products into the country.

He said the managers had a critical mandate to ensure that only tested and certified products are allowed into the country adding “anything less will not be accepted by SON and Nigerians.”

Giving the charge in Abuja during a meeting with the inspectors including Intertek, SGS, Cotecna, and CCIC, Aboloma said the diversification of the Nigerian economy had brought a lot to bear on SON in the development of the non-oil sector particularly agriculture and industry.

He therefore urged them to do all within the mandate given

by SON to ensure that Nigerian businesses are protected from the menace of substandard products coming from overseas.

In a statement by Head, Public

in time adding that “Quality increases income and affect the lives of the people including health.”

Noting that change and improvement are synonymous, he said there must be room for constructive criticism for the system to move forward.

He, further appealed to them to take the interest of Nigerians above every other interest, reiterating the “change begins with me” mantra of the federal government, which according to him is to be self-reliant, and do business with ease in the country.

Responding, the programme managers all promised to ensure a harmonious working relationship with SON while also maintaining probity in the operations of the SONCAP as enunciated by the agency.

The IAFs said the objectives of the programme will not be neglected and pledged their loyalty to the Nigerian government in the fight against substandard products in the country.

so want. We have an army of students who are going about the road, roaming the streets and they have qualification to go to these polytechnics, colleges of education and universities.”

According to him, the powers to admit candidates reside with the Senate and Academic Board of the institution.

“We have solved the problem of who admits and who does not, We are doing it together.

The laws establishing these institutions give the power of admission to the senate and

academic board.

“I believe that those (lawmakers) who made the laws did not create JAMB to take that power from them.

What you have done is for us at JAMB to moderate, to look at what they are doing, finetune it, regulate in such a way that no Nigerian is cheated and that is what we do.

“We don’t want to take over their responsibility because there is no institution in the world today; no institution that you will find that is not

making money from admission.

Admission forms are part of the income of every institution anywhere in the world.

“If the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education are collecting some money, N1,000, N2,000, once they are not exorbitant and is properly expended, I have no objection to it. What we do is to collaborate with them and will continue to collaborate with them,” he said.

Also speaking, Senator Jibrin Barau (APC-Kano),

said they were at JAMB office to keep themselves abreast with new development in the board.

He urged JAMB to show commitment in transparency and openness in the running of the affairs of the board.

Barau stated that “you have revenue coming from your activities and some spending, but all these spending are not open, you have to make them open, so if there is any observation we can raise, we raise it ab initio.

FOR ALL SON DG Wants Accredited METER L-R: Representative of the Emir of Zazzau, the District Head of Tudun Wada, Alhaji Falalu Dalhatu; Chairman,Board of Directors,Kaduna Electric,Alhaji Yusuf Hamisu Abubakar, with the representative of GovernorNasiru el-Rufai of Kaduna and Commissioner for Works, Alhaji Hassan Usman Mahmoud; and Managing Director, Kaduna Electric,Mr. Garba Firms to Tighten Noose on State, Haruna, at the flag-off Kaduna Electric’s meter deployment strategy in Kaduna....yesterday idris egaji Substandard Products James Emejo in Abuja Relations, SON, Mr. Mathias Lagos Building Company Commences Renewal of Its Bassey, the standards agency’s The Director General of the boss also urged the IAFs not Standards Organisation of to sacrifice quality at any point Estates

Revamps its operations

The Lagos Building Investment Company Plc (LBIC) yesterday formally announced the commencement of the renewal of all estates under its purview to enhance their economic value and make them safer for residents.

The company had in a public notice, called on the general public and residents to cooperate with it and the Lagos State Government in ensuring that the glory of these estates that was being tarnished by illegal structures and activities was restored.

A statement issued by LBIC announcing the initiative noted: “Refer to the public notices placed in The Punch and The Nation Newspapers on November 1, 2016, the stakeholder meeting held at Oke Afa Low Cost Housing Estate on October 8, 2016, at the Sports Ground and attended by allottes of

the estate, the stakeholder meeting held at Ogba Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate on Sunday 16th October 2016, at the playground and attended by allottes of the estate, the various notices served on illegal structures within the low cost housing estates in Lagos State prior to the renewal exercise that has now commenced, we hereby confirm that a clean-up exercise has started within our estates with the view of ensuring that our estates are maintained in line with the master plans, upgrading of amenities while enhancing return on investment through sustainable property management system.”

According to the company, to ensure that it lives up to its responsibilities and delight its numerous and valued customers, it has also undertaken giant strides to review and re-engineer

its operations, culture and brand reformation to ensure a vibrant workforce.

“LBIC is presently up-grading its banking application software to ensure seamless processing and real time online services that will enrich customers experience.

“We have also embarked on a major restoration/ renewal exercise of its existing estates to ensure they meet best standards and that they are dignifying environment for residents and their families to live in while remaining viable investment assets. There would be long term strategies implemented to ensure that these estates do not fall to an unacceptable level of disrepute and investors would be pleased with the return on their investments in the long term,” the company said.

The LBIC was established as a mortgage banking corporation on February 14,

1980 to provide mortgages for the allottees of the Lagos State Government Low Cost Housing schemes. As a result of the promulgation of the Mortgage Institutions Act of 1989, the company was converted to a limited liability company in 1991.

Subsequently, it underwent a private placement exercise to increase its share capital and to satisfy the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recapitalisation requirement for state-owned Primary Mortgage Banks to N2.5 billion.

Since inception, LBIC has granted mortgages to over 17,000 allottees and private individuals.

Recently, it implemented a reduced fee for subleases to enable allottees of Low Cost Housing Estate turn their assets to viable and bank acceptable property for security purposes.

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REACTIONS TO TRUMP’S VICTORY...

Saraki, Dogara, Ekweremadu Hail Trump’s Victory

Our Correspondents

Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday showered encomiums on United States President-elect, Donald Trump, on his victory in Tuesday’s presidential election.

In separate statements, Saraki and Ekweremadu commended Trump for his resilience in the face of scathing criticisms intended to stall his chances, saying he ran a unique and campaigns laden with courage.

Saraki also commended Trump for duly acknowledging the defeat conceded by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, describing Clinton as a courageous candidate who was only not fortunate to be president, saying he looked forward to working with Trump in the days ahead.

“On this day, I wish to extend my sincerest congratulatory remarks to US president-elect, Trump, on his remarkable victory in yesterday’s national election in the United States.

“Trump persevered through a very challenging Republican primary election cycle, where he defeated 16 professional and well-organised candidates. While many career politicians tried to write off Mr. Trump’s candidacy as a long shot, he stuck to his positions and controlled the daily media messaging like no other candidate in the history of American presidential campaigns.”

In his congratulatory message, Ekweremadu, described the election as “hard fought,” adding that the two major contestants gave a good account of themselves as he commended Clinton for calling Trump to concede defeat.

He said: “Trump has rightly described the election as historic. But it is not only historic for the US, but also for the world. It is an important reminder to the entire world of the true meaning and essence of democracy as government of the people.

“I urge him to work for democracy, global peace and prosperity because the peace and prosperity of America is intrinsic in that of the entire world.

In particular, I urge better bilateral deals for Nigeria by the incoming Trump presidency. I have no doubt that the people of Nigeria and indeed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are willing and ready to work with the incoming US government for the good of both nations.”

Similarly, Dogara congratulated Trump on his victory and hailed his opponent, Clinton, for conceding defeat and putting up a good fight in her bid to become the first female president of the US. In a statement, Dogara called on the international community to accept and respect the wishes of the American people.

The Speaker expressed hope that the cordial relations between Nigeria and America would be sustained by the Trump administration.

Wike Congratulates President-elect River State Governor, Nyesome Wike has congratulated Trump, saying his victory was a victory of the people over the forces of propaganda and lies.

He said the US people stood by their beliefs and conviction , despite the concocted opinion polls thrown at them daily by the mainstream media.

According to him, the emergence of Trump indicated that the power of the people will always triumph over the forces of propaganda and manipulation.

The governor said the people of Rivers State can easily relate with Trump’s victory because over the last two years, they have been objects of negative false propaganda , but they stood their ground to vote for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He urged the media to redefine it’s mode of Operations to promote the reality on ground instead of attempting to promote vested interests through the publication and broadcast of false propaganda.

Fayose: Trump’s Victory is a Disgrace to Those who ‘Rigged’ Buhari to Power Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has hailed the United States president-elect, Donald Trump for his victory in the country’s presidential poll, saying it was a disgrace to those who

of the US, PDP advised him to try and protect the minorities in America, adding that his administration should pursue policies and programmes that protects and promotes all their constitutional rights and freedoms.

“Trump’s historic victory at the US presidential elections. Trump’s victory came against many odds which showed the strength of democracy in the US. In a statement issued by the PDP’s spokesman of the Prince Dayo Adeyeye, the party commended the courage exhibited by the runner-up in the election, former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

“We commend Clinton on her hard-fought campaigns. She showed herself as a role model for young men, women and children all over the world.

His Emergence Similar to Buhari’s Change Mantra, Says Oyegun

US President-elect, Donald Trump (right), and his deputy, Mike Pence, congratuating each other at the victory party in New York ...yesterday allegedly rigged President Muhammadu Buhari into power in 2015.

Fayose further branded the victory as “the beginning of a real change in Nigeria because those who imposed the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government on Nigerians just lost out.”

“Now that Trump has won, it portends hope for Nigerians that the excesses of the President Buhari led federal government will stop as the road has ended for those who conspired to impose Buhari on Nigerians.”

Reacting to Trump’s victory, the Special Assistant to the Governor of Public Communications , Lere Olayinka quoted the governor as saying that he believed that Trump would be able to tell President Buhari to respect rule of law and sit at home to solve the country’s economic problems instead of junketing around the world.

The governor said: “Trump presidency symbolises different things to different people and nations. It symbolises God at work and a clear departure from the old order.

“It is also a turning point for Nigeria and Nigerians, particularly those controlling the federal government that must have to change their ways as their allies who imposed them on us just lost out.

“Most importantly, President Barack Obama got what he did to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.

God bless president-elect Donald John Trump!”

Describing the conduct of the elections as a lesson for Nigerians, Governor Fayose said; “The US elections started and ended seamlessly.

The electoral umpire never meddled; the military, police and DSS did not provide cover for ballot snatchers. No printing of doggy result sheets. I think Prof Mahmood Yakubu and his INEC should learn from this for posterity. They should stop aiding unpopular politicians to rob the people of quality leadership.”

Speaking further, Fayose said the election of Trump signals the hope of a possible defeat of the APC government foisted on Nigeria by the USA influence.

Buhari’s Ministers Disagree on Implication of Trump’s Victory for Nigeria Two ministers in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday expressed divergent views on the implications of the victory of the United States’ President-elect, Mr. Donald Trump, for Nigeria.

The two ministers who spoke with State House Correspondents are the Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbeh and the Minister for Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali. Ogbeh described Trump as a capitalist who exploited the American system and turned around to destroy it; while Dan-Ali said Nigeria has to accept his victory and forge ahead.

Ogbeh said he was shocked by Trump’s victory and said Nigeria might have to retune and re-tool her foreign policy should Nigerians come under any pressure under

Trump’s leadership.

He said: “I am in a bit of shock, but we are witnessing some very dramatic changes in the world and I think some of these things began many years ago. The current economic theory ravaging the world is now reaching the poor and the ordinary people. It is causing a lot of stress. Brexit happened, America has done this now.

“Many other countries are going to have near extremism ruling the minds of people.

Trump’s language before the elections definitely did not endear him to people. It scared a lot of people and yet he got this massive support which means there is something fundamentally wrong and some of us have been complaining even here for 30 years. The economic theories we are practising are hurting too many people and so there is a lot of anger and people are looking for a way to express it.

“In this country for instance, interest rate has remained averagely at 25 to 35 percent for 30 years. It is impossible for young people to dream dreams and achieve them. The rural areas are emptying, hunger is increasing.

Only a small number of people have access to wealth. The rest are complaining but nobody is listening. That’s what has happened.

“Because, even though America is a powerful country, the wealth is in the hands of the people in the stock exchange and the big business people, the ordinary people have a rough time. Even the black people didn’t turn out to vote, they’ve lost hope. So, that’s the result.

“So, it means we have to reverse our economic thinking. If you can’t take a loan, you have no mortgage, you can’t feed your wife, your salary can’t pay school fees, you can’t even plan for tomorrow, what kind of life are you living in the country? That is what you are seeing now.

But for Dan-Ali, Nigeria would be better off by accepting the reality if Trump’s emergence.

He said: “Security-wise, as always, we will always collaborate with external forces where we can get peace and tranquility in our country.

As I said, I advise Nigerians to accept it and then forge ahead. Look ahead and bring about a synergy so that things can move forward.

“Like I always say, insurgency is a global phenomenon whether you like it or not, he must also put his efforts because it is not Nigeria alone that is suffering. You can find insurgency today here in Nigeria, next tomorrow it could in America or Europe or anywhere in the world. So, it’s a global problem which all the nation must come together and fight it together.”

PDP Sets Agenda for US President-elect

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has counselled the President-elect, Mr. Donald Trump, to move quickly to heal the wound brought about by the divides created by the campaign and to reassure all Americans.

The party also urged Trump to formulate policies that would ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the US and Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular.

While congratulating the Republican Party candidate on his emergence as president-elect

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has described the victory of the Republican candidate, Donald Trump in Tuesday’s presidential election in the United States as a sign that Nigeria is not alone in her quest for a change in the old ways of doing things.

Oyegun who spoke with THISDAY yesterday on the implications of the emergence of Trump as America’s President, said that the new man in the White House came to power based his message of change which was what also brought President Muhammadu Buhari into office.

“What is important to me as a party man is that Americans went to vote and they have made their choice in an election that is fair and transparent. We all have to congratulate them.

On what the ruling party and Nigeria should learn from the experience of the US election, Oyegun said in the party has already imbibed the need for change in the manner we run the affairs of the country and that the government has started implementing those things that can get us out of the woods.

“APC has been preaching change since it came to office. It was the same message of change that Trump preached and I think the Americans have bought into it, that was why he won the election,” he said.

IPOB Commends Trump, Reminds Him of Promises The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has congratulated the President-elect of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump, on his victory in the US presidential election of Tuesday.

The group in a state sent to our correspondent and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, also reminded Trump of his promises to Americans and to others around the world.

Trump had been quoted during the campaigns as pledging support for the actualisation of Biafra Republic.

Part of the statement read: “The IPOB under the command structure of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu congratulates Donald Trump and thank the good people of the United States and the Republican party who challenged the incumbent president, Barack Obama and the Democratic Party to a standstill and defeated to them in a landslide victory.

IPOB attributed Trump’s victory to God, saying that some power brokers in America and around the world would have thwarted it if it were in their power.

The group said Trump passed through so many trials and so many odds from the leadership of the party but God Almighty made it for him to become the president of United States of America USA. Reminding him of his promises, IPOB said: “However, he should also remember his promises to the people of America and other people across the globe because USA is going to be great again by the power of God Almighty who selected him from the midst of millions in America.

Meanwhile, there was visible jubilation among residents of Anambra over the victory of Trump in the American presidential election yesterday.

Most resident of Awka who gathered to discuss the victory of Trump rejoiced, saying that his victory and ascension to the White House would help the Biafra course, and aid its actualisation.

They insisted that the Trump presidency would help the Igbos, and give America’s support to them to actualise the secession dream of Biafrans.

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Danbatta: NCC Set to Finalise Subsidy Agreements with Infracos for Broadband Deployment Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Garba Danbatta, yesterday said the commission will soon conclude subsidy arrangements with Infraco Nigeria Limited and I-Connect Infrastructure Services Limited, for deployment of fibre infrastructure.

The two infrastructure companies recently licensed

by NCC to facilitate the roll out of fibre infrastructure deployment, will operate from Lagos and North-central zones of the country.

Danbatta, who spoke at the 2016 Nigerian Academy of Engineering, public lecture in Abuja, said the subsidy is part of government’s financial incentives for achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration in the country by 2018.

According to him, the subsidy agreement is a public private partnership scheme in the provision of price regulated broadband services in the country, adding that the remaining five zones: Northeast, North-west, South-east, South-south and South-west are in the pipeline.

On efforts at reaching the rural and underserved

Nigerians with telecom services, he said: “Subsidies are provided to operators for the deployment of networks to support the establishment of core delivery mechanisms for broadband services in rural areas.”

According to him, the deployment of infrastructure for broadband service provision is ongoing in 14 locations across the country.

Danbatta said, the mandate of the Infracos is to provide and operate infrastructure services

and to facilitate broadband penetration access for use of both fixed and mobile broadband in the country.

The EVC, said NCC has reached an advanced stage in the implementation of a code of corporate governance for the industry, stressing that, that will service to strengthen telecommunications legal entities and attract investment into the country.

He said: “The commission is engaging investors in different fora to attract foreign direct

investment. In the second quarter, the telecommunications sector contributed N1,580 billion to the GDP: 9.8 percent, which is the largest in the rebadged period.

“This is an increase of 1 percent compared to the first quarter indicating a robust growth.”

According to Danbatta, the commission has deployed 58 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS), in South-west, 36 in South-south and 12 in the Federal Capital Territory

(FCT). The deployment, he said will significantly increased the quality of service being rendered by telecom operators.

The EVC, hinted that Nigeria’s current active mobile broadband penetration has reached 20.9 percent, adding that this is relative to less than 10 percent a year ago.

He said: “Percentage of broadband internet penetration has reached a milestone of 47.44 per cent second to South Africa in the continent.”

Ambode: Nigeria Needs Oshiomhole at this Troubled Time Says Edo people will remember him for good

Gboyega Akinsanmi Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday described his Edo State counterpart, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, as an exemplary performer, saying Nigeria would need his service at this time of national crisis.

He, therefore, said the people of Edo State would remember Oshiomhole for good, citing pro-people projects and programmes his administration had been able to execute under his eight-year tenure.

Ambode made the remarks in a statement his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Abib Haruna, issued yesterday about 24 hours to the end of Oshiomhole’s tenure as the Governor of Edo State.

President Muhammadu Buhari and Ambode had this week inaugurated different strategic projects to mark the end of Oshiomhole’s tenure.

As contained in the statement, Ambode said Oshiomhole had executed different pro-people projects and programmes, which he said had redefined the way people “now live across the state.

By these world-class projects executed under his administration, Ambode acknowledged that Nigeria “will truly need people like Oshiomhole especially at this critical time in our history.”

Ambode noted that Oshiomhole “has set high standards in Edo State. He has actually and visibly turn around the fortunes of Edo State. All Nigerians will remember him very favourably.”

He explained that the completion of the projects at a time when Nigeria was facing economic challenges was an eloquent display of astute, prudent and visionary leadership.

He described education as the bedrock of the society, noting that the commissioning of secondary school with modern facilities and top class university “underscore

the importance which Oshiomhole attached to education.

“Oshiomhole understands leadership and the needs of his people. He understands the concept of inclusive governance and making sure nobody is left behind.

The projects commissioned have demonstrated the government of inclusion which this administration has been running.

“This is very remarkable. It is very significant because this is one governor that actually started well and is ending very strong. Roads have been commissioned in areas that needed government attention and presence.

“We are very sure these roads will open up communities in the state and even joining three local governments together and also accelerate growth and development,” the governor explained.

Ambode congratulated the people of Edo State for electing Mr. Godwin Obaseki, saying the decision would further ensure that Edo remained on the path of progress.

He also announced full university scholarship to two best graduating students of Itohan Girls Grammar School, Sapele Road, Benin City.

Also in the statement, Oshiomhole said the idea of the University came out of the need to address educational tourism, and as well provide world class University education to both the rich and the poor.

Oshiomhole, who described Ambode as a financial guru and now rugged and dogged Governor, said Lagos and Edo had special traditional and political relationship.

He added that most innovations introduced in Edo State were copied from Lagos and that Ambode was invited to commission the school on account of the fact that he has been working assiduously to transform Lagos.

58 INDUCTION CEREMONY

L-R: Special Guest of Honour, Chief Richard Uchechukwu Uche; the President, Institute of Accounts of Nigeria (ICAN); Titus Soetan; and the immediate past President, ICAN, Samuel Olufemi Deru, at the 58th induction ceremony for new ICAN members in Lagos....yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

Al-Mustapha: My Roles in Abacha’s Govt Dictated By Military Ethics James Sowole in Akure The former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late Gen. Sanni Abacha, Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha, yesterday said all the roles he played in the administration of the late Head of State were in line with the responsibilities attached to his office by the military code of ethics.

Al-Mustapha, who described his long incarceration as the price of loyalty, said he suffered serious persecution and frustration after the death of Abacha, adding however that his persecutors have now seen the truth and some of them have apologised to him.

The former CSO spoke in Akure, Ondo State at the sixth annual public lecture of the founder of the Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) of Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, organsed by the Integrity Icons with the theme “The Nigerian Quest for Social Justice and Credible Leadership : The Travails of a Nation” delivered by the former Managing Editor of Tell Magazine, Mr. Dare Babarinsa.

Al-Mustapha said many Nigerians had wrong impressions about him considering the roles he played in the administration of late Abacha, pointing out that “My primary duty as the CSO to the Head of State was to ensure the safety of the Head of State and that I did in conformity with the oath of commission of the Nigerian Army and the oath of allegiance.

“As a soldier who had taken the oath of commission and the oath of allegiance, the only thing paramount to me at that time was the safety of my principal and I ensured that with all the powers attached to my office,” he said.

Al-Mustapha said he knew nothing about most of the wrong deeds linked to him after the death of Abacha including being instrumental to the arrest of some Nigerians like Chief Olu Falae and Fasehun.

He pointed out that some individuals in Yoruba land whom he refused to mention, gave support to Abacha while executing some of the policies that soiled his administration

and which were later used against him.

“Some forces in Yoruba land were behind Abacha and they were the ones behind some of the things he did. It was thus surprising to see that these same Yoruba leaders were saying bad things about him at the end,” he stressed.

While recalling his experience in the detention, he said: “I paid the price for loyalty and for 15 good years, I paid the price. I was tortured, frustrated, intimidated and tormented. It was while in detention that I lost my father and mother. My parents died after being tortured, when I was in detention. But God has replaced them for me with Fasehun who is now my father and his wife who is now my mother. The two of them are playing the roles of parent for me and I am proud to have them as my adopted parent.”

“I met papa by coincidence in one of the court sittings in Lagos. He stood for me after a woman had lied before the court that I killed Kudirat Abiola. It was that day that I discovered

that some Yorubas are wonderful people.”

Narrating how he met Al-Mustapha, Fasheun said what transpired in court when two women who had earlier implicated the former CSO in their testimonies as prosecution witnesses later came forward and wept to exonerate him, made him to take interest in him.

Fasheun said there was no financial transaction between him and the former CSO but was moved by the need for justice and fairness.

Speaking at the event, Governor Olusegun Mimiko who was special guest of honour at the event advised Al-Mustapha to write a book on his experience with the late military dictator, saying Nigerians need such book in the present day.

“Al-Mustapha is a man of history and a man who has made history. It is therefore important to put all that you have said in book for Nigerians to know the truth about the days of Abacha and the roles you played in his government,” he said.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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CRIME&PUNISHMENT Fake Result Sheets Scandal: Wike Alleges Cover-up by Police

Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has accused the Police High Command of plotting to sweep the alleged printing of fake result sheets by the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the carpet with the takeover of the matter by the Police Zone 6, Calabar.

Giving an update at the Government House, Port Harcourt, yesterday on the alleged printing of fake election result sheets by Rivers APC and INEC, Wike said the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 6 has asked the Rivers State Police Command to transfer the case and suspects to Calabar.

He said: “The interest of the police is to ensure that all those indicted in this plot to rig the rerun elections are not prosecuted.

“INEC must realise that this has to do with its credibility . It is not enough to simply deny. They must take steps to ensure that they clear themselves.

“The question of how the printers got the serial numbers and the code numbers of the units used for the results sheets and sensitive materials must be answered by INEC. “During the rerun tribunal sitting, the Rivers APC tendered results that were different from those declared by INEC after the March 19 elections. But the Court of Appeal and the tribunal were not deceived by the antics of the Rivers APC and INEC. These were the same people who said no election took place, but they had separate result sheets which they tendered in court.”

The governor recalled that PDP had raised the alarm on the day of the March 19 rerun elections that INEC had populated the voting landscape

with fake result sheets, which was confirmed by the tendering of alternate results by the APC at the tribunal.

He called on the police and INEC to listen to the president’s directive that the elections in Ondo and Rivers States must be peaceful and credible.

Wike restated that Rivers people would resist those plotting to rig the re-run elections.

He added that the objective of sweeping the crime under the carpet was for the police and other security agencies to assist Rivers APC in swapping already prepared results with those generated at the polls.

“What we are doing is to avoid crisis or violence. We are insisting that the right thing must be done. Any free and fair election in Rivers State will be won by the PDP. “The AIG coming to take over the matter is not acceptable. It

is a ploy to kill the matter,” he said.

He emphasised, “The police should stop causing crisis in Rivers State. We do not want to take the laws into our hands.

They should listen to what Mr. President said and avoid anything that would cause violence.

“The police in Rivers State should be allowed to handle this matter.

The police should give the preliminary report. We will resist any attempt to transfer the matter to Zone 6, Calabar.

“If the AIG takes over a minor criminal case like printing of fake result sheets, what will he do if there is a complicated case of murder?

The fact is that if the matter goes to zone 6, they may decide to destroy the evidence. But here in Port Harcourt, we will know.”

In Brief

Ogun Police Arrest Septuagenarian for Defiling Eight-year-old Girl The Ogun State Police Command yesterday arrested a 70-year-old man, Mr. Gabriel Akindele, for defiling an eight-year-old deaf and dumb girl at Michael Ayegusi Street, Owode Ijako in Ado-Odo Ota Local Government area of the state. According to the state Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, the suspect was arrested following complaint from the mother of the girl who noticed an unusual behaviour from the girl after the incident. He said the mother of the girl used sign language to inquire from her daughter what was wrong with her unusual behaviours.

He said from the sign language she communicated with the daughter, she informed her of the incident which prompted her to report the case to the police. Oyeyemi said: “Upon the report, the DPO Sango Ota, Akinsola Ogunwale, detailed detectives to the scene and the alleged randy old man was subsequently arrested.” He added: “On interrogation, he opened up to the crime. It was discovered that he lured the girl to the toilet where he unlawfully had carnal knowledge of her.” He said the state Commissioner for Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has directed that the case be transferred to Anti-human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for proper investigation.

Court Jails Student 10 Years for Cultism

A Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin and presided over

by Justice Sikiru Oyinloye, has sentenced a student of Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Fatai Olasile, to 10 years imprisonment. Apart from this, the court held that the affected student should pay a fine of N50,000 for membership of a secret cult and involvement in cult-related activities in the state. Olasile was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on membership of Eiye secret cult, contrary to section 2 of Secret Cult and Secret Societies Law of Kwara State. He was also sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of a locally made pistol punishable under section 3 (1) of the Robbery and Firearms Act, 2004. The prosecution counsel, led by Kamaldeen Ajibade, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, called three witnesses and tendered exhibits to prove its case.

Imo Police Boss Leads Operations against Kidnappers, Armed Robbers Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Fredrick Lakanu, TAKING CHARGE

Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Tunji Disu, leading his men to restore peace after a clash broke out between the Yoruba and Egun in the Otodogbami Community, Ikate, Lekki Phase1, Lagos....yesterday

350 Shanties Burnt, 1,000 Displaced in Lagos Clash Police rescue two-day-old baby Gboyega Akinsanmi

of at least 350 houses and 1,000 residents displaced in At least, 350 shanties were the community. yesterday burnt to ashes He acknowledged that in a communal conflict a team of anti-riot security between Yoruba speaking operatives had been deployed and Egun speaking residents to the community to restore of Otodogbami area of Ikate, peace and re-establish public Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos. order.

A Rapid Response Squad In a statement it issued last (RRS) official confirmed the night, however, the Lagos State conflict, noting that about 1000 Police Command claimed that residents of the community its prompt intervention led to were displaced. the rescue of a two-day old The official explained that baby and restoration of public the conflict, which erupted on order in the community.

Monday and became violent on The statement, which was Wednesday, was triggered by signed by the command’s claims of supremacy over the Public Relation Officer, Mrs. landed area between the Egun Dolapo Badmos, explained that people; mostly indigenes of the police immediately moved Benin Republic and the Yoruba into the area to prevent further people in the community. breakdown of law and order.

The official explained that the The statement said there conflict culminate in burning “is an Egun community

mainly made up of people from Republic of Benin.

They actually occupy illegal shanties. We were alerted about the breakdown of law and order in the area and immediately went to check Otodogbami community, Ikate Lekki Phase 1, where there is a fight between the Benin- Yoruba communities fighting over the supremacy in the territory.

“It’s an illegal settlement area, most of the structures there are shanties and because of a protracted dispute between themselves, they set fire on their different shanties.

“The police moved into the area to restore peace and in the process of checking the area, we discovered that there was a woman who

was trapped in one of the shanties with a two-day-old baby who would have been burnt in the process.”

It said the state government “has taken over the area while the State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development would move in to demolish the remaining shanties and clear the rubbles caused by the inferno.

“The police is alive to its responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and property of its citizenry and would not hesitate to carry out the necessary action where the need arises,” the statement said.

The police, therefore, urged both conflict parties in the community “to remain lawful and shun acts of violence that could trigger civil unrest.”

yesterday explained that his decision to lead anti- crime operations in the state, especially during rescue of kidnap victims was to motivate his men to achieve greater results. He stated that his presence during critical operations, which had led them to spend days in the bush tracking high profile criminal elements, had often emboldened his men, adding that he cannot afford to remain in the office doing administrative job, while his men are out in the field fighting criminals. According to him: “In all my Police life, I have been holding operation positions.

I started with Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos, where I was in charge of various operational units; in Zone 2, I was charge of operations. I have serious passion for the job and I also feel that a leader should lead practically. I don’t see myself as a Commissioner who should sit down in the office and do administrative job. I go out most of the time and my men get encouraged. I remember there was a time we were looking for a set of kidnappers who were in the bush and my men have combed the bush for two days, I realised that they were getting tired, I decided to join them and it emboldened their spirit and this led to the arrest of the criminals.” The police commissioner who also assured the people of the state that the command is fully prepared to check activities of criminal elements during the approaching yuletide, said that the command is confronting criminalities ‘frontally’ during the period.

He maintained that as the yuletide approaches “we are confronting crime frontally, just as we did last year when we recorded zero kidnapping and armed robbery incident, we are doing the same thing this year. We have strategized and we have accessed the challenges. The motivation of our men is high and we are going to repeat the feat of last year. And we have commenced, if you go on the road now you will notice that we have started patrolling the nooks and crannies of the state”. Lakanu also stated that the Command in the last few weeks has made a record arrest of over 40 suspects involved in various crimes ranging from kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, unlawful possession of firearms and cultism. He disclosed that following a tip off, “operatives of the command arrested a 4 man gang of kidnappers/armed robbers who kidnapped and robbed a 52 years old Cordelia Chikere of Umuokanne in Ohaji. The victim was kidnapped along Oburugo/Obiti Road, Ohaji at gunpoint. She was dragged into the bush, robbed and man-handled by the suspects.”

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THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10Í, 2016 T H I S D AY

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2016

THURSDAYSPORTS

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

C O U N T D O W N A G A I N S T A LG E R I A

S’Eagles Set to Earn Ninth Win against Depleted Fennecs Another Algerian star player ruled out

Femi Solaja Nigeria’s Super Eagles arrived Uyo lastnight briming with confidence and ready to pick another vital win against Algeria this Saturday in Russia 2018 WorldCup qualifying match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.

The Nigerian team will walk onto the refurbished pitch on superior ground against the Fennecs of Algeria, going by the statistics of their previous encounters.

Till date, there has been 17 clashes between both teams (all at competitive level), with Nigeria winning eight times, drawing three and losing six.

And Nigeria captain Mikel John Obi was less than three years old the last time Algeria defeated Nigeria, in the final of the 1990 Africa Cup of Nations in Algiers.

Super Eagles’ current goalkeepers’ trainer Aloysius Agu was the Eagles’ goalkeeper and captain that day, 16th March 1990. It was a tough game at the July 5 Stadium in Algiers, but the Fennecs won their first (and still only) Africa title when Cherif Oudjani’s long range effort beat Agu for the only goal of the match.

At that same competition, Algeria had beaten the Eagles 5-1 in the opening match. But the Eagles would remember that and pay back the Fennecs when lashing their hosts 5-2

in Oran in a 2006 World Cup qualifier on 4th September 2005.

The first clash between both countries was on 10th January 1973, during the football event of the 2nd All-Africa Games that Nigeria hosted. The match ended 2-2. Seven years later, the Green Eagles would thrash the Algerians 3-0 to lift their first Africa Cup title.

In their last four confrontations, the Eagles have enjoyed a winning streak against the Algerians, which is more than the three consecutive wins Algeria had over Nigeria between October 1981 and March 1982. In the qualifying race for Espana ’82, Algeria beat Nigeria 2-0 in Lagos and 2-1 in Constantine, and the Fennecs then came from behind to edge the Eagles 2-1 at the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya.

This Saturday, Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho looks set to lead Nigeria’s charge for goals against the North Africans side with Victor Moses and Oghenekaro Etebo good to also start.

The 20-year-old Iheanacho has scored in the team’s last four matches and in yesterday’s morning training he led attack while Watford ace Odion Ighalo, back in the squad after he missed last month’s game in Zambia, featured for the second team.

Ighalo has failed to deliver in a green-white-green shirt

LMC Appoints IT Partners for Fantasy Games, Mobile Content Distribution The League Management Company (LMC) on Tuesday signed two separate commercial partnerships with two service providers that are geared towards deploying technology to drive engagement, monetize content and expand the fan base of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

The LMC signed an agreement with Kari Xchange, a software development company for the design, development and operating of a fan engagement platform for the NPFL. The Chief Executive Officer of Kari Xchange Eucharia Amanambu said they are working with global Information Technology giant, Microsoft, to build a platform where football fans within and outside the country will follow and engage in football activities, follow and know more about the NPFL matches, clubs and players.

Describing the workings of the platform when built,

Amanambu said, “this platform will enable football fans meet and engage other fans, access NPFL football news, play NPFL fantasy football and other games. It will also allow the NPFL players and aspiring footballers on the platform to showcase their talents to the world”.

She further explained that the platform will be configured to enable fans buy NPFL Clubs’ merchandise, match tickets, bet and support their NPFL clubs.

The platform will also be offering loyalty reward to the fans.

A second agreement signed same day was with Vas Digital Mobility (VDL), a key player in the telecommunications Value Added Services (VAS) domain specialising in made for mobile content for consumers.

Super Eagles captain, Mikel Obi responds on behalf of the team to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (second left) on Tuesday in Abuja africanfootball.com of Nigeria and he is currently struggling to score goals in his second season in the Premier League.

In a related development, Napoli FC and Algeria defender, Faouzi Ghoulam has joined the list of players sidelined with injury he suffered a groin injury

yesterday.

Twenty-five-year-old left back Ghoulam has been an injury concern and now it has been announced he is out of the clash in Uyo and will not be on the flight to Nigeria tonight.

Ghoulam’s withdrawal has made it increasingly difficult

for coach Georges Leekens to line up a formidable after three top players were also lost to injuries earlier this week.

Midfielders Rachid Ghezzal and Ryad Boudebouz as well as striker Hilal Soudani opted out of the World Cup qualifier in Nigeria on account of injury.

Ghezzal and Boudebouz

were examined by Algeria team doctors before they were excused from the training camp, while Dynamo Zagreb striker Soudani did not even fly down to Algiers.

They have since been replaced by Baghdad Bounedjah, Yassine Benzia and Ismael Bennacer.

Mark Urges Eagles to Fly over Algeria Former President of the Senate Senator David Mark has tasked the Super Eagles of Nigeria not let anything to chance in their World Cup Qualifying match against Algeria on Saturday .

Senator Mark said the Eagles new squad look very promising but reminded them that the new spirit should manifest in victory over their Algerian counterparts.

Speaking when former African Queen of the Tracks Mary Onyali led Nigeria Olympic Fund Management committee visited him in Abuja

yesterday, Senator Mark urged the Super Eagles to prove that Nigeria is truly the giant of Africa in all ramifications.

According to Mark : “ We have all the talents . All we need to do is to harness the talents to make them effective and positively productive.

We just have no excuse not to qualify for the World Cup with the abundant human and material resources “.

On the 2020 Russia Olympics, Senator Mark said the antidote to the nation’s poor outing in the past is early preparation,

promising to do every thing possible to make sports an integral part of our national life.

He said sports should as a matter of deliberate policy be a strategic cardinal part of our life because besides sports nothing else unites us a people.

Senator Mark acknowledges that sports requires huge investments beyond government funding . He therefore urged corporate organizations to help develop sports as part of their corporatesocial responsibility .

Earlier, the Technical

Director of Nigeria Olympic management fund Mary Onyali said the organisation was borne out of the need to raise funds, facilities and train Nigerian Athletes to compete and win medals for the nation at international meets.

The former African Queen of the tracks said she is passionate about the nation’s athletes winning laurels for the nation saying that sports have gone beyond mere entertainment to being a yardstick to measure a country’s global rating and respect .

First Bank Lagos Amateur Golf Open Championship Tees-off Nigeria’s most valuable bank brand, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that it is set to host this year’s edition of the Lagos Amateur Golf Championship. The prestigious tournament, scheduled to tee-off on the lush greens of Ikoyi Club 1938, Lagos on Saturday, November 12, 2016 will mark the 55th anniversary of the

championship.

One of the key highlights of this year’s tournament will be the participation of European Professional Golf Association (PGA) professional player - Alex Rowland who will provide hands-on coaching on bunker play, chipping, putting, and full swing among other skills at the open golf coaching

clinic. Alex Rowland, a British golfer and PGA pro started his golf career at Padeswood & Buckley at the age of 11.

He was elected to be PGA Captain of Cheshire & North Wales in 2011 and has taken over as PGA North Region Captain for 2016.

The coaching clinic which will take place at the practice range of Ikoyi Club Golf Club

from 4pm daily is open to children, beginners, novices and golf enthusiasts. In the competitive spirit, there will also be a “Beat the Pro Challenge” competition on both days of where the professional players will be challenged in longest drive and closest to the pin shots with Instant prizes awarded to winners.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

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Price: N250

MISSILE Nicola Sturgeon to Donald Trump

“I hope the president-elect will take the opportunity to reach out to those who felt marginalised by his campaign and make clear – in deeds as well as words – that he will be a president for everyone in modern, multicultural America. Today must also be a moment for those who share progressive values – all of us who believe in tolerance and diversity – to speak up loudly and clearly for the values we hold dear” – Scottish first minister in her message to the American president-elect.

OLUSEGUNADENIYI The Message from Donald Trump THE VERDICT

olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

I

t is sad, if not tragic, both for President Barack Obama and the United States, that what ordinarily should be the most enduring legacy of the last eight years—that of inclusiveness---has been blighted by the election of a successor who represents the exact antithesis. The choice of Mr. Donald Trump as the next president of the United States is a repudiation of the primacy of ideas in the contestation for power in perhaps the most advanced democracy in the world. It is also a rejection of the notion that personal character matters for those who seek the oval office.

While the world is still in shock about Tuesday’s most unexpected outcome, there is no doubt that the American voters knew what they were doing. In the course of the campaigns, so much was said and written about Trump’s bigotry, misogyny, hate mongering and lack of preparation for the job. He could not even produce his tax papers as he broke all the rules of the game; yet, at the end, it didn’t matter.

Two contrasting jokes I received from Nigeria yesterday capture the essence of Tuesday’s election in the United States. One says, “America’s worst nightmare used to be 9/11, now it is 11/9” while the other says, “Jevovah El-Trump, the God who uses a man with no knowledge or experience to rule over all the experts of the world.” Taken together, those two jokes tell a compelling story not only about the America of today but also about the state of global politics. But the most important question now is: Why did all those issues that would ordinarily bury the career of any politician not matter to the vast majority of American voters?

That is the question to interrogate in Nigeria. And if we must learn any useful lesson, we have to look beyond the issue of racial distemper to the challenge of economic disempowerment by those Americans who believe the system has left them behind. By raging against the political establishment (for being corrupt and insensitive) and immigrants (for taking the jobs that should go to the ordinary citizens) Trump became the champion of the white working-class voters to whom he promised the mythical Eldorado.

I am sure many books will be written about what just happened and several theories will be propounded, including about the role of the FBI. But at this moment, they should be of less concern to us in Nigeria.

What is important is to see what lessons we can draw from how a very divisive figure without any political structure and with limited education aside publicly known character flaws, was able to mobilize (and manipulate) street anger to wangle his way to the biggest political office in the world.

Indeed, while race played a key role in the election, it would be unfair to dub all the people who voted for Trump as racists.

There were also many who simply voted against a system that had for long been skewed against them; people who believed they had nothing to lose by gambling their votes on a man considered most unworthy for the office. The lesson here is that when you leave crucial decisions to the mob, especially

Trump on matters concerning their welfare, reason is usually the first casualty.

Therefore, that the American followers of Trump were able to use a constitutional order to effect a change that may not necessarily be in the long-term interest of their country should worry those in authorities in Nigeria, given the rising tide of a population that can no longer meet basic needs of existence.

In our present circumstance, if the push comes to shove, a revolt of such nature against the political establishment might not necessarily come from the ballot box and that is where the danger lies.

That is as much a strong message as the one from the American presidential election which in itself conforms to what is now a global trend. As I stated in my column of last week, “Politics in the age of Trump”, what we are witnessing is the rise of populist movements led by people who simply prey on the weaknesses of the establishment while exploiting the gullibility of the mob to rise to power on the back of lies, bigotry, xenophobia and intolerance.

In this new age, the enduring lesson is for us in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, to begin to address the issues that compel many of our young people to embark on desperate journeys to Europe and America where they are now no longer assured of any future nor are even welcome. Indeed, anybody who is still not wise to the fact that the world has changed is under a great illusion and I have a personal story to prove that.

My current trip to the United States was to have been through Canada where I planned to spend a few days with my friend, Pius Adesanmi. But despite that my passport contains visas to so many countries, including a two-year Canadian visa that expired only a few months ago, I was deemed to be running away from the economic misery in Nigeria. It was the first time in my life that I was denied a visa to any country, essentially because I refused to succumb to the “conventional wisdom” of padding my meager bank balance with any borrowed money to convey the impression that I had enough money not to run away.

While I chose not to make any point of the visa denial, afterall, it is their country; in sharing my experience with Pius, a Professor and Director of the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa - the only Institute of African Studies in any Canadian University - I learnt more about what others have been going through. It turns out that Pius himself has been at the receiving end of Canada’s horrendous visa practices across Africa in general and Nigeria in particular because the Institute he heads requires that he extends constant invitations to eminent African scholars and thinkers.

From Vice Chancellors to renowned professors and other players in the administration of Nigerian Universities, the Canadian embassy in Nigeria has been denying visas to many, ostensibly on grounds that such people may not want to come back home. Pius contends that the expectation had been that with a new

Liberal government in Ottawa, Canada’s engagement of Africa was going to improve but Global Affairs Canada (that country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry) seems determined to turn their embassies across the African continent into outposts for the most vicious and condescending visa practices that is rooted in a racist viewpoint that every African, no matter his station in life, is a potential burden on Canada.

With the outcome of Tuesday’s presidential election, I will not be surprised if American visa policies also change across the continent, in a continuation of the hurricane that is also spreading through Europe where multiculturalism is under serious threat.

As things stand, people with the colour of my skin, especially those coming from Africa, are now seen as potential immigrants and refugees.

Welcome to the age of Trump!

Olanihun Ajayi (1925 to 2016) When I learnt last Friday that Sir Olaniwun Ajayi was no more, I felt both a deep sense of loss and personal guilt. The loss, as a result of the fact that I had known and admired the old man for more than two decades; the guilt because he gave me an “assignment” I never got round to completing in his lifetime. I will get to that shortly.

The late Ajayi was part of the Afenifere triad who, at some point in our history, were dubbed “Ijebu Mafia”; with the only surviving member now being Chief Ayo Adebanjo following the death in 2008 of Senator Abraham Adesanya. My relationship with the trio dates back to the nineties when, following the arrest of my guardian, Chief Cornelius Adebayo by the late General Sani Abacha regime, I was always with them at the residence of Chief Alfred Rewane, now also of blessed memory; for what was a daily evening political rendezvous, over cups of tea as they discussed Nigeria and what might have been.

As disciples of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the old men shared many things in common and I learnt a lot from their interactions aside the fact that Rewane was a very generous man who almost always had something for his “Pikin” as he addressed me and many others. I can also remember very vividly that one issue that dominated their discussions was “restructuring of Nigeria”.

Even though I was a young reporter at the period, I still have vague recollections that their concerns about our country were driven not only by the reality at the time but also by their own experiences which were largely different from mine and that of members of my generation.

Notwithstanding, I took mental notes of most of their arguments, despite the fact that I do not share in their prejudices

which, as I stated earlier, arose out of their personal experiences at a time I was not even born.

However, while we may have disagreed on certain principles, it is difficult to dispute that the Afenifere leaders were always driven by a sense of what is right for our country. That perhaps explains why they remain fixated on returning to the system inherited at independence which allowed the regions as federating units to conduct their affairs, including in revenue collections and expenditure, while engaging in healthy competition with one another. That a disproportionate amount of revenue is collected by the federal government under an arrangement that encourages corruption and laziness, in the wisdom of the Afenifere leaders, makes the current system unsustainable.

What I have always found very fascinating about the Yoruba old men is their passion and commitment towards a Nigeria that would work for the greater majority of our people as it was in the past before the military foisted on us a federalism that now breeds not only needless tension but has also stifled the march towards development. That was what made Ajayi and others to always agonise about our country. Even when one did not agree with them, and I have serious issues with their positions, you cannot but respect their tenacity of purpose.

I know there will be opportunities in future to engage the issue of restructuring within the context of Ajayi’s enduring thesis but in him we have lost a committed patriot, a true statesman and one of the leading lights of Yoruba nation whose species is gradually going into extinction.

May God grant egbon Koyinsola, SAN, and the entire members of his family the fortitude to bear the great loss.

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