Thursday 8th December 2016

Citigroup, Stan Chart, Stanbic IBTC Appointed Transaction Parties for $1bn Eurobond Banwo & Ighodalo, others also to provide advisory services Tobi Soniyi and Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a consortium of financial,

legal and communications advisers for the issuance of the $1billion Eurobond in the first quarter of next year.

The Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who

disclosed this yesterday at the State House, Abuja, while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting, gave the names of the transaction parties as Citigroup, Standard

Chartered Bank, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, White & Case LLP, Banwo & Ighodalo and Africa Practice Communications.

She explained that the

parties would run any Eurobond issue undertaken by the government over the next three years.

“We don’t have to keep on retendering, unless there is

a major problem with any of them, they will be our transaction parties for the next three years,” she added.

Continued on page 8

EFCC Raids Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s Residence… Page 11 Thursday 8 December, 2016 Vol 21. No 7903. Price: N250

www.thisdaylive.com TR

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NNPC Welcomes Its Unbundling Under Proposed PIB… Page 11

Amosun: APC is Going Through a Rough Patch Says he’s not the party’s leader in S’West APC, Senate leadership hold fence-mending meeting Oyegun admits mistakes were made Olawale Olaleye in Lagos and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja Concerned about the aftermath of the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, one of the closest

allies of President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday admitted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was going through a difficult period, but expressed optimism that the party would pull through it soon.

Continued on page 8

Wike, Amaechi’s Verbal Exchange Degenerates over Rivers Re-run Polls Police: Gov’s CSO was redeployed for professional misconduct INEC orders probe of alleged printing of election materials Buhari swears in new commissioners

Tobi Soniyi, Onyebuchi Ezibgo, Dele Ogbodo in Abuja and Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt With just three days to the December 10 re-run elections in Rivers State, the deepseated animosity between the governor of the state, Mr. Nyesom Wike, and his predecessor, Chibuike

Amaechi, reared it head again yesterday, when Amaechi accused Wike and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of being responsible for the spate of killings in the run up to the 2015 and the March 19 re-run elections in the River State.

Continued on page 8

BIDDING FAREWELL TO THE SCION OF THE IBRU CLAN

L-R: Widow of the late Chief Michel Ibru, Cecilia; Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema; and son of late Michael Ibru, Oboden, at the commendation service in honour of Michael Ibru at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos… yesterday sunday adigun

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THURSDAY, december 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

PAGE EIGHT AMOSUN: APC IS GOING THROUGH A ROUGH PATCH Amosun was believed to have been one of the kingpins behind the election victory of the party in Ondo State.

His comments came on the heels of a fence-mending meeting between the leadership of the party and Senate President Bukola Saraki and other principal officers of the Senate who are members of the party, at the APC national secretariat in Abuja yesterday.

Amosun, who was particularly concerned about the new status being accorded him within political circles since the Ondo election as the new leader of the APC in the South-west, rejected the title, but reiterated his support and loyalty to Buhari and the APC. Amosun was apparently reacting to the disenchantment within the party over the Ondo governorship election that is threatening to tear the APC apart.

A National Leader of the APC, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, for instance, have been identified as critical chieftains of the party that have opened talks with the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a new mega party that would wrest control from the APC in 2019.

In a statement he personally signed, Amosun said: “For the avoidance of doubt, I am not, by any stretch of imagination, the leader or new leader of the APC in the South-west. I am a loyal party member, and I shall stand by our party and of course, with President Muhammadu Buhari. I am also obliged to respect all our leaders in the state, South-west and Nigeria.

“This is the minimum that is required of every party member by custom, and by the constitution of the party.

I acknowledge that these are rather difficult times in the life of our party and in the nation.

“I am confident that we shall overcome and our party, the APC, and our dear country will come out even stronger, more viable and united.”

Addressing the issue of his assumption as the new APC leader in the South-west, the governor added: “I have noticed

with consternation the recurring misnomer and mis-description in political nomenclature particularly as they relate to the politics of the South-west, and by extension, the country as a whole.

“I refer to the emerging tendency of referring to me and some other members of our great party as the ‘Leader(s) of the South West’ or ‘New Leader(s) of the APC in the South West’.

“When that phrase was first brought to my attention, particularly during the weeks preceding the Ondo State gubernatorial election, my immediate reaction was to ignore same as yet another distractive antics of the opposition.

“Somehow, the misnomer stuck and it came to appear rather more frequently in several other fora and publications, including respectable gatherings and the media.

“Lies and misconceptions, when told and asserted repeatedly with gusto, have the tendency to assume the toga of the truth. It is for these reasons that I have considered it of critical importance to set the records straight.

“As the governor of an APC controlled state, Ogun, I am a huge stakeholder in my party.

In all that I do, in the open and in private, the bigger interest of our party remains the guiding principle for my actions, decisions and alliances.

“I grew up in the old Western Region, where loyalty to corporate goal and party supremacy was the hallmark of a true party member, and indeed every citizen.”

Amosun maintained that “true leadership” could not be by conjecture or wishful thinking. “From the template that we inherited from our forbearers, it is usually earned.

In political parlance, leadership also evolves. If we take this as our guide, even as governor, I have leaders from my state and at the national level.

“By the grace of God, I currently serve my people as the governor of Ogun State. My total preoccupation and commitment is to continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to the

good people of Ogun State that the Almighty God used to give me the opportunity to serve them.

“We will not take the support of our people for granted. We shall work even harder to justify their confidence and, by the grace of God, leave the state better than we met it and in a blaze of glory.

“These, rather than some insensitive, phony and imaginary leadership contest, are my aspirations,” he stated.

APC, Senate Leadership Meet Meanwhile, the leadership of the APC yesterday took the first step to end the cold war between itself and its principal officers in the Senate led by Senator Saraki, in a dialogue at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.

However, the meeting which was meant to thaw the ice and chart a way forward on some of the contending issues between both sides, failed to resolve all of them. Nonetheless, they resolved to keep working on the relationship in the interest of peace.

The frosty relationship between the party leadership and its caucus in the Senate arose from the insistence by the leadership of the APC that its preferred candidates – Senators Ahmed Lawal and George Akume – should be made Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively.

However, Senator Saraki defied the dictates of the party and with the support of senators of the PDP and several others on the platform of the APC, emerged the President of the Senate while Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP became his deputy.

Saraki’s election pitted him against the party, which saw his action and that of his supporters in the APC as a revolt. The situation was made worse when other principal offices in the Senate where handed down to senators other than those penciled down by the party.

Emerging from yesterday’s meeting, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John OdigieOyegun, said although there

were still some glitches, both sides had accepted to make progress in the interest of peace.

The meeting, which was initially scheduled to hold last Monday, had to be rescheduled for yesterday due to a mix up in communication.

Oyegun said that the lingering cold war among members of the APC Senate caucus, on the one hand, and between the National Assembly leadership and the presidency, on the other hand, was seriously affecting the smooth administration of the country.

He said that yesterday’s meeting with Saraki and his team was an exploratory one aimed at seeking ways to resolve all the outstanding issues so that harmony could be restored in the relationship with the legislators.

“As far as the party is concerned, we commended the Senate and the entire National Assembly for the way they have worked so far with the executive.

“We are determined and we concluded that we must work closely together to address some of the glitches that still exist in the relationship between the National Assembly and the executive.

“We want to assure the general public that they will see results that will lift their spirit in the next few weeks and months to follow. It means that the end is in sight.

“We have started the process, but there are issues to be resolved and there is no question at all that we are a family and when things have gone wrong, we accept that things have gone wrong and we are determined to right those wrongs,” he said.

In his remarks, Saraki said that the parties accepted to move forward and to work together to ensure that things were done in the right way.

“First of all, formally, we both bared our minds. We told ourselves hard truths but at the end of the day we accepted that certain things were not done properly, but we accepted to move forward, work closely with the party for the interest of building the party because of Nigerians that believe in our party.

CITIGROUP, STAN CHART, STANBIC IBTC APPOINTED TRANSACTION PARTIES FOR $1BN EUROBOND Adeosun said government had obtained a certificate of no objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for the appointment of transaction advisers, after what she described as a “fully competitive open tender process”.

She said: “The $1 billion Eurobond programme is part of the funding for 2016 budget and we hope to be able to commence the process in January.

“We are confident that we will be able to complete the transaction expeditiously with significant interest.”

Adeosun said stability of the oil price was a boost to the nation’s economy, adding there is quite a bit of demand for emerging markets papers.

She said: “Nigeria’s paper is currently trading around the seven to eight per cent mark. We are expecting to get quite competitive pricing on the issuance programme which I said is to be used for

the purpose of funding capital projects in the 2016 budget within the month of January.”

Also briefing journalists, the Minister of Environment, Mrs. Amina Mohammed, said the council approved a memo for the amendment of the gazette for the establishment of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Process.

According to her, the amendment would help to put in place all the structures needed for the smooth take off of the Ogoni clean up and the implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s report.

She said the previous gazette did not provide for government structures such as a board of trustees or a structure that would be held accountable for the enormous amount of money which she said was already available for spending and additional monies that would be available from foreign partners.

She said government was

already talking to those that would be affected by the Ogoni clean up, especially women in order to protect their means of livelihood.

She said: “This now will enable us to put more structure to the board of trustees which requires a legal entity to put the resources in and then we hope that in the new year we will begin to roll out, to begin with the building of the centre of excellence.

“The integrated soil treatment centre will also go up and then we will begin training, but in this case, we will start training many of the women on their livelihoods in the many of the contaminated areas.

“So we have to find better ways of speaking with communities and also ensuring that the livelihoods of women are not affected. We are also speaking to many of the young people there and we have received good feedback from those who are interested

in being a part of the roll-out of the clean up of Ogoni land in the new year.”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, has stated that Nigeria’s immediate priority is to increase oil output in order to boost revenue needed to diversify the economy.

Udoma told the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director for Africa, Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Deiye, in Abuja, that although Nigeria was focused on diversification of its economy, it needs oil to get out of the oil-propelled economy.

He explained that though the global slump in oil prices introduced some shocks that affected the country’s economy, the immediate reason for the slump into recession was the massive reduction in output caused by the militancy in the oil-bearing Niger Delta region.

“We need to work closely together and we are hopeful that a new chapter is being opened today, and we are committed to the hopes and aspirations we gave Nigerians who came out to vote a year and a half ago,” he said.

On the Senate President’s delegation were the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume; Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn-Na'Allah; and Chief Whip, Olusola Adeyeye, while Oyegun led a team of NWC members.

While speaking at the brief opening ceremony, Oyegun lamented that the frosty relationship between the presidency, the party and the National Assembly leadership, which had gone on since the inception of the APC-led administration, had affected the smooth running of government.

He said that the time had come to end the divide and to seek a harmonious working relationship between the party, the executive and APC members in the legislative arm of government to enable the party to deliver good governance to Nigerians.

“As we say, it is better late than never. What is important is that as of today, the party is at that critical juncture and we have the opportunity to take a strong look at the party; the opportunity to take a look at our control of the leadership of the Senate; the opportunity to draw up a new basis for co-operation between the party,

its members in the Senate and of course the executive.

“We belong to one party.

Unfortunately, it is public knowledge that our very first steps, when we came into office, created problems and the very nature itself of the amalgamating parties created its own issue, all of which have tended up till now to affect the co-operation between the various arms of government and the party.

“So, we have a unique Godgiven opportunity to take a look at ourselves, to take a look at the National Assembly, take a look at the party and take a look at the way we all interact between ourselves, and it is my hope that we will at the end of it all be able to present to the Nigerian public a government, a party and a National Assembly that are working in the same direction,” he said.

Oyegun said that the economy was facing tough times and as a result people were going through hard times, adding that the situation was not acceptable.

“The public looking up to us would like to see that we are all concentrating, determined and focused on programmes and issues that will ameliorate not just the economy, but the conditions of living of the ordinary Nigerian.

“So, I hope we will deepen this interaction and that the public will start seeing a new relationship, a new party, a new National Assembly and indeed focused and committed governance,” he added.

WIKE, AMAECHI’S VERBAL EXCHANGE DEGENERATES OVER RIVERS RE-RUN POLLS But the state government immediately fired back, describing Amaechi’s allegations as a “sewage of lies”.

The PDP also described the allegations a smokescreen by the Minister of Transportation to perpetrate violence and bloodshed in the state.

In an interview with journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, and repeated in a broadcast on radio stations in the state, Amaechi alleged that Wike and the PDP cannot deny “ their involvement and sponsorship of the killing of innocent Rivers people and stalwarts of the APC (All Progressives Congress) in the 2015 general election and the March 19 re-run elections in the state”.

He also said the cache of arms and ammunitions Wike recovered from cultists during the first phase of the Rivers State Amnesty Programme, was the evidence to buttress his allegations.

According to him, “Wike has not denied he did not kill people, he sponsored those who carried arms in the 2015 general election, even during the campaigns, our people were beaten, manhandled and others threatened, leaving many dead, but we will not continue to allow these things to happen like that.

“Members of the PDP were also responsible for killing APC members in Omoku.”

When reminded that PDP and Wike had alleged the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State had connived to manipulate election results in favour of APC, Amaechi said: “If Governor Wike and the PDP have justifiable evidence, let them present it to the general public and stop blackmailing me or INEC and the police.

“The allegations are immaterial,

null and void. Why are Wike and PDP making too much noise and fruitless allegations?”

Amaechi argued that he was more popular than all those in the PDP, because when he left office in 2015 as governor of Rivers State, he had over 75 per cent support from Rivers people and other Nigerians resident in the state.

According to him, “This is so because, as governor then, I overhauled the health and education sectors by promoting a free health care system and free education; over 10,000 teachers were employed, including the building of critical infrastructure, roads and youth empowerment, making Rivers people and other Nigerians to experience change.

“So I am very sure I had more popularity than any PDP stakeholder including governors across the country.”

Continued on page 10

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NGN NGN 8.12 87.42 0.06 0.88 0.10 2.18 0.04 0.94 0.03 0.75 NGN NGN 0.43 4.13 0.26 0.26 0.06 1.26 VITAFOAM 0.10 2.18 FLOURMILLS 0.69 18.30 HPE Nestle Nig Plc ₦810.00 Volume: 255.774 million shares Value: N2.081 billion Deals: 2,480 As at yesterday 7/12/16 See details on Page 44

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T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

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PAGE TEN

Long Queues as Ghanaians Vote in Tight Presidential Poll There were long queues yesterday at polling stations in Ghana amid a tight election race between President John Mahama and veteran opposition leader Nana Akufo Addo.

All seven candidates pledged to keep the process peaceful but an opposition supporter died when a rally tuned violent on Monday.

The campaign was dominated by the faltering state of Ghana’s economy and the issue of corruption.

Results are expected within three days.

A run-off will be held later in the

month if neither of the two main candidates secures more than 50% of the votes.

In Tema, a major coastal city in Ghana, a queue of men and women waited for voting to start. The first in one of the queues, Alfred Aggrey, told the BBC that he arrived five hours earlier. Many wanted to get on with their day’s business.

Loud noises of disapproval rung out when polling officers positioned the voting booths away from the crowd. People demanded that the booths be made to face them so

they could see people going in to thumbprint only the assigned ballot papers and no other papers that they suspected could be smuggled in.

After a few minutes of shouting at the officers, their request was carried out to cheers of approval.

Many Ghanaians began queuing at polling stations overnight.

“I needed to register the strong feeling I have about this country with my thumb and the least I could do was to sacrifice sleep,” Comfort Laryea, a 78-year-old who had waited to vote since 04:00 in

the capital, Accra, told the Reuters news agency.

For many, the economy is the main issue.

“We need change in Ghana because things are very difficult,” taxi driver Stephen Antwi Boasiako told the AP news agency. “This country has a lot of resources that can provide good jobs, but they’re not used.”

Police have told voters to go home after casting their votes, Joy FM reported.

The candidates signed a pact last

week vowing to follow electoral rules and keep the peace.

But clashes broke out on Monday in Chereponi, a small northern town on the border with Togo. In addition to the reported death, six people were said to be in a critical condition as a result.

Thousands of domestic and foreign election observers have been deployed at the nearly 29,000 polling stations across the country.

Defeat for Mr. Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would make him the first incumbent

to lose an election since Ghana returned to multi-party democracy.

He has been nicknamed “Mr. Dumsor”, a local word that refers to the power cuts that have blighted the country during his term, but on the campaign trial has been trying to convince Ghanaians that he is delivering on his promise of creating more jobs.

Mr. Akufo-Addo, meanwhile, has promised free high-school education and more factories, but his critics have questioned the viability of his ambitions.

Mobile Police men, three helicopters and 18 gunboats have also been deployed,” he said.

The IG also said that human and vehicular movement will be restricted in the state from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Saturday and urged people of the state to comply with the order to ensure a peaceful and smooth electoral process.

Similarly, INEC warned politicians against intimidation of electoral officials during the elections.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke through the commissioner in charge of the South-South states, Dr. Mustapha Leki said: “INEC condemns in a very strong terms, provocative and dangerous comments being made by some political actors, all of which are capable of inciting people to commit violent acts that could again derail peaceful election in Rivers State.

“We therefore call on stakeholders to refrain from making pronouncements that could either overheat the state or instigate party loyalists to violence.

“Let us all abide by all the extant laws governing the electoral process. On our part, we wish to reassure all Nigerians that INEC will remain impartial and committed to conducting credible, fair and transparent elections at all times.”

they want to elect. The rest is left to their conscience and to God.” Speaking on behalf of the other commissioners, Mr. Ibianu thanked the president and Nigerians for “the opportunity to serve the country”.

According to him, all the commissioners pledged to discharge their responsibilities in line with the oath of allegiance and office they had sworn to.

Responding to questions from journalists after the swearing in, the INEC chairman said the commission would not be distracted by the allegations made by politicians.

He said he had heard of the alleged thumb printing of sensitive electoral materials in Rivers, adding, however, that the commission did not have such materials in Rivers.

He said: “At the time the allegation was made we had not even awarded the contract for the printing of the sensitive materials.

So, it came as a huge surprise to us.

But we have gone ahead to invite the police and the State Security Service to investigate the matter because we are also interested in getting to the bottom of it.

“But it is really strange to say that INEC will print fake materials for elections. It’s like accusing the central bank of printing fake naira notes. Then who has the original?

“However, INEC is poised to consolidate on the achievements of the 2016 elections, so we will not be distracted by the allegations, we would do what we have always done to the best of our ability, bearing in mind that we have a responsibility to the Nigerian nation.

“We would go to Rivers, conduct free, fair and credible elections, declare winners and leave the next level to the judiciary.”

When asked to react to the allegation that names of members of the APC had been included as INEC returning officers for the Rivers elections, Yakubu said he had heard the allegations.

He said that it was common to accuse the commission of compromising the recruitment exercise after each election, but assured the journalists that the allegations were false.

He said: “The standard practice is to recruit ad hoc staff from the NYSC and where there is a shortfall we recruit from federal tertiary institutions. And for Rivers, there was a list from the University of Port Harcourt to make up for the shortfall in ad hoc staff.

“We would continue to discharge our responsibilities, we won’t be distracted and INEC will never join issues with partisan politicians.”

Yakubu observed that the swearing of the new commissioners would help the work of the commission.

He said that with new set of commissioners, INEC now has the full compliment of members of the board, a chairman and 12 commissioners.

WIKE, AMAECHI’S VERBAL EXCHANGE DEGENERATES OVER RIVERS RE-RUN POLLS He urged the people of the state to disabuse their minds against comments by the PDP and Wike, which he said were calculated to rubbish him in the eyes of rightthinking persons, in order to score cheap popularity and further whip up public sentiments to heat up the polity.

“On Wednesday (yesterday), I will also join the APC stakeholders to carry out further campaigns, while on Thursday, there will be a national campaign for the party in the state to indicate our readiness and preparedness for the re-run elections,” Amaechi said.

He called on the Rivers people and other Nigerians resident in the state, including supporters and stalwarts of the APC to turn out en- mass to vote on Saturday, urging them to always protect their votes at election venues.

“Before now, I used to tell my party members to vote and protect their votes, but there had been complaints of indecent attacks from the PDP, so I have asked the APC party members to protect their votes and their lives as well, because the PDP cannot be bigger than everybody everywhere,” Amaechi explained.

Amaechi equally expressed total displeasure over what he called, “irresponsible comments”

by Wike, stating that on several occasions, Wike has abused the office and privileges of the governor, especially his sudden interception of security operatives who were detailed by law to arrest corrupt judges in some states across the country.

“During my tenure as governor, I never abused the office of the governor, because it is sacred and should be respected in all ramifications,” he said.

He added that President Muhammadu Buhari had assured the people of security during and after the elections and urged the people to go out and exercise their franchise.

“However, it is gratifying to know that the Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the people of the security of lives and property in the state before, during and after the election.

“Mr. President has graciously provided adequate security through the length and breadth of the state.

I therefore, enjoin you all to come out en masse and exercise your civic right on Saturday.

“To this end, the reign of terror in some of our local government areas leading to senseless killings will not be tolerated as the security agencies have been directed to ensure the safety of all, before, during and after the elections.

“I therefore, implore you all to come out and exercise your rights to vote now that you have a chance to vote and your vote will count, choose wisely, vote APC,” Amaechi said.

But in its reaction, the Rivers State Government described Amaechi’s allegations as a sewage of lies.

The state Commissioner for Information, Dr. Austin TamGeorge, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday said Wike does not need arms to defeat the APC in Rivers State.

Tam-George said Wike’s impressive record of service delivery had won over the hearts of the Rivers people.

The commissioner said on the contrary, the APC in Rivers State was suffocating under the weight of Amaechi’s disastrous legacy as governor of Rivers State for eight years.

“Rotimi Amaechi is probably the most toxic political personality in Rivers State because of his history of financial recklessness and visionless leadership during his time as governor of Rivers State,” the commissioner said.

According to the commissioner, funds meant for the payment of salaries of workers and pensioners were diverted by Amaechi to sponsor the political activities of the APC, thereby plunging millions of families into abject poverty and misery.

Tam-George pointed out that Amaechi was indicted by a courtapproved Judicial Panel of Inquiry for stealing public funds.

The commissioner asserted that while the APC-led federal government might have granted Amaechi unofficial amnesty, the Rivers people have a long memory, and would continue to reject Amaechi and the APC in Rivers State.

He maintained that Amaechi’s attempt to steal the mandate of the people on Saturday through the force of arms would be resisted and defeated once again.

The PDP in the state also described Amaechi’s allegations as a smokescreen for the past governor to commit more violence in the state.

The state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Samuel Nwanosike, told journalists in the Port Harcourt yesterday that Rivers people were wiser and would not be deceived

by Amaechi again.

He said Amaechi was only looking for excuses for his woeful performance in the elections in the state.

“It is a shame that Amaechi will accuse Wike and PDP for killing people in Rivers State. Rivers people are wiser and cannot be deceived by Amaechi again.

“They know who has been behind the killings. Who killed a pregnant woman in Tai Local Government Area of the State in the last re-run election?

“All the killings were perpetrated

by Amaechi and his cohorts in his attempt to cover up his failures and to come back to control the

economy of Rivers State through his surrogate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside.

“The story raised by Amaechi is a smokescreen for his plan with security operatives. We are aware that he wants to start the assassination of political opponents in Rivers state tomorrow.”

CSO Accused of Professional Misconduct But as the accusations and counter-accusations flew between Amaechi and Wike, the Nigeria Police Force yesterday gave a reason for the redeployment of the Rivers governor’s chief security officer (CSO).

A statement yesterday by the Force PRO, Mr. Don Awunah said: “The police have observed the innuendos, distortion of facts and wild allegations peddled in the mass media following the redeployment of the chief security officer (CSO) to the governor of Rivers State, DSP Promise Nwosu, as a result of gross professional misconduct.”

The police recalled that on November 17, 2016, during a peaceful demonstration of APC in the state, Nwosu was seen among the protesting party faithful in a manner prejudicial to discipline and displaying conduct unexpected of an officer of his calibre and office.

“In the course of monitoring the public protest, an Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations in Rivers State observed the presence of the CSO among the protesting partisan crowd as illegal, unlawful and outside prescribed schedule of the duties of a CSO. “The active presence of the CSO to the governor in a partisan crowd of an opposition party to the governor in a clandestine and suspicious manner was considered mischievous and detrimental to the security of the state and public order and also contrary to his oath of office which constitute an offence against discipline.

“The CSO to the governor, when challenged by a superior officer demonstrated brazen indiscipline and showed disrespect to the senior officer, exhibiting conduct that violates all known norms of the force.

“Accordingly, the CSO was officially queried for discreditable conduct, insubordination, engaging in partisan political activities, illegal duty and acts unbecoming of a public officer,” the police said.

It added that owing to gross misconduct and apparent partisanship, the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, ordered the redeployment of the CSO, pending further disciplinary action.

“To this end, the IG has also constituted an investigative inquiry into the officer’s open engagement in political activities, disrespect

to senior officers and unethical practices.

“It is absolutely imperative that the police and police officers are insulated from partisan politics.

The IG therefore warned all police officers in any capacity to desist from acts that portray the force in a bad light and question the integrity of the personnel.

“In addition, any police officer, especially CSOs, Aides-de-Camp (ADCs), and orderlies attached to political officer holders or senior government officials who engages in activities outside the official schedule will be removed and made to face severe disciplinary action,” the statement said.

The police maintained that redeployment of the CSO to Wike must not be misconstrued or misinterpreted as widely reported in the media, noting that the Police Force must not be drawn to direct partisan politics and acts that are inimical to peace and public order.

“The governor as chief security officer of the state is at liberty to select any officer of his choice from the strength of the command to serve as his CSO, but under no circumstance should any officer abandon the security of his principal and legitimate duties to engage in direct partisan politics or conversely should any political office holder use police officers attached to them for political machinations,” it added.

Also, the police yesterday warned politicians in Rivers State to shun violence during the re-run elections, insisting that no politician would enthrone himself with the power of the gun.

Speaking during INEC’s interactive meeting in Port Harcourt, the IG said the police would not allow any politician to use guns and thugs to truncate the electoral process.

Idris, who was represented by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Charge of Operations, Joshak Habila, warned politicians and the electorate to stay 300 metres away from the polling units after casting their votes “We will not allow anyone to enthrone himself with the power of the gun. Votes must count in this election. We know where problems will come, so we have strategised to provide adequate security to allow the citizens to exercise their franchise.

“We will attach at least five policemen to one unit. We have also deployed 350 patrol vehicles to be kept at strategic positions for intervention response. The vans will be manned by armed security personnel. They will be stationed at a distance and in case of any violence they will intervene. They will be there waiting to apprehend those who will want to truncate the process.

“Three commissioners of police have been deployed to man each of the senatorial districts. Two units of

INEC Orders Investigation Meanwhile, the chairman of INEC also said yesterday that the commission has instructed security operatives to investigate allegations of thump printing of electoral materials in Rivers State, just as the president swore-in six new commissioners for the commission.

The swearing in was conducted inside the council chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The six nominees included Ogunmola Ladipo, former THISDAY Lawyer Editor, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, Abubakar Nahuche and Okechukwu Ibianu.

Others were Mohammed Haruna and Ahmad Muazu.

Speaking after the swearing in, Buhari said the appointees were persons of integrity.

He urged them to bring their integrity to bear while discharging their responsibilities as commissioners.

Buhari said: “This administration will demand of you to be firm and fair. What this administration expects is that after we have left, Nigerians will look at the political history and know that we served Nigeria.

“We want every Nigeria to use his PVC processed by a card reader and that they have are given the opportunity and security in their various constituencies to elect who

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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NEWS

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

NNPC Welcomes Its Unbundling under Proposed PIB Niger Delta demands amendment of provisions for community host fund House postpones MTEF debate, starts probe into $17bn undeclared crude

Omololu Ogunmade and Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday gave the thumbs up to the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) being legislated upon by the National Assembly, which splits the state-run corporation into three different entities.

At the commencement of a three-day public hearing on the bill at the National Assembly yesterday, NNPC said it welcomed the initiation of the bill.

The corporation said the new bill would serve “as the necessary prelude to the enactment of subsequent legislations for the upstream, midstream and downstream, fiscal, commercial and operational framework for the oil and gas industry”.

NNPC also acknowledged that the initiation of PIGB as a separate bill from the fiscal and commercial framework would hasten the overall consideration of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and also facilitate the “ease of execution when eventually passed into law”.

The PIGB, which focuses mainly on administration and privatisation of the petroleum industry, splits the NNPC into three different entities, viz: The Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC), National Petroleum Assets Management Company (NPAMC) and Nigeria Petroleum Company (NPC).

While the NPRC will serve as

a regulatory entity for the entire petroleum industry (upstream, midstream and downstream), the NPAMC will serve as the counter-part and administrator of production sharing agreements and such other risk-based agreements as the government may decide to conclude.

The bill also envisages NPC to serve as an integrated oil and gas company operating as a fully commercial entity across the value chain.

NPC’s activities will include joint venture operations, operation of the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), frontier exploration and other upstream/ service activities, refineries and petrochemicals, downstream activities and sale and disposal of crude oil and products.

Making a presentation at the public hearing, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, made certain suggestions which he wanted the National Assembly to incorporate into the bill.

Such suggestions included assigning NPRC the role of administering royalties, rentals, fees and other petroleum revenues.

He also said the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) should retain its roles as the collector and administrator of petroleum profit tax (PPT), company income tax and other taxes.

He also suggested the need for the bill to clarify the mechanism for provision of NPC’s initial funding requirements, observing

Family Holds Commendation Service for Late Michael Ibru Rebecca Ejifoma The commendation service for the late business mogul, Olorogun Michael Ibru, was held yesterday at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, as family and friends thronged the church to pay their last respects.

The service for the deceased who passed away on September 6, 2016, in the United States at the age of 86, came after the service of songs which also held in Lagos on Tuesday.

In his sermon, the Bishop of Lagos and Dean Emeritus, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Adebola Ademowo, who led the service, said the late icon was among the great number of Nigerians that used their talents for good.

He said: “With the mires of bad users (of their talents) all over today, we witness killings, greed, unemployment, insecurity, kidnapping and stealing.

“These are bad users of their talents on earth. Ibru was a good user of his. This country is too great to have greed run it down because we have a great number of people using their talents for good.

“There is need for us to remind ourselves that Heaven is real; hell is real as death may come at any time. Thus, let us not live our lives like we own it all. There is life in the after life. Let’s live for God everyday.”

The sermon was followed by a congregational confession of sins and seeking for forgiveness from God before the church made Eucharistic prayers and prayers for the acceptance of Ibru’s soul.

Accompanied by the Very Revd Adebola Ojofeitimi and Canon Residentiary Ven. Caxton E. O. Akingbesote, the bishop then held the communion service and prayers for the family and church members.

Afterwards, seven hymns were sang by the Church choir.

Also present at the commendation service were the Igbobi Old Boys’ Association, who chanted the college’s song (Teach us thy best) to Ibru as a dirge.

After the commendation service, the body was billed to be taken to his hometown in Agbarhaotor, Ughelli North LGA, Delta State, for the lying in state.

Another service of songs will be held same day at the same venue before the burial ceremony the next day at All Saints Cathedral Anglican Communion, with reception to follow afterwards at Ibru field, opposite the Ibru Ecumenical – Centre.

On Sunday, the family said they would have an outing service at Andrews Anglican Church, Agbarha-Otor, Ughelli North Local Government Area, Delta State, by 10a.m.

that NPAMC should be registered as an asset management agency with huge administrative tasks.

Baru also suggested the need for NPAMC to de domiciled in the NPC during the transition period until the public listing of the latter on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

He also advocated the need to amend a provision which empowers NPAMC to sell crude

oil and petroleum derivatives, saying assigning NPAMC the role of selling crude oil, which he said should be the responsibility of a department in NPC, would create two competing national oil companies that would both be involved in the sale of crude oil.

Baru also pointed out the need for the bill to delineate the roles of administration and collection of petroleum revenues in the bill with

a view to improving transparency in the administration and collection of petroleum revenues for the government.

In the same vein, he suggested the need for the bill to empower NPC to publish every year a detailed report on all petroleum revenue payments to the government, including royalties, rentals, PPT and corporate income tax, among others.

However, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) whose main concern was to advocate for the host community fund, kicked against some provisions of another bill, the PIB, including stopping the payment of funds to any community where petroleum operations are obstructed by activities of vandals.

Cont’d on page 50

CALL TO SERVE

New National Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Ogunmola Adekunle Ladipo; Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, Abubakar Ahmed Nahuche; Prof. Okechukwu Obinna Ibeanu; Mallam Muhammed Kudu Haruna; Air Vice Marshall Ahmad Tijani Mu’azu (rtd), at their swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Abuja ...yesterday Godwin Omoigui

EFCC Raids Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia’s Residence Lack of preparation by Justice Ngwuta stalls his trial

Davidson Iriekpen in Lagos and Alexander Enumah in Abuja The embattled judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, got a rude shock yesterday when operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) knocked on her door at about 5 a.m. to conduct a fresh search of her residence.

It was gathered that the operatives who arrived in large numbers, surrounded the house at No. 18B Lai Ajayi Bembe Street, Park View Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos.

This is coming eight days after a court had asked the anti-corruption agency to be professional in performing its duties.

Wondering why EFCC conducted the surprise raid on the home of a person who had already been arraigned in court, one of her lawyers described the search as “unlawful and an abuse of human rights”.

The EFCC had arraigned Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia alongside Mr. Godwin Obla, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on November 28, before Justice Hakeem Oshodi of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja, on a 30-count charge bordering on conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, offering gratification to a public official, and unlawful

enrichment by a public official, among others.

Ofili-Ajumogobia and Obla were in EFCC detention for about two weeks before they were arraigned.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Thereafter, counsel to OfiliAjumogobia, Mr. Wale Akoni (SAN), and counsel to Obla, Mr. Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), moved applications for them to be granted bail.

They were granted bail in the sum of N20 million and on self-recognition.

The next day, a court threw out Ofili-Ajumogobia’s fundamental rights suit, and urged EFCC to be professional in its conduct.

Justice Muslim Sule Hassan of the Federal High Court in Lagos had lashed out at EFCC over the way and manner it carried out its probe of Ofili-Ajumogobia, while delivering judgment in the N50 million fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by her against the anti-graft agency over her prolonged detention.

In another corruption-related suit against a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, his trial was stalled yesterday, following claims by the defendant that he was not fully prepared for his trial.

Ngwuta is being prosecuted by the federal government on a

16-count charge for corruption, money laundering and other financial crimes.

He has however pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on self-recognition.

Trial judge, Justice John Tsoho of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, delivering ruling on the bail application had fixed yesterday for the commencement of the trial.

But when the matter was called, lead counsel to the defendant, Mr. Kanu Agabi (SAN),toldthecourtthat even though his team was anxious to prove the innocence of their client, they were not fully prepared to commence the trial as scheduled.

Citing relevant portions of the constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), Agabi asked the court for an adjournment in the interest of justice to enable his client prepare adequately for his defence.

The counsel also requested the court to order the prosecution to upload all documents it intends to use in the trial, so that the defence could be fully prepared.

Responding, prosecution counsel, Charles Philips-Adeogun expressed surprise over the position of the defence, recalling that on the last adjournment it was the consensus of both parties that the trial would commence yesterday.

He drew the court’s attention to Section 396(3) of the ACJA that

provides for the day-to-day trial upon arraignment.

While objecting to the application for adjournment by the defence, Philips-Adeogun also submitted that there was no document to avail the defence, as all documents to prosecute the trial had already been uploaded to the defence.

He told the court that if the matter was adjourned, it would be a huge inconvenience for the prosecution, adding that he and his colleague are based outside Abuja, including the three witnesses they had planned to call to testify in the matter.

He suggested that in the alternative, the court should allow the prosecution to open its case while the defence could choose to do its cross-examination at the next adjourned date.

Delivering ruling on the application, Justice Tsoho, who held that Section 36 of the Constitution provides that a defendant be given adequate time to prepare for his defence, however, noted that that same section of the constitution covers a wide scope to include both the emotional and psychological disposition of the defendant.

He noted that no reasonable person would have a criminal charge hanging over his head and would not be anxious to clear himself.

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

NEWS

London Court Grants Injunction against Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum, Others in Lagos Oilfield Ejiofor Alike The Commercial Court Division of the High Court in London has granted an interim injunction restraining the partners in the Aje Oilfield, offshore Lagos from implementing a resolution passed for drilling two additional wells and exercising any rights under the default provisions of the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) of the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 113.

A Norwegian firm and one of the partners, Panoro Energy, which dragged the other partners to the London court, has also filed a request for arbitration with the secretariat of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Panoro, through its fully owned subsidiary, Pan Petroleum Aje Limited (PPAL), holds 6.502 per cent participation interest in OML 113.

Folawiyo Aje Services Ltd (FASL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Yinka

Folawiyo Petroleum, is the operator of the field, which commenced crude oil production on May 3, 2016 Other partners include: New Age Exploration Nigeria Limited, Pan Petroleum, Energy Equity Resources (EER) Nigeria Limited and PR Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited.

The partners earned their first income after the sale of the first oil in October 2016.

London-based Panoro had confirmed that its net share of proceeds from the sale before payment of royalties and taxes was $3.5 million, while one of the partners, London-based MX Oil confirmed that it received $1.2 million from the sale through PR Oil and Gas Limited, the holder of its investment in OML 113.

The dispute between the partners followed the passing of resolutions by the JV partners with respect to a proposed new well to be drilled and the related cash call to be paid by the partners.

Lagosian Nominated for Grammy Award Faridah Demola Seriki (aka Kah-Lo), a rising international artiste and daughter of former Minister of Defence and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Chief Demola Seriki, has been nominated for the prestigious Grammy Award.

Kah-Lo, an alumna of Hofstra

Journalism in the United States of America, was nominated for Best Dance Recording “Rinse & Repeat” – Riton Featuring Kah-Lo. Billboard.com had on Tuesday released the 2017 Grammy nominations for the Awards Ceremony which would hold on February 12, 2017 and would be aired live on CBS.

While the Oslo-listed Panoro has said it has the financial ability to fully meet the amount of this disputed cash call, the company has, however, insisted that the drilling of any new well is premature at this stage.

Panoro has also argued that the decision to incur such additional capital expenditures at Aje would require unanimous consent of the joint venture partners in accordance with the JOA, and further alleged that there was no such consent before the decision to drill new wells was reached.

The company acknowledged that it was in disagreement with

Atolagbe informed the court that the trial could not proceed in the absence of the defendant and therefore applied for a short adjournment pending the recovery of the defendant.

Counsel to Shuaib, Mr. Adetayo Adeyemo, apologised to the court that his client could not be present in court because of his illness.

He told Justice Baba Yusuf that the medical report of his client already being made available to the court, prosecution and other parties in the trial.

Lawyers to other defendants did not object to the application for an adjournment since Salisu had always been present in court since the charge was filed against them.

Justice Yusuf in his brief ruling, noted that since the charge was filed, the second defendant had never being absent in court and that for that reason, the court was obliged to grant the request for the adjournment.

After consultations by the lawyers in the matter, January

The Bureau of Public Enterprises has disclosed that the sum of N461.4 billion was the total proceeds from the sale of power assets, including deliverables, in the privatisation of the power sector between 2013 and 2015.

The organisation however expended N374.8 billion on the disengagement benefits of

workers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, N53 billion for the bulk companies, and N9.5 billion for transaction costs, leaving the government with the sum of N23.3 billion.

The balance of N23.3 billion has been transferred to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in 2015.

These details were presented to the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on the alleged

and damages in law and equity caused directly or indirectly by the joint venture partners’ breach of their contractual and equitable obligations. Panoro will also continue to take all necessary action to retain its equity participation in OML 113 and to preserve shareholder value,” the company added.

The company further stated that it has formally commenced dispute resolution proceedings with the OML 113 JV partners by filing a request for arbitration with the Secretariat of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Asks parents not to panic Tobi Soniyi in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an independent investigation into the death of Miss Ifedolapo Oladepo in Kano State while on the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

A statement issued in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the investigation should unravel the true circumstances of her death.

25, 2017 was proposed and was endorsed by the judge.

Meanwhile, the second charge referred from Justice Peter Affen to Justice Baba Yusuf was similarly adjourned to January 24, 2017 for mention. The charge was adjourned

by Justice Baba Yusuf for the reason of absence of Salisu Shuaib who is third defendant in the charge.

The adjournment was at instance of Salisu Shuaib who is absence due to illness.

The federal government has put Colonel Dasuki, Shuaibu Salisu, Aminu Baba Kusa, Acacia Limited and Reliance Referer Hospital on trial on the allegation of misappropriation of the said $2.1billion.

The five defendants have since denied the charges and had been granted bail by the court which government obeyed except for that of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki who had been clamped into the detention since December 2015.

BPE: N461bn Realised from Sale of Power Assets Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

issued by the Chief Executive Officer of Panoro Energy, Mr. John Hamilton, the company announced that the London Court has granted the interim injunction against the JV partners.

“The court order has been received whereby PPAL has been granted an interim injunction.

The other joint venture partners are now temporarily restricted from taking any action under the default provisions of the JOA that would prevent PPAL’s continued participation in the JOA and OML 113,” Panoro said.

“Panoro will seek to recover all losses, costs, expenses, compensation

Buhari Orders Investigation into Death of NYSC Member in Kano

Dasuki’s Trial Put off Till January 25 Less than one month after the demise of his father and former Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki, the federal government brought retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser (NSA) before FCT High Court for trial in the alleged $2.1billion arm fund misappropriation but the trial was however put off to January 25, 2017 by the court.

The adjournment followed the absence of one of the defendants in the trial, Mr. Salisu Shuaibu, a former Director of Finance and Account (DFA) in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), who was said to have taken ill and hospitalised.

The information on the sickness of the defendant was conveyed to the court by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Oluwaleke Atolagbe who informed Justice Baba Yusuf that he had been served with the medical report of the defendant confirming that he had been hospitalised.

its JV partners regarding a cash call default notice and initiated legal proceedings and arbitration to protect its interests.

In order to prevent the other partners from taking actions that could affect Panoro’s continued participation in the OML 113, the company also dragged the JV partners to the Commercial Court Division of the High Court in London seeking an interim injunction in order to prevent the other joint venture partners from exercising any rights under the default provisions of the OML 113 JOA. In its latest OML 113 update

non-transparent and fraudulent sale of power assets by the BPE at an investigative hearing yesterday.

The Acting Director General of the BPE, Mr. Vincent Akpotaire, told the committee that the 11 power generation companies were sold for the same of $1.4 billion, while the distribution companies were sold for $1.03 billion, making a total of $2.44 billion.

The president also commiserated with the families of the three NYSC members who lost their lives recently during the 2016 Batch ‘B’ orientation programme in three states.

The president, who described the demise of these young Nigerians as “shocking, sad and unfortunate,” regretted that they died in the course of answering

the national call to serve.

He urged the families, friends and associates of the deceased to be consoled by the knowledge that their loved ones paid the supreme price while on national service and not for ignoble reasons.

Buhari also extended condolences to the DirectorGeneral and management of the NYSC over the transition of the youth corps members,

Chinyerum Nwenenda Elechi, Ifedolapo Oladepo and Monday Asuquo Ukeme, in Bayelsa, Kano and Zamfara States respectively.

While enjoining the management to do all within its powers to protect the lives of those under its charge, the president called on parents and guardians of current and potential NYSC participants not to panic over the recent tragic deaths.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

COMMENT

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

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GIRL CHILD EDUCATION

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Munir Mustapha argues for more investment in the girl child for the benefit of the society

s a nation, we are now paying for the social injustice we did to our girls, the ones we deliberately deprived of their right to education.

Findings have revealed that Nigeria has one of the highest numbers of illiterates in the world, and majority of these are girls from the northern part of the country.

UNESCO (2009) found that 95% of the average northern girls in Nigeria were denied the opportunity to further their education beyond primary school level.

Some may ask why I am particular about girls. The simple reason is that I see great hidden potential in girls. Being the first teachers to children, kids from educated mothers tend to benefit from their knowledge which usually manifests in their performance in school and in their relation with people.

As stated by Kidjo, “everyone wins when children — and especially girls – have access to education. An educated girl is likely to increase her personal earning potential and prepare herself for a productive and fulfilling life, as well as reduce poverty in the whole community. Investing in girls’ education also helps delay early marriage and parenthood.

Our booming economies in Africa need more female engineers, teachers and doctors to prosper and sustain growth.”

Indeed, girl child education reduces inequality, .increases productivity and earnings, drives economic competitiveness; reduces poverty, improves health and nutrition, .lowers infant and child mortality rates, lowers maternal mortality rates, .protects against HIV/AIDS infections, and creates inter- generational education benefits.

Nigeria as the largest black nation is undoubtedly blessed with women who have excelled in their chosen carriers, both at national and international levels. Come to think of Dr.Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, highly respected and influential global leader, economist, policymaker and thinker on finance and economic development. The current Finance Minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun is another impressive example with regard to the role she is playing in our economy. Why did both the former and the current president chose females to head the finance ministry? There is something great from inside a woman’s heart; she is a naturally born strategist and financial adviser for her home. If only Okonjo-Iweala and Adeosun can come together, they will undoubtedly take Nigeria out of this economic recession.

The root of poverty is illiteracy and women that are supposed to come to our aid now are illiterates and many of them abandoned in rural areas. The billions of naira Nigeria spends in poverty eradication programmes if injected into girl child education could have produced more

AN EDUCATED GIRL IS LIKELY TO INCREASE HER PERSONAL EARNING POTENTIAL AND PREPARE HERSELF FOR A PRODUCTIVE AND FULFILLING LIFE, AS WELL AS REDUCE POVERTY IN THE WHOLE COMMUNITY

positive impact in the society. Imagine if the likes of Kemi Adeosun are somewhere enslaved with children on their laps in a village!

If only Nigeria had invested huge amount of money on women who are now our grandmothers and mothers, we would have had enough policymakers, influential leaders and positive change agents.

Developed countries have large numbers of women as their policymakers, special advisers and captain of industries and who contribute immensely to their democratisation process, human emancipation and socio – economic development.

In Nigeria today, many women have proven that if given the opportunity they could perform wonders. But we keep on depriving women from acquiring education which is their right, we always see them as burden. Some even have the belief that investing in girl child education is a waste of resources. And now, our girls are out on our major streets being abused, raped and violated. Where are we heading as a nation?

It is disheartening to note that most of the children selling groundnuts and pure water in the markets are girls, same as those at military check points across the nation.

Our girls are today seen as sex objects and can be trafficked to as far as Europe for prostitution.

Besides, since many girls are not educated, they remain dependent on their family before marriage, on their husband after marriage and on their children after the death of their spouse. This is the main reason for the unpleasant condition of many women. So if girls are educated, they will no longer be dependent on any one as they can fend for themselves.

Most of the problems of society can be eradicated by educating the girl child. Uneducated women do not know about the various contraceptive measures. Where they know they are often hesitant to use them.

We should put girl child education as our top priority, so that this nation can move forward. We should invest more and give out scholarships to our girls, most especially those in the rural areas so that we can have great thinkers.

The federal government, if possible, should declare a state of emergency on girl child education.

Attention should be focused on fighting early marriages, rape and malnutrition among the girls, which are some of the factors that hinder and affect girl child education.

Mustapha is a Bauchi-based accountant

MANAGING ANTIBIOTICS INFECTIONS

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Poor infection control and inadequate sanitary conditions encourage the spread of antimicrobial resistance, argues Stella Agbim

ntimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is the threat on effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections and infectious diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Antibiotic/antimicrobial resistance is the ability of microbes to resist the effects of drugs – that is, the germs are not killed, and their growth is not stopped.

Although some people are at greater risk than others, no one can completely avoid the risk of antibiotic-resistant infections. Infections with resistant organisms are difficult to treat, requiring costly and sometimes toxic alternatives. Bacteria will inevitably find ways of resisting the antibiotics developed by humans, which is why aggressive action is needed now to keep new resistance from developing and to prevent the resistance that already exists from spreading. The use of antibiotics is the single most important factor leading to antibiotic resistance around the world. Simply using antibiotics creates resistance. These drugs should only be used to manage infections.

The threat of AMR is an increasingly serious global public health challenge that requires action across all government/private sectors and the society at large. If antibiotics are not effectively administered, or where they are resisted, the success of major surgery and cancer chemotherapy would be grossly compromised.

This consequently makes the cost of health care more expensive and complex especially for patients with resistant infections because the duration of illness is longer and entails additional tests and use of more expensive drugs. Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs used in human medicine and can be lifesaving drugs. However, up to 50% of the time antibiotics are not optimally prescribed, often done so when not needed, incorrect dosing or duration.

The germs that contaminate food can become resistant because of the use of antibiotics in people and in food animals. For some germs, like the

bacteria Salmonella and Campylobacter, it is primarily the use of antibiotics in food animals that increases resistance. Because of the link between antibiotic use in food-producing animals and the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant infections in humans, antibiotics that are medically important to treating infections in humans should be used in food-producing animals only under veterinary oversight and only to manage and treat infectious disease, not to promote growth.

The other major factor in the growth of antibiotic resistance is spread of the resistant strains of bacteria from person to person, or from the non-human sources in the environment.

Globally, a lot of people develop multi-drug resistant TB each year, and drug resistance is starting to complicate the fight against multi-diseases, especially, HIV and even malaria.

New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening the ability to treat common infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged illness, disability, and death.

Without effective antimicrobials for prevention and treatment of infections, medical procedures such as organ transplantation, cancer chemotherapy, diabetes management and major surgery (for example, caesarean sections or hip replacements, knee and ankle surgeries, etc) become very risky.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs naturally over time, usually through genetic changes. However, the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials often accelerates this process.

Antimicrobial resistant-microbes are found in people, animals, food, and the environment (in water, soil and air). They can spread between people and animals, and from person to person. Poor infection control, inadequate sanitary conditions and inappropriate food-handling encourage the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

WHO estimates that in 2014, there were about 480 000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), a form of tuberculosis that is resistant to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs. Only about a quarter of these (123,000 cases) were detected and reported. MDR-TB requires treatment courses that are much longer and less effective than those for

non-resistant TB. Globally, only half of MDR-TB patients were successfully treated in 2014.

Among new TB cases in 2014, an estimated 3.3% were multidrug-resistant.

As of July 2016, resistance to the first-line treatment for P. falciparum malaria (artemisinin-based combination therapies, also known as ACTs) has been confirmed in five countries of the Greater Mekong subregion (Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam). In most places, patients with artemisinin-resistant infections recover fully after treatment, provided that they are treated with an ACT containing an effective partner drug. However, along the Cambodia-Thailand border, P. falciparum has become resistant to almost all available antimalarial medicines, making treatment more challenging and requiring close monitoring.

The cardinal risk is that multidrug resistance will soon emerge in other parts of the sub region as well.

The spread of resistant strains to other parts of the world could pose a major public health challenge and jeopardize important recent gains in malaria control.

On HIV, in 2010, an estimated 7% of people starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in developing countries had drug-resistant HIV. In developed countries, the same figure was 10–20%. Some countries have recently reported levels at or above 15% amongst those starting HIV treatment, and up to 40% among people re-starting treatment. This requires urgent attention.

Increasing levels of resistance have important economic implications as second and third-line regimens are 3 times and 18 times more expensive, respectively, than first-line drugs, this makes it pertinent that Nigeria must braze up interventions to ensure her citizens are not swallowed by health challenges especially at this time of economic crisis because, a healthy nation is obviously a wealthy nation n.

Since September 2015, WHO has recommended that everyone living with HIV be placed on antiretroviral treatment. Greater use of ART is expected to further increase ART resistance in all regions of the world. To maximize the long-term effectiveness of first-line ART regimens, and to ensure that people

are taking the most effective regimen, it is essential to continue monitoring resistance and to minimize its further emergence and spread. In consultation with countries, partners and stakeholders, WHO is currently developing a new “Global Action Plan for HIV Drug Resistance (2017-2021)”.

WHO is providing technical assistance to help countries develop their national action plans, and strengthen their health and surveillance systems so that they can prevent and manage antimicrobial resistance. It is collaborating with partners to strengthen the evidence base policy and advocacy tool and develop new responses to this global threat. WHO is working closely with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in a ‘One Health’ approach to promote best practices to avoid the emergence and spread of antibacterial resistance, including optimal use of antibiotics in both humans and animals. The goal of the global action plan is to ensure, for as long as possible, continuity of successful treatment and prevention of infectious diseases with effective and safe medicines that are quality-assured, used in a responsible way, and accessible to all who need them.

A high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance at the United Nations General Assembly was held in September 2016 to accelerate global commitments and enhance national multi-sectoral efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance.

Nigeria as the giant of Africa with the biggest population in the region should embrace the greater innovation and investment required to invest more in research and development of new antimicrobial medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic tools. Well-coordinated and articulated action is required to minimise the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Our country should be strongly committed to the global action plan to ensure, for as long as possible, continuity of successful treatment and prevention of infectious diseases with effective and safe medicines that are quality-assured, used in a responsible way, and accessible to all who need them.

Dr. Agbim is the Lead Advocate, Fidel Health Foundation

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8,, 2016

EDITORIAL THE LOOMING CRISIS IN BADAGRY

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The people should be taken into confidence in the Badagry Deep Seaport Project

wo months ago, aggrieved youths and elders of the 10 communities hosting the Federal University of Technology, Owerri protested an alleged incursion into their over 3,000 hectares of land by unknown persons, despite being in court. About the same time, the Bayelsa State Government had to intervene in the face-off between Daewoo Engineering and Construction Company Limited and its host communities in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of the state. Several cases of this nature abound and they remain a serious threat to peace.

Unfortunately, in several instances, most of the issues that lead to fracas are caused by the negligence of the authorities. That is why we call on the Lagos State Government to avoid what could be the beginning of another needless bloodshed by fulfilling the promise it made to the people of Badagry over the Deep Seaport Project.

At a recent THE LAGOS SATE meeting in the GOVERNMENT SHOULD United Kingdom,

BY ALL MEANS AVOID THE Lagos State COSTLY MISTAKES IN THE Governor, Mr NIGER DELTA. LET US LEARN Akinwunmi FROM HISTORY Ambode said the Badagry Deep Seaport Project with an estimated investment of over $2.3 billion would address the infrastructure deficit and urban renewal agenda of the state.

He said that when completed, the project would also generate over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs while pledging that the interests of the host communities within the location of the project would be protected.

However, going by the comments of a critical stakeholder in the Badagry Deep Seaport project, it seems the Lagos State Government has reneged on its promise. The Mobee of Badagry

Letters to the Editor

Kingdom, High Chief Menu Toyon, who is also the spokesman of the communities, expressed worry that APM Terminal and other stakeholders have not taken steps to address the concerns raised by the host communities regarding their equity participation. “Some peoples’ property will be used, some people will be relocated; but I will tell you that when you light a candle and put a paper on top of it, there is bound to be fire.

Let the APM Terminal come and meet with the stakeholders ’’, he said.

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hile efforts by the Lagos authorities to create the enabling environment for investment to thrive is commendable, it is important to note that host communities are a critical factor in the peace and development of a state. Examples abound all over Nigeria where federal and state governments in a bid to please foreign investors forcefully occupy lands belonging to families for generations without any commensurate compensation.

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

We recognise the fact that the Land Use Act of 1978 vested on the governor or the chief executive of a state the ownership of the entire land.

Therefore, the land and everything discovered beneath or above is the property of the governor or the chief executive. But the state government should also know that as the Deep Seaport becomes fully operational and their day-by-day activities begin to manifest, the various host communities will agitate for the good life and benefits in areas like education, health and other related issues.

This will often extend to other economic areas such as employment for the educated and unskilled youths and improved social amenities as pipe borne water, electricity, building of good roads and scholarship for their children, etc. It is best to carry the people along and allot an equity stake to them. The Lagos Sate Government should by all means avoid the costly mistakes in the Niger Delta. Let us learn from history.

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.

AGONY OF COMMUTERS ON LAGOS -IBADAN EXPRESSWAY

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f late, plying the Lagos -Ibadan expressway has become a burden for commuters, especially those residing along the Mowe-Ibafo axis of Ogun State. A journey that should ordinarily not take more than 15 -20 minutes now takes over four hours. Recently, a fatal road accident involving multiple vehicles occurred on the road, claiming three lives. This unfortunate incident caused a serious gridlock that almost brought the whole of Lagos to a standstill.

Being a major road that links Lagos, the commercial nerve center of Nigeria to other parts of the country, it is of course one of the busiest roads in the country. The situation of the road becomes even more complex with the growing population of residential communities along the Mowe-Ibafo axis.

This greatly increases vehicular movement along the route.

However, ongoing repairs on some critical sections of the road, which began about six months ago, have enormously compounded the situation. It is disconcerting that the repairs of a major exit route with economic relevance and implication is taking so long a time. Julius Berger Plc which handles the repairs has been foot dragging on the job to the consternation of many. Though the firm has since relatively braced up, there is much agony and frustration for commuters along the road.

As a result of the on-going construction work which necessitated the narrowing of a long section of the road, especially the popular Long Bridge, gridlock lingering into the dead of the night has become a usual episode. Many residents

are now compelled by the traffic situation to sleep outside their homes in order to avoid the terrible gridlock. The sorry sight of school pupils trekking hazardously home, sometimes through the scorching sun due to shortage of public transport, would make even a heart of stone to melt.

Aside the niggling gridlock and resultant stress, security of lives has also become a serious concern. Since the road has been narrowed and traffic now moves at snail speed, robbers and other evil minded people now daily unleash terror on commuters along the route. In the last few weeks there have been numerous cases of daring gangsterism on the road in which commuters lose several valuables such as handsets, wrist watches, money, laptops, among others. One of such incidences that is still very difficult for one to hurriedly forget involved a middle-aged woman who was thrown down the bridge by these dare devil hoodlums. To worsen things, security personnel rarely patrol the road.

The manpower lost to the traffic jam per hour, per day and per week is unquantifiable. It has been alleged that there are lots of intrigues behind government contracts and construction. Or how does one explain a construction work that has affected millions of lives and little seems to be achieved in terms of concrete results?

Sadly, Julius Berger plc doesn’t seem to care a hoot about the condition of commuters and residents along the route.

There are even unconfirmed reports that in spite of the much anticipated Yuletide season traffic rush along the route, Julius Berger’s staff working on the road would soon embark on

their annual end of year vacation.

Recently, there was a road collapse in one of the Asian countries aired on CNN, where a major part of an express way collapsed leaving a gaping hole that claimed almost the entire road. Interestingly it was fixed within three hours and opened for people to traverse without any problem. That is how things are done in developed and progressive societies.

There is a consciousness of time and conservation of energy and resources. Nigeria cannot afford to lag behind in science and technology; we must move at the same pace with the developed world if we want to discard the status of a third world country. It is quite unfortunate that such a repair work could take well over six months to complete. And no one is even sure of how long the work is going to take. Initially, the FG said work would be completed by last month. This, of course, remains a mirage.

It is time for the FG to pay close attention to the activities of the company handling the project as it is taking rather too long for its completion. More importantly, there is need for quality control as one side of the bridge that is recently completed is already developing potholes. This is on the Wawa end of the Long Bridge while coming to Lagos. It is important that the Federal Ministry of Works steps in right now to ensure proper assessment of the job so that it won’t be a case of a shoddy job; a situation where Nigerians will be left to suffer the same cycle of hardship on the road all over again.

Temilade Aruya, Arepo, Ogun State

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

POLITICS

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

PERSONALITY INTERVIEW

Olafemi: Buhari Not Responsible for Economic Woes Chief Clarence Olafemi, a former acting governor in Kogi State and erstwhile Speaker of the state House of Assembly, spoke with Yekini Jimoh on national and local issues. Excerpts:

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s the APC not battling the kind of internal crisis that undid the PDP? When the Board of Trustees structure was on, there’s no time major party issues are being discussed that we will not be consulted, but they have scraped the board of trustees system out of APC. That notwithstanding, we believe some of us still have a commitment to the party to make our views known. We still have the party elders’ forum, which I believe they still retain. They have the national working committee structure, which is still in place.

We have the body that consists of all the state chairmen, senator and the central working committee. So, there is still enough forum to discuss the problem of APC. However, I want to sound a very strong note of warning.

Yes, it is good that the governors of APC are meeting, and trying to be a focal point for finding peace within APC because it is a body whose voice can easily be heard.

The note of warning I want to serve is for the party to be careful so that we don’t have a repeat of what happened in PDP. Part of what killed PDP was that at the national level, the governors were so much overbearing in the running of the affairs of the party, and they coopted themselves into a cabal; that whatever they said, it’s either the party swallowed it as a whole or, they dismantle the party, to the extent that the governors were made the leaders of the party in the state; to the extent that the governors in any congress, at the national, go in bulk with the vote coming from their states, and once they are united, that is the end.

Where we have genuine issues, I think for example, the autonomy of the local governments, the moment the governors ganged up and said no, no speaker is allowed to go and vote against it, otherwise, when he comes home they will remove him. So, rather than allow democracy to improve, they were actually the stumbling stone to the development of democracy in Nigeria.

Do you fear that the APC governors’ meeting might boomerang?

Yes, I’m warning and saying categorically that we welcome their move but we can see that there is already a problem and I will tell you the problem. This forum recognises the executive, the forum and the legislature (National Assembly), but the problem of APC is even greater outside the designation of these three. We have the presidency, the party leadership within the National Assembly and the national central working committee.

But the aggrieved party men that came together to form APC, who never belong to any of these three are greater in population than these three we are talking about, and they are the one that are having problems now, with the entire APC system, persons like me and others, who for example were members of BoT before.

We are talking in all states of frontline politicians who never belong to any of these groups, but are opinion moulders and the strength of the party. All these governors, some of them are not actually helping to build the party in their various states, they are doing so much damage to the party in their states, and they are now supposed to midwife peace, when they have not even started to make peace in their own state. And, the people they are concentrating on, I can tell you that come 2018, if you send some of them back to their various constituencies, they will lose election, because they have not performed. I’m talking of the legislative arm too.

Today in Nigeria, and the type of system that we are running, other than for the party to arrange for election, and win, they are relegated to the background after the victory.

Olafemi...the legislature must desist from blackmail

They have no say. A situation where you have a state and twenty-six members of the state working committee, about nineteen or twenty or thereabout, are not with the governor of their state, something is wrong.

And, nobody can call the governor to order, and say, please, this is not acceptable to us.

So, I believe the peace effort should be made through a broader base consultation.

I know when we were preparing for election, and suddenly, INEC, on the advice of the military or the security agencies kept postponing the election, the APC held more than five meetings to seek opinion, to convey to them what is going on, to carry them along, to make us understand the position of the party, and what the position of the party was, because we were all briefed; we flowed with it.

None of us was against it. When I was reading, ‘APC governors wade into executive/

Honestly speaking, they (lawmakers) are giving the president too much problem, and they are selfish about it and I am not happy.

We have a country that is in recession, and we all agree that this recession was not caused by the President. How can somebody who is in government less than one and a half years be the one responsible for an economy that was on life support when he took over?

legislative party face-off’, I say, yes, if they can reconcile these three, maybe they will only be solving forty-five per cent of the party’s problem, fifty-five per cent still remain unsolved. When we are complaining about the president’s appointment, what about the states? Are their appointments not worse than what they are accusing the President of?

They should allow the President to make his independent consultation and take his independent decision, whether it favours the governors or not. Because, he is the overall father, even some loopholes being created by the actions and the inactions of the governors can be bridged by the president, in his own initiative.

What’s your take on the rejection of the president’s request for external loan by the Senate?

Honestly speaking, they (lawmakers) are giving the president too much problem, and they are selfish about it and I am not happy. We have a country that is in recession, and we all agree that this recession was not caused by the President. How can somebody who is in government less than one and a half years be the one responsible for an economy that was on life support when he took over?

And so, the only thing he can do, as a lay man in economy, in banking and finance, in industry, that I have spent the last forty years of my time, even on the domestic front, if you have three plots of land and you cannot pay the school fees of three of your children and they are going to be at home; you cannot give them two-square meal and is going to lead to malnutrition, you cannot even take them to hospital when they are sick to pay for their hospital bill, is it not better to take one of the plots of land and sell it, and get these things sorted out?

When we wanted to sell our assets, I think what Nigerians should have concentrated upon, was to ask questions, which assets do we want to sell? At what value? Where do we want to deploy the proceeds? I think it is not out of place to ask that question.

For example, the NLGC I’m aware that what the government was concentrating upon was to sell a percentage – five per cent out of forty-five per cent they are holding, and

with a caveat, that when the economy of this country improves, we can buy back that five per cent. It will be there.

But they would have raised money which they needed, to sort out one or two things that are requiring urgent attention. For example, if we sell, we raise money in foreign currency, and that will boost our foreign reserve and it will now have a direct effect on our foreign exchange rate that is killing the economy.

You said no. The same man now went, and said, ‘let me downplay it and go and look for money to borrow, you said no. So, what magic do you want the man to do?

At this present time, they held meeting on the Niger Delta/militant peace initiative, and the second or third day, they went and blew up an oil pipeline, a major supply pipeline, and we are told the amount of money Nigeria is losing daily as a result of militants’ activities in a key sector of our economy that we rely upon is 90 per cent, if not more.

At a point where up till now we have not been able to cross the boundary of $50 a barrel of oil, from $120 per barrel, in some administrations. So, the combined devastating problems that are confronting the economy is making it extremely difficult to find a window to boost this economy, and the only options that are practically on the ground today, are to sell part of our assets or to borrow money.

If you say No, then tell us where you want this government to get the money to transform the economy, to recover the economy, to get us out of recession? Why are people not honest? Meanwhile, the overhead cost of you people in the National Assembly up till today you have not reduced it. The man is still battling corruption. I can assure you that most Nigerians in power today are still involved in corruption. The projects in some states are still very unreasonable, and their lifestyle is not still in tune with the recession and the suffering of the people, and they are not ready to soft pedal.

What is the way forward?

What will happen is that one, we as Nigerians have to plead with the National Assembly to cooperate with the president. Let’s put politics apart, we cannot play politics with the lives of Nigerians. If you are saying no to a move, tell us what is the option? Don’t just say no because you have power to say no. And, Nigerians will have to be sincere with themselves because the average Nigerian that is opposed to the asset sales are very comfortable.

The average Nigerian that is opposed to taking loan is very comfortable. So, propose to the president, the options that are before him, and that are more acceptable to the ones that you are rejecting. You cannot just be saying no, no, no, and you expect that man to perform miracle? The economy of Nigeria is in bad shape. A tyre of my car that I was buying for sixteen thousand today it is thirty-four thousand. A bag of rice that I was buying for eight thousand naira about two years ago, today, is twenty-four thousand.

Even things that are completely local, with no foreign input, have skyrocketed. One egg is now fifty naira. There is nothing that has not gone up by hundred per cent, I don’t know of any, and the only way these can subside is to get the dollar rate down drastically; bring it down to about N200 to the dollar, and how can that be done? It is by increasing our own foreign reserve.

Even in our local area here in Lokoja, property business is at its lowest ebb, stock market business is at its lowest ebb. Everything is going down. It will get to a point where, and God forbid, we Nigerians should also forbid, we will almost be singing the song of Ghana in the early 80s. Let us not watch situation deteriorate to that level.

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

INTERVIEW

Sani: Why Atiku is fighting el-Rufai Malam Uba Sani is the Political Adviser to the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai. In this chat with journalists in Abuja, he talked about the current security situation in the state and the face-off between his principal and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. Bolaji Adebiyi presents excerpts:

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hat is Governor Nasir el Rufai doing to redress the security situation in Southern Kaduna?

You need to have a proper understanding of Kaduna State to enable you properly situate the incidents that have occurred in recent times in southern parts of the state.

First, Kaduna Sate is not at all burdened by insecurity. Yes, we recently had challenges in a number of communities in the southern parts of the state but the situation is firmly under control. Perhaps the situation could have been worse but for the measures that have been put in place since Mallam Nasir el Rufai assumed office as the governor of the state in May 2015.

The very unfortunate and extremely condemnable incidents that have occurred in the southern parts of the state were as a result of inherited problems that are steeped in the failure of successive past administrations to punish impunity and lawlessness. Like many other states in Nigeria, Kaduna State has its peculiarities. Since 1980, the state has had 12 major ethnic and religious conflicts. Each time a crisis occurred, the state government would set up a commission or panel of inquiry to find out what happened and to recommend how to avoid recurrence. No government has ever implemented in full the recommendations of any of these panels or commissions. As Governor El Rufai observed during his tour of affected communities, the current situation is a direct fall-out of the failure of the previous administrations to decisively tackle security problems when they occurred. The current administration has a perfect understanding of the dynamics in the state and is resolute about preventing reoccurrence of the crisis.

The governor and members of his team had studied the reports of all the committees and commissions of inquiries set up since 1980 and discovered that previous administrations neglected or refused outright to implement far-reaching recommendations made by these commissions of inquiries. But be that as it may, the situation is firmly under control now.

There is no cause for alarm. Security forces have identified several of the perpetrators of the dastardly acts and the governor has ordered that they face the full weight of the law.

What are the measures the government is taking to avoid a recurrence of ethnic or religious conflagrations, particularly in southern parts of the state?

Persons fanning embers of discord in the southern parts of the state are always quick to create the impression that each time a crisis occurred it was always as a result of either religious or ethnic disagreements. But we have found out that this is hardly the truth in over 80 per cent of the cases. So, part of the preventive measures the El Rufai administration is putting in place is to make our people understand that as Nigerians, we have the right to live in any part of this country we chose to.

He said we are all Nigerians and God knows why he made all of us to be Nigerians. It is also God, who created us all and willed that we should belong to different faiths or religion. So, we are building structures that we believe will teach and instill the culture of tolerance and forgiveness of each other in our people. This is fundamental since it is at the heart of the matter. We may have ethnic, tribal or religious differences but we are all related; we are all brothers and sisters because God Almighty in his wisdom decided to bring all of us together in this beautiful state called Kaduna. So, getting our people to learn how to tolerate each other is important and of course the other aspect is the justice issue.

Another burning issue is the face-off between your boss and the former Vice President,

penchant to be gullible sometimes.

He has obviously kicked off his 2019 presidential campaign and Atiku regards el Rufai as a rival of sorts. This is, however, disheartening given that the former vice president ought to know that power comes from Almighty Allah and Allah gives power to whomever He wills. Equally important is the fact that el Rufai’s support and loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari is unalloyed and unwavering.

Sani

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. What is your take on the accusations leveled against the governor by the former Vice President?

The governor has issued a reply to the claims of the former vice president. I totally agree with, and stand by that reply. And this is not just because I am currently his political adviser but also because I know the facts of the crisis that buffeted Alhaji Atiku, particularly in the last one year of his stay in office as the Vice President of Nigeria. I am familiar with the facts of that era because at the time, I was also serving in that government as the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo.

In any case, in recent times, it seems that attempting to pull down el Rufai at all costs has become the favorite sport of Atiku. But of course, as intelligent people, we can guess why he targets the governor regularly. I have carefully read through Alhaji Atiku’s interview published in the Zero Tolerance magazine, which of course has been widely reproduced on several social media platforms. I shudder at the very poor attempt by him to re-write history.

Mallam el Rufai’s records in all the public offices he has held are well known and properly documented. In virtually all instances, his rugged anti-corruption deportments have always placed him at harm’s way. The el Rufai we all know will not even bend the rules for himself. Be it at the Bureau of Public Enterprise, where he served as the Director-General for four years; or at the Federal Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, where he presided as the minister for another four years; and even now in Kaduna State, where he currently serves as the popularly elected governor, el Rufai’s war against corruption is legendary.

In the interview, Atiku was curiously quoted as alleging that el-Rufai and others who incorporated Transcorp during his time as vice president, offered him shares and he declined. He said he wrote them officially to say it was unethical of him to have accepted the offer. Atiku’s intention here is unmistakable: to tar the highly respected el Rufai with the corruption brush. Records of the incorporation of Transcorp are at the Corporate Affairs Commission and other relevant agencies of government for any interested person to peruse.

Mallam el Rufai was never a member of the incorporating or founding team of Transcorp.

He has never owned any share in Transcorp.

Can someone offer what he does not have or own? El Rufai could not have offered Atiku shares in Transcorp because he never had any to offer. The former vice president is well aware of the facts but it is very convenient for him to manipulate the public given our

Atiku also claimed that el Rufai and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Executive Chairman of EFCC at the time, were used by former President Obasanjo to orchestrate unfounded corruption charges against him in order to prevent him from succeeding Obasanjo as president. Is that true?

Nothing can be farther from the truth. I am very familiar with the circumstances that led to the indictment of the former vice president for corruption. Former President Obasanjo, whose reputation as an anti-corruption crusader remains unassailable, ordered the inquisition that led to the indictment of his deputy after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had discovered illegal movements of cash into Atiku’s US account and of course his dealings with certain business men and interests in the US. President Obasanjo, who single-handedly nominated Atiku as his running mate in 1999, did not originate the probe of his deputy in the US and Obasanjo, given his status as a highly respected international statesman and anti-corruption crusader of note, certainly could not have ignored the request of the US authorities to assist in the probe of what they discovered to be a huge international financial crime cabal. In 2006 the US Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the US Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) commenced investigations into possible violations of federal laws of the US, including offences involving bribery of public officials, wire fraud, bribery of a foreign public official and conspiracy. The US Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice via a letter dated June 22, 2006 requested for certain investigations to be carried out by Nigeria’s EFCC with regards to a business venture involving iGATE, an American company, and NDTV, a Nigerian company. The letter from America contained a long list of Nigerians that the US authorities wanted the EFCC to interrogate and investigate. Atiku’s name was on the list.

Once EFCC under Ribadu commenced investigations into the matter, shocking discoveries were made. Investigations by the EFCC were long-drawn and very thorough and the commission’s report on this crucial matter is very bulky. In a nutshell the EFCC discovered that the funds approved for the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) operations across the country were diverted to some banks for various placements at different interest rates over a period of time.

These placements were said to have been made pursuant to an approval sought by the PTDF Executive Secretary at the time, Y. H. Abubakar, whose office was under the Vice President (Atiku Abubakar) Office. The investigation, according to the EFCC, further revealed that these placements were made in the banks for purposes not unconnected with promoting some personal businesses, which coincided with the placements.

In the report, the EFCC queried among other things, what informed the vice president’s approval for the placement of $125m PTDF approved funds into these two banks as well as the unilateral approval of additional $20m by the vice president to PTDF and its subsequent placements in one of the banks, thereby negating the purpose for which the funds were applied for.

In a nutshell, the former vice president was

indicted by the EFCC and the findings of the anti-corruption agency was corroborated by the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the Federal Government. The immunity clause in the constitution prevented him from being prosecuted at the time. It is, however, true that the courts eventually ruled that the indictment by the Administrative Panel was not enough to prevent him from vying for the office of the President in the 2007 election but the courts did not vitiate the findings of the EFCC. But Atiku said these claims and charges were trumped up by Obasanjo, el Rufai and Ribadu?

How could el Rufai or Obasanjo have contributed to whatever situation Atiku went through? el Rufai did not ask the US Justice Department or the FBI to investigate him; el Rufai was never a staff of the EFCC and neither was he a staff of Federal Ministry of Justice and so could not have been involved whatsoever in the investigation of Atiku. Why then does he take so much pleasure in pointing fingers at el Rufai?

Interestingly, Atiku also enjoys talking about how he galvanised both el Rufai and Ribadu to public service prominence. That is another area that I must use the opportunity of this interview to clarify. Atiku did not appoint or influence the appointment of el Rufai as the Director General of the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) in 1999. He did not also influence the appointment of el Rufai as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory after President Obasanjo won his election for a second term in office in 2003.

In both instances, President Obasanjo considered and appointed el Rufai to these positions purely on merit. So, let this blackmail end once and for all. People tend to forget too easily that el Rufai worked round the clock to actualise the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua presidency in 2007 but when he saw early enough that the administration was not keen on building on the legacies of Obasanjo, he spoke out and this did not go down well with Yar’Adua and members of his inner caucus. El Rufai became public enemy number one and was eventually hounded into exile. Truth is, under the Yar’Adua presidency, el Rufai became the most investigated Nigerian alive. Similarly, el Rufai joined other fair-minded and patriotic Nigerians through the Save Nigeria Group, to make the National Assembly confirm Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the Acting President of Nigeria when it was clear that the health of the late Yar’Adua had become imperilled.

Dr. Jonathan was confirmed Acting President and eventually became the substantive President in 2011 after winning the election. Jonathan deviated from the path of honour and el Rufai promptly spoke out but was equally branded an enemy by the Jonathan administration.

Let it be known that el Rufai is wired by Almighty Allah to resist unwholesomeness in its entire ramification.

It is about time Atiku and others like him came to terms with the fact that service to the nation should not always be about personal interests but about the wellbeing of Nigeria, particularly the urgency of reworking our nation not just for this generation but also for generations yet unborn. The nation has deservedly turned a new leaf.

May 29th 2015 Nigeria changed for good, bidding final farewell to corrupt, insensitive and self-serving leaderships, particularly at the federal level. Yes, it is true that our dear country under the incorruptible President Muhammadu Buhari may be going through rough patches occasioned largely by the corruption and ineptitude of previous leaderships; the real bad news however is that persons who brought the nation to this sorry pass are now capitalizing on the current, albeit temporary, downturn in our economy, to manipulate the citizenry – nudging us to return to our vomit. God forbid!

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

FEATURES

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

Towards Ending Child Marriage Child marriage has remained one of the gnawing issues facing the girl-child in several parts of Nigeria. In this report, Ugo Aliogo and Azeezat Abdulkareem examine the effects of the practice and efforts to eradicate it

Song presentation by students of Government Junior College, Agege, during the 23rd Teenage Festival of Life organised by Action Health Incorporated in Lagos...recently

C

hild marriage is one of the fundamental issues facing the girl-child in the 21st Century in Nigeria and some parts of Africa. In some societies in Africa, child marriage has a culture standing. Advocates of the practice contend that the practice is built around strong cultural traditions which cannot be exterminated in lieu of western civilisation.

In carrying out this practice, some critical facts are not put into proper perspective by the advocates, such as the physiological trauma and the inability of the victim to make her choices.

The crude nature of the practice ensures that it is continuously done without being reviewed by succeeding generations. The strong grip on this practice has made it seemingly difficult for stakeholders to clamp down on the practitioners. Also, the practice is not done in the open; rather it is done secretly among the families concerned.

Online statistics show that in Nigeria, 43 per cent of girls are married off before their 18th birthday, while17 per cent are married before they turn 15. The prevalence of child marriage differs widely from one region to another, with figures as high as 76 per cent in the North-west region and as low as 10 per cent in the South-east. While data shows a 9 per cent decline in the prevalence of child marriage since 2003, action is needed to prevent thousands of girls from being married in the coming years.

The report further espoused that poverty, poor educational attainment and strong social and religious traditions are drivers of child marriages in Nigeria. However, the report stated that education is a strong indicator if a girl would get married as a child. The report added that: “82 per cent of women with no education were married before 18, as opposed to 13 per cent of women who had at least finished secondary education. In northern Nigeria, parents have complained that the quality of education is so poor that schooling cannot be considered a viable alternative to marriage for their daughters.”

At the 23rd Teenage Festival of Life (TFL) organised by Action Health Incorporated (AHI), the issue was once again brought to the front burner of discourse, the focus was shifted time from creating awareness, to chart a road map to end the increasing prevalence of the practice. AHI which has been at the centre to stamp out this practice uses the TFL to provide a medium for young people to acquire knowledge and share their viewpoints on the years’ theme, ‘using the creative arts as a medium’.

To set the tone for the discourse was the Executive Director of AHI, Mrs. Adenike Essiet. In the last two decades, Essiet has devoted much of her time fighting for the

Child marriage violates a girl’s right to health, education and opportunities to fulfill her potential. It is also exposes girls to violence and traps her in the vicious cycle of poverty. The factors that drive the unfortunate phenomenon of child marriage in Nigeria are rooted in gender inequality, poverty, poor educational attainment and strong socio-cultural and religious traditions

right of the girl-child especially on issues of youth development and internship, sexuality education and counseling, clinical and referral services and other reproductive health programmes. Her commitment to this cause has been driven to the far ends of many slum communities in Lagos State. These efforts have not only recorded successes, but have transformed the lives of many young girls.

Some of whom have began to chart a new pathway for their future.

She began her address on a note of caution to parents and intending brides.

She hinged her views on the premise that girls are not only good in the kitchen who serve as housewives; but also belong to the society, therefore, there is a need for them to be equipped with education, information and vocational skills, “they need to live healthy and fulfilled lives.” She remarked that the staggering rate of child brides has alerted Action Health Incorporated to organise a day programme to create awareness on the issue of child marriage, its prevalence in Nigeria, impact and effects on the child bride, community and national development.

Essiet added: “These child brides are burdened with responsibilities as wives and mothers with little support, resources, or life experience to meet these challenges.

Furthermore, girls’ rights; health and development are undermined by the impact of early marriage, including pregnancy and early child bearing which impacts on their mortality and morbidity. They are also outcomes of early termination of their schooling which limits human capital and their future productivity which of course affects the lives of their children and families.

“Child marriage violates a girl’s right to health, education and opportunities to fulfill her potential. It is also exposes girls to violence and traps her in the vicious cycle of poverty. The factors that drive the unfortunate phenomenon of child marriage in Nigeria are rooted in gender inequality, poverty, poor educational attainment and strong socio-cultural and religious traditions.

“To end child marriage in Nigeria, we need

to understand the complex drivers of the practice and work across different sectors to empower girls, mobilise families and communities, provide services and implement laws and policies that will ensure improvements in services, changes in social norms and girls’ empowerment.”

Also speaking at the event, the Director Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Lagos State, Mrs. Alaba Fadairo, noted that the state government is also working effectively to stop child marriage, adding that two years ago, a girl was rescued by the Lagos State Task Force on the wedding morning. “The husband came all the way from Mali to take his bride in Badagry, luckily the girl had just finished her secondary school last year. Government has zero tolerance for early marriage of girls, the marriage will have influence on the girls emotionally, socially, physically and health wise,” she noted.

Medically, child brides are liable to have Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF). VVF is an abnormal fistulous tract extending between the bladder and the vagina that allows the continuous involuntary discharge of urine into the vagina's vault which also have a profound effect on the patient emotional well-being. It is caused by childbirth, when a prolonged labour presses the unborn child tightly against the pelvis, cutting off blood flow to the Vesico Vagina Wall.

The Nigerian Constitution does not establish a minimum age of marriage. The Child Rights Act, which was passed in 2003, sets the age of marriage at 18 years old. However, only 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states have taken concrete steps to implement the minimum age of marriage.

As part of efforts to end the practice, the federal government recently announced plans to launch a campaign to end the practice and other related harmful traditional practices in the country.

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Aisha Alhassan, said the move was borne out of the resolution by African leaders to end child marriage during the 25th African Union Ordinary Session of Heads of State in June 2015, adding that the

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• T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

FEATURES

A girl recites a poem about ending child marriage

leaders also resolved to take practical steps in addressing the issues of child marriage and other harmful traditional practices.

“One of first practical steps is a vigorous campaign to end child marriage was launched on November 29 at the Sheraton Hotel.

“Global communities and Nigeria in particular are increasingly recognising child marriage as a serious challenge, both as a violation of human rights and a hindrance to key developmental outcomes,’’ she said.

Alhassan said African countries that were faced with the challenges of child marriage robbed girls of their education, health and future, stating that according to UNICEF findings, 15 million children are married off every year globally with devastating consequences on their general wellbeing.

She added: “This is very disturbing as it is further revealed that 15 out of the 20 countries with the highest rates of child marriage in the world are in Africa. Fifteen African countries have so far launched the campaign to end child marriage. The countries are Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Niger, the Islamic Republic of Gambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Zambia, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali and Madagascar. A National Technical Working Group set up to end child marriage in the country was inaugurated on July 23, 2015 by the ministry.”

Alhassan urged the media, development partners and other stakeholders to redouble their efforts in ensuring girl’s rights to freedom from child marriage and other forms of violence against children, calling for a more proactive effort to end the practice.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) at a recent conference decried the high incidence of child and forced marriage in Nigeria, describing it as violence against women.

Speaking at the conference in Abuja, Entity’s Deputy Country Representative in Nigeria, Adjaratou Ndiaye, noted that gender-based violence has become a preoccupying human right violation, adding that recent studies

Global communities and Nigeria in particular are increasingly recognising child marriage as a serious challenge, both as a violation of human rights and a hindrance to key developmental outcomes

Stage drama presentation on child marriage by participating schools

First prize trophy in song category being awarded to Government Junior College, Agege

The Executive Director of Action Health Incorporated, Mrs. Adenike Essiet, congratulating participating teachers at the event

have also shown the negative impact of the phenomenon on the economy of the country.

Ndiaye, who was represented by the UN Women Programme Manager, Desmond Osemhenjie, observed that victims of genderbased violence are unable to contribute to the growth of the economy due to the trauma they suffer. “There is also the cost of medical and psycho-social support for those who can

access it, and may never fully recover.”

She added: “Reports from the National Demographic and Health Survey in Nigeria shows that 28 per cent of all women have experienced physical violence since age 15. The major challenge to efforts at preventing and ending violence against women and girls is the substantial funding shortfall,” even as she stressed “the need for sustainable financing

to end gender-based violence and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, between government and states.”

In her remark, Human Rights Watch Senior Nigeria Researcher, Ms Mausi Segun, noted that with 630 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, Nigeria has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, adding that most of these deaths occur in northern Nigeria.

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IMAGES

Abia state Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu (middle) and some indigenes of Ukome Isieke community after the official flagg off of Ukome/Isieke road by the governor..recently

Chairman, NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and the European Union Ambassador to Nigeria Michel Arrion during a viit to discuss how to help solve the enviromental problem in Niger Delta with Ndoma-Egba in Abuja...recently Julius Atoi/THISDAY IMAGES

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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

L-R; Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed;. Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Mohammed Bello and Chairman,Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Dino Melaye. at command performance of seleccted troupes in Abuja.....recently

L-R: Head, Information Technology, Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Dave Adeniji; Managing Director/ Chief Executive officer, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, Engr. Earnest Mupwaya; Chief Executive Officer, Web Asset Limited, Mr Kayode Aladesuyi; and Deputy General Manager, Engineering Standard and Safety, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission; Mr Abdul Bello Mohammed during the media launch of crime-reporting app, Hawk Eye in Abuja...recently

L-R; President, Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), Mrs Funmi Ladipo; Regional Manager West Africa, Emirates Airline, Mr Manoj Nair and a FADAN member Mrs Adaku Nwoko during the presentation of air ticket to the president of the association at the Emirates Office, Lagos...recentlly

L-R Representative of Edo state Fire Service, Mr Uyi Uwagboe; MD, NPDC, Mr Yusuf Matashi; NPDC Public Affairs Offiicial, Mrs. Christy Madu; Dr. Faleke Idris of NNPC, Benin Medical; Guest Lecturer, Mr Ajobo Uni Edward and the Zonal Commander, FRSC Benin, Mr Kehinde Adeleye at the launching of NNPC Health and Safety Environment (HSE) week in Benin City...recently

L-R; Head, Environment Compliance and Public Relations, Etisalat Nigeria, Oluseyi Osunsedo; Managing Director, Kantar Consumer Insight Nigeria, Aggrey Maposa and Head, Marketing Communications, Etisalat Nigeria, Seni Ogunkola during the presentation of the award for the Most Connected Brand in Nigeria to Etisalat at the 2016 Kantar Awards for brands in Nigeria in Lagos...recently

R-L;: Mr Tola Noibi; Gen. Oladipo Diya GCON (Patron and Sponsor); Mrs Olabisi Atinmo (CHEPON); Mr Olawale Adekoya (Media Officer to Gen. Diya?); overall Winner students of the - Elyon College, Abeokuta; Mr Soji Dosumu; and Chief Gbenga Oludemi (President OCDC) duriing the 2nd Gen Oladipo Diya Public Speaking Competition at Odogbolu, Ogun State....recently

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

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BUSINESSWORLD NIBOR OVERNIGHT 1-MONTH

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EXCHANGE RATE N305.25US DOLLAR AS AT LAST FRIDAY

Quick Takes Yudala Rewards Customers with Kia Rio

FUND MANAGERS’ MEETING

L-R: Pioneer President, Fund Managers Association of Nigeria (FMAN), Hajara Adeola; current Vice President, Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju; Chairman, Ethics, Rules and Regulations Committee, Ade Buraimo; President, Ore Sofekun; Chairman, Technical and Enlightenment Committee, James Ilori; Officer, Eno Atoyebi; and Treasurer, Fela Popoola during the general meeting of FMAN in Lagos…recently KOLA ALLi

Adegbuyi: New NIPOST will Create Millions of Jobs Emma Okonji The Postmaster General/CEO of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Bisi Adegbuyi has vowed to overhaul the entire NIPOST system and reposition it to create millions of jobs for unemployed Nigerians and boost the medium and small enterprise (SME) businesses in the country.

Adegbuyi made the promise at the NIPOST Workshop Services Customers’ Forum held in Lagos recently, with the theme: “Technology Key to Repositioning NIPOST in Today’s Economic Recession”.

He noted that the government

TELECOMS agency has all it takes in terms of infrastructure and human capital to sustain itself and still contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP), but that it only needs a little push with modern technology tools to realise its huge potential.

“The federal government needed someone with good business acumen to turn around the fortunes of NIPOST, and I was appointed few months ago to do just that. My strategy is to focus on parcel deliveries and use same to empower over 70 million Nigerian youths and offer them services that will make

them become entrepreneurs.

This is about eCommerce and that is where the money is,” Adegbuyi said.

We will do strategic thinking and bring in people from the private sector, who are already successful businessmen and women to help turn around NIPOST, he added.

According to him, “It is an open secret that a forward looking business concern must be amenable to the dynamics of its operating environment.

As CEO with private sector orientation, I intend to do things differently in order to achieve better results that would be of great benefit to

the organisation, its workforce and all other stakeholders. To this end, we would leverage on the deployment of technology, coupled with information technology to drive the operations of NIPOST in line with trends in modern businesses and put the organisation in competitive stead.”

According to him, countries that have prospered relied on small and medium scale businesses, which they supported technologically. The NIPOST customers’ forum is to drive home, the point that the world is growing through technolContinued on page 24

Women in LPG Target 40m Homes in Nigeria Before 2030 Ejiofor Alike The Nigeria Chapter of Women in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (WINLPG) has assured the federal government that the group has set machinery in motion to make about 40 million homes in Nigeria to switch over from the use of kerosene and firewood to cooking gas before 2030.

President Muhammadu Buhari had announced that the federal government was on course to making up to 40 million homes to embrace cooking gas in the next 24 months.

Nigeria has Africa’s largest reserves of natural gas after Algeria but most households in the West African country still depend on firewood or

ENERGY kerosene for cooking.

In a communiqué after the inauguration of the group in Lagos, WINLPG said the body was working to get millions of Nigerian households to discontinue using firewood and kerosene in the near future.

The communiqué quoted the Coordinator of WINLPG in Nigeria, Mrs. Nkechi Obi, as saying that the group would partner the federal government in the resolve to get more Nigerians to switch over to LPG. She argued that smoke from firewood contributes to about 95,000 deaths annually, making it the third biggest cause of death in Africa’s most populous nation after malaria and HIV/AIDS. “We envisage that more

households in Nigeria will embrace LPG in the near future to promote better health for our womenfolk and boost growth and development. Mr. President, we assure you that you will never walk alone in this bold initiative to make Nigerians to adopt LPG. We are together in this journey and we assure you that Nigeria will get to the Promised Land in the near future,’’ she said.

Obi, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman of Techno Oil Limited, estimated that about seven in every 10 households in Nigeria are using either firewood or kerosene for cooking.

“Cooking should not cause death. Change must come to the kitchen. Clean cooking energy for all is not only possible but a right for our citizens,’’ she

added.

Obi disclosed that WINLPG would engage individuals, groups, private and public sector organizations to facilitate the transition of millions of people from cooking with firewood and kerosene to cooking gas.

“This is a task that must be accomplished. More so, now that President Buhari has drawn the roadmap and endorsed our initiative,’’ the communiqué added.

Among the prominent women who participated at the WINLPG inauguration include: the President of the Global Network of Women in LPG, Mrs. Allison Abbott and the WINLPG Chair, Mrs. Nikki Brown.

Continued on page 24

Mr. Samuel Uadiala has emerged the winner of a brand new Kia Rio in a raffle draw conducted at the Yudala Head Office in Gbagada, Lagos, recently.

Uadiala, a frequent shopper at Yudala, beat thousands of other contenders drawn from attendees at the Yudala Zero Gravity Concert held in the three cities of Lagos, Abuja and Enugu as well as shoppers from the company’s Black Friday sales which ran from Thursday November 24th till Monday November 28th.

Uadiala had received a raffle ticket after he purchased a Lenovo device and a Tecno phone from Yudala about a month ago.

Of the thousands of customers that qualified for the raffle draw, 100 were randomly selected and the list later pruned down to 20 for the grand draw. Five customers from the Yudala Zero Gravity Rock Gospel Concert held on November 20, 2016 in Lagos, volunteered to witness the raffle draw and ensure proper authentication of the proceedings.

A visibly elated Uadiala, who was accompanied by his wife, Jummai and other members of his family, was full of commendation for Yudala during the official presentation of the car last Thursday.

“I am short of words. In fact, it is still like a dream to me. When I received the call from Pastor Remi Morgan on Tuesday, I thought someone was trying to play a prank on me. But no, it turned out to be true. Today, I am proud owner of a brand new Kia Rio,” Uadiala said.

Also speaking during the presentation, Founder/Vice President, Yudala, Nnamdi Ekeh reiterated the company’s status of dependability, as seen in the transparent process that produced the winner and the guarantee of genuine products for which Yudala is renowned.

Firm Introduces Aviva Sparkling Wine

A new wine –Aviva, has been introduced into the market to compete with the existing ones. The Aviva, a premium sparkling wine from Spain was recently launched into the Nigerian market at a colourful event in Lagos. The launch party drew a retinue of showbiz stars, and other dignitaries, including officials from the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria. The launch party drew a retinue of showbiz stars, and other dignitaries, including officials from the Spanish Embassy in Nigeria.

Aviva was said to have been selling in more than 35 countries around the world with a high success rate.

According to a statement issued by MG 11 Express, the promoters of the brand in Nigeria; ‘’Aviva is sweet and smooth tasting wine packaged in a very attractive bottle. The premium wine comes in four different flavours; Gold, Rose Gold, Rose and Platinum. ‘’It is a shining sparkling wine, the first of its kind in the Nigerian market today with such look. You will no doubt fall in love with it when seen for the first time, it’s more than attractive that you will want to shake and taste it.’’

OLX Wins Best Classified Ads Website

OLX, Nigeria’s number one online classified has won the award for best classified ads website of the year at the sophomore edition of the NigeriaTechnology Awards (NiTA) which held recently in Lagos.

While receiving the award on behalf of the company, its Business Operations and Finance Manager, Goodluck Ikporo, thanked the organisers of the awards for the recognition. Ikporo acknowledged that although it had been a challenging year for Nigerians due to the economic recession, OLX nonetheless remained steadfast in providing a safer and secure platform for its users and more options for them to earn additional income on the platform.

“We are truly honored to have emerged winners in this category.

I want to specially thank our OLX users who believe in us. I will like to dedicate this award to them and to the OLX team,” he said NigeriaTechnology Awards (NiTA) 2916 was organised to recognise and reward technology entrepreneurs, innovators, inventors, academicians, and policy makers in Nigeria. The theme for this year’s award ceremony was “Celebrating Technology Excellence & Innovations”. The ceremony had in attendance major players in the eCommerce industry across various sectors of the economy, who gathered to celebrate outstanding achievement in various categories of the award.

“The entire world is now in the digital age and Nigeria has no choice but to key into the digital age that is fast transforming economies” President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD ADEGBUYI: NEW NIPOST WILL CREATE MILLIONS OF JOBS ogy and that NIPOST is in a position to drive economic development in the country, using modern technology tools, the Postmaster General said.

Government, he said, must therefore provide the technology tools for SMEs to grow and make meaningful contributions the the Nigerian economy. What we need do is to key into global best practice and use technology to drive development through SMEs, Adegbuyi added.

The keynote speaker at the forum, Major Sam Olaosebikan (rtd), pledged his support for Adegbuyi’s vision to turn around NIPOST, but advised the Postmaster General to seek private sector partnership, if NIPOST must realise its vision. “NIPOST can become money making organisation if the services of the NIPOST workshop is expanded to all the six geopolitical zones and all the states where NIPOST has presence,” Olaosebikan said.

Although not many knew about the NIPOST workshop, which is located in IjoraOlopa, Lagos, its products and services, which cut across wood work and furniture making, metal work and steel fabrication, among others, are showcased at the General Post Office in Marina and Ikeja, as well as district post offices in Surulere, Adeola Odeku, Falomo, Festac, Apapa and Agege, all in Lagos, where the workshop is located.

WOMEN IN LPG TARGET 40M HOMES IN NIGERIA BEFORE 2030 Others were the President, Nigerian Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA), Mr. Dayo Adeshina; Chairman of First Bank Plc, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika; Executive Director & Co-founder,Falcon Corporation, Mrs Audrey Joe-Ezigbo;Brand Ambassador for Nigeria LP Gas Association, Mrs. Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde; President, Nigeria Academy of Engineers, Mrs. Olu Maduka, Country Director, Africare, Dr. Orode Doherty and the General Manager, NNPC Retail, Mrs. Betty Ugona.

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

Stakeholders Insist on Regulatory, Technology Neutrality for Convergence Emma Okonji Information and communications technology (ICT) stakeholders, including regulators, operators and experts have insisted that regulatory frameworks and legislations must continuously support innovation and competition for convergence to be successful across the West Africa economies.

This was the submission of the stakeholders and experts at the 8th West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC) that held recently in Lagos. WACC is the annual stakeholders’ forum on convergence trends in West Africa, organised by Knowhow Media & Market Intelligence International Limited.

While technology convergence has inherently meant the fusing of otherwise separate technology platforms for regulators and policy makers, the challenge has remained how to sustain growth, maintain market coherency, remain fair to all parties and be effective in the face of increasing trends of disruptive technologies.

President of the Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola, said: “Every operator is concerned with leveraging on technologies to enhance service, gain competitive advantage and operate within the fringe of existing regulatory frameworks.

The pressure to meet market and technology dynamics often result in conflict with slower regulatory process.”

In his paper on “Regulation, Technology Neutrality and New Telecom Services in the era of Convergence the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of Nigerian Communications

Commission (NCC). Prof.

Umar Garba Danbatta, said: “Convergence poses a unique challenge to all regulators and increasingly, they must adopt positions that best serve all interests.”

Danbatta said the NCC had opted for technology neutrality convinced that technology cannot be regulated but operators could be regulated to comply with the policy goals of the country as it concerns the telecom sector.

“We are all witnessing different technological changes and also observing convergence of services and their resulting effects on regulations especially,

technology dependent regulations which are made obsolete by these changes. We have learnt from these experiences that, in developing regulations, we need to consider technology neutrality,” Danbatta said.

“We equally understand that, technology dependent regulations could hamper, slow down or restrict innovations, development and deployment of new services,” he added According to him, as regulator, NCC has observed emerging trends and evolution of new technologies and services from time to time.

“Technological changes such as Over The Top (OTT) services

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office has kicked off the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion (EDIP) programme in Nigeria.

The programme, which commenced with the first train-the-trainers workshop in Lagos on Tuesday, was designed to develop capacity and foster enterprise and investment promotion through the development of first-rate business incubation management and counselling systems.

One of the facilitators, Mr. Afif Barhonmi, said, with the right regulatory, incentive framework, and the right frame of mind of entrepreneurs, the Nigerian economy could take a step forward in merging the goals of entrepreneurship development, youth empowerment/ engagement, continuous economic diversification, industrial upgrading and technological innovation, to make the nation a more competitive brand in the continent and the world at large.

He said: “We are starting with ITPO Nigeria in order to develop capacity for the local team and also a centre for

enabling environment including the formulation of technology neutral regulatory frameworks to promote growth and development in the industry.”

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Pantami, who spoke on “Convergence, IT Regulation and the Promotion of Local Content,” said regulation remained essential to sustaining real growth and the building of indigenous capacity, and with convergence, it becomes even more imperative to ensure that the country leverages on converged platforms not just as a consumer but as a producer.

CAPACITY BUILDING

L-R: Head of Consumer Distribution, Ecobank Plc/Former Chairman Committee of E-Banking Industry Heads (CeBIH) and Chief Commercial Officer, Cloudalert Limited, Mr. Umesh Chandwany at the 2016 annual retreat of CeBIH held in Abuja…recently

UNIDO Kicks Off EDIP in Nigeria Nosa Alekhuogie

whose mode of operations are technically different from the traditional services have emerged. OTT services are competing with traditional services, for example, voice calls are routed differently from the existing system which used structured numbering plan developed for routing and billing purposes, for technically different platform which establishes call using applications (apps) sitting on phones connected through the internet to their hosting servers,” he said.

But Danbatta assured stakeholders that the “Commission will continue to provide the

entrepreneurship in Lagos and other regions. This is the first capacity programme and there will be others on developing business incubation management system and counselling.

“This team is a tough team because they are professionals with wealth of experiences.”

Participants agreed that developing the business growth cycle would require assistance schemes and policies, which would contribute to the transformation of the Nigerian economy and its integration.

They argued that it was not only important to encourage entrepreneurs to invest in the economy, but also to improve the policy environment.

Another key element highlighted at the workshop was the need to create entrepreneurial competencies and self-rating questionnaires, in addition to identifying potential investment areas. Describing the workshop as timely, a Director, Research and Innovation in UNILAG, Prof. Wellington Oyibo, described the workshop as timely, adding that it was the much-needed tool that could deliver the Nigerian economy from the depression of recession.

Oyibo noted that if both government and stakeholders do not join hands now to

manage the entrepreneurs to excel, then the country would have destroyed the engine room of the economy.

He added: “Looking at the different models introduced/ unveiled at the workshop, we have been able to craft what will work for us as a country.

“The workshop cuts across training the trainers; it helps us to begin to synthesise in our different spaces. We will use the robust discussion to calibrate across different fields because participants are from different fields.”

Another participant and Director-General, Sokoto State Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency, Ms. Aisha Hassan, described the first of its kind event as an eye opener for both entrepreneurs and government.

She admitted that conventional national statistics and methodologies were not enough to impact economic development, but added that attracting the right potential entrepreneurs, absorbing new technologies as well as following international standards of production and global value chains had tremendous implications for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Nigeria.

Yola Disco Procures 240 Transformers to Boost Electricity Supply in N’East Daji Sani in Yola Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has procured 240 Units of Single Face High Voltage Distribution Transformers to boost electricity supply and activities of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in the area. The new transformers were used to replace those that they were destroyed by Boko Haram in three frontline states.

The Managing Director of the company, Alhaji Baba Umar Mustpha disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Yola, Adamawa state and nothing the company’s commitment and determination in boosting economic activities in the north- east where it is situated.

He noted that the reason for the procurement was to improve epileptic power supply and boost the economic activities of the frontline states, which are dire need of development and food due to the insurgency which had brought starvation and hunger in the area.

Mustapha said the aimed is

to boost the small and medium scales enterprises so as to bring the nation out of its current recession.

He further explained that the transformers which comprises 25, 20,and 15 KVAs is designed to reduce technical load, and improve voltage quality in front line states bedeviled by the Boko Haram insurgency.

“The transformers is vandal free, controls low voltage and can not be tampered with by thieves.”

Mustapha assured customers that 80 percent of YEDC customers would be metered free by 2017, while charging customers to reports any faults to the company.

The MD said the epileptic supply experienced in the last one week zone might not be unconnected with the challenges of gas constraints which dropped generations of power to 3000 Megawatts which affected the 3.5 per cent share of YEDC share.

He however called on customers to desist from energy theft to enable the company thrive in the north east.

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Echoes of Suspension of New Price Floor for Data Services Emma Okonji examines the reasons for NCC’s suspension of the new price floor for data services and network operators’ continued agitation over the regulator’s action The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator, on Wednesday last week, suspended the re-introduced interim price floor for data services, and asked all operators to revert to the old price floor. The regulator directed all operators to maintain the status quo until the conclusion of study to determine retail prices for broadband and data services in Nigeria.

The Director, Public Affairs for NCC, Mr. Tony Ojobo, who signed the statement for the suspension, said the development became necessary, following the general complaints by consumers across the country, who perceived that the interim price floor would lead to hike in the cost of data services across networks.

He said the decision to suspend the directive was taken after due consultation with industry stakeholders.

But the suspension has continued to elicit reactions from telecoms operators, who felt aggrieved that the reversal to the old floor price for data services, would continue to eat deep into their revenue, a situation, they said, could affect the quality of data services across networks, since operators were running at a loss with the old rate.

The genesis NCC had on November 1, 2016, written the mobile network operators (MNOs) on the determination of an interim price floor for data services after a stakeholder’s consultative meeting of October 19, 2016. As at November 1, 2016, the industry average for data tariff floor for dominant operators including MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, EMTS Limited (Etisalat) and Airtel Nigeria Limited was N0.53k/MB. But the interim price floor as introduced by NCC, which was to commence with effect from December 1, 2016, seeks to increase the industry average for data tariff from 53k/MB to 90k/MB. Statistics of the old rate showed that Etisalat offered (N0.94k/MB), Airtel (N0.52k/MB), MTN (N0.45k/MB) and Globacom (N0.21k/ MB). It was based on these rates that NCC initially came up with an average data tariff of 53k/MB for dominant operators.

But the smaller operators/new entrants like Smile Communications, Spectranet, and ntel, charged different rates. Smile Communications charged N0.84k/MB, Spectranet charged N0.58k/MB and ntel charged N0.72k/MB. Considering the initial rate of 45k/MB, which MTN charged and the new rate of N90k/MB as contained in the interim floor price for data services, which was supposed to take effect from December 1, 2016, MTN, went ahead to inform its over 61 million subscribers that it would increase data tariff with effect from December 1, 2016, as approved by the NCC. The information to MTN subscribers which was sent via Short Message Service (SMS) otherwise known as text message, raised a lot of dust among subscribers across networks, who started calling on NCC and the operators to rescind the decision of data tariff hike.

Following the complaints from subscribers, NCC decided to suspend any further action in that direction.

What price floor is all about Price floor is one of the regulatory safeguards normally put in place by the telecommunications regulator to check anticompetitive practices particularly by the dominant operators. It is therefore a minimum price on a good, commodity, service among others as stipulated by government or the regulator.

Without a price floor, the dominant operators can engage in predatory pricing to squeeze other operators which could create industry monopoly.

Why NCC introduced price floor According to Ojobo, the introduction of price

Danbatta

floor for data services in the country was to address market distortions, unhealthy price wars and value erosion that could threaten the concern of the service providers.

“Consequently, there is a gradual paradigm shift from voice telephony services to data and digital services. In line with the global trend to drive the vision of Internet of Things (IoT), the network service providers in the country embarked on aggressive promotional campaigns.

As a result, all market players follow each other in introducing daily packages and engage in serious price war. Some operators were actually pricing below cost and this will affect the ability to continue in operational existence if the issues were not addressed urgently,” Ojobo said.

According to him, it became clear that NCC needed to act quickly to ensure the integrity of the network and availability of service to Nigerians, hence it introduced price floor for data, in order to address the situation.

Reasons for introduction and removal of floor price NCC, in 2014, first introduced floor price for data services in the telecoms market, but later removed it in 2015 for obvious reasons.

In 2014, a benchmark study was conducted and a price floor of N3.11/MB was set for data services for the big operators, because the data market segment became very aggressive in price competition in 2014, thus posing risks of prices falling below costs, which could negatively impact sustainability in the industry.

According to Ojobo, NCC had to introduce data tariff floor that year in order to safeguard investment in the industry; to check and control anticompetitive practices by operators who were dominant in the upstream market; to prevent further value erosion in the industry; to create a level playing field for all operators and to maintain the integrity of the network.

However, in October 2015, NCC took a decision to lift the price floor for data services, having perceived that it would stifle pervasive broadband deployment, adoption and usage, in the country.

This decision, according to Ojobo, also took into cognisance, the complaints by service providers to waive the price floor for data service to enable roll-out of infrastructure and growth of the data market segment. He, however, said that NCC clearly stated that it would restore the price floor if any distortion is witnessed within the market segment.

In October 2016, NCC, re-introduced price floor for data services in line with its mandate

Adebayo

of promoting fair competition in the telecom industry.

How NCC arrived at the interim price floo Giving reasons for the re-introduction of an interim price floor for data services, Ojobo said NCC later discovered that some service providers were actually pricing their services below cost, a situation that could spell doom for the industry.

He said dominant operators in the wholesale leased line market, who also operate in the retail market embarked on massive predatory pricing, a conduct capable of substantially lessening competition.

Ojobo said the dominant operators took undue advantage of the removal of floor price to erode value in the market, hence its intervention, to safeguard investment and ensure growth, development and sustainability of the telecoms industry.

But before the re-introduction of an interim price floor for data services, NCC sent letters to service providers requesting for their comments and inputs regarding the rate to be fixed as interim floor price for data services pending the finalisation of the study on the determination of cost based pricing for retail broadband and data services in Nigeria.

NCC, however, maintained that there should be no price floor for small operators and new entrants.

Based on the comments and inputs received from operators and in line with the Commission’s principle of participatory regulation, NCC invited and held stakeholders’ meeting with service providers in October 2016, to share the industry anti-competitive practices witnessed in the data market segment and to get their comments and inputs on what the price floor should be.

Based on the comments from the service providers, NCC observed the need to create a balance by ensuring that the interim price floor is not too low in order to provide a cushion for small operators and new entrant to offer competitive products. NCC also noted that the price floor should not be too high to ensure affordability by consumers, and that rate should be fixed at a level that will encourage growth, roll-out services and ultimately attract investments into the telecoms sector.

Subsequently, the Commission fixed an interim price floor of N0.90k/MB for big operators. NCC, however, said the rate would subsist pending the finalisation of the study on the determination of cost based pricing for retail broadband and data services in Nigeria.

In order to promote a level playing field for all operators in the industry, encourage

small operators and to enable new entrant to acquire market share and operate profitably, NCC gave a standing order that all small operators and new entrants should be exempted from the interim price floor for data services.

But unknown to NCC, subscribers strongly detested the introduction of interim price floor because they perceived it would increase cost of data services, especially now that the country is facing economic recession. Subscribers had to protest immediately MTN announced the plan to hike data tariff based on the introduction of the interim price floor for data services by the NCC. The complaints also got to the National Assembly members, who summoned the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu and Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof Umar Danbatta for questioning.

Why operators opposed suspension Following the action of NCC to suspend the interim price floor, telecoms operators, under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), condemned in strong terms, the decision of NCC to suspend the interim price floor, which seeks to increase data tariff. In a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Gbenga Adebayo and its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Damian Udeh, ALTON said that price changes for data services across all networks following any intervention by the NCC are not expected to have a detrimental effect on broadband penetration contrary to some sentiments being expressed in the media.

“ALTON wishes to emphasise that while it is imperative that telecommunications operators continue to explore opportunities to provide their subscribers with more value for their money, it is important that prices be set at realistic levels which ensure that subscribers are not only able to afford services but that operators are also in a position to provide first-rate quality of service to their subscribers,” Adebayo said.

According to him, while ALTON fully understood the public sentiments that greeted the announcement of the introduction of interim data tariff, it should be known that if the situation is left unaddressed, it could result in a sustained deterioration in the quality of data services across networks and the attendant poor quality of experience for users.

Now that NCC has given reasons why it introduced price floor for data services, it will be nice if the NCC also considers the business sustainability of operators in determining prices, as operators await the conclusion of NCC’s market study on price floor for data services.

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Dikko: Listing on Stock Exchange Necessary for Telecoms Operators The Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at Etisalat, Ibrahim Dikko, spoke with Emma Okonji on service quality and the clamour for telecoms operators to list their shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, among other sundry issues. Excerpts: regulatory framework and still satisfy their customers. May be the operators have not been able to advertise and make subscribers know what they have done so far to address the issue of unsolicited voice and data messages.

The truth is that a lot of those messages do not come from the operators. Those who broadcast such messages, however, used the platform of the operators to make such broadcast. Again, operators have introduced Do Not Disturb Me platform, which gives the subscribers the opportunity to freely opt out from receiving the messages. We are still discussing with the NCC to see how we can resolve all of that.

There have been several calls on telecoms operators by Nigerians to list their shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, and MTN has begun the process of listing. What is your take on this and when is Etisalat planning to begin listing on the stock exchange?

Listing on the stock exchange is a good idea and it is necessary for telecoms operators to do so. But the current move by MTN to commence listing is based on the agreement it had with the federal government and the NCC, as part of the condition for the payment of its N330 billion fine. As for Etisalat, we see listing as something good for the government, the operators and the subscribers. But we are waiting for our board of directors to tell us the appropriate time to commence the process of listing. We have had meetings with the stock exchange in the past and we are willing and waiting for the right time to begin listing (process).

Poor service quality is a generic thing across networks, but what is Etisalat doing to address it within its network?

Improvement on service quality is an ongoing thing and we at Etisalat, will continue to improve on our services in order to serve the customers better. But the truth is that the quality of service that I do experience in Nigerian is the same elsewhere outside the country, even though people deliberately do not want to accept it that way. The indices and standards that NCC uses in regulating the telecoms industry in Nigeria, are of international standards and operators in Nigeria are measuring up to such standards.

But that does not remove the fact that we still have some challenges in the telecoms industry in Nigeria. The challenges that we the operators contend with are numerous and most of these challenges, also affect service quality.

What does it take to fix the challenges?

It takes a lot to fix some of the challenges because some are beyond our control. For instance, we need fibre optic cables to connect some homes and offices, but we need to get right of way (RoW) permit from government to dig up the roads to lay the fibre optic cables and such permit is difficult to get, thereby slowing pace of telecoms expansion and development. Apart from the time it takes to get the permit, agencies of the federal government and the state government do charge the telecoms operators arbitrarily, just to get money from the operators. Again, we face the challenge of willful destruction of our facilities and when this happens, it affects service quality.

The federal government, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been making efforts to woo foreign investors to invest in the country’s broadband development plan, and government was in Thailand last month to do same. What are the indices that will likely attract more foreign investments into the country?

Nigeria has several Key indices that are attractive to foreign investments, and one of them is our large population size that is over 190 million people and 60 per cent of this figure are under 30 years of age. This is an indication that the country has large population of the youth segment and this age grade of people are technology savvy and proactive.

Again, language is another key factor, because every Nigerian speaks English language, which is a globally spoken language, and this makes for easy communication between investors and the Nigerian people.

Our infrastructure is still underdeveloped, and that is another opportunity for foreign

Dikko

investors to take advantage of to invest in our broadband infrastructure and other aspects of our infrastructure.

Etisalat Nigeria was at ITU Telecoms World 2016 conference in Bangkok, Thailand, where Nigeria featured prominently. What is your assessment of Nigeria’s participation at the conference?

Nigeria’s level of participation at ITU Telecoms World 2016 conference was great because this year, unlike previous years, the federal government was fully represented by the Minister of Communications and members of the National Assembly. They all participated at various sessions, especially the Nigeria Investment Forum that attracted many foreign investors. The Nigerian pavilion was outstanding and NCC brought young technology start-ups who showcased their solutions at the Nigerian Pavilion and also participated in the pitching exercise.

For me, it was an experience that is good for Nigeria because we were able to interact with the global technology companies because ITU Telecoms World is a global event that brings global players together to discuss new technologies. Today, economies of the world are implementing the ministry of digital economy to drive technology development in their countries and Nigeria must begin it think in that direction.

At the recently concluded ITU Telecoms World 2016, Nigeria was rated high for her clear policies on broadband penetration, but the country’s rating on ease of doing business has been very low, what can be done to improve on this?

There is need for government to come up with better policy implementation on the ease of doing business. For us as telecoms operators, there is little we can do because we are already in the country doing business and it is left for government to develop policies that will make business transactions a lot easier.

But I think government is making efforts to improve the rating on ease of doing business, and government is also making efforts to diversify the Nigerian economy since it is clear to government that oil revenue can no longer sustain the country.

Etisalat has been involved in young innovators’ development in Nigeria, and recently it organised the young innovator’s prize award, where it gave out huge sums of money to successful innovators to expand their solutions and businesses. What is the motive and how will it impact on ICT development in the country?

One of the things that stood us well in terms of success in the Nigerian telecoms market, is about technology innovation and what we have done around technology products and services. As a company with global vision, we are promoting the campaign of “You Can Do It Yourself”, hence we organised technology innovators competition to bring out the best from among Nigerians.

The idea is to support up-coming technology innovators and give them hope of global growth and sustainability. For example, in 2008 when Etisalat commenced operations in Nigeria, we noticed that there was no telecoms engineering course in any of the Nigerian Universities. They only had engineering courses in Computer Science, Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics and Civil, but not in telecoms.

So we introduced telecoms engineering at the master degree level so that those with engineering background in disciplines like Computer Science, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics among others, could do a master degree in telecoms engineering. Etisalat is not only supporting the universities that are currently running telecoms engineering, but it is also training the lecturers that will teach telecoms engineering. We are currently training four lecturers at Ph.D level in telecoms engineering and one of them is about to complete the doctorate programme with ground-breaking thesis in telecoms engineering.

Apart from these, we have also supported young technology start-ups at the Co-Creation Hub (CC-Hub) in Yaba, Lagos, where star-tups and entrepreneurs are mentored.

Recently, NCC threatened to sanction telecoms operators over the continuous broadcast of unsolicited SMS. Why are operators still making such broadcast, despite NCC’s warning?

The truth is that no operator wants to make its customers unhappy, and they are doing all they could to operate within the NCC

One noticeable trend in the telecoms industry is that operators have suddenly outsourced their base stations and masts to IHS, who now manages them. What value has this development brought to the telecoms industry?

In 2001 when Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) started, there was no wireless infrastructure in the country.

What we had then was the NITEL telecoms infrastructure across the country. But when licences were issued in 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2008, operators had to build their own wireless infrastructure, because there was none on ground.

Six years, the guidelines on co-location of infrastructure came out because the NCC felt there were enough infrastructure that were built by the first set of operators, which could be shared among old and new operators. Then in 2013, operators saw the need to sell their base stations to infrastructure providers, to enable them concentrate on their core business of providing telecoms services to the people.

So what IHS has done is to buy up most of the base stations, built more and allow operators to collocate. Now the value this has brought to the telecoms industry is that it has saved a lot of cost for the operator and the money will be invested in network expansion and service quality. It has also allowed the operators to focus more on their core business of providing telecoms services.

Telecoms operators are currently busy rolling out 4G LTE network. Of what value is it to the subscribers and the telecoms industry?

Technology is evolving and operators have to move with the evolution of modern technology. When operators launched GSM services in 2001, they started with 2G, but in 2006, they rolled out 3G services, and today we are talking about the fourth generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) technology. The value that 4G is bringing to the telecoms industry is huge, in terms of speed of connectivity, downloads and uploads.

What is your take about smart cities development in Nigeria?

Smart cities development is a good initiative, but it can work perfectly only where there is existing infrastructure. Nigeria does not have the infrastructure to boost smart cities development and the cost to build the infrastructure and to set up smart cites in a particular state, may cripple the finances of such state.

My view about a good smart city is for government to look at the basic services that people need and begin to provide the facilities that will enable people have access to such services in an affordable way. So to achieve something close to smart cities, government should provide pocket of facilities in different locations where people can go and hook on to, in order to have access. For example, licenced infrastructure companies (InfraCos) should be able to provide the facilities that people living around the locations covered by the InfraCos, could access.

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Google Deal Puts Africa on Cusp of First Smartphone Plant A Johannesburg startup is set to become the first company ever to manufacture smartphones in Africa, taking advantage of low costs and growing local demand to build handsets, tablets and other devices based on Google Inc.’s Android system.

Onyx Connect, a privately backed company that’s raised 150 million rand ($10.8 million), will begin production in the first quarter, according to Andre Van der Merwe, its sales director. The company is licensed to load Google software like Android and Chrome onto devices sold under its own brand or products it makes for others.

“We are talking to companies to manufacture handsets, laptops and possibly Android TV boxes,” Van der Merwe said in an interview. Those talks include Google itself and Johannesburg-based Vodacom Group Ltd., the South African unit of Vodafone Group Plc, he said. Vodacom would “welcome the opportunity” to offer high-quality devices made in South Africa, Jorge Mendes, a Vodacom consumer sales and distribution executive, said in an e-mail, declining to comment on Onyx specifically.

For Google, local production

would stoke a sales push in Africa, one of the few regions where it isn’t the outright browser leader. The Alphabet Inc. unit trails Opera, which accounted for 39 percent of web traffic in September on the continent, versus 32 percent for Google Chrome, according to StatCounter Global Stats. In addition to software Google makes devices like Chromecast media players and Chromebook Pixel laptops.

“With most Africans accessing the internet for the first time on smartphones, it is important to ensure affordable devices are available so that people can access the benefits,” Google said in an e-mail.

While a $600-plus iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S7 is prohibitive to most African consumers, Onyx says it can produce a device in Johannesburg for about $30 that includes a camera and 1 gigabyte of memory. The company is setting up a distribution center in Ethiopia within the next 12 to 18 months, Van der Merwe said. He said the project will create 600 jobs.

A drop of about 40 percent in the value of South Africa’s rand against the dollar in the past five years has helped

open the door. It’s made labor less expensive in Africa’s most industrialized economy, while making phones imported from China or elsewhere in Asia harder to afford.

Manufacturer subsidies have largely fallen away, limiting the availability of devices in the more-accessible price range of 600 rand ($42) and below, according to Arthur Goldstuck, director of researcher World Wide Worx in Johannesburg.

“The risk with such invest-

ments is that the company is entering an industry where your marketing budget will have to be massive and you are competing with companies that have the biggest research and development spending in the world,” Goldstuck said. “It can also be difficult to compete with economies of scale made possible by vast volumes of devices assembled in massive factories in China.”

Onyx Connect’s plan involves tapping into China’s

strengths. The company sourced circuit-board designs and raw components from China, but it’s designing the rest of the phones and building them itself from the circuit board up. The plastic cases are being produced locally, and Onyx has its own research and development capability, Van der Merwe said.

Kevin Paul, managing director of black-owned IT-services provider Nambiti Technologies in Johannesburg, owns a 35

percent stake in Onyx Connect.

Some South African companies, including Sekoko Mobile, Zest Mobile and Mint Mobile, are already assembling smartphones from imported kits. By going a step further and actually manufacturing the devices, Onyx is saving on import duties.

Along with the savings on shipping and government incentives, “we are able to compete right here,” Van der Merwe said.

DS-IHUB Showcases Best of Talents in Software Coding DISCUSSING CONVERGENCE Stories by Emma Okonji The Delta State Innovation Hub (DS-IHUB), last week in Asaba, showcased over 56 energetic/ creative young Nigerians with passion for technology innovation, who pitched their solutions at the Delta State open innovation hackathon competition tagged ‘Hacked within 36 Hours Nonstop Coding’ that focused on resolving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenges for Nigeria and Africa.

Those who pitched at the software competition, were able to disprove most Nigerians who think that software developed in Nigeria cannot compete in the global information technology (IT) innovation market arena to solve critical national problems. There were convincing signals that products showcased have the resilience and capability to solve local challenges if properly harnessed and deployed.

Delta State Governor, Senator.

Ifeanyi Okowa and the panel of judges, who were thrilled with the innovative solutions that were showcased, encouraged the tech entrepreneurs to scale up their solutions to meet up with national and global market challenges. The event was developed in response to the need to engage and build up tech-creative minds and young innovative software developers and start-ups in Nigeria Before the pitch, the tech start-ups were camped in the DS-IHUB for 36 hours of techinnovation design and coding in a 10 Megabit PS Domain with strong internet connection powered by MainOne. For the judges, if the solutions on showcase which cut

across health, e-Gov, Water, Shelter, environments, education, agriculture, employment, among others, could be scaled up to market application level.

At the end of the competition, Team Artisan, made up of two students from the University of Uyo, won the first position.

Okowa, who was thrilled with the innovations showcased by the participants, said they represented skilled workforce needed to accelerate the local content solutions deployment and take Nigeria to the next level.

While urging the participants to scale up their solution to the next level, the State Commissioner of Finance, David Edevbie who represented the governor, told the gathering that the hackathon would position the participants well for challenges of modern ICTdriven economy and should be done annually.

“Everybody is a winner. In today’s world, there is need to engage in a paradigm shift, which is focused on knowledge research and aggregate experimenting with new and innovative ways of achieving rapid economic development for the good and prosperity of Deltans,” Edevbie said.

The DS-IHUB is a public private partnership(PPP) initiative between Delta State government and Mobile Software Solutions, established as a platform to develop knowledge in information and communications technology (ICT). The state government believes that the expertise in the knowledge, practice and adoption of technology can be effectively harnessed through constructive innovation to curtail poverty and ignorance.

L-R: President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Mr. Olusola Teniola and Director General, National Information Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Isa Ali Pantami at the West Africa Convergence Conference (WACC) 2016 in Lagos...recently

Lenovo Opens First Brand Store in Nigeria Lenovo Nigeria, in partnership with Slot Systems, has announced an exclusive business deal to operate the first ever Lenovo brand retail store in Nigeria.

The store, which is located in the Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos, will cater for Lenovo laptops, desktop, all-in-one, smartphones and accessories.

The opening of the brand store is a statement of intent and further confirms Lenovo’s commitment to the Nigerian market and its customers. The store was set up with the aim of providing customers with an outlet where they can get all their favourite Lenovo products in one spot.

Lenovo and Slot Systems also used the unveiling of the retail store to announce an in-store promotion that rewards customers with exciting free gift items for every purchase they make at the store.

Speaking on the development, Distribution Channel Manager at Lenovo Technologies West Africa, Mrs. Terae Onyeje said: “The Lenovo Nigeria and Slot System partnership is a reiteration of our commitment to providing our product range to the Nigerian market. For the last three years, we have cultivated a partnership with Slot Systems for the purpose of making our products accessible to Nigerians around the country through a trusted dealership.”

Also speaking, Smartphones Business Lead at Lenovo Technologies West Africa, Manoj

Rajasekharan, said: “Lenovo Moto will serve as our primary smartphone brand and our Sales and Marketing investments will be behind it. This will allow us to offer a more focused smartphone portfolio, bringing together the best technology, designs and user experiences under one brand. However, this transition will take some time, and we may continue to use the Lenovo brand for channel differentiation where it makes sense.”

In his comments, Chief Executive Officer of Slot Systems, Nnamdi Ezeigbo expressed happiness with the Lenovo partnership. He described Lenovo as one of the brands that have revolutionised the global IT industry with its innovative products.

“We are proud of our exclusive partnership with Lenovo which gives us the sole right to operate and manage its very first brand shop in Nigeria. It is indeed an honor to be so recognized by a brand as big as Lenovo, and I believe the partnership will be beneficial to both parties in the long run,” he said.

Lenovo is known for its Yoga series, the stylish yet affordable multimode devices featuring four ways to do almost anything. The devices can be converted into four modes, namely the laptop, stand, tent, or Atablet. Recently Lenovo introduced the Moto Z Play, a new member to the Moto Z smartphone family.

HP Unveils Industry’s First Mini Workstation Hewlett Packard (HP) has unveiled the world’s first mini workstation, designed for users in computer aided design (CAD) and other compute-intensive industries.

The stylish, new HP Z2 Mini Workstation delivers breakthrough power and versatility and at only 2.3” (5.8cm) high, it is 90 per cent smaller than a traditional business-class tower2.

With this new offering, HP is positioned to extend its workstation leadership by delivering a new category of workstation that offers superb performance, elegance and efficiency. HP Z Workstation products have become the industry standard for customers demanding a full performance workstation.

Building off the success of the HP Z240 SFF, the HP Z2 Mini Workstation is twice as powerful as any commercial mini PC on the market today and has the ability to support six displays right out of the box.

The HP Z2 Mini was designed for the millions of CAD users demanding smaller hardware without compromising acoustics and performance and missioncritical reliability.

Founder of Studio Libeskind, a world-renowned architect, Daniel Libeskind, said: “When designing some of the most technically complex architectural forms the need for cutting edge technol-

ogy is essential. The speed in which we create, and the complexity of projects have become more intense over the years, but computers like HP Workstations are helping quickly bring the visions of designers to life.”

Shorter than a cup of espresso, the new HP Z2 Mini Workstation is capable of designing anything from state-of-the-art electronics to home and office buildings. The workstation comes equipped with next generation Intel® Xeon processors5, NVIDIA professional graphics and the availability of HP Z Turbo Drive for handling large files remarkably fast.

The Director, Workstations, Thin Clients, Retail Solutions and Immersive Computing, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), at HP, Gwen Coble, said: “The HP Z2 Mini, the world’s first mini workstation, delivers breakthrough power and versatility in a small, iconic design. HP redefined the workstation in 2009 with the introduction of the HP Z series, and now once again is disrupting the category with the new HP Z2 Mini Workstation - the ultimate combination of space efficiency, elegance and power for our customers and partners.”

“The ultra-compact and aesthetically pleasing workstation provides users with numerous versatility options: on/under the desk, behind an HP Z display, or on a wall6.

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As NIMN Begins a New Journey Raheem Akingbolu writes that the recent election of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria was a radical departure from the institute’s unpleasant past

Agenmonmen Though it was not the first time the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), would meet to choose leaders, the last Annual General Meeting, which coincided with the institute’s election in Ibadan, Oyo State was significant in many ways.

Principal actors, including the immediate past President, Ganiyu Koledoye, the new president, Tony Agenmonmen, the major contender in the election, Rotimi Olaniyan and all stakeholders, sacrificed a lot to make things work. But of all, Olaniyan’s decision to pull out at the 11th hour saved the day.

To many observers, the astute marketer made the greatest sacrifice.

Before the election, there was fear in some quarters that the outcome might again polarised the NIMN and set it back to the old days, when two professional bodies, the Nigerian Marketing Association (NIMARK) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (CIMN) existed as separate professional bodies, competing for membership and authority to regulate the practice of marketing profession in Nigeria for many years.

Need for collaboration Now that the election is over, there is need for council members and body of fellows to work together and build on the legacy left behind by the former president, Koledoye.

Already, with Agenmonmen as president, the expectation is high that he would deplore his many years of experience as active marketing professional and brand manager to reposition the institute.

Again, considering the approach of Olaniyan to the contest and his reaction after the election, his thoughts on how to move the institute forward could be beneficial to the new exco.

Olaniyan After Agenmonmen emerged, Olaniyan

Before the election, there was fear in some quarters that the outcome might again polarised the NIMN and set it back to the old days, when two professional bodies, the Nigerian Marketing Association (NIMARK) and the Chartered Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (CIMN) existed as separate professional bodies, competing for membership and authority to regulate the practice of marketing profession in Nigeria for many years

was quick to adopt the Jonathan’s style by congratulating the winner.

He didn’t stop there; he sent powerfully worded messages to members on the need to move forward. Though he admitted that stepping down was a difficult decision for him to make but stated that he had to do it to save the institute from embarrassment and impending crisis brought about by a myriad of problems that were unnecessary in the first place.

“It is a difficult sacrifice for me because I really wanted to serve you but what can I do? Thank you for your support over the campaign, I am confident that our better days are ahead of us. I wish the new president and the council well.”

With the message, Olaniyan thus proved that the NIMN contest was not a do or die.

To this end, it will not be out of place for the new president to work Olaniyan and his likes to reposition the institute.

Agenda for new president While the electioneering campaign lasted, Agenmonmen and Olaniyan worked with manifestoes that could revitalise the institute, if followed.

In an interview with THISDAY, the new president had hinged his campaign philosophy on two things; transparency and integrity.

Now that he has become the president, many are expecting Mr. Agenmonmen to live above board and run the institute like a professional that he is.

During the interview, he also admitted that the equity of the institute was abysmally low and promised to boost it.

Like he did on brands like Star and Legend while in Nigerian Breweries, the new president

promised to turn the institute round. He also spoke on the equity challenge and the need to make NIMN attractive to students, government and corporate organisations in the country.

“I must confess there is really nothing on ground per say. We really need to start afresh. If I were to evaluate the situation using the proper marketing language, I would say the equity of NIMN is weak. But all the great marketers know that that in itself is not something for you to throw up your arms in surrender.

The brand is there, same with the people and the resources. All that is however required is to replicate what we did in turning some product into great brands in the institute. At least we have managed brands into greater height. I remembered that at appoint star was in the number one position.

So, if we can turn Legend which was nowhere to a big challenger in the market, turning the institute around for me with great professionals around us, for me is a piece of cake. I don’t see anything stopping us from achieving that dream.

What we need to do is to find out what has been lacking, particularly with the quality of people around who are vying to contest in the council, I am sure that in no distant time, you will be very proud of NIMN.I can sure by the time we finished, we would not be talking about an institute that is not known. We actually really want to play in the “champion’s league” In the spirit of comradeship, many observers have also urged the new president to pick few ideas from Olaniyan’s manifesto, especially as it concerns positioning and the institute’s funding.

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CONSUMER

Nwabueze: The Economic Situation Requires Effective Tax Administration John Nwabueze is a tax advisor and tax accounting consultant practicing in the State of Michigan, United States of America. He is also the Director General of the Philip Asiodu Economic Initiative. Nwabueze was in the country recently and Raheem Akingbolu caught up with him in Abuja for this interview How would you assess the state of the Nigerian economy visavis what we have now and in the past?

Oil has for a long time played a significant role in Nigerian economy. Looking at the state of the economy now as compared to the past, one has to consider the effect of the decline in oil price on the economy. All previous administrations since after the civil war ran an oil revenue based economy which is a mono-economy.

It’s difficult to see an economy of any nation grow just based on one source of income. My sense is that President Buhari was unlucky to have arrived Aso Villa in austere times of oil revenue decline. As oil prices dropped, so did Nigeria’s foreign reserves. The dynamics will not entirely allow a favorable climate for the current administration to execute their programs successfully. Previous administrations including the last, former President Jonathan, all enjoyed substantial revenue from oil sales. That in my thinking makes a lazy government comfortable.

I say lazy in the sense that a resourceful government should be creative enough to diversify the economy and rely less on oil.

The Niger Delta issue also makes a bad situation worse for the current administration.

In addition to low oil prices, Nigeria’s oil production has also reduced immensely due to the attacks by the Niger Delta militants. This further compounds the problem of reduced revenue to the federal government. Some people may attribute current recession in Nigeria to drop in oil price. I believe the recession to be the result of a combination of factors.

To answer your question, yes the economy is presently in recession, but Nigeria’s economy had been sliding into recession in the later part of Jonathan’s presidency. The situation wasn’t pronounced because it was election season and politicians had emptied their vaults putting a lot of money in circulation funding campaign activities. But when election campaign activities ended, Nigerians realized there was not much money in circulation, and as a result cost of goods went up, supplies stayed steady, but the Forex market took the most hit.

The economy is currently going through a difficult patch called a recession. How best do you think government can help to rescue it?

Work on pulling back Nigerian economy from recession will require outstanding leadership and commitment, both qualities the president has shown. If you remember, back in 2008, the US, President Obama met recession when he first took office and confronted it head on and was successful, likewise, president Buhari met economy in recession and my understanding is that he is confronting it head on. Reliable sources confirm that the president has in place requisite plans to pull Nigeria out of the woods. Recovery from recession takes time. Perhaps, Nigerians should be patient with this administration and support Buhari to succeed. We need Buhari to succeed for the sake of Nigeria and the good of our children and our grandchildren.

It may take a little longer than a couple of painful years, but if Buhari and his economic team makes the right decisions, there will be good news before the end of Buhari’s current term. Having said that, I also think that this administration deserves all the help they can get. Governance is all involving. For the government to succeed, the government has a strategic role in the private sector, just as the private sector has an important part in the public sector.

As Nigerians, we have a duty to support a subsisting administration to succeed. No contribution or sacrifice is too great or too small. Back in December 2015, Philip Asiodu Economic Initiative, a nonprofit organization of which I am the Director General, held a Roundtable session to discuss oil subsidy and

Nwabueze

budget restructuring; it was our contribution in support of the government. We assembled distinguished and experienced economists, and technocrats that included Chief Philip Asiodu, Malam Ahmed Joda, Dr. ShamshuddeenUsman, WazirinAdamu M. Fika, Ambassador Joe Keshi, Prof. Michael Kwaneshie, Mahmud Yayale Ahmed, Prof. Mike Obadan, Prof. AkpanEkpo, Dr. EdugieAbebe, Prof OluAjakiye, Dr. SuleymanNdanusa, Prof Sarah Anyanwu, and Engr.

EbeleOkeke to deliberate on issues that at the time elicited serious concerns in Nigeria given their implications. The roundtable’s conclusion was submitted in a memo to President Buhari as our contribution to the then debate on oil subsidy removal. The findings in the memo helped shaped the discourse and ultimately Buhari’s decision on the issue of oil subsidy removal.

With the unstable price of oil at the international market and rising case of an attack on oil pipelines, don’t you think the government should devise a new means of shoring up revenue to address economic challenges?

Yes, I agree that the Buhari administration should devise new ways of raising the profile of income of the government. As a tax advisor and practicing tax consultant in the United States for many years I understand that most developed and developing economies do not rely on oil revenue. US government, for instance, relies on tax revenue to run the government.

No one in the US talks about oil revenue, as a result, no state funds is seen as free money.

State funds are general funds contributed by all citizens by way of taxation. Internally generated revenue is critical in running any government.

Corruption is a problem in Nigeria because an average Nigerian sees the oil revenue as free money to be shared by people in government or with access to the state. That to me is the underlying issue that Nigeria has faced over the years. If every Nigerian pays their fair share of taxes, there will be this sense of responsibility to apply public funds to developing the country. And so I commend the steps so far taken by the Buhari administration to shore up taxation. But I tell you much should be done in developing taxation and tax administration in Nigeria. For instance, federal and states tax agencies are presently functioning on an outdated model of taxation policies. Even so, no formal tax administration agency exists in the local governments. The Nigerian tax system needs to be reformed to bring it to internationally accepted standards. Equally important is that the fact that government must

recognise that when the citizens pay taxes, they have the right to expect development. The idea that a governor, minister or for that matter, a chairperson of a local government upon execution of a project expects the masses to praise and applaud them is absurd. It makes you wonder if they consider state funds as their personal funds and that they must be doing Nigerians a favour using state funds to develop the country. Their mentality is wrongheaded and shows skewed slave master mentality. These leaders should realize that government funds should be used to improve the country and not to be stolen by them or misappropriated.

The interesting thing in all of these is that the masses feed into their leaders’ mindset which is a big shame.

There has been a clamour for economic diversifications, with what we have on ground now; are there visible structural frameworks to make it a reality?

Well, it’s hard to say. Over the years Nigeria has suffered a gross deficit of infrastructure, unimproved and outright lack of infrastructure and necessary structural frameworks required for economic development. Diversification is a good idea. The question is diversifying into what and how? For successful diversification to take place there should be a clear plan for transforming the economy and opportunities from diversifying the economy. There has been this talk about agriculture and mining. Those are excellent and good ideas, but these are long term and may take a very long time to show results. How does diversification benefit Nigerians? I must say jobs availability of course.

What the country needs now are jobs. Jobs availability is the magic that will make a lot of difference in this economy. This administration I understand is trying its best to implement social programs that will pay some people money and perhaps train others. The fact is that there are many Nigerians that are physically able, unemployed and roaming the streets. These people need to be engaged. Not engaging them may make them susceptible to crime resulting in security problems. Every year, our tertiary institutions, the Universities, Colleges of Technology, and Colleges of Education add to the job market graduates in record numbers. Also, some Nigerians that studied abroad return to join the ever growing unemployment market as well. Now don’t forget the secondary school graduates also. So you see that’s a huge problem that requires an extreme solution. I am advocating a jobs act similar to the Obama Jobs Act in

the US. I advise President Buhari to develop a comprehensive job program package bill for the National Assembly that will serve as a framework for putting Nigerians to work.

The program should contain short term and long term solutions for job creation. The act of national assembly is required to carry the job creation program through successive administrations. US President Obama did it as part of the response to the US recession. The Italian Prime Minister followed the model, and it worked for Italy. I believe it will work for Buhari. I am sure that his administration will benefit from a successfully packaged jobs program that will create a huge number of jobs for Nigerians.

A job act program if properly put together may well be the hallmark of Buhari legacy.

Also, let me commend Tony Elumelu for his good work in establishing an entrepreneurial program that serves Nigeria and parts of Africa.

I understand Africa is his focus, but at least he is helping solve the problem of unemployment in Nigeria even if in small numbers. I would like to advise other successful Nigerians in the mold of the Dangotes, Jim Ovias, Otedolas, and others to join in Elumelu example. Now these types of programs are what I referred to earlier when I talked about private sector role in governance. The goal should be jobs, jobs, jobs. Also, the government should encourage SMEDAN to join in developing entrepreneur development programs.

The exchange rate market appears to defy any reasonable solution that would guarantee attraction from foreign investors.

If I am correct and I hope I am wrong, it’s only in Nigeria that there exists street market trading on foreign currency popularly known as a parallel market. Just about all developing and developed nations restrict foreign exchange business activities to legal financial institutions such as the Central Bank, commercial banks, and government licensed Bureau De Change. But in Nigeria, we have this decades’ old acceptable street market trading of foreign currency in the open as if no laws are regulating FOREX transaction. Now, how do you expect the exchange of foreign currency to have appropriately determined rates when all you need to do is drive up in your vehicle and pronto FOREX transaction is started and concluded, no paperwork required.

I understand that lately, Buhari administration has begun to do something about it. That’s good news; let’s hope the government is steadfast in cleaning up the Forex business environment.

Do you think the government is doing enough to create an enabling environment for investors?

I believe the government is doing their best to encourage investors. But right now Nigeria is a hard sell to investors. Essential amenities such as power and necessary infrastructures are not there. If the government succeeds in giving Nigerians at least twenty hours out of twenty-four hours in a day electricity supply, that will go a long way to encourage investors.

For years, businesses in Nigeria have taken to generating their power supply because of shameful power situation. Companies spend a fortune generating their electricity, and that cuts into the bottom line, a situation that may adversely affect investment decisions.

What should be done to make the economy work?

Steps to saving the economy from ongoing recession must include a comprehensive and well thought through jobs program especially in this time of recession. The federal government should consider raising the minimum wage to put more money in people’s pocket. Cost of living is on the rise with a corresponding lower standard of living. The government may need to spend its way out of the recession. I support the $29 billion loan the government is requesting approval from National Assembly.

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CONSUMER

Ogunyemi: Monthly Payment of House Rent Will Help the Economy The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PayMyRent, Nigeria, Mr. Damilare Ogunyemi, in this interview, encourages landlords to adopt monthly payments of house rent and what his company is doing to assist salary earners in paying their rent The name PayMyRent is suggestive but what exactly do you do?

What we basically do is that we assist salary earners to pay their house rent and allow them pay their rent on a monthly basis though our platform. Our vision is to ease the problem associated with house rent in Nigeria.

What informed this and how long has it been on?

Pay my rent was launched three two months ago, precisely in October, and what brought about this was that my friends were calling me to see how they could borrow money to pay their house rents. I was wondering, yes recession is hitting people and they are getting out of job but they need shelter.

They need money to pay house rent and it wasn’t forth coming. So I came up with this structure whereby people can pay their rents on a monthly basis.

If you leave the shores of Nigeria, we discover that people pay house rent on a monthly basis. It’s only in Nigeria that landlords ask for two years upfront and your salary is not even up to what the land lord is asking for.

So for you to meet up with that means you must be getting some huge chunk of salary which people in Nigeria presently don’t have. I don’t know what they pay people in banking.

Maybe at the entry level, it would be 70,000 or thereabout.

That would be around 800,000 a year and you are staying in an apartment of 300,000 and the landlord is asking for 600,000 upfront plus agreement. Meaning that a year after paying your rent, you are left with less than 200,000. How would people survive that?

So the plan we have in place is for people to be able to pay on a monthly basis. So if you set aside 20,000 out of 70, the remaining can be used for other things.

Now, in few weeks of operation, how has the feedback been?

Within the first 15 days of launch, we had 186 applicants; we gave 15 people loan to the tone of N 8.5 million, while others are were in documentation stage. So far, it has shown that this is what people really need. The only challenge we are having with people now is documentation process because we want to ensure that people pay back.

What are the criteria for giving out loan?

One, you must be working for a reputable organisation that has been paying your salary constantly. That’s why we request for six months bank statement. From the Statement, we know your salary date and if it’s paid regularly. We’ve partnered with organisations like Credit Bureau of Nigeria. From there, we can assess everyone’s data. If you have collected loan before and defaulted, or you have given someone a check that bounced at the bank, you can’t qualify. We check all these to know your credit worthiness.

Who now pays the landlord?

What we do is that if you approach us first, we check the apartment you want to rent and we pay your rent in bulk to the landlord. Then you now start paying us back on a monthly basis. For instance, if you are transferred from Abuja to Lagos and you have nowhere to stay, we give you accommodation and ask you to seek for the accommodation you like.

When you find, we pay for it.

Then you pay back on a monthly basis.

What we want to do is reduce the stress of Nigerians and make more people be able to afford accommodation.

Is there any provision for those who are not salary earners?

For now, we give to salary earners. But if you

Ogunyemi are a star-up entrepreneur, we encourage them to pay themselves salary. So if you pay yourself, that’s the salary account we request for. Whether is your business or not, we check your salary account. If you are not paying yourself, it means you consume everything.

Is it deliberate that this is coming up while we are in recession?

Yes, we came in because this is the period people need money for rent, school fees, transport, feeding. So, if N100, 000 can conveniently do all that before, it can’t do it now.

Therefore one needs support to be able to sustain with what is available. Government cannot really support everybody that is why private individuals like us are coming on board. With this product, we are supporting Nigerians, especially Lagosians to be able to retain their accommodation.

So if you can’t afford your house rent because you just paid your child’s school fees, you can come to us. We would pay that rent for you, so you can now spread the payment over 12 months duration.

What is your plan for other cities outside Lagos?

We started our operation in Lagos because we have all the facilities already in Lagos.

We have partner agents, already in Lagos and we are working on Abuja and Port Harcourt.

We aim to cover the whole of Nigeria within two year. By next month, we are starting in Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Who are your partners, especially among the financial institutions?

We have international organisations that have bought into this and invested. We also have local investing partners, while other investors are private individuals.

We have opened up our investment portal on how people can invest in the company.

How that works is that, Mr A can bring money to pay the house rent of Mr B, and while Mr B is paying back, Mr A is getting back his money with interest. What we plan to do with that is people with extra funds can invest in PayMyRent.

This is more lucrative than fixed deposit.

Right now, whatever you invest, we give 1.5 percent interest on it monthly. That accumulates to about 18 percent interest for a year. I don’t know what bank gives that.

What are your means of reaching out to potential clients?

We are running adverts and doing company partnership through meetings with companies.

For instance, a bank can tell us that it has just got a staff and that we should get the staff accommodation. We pay the rent and the company pay us back on a monthly basis.

That’s for companies who get accommodation for their staff.

If a staff request for rent loan and the company can’t give, they can refer the staff to us by sending us a letter. The good news for corporate partnership is that if they approach us and it’s the company paying, the interest rate is lower. If it’s individual the rate is a bit higher because with the corporate, the risk is lower.

What gave you the confidence that Nigerians would buy into this?

As a Nigerian and a young man, who had found myself in such situation before, I know what our people undergo while trying to secure accommodation. Besides, I have experience in the real estate industry, having worked in one before in Lagos. Again, I knew that to be successful in this venture, I needed internet experience. So I resigned from the real estate firm and worked for an online company –efritin.com, when it first opened shop in Nigeria. In fact, I was their first staff and was able to help them set the structure.

The best way to learn from a company is to start with such company from the scratch. I also worked briefly for valuefornaira.com.

It was after I left there that I decided to set up Paymyrentng.com What was background like?

I studied accounting. I graduated in 2007 and served in Enugu in 2008. As a corps member, I needed accommodation and we were being paid N9, 500. They didn’t provide us accommodation. I was looking

If you leave the shores of Nigeria, we discover that people pay house rent on a monthly basis. It’s only in Nigeria that landlords ask for two years upfront and your salary is not even up to what the land lord is asking for. So for you to meet up with that means you must be getting some huge chunk of salary which people in Nigeria presently don’t have. I don’t know what they pay people in banking.

Maybe at the entry level, it would be 70,000 or thereabout.

That would be around 800,000 a year and you are staying in an apartment of 300,000 and the landlord is asking for 600,000 upfront plus agreement. Meaning that a year after paying your rent, you are left with less than 200,000. How would people survive that?

for accommodation and all I saw were quite expensive. I had this idea then that it’s difficult for corps member to get accommodation.

When I got my first job in Lags, I was lucky they gave me accommodation. Upon changing my first job and got another one, where I was earning 70,000. I needed accommodation and I went to Yaba and Surulere in search because the job was on the Island. The price was too much as the landlord was asking for two years and agents too were requesting for legal fees and other fees. I saw that my money won’t do any magic in that area. So my first accommodation in Lagos was at Egbeda, where I had to wake up 4:30am daily and because my company don’t close early, I close by 9:30 pm and got home around 11pm. For the Surulere apartment, I could conveniently afford what they were asking for on a monthly basis, but can’t afford it two years upfront. So I saw a problem and decided to step into that gap.

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PERSPECTIVE

A Heritage of Performance James Ume The story of the spirit of Heritage Bank varies in a positive way just as the conclusion by a vast majority of its customers and those in the financial and business sector is one that not only keeps evolving but is getting better and more pragmatic.

Two years on, the words at the maiden edition of the Investors Forum in Lagos, still rings rich and deep: “We have a story, how we started and where we are going. All that defines us! Whatever our purpose, we all desire to succeed; we all desire to leave a legacy of success. Welcome to history in the making.”

When Heritage Bank Ltd took over the ownership of Enterprise Bank from the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, AMCON, in 2014 it was a strategic move embedded in the bank’s policy of broadening its base to bring in more Nigerians to benefit from its pool of exciting services.

In two years and despite the harsh economic environment, the bank has continued to stay the course due, mainly, to the managerial direction of the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ifie Sekibo, and the management team. If anyone were to be in doubt as to the long term objective of Heritage Bank, those fears were doused when he was named as Banker of the Year for 2015 by Nigeria’s longest running newspaper, Daily Times.

Explaining the award to Sekibo, Daily Times said, He is a tenacious entrepreneur, passionate game changer and a result-oriented professional with a proven track record in turn-around management. These attributes consistently drive his vision to lead tenacious teams which mobilize strategic investments and capital injection to resuscitate and restructure moribund companies to the path of sustained profitability.”

When Heritage Bank emerged from the ashes of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria Plc, SGBN, to acquire 100 percent shareholding of Enterprise Bank Limited, only a few gave it any chance. But the situation on ground shows that it inherited over 160 branches of its new acquisition nationwide. It is heartwarming to note that in taking over Enterprise Bank, Heritage had to pay N56.1 billion to the Assets Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON). It is a given that anybody that is ready to muscle out such a princely sum must know his onions and what is required to turn the bank around for profitability, and that is exactly the Heritage story.

It is to the credit and guidance of the chairman of the bank, Akinsola Akinfemiwa, and Sekibo, that the bank has been able to successfully return 100 percent of existing SGBN account holders’ funds to their owners as well as fulfilling and exceeding all required criteria for operations.

Today, the bank is living up to its moniker of preserving a heritage of consistency by creating, preserving and transferring wealth across generations through exciting products.

One of such products is the bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme, YEDP, in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. As a bank that knows that the empowerment of the youths holds great potential for growth and development, the synergy with the NYSC led to the empowering of 310 young entrepreneurs with N93 million in October this year.

The special grant which is backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is geared towards inspiring and harvesting the entrepreneurial abilities of young Nigerians toward creating over one million direct jobs by 2020. It is a given that one major hindrance to accessing loans and intervention schemes in the country is the issue of collateral. Aware of this challenge, all the beneficiaries need to do is to make available their academic and NYSC certificates as well as third party guarantees and movable assets and they are in. It is no wonder that the first disbursement was such a huge success with the 310 beneficiaries presented with a cheque of N3million each.

Speaking at the event, Sekibo, urged the CBN to expand the programme to accommodate more qualified youth entrepreneurs and pointed out that the bank has over 7,000 business proposals which needs to be funded.

As a corporate, socially responsible enterprise,

Sekibo the bank keeps investing in the future of young Nigerians so as to inspire them to become responsible citizens and contribute their quota to the nation’s growth and development. It is this spirit that informed its Skoolympics project, which was promptly endorsed by the Lagos State government.

The Heritage Bank Skoolympics project is aimed at building champions through youth sports competition at the secondary school level At the endorsement of the project, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Government on Sports, Mr Ayodeji Tinubu, said, “We are very excited at the project because it will help to develop youths in the state in a disciplined manner,” andadded, “we have mobilised and created awareness among students in the state for the project and they are looking forward to it.”

Tinubu described it as “very fantastic idea”

The certification was in recognition of the bank’s commitment to effective and secured financial system which has put the bank in the league of big players in the industry and confer internationallyrecognised standard on its operations

and stressed that the state was interested in the “pre, during and post event activities because it intended to expose the beneficiary students to proper mentoring and counselling.”

Rewarding customers is part of the Heritage way. One of such experiences is the ‘Happy Days Promo’ aimed at empowering and rewarding its teeming loyal customers.

Besides the matrix of reward, it was also designed to encourage savings at a period of tight economic situation. A winner of the promo will become a proud owner of a brand new car while others are billed to become millionaires from across the country, with yet others on monthly basis, smiling home with exciting prizes.

The bank captured aptly when it stated: “The ‘Happy Days’ promo, underscores our determination to improve the standard of living and lifestyle of our customers who deserve the reward for their unflinching loyalty to the brand since the bank berthed three years ago.”

Fully aware that it needs to get the proper regulatory approval and ratings, it opened its books to world rating agency, Moody’s and Augusto, and the verdict was of good cheer.

The rating agency not only affirmed that Heritage Bank’s capitalisation remains sound in relation to its low asset risk model, but also said it has the capacity to generate income from its core business to settle its obligation as at when due.

According to Moody, under the new methodology, the bank’s credit metrics’ ratings remain consistent with an a3 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA), when measured against Australia’s macro profile.

“The bank’s BCA, which encapsulates its stand-alone financial profile, and its adjusted BCA were also confirmed at a3. The outlook for all ratings is stable,” the agency stated.

“The international and local ratings investment metrics is a welcome development to the bank and, in light of this sterling achievement, we swiftly need to improve on our performances in order to boost our subsequent ratings,” a statement from the bank noted.

Moody’s and Augusto’s rating is in sync with the commendable results posted by the bank in the past financial year and the last

three quarters of 2016, resulting in shareholder approvals to list its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange within one year of its business combination with the erstwhile Enterprise Bank Limited.

The phenomenal and steady growth of the bank can only be appreciated from the fact that from just 11 branches in 2013, it currently boasts of a physical network of over 160 experience centres (branches); 418 automated teller machines (ATMs) and over 1,630 points of sales (POS) devices all over the country.

It presently holds the enviable record of being the first bank in Nigeria to be ISO certified in less than two years of operation and holds the record of introducing ATM machines nationwide. The first also extends to it being one of the first financial institutions in the country to commence the SME Clinic initiative; and in the process has established itself as the bank of choice for its customers’ needs and prospects.

One cannot but agree with Seibo, who said: “We hold firmly to the belief that the capacity for immense wealth lies in you,” while stressing that, “the changing dynamics of banking across the globe had necessitated the need for the country to move along the direction of e-banking to bring about innovation in the banking sector.”

That pull of innovation has seen Heritage Bank continually pursuing distinctive innovations, which has seen it receive the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, PCI DSS certification, in addition to the ISO/ IEC 27001:2013 award.

The certification was in recognition of the bank’s commitment to effective and secured financial system which has put the bank in the league of big players in the industry and confer internationally-recognised standard on its operations.

With these and many more of its work ethics of serving Nigerians and the sub-region, one can safely conclude that the legacy of Heritage Bank Ltd, is as enduring as the cultures of the different tribes and peoples it serves.

- Ume is the Managing Consultant, Channelkoos Media Consult Ltd; james@channelkoos.com

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BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

NEMA: Raising the Bar on Disaster Reduction As Nigeria continues to grapple with numerous challenges on all fronts, ranging from terrorism, militancy, kidnapping, herdsmen attacks, floods, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, tremors and so on, Kasim Sumaina writes on the need for stakeholders to reduce disasters amongst communities The Oxford Dictionary succinctly puts disaster as a very bad situation that causes problems; an unexpected event, such as a very bad accident, a flood or a fire, that kills a lot of people or causes a lot of damage.

Policy Guides In accordance with its statutory mandate of coordinating the management of all emergencies in the country, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has developed various policy documents to guide disaster risk reduction, disaster response, and recovery.

Identification of the elements at risk and vulnerable groups that are likely to be most affected by disasters is the first step in assessing disaster impacts and determining recovery needs.

Enhancing Nigeria’s capability to recover from emergencies requires implementing recovery planning and programming activities in communities and across four inter-linked spaces that denoted the categories of impacts that communities and individuals have to recover from: humanitarian, social, economic, natural and built environments.

Local Vulnerabilities According to the Guidance on Emergency Recovery, Nigeria is extremely vulnerable to droughts, floods, landslides, gully erosion and windstorms. Droughts, it says, affect more people but flooding is the most frequent hazard.

Droughts are most common in Sudano-Sahelian areas (such as in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Sokoto, Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, Gombe, Kebbi and Zamfara states).

Flooding along the Niger River and its tributaries affects large parts of the population living along the river and is also becoming frequent in major urban centres such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano and Ibadan. Landslides and extreme gully erosion impacts infrastructure and livelihoods of parts of South-eastern Nigeria with Anambra State being the most affected.

Other disasters include disease outbreaks and epidemics, such as cholera, malaria, meningitis, measles, Lassa fever, yellow fever and more recently the Avian influenza virus (H5N1) in 2015.

The country has also experienced many cases of collapsed buildings in some major cities including, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt; terrorism, militancy amongst others. Experience with recent disaster recovery efforts in Nigeria highlights the need for additional guidelines, structures and support to improve on how the nation must address disaster recovery challenges.

The 2012 flood disaster in Nigeria resulted in human, material and economic losses, with 363 people killed, another 5,851 injured, while 7,705,398 were affected and 2,157,419 persons were displaced. In like manner, conflicts and terrorism have caused widespread damages, loss of lives, properties and the environment.

Needful Response Response to these disasters, the Director General of NEMA, Muhammed Sani Sidi, noted, in form of relief, is not sufficient. “There is the need to strengthen our strategies, plans and operations for effective disaster risk reduction, recovery and resilient building. This we hope to do through the National Disaster Recovery Strategy and Framework,” he added.

The aforementioned cases prompted the NEMA to explain recently that the national disaster profile over the years shows that Nigeria is bedeviled with varied and multiple hazards, some cutting across geopolitical boundaries, while others are peculiar to specific areas. These hazards have resulted in disasters due to the activities of man that increased the vulnerability of the population. The frequency and magnitude of disasters have therefore become sources of concern.

The Director General, while delivering his speech at the 2016 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, disclosed that the event provides the opportunity to discuss the overarching global

Flooding in Edo State in 2012 challenge of disaster reduction; brainstorming on how to encourage and bring all partners together to advance this cause. He added that disaster can happen and harped on the need to ensure that no citizen of the country dies as a result of any form of disaster.

Sidi noted that the combination of natural hazards and vulnerability pose a constant threat to both lives and livelihoods as the world is witnessing a rapidly increasing impact of disasters with unacceptable impacts in mortality indices.

According to him, malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles, HIV/AIDS account for more than 70 per cent estimated deaths in Nigeria, adding that every single day, Nigeria loses thousands of under-five-year-olds and hundreds of women of child-bearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under-five and maternal mortality rate in the world.

He stressed the need to focus on the seven targets of the new Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Nigeria and the world at large, adding that this year’s theme would dwell on the first target seeking to create a wave of awareness about actions that need to be taken to reduce mortality around the world. “It is no denial that the threat from natural disasters is urgent and need immediate concerted attention”, Sidi said.

Rainy Day How does one save when the funds available to him/her are barely enough to help eke out a living? The question beggars simple logic but for the sake of another day and continuity something has to be done. This scenario appears similar to what Nigeria is going through at this particular moment. For years, top technocrats in government positions have called for the setting aside of some revenue from the proceeds of crude oil, a move which rubbed sitting governors the wrong way and led to the CEOs of States going to court to stridently demand for the sharing of stashed oil revenue from the central

MURRAY GLOBAL Profile and Tips The national disaster profile over the years shows that Nigeria is bedeviled with varied and multiple hazards, some cutting across geopolitical boundaries, while others are peculiar to specific areas. The frequency and magnitude of disasters in the country have therefore become sources of concern.

“Our response to this challenge will ensure the protection and well-being of our future generation who are present here. This is building resilience on a sustainable platform. Nigeria also faces security challenges from several causes, including from micro nationalism, ethnic, religious and communal conflicts, and civil disturbances”, Sidi said. He emphasised that, “stakeholders need to create awareness on a sustainable basis especially around the communities so that we can build the resilience for the communities to be able to meet up with the challenges of disasters. We need to mitigate these disasters.”

To this end, Sidi said, the 2016 international day for disaster risk reduction, “provides the opportunity to discuss the overarching global challenge of disaster reduction; brainstorming on how to encourage and bring all partners together to advance this cause.”

“To develop a culture of disaster risk reduction in Nigeria in which communities and institutions

understand the risks from and vulnerability to hazards and prepare with coordinated capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from all hazards in a way that balances risk with resources and need.

“It is pertinent to know that stakeholders involved in recovery need to recognise that successful recovery depends on their commitment to providing the human and material resources and services required during medium and long term recovery.

“And that effective response to and recovery from emergencies require preparedness capacity and that the impacts of and capabilities to recover from disasters differ in different communities, that costs of recovery should be weighed against needs and resources because it is not possible to recover from all possible contingencies”.

To him, “The appropriateness of response to and recovery from a disaster is determined by a range of factors. Nonetheless, effective recovery is underpinned by a set of basic principles that should apply at all levels that include anticipation, preparedness, subsidiarity, direction, information, integration, cooperation and continuity.”

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

RANDOM THOTS government. Some of the allocations ended in private pockets rather than in the common till.

However, another golden opportunity is here. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) recently agreed to the first oil production cut in eight years, leading to a price rally that saw oil prices hitting a one-month high of $50 per barrel, which is way above the 2016 benchmark price of $38. The latest price surge has sparked excitement in Nigeria, with the extra revenue expected to help rescue the country from the clutches of recession.

Likewise the increasing demand for

agricultural exports from Nigeria to other African nations and beyond is bringing in foreign revenue into the economy and giving it a boost. The Treasury Single Account (TSA) has also helped to streamline revenue proceeds. Although the backlog of unpaid salaries and allocations for capital projects are hidden mines, Nigeria may just have a little extra to save for the rainy day from all these revenue sources. In light of potential opposition from cash-starved governors, is this truly possible? Just wondering…

-Abimbola Akosile

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

DEvELOpMENT/ISSUESINBOx

President Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki; peace at last?

What Are Your Year-end Devt Expectations?

As year 2016 ends this month, many Nigerians still have various expectations concerning the country’s development process. While some want a speedier implementation process on the 17 SDGs, others want to see a ‘sacred cow’ top public official move from awaiting trial to real prison term. Some want an end to the Executive-Legislature face-off while others want the Nigerian economy back on track.

Yet others want reduced unemployment and others want a faster 2017 Budget process. To you, what are your 2016 year-end development expectations?

Abimbola Akosile

THE FEEDBACK

* Economy is everything and once in place we can focus on our other numerous problems.

Nigerians are suffering and the leadership needs to provide quick short-term interventions to keep us afloat before the long-term ideas they envision manifest.

- Miss Nkeiruka Abanna, Lagos State

Top expectation:

Better cohesion in governance

Second:

Revamp the economy

Third:

Peace and unity nationwide

* I believe with few days to end 2016, all face-offs with the Executive and Legislature can be resolved to move governance forward, coupled with the completion of outstanding projects especially under the new 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Nigeria cannot make any headway when there is misunderstanding among the leadership. Wherever there is peace, then development will surely come to Nigeria.

All hands must be on deck to use these few days to end 2016 to make things work for our good, irrespective of party, religion, and tribal differences.

- Mrs. Ijeoma Nnorom, Lagos State

Radical tip:

Pay outstanding salaries!

Total no of respondents:

9

Male:

6

Female:

3

Highest location:

Lagos (5)

* My year-end development expectations are peace, bumper harvest and the change in understanding on who is that God that we claim to serve. The world over respect the gift of love God has given us as citizens of this country as we help one another when in need. I tell you the white with their white and pointed noses as President Mugabe (of Zimbabwe) will say, are trying to suppress us, if not, why the fighting, killings of my people

by Fulani insurgents in Southern Kaduna are keeping mute. President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) should know he is there by God’s grace. We knew that he wept and was supported by some evil-minded people to come and kill Nigerians. So, unity is my year-end expectation.

- Hon. Babale Maiungwa, U/Romi, Kaduna * Genuine budget, aptly submitted and approved without padding or such grotesque manipulations, research, electricity, employment, agriculture, security, information management, reformed and sincere leadership, better policies, appropriately strategising, improving our naira power or and better foreign exchange rate, available and sustained food and fuel during and beyond the Christmas yuletides e.t.c. must be accorded the deserving priorities they all merit. Our two major rival parties, the two Houses (of Parliament), Presidency, judiciary e.t.c must complement each other

to achieve the afore-mentioned goals.

- Mr. Apeji Onesi, Lagos State * I want the Federal Government to put in more money into the pockets of Nigerians.

Government should pay outstanding salaries and wages of workers, outstanding pension to retirees, and outstanding payment for completed and verified contracts. There are ways to do this; it should just choose one option. Borrow money locally or from abroad, print money and manage inflation rather than battle recession and pay States their outstanding spending on Federal Government roads and infrastructure where applicable or even lend money to States to enable them pay outstanding wages, salaries, pension and for contracts already executed and verified.

This is my take.

- Mr. Nnamdi Duru, Abuja * We must emulate selected good examples of advanced climes in order to grow like them or even surpass them. Regionalised electricity generation, intensive bank-assisted grassroots small scale farming, better funded education, climate monitoring, security, employment, and above all, conducting, documenting and utilising quality research findings by schools, religious institutions, banks, groups, individuals e.t.c. with sincerity will better our lives positively.

Experienced and wisely-selected but proven captains of industries i.e. technocrats (not politicians) must be allowed and trusted to steer our ship of industrialisation for better

results. God bless Nigeria.

- Miss Apeji Patience Eneyeme, Badagry, Lagos * My development expectations are that we go back to God. Look at Akwa Ibom for example. This state has the Promised Land as its state slogan and is never ashamed to identify with God. I remember during the OBJ (President Olusegun Obasanjo) era, contentious oil wells were taken from Cross River State and given to it (Akwa Ibom). Years later, Jonathan took more from Rivers and gave them. They always organise concerts and events to worship God right from the last administration. Today, economically they are okay and have no militancy. They have a Governor who is an ordained deacon has been called the praying governor and is known to put the Lord into the affairs of the state.

Prayers, supplication and worship are common in the Government House chapel. Psalm 91:14 says, “Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him, I will protect him for he acknowledges My name”. This shows that there is protection in acknowledging God’s name. No wonder they (Akwa Ibom) are insulated from the militancy of their region and are economically okay.

- Mr. Buga Dunj, Jos, Plateau State * My year-end expectation is that the National Assembly should pass the 2017 budget before 2016 completely expires, so we don’t stagnate.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has rubber-stamped it so the legislators should get down to business as soon as they receive it (budget). Let us be proactive for a change.

- Mr. E. Iheanyi Chukwudi, B.A.R Associates, Apo, Abuja * Although my year-end development expectations are many, my top pick is for the three arms of government to bury the hatchets between themselves and work together to help bring Nigeria out of the doldrums and revive the economy ahead of a new year in 2017. If the Executive and the Legislature can settle their differences in the interest of the common good of all citizens, then harmony will occur and progress will be made in the governance process of this nation. Disagreement breeds regression and stagnation. Nigeria cannot afford any backward movement right now because of the precarious state of our economy and the latent anger and hunger in the land. Once the first and second arms of government agree on collectively moving the

country forward, then they can work more easily with the third arm (Judiciary) to ensure a unified effort and sharper focus. Although Nigeria may have some peculiar problems, these are not insurmountable. Also most importantly, let the leaders mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) into the national development plan for Nigeria; if these goals can be realised, then the country will get on the right track towards desired development. There is a lot to look ahead to in the New Year. God bless Nigeria.

- Mr. Olumuyiwa Olorunsomo, Lagos State

Next Week: Should Agric Exports be Discouraged in Nigeria?

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture raised the alarm that Nigeria may experience famine as early as January 2017, if the Federal Government does not move urgently to stop the alarming outflow and export of agricultural products (especially grain crops) from the major markets in the Northern parts of the country to countries as far away as Libya, Algeria and Brazil. The hike in export was caused by increased demand by other nations for Nigerian food products (both processed and raw) and the lure of foreign revenue from export proceeds. However, since the country is yet to attain self-sufficiency in food production and successfully tackle hunger, some analysts want an official restriction on export of agricultural (food) products. To you, should agricultural exports be checked or discouraged in Nigeria? please make your response direct, short and simple, and state your full name, title, organisation, and location. Responses should be sent between today (December 8 & Monday, December 12) 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, December 15

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T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT

Palm oil for sale in Erin, Osun State; still priced beyond common reach

ABIMBOLA AKOSILE

Lagos Reviews Policy for Industrial Devt, Pledges Inclusive Regime Seeks enhanced fiscal, monetary policies Gboyega Akinsanmi The Lagos State Government has initiated the process of reviewing its policy for industrial development, pledging that the new regime will guarantee inclusiveness for all players.

Also, the state government has canvassed for enhanced fiscal and monetary policies, which according to it, are key to driving the economy and creating a wholesome environment for the private sector.

The State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry & Cooperatives, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, disclosed this at the 2016 Africa Industrialisation Day held at Adeyemi Bero Hall, Alausa, Ikeja recently.

The programme, tagged, ‘Financing Industrialisation in Africa: Challenges and Strategies’, brought hundreds of emerging industrialists, who exhibited their products.

With the commissioners at the event were the Special Adviser on Commerce, Mr.

Benjamin Olabinjo and Permanent Secretary, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Cooperatives, Mr. Olalekan Akodu among others.

As part of its plan to revolutionise industrial sector, Ogunleye disclosed that the state’s industrial policy “is currently being revised to make it more inclusive and representative of the needs of the real sector.”

Aside, the commissioner noted that the State Properties.

Protection Law, which was enacted early this year, was “to protect property owners and allow easy access to land for business and other purposes has been approved. Perfection of titles on properties transactions have been made easier and faster. Today the Lagos economy has been adjudged the fifth largest in Africa with a GDP of over $131 billion.”

He explained different challenges facing the organised private sector (OPS) to include policy inconsistencies, inadequate and poorly

maintained roads, insatiable demand of Nigeria consumers for imported goods and insecurity. The commissioner lamented that there was dearth of soft credit for the micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), which he said would make them to upscale their products.

Ogunleye said there “is urgent need to begin to diversify our economy particularly with the dwindling revenue from oil occasioned by the fall in the price of crude oil in the international market.

“Industrialisation therefore must be at the front burner of every discourse backed by action through government programmes and projects in collaboration with the organised private sector.

We have always been in the vanguard for the enhancement of Nigeria’s fiscal and monetary policies to drive the economy and create a wholesome environment for the private sector.”

He, therefore, noted that

the state government “has always striven to create and sustain our status as a megacity. We have created a business friendly environment that would attract more local and foreign investments to the state to create jobs and increase productivity.

“We have set up our target at creating a 24/7 economy.

Hence, we embarked on the Light-Up Lagos Project which has made movement at night more secure and alluring. Our development imperatives as state place on us the responsibility of developing strategies that will help to harness public and private investments,” the commissioner explained.

Ogunleye noted that the development imperatives “are critical to building a dynamic and expanding economy that is functional and visually attractive. We have predicated our development plans on four parameters comprising economic development pillar, infrastructure development

pillar, development and security pillar and sustainable environment pillar.”

Reflecting on how it created enabling environment and attracted local and foreign investors to the state, the state government added that the country “is yet to get its economic framework right.”

He, thus, lamented diverse challenges facing the emerging industrialists across the country, thereby saying macro-economic framework “has always been the challenge for our economy. Nigeria is yet to get right.”

He lamented unprecedented variations in the available economic data, which he said, were normally presented to justify that the Nigerian economy “is not diversified.

There is visible diversity from available statistics.”

Upon the rebasing of the Nigerian economy in 2014, Ogunleye said oil then “accounted for 37 per cent and down to 16 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Agriculture accounts for 22 per cent and manufacturing 7.4 per cent from as low as 1.9 per cent prior to rebasing.

“The trade and services sector accounts for 54 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The question is why has the manufacturing sector has been unable to account for at least 50 per cent of the GDP and upward of 80 per cent of export earnings,” he explained.

Ogunleye explained that the country had failed embark on large-scale agricultural value added development and industrialisation, saying it implemented infrastructure overhaul “to boost power supply.

“We did not adopt and implement comprehensive infrastructure overhaul to boost power supply and thereby save manufacturers from the cost-push inflation trend occasioned by huge expenditure on power generators and other alternative source of energy,” he added.

Bauchi NGO Decries Inadequacy of Female Teachers in Rural Areas Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi The Bauchi High Level Women Advocates (HILWA) has observed with concern the inadequate number of female teachers in schools especially in rural areas in Bauchi State, saying it was hindering the education of the girl child in the state.

Chairperson of HILWA, Hon. Maryam Bagel stated this during a commemoration

of the International Day of Girl Child organised by HILWA in collaboration with the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and UNICEF with a theme ‘Girls Progress Equal Goals Progress’ held in Bauchi recently.

Bagel, who is also the only female member in Bauchi State House of Assembly (BAHA) lamented that primary school female teachers constitute only 30 per cent of the total number

of teachers in the state.

According to her, “The current Nigeria Education Data Survey (NEDS) 2015 shows that the number of rural females without any form of schooling in the country is put at 49 per cent”.

“In many cases, families cannot cater for the education of all the children in the household, giving room for preference in selecting those qualifies for school patriarchal

system encourages make preference in education,” she said. She expressed regret that discrimination against girls’ education persists in Bauchi State because of customary attitudes, child marriages, religious misconception, inadequate and gender biased teaching, educational materials and lack of adequate, accessible schooling facilities.

The HILWA leader also observed that girls’ school

enrollment figures in the state has continued to attest to below average enrolment, retention and completion leading up to the junior secondary and senior secondary levels.

While commending the contributions of UNICEF and other development partners to promote girls education in the state, Hon. Bagel called for more concerted action by all stakeholders to address the issues that are hindering girls’

education in Bauchi state.

In his remark, UNICEF Chief of Field Office Bauchi, Abdulai Kaikai, said there is increase of 5 per cent of girls’ enrollment in the state from 2015 till date.

He commended the state government for its effort in supporting girl child education and called for the support of all stakeholders to ensure that all girls are educated in the state.

35

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

BUSINESSWORLD

DEVELOPMENT QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Agriculture contributes 28 per cent of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP); Africa’s future, greatness and industrialisation depend on agriculture. The only way Africa and its peoples can come out of their many problems is to transform the agriculture sector, and what Africa does with agriculture would shape the future of food globally. The key for Africa’s prosperity is value addition in agriculture” - AFRICA DEVELOPMENT BANK (AFDB) PRESIDENT, DR. AKINWUNMI ADESINA, SPEAKING IN ABUJA

RusselSmith Group Achieves 3m Man Hours of Operation with Zero Incident Kunle Abikoye

WaterAid Nigeria Seeks Integration of Water, Sanitation, Hygiene in Fight against HIV/AIDS Abimbola Akosile WaterAid Nigeria has expressed the belief that water, sanitation and hygiene are critical to both disease prevention and care, and called on the Federal Government to integrate the three factors.

The call was contained in a release issued in Abuja by WaterAid Nigeria’s Communication and Campaigns Manager, Oluseyi Abdulmalik, as the Nigeria and others recently marked the World AIDS Day recently.

According to WaterAid Nigeria, “While our focus as on organisation is on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 and on everyone everywhere having access to safe water and sanitation, on World AIDS Day we are also reflecting on Goal 3 (health and wellbeing) and in particular on the target of ending the global AIDS epidemic by 2030.

“This means full access to health services for all, delivered with dignity and respect. It also means adolescent girls, women, boys and men having access to appropriate HIV and sexual and reproductive health information and services, and it means every child being born free from HIV by 2030. WaterAid’s global advocacy priority, our Healthy Start campaign also focuses on the good health of babies and of their mothers.

“Today reminds us that the Sustainable Development Goals are interconnected and that the eradication of extreme poverty depends on all 17 global goals. This is why one of our strategic aims focuses on integration – working together across sectors and across goals. Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene practice are crucial in helping us all to stay healthy, minimising the risk of infection and for the taking of retroviral drugs”, the release noted.

It added that Nigeria carries the second heaviest burden of HIV in Africa and the highest in West Africa. Safe water, improved

Hand-washing to promote hygiene sanitation and good hygiene are essential for ensuring that PLHIV live healthy and productive lives. Easy access to safe and sufficient water and sanitation is indispensable for people living with HIV and AIDS and for the provision of home-based care to AIDS patients.

“Safe drinking water is necessary for taking medicines, while nearby latrines make life more tolerable for weak patients. Water is also needed for bathing patients, washing soiled clothing and linen, keeping the house environment and latrine clean in order to reduce the risk of opportunistic infections. Safe and adequate water and sanitation provision increases the dignity of both patients and caregivers.

“People living with HIV are more susceptible to WASH related illnesses such as typhoid

and skin diseases. People living with HIV are also six times more likely to acquire a diarrhoeal disease with 90 per cent of people living with HIV experiencing diarrhoea at least once. In addition, babies born to mothers living with HIV are three times more likely to have diarrhoea.

“People living with HIV need 2½ times the amount of water than someone not living with the virus, and also need improved hygiene and sanitation to help prevent opportunistic infections by keeping the environment of the house and toilet clean. An adequate supply of water is essential for home-based care of PLHIV. Diarrhoea and other opportunistic infections also lead to depleted energy levels, resulting in the need for close and easily accessible toilet facilities and water for handwashing”, it added.

RusselSmith Group, a leading Oilfield Services Company, recently achieved the laudable safety record of marking 3 million man hours in its operations with zero Loss Time Incidents (LTI) since it started operation in 2005.

The achievement of such a feat is a testament to the company’s commitment to maintaining high safety standards and delivering world-class service quality, THISDAY has learnt.

A proudly Nigerian company, RusselSmith is an ISO 9001:2008 certified Integrated Oil Service Solutions provider, incorporated to serve the needs of the global oil and gas exploration and production industry with three main business divisions; aerial inspection services, topside asset integrity management services and subsea asset integrity management services.

Over the years, the company has firmly established itself as an innovator in the Nigerian oil & gas industry with the introduction of several new technologies and the attainment of important milestones. Its customers include oil and gas giants Shell, ExxonMobil, Nigeria LNG, Chevron and Total E&P. According to the Senior Executive Vice President of RusselSmith, Kayode Adeleke, “At RusselSmith, our people are our greatest asset and we go to great lengths to promote a culture of safety within our organisation to ensure the wellbeing of our employees and optimum service delivery to our external customers.

“The oil and gas industry places a lot of emphasis on safety, and the achievement of this safety record has further strengthened our resolve to keep improving. It has come at a time when RusselSmith is expanding its service offerings, especially in Subsea Asset Integrity Management and positioning itself to offer more value to its customers.”

“We believe in setting the standards for performance and being a leading example of the positive effects of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Local Content Development Act which has encouraged indigenous companies like ours to compete at the highest levels and excel.

We have strong technical partnerships and we support local initiatives which will bring further development to the Nigerian Oil and Gas industry”, he stated.

Adeleke also noted that the adoption of high safety standards by more Nigerian companies will ultimately improve the overall quality of service delivery and reliability in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Operational safety and zero incidents are vital positive indicators in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, and these help to improve local content and expertise in the industry.

Working in safety

36

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

HEALTH & LIFESTYLE

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

How Midwifery Scheme that Reduced Infant, Maternal Mortality was Jettisoned While the now defunct midwifery service scheme was adjudged by both local and international health bodies as the right tool for the reduction of maternal and child deaths in Nigeria, the abandonment of the scheme by the present government has been identified as the reason for rising infant and maternal mortality, writes Martins Ifijeh

W

hen the federal government in 2009 kick started the now defunct Midwifery Service Scheme (MSS), not few Nigerians, especially stakeholders in the health sector jumped to jubilation, as it was clear it would greatly reduce the abysmally high maternal and newborn deaths in the country. Specifically, advocates for maternal and child health saw it as a victory for the poor Nigerian mother, aspiring mother, newborn and the society at large.

The rave and happiness was not only limited to concerned Nigerians. The World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), International Maternal and Child Health Foundation (IMCHF), Global Organisation for Maternal and Child Health (Go-MCH), and several other health bodies saw it as the beginning of good things for the Nigerian mother and child, as they were particularly overwhelmed that the scheme would address the high maternal and newborn deaths recorded mostly in rural and sub-urban areas across the country.

Prior to the commencement of the scheme, maternal, newborn and child mortality was in an all-time high across the country. For instance, in Kano State, hospital-based maternal mortality was between 3000 and 4000 per 100,000 live births, while in Lagos State, where everyone would think the mortality rate would be very low, the case was almost as high as in Kano.

Specifically, Island Maternity in Lagos, Southwest’s most populous maternity centre, was around 3000 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, according to statistics quoted from an IPAS survey.

It is even believed that those figures were hospital-based, as maternal death rates at the time were higher outside the hospital setting.

On a general statistics, if the report of the East Africa Medical Journal is to go by, it means, in 2004, Nigeria’s maternal and child mortality rate was about 96 deaths per one thousand live births in rural areas against 75 deaths per a thousand live births in urban areas. That is about 8,000 deaths per 100,000 live births on the average. Experts say maternal and infant mortality refers to the death of mother or newborn due to pregnancy or childbearing from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or childbirth, but not from accidental or incidental causes. It is in addressing the very abysmally poor indices that maternal and child advocates convinced the federal government, in partnership with states and local governments to establish the scheme with the aim of tackling all loose ends in relation to maternal and child health across the country.

First, there was the recruitment of over 4,000 unemployed or retired midwives from each state of the federation, who were trained and then distributed to 1,250 health facilities in the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 1000 of such facilities were Primary Health Centres (PHCs) while the remaining 250 health facilities were general hospitals.

Each midwife was equipped with a ‘mama kit’ containing a stethoscope, essential medicines, weighing scales, razor blade, blood pressure indicator and mobile registration system. And they also perform child immunisations for facility-based births and family planning services.

Various maternal indices from within the past seven years showed that while the scheme was running, maternal and newborn mortality reduced drastically, which led to the applause of the scheme by the WHO and other international organisations, even though the scheme was

The Midwifery Service Scheme has reduced maternal and newborn deaths in Nigeria

not running at the desired level due to lack of continuous financial commitments mostly from local and state governments across board.

But the scrapping of SURE-P by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government dealt a final blow to the scheme, as its financing was previously channeled from the SURE-P purse. The thousands of midwives got frustrated and voluntarily disembarked as no one was catering for their allowances anymore, rendering the programme defunct.

How the scheme was conceptualised When THISDAY Health andLifestyle met the former Country Director, IPAS, and the current Chairman, Coalition for Maternal, Newborn and Child Advocacy Network in Nigeria, Dr. Ejike Oji, who was one of the key players in the introduction of the scheme, he said in a space of time the programme was functional, maternal and newborn deaths reduced all over the country, making him wonder why the present government was not keying into a scheme that was reducing maternal, newborn deaths in the country. Going down memory lane on how the scheme started and what was achieved within the space of time, Oji said when in 2002 as the Country Director, IPAS, he walked into the maternity section of the Kano State Hospital, which he said was about the biggest hospital in West Africa, he met a large number of patients, with 75 per cent of them having abortion and pregnancy complications.

“But there was only one doctor on ground, who had the skill to perform Dilatation and Curettage, and evacuate/treat women with abortion or pregnancy complications. Women were waiting for several hours before they were being attended to. This was leading to deaths of many. Meanwhile, there were midwives there but not skilled or empowered to assist the doctor.

“When I got to my hotel room, I wept for hours because I had seen what was really killing our women. I then started to think of how this can be changed. First, I looked at the ratio of doctor to midwives in the country. It was one doctor to 24 midwives as at that time. I knew if we needed to save our women, we needed to shift some of the jobs to the midwives.”

He said while he went back to the maternity ward, he learnt there were only 12 midwives

and non was skilled in D & C. “This is just one area (induced or spontaneous abortion) where women were dying, other areas are bleeding, eclampsia, obstructive labour and then infection, yet there were either no midwife or facilities on ground to stop these, especially in rural areas.

“We then proposed to the Kano State government to train their midwives, which they accepted.

The 22 midwives trained were spread across the state and within six months, maternal and newborn deaths decreased drastically in the state. When we went back to the Kano State Hospital, there was no crowd anymore because the midwives were doing the evacuations,” he added.

According to him, the success was what propelled the team and a group of other maternal and child health advocates to convince the federal government to start the MSS across the nation.

How the scheme design would have brought maternal, newborn deaths to near zero “The scheme was initially meant to offer large renumeration to the midwives so that they will be motivated to provide the needed service even in the remotest of communities anywhere in the country,” said Oji, who explained how a N75,000 was proposed to the federal government as monthly allowance for each midwife.

A memorandum of understanding was then signed with the state governments and the various local governments, such that the N75,000 was still the agreed monthly allowance for each midwife, but the federal government was to pay N35,000, states to pay N25,000, while the local governments where the midwives were posted to would respectively pay them N20,000 each, summing up the allowance to N75,000 per midwife.

Most states and local governments refused to honour the agreement Investigations showed that while the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan was relatively consistent in paying its N35,000 to the midwives, just few states honoured the agreement of paying their N25,000 to each midwife per month for only a while. Local governments did not pay their parts, and this was across board all over the nation, according to various reports.

Despite the midwives receiving only N35,000 as against the N75,000 expected per month, maternal, newborn indices showed that maternal and infant mortality continued to reduce all the while, even with their poor renumeration.

Experts believed if the midwives were consistently paid the recommended amounts, Nigeria would have met Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on Maternal and Child Health which ended in 2015.

When the cookies finally crumbled Investigations showed that while the initial funding of the scheme was from MDG resources, the closure of the development goal in 2015 forced the federal government to shift its funding to SURE-P towards the winding phase of Jonathan’s administration.

The coming of President Buhari saw to the demise of SURE-P which by extension was funding the scheme.

“Sometime last year, most of us accepted the fact that we have no jobs anymore, because our monthly allowances stopped coming. We did free services for months, then everyone just went back home when there was no longer motivation. Tactically, we lost our jobs. I am presently working in a private hospital in Akure,” said a midwife who was once enlisted into the scheme.

MSS, an orphaned child While the scheme reduced maternal, newborn deaths during its hey days, experts believed since it was birthed as an executive action and not an Act, the possibility of it being tossed about or folding up was high.

An Obstetrics and Gynaecologist based in Algiers, Dr. Olakunle Saheed, whose first degree was in nursing, said Nigerian midwives and nurses were not being honoured, despite the sacrifices they make.

“The scheme should be made an Act, duly budgeted for, and then allowed to run year in year out, while more midwives should be recruited. This will greatly bring the health indices further down.”

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

37

T H I S D AY THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

NEWS Publix Pharmaceutical Births in Nigeria Set to tackle communicable, NCDs, neglected tropical diseases As part of efforts to reduce the incidence of malaria, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malnutrition, as well as other communicable, non communicable and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Nigeria, Publix Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Publix Healthcare UK, is launching its presence into the country’s healthcare sector.

Stating this during its maiden press briefing in Lagos, the Superintendent Pharmacist of the firm, Mr. Davies Akindele, said with the scarcity of drugs and other treatment facilities needed to tackle the rising incidence of various disease burdens in the country, there was need for a pharmaceutical company with quality drugs and network to become closer to the people.

He said the right drugs and its accessibility would reduce the number of deaths from various healthcare issues in the country, adding that Publix would not only import UK standard products, but would begin local manufacturing for better affordability.

“Considering the number of communicable diseases, non communicable diseases and neglected tropical diseases increasing daily in Nigeria, we believe with the right

management and treatment tools available, the burden rate will greatly reduce, and that is why we are establishing at this critical time when some pharmaceutical organisations are folding up because of the harsh economic realities.

“One of the issues here is that there are no new innovative treatment products, hence, we want to bring in the best anti-malaria drugs, oncology products for cancer patients, anti-retroviral drugs of high standards, among others, at a very affordable price so that it can benefit the common man.

“For malaria, we are starting up a manufacturing unit for its testing kits and manufacture of high quality medicines like Publitem.

If there are affordable malaria testing kits in the market, it will be very helpful for the common man to get diagnosis right in his sitting room,” he said.

On her part, the Supervisor, Nigeria Operations, Publix Healthcare UK, Angela Rutaguza, said the budding pharmaceutical organisation was a part of the UK company that has identified gaps in Nigeria’s healthcare system, and hence its resolve to solve them.

HIV/AIDS: 1.2m People Get Tested in AMAC, Bwari Kuni Tyessi, in Abuja In order to beat the set target of the vision 90:90:90 come the year 2030 in the fight against HIV/AIDS, about1.2 million people have been tested in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and Bwari area council.

This was revealed by Comfort Ochibo, a senior technical officer for AMAC from the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) at a free testing point in Wuse Market, Abuja.

She said the institute was working in close relationship with the 2016 World AIDS Day theme, ‘Hands on Prevention’ and is doing a lot of awareness creation concerning the HIV virus and ensuring that at least 90 per cent of Nigerians know their status and those that tested positive are immediately counselled and placed on ARVs. Ochibo said while statistics showed that more women were tested more for the virus in comparison to men, because it is a test carried out during ante-natal, the reverse is now the case as more men can be seen coming out for the test. ”We are making so much effort to ensure that we create awareness in our communities because we are targeting the communities with testing. We have tested over 1.2 million people in both AMAC and Bwari of FCT and we are still doing a lot of awareness creation and for the theme of this year which is ‘Hands on Prevention’. Because we know if we are able to prevent

HIV/AIDS, it will do a lot to ensure that our economy is built up because we need the human resource to build our economy.”

“It used to be in the reverse where the women get tested more especially during pregnancy. But as it is now, the men are coming out in large numbers than usual. So we are encouraging everyone, both men and women to come out and know their status.

“Stigma and discrimination has placed a deafening role in the lives of our people in the past but as it is, a lot is being done in raising the awareness of people and making them understand that they don’t need to be shy. It is the theme of the day that everyone should know his/her status. So Nigeria has gone to that level where there is enough being done in creating awareness.”

She further called on the government to come up with initiatives that will open access because without the government, “implementing partners will not have the enabling environment to reach out to the people.” She said this can be achieved when more funds are committed to the cause.

Joy Okeke, a student from the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, who was among those tested, said the test was a delight and should be looked forward to by those who want to plan their lives well and know if they are progressing or not. She said ladies, especially, should not be afraid of the test as it is not a death sentence.

Akpede Needs Immediate Help for Breast Cancer Treatment Martins Ifijeh Emilia Akpede, a 45-year-old mother of four is in dire need of financial and medical assistance for the treatment of breast cancer, which is fast threatening her life. She said while she has made several efforts to treat the health concern for the past three years, financial constraint and lack of prompt diagnosis were the reasons the cancer has developed to a stage in which parts of her breast now fall off at will with accompanying intense pain too difficult to bear.

Akpede, who is currently in a faith-based home for prayers as she is unable to afford treatment for the cancer, said when

Akpede

she noticed a lump around her breast three years ago, she went to the the Federal Medical Centre, Ebutte Metta, but couldn’t get the needed attention as they were on strike, and was therefore advised to

check back after when doctors resumed.

Since she couldn’t afford diagnosis at a private health facility, she waited till the strike was called off five months after, and by then, the breast had changed shape, texture and colour. “By the time they attended to me, I was told I had to cut off the breast because that was the only guarantee that I would be free.

But I was asked to bring N100,000 at the time, which I couldn’t afford,” she said.

She therefore resorted to taking pain killers and antibiotics until sores and pus became prominent features of the breast. “Now parts of my

breast falls off at will and I am going through intense pain.

Since then I haven’t even gone to the hospital because I do not have a dine with me for treatment, but I don’t want to die. Please don’t let me die,” she said tearfully.

Akpede is currently in a church in Agbara, Lagos, with the hope that since she is unable to afford treatment, prayers and anointing oil will heal her.

For medical or financial support, please call her on 081812595162 or 8027006224.

Her account details are; Account Number: 0014088008, Account Name: Emmanuel Akpede, Bank Name: GTB

PROMOTING CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

L-R:, CEO, Tristate Heart Foundation (THF), Dr Olukunle Iyanda, Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, Chairman, THF, Chief Bisi Akande, Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Vice Chairman, THF, Mr John Momoh and President/ CEO, Tristate Cardiovascular Associates, Prof Kamar Adeleke, at the first THF dinner held in Lagos ...recently

NPHCDA Urged to Make Its Group to Conduct House-toProcurement Data Available House Education on Maternal, Child Health in Oworonsoki for Public Scrutiny Kasim Sumaina in Abuja Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has urged the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to as a matter of urgency liberate procurement data in its possession to enable individuals and groups follow up on the numerous projects being undertaken to provide healthcare facilities in the country.

PPDC noted that liberation would require the NPHCDA to make the information proactively available based on the Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS).

The Chief Executive Officer, PPDC, Seember Nyager while briefing the press recently in Abuja, stated that the findings of procurement monitors who visited Primary Health Care Centers in various states have necessitated the need for ways to ultimately identify processes to improve primary health care service and access in Nigeria.

She explained that in 2015, the PPDC mobilised procurement monitors to track and verify the performance of contracts awarded in the year 2014 for constructing and equipping Primary Health Care Centres across the country.

Adding that it was aimed at ensuring public resources have been judiciously utilised in providing public services.

According to Nyager, “In order to undertake this exercise, procurement monitors submitted several Freedom of Information request to the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) requesting for procurement plans, details of the tender advertisement to interested bidders, contract awards and contract implementation for each of the project being undertaken in order to link various procurement data obtained to the public health centres.

“Out of the 18 PHCs covered in our report were randomly selected based on procurement data available on Budeshi for Benue, Lagos, Oyo, Osun and Ogun States.

“We observed that PHCs in the South function better.

The visits showed a clear distinction between those in the South and those in the Northern part of the country.

Although, two PHCs in Oyo and Osun states could not be located, the PHCs in the South seemed better integrated with the communities and were more functional than those in the North built within the same time frame.

Martins Ifijeh A youth group in Lagos, Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative’s Health Team has decided to tackle the spate of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria by engaging and educating the members of Oworonsoki community on better maternal and child health.

The group plans to organise a three-day house-to-house education visit to the members of the community especially the slum areas of the town, to talk to pregnant women and people who take care of women under the age of five years, they also plan to share educational resources and use SMS to reinforce the message.

The project is tagged “AWOYE” which means ‘nurture to survive”.

The group has commenced a special training for 10 volunteers from the community on educating people on maternal and child health, this is in preparation for the three-day house-to-house education campaign scheduled for the 10th, 12th and 13th of December 2016 in Oworonoski.

Nigeria is one of the highest contributors to death of pregnant women and small children in the world. Most of these deaths occur in the first year of life due to several

preventable causes, including vaccine preventable diseases, malaria, respiratory infections, diarrhoea, poor knowledge of caregivers and pregnant women on child health, and poor health seeking behaviour.

Accurate/Inadequate level of knowledge of pregnant women and caregivers of under -five children on when, where, why and how to seek health care remain critical to maternal and child health care.

Few weeks ago the group held a stakeholders meeting with members of the community and officials of Kosofe Local Government which administers the Oworonsoki area. The CYFI-AWOYE team successfully brought together, through the stakeholders meeting. 32 key stakeholders from both sides to discuss crucial maternal and child health issues affecting the community and reason for low utilisation of the available public facility, and the way forward.

Notable stakeholders include; the Baale and cabinet -Mosafejo community, traditional birth attendants, head of market women, head of youth, head of keke/okada riders, religious leaders, members of the Ward Health Committee, Local Immunization Officer, the Medical Officer for Health (MOH), Apex nurses, Kosofe Local Governement health educator.

38

THURSDAY DECEMBER 9, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

39 ADVERTORIAL

40

THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

41

munity bring nment

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T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

BUSINESS/MONEYGUIDE

NIRSAL, Moroccan Financial Institution Seal Pact on Agriculture Devt Chika Amanze-Nwachuku The Nigeria Incentive Based Risk-Sharing for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) in line with its mandate to de-risk and facilitate private finance into the agric sector has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Group Crédit Agricole (GCAM) - a top-ranking Moroccan financial institution to boost agricultural development in Nigeria.

The Managing Director of NIRSAL, Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed signed on behalf of NIRSAL while the Chairman of GCAM, Mr. Tariq Sijilmassi signed on behalf of his institution.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, King Mohammed VI of Morocco and some top ranking Nigerian dignitaries- the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Muhammed Musa Bello, the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar and the National Security Adviser Mohammed Babagana Monguno.

The key objectives of the MoU, according to a statement are to increase the flow of finance and

technical expertise into commercial agriculture, catalyse the development of agro-industrial chains and increase the capacity of smallholder farmers in rural areas to expand the scale of their operations and productivity.

Established in 1929, GCAM has a network of over 278 branches throughout Morocco. The bank also has an international presence, with locations in France, the Netherlands and Italy, and has relationships with more than 700 banking correspondents worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, NIRSAL and GCAM will collaborate to deepen credit operations and increase lending across the entire agricultural value chain.

In addition, they will also work together to mobilise international funding for inclusive agricultural development and financing of high impact agricultural projects.

Other areas of collaboration under the MOU are to include exchange of support functions on agricultural risk analysis and management; exchange of knowledge on non-financial support for small farmers in terms of financial education, technical and management

capacity building, adaptation to climate change and exploring institutional support mechanism to strengthen establishment of the internal structure and processes of both institutions through technical assistance.

Speaking after the MoU signing, the Managing Director, NIRSAL Mr. Aliyu Abdulhameed said that he was excited at the positive boost that the partnership with the top ranking Moroccan investment bank will have on current efforts by NIRSAL to boost agricultural development in the country.

“I am quite excited at the boost that this collaboration with the Moroccan government and Credit du Maroc will have on our efforts to finance de-risked agricultural value chains with the resultant increase in overall commercial and sustainable financing of agricultural projects in Nigeria. The expansive scope of the collaboration which includes finance, technical expertise and sharing of best practices fits exactly into our model and will help greatly in our efforts to reach even more agricultural producers and smallholder farmers.”

Intervention Funds: Emefiele Warns Banks against Charging Above 9% Obinna Chima The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has warned Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) in the country against charging double-digit interest on intervention funds guaranteed by the CBN. According to a statement yesterday, Emefiele gave the warning in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during an interaction between the Presidential Task Force on Agricultural Commodities and Production and young farmers at the Owowo Model Farm Estate. The Governor, who assured the young farmers of

the Bank’s funding support through their respective PFIs, asked them to report any bank that charges them above nine per cent interest on loans guaranteed by the CBN. He also assured them that Development Finance Officers from the Bank were readily available to assist them on how to access credit from the various intervention funds in order to guarantee employment, create wealth and meet the country’s food needs. He therefore urged the young farmers to take advantage of the Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YEDP) as well as

the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) to create wealth, Also speaking, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh assured the youth of Federal Government support in their quest to make legitimate earnings from agriculture.

In his remarks, the Kebbi State Governor and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Agricultural Commodities and Production, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Bagudu commended the support of the CBN in revamping agricultural value chains across different crop types.

CBN to Sell N1.23bn Worth of Treasury Bills in Q1 2017 James Emejo in Abuja The federal government plans to raise about N1.23 billion through issuance of treasury bills in the first quarter of next year. It further plans to raise N1.24 billion from treasury bills which are rolled over into 2017

and maturing at different dates.

According to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issuing calendar for treasury bills, which was posted on its website, bills maturing in three months, six months and one year are expected to yield N244.76 million ,

N321.51 million and N665.54 million respectively in Q1 2017.

However, the rollover issuance is expected to generate N244.76 million , N337.30 million and N665.54 million for bills with 91, 182 and 364-day tenor respectively.

FirstBank Supports Economic Diversification First Bank of Nigeria Limited has restated its commitment to economic diversification through support for the business, art and entertainment of food across all sectors of the economy.

Realising that support for the agricultural value chain and by extension food, will enable individual and communal self-reliance, self-contentment and self-sufficiency, the bank is taking ownership of the food space to fully promote businesses that will build the sector, build revenue for development purposes, create employment opportunities and in the long run translate to national growth

and development.

In line with this, FirstBank is partnering with Eventful Limited, an event management company, to host another edition of “Fiesta of Flavours,” a food and beverage Fair scheduled for December 11 and 12, 2016, in Lagos.

The two-day food and beverage Fair themed “Food, Fun and Family” will keep attendees fully fed and entertained with the allures of food culinary and its business. It will showcase the best in local and international cuisine, cutting edge food technology and cooking techniques, as well as the best beverages and

wines the world has to offer. The Fair will provide management and training seminars, competitions, and food demonstrations as well as performances from Nigeria A-list musicians and comedians.

In a statement by FirstBank’s Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Folake Ani-Mumuney, the bank’s venture into the food space was part of its interventions to support agriculture across the entire value chain as well promote economic growth and sustainability, especially in the face of dwindling oil revenue.

Rice farm

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 6, DECEMBER 2016 The price of OPEC basket of fourteen crudes stood at $50.98 a barrel on Tuesday, compared with $51.25 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

43

T H I S D AY • thurSDAY, December 8, 2016

Nigeria’s top 50 stocks based on market fundamentals

7-Dec-16

6-Dec-16

% Change

Capitalisation

EPS

P/E

P/S

Div. Yld

Price/ Book Value

Table 1 Market Statistics Mkt Indicators

Open 6-Dec-16

NSE All Share Index NSE Market Cap (N'Trillion)

25,671.23 8.83

25,673.80 8.83

0.01% 0.03%

106.64 8.30

106.64 8.30

0.00% 0.00%

01 Dangote Cement Plc

158.16

158.16

0.00%

2,695,126,651,174.80

9.20

17.18

4.74

5.06%

3.60

02 Nigerian Breweries Plc

142.51

144.00

-1.03%

1,129,976,167,548.88

4.03

35.32

3.75

2.53%

6.89

03 Guaranty Trust Bank Plc

23.15

23.10

0.22%

681,331,799,035.60

4.90

4.72

1.70

7.65%

1.38

810.00

805.00

0.62%

642,051,564,120.00

8.81

91.92

3.72

3.58%

20.34

14.25

14.30

-0.35%

447,400,036,450.50

3.91

3.65

0.94

12.63%

0.64

Table 3 Top 5 Gainers

342.90

342.90

0.00%

189,730,106,327.70 -44.58

-7.69

2.44

4.64%

0.48

Stock

07 Lafarge Africa Plc

40.90

40.90

0.00%

186,295,484,029.00

-9.39

-4.36

0.87

7.33%

0.92

08 Unilever Nigeria Plc

48.00

48.00

0.00%

181,598,220,000.00

0.69

69.35

2.74

0.10%

19.36

9.83

9.80

0.31%

180,376,088,443.45

0.68

14.53

0.31

6.31%

0.29

44.07

44.07

0.00%

174,978,923,373.15

0.03 1,507.19

2.45

2.95%

4.18

11 Access Bank Plc

5.50

5.50

0.00%

159,103,843,970.50

2.59

2.13

0.45

10.00%

0.36

12 United Bank for Africa Plc

4.30

4.32

-0.46%

156,001,963,184.60

1.75

2.46

0.47

13.95%

0.36

13 Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc

14.50

14.50

0.00%

145,000,000,000.00

2.04

7.12

1.03

0.69%

1.23

14 FBN Holdings Plc

3.42

3.32

3.01%

122,761,901,348.64

0.21

16.48

0.23

4.39%

0.20

15 Guinness Nig Plc

78.74

76.32

3.17%

118,573,635,923.12

-3.06

-25.75

1.15

4.06%

3.01

16 Mobil Oil Nig Plc

323.31

323.31

0.00%

116,584,054,157.22

19.32

16.73

1.28

2.23%

6.30

87.42

79.30

10.24%

113,862,898,024.26

3.31

26.44

0.74

3.95%

2.64

18 Total Nigeria Plc

303.61

304.44

-0.27%

103,082,224,931.57

38.02

7.99

0.38

4.61%

4.52

19 7-Up Bottling Comp. Plc

129.36

129.36

0.00%

82,866,769,357.68

-0.05 -2,832.18

0.89

1.70%

3.73

20 Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

5.95

6.08

-2.14%

71,400,000,000.00

1.03

5.80

0.50

8.40%

1.15

21 International Breweries Plc

19.00

19.00

0.00%

62,590,736,320.00

0.02

843.25

2.35

1.32%

5.71

4.13

4.56

-9.43%

49,702,976,032.22

-3.15

-1.31

0.20

18.16%

0.31

23 Flour Mills Nig. Plc

18.30

18.99

-3.63%

48,023,540,522.10

-1.19

-15.34

0.11

10.93%

0.48

24 Julius Berger Nig. Plc

35.00

35.00

0.00%

46,200,000,000.00

-2.95

-11.88

0.40

4.29%

2.43

25 Okomu Oil Palm Plc

38.01

38.01

0.00%

36,258,119,100.00

4.82

7.88

5.51

0.26%

2.25

0.88

0.82

7.32%

34,074,477,734.00

-0.47

-1.89

0.65

0.00%

0.46

16.10

16.10

0.00%

30,925,916,630.70

3.37

4.77

0.41

6.21%

0.41

0.85

0.82

3.66%

24,618,197,838.20

0.39

2.20

0.16

18.82%

0.13

34.00

34.00

0.00%

23,800,000,000.00

2.28

14.88

3.57

3.38%

13.90

3.60

3.70

-2.70%

21,174,711,102.00

0.76

4.72

0.58

3.89%

0.74

11.15

11.15

0.00%

20,941,952,746.00

0.50

22.33

0.75

11.66%

2.05

32 FCMB Group Plc

1.04

1.04

0.00%

20,594,819,212.24

0.61

1.70

0.13

9.62%

0.12

33 Wema Bank Plc

0.53

0.53

0.00%

20,444,467,022.93

0.06

8.90

0.40

0.00%

0.43

34 Sterling Bank Plc

0.70

0.70

0.00%

20,153,292,688.20

0.29

2.43

0.19

12.86%

0.25

35 Diamond Bank Plc

0.85

0.86

-1.16%

19,686,330,622.80

-0.29

-2.90

0.09

0.00%

0.09

36 National Salt Co. Nig. Plc

6.71

6.95

-3.45%

17,777,731,516.38

0.85

7.90

0.95

8.20%

2.40

37 Mansard Insurance Plc

1.64

1.64

0.00%

17,220,000,000.00

0.28

5.89

0.86

3.05%

0.82

38 Glaxo Smithkline Consumer Nig. Plc

14.00

14.10

-0.71%

16,742,270,832.00

-2.98

-4.69

0.60

2.14%

1.90

39 PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc

15.20

15.20

0.00%

15,200,000,000.00

5.69

2.67

1.06

0.66%

0.41

40 Continental Reinsurance Plc

1.00

0.97

3.09%

10,372,744,312.00

0.42

2.38

0.47

12.00%

0.55

41 Honeywell Flour Mill Plc

0.97

0.97

0.00%

7,692,291,728.26

-0.40

-2.40

0.16

16.49%

0.23

42 Skye Bank Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,940,150,705.00

-2.93

-0.17

0.04

60.00%

0.07

43 Wapic Insurance Plc

0.50

0.50

0.00%

6,691,369,126.00

0.18

2.78

0.85

6.00%

0.41

44 Unity Bank Plc

0.51

0.52

-1.92%

5,961,562,350.42

-0.10

-4.97

0.09

0.00%

0.07

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

4.04

4.05

-0.25%

5,076,978,174.64

0.22

18.45

0.46

2.48%

0.47

47 AIICO Insurance Plc

0.57

0.57

0.00%

3,950,216,553.60

0.22

2.56

0.14

8.77%

0.39

48 UACN Property Development Co. Limited

2.13

2.13

0.00%

3,660,937,489.35

0.30

7.12

0.87

32.86%

0.10

49 Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc

2.21

2.21

0.00%

3,589,523,437.50

0.15

14.62

0.45

9.05%

0.60

50 Fidson Healthcare Plc

1.46

1.46

0.00%

2,190,000,000.00

0.24

6.20

0.33

3.42%

0.34

04 Nestle Nigeria Plc 05 Zenith Bank Plc 06 Seplat Petroleum Dev. Co. Ltd

09 Ecobank Transnational Incorporated 10 Presco Plc

17 Forte Oil Plc.

22 Oando Plc

26 Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc 27 U A C N Plc 28 Fidelity Bank Plc 29 Cap Plc 30 Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc 31 Cadbury Nigeria Plc

TOTAL

8,306,022,511,399.21

TOTAL MARKET CAP

8,833,749,271,673.86

% OF MARKET CAP Annotation - MA* = Simple Moving Average

94.03%

Thisday BGL 50 Index Thisday BGL 50 Market Cap (N'Trillion)

Open 5-Oct-16

Forte Oil Plc. Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc Fidelity Bank Plc Guinness Nig Plc Continental Reinsurance Plc

Close 7-Dec-16

Change %

Close Change % 4-Oct-16

79.30 0.82

87.42 0.88

10.24% 7.32%

0.82 76.32 0.97

0.85 78.74 1.00

3.66% 3.17% 3.09%

Table 4 Top 5 Losers Stock

Open 5-Oct-16

Oando Plc Flour Mills Nig. Plc National Salt Co. Nig. Plc Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc

Close Change % 4-Oct-16

4.56 18.99 6.95 3.70

4.13 18.30 6.71 3.60

-9.43% -3.63% -3.45% -2.70%

6.08

5.95

-2.14%

Market stays relatively flat as Index gains 0.01% Market pulse on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) today – Wednesday, December 7th, 2016 ends flat as stock market Index slightly close green with 0.01%.

This was further highlighted by positive performance from the NSE subsectors: Banking, Consumer Goods and Oil & Gas (Save Insurance). Trading activities increased in volume as 255.77 million shares worth of N2.08 billion in 2,480 deals exchanged hands today.

This is an increase from the 189.41 million shares worth of N2.49 billion in 2,894 deals which exchanged hands on Tuesday. Topping in volume terms were Wema Bank Plc, Diamond Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc, while Nigerian Breweries Plc and Nestle Nigeria Plc ended trading as the most active stocks in value terms.

The All Share Index (NSEASI) closed positive with 0.01% (+2.57) increase to close at 25,673.80 from 25,671.23 the previous trading day. Market Capitalization appreciated in tandem to N8.83 trillion from N8.83 trillion of prior trading day. Similarly, the Thisday BGL 50 Index followed suit with an increase of 0.03% to close at 106.68 from 106.64 recorded at the end of the previous trading day, while its market capitalization stood at 8.31 trillion from 8.30 trillion of the previous trading day.

A total number of 16 stocks gained on the bourse today while 20 stocks declined, 63 leaving stocks unchanged. Forte Oil Plc emerged as the day’s toast of investors as it topped the Thisday BGL 50 Index gainers’ list with a gain of 10.24% to close at N87.42 per share.

It was followed by Transnational Corporation Of Nigeria Plc with a gain of 7.32% to close at N0.88 per share.

Others on the gainers list include: Fidelity Bank Plc, Guinness Nig. Plc and Continental Reinsurance Plc; while on the decliners’ list, Oando Plc emerge with a loss of 9.43% to close at N4.13 per share. It was followed by Flour Mills Nig. Plc with a loss of 3.63% to close at N18.30 per share. Others on the decliners list include: National Salt Co. Nig. Plc, Custodian And Allied Insurance Plc and Dangote Sugar Refinery 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

44

T H I S D AY •THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

MARKET NEWS

Union Bank Gets Shareholders’ Approval to Float N50bn Rights Issue Goddy Egene and Nosa Alekhuogie Shareholders of Union Bank Nigeria Plc yesterday approved five resolutions authorising the board of the bank to raise up to N50 billion through rights issue.

The shareholders gave their approval at an extra-ordinary general meeting (EGM) of the bank held in Lagos. In a bid to accommodate the new shares,

the shareholders’ approved the increase of authorised capital of the bank from N9.5 billion (made up of 19 billion ordinary shares) of 50 kobo each to N17.5 billion (made up of 35 billion ordinary shares) of 50 kobo each by the creation of additional of approximately 16 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each ranking equally with the existing shares of the bank. Consequently, the memorandum and articles of

association of the bank will be amended to reflect the increase in the authorized share capital to N17.5 billion. Commenting on the development, Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, Mr. Emeka Emuwa said: “Obtaining shareholder approval for our capital increase is a necessary step bringing us closer to the rights issue. Incremental capital will further strengthen Union Bank’s near-term positioning and

enable us realise our long-term growth aspirations.”

According to him, the bank views the approval as a strong sign of shareholders’ support.

“We view the right issue approval as a strong sign of shareholder support for Union Bank’s growth strategy and our plans to scale up operations and strengthen our position in readiness for uptake when the macroeconomic direction

changes,” Emuwa said.

While amending the bank’s memorandum of association and the articles of association in order to authorize an increase in the Bank’s share capital required the approval of at least a three-quarter majority of votes present at the EGM. But the issue was supported by shareholders representing together 99.6 per cent of the votes. Union Bank recently

reported a growth of 29 per cent in profit before and after tax for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 in spite of the challenging operating environment.

“We are encouraged by this performance which comes in the face of a recessionary environment, increased impairments and headwinds in our trade business due to scarcity of foreign exchange.

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

45

T H I S D AY • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2016

MARKET NEWS

Stockbrokers Set Agenda for Governor Obaseki of Edo State Goddy Egene Stockbrokers have lauded the election of Mr. Godwin Obaseki as the Governor of Edo State, saying that as a stockbroker the governor should ensure economic transformation of state.

According to the brokers, Obaseki should live up to expectation because stockbrokers are not only financial engineers but they are also guided by strict ethical standard.

The Chairman, Association of

Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Chief Onyewechukwu Ezeagu said that a stockbroker’s word is his bond as a result the governor would live up to his manifestoes.

Ezeagu said: “His priority should be infrastructure development via funding through the capital market to address unemployment issues. He should focus on agroallied business, information and communications technology (ICT) and health care. He should achieve funding mix by leveraging his colleagues in the capital market.

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. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

He has no excuse not to succeed considering his pedigree.”

The acting Registrar and Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Mr. Josiah Akerewusi stated that Obaseki had made history as the first chartered stockbroker to emerge as the chief executive of a state in Nigeria.

“Edo State should expect governance at its best. As the immediate past Chairman of Edo State’s Economic Team, he has a grip of the economy of Edo State. This will undoubtedly

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 6-Dec-2016, unless otherwise stated.

aid his overall performance in the governance of the state.

He should boost the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state through the creation of new income stream by also removing inherent inefficiencies in the current income streams,” Akerewusi advised.

A former President of the CIS, Mr. Mike Itegboje, who was highly excited that a fellow of the Institute emerged a state governor said Obaseki should begin to implement his programme of employment of

200,000 people in Edo State as electorates would hold him to his campaign promises.

Also speaking the Chief Executive Officer, Mr David Adonin said: “He has the expertise, background, experience and integrity to deliver the desired result.”

The Manager Director, Network Capital Limited, Mr. Ropo Dada described Obaseki’s election as a clear evidence of versatility of stockbroking profession.

According to Dada, the fact

that Obaseki won the election implied that nobody could fault him professionally.

“Stockbrokers operate under a very high ethical standard and values embedded in the profession. He will certainly favour a private sector- led economy where assets are effectively allocated based on project viability and long term benefits to the people. He is expected to attract new investors and companies to the state, using private- public partnership initiative,” Dada said.

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 123.03 Nigeria International Debt Fund 220.65 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 0.70 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 Market 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 123.98 12.92% 221.95 10.26% info@acapng.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.71 14.49% ammf@aiicocapital.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

100.00

16.98%

enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Bid Price 12.08 283.80 21.95

Offer Price 12.44 292.36 22.61

Yield / T-Rtn -0.88% 1.54% -0.44%

1.00

1.00

16.07%

investmentcare@axamansard.com Bid Price 105.53

Offer Price 106.19

Yield / T-Rtn 5.86%

1.00 1.00 15.23% investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Bid Price 2.13 9.03

Offer Price 2.18 9.26

Yield / T-Rtn 4.61% -8.37%

83.24

85.38

2.63%

invest@fbnquest.com Bid Price 1,077.88 109.47 100.00 $101.91 $101.70 112.14

Offer Price 1,079.07 110.13 100.00 $102.71 $102.49

Yield / T-Rtn 5.17% 3.88% 14.42% 5.75% 5.54%

113.66

12.90%

fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Bid Price 0.91 2.55

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.92 0.55% 2.55 9.44% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 2,170.45

Offer Price 2,194.79

Coral Income Fund 2,086.99 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 -0.24%

2,086.99 10.31% enquiries@investment-one.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund

1.00

1.00

15.17%

Vantage Balanced Fund

1.66

1.67

1.48%

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 11.90% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,000.20 1,000.20 0.02% 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 9.36 9.45 -4.29% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.31% 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 5.73% PACAM Balanced Fund 10.38 10.45 4.19% 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 107.70 108.39 5.69% 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 1.24 1.24 9.55% 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 1,805.43 1,815.41 7.49% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 152.11 152.11 3.42% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.75 0.76 0.67% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 184.61 184.61 8.79% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 129.45 131.05 -4.34% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 16.88% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,391.55 7,489.15 2.84% 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 1.14 1.15 8.34% United Capital Bond Fund 1.24 1.24 16.27% United Capital Equity Fund 0.68 0.69 1.18% 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 9.73 9.89 1.91% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.00 11.09 -4.02% Zenith Income Fund 16.97 16.97 5.77%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.58 123.19

3.99% 6.33%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.95 73.98

9.05 75.38

-6.54% -11.11%

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

2.56 7.15 11.85 15.15 127.45

2.60 7.23 11.95 15.35 129.43

12.02% 11.82% -4.37% -21.03% -

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.

46

THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 T H I S D AY

WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

47

INTERNATIONAL Pakistan International Airways Flight Crashes in North

email:foreigndesk@thisdaylive.com

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight with 48 people on board has crashed in the north of the country.

Flight PK-661 “lost contact with the control tower on its way from Chitral to Islamabad”, the airline said.

The army has recovered at least 21 bodies from the crash site in the Havelian area, about 70km (43 miles) north of Islamabad, a military statement said.

The national carrier has been accused of safety failures in the past.

There were 42 passengers, five crew members and one ground engineer on board, the airline confirmed.

A famous former pop singer turned Islamic preacher, Junaid

Jamshed, and his wife were on the flight’s passenger list, according to leading private news channel GEO TV. The plane took off from Chitral at about 10:00GMT

(15:00 local time), losing contact 90 minutes later, shortly before it was due to arrive at its destination, local media report.

Pakistani TV images showed

Paul Obi in Abuja The Nigerian military, ECOWAS nations’ armed forces and the French military are to team to checkmate remnants of Boko Haram insurgents within the West African sub-region.

Chief of Defence Staff

(CDS), General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, stated this yesterday in Abuja at a parley with military authorities from the sub-region and officials of the French military.

He reiterated the commitment of the armed forces “to protect Nigeria’s borders against trans-

but he still wants to stay on the frontline of politics.

He remains the leader of the biggest party in parliament, the PD, and will play a considerable role in suggesting the name of his replacement.

Before heading to the Quirinale presidential palace, Renzi told the PD it should only participate in a “government of national responsibility” if it has the support of the other political parties.

Otherwise, he said, “the PD is not afraid” of early elections.

Two of the big winners in Sunday’s referendum, the anti-EU Northern League and anti-establishment Five Star Movement, are pushing for early elections.

But other parties, such as the centre-right Forza Italia, are trailing in the polls and want elections delayed. Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi, 80, had tests in a Milan hospital on Wednesday, six months after he had heart surgery.

Names suggested as a possible leader of a new administration include PD Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan and Senate leader Pietro Grasso, who is apolitical.

According to a source quoted in Italy, President Mattarella believes

it is “inconceivable” that elections can be held before electoral laws governing both houses of parliament are synchronised.

The law was changed to the so-called “Italicum” system last year to give the leading party a parliamentary majority through bonus seats in the lower Chamber of Deputies. But there has been no such change in the Senate, which is elected by proportional representation.

Senate reforms were part of the package rejected on Sunday. Another factor is that the constitutional court will rule on 24 January on whether the lower house reforms are legitimate.

Italy’s political turmoil has also led to days of uncertainty in international markets, amid questions over the fate of Italy’s indebted banks, especially its third largest, Monte dei Paschi, which is seeking €5bn (£4.2bn; $5.3bn) to recapitalise.

The markets moved higher and Italy’s government bond yields fell on Wednesday amid reports that the government in Rome was preparing to take a €2bn controlling stake in the bank and to ask for a €15bn eurozone loan to bail out the troubled banks.

Kenya Court Halts HIV Data Collection TA Kenyan high court has ruled that a government directive to collect data on HIV-positive schoolchildren and pregnant women is unconstitutional.

It said the move violated the rights and privacy of those living with HIV. Last year, President Uhuru Kenyatta had ordered that the names of HIV-positive children, their guardians and their addresses to be listed to help with the provision of health services.

But activists said the data could lead to further stigmatisation.

According to the UNAids, more than 1.5 million people are living with HIV in Kenya, including 98,000 children aged 14 and under.

The case was brought by a

Former cricketer turned leading Pakistani opposition politician, Imran Khan, tweeted his condolences: “Shocked & saddened by the tragic plane crash near

Havellan. May Allah give the families of the deceased courage to bear their loss.”

The last major crash involving a PIA aircraft, in 2006, left 44 people dead.

ECOWAS, French Military to Checkmate Remnants of Boko Haram Sects across West Africa

Italy’s Renzi Hands in Resignation amid Political Turmoil Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has handed in his resignation to Italy’s president, three days after losing a referendum he had staked his career on.

He had promised to wait until the Senate passed the 2017 budget, which it did earlier yesterday.

President Sergio Mattarella will start consultations with political parties over forming a caretaker government today.

In the meantime, Renzi is to act as a “caretaker prime minister”.

The consultation, which is due to end on Saturday afternoon, will look at where support lies for a new government, a presidential aide, Ugo Zampetti, told reporters yesterday.

According to Reuters, Mattarella is expected to ask a member of Mr Renzi’s cabinet, or a politician from his Democratic Party (PD), to try to form a new government.

However, some are calling for the election, due in 2018, to be called early.

Italians voted on Sunday by a margin of 59% to 41% against Mr Renzi’s plans for constitutional reform, prompting his decision to stand down.

The BBC’s James Reynolds in Rome says Mr Renzi may have stood down as prime minister,

a trail of wreckage engulfed in flames on a mountain slope.

The army has dispatched troops and helicopters to the location, national broadcaster Radio Pakistan reports.

group of lawyers representing a Nairobi-based home for the destitute, who feared that the process used in collecting the data could push back the fight against stigmatisation. he process would have directly linked a person’s name to their HIV status, the group argued.

Activist and lawyer, Allan Maleche, hailed the judgment as a victory for the privacy of people living with HIV. Patricia Asero Ochieng, who is HIV positive, said stigma was “still alive in society” the ruling would protect those with the virus from further stigmatisation.

The BBC’s Ferdinand Omondi in the capital, Nairobi, says officials from education and health

ministries have been gathering the information to produce a central report.

The court ordered the ministries to remove all the names gathered so far from their records.

It was not clear how much data has been collected across Kenya’s 47 counties.

border crimes and to checkmate the security challenges in the North-east posed by remnants of the Boko Haram terrorist group.”

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Meeting of Multinational Joint Military Technical Cooperation between Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger and Nigeria on Joint Border Protection, Olanisakin explained that “no effort will be spared to contain trans-border criminal activities.”

He expressed Nigeria’s military readiness “to partner the French Military that is providing technical assistance to the cooperation in order to protect the West African borders in the fight against terrorism.”

The CDS, who was represented by the Director Training DHQ, Rear Admiral Jonathan Ango, informed participants at the event that countries must work together to ensure the security of its people and borders.

Olanisakin commended the French government and other French speaking countries for their tremendous support in the area of intelligence sharing, training and fight against terrorism.

He assured the military officials that the Nigerian armed forces would do its best to ensure that trans-border crimes are reduced to minimum.

The CDS stated that “terrorism transcends borders and all regional countries must collaborate in the elimination of the menace posed by the terrorist elements still operating in the fringes of the region.”

On his part, Deputy Chief of Staff-in-Charge of Operations (DCOSOPS) for the French Elements in Senegal, Colonel A Vidal said the French military are willing to assist in terms of training of personnel geared towards planning ahead of 2017.

He added that the training “will also assist in the areas of cooperation between various countries in terms of border protection.”

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

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Court Grants Patience Jonathan Leave to Amend Suit against EFCC Davidson Iriekpen

The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday granted leave to the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, to amend her civil suit against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Her lawyer, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN), said he filed

a motion to regularise the processes.

Justice Mohammed Idris granted the application.

He also gave the time to amend its counter-affidavit.

Mrs. Jonathan, in the civil suit before Justice Mohammed Idris, is claiming that EFCC froze four of her accounts with Skye Bank in the name of four

At Last, Senate Screens Magu Today Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja Six months after the presidency sent the name of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, to the Senate for confirmation, the parliament has finally resolved to screen the EFCC boss today.

Announcing Magu’s screening yesterday, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, said other board members of the anti-graft agency would also be screened.

The board members are Nasule Moses, Lawan Maman, Garandaji Imam Naji and Adeleke Adebayo Rafiu.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had on June 17, 2016, while serving as Acting President, sent Magu’s name to the Senate for confirmation.

But indication that the Senate

was not favourably disposed towards his confirmation arose when in an unusual manner, Senate President Bukola Saraki failed to read the letter until July 14, three weeks after.

Whereas many had believed that having eventually had his letter read, screening and confirmation would also follow, it was unknown to them that it would only amount to the beginning of Magu’s longer wait.

However, there were insinuations that besides Senate’s apparent unwillingness to screen and confirm Magu, there are other forces in the Presidential Villa who have an axe to grind with him and want him stopped by all means.

Nevertheless, his screening today will not amount to automatic confirmation until he is finally proclaimed to have been confirmed indeed.

companies.

The accounts, she said, have a balance of $15,591,700 (about N5 billion) belonging to her.

But, the companies, on September 15, pleaded guilty to laundering the money when they were arraigned in a criminal charge before Justice Babs Kuewumi.

The judge, however, refused to order its forfeiture to the federal government until the trial of the others named in the charge was concluded.

The companies are: Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd (represented by Friday Davis), Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd (represented

by Agbor Baro), Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd (represented

by Dioghowori Frederick) and Avalon Global Property Development Ltd (represented

by Taiwo Ebenezer).

EFCC arraigned them with a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to President Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa, a

lawyer, Amajuoyi Briggs and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku.

Dudafa, Briggs and Bolodeoku pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge.

Mrs. Jonathan, in a separate suit against EFCC and Skye Bank, before Justice Idris, is seeking an order to de-freeze the accounts and release her money.

Yesterday, her lawyer Adedipe told Justice Idris that his client amended her claim.

He said he also filed a motion to regularise his processes, which the court granted.

EFCC’s lawyer, Oyedepo Rotimi, said he would also amend his response to the suit.

Justice Idris then said: “Leave will be granted to the respondent (EFCC) to file any amended process.”

Rotimi accused the applicant of changing the address of the companies through which the suit was purportedly served on them. Mrs. Jonathan had joined the companies in her suit.

The EFCC lawyer said: “We are of the opinion that if you

want to change the address of a party, it should not the adversary who will change the address of another party.

“What we saw was the applicant was changing the address of the other defendants and I don’t think that is tidy.”

Justice Kuewumi had on November 2 refused an order the forfeiture of $15.5million after convicting the companies in whose accounts the money is domiciled.

The judge said he would hand down a sentence on the companies after the trial of the others who pleaded not guilty in the charge.

Justice Kuewumi said: “The ownership issue is still pending.

There’s also a pending suit on the matter.”

While reviewing the facts, Rotimi said the money was stolen from the State House, Abuja.

He said: “EFCC received an intelligence report showing vividly that the fourth to seventh defendants retained proceeds of crime.

“Our investigations showed that Fetus Iyoha admitted receiving the fund from the first defendant (Dudafa). Iyoha is a domestic staff at the State House. He admitted that funds credited into the accounts were given to him from the State House.”

Rotimi said Iyoha paid $3,096,377.38 into Pluto’s account; paid $3,410,534.71 into Seagate’s account, paid $3,765,711.87 into Trans Oceans’ account, and paid $250,000 into Avalon Global’s accout. All the accounts, EFCC said, are domiciled in Skye Bank Plc. Mrs Jonathan claimed she operated the accounts even though they were opened in the companies names by Dudafa contrary to her instructions.

She said the bank promised to rectify the issue and changes the accounts names to hers’ but never did so.

Justice Idris adjourned until January 18 for hearing. Trial in case before Justice Kuewumi will continue on December 14.

Russia Backs Nigeria’s Quest for Permanent Seat at UN Security Council Alex Enumah in Abuja Russia has described Nigeria as a regional power player that has everything it takes to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The country which noted that she is now more proactive in promoting a positive agenda in international organisations and informal associations, including the UN and others, also assured that she would support Nigeria’s bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council if her candidacy is a consensus of the African Union (AU).

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Nigeria, Mr. Nikolay Udovichenko, stated this during a chat with journalists in Abuja.

“In Africa, we have seen a number of regional powers, which have the capacity to be a permanent member of the council and which are ready to take the responsibility associated with it,” he said.

Adding that, “The size of the Nigerian economy, population and its influence in the sub-region are important factors which speak for the Nigerian candidacy in the UN Security Council.”

Udovichenko, who expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to live up to expectation, noted that the country is a major factor in guaranteeing peace not just in Africa but globally.

He said Russia and Nigeria cooperated in the humanitarian and human rights fields in major UN fora and all its structures which pay specific attention to African issues.

While noting that Nigeria was yet to officially present her candidacy, and as such Russia cannot back her, the envoy however, assured that his country is ready to support the consensus candidate of the AU. “There is still issue of consensus, which is about two representatives of the AU in the permanent seat.

“If there is a consensus candidate of the AU and from Nigeria, we will be very pleased to support it.

“As soon as Africa decides who those two are, then we will start process of negotiations and try to explain that the enlargement of the UN Security Council must be based on consensus, not only two third majorities of votes. But really we have no objection to regional candidate,” the ambassador assured.

The Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the UN and it is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security.

It has 15 members comprising five permanent and 10 non-permanent members.

No Africa country has a permanent representative. The five permanent members are Russia, UK, France, China and the United States.

WE ARE GLAD TO HAVE YOU

National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (second right), welcoming the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and APC senators to the national secretariat of the party, in Abuja .....yesterday.

NSCDC to Recruit 10,000 Graduates to Beef up Workforce Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Abdullahi Gana, yesterday stated that the paramilitary agency would target the recruitment of 100,000 young graduates to beef up its workforce in line with the growing demands to secure the critical infrastructure of government across the country.

The NSCDC boss who made the disclosure after decorating 10 newly promoted officers to the rank of Assistant Commandant Generals (ACG) in Abuja, he said the recruitment has become necessary to meet up with the request for its

personnel running into several thousands from the Ministries of Defence, Agriculture, Solid Mineral.

He said: “We are facing more and more challenges on daily basis. Just some months ago, we had a meeting with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals where the minister said they would require a 5,000-man squad in line with the government decision to diversify the economy.

“The minister, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, had during the meeting insisted that my men must be trained and retrained to understand the modus operandi of the sector especially on the identification of solid mineral very well. Today, we have set

up solid mineral unit in the corps.

“We have also held meeting with the Minister of Defence, who requested that we prepare and deploy about 3,300 of our men to the North-east where the military have dislodged the Boko Haram insurgence to secure the civilians.

“The same thing with the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) has also requested the deployment of 3,000 men to their 22 installations accords the country since the sector has been classified among the critical infrastructure of government.

“The same request came from the Joint Admissions and

Matriculation Board (JAMB) and essentially from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) requesting the deployment of our men to secure the dams in the country following the threat from Boko Haram to poison the source of our drinking water.”

According to him, the newly promoted ACGs must understand the present security challenges facing the nation.

He said: “We want them to take charge of the railway commands it is a very big task.

We have made request to the government that for us to meet up with these requirements, we will need to beef up our personnel and we are looking at the possibility of recruiting 100,000 workforce.”

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Bill Seeking Special Status for Lagos, Deserving States Passes Second Reading Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The House of Representatives yesterday passed through second reading a bill seeking to grant special economic status to Lagos

State to ensure that the state receives the necessary support from the federal government to develop critical infrastructure and cater to its rising population.

A similar bill had suffered defeat

House Invites Abdulmumin to Respond to Petitions Damilola Oyedele in Abuja The House of Representatives has resolved to allow the former Chairman of the Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, to enter its precincts for the purpose of appearing before the Committee on Ethics and Privileges which is in the process of investigating two petitions against him.

The Chairman of the Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, in a motion on Wednesday, said the committee is in possession of a petition against the suspended lawmaker on his absenteeism and poor representation of Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State in the House of Representatives.

The second petition, is from the anti- corruption unit of the National Youth Council of Nigeria accusing Abdulmumin of maintaining foreign accounts in contravention of the constitution which bars public officials from operating foreign accounts.

Abdulmumin has been engrossed in a battle of wits with the House, following his accusations of budget fraud he levelled against Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, Chief Whip AlhassanAdo Doguwa and Minority Leader, Leo Ogor.

Ossai, sought leave of the House to allow Abdulmumin who was suspended for 180 legislative sitting days in September, to enter the premises when invited by the Committee.

Under the House rules, a suspended member cannot enter the House, for the duration of his

suspension.

The motion passed but not without some drama. Hon. Aliyu Madaki (Kano APC) raised a point of order, which noted that reference would not be made to a matter that is in Court.

“Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin is not my friend, let me state that clearly, but let us do the right thing. Mr. Speaker, this matter is in court, and we should do justice to everyone,” he said.

Madaki added that since Abdulmumin is already on suspension from the House, adopting the motion would amount to overkill. Speaker Yakubu Dogara, however noted that the petitions do not have anything to do with the matter in the court, where the embattled lawmaker is challenging his suspension. “...we are not aware of any matter bordering on foreign accounts in court, or on representation. The committee, in my opinion is asking for fair hearing for him, he has a right to fair hearing,” Dogara said.

Ogor echoed the sentiment of the Speaker, and noted that all petitions sent to the House must receive attention.

“Let the parties come to present their case, and let him be given a chance to defend himself,” Ogor said.

It is unclear if Abdulmumin would agree to appear before the Ethics Committee, after he had shunned the invitation to appear to defend himself against allegations of breaches of privileges of members of the House and sundry acts of misconduct.

in the Senate, but was repackaged in the House of Representatives to include consideration for special status to Kano, Anambra and states with cities within the threshold of 10 million inhabitants, which meet the criteria for megacity by the United Nations.

The bill is named ‘A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004, to grant Special Economic Consideration to Certain States in Nigeria and other matters related thereto.’

If passed into law, any state with Special Consideration Status would be entitled to 20 per cent of all proceeds accruing to the federal government from the state, to mitigate the pressures of urbanisation, overcrowding and decaying infrastructure.

It was sponsored by Hon.

Babajimi Benson (Lagos APC), Hon. Linda Chuba Ikpeazu (Anambra PDP), Hon. Danburam Abubakar Nuhu (Kano APC) and Hon. Sadiq Ibrahim (Adamawa APC), who described it as the ‘unity bill’.

Benson, leading the debate, said the 20 per cent would assist in revival of the economic potentials of such states to contribute significantly to economic prosperity in the country.

“This bill, asides being in conformity with global demands, will position Nigeria as a proactive country ready to address the urban challenges of overpopulation, poverty, infrastructure decay and environmental degradation, also cater for the teeming youths who represent 70 per cent of our demography,” Benson said.

Justifying the inclusion of Anambra, the lawmaker noted

that Onitsha has been known for trading and inflow of people from all regions of Nigeria since the mid-1850s, following the abolition of slave trade.

It should therefore be considered for special benefits that will enhance its economic output and rich potentials, Benson said.

“In the same vein, the textile, apparel and footwear industry in Kano, played dominant role in the manufacturing sector of the Nigerian economy in the 70s and 80s, but today the textile industry that influenced the inflow to such cities, is moribund and require urgent attention that can only be achieved if the states have a sustainable fund dedicated to economic regeneration,” he said.

Kano also has the capacity to host more than 10 million Nigerians if given the needed support, Benson

added.

The lawmaker made a much more passionate appeal for Lagos, where he represents, emphasising that the state remains the economic hub of the country, and provide 60 per cent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product.

“The GDP of Lagos State ranks fourth in Africa below Cairo, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.

Lagos houses headquarters of national and global companies, and the complex business and professional services that support them.

“Despite the revenue and ambiance contributed to Nigeria, poverty and social exclusion remains a major challenge because of the decay in infrastructure as occasioned by overpopulation and urbanisation,” he add

GEARING UP FOR CALABAR CARNIVAL

L-R: Speaker, Cross River State House of Assembly, Hon. John Gauilebo; former state Governor , Mr. Donald Duke; Governor Ben Ayade; and Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, at the official opening of Fusion Calabar ....weekend

NNPC WELCOMES ITS UNBUNDLING UNDER PROPOSED PIB Speaking on behalf of PANDEF, a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, demanded for the deletion of the provision, describing it as an expression of injustice.

Attah also criticised the provisions for the host community fund in the bill, submitting that the “bill does not state that funds will be allocated to communities based on oil production and/or value of petroleum facilities or assets (such pipelines, flow stations, gas plants, terminals, etc.) located in the communities”.

According to him, the provision stopping the payment of the host community fund on account of vandalism was antithetical to the principles of natural justice which he said would amount “to punishing a whole community for the selfish act or crime of one or a few”.

Attah also expressed grave concern over the structure of the bill, pointing out that it failed to specify the criteria for the allocation of funds and projects to be funded by the host community fund.

In its submission, Petroleum and Natural Gas (PENGASSAN), warned against proceeding with the

privatisation of NNPC as provided in the bill without carrying it along.

It also demanded that companies in the oil sector must comply with international labour conventions in the process.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Chika Onuegbu, said the privatisation process must “ensure that all workers intheNNPCandallothergovernment agencies to be impacted by the PIB shall transit to the new companies/ agenciesontermsandconditionsnoless favourable than their present conditions.

This is crucial to the successful take off of these agencies, the NOC and the PIB itself”.

He also said proper arrangements must be made in a way that “the liabilities of the NNPC and other agencies to their staff such as pensions to retired and existing employees are adequately provided for prior to the effective commencement date of the PIB”.

In his opening remarks, Senate Committee Chairman on Upstream Petroleum, Senator Tayo Alasoadura, noted that PIB had been lingering in the National Assembly for almost a decade.

According to him, the Eighth Senate had opted to deviate from the norm

by making the PIGB “one of the key landmarks to revamp the economy and make petroleum industry more efficient”.

He added: “If we must get out of the present recession the country is witnessing and get the economy on the steady path of growth, the petroleum industry must be made efficient and more profit oriented.”

While declaring the public hearing open, Senate President Bukola Saraki said the PIGB was conceived to serve as the platform for the reform of a segment of petroleum industry “by introducing international best practices that have led other countries to success in the development of their various oil and gas sectors”.

The hearing continues today and tomorrow.

House Probes $17bn Undeclared Crude

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives yesterday postponed the debate of the 2017-2019 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and the Fiscal Strategy Paper to next Tuesday at the instance of Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila.

Instead. the House opted to open its investigation into the $17 billion

alleged to have been undeclared from the export of crude oil and liquefied natural gas to overseas markets.

Gbajabiamila said several members were yet to receive details of the document and would therefore be unable to contribute meaningfully to the debate.

The House leader was however earlier observed going round the chambers engaging members, particularly members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in conversations.

President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to present the N7.3 trillion 2017 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly next Wednesday and the MTEF, by law, must be passed by both chambers before a succeeding year’s budget can be laid before the parliament.

Inaugurating the ad hoc committee probing the $17 billion undeclared crude and gas sales yesterday, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Yussuff Sulaimon Lasun, lamented that Nigeria, unlike other oil producing nations, has been shortchanged in its crude oil dealings.

“There is no oil producing country in the world that would not have some of its oil wells returned to it.

But not so in Nigeria, and that is why Oloribiri 1, today is dry, it was never given back to Nigeria until it was pumped dry,” he said.

Lasun added that the country urgently needs to diversify its economy not just through agriculture, but into other sectors, as it remains clear that crude oil production alone can no longer sustain the country.

“That is why we have not been able to consider the MTEF because the projection of 2.2 million barrels per day is not realistic due to the militancy and other factors, as we have been producing 1.8 million barrels per day,” Lasun added.

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas said preliminary reports show that over 57 million barrels of Nigerian crude were illegally exported and sold in the United States between January 2011 and December 2014.

“The estimated revenue loss by the government of Nigeria is around $12,722,600,327 at an exchange rate of N196 to the dollar. This translates to over N2 trillion,” Namdas said.

He announced that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Shell Western Supply and Trading, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria, had been summoned to appear before the committee.

Other firms summoned by the committee include China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Addax Petroleum Exploration Nigeria, ExxonMobil Nigeria, Duke Oil Company Ltd, Star Deep Water Petroleum Ltd, Famfa Oil Ltd, Nigeria Agip Oil Company Ltd, Petrochad (Mangara) Ltd, Shell US Trading Company, Brass Oil Service Company Ltd, Glencore Exploration Ltd, Supreme Jute and Knitex Ltd, Televaras Petroleum Trading and Consolidated Oil Ltd. “If all revenue from crude oil exports lost due to the activities of those engaged in illegal export and sale of Nigeria crude oil are recovered from the identified buyers, it will go a long way to supporting the development goals of the government of Nigeria,” Namdas added.

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DHQ to Punish Soldiers Accused of Rape in IDP Camps Says Operation Python Dance in South-east not targeted at IPOB Warns against politicising exercise Says Boko Haram now restricted only to Sambisa forest Paul Obi in Abuja The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said it would punish or dismiss soldiers found culpable in the alleged raped of some women in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the North-east where the military is fighting the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Director of Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Brig. Gen. Rabe Abubakar, told THISDAY yesterday in Abuja that the military was not taking such alleged cases of rape lightly.

He explained the DHQ was ready to swing into action to deal decisively with any soldier involved in the ugly incident.

Abubakar said: “On soldiers

arrested for raping IDPs; we have said that if there is any case of sexual harassment and abuse, it will definitely attract the attention of the DHQ. Our position is that such cases must be investigated and those officers involved must be thoroughly dealt with.

“Like what happened in Maiduguri, Borno State, three weeks ago, a serving senior noncommissioned officer assaulted a 10-year-old girl. He was given three years imprisonment in addition to his dismissal from the force. These are therefore offences that we do not tolerate.”

He added that “in the Rules of Engagement (RE), there are the dos and the don’ts which are spelt out. The don’ts are the molestation, sexual exploitation and other abuses.

NCC: Telecom Operators Cannot Determine Data Tariffs Dele Ogbodo in Abuja The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it would not allow market forces between telecommunication operators to determine call data pricing for subscribers because it would stifle small operators out of the market, which might lead to monopoly or duopoly.

Making clarifications during a media briefing on the suspended price floor of 90 kobo for all operators, in Abuja, the Directors of Public Affair of the commission, Mr. Tony Ojobo, Policy and Economic Analyst, Ms. Josephine Amuwa and Head, Competition and Tariff, Mr. Abubakar Yakubu, averred that the commission would revisit the price cap with a view to fast tracking it for general acceptability for every stakeholders.

Amuwa said: “We have gone back to our call tariff study to see how far we can fast track, it because we cannot do without with the price floor, adding that without a price floor in the industry, the telecom sector will fail.

“We need to agree on a price that is sustainable that will encourage the industry to expand the network because if we don’t expand we will not be able to enjoy the benefit of high speed data services across the country.

“NCC cannot allow market forces to determine the price of call tariff, if we do this, a lot of the operators are going to go out of the market and it will result in either a monopoly or a duopoly.

Monopoly is not known for efficient service delivery, “Ojo said.

Amuwa stressed that price caps are regulatory tools employed to ensure that markets remain competitive, adding that the introduction of price floor for data services in the country was to address market distortions, unhealthy price wars and value erosion that could threaten the going concern of the service providers.

She said: “Before NCC announced the 90 kobo price floor, there was an initial price floor of N3.11kobo for data and this was

in place up till 2015.

“The commission we decided to remove that price floor because we needed to see some expansion in data penetration in the industry and how people respond to the internet usage.

According to her, in doing this, NCC warned operators against predatory pricing or price war and that operators should behave in a manner to encourage competition that the agency will re-introduce the price floor when the need arises.

While accusing some operators of not playing according to the game, she said: “NCC, therefore needs to encourage both players as small operators have less than 1 million subscribers, therefore, NCC needs to encourage them. We found that operators were offering prices that did not cover cost of providing the service.

“The bigger operators use predatory pricing to attract customers into their networks and once this is done they increase prices and the smaller operators will not be able to compete at that level and are pushed out of the market.

“As regulator we are responsible for all stakeholders including the consumers, government and even the operators.”

Though suspended, she added that the introduction of 90 kobo price cap to avoid what obtained when the defunct NITEL was the only provider of telecommunication service and so many people were short out from the data market.

“As you are aware, operators have different data tariff or platform and on these platforms they have different prices for data, some are N5, and others as low as 45 kobo. NCC saw predatory pricing and different price differentials and some consumers paying as high as N5 per data while others were paying 45 kobo.

“The commission, saw a situation were operators were not investing on expansion of networks, they were just getting more and more subscribers to their networks from October last year till date.

“The DHQ has an internal administrative mechanism to deal with such cases. After investigations are concluded and the soldiers are found culpable, appropriate punishments including dismissal will be meted out,” the director maintained.

On the reports about the recent militarisation of the South-east and Operation Python Dance being targeted at the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOD), Abubakar stated: “We do not have to politicise the issue of security. Whatever the military does is with all sincerity and purpose. It is nationalistic and we do not conduct our operations targeting anybody or any group.

“For example, in the North-west, we did an operation, all these are operations as ways of trainings.

The whole military job is about training and it is only when you trained that you become acquainted with your area of operation. The Navy also had Eagle Eye. They are aimed to train personnel to test their capabilities, strengths and others.

“In the course of training,

there could be some identified security threatened areas and which definitely must attract the attention of the military, but that is an addendum to what we want to achieve.

“There is a need to come out with proactive measures that will checkmate the activities of kidnappers, robbers, herdsmen, farmers’ clash and others. This is what we are tryng to achieve in the region.

“People are just speculating that it is targeted at IPOB or any other group. The operation is an exercise, what we called Command Post Exercise. It is just an exercise. It is not to threaten or harass any one. The operations are an exercise which are command exercises.

The insinuations are wrong. The esscence of the training is to remind officers what is expected of them.”

He further assured Nigerians that the Boko Haram sects are now restricted only within the Sambisa forest.

Abubakar observed that, “equally important is the free movement now of commercial vehicles. People

can now do their businesses and without fear.

“The economic aspect of the area has also bounced back. However, we are always on the watch as terrorists are never tired. They have ways of disguising and carrying out isolated ambushes and attacks.

We understand all their antics and their modus of operandi.

On the issue of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs0 planted on the roads to impede the movements of the troops is also under consideration and we have made progress on that. We have procured relevant platforms to contain that.

“By and large, the operations there have significantly reached a good level and we will soon eliminate all of them as we have restricted them to the enclave of Sambisa and if you have been following, this Christmas will witness the launching of the last batch of operations.

“There could be a connectivity.

Where the Boko Haram are being disturbed, generally they have to seek a leeway by way of movement

and find new places. So, the possibility cannot be ruled out.

“But what the military are saying is that their movement would be extremely hard. I do not see them progressing beyond the North East.”

On porous borders, Abubakar stressed that “geographically, there is no smoke without fire. Why I say so is that we have borders that are lacking in some certain levels of security presence. We have porous borders.

“We have smuggling in of small arms, medium arms, transborder crimes and so on. Armed robberies, profliglacy and others. All these accumulate from issues having do to with porous borders.

He also downplayed the decision of some western countries not to sell Nigeria arms to fight insurgency, stating that, “let us not paint a wrong scenario. The issue of fighting insurgency transcends beyond a country. Even the most developed countires enter alliances to defeat insurgency. We have seen this in Syria, Iraq where countries come together to fight ISIS and other groups.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

L-R: Director, Public Affairs, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Osita Nwajah; Divisional Head, Corporate Communications, Diamond Bank Plc, Chioma Afe; and Head, Corporate Communications, Nigeria Stock Exchange, Olumide Orojimi, at the “Creative Youth Initiative Against Corruption” ceremony where Diamond Bank was recognised with an award of excellence for its outstanding contribution to children and youth development in Nigeria in Lagos....yesterday

Anxiety in C’Rivers as S’Court Delivers Judgment Tomorrow on Case Challenging Ayade’s Candidacy in 2015 Poll Bassey Inyang in Calabar Anxiety has enveloped the political space in Cross River State following the expected judgment by the Supreme Court scheduled for December 9, 2016 in a preelection matter filed by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Joe Agi, challenging Governor Ben Ayade’s qualification to contest the 2015 governorship election as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In the suit no.SC256/2016 pending before the Supreme Court, Agi who came second to Ayade during the PDP governorship primaries, is alleging that Ayade lied

about his date of birth by supplying false information and conflicting age declaration documents, on oath, to the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), thereby committing perjury.

Agi is also praying the court to declare him the rightful candidate of the party who was duly returned at the 2015 governorship election held on April 11, 2015.

When the matter came up for hearing September 27, the PDP through its counsel, Mr. N. Ibegbulam, denied Ayade and aligned themselves with the submission and prayers of Agi, who is praying the court to declare that Ayade was not qualified to be

fielded as candidate of the PDP. Counsel to Ayade, Wole Olanikpeku (SAN), had countered the argument of the PDP’s counsel, saying he was raising a fresh issue altogether and urged the apex court to reject the prayers the PDP who had aligned themselves with Agi’s prayers.

After listening to the arguments of the counsel in the matter including Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who defended Ayade, the panel justices led by Justice Bode-Rhodes Vivour, reserved judgment for December 9.

Reacting to the development, the IPAC in the state called on the NJC

to probe the rejection of Ayade by the PDP counsel at the Supreme Court, saying the development was strange.

THISDAY findings indicated that despite the visible anxiety among his supporters, Ayade has remained composed and has been going about the normal running of the state’s affairs with extra vigour.

There has been no official comment about the impending judgment from the state government, but some of the governor’s aides and public servants who confided in THISDAY said they were very anxious and tensed up.

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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

CRIME&PUNISHMENT

N754m NIMASA Theft: EFCC Coerced Me to Write Statement, Says Witness Akinwale Akintunde Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba, a former Director with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) yesterday told an Ikeja High Court that he was coerced by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to make statement while he was in the agency’s office.

Agaba, who is standing trial alongside a former Director General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemi and others for allegedly stealing over N754,740,680 belonging to NIMASA, disclosed this in a trial within trial conducted before Justice Raliatu Adebiyi.

Captain Agaba, Akpobolokemi, Ekene Nwakuche, Governor Amechee Juan, Vincent Udoye, Captain Adegboyega Sahib Olopoenia, and a company, Gama Marine Nigeria Limited were arraigned on a 13-count charge bordering on stealing the money

belonging to NIMASA. The defendant, who was being led in evidence by his counsel, Edoka Onyeke, told the court how one Orji Chukwuma, an operative of the EFCC who interrogated him stylishly coerced him to write the statement he gave to the agency.

According Agaba, who is the 2nd defendant in the suit: “Chukwuma had a strategy of asking a question and before I write he asked me again what I intend to write and when I tell him he would refused and asked me to write it his own way.

“I complained and asked my lawyer to be present to guide me but he told me that this has nothing to do with my lawyer so I got so frustrated and decided to do it his own way.

“I am challenging this statement because I had never been in this kind of situation. Though I am not a lawyer but I knew from the way the whole thing went I was being

coerced and this was not right.

“I was arrested on August 18, 2015 and released on the 20th at about 9:20p.m. I did not volunteer any statement to EFCC, I was told how to write and what to write even though they made me sign that I freely elected to write whatever had been written. I was even told that I was not the target so I should cooperate.

“The interrogator used all sorts of tactics to make me cooperate in doing it their own way, including delay tactics. While all these going on I took ill and my BP started

rising. When I complained to them, they initially thought it was a ploy for me not to write but when the headache persisted, they detailed one Barrister Ekene to take me to their Clinic. When I got back from the Clinic, I was taken back to the conference and forced me to continue writing for another 30 minutes. Although I complained but I was not obliged so I had to write.

“The portion on my statement that I voluntarily elected to write was written by the EFCC operative and I was asked to sign,” Agaba

told the court.

Also testifying before the court, Lanre Olayinka, a legal practitioner narrated how he got a call at the airport when he was returning to Nigeria from a trip that the 2nd defendant, Agaba had been arrested by the EFCC. “I couldn’t go the EFCC office that day but the 2nd day when I got there, I was approached by Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo who told me that the 2nd defendant was being interrogated and that I should wait until they finish, to see him.

This same treatment was meted

out to me each time I attempted to see him. I was never for once allowed to see or talk to him. So it would be right to say that I never acted as his counsel and I was never given access to act in any capacity as his counsel when he was in EFCC’s custody”, Olayinka said.

However, EFCC prosecutor, Rotimi Oyedepo promised to proof that contrary to Agaba’s claims, that he was never coerced.

Justice Adebiyi adjourned till January 20, 2017 for the continuation of trial within trial.

Suspected Fraudster Docked for Allegedly Duping American of $629,287 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday arraigned one Dr. Vincent Anyigor and his company, Vanyigor Concepts Limited before Justice M. A. Liman of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on a 25-count charge bordering on conspiracy, altering, forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of $629,287.00.

The complainant alleged that sometime in October, 2010, he paid the sum of $629,287.00 to Dr. Vincent Anyigor for the supply of Six million barrels of Bonny Light crude oil and that till date he is yet to receive the products or get a refund of his money.

Anyigor is alleged to be the leader of a syndicate and parades himself as an international operator in the oil and gas sector The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him.

In view of his plea, counsel to EFCC, U. R. Ewoh, asked the court for a date for trial.

However, counsel to the defendant, Chief Chuks Muom (SAN) urged the court to grant his client bail as the alleged offence is bailable.

Justice Liman granted the defendant bail in the sum of N100,000,000, with two sureties in like sum.

Each of the sureties must own a landed property worth N50, 000,000 within the jurisdiction of the court.

The court bailiff is to verify the property. The defendant is also to deposit his international passport with the court registrar.

The defendant is to be remanded in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail.

The case has been adjourned to 18 and January 19, 2017 for trial.

Defamation: Court Strikes out Buhari’s Suit against AIT The Federal High Court yesterday in Abuja struck out defamation suit filed by President Muhammadu Buhari against DAAR Communications, operators of the African Independent Television (AIT).

Justice John Tsoho held that the court was compelled to strike out the suit because it appeared abandoned.

According to him, no representations from the parties have been entered since the matter was assigned to the court.

“This is against the rules of court, all opportunities given for the plaintiff and the respondents to put life in the suit have failed. The suit is hereby struck out,” Justice Tsoho said.

Buhari had filed the suit in 2015 challenging the documentary transmitted by the station allegedly aimed at defaming his character

in the eyes of the public.

The president averred that the video documentary aired by the television station was aimed at giving him away as a dictator and religious bigot.

He also averred that the documentary was also shown on the state-owned Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that before the action, the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leadership had written to the two stations describing the video as fabricated and defamatory.

Subsequently, the presidential candidate of the APC, as he was then, approached the court with the suit.

The DAAR Communication is owned by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Raymond Dokpesi.

TIME TO FACE JUSTICE

Six suspected oil thieves during their handover by the Navy to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Uyo....yesterday

Kogi NUJ Sues DSS for Unlawful Detention of Journalist Yekini Jimoh in Lokoja The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kogi State Council yesterday dragged the Department of State Services (DSS) to the Federal High Court in Lokoja over unlawful arrest of its member, Mr. Friday Ogungbemi.

Ogungbemi, a Kogi-based journalist and publisher was arrested and detained by the DSS on November 30, for alleged offensive publication in the November 23 to December 15, 2016 edition of the Policy and Lawmakers magazine.

The NUJ which filed the suit on behalf of the journalist, is seeking the enforcement of his fundamental human rights and as well, N5 million damages arising from the unlawful incarceration and infringement on his fundamental rights.

The NUJ counsel, J.U. Usman, filed the motion on notice pursuant to Order 2 Rule (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5) of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules 2009, Section 35(4) and 46(1) of the 1999 Constitution in respect of the suit.

Usman sought four reliefs including an order enforcing the journalist’s rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement and fair hearing being violated by the

respondent since November 30.

The Union also sought an order of the court to enforce the rights being infringed upon by the respondent’s continued detention of Ogungbemi at the DSS detention facility and custody “which is unreasonable, illegal, unconstitutional, null and void.”

The NUJ also claimed the sum of N5 million only as compensation for his unlawful arrest and detention and asked for further order(s) the court might consider just and appropriate to make for the redress of the infringement of his rights.

The reliefs, accordingly to the counsel, are based on three grounds including: That the applicant had no criminal records and that his arrest and continued detention over the publication in the Policy and Lawmakers magazine was unreasonable, illegal and unconstitutional.

He also held that there was a competent court of jurisdiction within 16-kilometer radius from the detention facility of the respondent wherein the applicant was detained but the respondent refused or neglected to charge him to court within the constitutional period.

The motion was supported by a seven-paragraph affidavit deposed to by one T.S. Luka Esq. of J.U. Usman and Co. law firm, Lokoja.

In the written address in support of the applicant’s Motion on Notice, the counsel raised two issues for determination.

They include whether the arrest and continued detention

of the applicant is not a violation of his rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement and fair hearing and whether the applicant is not entitled to the compensation claimed therein.

Navy Hands over Six Suspected Oil Thieves to NSCDC in A’Ibom Okon Bassey in Uyo Six suspected persons arrested by the Nigerian Navy for illegal oil bunkering in Akwa Ibom State have been handed over to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for further investigations and prosecution.

The suspects were paraded yesterday at the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Jubilee, Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State where their official handing over to the NSCDC also took place.

The Commander of the NNS, Commodore Saidu Garba told journalists in the state that the suspects were arrested by a joint team of Operation Thunder while on routine patrol on December 6.

Besides the arrest, he explained that two vehicles loaded with products suspected to be diesel with

about 3,000 litres of the products were recovered from them.

His words: “In line with the mandate to rid our area of operations of criminals and economic saboteurs, NNS Jubilee has stepped up its patrols to ensure credible presence and create a secure environment for law abiding citizens.

“NNS Jubilee and other security agencies have ever maintained regular and sustained patrols within the area of operations.

These patrols have yielded positive outcomes which have resulted in the maintenance of law and order in the area.

“The team arrested a total of six suspects, who claimed th at they are conveying the product to Itu Bridge. The two loaded vehicles were arrested with about 3,000 litres of the product.”

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

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thurSDAY, December 8, 2016 • T H I S D AY

THURSDAYSPORTS Lai Mohammed: No Cash to Pay Falcons Allowances Now

Group Sports Editor Duro Ikhazuagbe Email duro.ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja The victorious Super Falcons, which defeated Cameroon 1-0 to win the 10th African Women Nations Cup (AWCON) trophy at the weekend may have to wait much longer for their match bonus and allowances as Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed has revealed that the Federal Government was financially incapacitated.

The minister, who briefed State House correspondents on the sidelines of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari said economic recession would not allow government to settle the allowances of the players.

The information minister said the demands raised by the girls concerning their unpaid bonuses was germane and was raised at the floor of the FEC by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung.

He said government belief in rewarding athletes who had done the country proud had become a tradition.

The information minister however promised that the female footballers would be paid as soon as resources had been sorted out.

There were speculations that the female footballers threatened to seize the trophy they won, unless their match bonuses and allowances are paid in full.

The girls were said to have demanded a total sum of $15,500 dollars each but government said they could only afford $1000 dollars.

Buhari had shortly after the match which was played on Saturday, December 3rd congratulated the Super Falcons on their victory over the senior female football team of Cameroon.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS R’Madrid 2 – 2 Dortmund Porto 5 – 0 Leicester Tottenham 3 – 1 CSKA C’Brugge 0–2 Copenhagen Leverkusen 3 – 0 Monaco Lyon 0 – 0 Sevilla Juventus 2 – 0 D’Zagreb Legia 1 – 0 Sporting

He had described the hard-earned victory over the Indomitable Lionesses as “very sweet and well-deserved,” saying the Nigerian women are known for their “indomitable spirit, resilience and team work”.

Meanwhile, Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Chairman, Aisha Falode, has added her motherly voice on the pay plea to the government to quicken the process to offset the Super Falcons’ African championship entitlements.

Falode said the reality on the ground calls for caution and understanding for all parties, but that the football house and the government should do the needful as well as expedite action to ensure the side are treated truly as champions.

“It’s a compassionate plea anyway to the Nigeria Football Federation to quickly do whatever that is humanly possible to pay off the side’s entitlements as well as compensate them for a good job done at the just concluded AWCON in Cameroon.

“Admitted that things are quite tight financially with the federation but this was a championship. We all knew two years back that it would come exactly when it came.

“We must continue to commend the team for going through the harsh circumstances and tedious process to claim the title at the expense of the hosts, the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon.

“That’s no mean achievement and the worst things we can do right now to show appreciation is to allow them to mourn loudly over unpaid allowances and entitlements.

“I think they have exhibited a lot of patriotism by not going through the show of shame displayed by their past colleagues after a warm victory in the 2010 African championship in South Africa.

“This crop of Falcons is aware of failed promises in the past to offset their debts. They could have stayed back in Cameroon after the AWCON victory to further embarrass and soil the image of the country.

“The change mantra of the government must be demonstrated to the fullest as the players have done their part of the bargain. The NFF should quickly step in to reciprocate the kind gestures of the team,” concludes the CAF media committee member to supersport.com.

Chapecoense: Bolivia Arrests LaMia Airline Boss

The authorities in Bolivia have arrested the head of the airline involved in a crash last week that killed 71 people, including most of the Brazilian football team, Chapecoense.

Gustavo Vargas, a retired air force general, has been detained as part of an investigation into the crash.

The plane, operated by the tiny LaMia airline, was taking the team to Colombia when it ran out of fuel.

A Bolivian official said yesterday that she warned the pilot of the problem before departure.

The official, Celia Castedo, has now sought asylum in Brazil, saying she suffered threats and abuse.

Chapecoense were travelling to the city of Medellin to play the

first leg of the Sudamericana Cup final against Atletico Nacional.

The British-made Avro RJ85 aircraft ran out of fuel as it approached the airport in Medellin on November 28.

In a leaked tape, the pilot, Miguel Quiroga, can be heard warning of a “total electric failure” and “lack of fuel”.

A Bolivian official, Celia Castedo, revealed she warned Mr Quiroga before departure that the long flight between southern Bolivia and Medellin was at the limit of the plane’s maximum range.

She has now sought asylum in Brazil, saying she is being persecuted.

Her asylum process could take a year to be processed, the authorities in Brazil said.

Asisat Oshoala (left) and Onome Ebi displaying their AWCON 2016 medals and trophy last weekend

Odoh Chases Record Wins at Equatorial Guinea Open Lewis hopeful of upset

Olawale Ajimotokan in Mongomo Nigeria’s No 1 professional golfer, Andrew Oche Odoh, will begin his quest for a record haul of three titles at the 3e Actuaries Equatorial Guinea Open Championship which tees off in Mongomo today.

The in-form player, a five- time winner on the Nigerian Tour this year, was handed a mid-morning tee off time draw in the same company as Englishman Matt Rice and Zambian female player, Madalitso Muthiya.

The male champion will bank $24, 000, while the lady champion will cash $12,000.

Eight Nigerians, including the only female professional, Uloma Mbuko, are in the mix for the 72hole tournament fittingly tagged the ‘’Road to Mongomo’’.

Minna-based upstart, Francis Christopher will open his account from Hole One against the Gambia’s Kebba Drammeh and Craig Kieswetter of South Africa, while Kamilu Bako from Kano Golf Club is grouped against the Swede of Gambian descent, Sisawo Touray and Sanjust Rocco of Italy.

Morgan Atako will start on the 10th tee against Graham Scott of UK and Austwick Charlotte also from the UK.

Sunday Olapade from Ibori Club, Asaba will play against Spain’s Xavier Puig Ginder and Kyle Roig of USA, while Kabiru Haruna Mohammed also from Kano, will test wit against Jamil Namur Anderson of Brazil and the female player in the group, Alvarez Liliana of Mexico.

Lewis Parker, who finished third at the last edition has said he remained confident of going into the tournament.

The Londoner, one of the favourites to give Odoh a hot chase, said after a practice round held yesterday, that he would be focused on each hole.

“My expectations are to just go out and see what I can do really. I

try not to focus on result or small process. I just try and hit it as best as I could and hope I get the result. This is an amazing course with remarkable fairways. I love the golf course; it is incredible place and the conditions here are unbelievable. I can close my eyes and imagine my shots. I am very confident going into it,’’ Parker said.

The player, who works 20 hours a week in a pro-shop, and teaches golf for another 20 hours a week, won his only pro-am tournament this year in south of England and struggled with a niggling injury for about three months from June –September.

NFF, Siasia Hail Pepsi Football Academy Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and ex-international / former Coach of the Super Eagles, Mr. Samson Siasia have commended the Pepsi Football Academy for 24 years of sustainable contribution to the development of grassroots football in Nigeria. They made this known during the Pepsi Academy’s Festival of Youth competition held in Lagos at the weekend.

NFF’s Deputy Technical Director, Mr. Siji Olagunju who represented the President of the federation, Mr. Amaju Pinnick at the event said the NFF rates the Pepsi Academy highly because it is well structured and technically fortified with competent youth coaches under the leadership of Coach Kashimawo Laloko.

He further urged the academy not to rest on its laurels but continue to work harder in discovering and training the next generation of talented and skillful players for Nigeria’s international football teams.

Siasia also described the Pepsi Academy as the best in Africa

Ex-international/former Super Eagles Coach, Mr. Samson Siasia, flanked by Most Valuable Players (MVPs) at the just concluded Pepsi Football Academy Festival of Youth in Lagos based on its structure and what it has achieved in the last 24 years.

He urged Pepsi Football Academy to collaborate with NFF and other academies to fully harness the potentials of budding footballers in the country.

Head of Marketing, Seven-Up Bottling Company Plc, Mr. Norden

Thurston restated the commitment of Seven-Up Bottling Company to make the Pepsi Football Academy one of the best in the world and urged the coaches and players to support the company in this vision.

Four teams drawn from the under 18 players from Pepsi

Football Academy centres in Ilorin, Aba, Kaduna and Lagos participated in the two day event.

Aba emerged champions beating Kaduna by 3 – 1 while Lagos lost 1 – 4 to Ilorin in the third place match. Henry Nmecha from Aba emerged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament.

T H I S D AY THURSDAY DECEMBER 8, 2016

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Thursday, December 8, 2016

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& RE A S O

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Price: N250

MISSILE Soyinka to Nigerians “Our common sense is totally lost. I am embarrassed sometimes that I occupy the same nation space with some people…what is the right of any Nigerian to challenge me on my decision? Barbarians have taken over the country using the anonymity of the Internet” – Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, disclosing his intention to hold a private funeral on January 20 next year to ‘mourn the death of common sense in Nigeria’

KASHIMIBRAHIM-IMAM GUEST COLUMNIST

Iwuanyanwu: An Honour Well Deserved

T

oday, 8th December 2016, the Nigeria Society of Engineers will be conferring one of the highest honors that can possibly be bestowed on an individual in any field of endeavour, on one of their own.

This prestigious body is set to institute the Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu Annual Lecture Series.

It is in honour of his stellar contribution to the engineering profession in Nigeria and to the service of humanity. This initiative by the NSE is unprecedented considering that the lecture series is being instituted during the lifetime of Chief Iwuanyanwu.

It is easy to imagine that Chief Iwuanyanwu has made his mark only in business and politics.

But for those who have known him from the beginning, his remarkable exploits in his chosen field is no news. In fact, it is on record that before he ventured into sports and then politics, he was already an accomplished engineer with notable feats in Nigeria, including the design of an ocean barge using hydraulic technology, design of an innovative rocket system as well as the design of Enugu Airport runway among others.

By all accounts, Chief Iwuanyanwu is a colossus whose reputation is as big as his frame. This doyen of the engineering profession has left a mark that has been difficult to rival, much less surpass in the history of the profession.

Straight out of the blocks, as a young engineering graduate, Chief Iwuanyanwu showed remarkable character far exceeding the capacity of his age and experience. He had cut his teeth as an employee of a foreign engineering firm that he later acquired and expanded into a business empire spanning over twenty companies. In the world of most mortals, this feat only exists in the realm of fairytale. In Iwuanyanwu’s world, however, it is perfectly in his character as a man for whom impossible does not exist.

The brief recollection above demonstrates, in a rather ironic way, how far Chief Iwuanyanwu has transcended the frontiers of his first calling, even by the very lofty standards that he set in that profession. Since then, he has become a man of so many parts such that it is easy to forget that he once towered like a colossus over the engineering profession in Nigeria.

Few men could have ventured into the realm of private enterprise and public service and left such monumental marks in both sectors.

Fewer still could have built an empire while devoting unquantifiable time and resources to the service of society. Chief Iwuanyanwu has managed to accomplish this feat and much more, traversing different vocations – engineering, construction, public administration, politics, community development, journalism etc.

A seasoned industrialist with interests in sectors spanning construction, aviation, publishing, sports etc. Chief Iwuanyanwu has demonstrated that with hard work and dedication to duty, there is no limit to what any man can accomplish and that is why he remains a role model for many members of the younger generation. It is hard to believe that so much can be packed by any mortal into a single lifetime.

Yet, Chief Iwuanyanwu’s more remarkable

Iwuanyanwu achievement lies in his less material contribution to the extremely daunting project of national integration. Exercising both thought leadership and political dexterity, few have done more than Chief Iwuanyanwu to forge a consciousness of Nigerian nationalism among his kinsmen.

The consistency of his advocacy for national rather than sectional politicking leaves no one in doubt that his commitment to the Nigerian project is a lifelong agenda, and not just the momentary demand of political exigency.

In politics, Chief Iwuanyanwu has remained not only nationally relevant but also a towering personality. As chairman of the unregistered All Nigeria Congress (ANC), which he co-founded with Malam Adamu Ciroma, the late Alhaji Umaru Shikafi and other prominent politicians, Chief Iwuanyanwu made a bold statement about his prominent role in the impending (but later aborted) democratic dispensation during the General Ibrahim Babangida transition. Later, in the National Republican Convention (NRC), he contested in the party’s presidential primaries before it was eventually cancelled.

As the transition process continued during the late General Sani Abacha regime, Chief Iwuanyanwu was a frontline member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) which incidentally was founded in his house in Owerri. However, he did not derive any material benefit from its formation, as he was disqualified by the regime, for no reason, from contesting for the Senate seat. Yet Chief

Iwuanyanwu was undaunted.

As an administrator, the Chief Iwuanyanwu is integrity personified. While I served as secretary of the Finance Committee and again as secretary of the Contact & Mobilisation Committee of the UNCP, I worked closely with him at a time he was chairman of both committees. And I learnt a lot from the man.

In a nation that has experienced more than its fair dose of identity politics, Chief Iwuanyanwu’s desire to be president of our country was more a mark of his faith in the Nigerian project than a product of ambition.

But even at that, his commitment to national integration has not been at the expense of his immediate constituency. He remains a proud Igbo man who would never compromise the good of his people for anything.

Only a few days ago, Chief Iwuanyanwu was exhorting his kinsmen to embrace mainstream politics by seeking the highest office in the land, rather than the pursuit of self determination.

Rarely has a Nigerian politician managed to promote national cohesion and also look out for the interest of his community, without conflict in both objectives. Indeed it is a mark of this dexterity that Ahaejiagamba has attracted multiple national honors as well as traditional titles from different parts of the country. Indeed Chief Iwuanyanwu can only be described as a quintessential Nigerian.

In many ways, Chief Iwuanyanwu’s cosmopolitan disposition has defined much of his personal interaction and political association. In his social, business and political relationships, his association has never been limited by geography or by tribe. North or South, East or West, you are as likely to find his pool of acquaintance in one location as the next. As an accomplished engineer, Chief Iwuanyanwu must have taken the concept of bridge-building very literally into politics, far beyond its figurative connotation.

In all these, Chief Iwuanyanwu has also demonstrated that he is as humane as he is urbane. His interest in people is also not limited by the boundaries of class, which he sees as only artificial. Whether he is setting up an emergency pediatric center, a blood transfusion center or cancer diagnosis and treatment units across the country, there appear to be no distinction, in his scale of objectives, between his business interests and his social investments. In giving back to society, Chief Iwuanyanwu has spared

Whether he is setting up an emergency pediatric center or cancer diagnosis and treatment units across the country, there appear to be no distinction, in his scale of objectives, between his business interests and his social investments. In giving back to society, Chief Iwuanyanwu has spared no expense and has set no limits. For the man, giving must be a matter of privilege, not a proof of ability

no expense and has set no limits. For the man, giving must be a matter of privilege, not a proof of ability. It must have been why the man devoted his entire life to creating a society with the greatest good for the greatest number.

Chief Iwuanyanwu’s perspective about “success” and material accomplishment also helps to explain his approach to social causes.

He believes that the course of his life and career can be attributed more to providence than to any other factor. Yet for a man who has accomplished so much by sheer hard work and perseverance, such attitude is exceedingly humbling.

The Iwuanyanwu Annual Lecture Series is therefore no more than a fitting recognition for one with such sterling record of service in a profession that is not only distinguished by prestige and by history, but more remarkably by its contribution in radically defining the course of human existence. But then an award of this magnitude could have been equally well-deserved in any other sphere of human endeavour that has had the benefit of Chief Iwuanyanwu’s involvement. Such honor would have been as fitting in the sphere of private enterprise as in the realm of public service; in the field of sports as in the field of political thought; in media as well as in social development. And even in the sphere of national integration.

No doubt the Annual Lecture Series will serve as both platform and fertile ground for the propagation of the ideals and the social, political and economic philosophy that has driven Chief Iwuanyanwu throughout his life and career. It is to be expected that the lectures would be created around intellectual themes such as creative enterprise, around social and political pluralism, around popular capitalism, around social liberalism. The lectures would also be laced with a generous dose of lessons in doggedness, in perseverance, in humility and in compassion.

If Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu were a subject to be studied in an academic institution, there is no question that these would be the topics of deliberation. The lecture series is designed to commemorate the man, his life and his achievement. It would be a really tall order to expect these lectures to produce other remarkable individuals in the mould of Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu. But it would be tremendous value to society if those who come after him would imbibe even a modest amount of the incredible lesson that his life hold for this and future generations.

As the clock ticks tantalizingly close to the inaugural lecture, I can only add my humble felicitation to the deluge of tributes that are bound to flow from far and wide. In truth there can neither be enough words nor enough space to express our admiration for Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, or our appreciation to God for giving us this gem of unquantifiable value. Still, this moment cannot go by without offering a token of acknowledgement.

Congratulations Ahaejiagamba of the universe.

• Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, entrepreneur, farmer and politician was the Presidential Adviser on Senate Matters to President Olusegun Obasanjo

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